by Christine | Nov 8, 2013 | Welcome Column
We’re all familiar with Murphy’s Law, and this year, it seemed that Murphy seriously didn’t want us to cook a Thanksgiving dinner. We had been having trouble with our oven for some time, but I applied the same philosophy as expressed in the lyrics of “The Arkansas...
by Christine | Dec 3, 2008 | Welcome Column
We’re all familiar with Murphy’s Law, and this year, it seemed that Murphy seriously didn’t want us to cook a Thanksgiving dinner. We had been having trouble with our oven for some time, but I applied the same philosophy as expressed in the lyrics of “The Arkansas...
by Christine | Jan 12, 2011 | Welcome Column
At some point, while jamming at the Great 48 last weekend, it hit me. No, not an errant fiddle bow – that missed me completely and hit someone else. What struck me during that marathon musical session was the sense of how unique, and special a social act jamming is....
by Christine | Apr 11, 2014 | Welcome Column
It was odd, taking a vacation without music. Music has taken me everywhere I’ve ever wanted to go. All the postmarks of my travels have included stops where the guitar case is opened and the music played. If I go to visit the inlaws, maybe it’s a stop at the grange...
by Christine | Dec 19, 2011 | Welcome Column
It’s a great time to be part of the California bluegrass community and music scene. As our very own CBA “Home Page” demonstrates, there is no shortage of activities in California in which to enjoy the passion of bluegrass music. The CBA web site is chock full of news,...
by Christine | Dec 29, 2008 | Welcome Column
Here’s a thoughtful piece that came to us from Rick Owen via Bob Thomas. A Violinist in the Metro A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that...
by Christine | Jan 13, 2016 | Welcome Column
I’ve been lucky so far myself, but at one time or another, a lot people I’ve known have suffered from theft of their musical instruments or equipment. Happily, this is very rare at bluegrass festivals, where a sense community and good will (and a cost for admission),...
by Christine | Jul 18, 2010 | Welcome Column
It’s Friday evening, the moon is high and bright, and I’ve got my dobro on my lap trying to make it sing. My fire on the patio is slowly burning down to coals, my wife is asleep on the sofa inside, and my dog is probably keeping her company. I can’t keep him outside...
by Christine | May 10, 2016 | Welcome Column
I just finished my second year as a coach and instructor at Pete Wernick’s Jam Camp in Boomer, NC in conjunction with MerleFest. This year the camp was even larger than last with a total of 75 students and 10 instructors ranging in age from 8 to 79. It was also nice...
by Christine | Jan 16, 2017 | Welcome Column
When I first became aware of Bluegrass music in the sixties, it was an all white male affair. By contrast, country country had featured women from its outset with Sara and Maybelle Carter on through Kitty and Patsy to Dolly and Loretta. But if you saw Bill Monroe or...
