Author: Chris Jones

If this week's column seems at all disjointed, it's only because The Night Drivers and I are in the studio all this week, and I'm writing this in between takes of our new medley of Next Sunday Darling is My

We live in a world full of superstition. Perhaps this is the time to cue the drums to kick off that Stevie Wonder song, unless you object to drums, in which case cue the drum mounted on the bass and

Last week I promised to give a few tips for band leaders on how to keep band members longer. Or, if that really isn't a big priority for you (and for some band leaders it isn't), a few suggestions for

What makes some bands stay together for years, and others have perpetual personnel changes?  If you answered, "the one that stays together for years has never taken a current band photo or purchased an expensive vehicle together," congratulations! You’re a regular

I'm no ethnomusicologist. I'm not even a mixologist or any other kind of "ologist," but lyrics interest me, and sometimes I like going a little deeper into some of the mysteries presented in the bluegrass standards we know and love. Many

I just got done teaching at Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamp last week (always good klean fun). This reminded me of the column I wrote several years ago about jamming. It was written the year the Night Drivers and I taught

Last week we discussed the blending of bluegrass music with other styles, including some that may not at first listen seem that compatible, like bluegrass and heavy metal, the fusion which kicked this whole subject off in the first place. Some

A number of years ago, I got a message from a musician with a band called Grandpa's Cough Medicine (I was a little hurt that they had rejected my band name idea, Grandpa's Immunosuppressant Rheumatoid Arthritis Medicine, but I got

The world of social media is a pretty tawdry place, as we all know at this point. Sensationalism, misinformation, and division are all rewarded, often with large profits at the expense of all the rest of us.  For the professional musician

I hate being an alarmist, but we may need to start varying the adjectives we use in bluegrass artists' bio material and press releases. The problem arose recently after the official retirement of three heavily-used (until now) adjectives in ceremonies held