From The Side of the Road… top bluegrass exit strategies
Well, it’s the heart of summer; it’s extremely hot in many places, and our thoughts turn naturally to death. This may seem a little morbid, but this is a column about bluegrass music, after all. Aside from the moment when George Clooney lip-synced Dan Tyminski in a major motion picture, many of us consider bluegrass […]
From The Side of the Road… I got this email, you see
Unless you’ve never given your email address out to a living soul (I’m starting to think this is a good idea), you’ve probably received some spam emails of some kind, representing some scam or another. Maybe you’ve almost fallen for one or two of them. When I read that a musician friend of mine had […]
From The Side of the Road… really dumb online bluegrass reviews
Do you read online customer reviews before going to restaurants or staying at hotels? As you may have discovered, it’s best to judge based on several reviews, looking at the average impressions compared to the averages of your other choices. If you allow yourself to be turned off by a single horrible review by a […]
From The Side of the Road… “sweeps week” ideas for IBMA nominees
There’s a period between after nominations are announced, and before final voting closes, when nominees become aware they may be being watched and/or listened to more closely. The stakes of what they do become just a little bit higher. Voting has already closed on the main IBMA music awards as of Monday this week, but […]
From The Side of the Road… vocal tips from our avian pals
Have you ever played in a band with a lead singer who changes the way he or she sings in the presence of an attractive member of the audience, or what might be called a “potential mate?” You know what I’m talking about: the singing gets a little louder, maybe more embellished and dramatic. I […]
From The Side of the Road… I’m truly sorry
Happy Wednesday! This column is actually a slightly edited rerun from almost 10 years ago. It seemed mostly non-specific, but if you read carefully you can place this around the time that Kanye West snatched an award away from Taylor Swift, the IBMA was going through a board of directors squabble that was getting an […]
From The Side of the Road… a bluegrass bucket list
You’ve no doubt heard of the “bucket list.” Like “show me the money” and other overused phrases, it has its origins in the movies. If you missed it, the bucket list is a list of things you hope to do before you “kick the bucket,” or “die,” as I believe the medical professionals put it. […]
From The Side of the Road… burning question: haiku or senryu?
Last week Bluegrass Today published a rerun of my first bluegrass haiku column to help set up this new one. It turned out to be a good decision because some of the responses I got helped me learn valuable new information about this poetry form. A good family friend, Carol Ruth Kimmel, who lived and […]
From The Side of the Road… bluegrass haiku, for me and you
I’m planning to write some new bluegrass haiku for next week, which, if I’m honest, is a form of procrastination because I’m really supposed to be writing the liner notes for the debut album by Desperate Ryver (be on the lookout for the new single Bluegrass in my Vital Organs, dropping soon). If haiku-writing is […]
From The Side of the Road… personal ads for bluegrass pickers
As someone who landed his first full time bluegrass employment thanks to a classified ad, I continue to take an interest in this kind of advertising. Not to be voyeuristic, but the personals section has always been pretty interesting, too; in fact, they’re generally more enjoyable knowing you don’t actually have to date any of […]
