by Christine | Nov 18, 2013 | Welcome Column
Saturday night I was out near Tomales Bay at a UCSF retreat and wondering around looking for a jam. You would think that I would be smarter than that, what are the chances that I would just happen to find a music jam at a gathering of a bunch of science nerds and you...
by Christine | Jul 28, 2010 | Welcome Column
I had a weird dream last night. I dreamed that I was at a festival, and that there was a buzz going around about a really cool new banjo tuning. It turned out this new tuning was so unique, to use it required that a luthier add another string to the instrument, and...
by Christine | May 16, 2012 | Welcome Column
When I was a younger, thinner man, I dabbled in spelunking, which means cave exploration. It appealed to me for a several reasons. While some people suffer from claustrophobia, I am a claustrophile – I love enclosed places. I also love nature, and exploring....
by Christine | Jul 2, 2017 | Welcome Column
Then I’ve got good news for you. The web team has suffered a few Welcome Column retirements and we’re on the prowl for replacements.We’re talking a once per month obligation to write an 800 word or more column about pretty much anything...
by Christine | Dec 9, 2009 | Welcome Column
I recently attended my wife Cassy’s company’s Christmas party, and it was fun. It was at a restaurant that was within walking distance of my house, so that’s cool. The food was good, and I enjoyed the company of the people there. There was only one problem: there was...
by Christine | Apr 22, 2007 | Welcome Column
I am relatively new to the world of bluegrass music. I didn’t grow up listening to the likes of Bill Monroe or Jimmy Martin, although I did know who Lester and Earl were. Instead I whiled away the hours with Johnny Cash, Willie and Waylon, and Jerry Reed. It wasn’t...
by Christine | Oct 26, 2019 | Welcome Column
Lost in thoughts of my past, I sat in what felt like all colors of what is poignant, on a special day of anniversary. I thought of all of my dreams, passed—now a little too late to live—and all the dreams lived, that I hadn’t realized I was dreaming about. It was the...
by Christine | May 9, 2014 | Welcome Column
I heard a preacher say one time, that we ought to have an attitude of gratitude. I figure that’s his job, helping to keep us in the mind to count our blessings, and all that. And I was thinking about that in relation to music and the bands that play that music. I’ve...
by Christine | Nov 25, 2012 | Welcome Column
I’m writing this on the evening of my birthday. I’ve been using my share of the earth’s natural resources for 68 years. I turn on the faucet and there’s water, flip a light switch and I have light, set the thermostat and I have heat, open the fridge and there’s food,...
by Christine | Feb 18, 2020 | Welcome Column
Odd that last month I wrote a column about Earl Scruggs, and then the great banjo master passed away last Wednesday. The column was about a radio show I did about Earl for KPFA on the occasion of his 50th birthday, and how I didn’t exactly cover myself with glory in...
