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Category: Opinion / Humor
Potato… patahto
Is it “Mon-ROE” or “MUN-roe”? Is how we pronounce bluegrass names important? It probably is, yet it’s not always as simple as it might seem. Do we pronounce people’s names the way they would pronounce them themselves, or do we just say those names the [...]
Spargel… get your Spargel!
I’m on a flight across North America right now, the second of three legs of my trip home from our recent European tour. This seemed like a good time to write this column, because for one thing the deadline is almost here, and for another, [...]
German phrasebook for the touring musician
Greetings from Prague, in the Czech Republic, where our European tour is starting this week. Before I go on to much less serious and important subjects, I want to acknowledge a big loss in bluegrass music, especially for northeastern bluegrass fans: Bob Mavian passed away [...]
National Record Store Day coming up on April 20th
I walked into the store, and even though I was the only one in there, I saw a thousand faces staring back at me. The glare of the cellophane made it hard to see, but I liked it. By not having Blu-ray players and plasma [...]
New award category of the year by a bi-national satirist
Early spring brings its familiar signs: the start of the baseball season, the blooming of daffodils, and in the northern states and Canada, a seemingly endless supply of mud. Late spring will be here before we know it, though, and with it a sign of [...]
Capotasto and the flat 1
In his comment on last week’s column about stage communication, Dick Bowden requested that I write a follow-up article on band members who don’t know the number system. I don’t as a rule answer this kind of request, unless it’s accompanied by a garbage bag [...]
Seinfeld in Gnash… kick it off!
Well, I was going to continue the discussion we were having about on-stage communication, but it’s gotten too loud in here to be heard (cyberspace can be so noisy!), so I guess I’ll just call out the numbers with my fingers and get back to [...]
Federal Oversight Of Language in Songs
Greetings Bluegrass Fans, Once again I am forced to remove the dust cover from my Underwood typewriter and report to you a plot so heinous that it caused me to look up the word heinous. First, let me say that I am enjoying my bluegrass [...]
Music Stands and Meaningful Looks
On-stage communication between musicians can take many forms and is required for a variety of purposes, some vitally important, some completely unnecessary but at least amusing. One of the biggest reasons for communication during a show is to assist someone in the band who may [...]
Festival Food: it’s what’s for dinner
Vendors, especially food and beverage vendors, at a bluegrass festival can sometimes be like an oasis from the elements, a blessed port in a storm. Think of the times you’ve been at a hot and humid festival in late July; you’ve lost five pounds in [...]
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