Author: Chris Jones

After writing 400 or so of these, I find that I occasionally tire of all the truth-telling (with the occasional lie thrown in just for fun, or do I have that ratio reversed?). If you wouldn't mind indulging me, then

It's time for our annual review of the best new bluegrass music products introduced in the past year. Well it used to be annual, but then the pandemic hit and we had to put this off for a couple of

In many parts of our society, we place a high value on being positive. "Just stay positive," we're often told, even if we've just received the news that we have three months to live. Some countries are more positive than others,

A couple of years ago—and given the pandemic time warp we've all experienced, that could be anywhere from one to eight years—I wrote a column about pronoun switches. The idea was inspired by Pete Wernick, who thought there were several

I've discussed in past columns the fact that, while bluegrass bands still get booked at weddings, there are at most three appropriate bluegrass songs to play at a wedding. Even some of the instrumentals are questionable, at least if you

I want to describe a scene at a typical bluegrass concert or festival that will probably be familiar to both artist and fan, and it may cause each to shudder just a little: A fan walks up to a performer while

We're constantly trying to find new and more effective ways to market bluegrass music to a wider audience, or just a less narrow audience, if you want to look at it that way. I've recently returned from the IBMA World

It's the IBMA World of Bluegrass week-after. I usually go through my annual post-IBMA bluegrass cleanse during this week, which involves vigorous exercise (five push-ups), listening to music based on instruments Bill Monroe didn't like: the flute, the harp, the

I've just arrived at the IBMA World of Bluegrass and I have a short report that mainly has to do with the check-in process. If you've kept up with social media discussions (something I don't recommend), you may recall there was

For my band, Labor Day weekend marked the first return to playing in front of in-person audiences. Now, a few weeks later, after more festival dates and some real night-driving thrown in (Bean Blossom to Nashville in the wee hours),