From The Side of the Road… I bet you don’t remember me
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 he or she is working the merchandise table, looks the musician straight in the […]
From The Side of the Road… Won’t you write these words?
Perhaps it was the approach of Halloween, or perhaps the post-IBMA World of Bluegrass mental fatigue, but my mind has suddenly turned to the macabre. More specifically, I’ve begun thinking about the writing on headstones. Epitaphs are often fascinating, sometimes horrifying, and occasionally just dull. But have you given any thought to what you would […]
From The Side of the Road… that sounds so familiar!
Chris returns to a video format for his new October column, seeing if classic bluegrass songs can fit a contemporary country ballad template. After a brief introduction, he puts his theory to the test, with mixed results. Feel free to take your own stab at this, sharing your YouTube videos in the comments.
From The Side of the Road… explaining difficult concepts with bluegrass analogies
In a previous column I delved into the bluegrass analogy, which when used properly (adhering strictly to state and local guidelines on bluegrass analogy use), can be a method of explaining various things to bluegrass musicians and fans who might just tune you out otherwise, by relating it to bluegrass music in some way. I […]
From The Side of the Road… are we still here?
If you made it to the inaugural IBMA World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga, I hope it was a good one for you, a week filled with positive contacts and a negative COVID test. Just when we all were home and recovering came the news that the end of the world and/or the rapture was going […]
From The Side of the Road… return of the lanyard song
Greetings from the very first IBMA World of Bluegrass from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Because I’m out at the Walnut Valley festival in Winfield, Kansas during this week, I was only able to attend for one day. From what I saw, though, it looks pretty hopeful. This year, I was able to attend the Americana Music Association’s conference […]
From The Side of the Road… are you ready for World of Bluegrass?
In past years when we get to this month of the calendar, I have discussed sleep, fitness, and diet strategies for having a safe and healthy IBMA World of Bluegrass. In fact, it was the subject of my very first column here in 2011. For the uninitiated (most of the population), this is bluegrass music’s […]
From The Side of the Road… So, is Rhonda Vincent retiring?
I know I make a lot of stuff up in this column for fun, but this one deals with falsehoods spread on social media, and the difference between truth and fiction. All examples used below are true, or I should say true examples of lies. Now I’m confusing myself. Ah Facebook. Yes, it has enabled […]
From The Side of the Road… choose your World of Bluegrass goals
I’ll have a new column next week, but this week I wanted to present a rerun from way back in 2012 that has to do with strategies for making the most of the World of Bluegrass, since that hallowed event is coming up soon in its shiny new Chattanooga location. Perhaps we can discuss how […]
From The Side of the Road… Most boring stories of the year
I’m in the midst of a SiriusXM radio marathon, because apparently no one else is working right now, so here’s an “encore presentation” of what was the second installment in the barely-popular Most Boring Stories of the Year series. This was first published in early January of 2013 and makes reference to the New Year. […]
