• Are you ready for World of Bluegrass?

    The IBMA World of Bluegrass is fast approaching, and there are lots of things to consider when preparing for this sometimes overwhelming event. Do you have enough business cards? Do you have any business cards at all? Do you have

  • Random bluegrass rules for 2018

    This column may be shorter than some. This week I made an unplanned visit to see my uncle in Oregon, who recently managed to come back from the dead. He was on life support and when they went to take

  • Chris Jones to Midwood Entertainment

    Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, currently enjoying the #1 spot on our Bluegrass Today Weekly Airplay Chart, have signed with Midwood Entertainment for booking representation. Midwood is a specialty agency based in Charlotte, NC focusing on roots music. They represent

  • But first, here’s Unmowed Grass!

    Are you usually relegated to the status of opening act? Do you find yourself longing to be the closer? On the other side of the equation, are you a headlining act wishing you could go backwards in time and stature

  • Reader Mail for Mr. Bluegrass Manners

    During the past week, I received responses, both positive and negative, to last week’s column featuring Mr. Bluegrass Manners. Here are a few of the highlights, with the third one being my personal favorite, so make sure to read all

  • Mr. Bluegrass Manners is back!

    I’m pleased to announce the return of Mr. Bluegrass Manners. It had been my hope that he would be on hand to take questions more often, but he has spent all spring semester lecturing at the newly opened School of

  • One of these things is not like the others

    The death of Pete Goble represents a huge loss in modern bluegrass songwriting. In fact, I’ll be paying tribute to him during my upcoming “Truegrass” show on Friday. Pete wrote countless great songs, mostly with various co-writers, often the late

  • A proposed rating system for bluegrass songs

    Someone recently suggested to me that bluegrass music is every bit as violent as uncensored hip hop, especially towards women, and that bluegrass recordings should have parental warning stickers on them. I replied that I thought that was ridiculous. How