Funny stuff

The IBMA World of Bluegrass is fast approaching, and if you’re planning to attend, you probably still have plenty of questions you may be asking yourself. Let me just say up front that I have no informed answers to give, unless

Do you ever play the name games? I’m referring to the cute methods of generating your own alternate name for a specific occupation. For example, you can arrive at your stage name by combining your middle name with the name

Many people ask me (though I should say that I use a very broad definition of the word “many”) what performers do before a show to get mentally and perhaps spiritually prepared. How do they get in what is often

It’s been a while since we discussed the IBMA breakaway organization, the ABMA, which stands for the Argumentative Bluegrass Music Association. They formed a few years ago and built themselves on the principle that nothing advances our music more than

Some people have difficulty in the music field because they discover too late that they’re in the wrong side of the business for their personality. A person who is a wonderful sideman or woman may be a disaster as a

Last week I promised to give a few tips for band leaders on how to keep band members longer. Or, if that really isn’t a big priority for you (and for some band leaders it isn’t), a few suggestions on

What makes some bands stay together for years and others have perpetual personnel changes? If you answered, “the one that stays together for years has never taken a current band photo or purchased an expensive vehicle together,” congratulations! You’re a regular

‘Tis the season for the bluegrass music camp, and my band and I just returned recently from a great week at Camp Bluegrass, held annually at South Plains College in Levelland, TX. In a typical music camp of any kind, there are

Chris Jones has found himself stuck in a whirlwind this week, and has offered this re-run of one of his first columns for our enjoyment. Quite some time ago (I think it was just after the breakup of Flatt & Scruggs

“For Your Consideration.” We all have seen that phrase more than a few times in the past few days, now that the first round of IBMA awards balloting has been tabulated. It’s the generic introduction to a solicitation for votes, in