In these polarized political times (please hold your comments), a new acronym has sprung up to describe politicians who don’t quite tow the party line: "RINO" and "DINO," short for "Republican In Name Only," or "Democrat In Name Only." This
Author: Chris Jones
-
-
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
-
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
-
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.
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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