Opinion / Humor

I’ve devoted the previous several columns to the subject of band self-management. There won’t be many more, I promise, because let’s face it: all this management gets tiring after a while. Sometimes you just want to go play the show. Let’s

This has turned into a lengthy series on bluegrass band self-management, which is fitting because we live in a do-it-yourself era, from self-service gas pumps to self-checkout at grocery stores. I’ve even recently learned to eat meals without professional assistance.

Dear Mr. Blue Grass Smarty Pants, How come you didn’t call this column Blue Yodel #13? Did you skip a number? —Lucky 13 Dear Lucky 13, Yes, I made that mistake once in high school when I took number 13 on the baseball team

Somewhere deep in my list of items that are on a new bluegrass band’s to-do list was this little, seemingly trivial task: “Book a gig.” I think it was somewhere after selecting stage clothes and seeking endorsement deals. Many—though by no

This year, I mean it. No more abandoning resolutions to learn the fiddle or write a song every week. No more good intentions turned into shovel-ready projects to hell. No more orgy of self-loathing with two guys named Ben &

Say one thing about 2011: It was a terrific year for lovers of bluegrass music, both traditionalists and big tenters. In fact, there were so many top-notch albums issued last year that I had trouble figuring out my Top 10

What do Alison Krauss, comedian/actor/novelist/art buff Steve Martin, classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma, classic rocker Tommy Shaw, and country star Dierks Bentley have in common? And what does that list have in common with Trampled by Turtles, Steve Ivey, Dr. Elmo (he