Author: Chris Jones

I’m neck deep in studio work in North Carolina this week, so here’s one that first ran right before Thanksgiving two years ago, and right after the 2016 election. As you’ve noticed, the political climate may actually be more tense

Let’s face it: it’s difficult to be married to a musician, but it may be most difficult of all to be married to a songwriter. As the spouse, you end up hearing songs about bad relationships, break-ups, leaving on the

Perhaps it was the recent passing of Halloween, or perhaps the post-music-camp mental fatigue (I just returned from the wonderful Walker Creek Music Camp in California), but my mind has suddenly turned to the macabre.  More specifically I’ve begun thinking about

There’s been an exciting new development at Bluegrass Today. I think it’s even bigger than the recent breaking of the personnel change story that rocked the industry: “Brian Hampton to Kryspy Rydge.” It may even be bigger than the installation

In today’s competitive environment it’s hard to break through the barriers when it comes to airplay and sales. Some choose the aggressive marketing approach to overcome this: frequent calls to program directors, in-person confrontation, and in extreme cases, kidnapping of DJs

Greetings from the studio! When recording a record, CD, or long play album (a term we need to revive), it’s pretty intense, and I rarely have time to come up with anything funny for this weekly column. Or even anything

Things are very busy this week as the Night Drivers and I prepare to head back into the studio. I’m working on charts and trying to come up with a rhyme for “carrageenan” to finish up a song. This reminded

It was an outstanding IBMA World of Bluegrass this year, in my opinion (as opposed to the opinion of some person ranting on a street corner in Raleigh), and yes, I was awake for a great deal of it. The

From the deepest recesses of an undisclosed location in Raleigh, NC, Chris Jones submits a video report from the 2018 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