Last week we discussed movie taglines, those one or two sentence teasers meant to entice us to rush out (or in) to see the film. As I said, they can range from the overly sparse: "An Event" (Earthquake), to the plot-spoiling
Opinion / Humor
From The Side of the Road… can movie tag lines work for bluegrass songs?
I hope you're staying cool in this, the hottest stretch of summer. I've got a lot of travel this week and next, taking me and the Night Drivers to Wyoming, Montana (consider that a Red Knuckles tribute), Saratoga Springs, NY,
From The Side of the Road… Mr. Bluegrass Manners in the house
Mr. Bluegrass Manners has been away for an unusually long time, and he asked me to pass on his apologies. He said he's been wanting to "spend more time with his family," which I found surprising since I had never
From The Side of the Road… if bluegrass artists interviewed like politicians
One of the most challenging aspects of hosting radio shows is doing interviews. What are the most relevant questions to ask? What are questions other people might not have thought of? How do you get the shortest possible response from
From The Side of the Road… Truth or Dare for bandmates
Are you a fan of the game "Truth or Dare?" I'll admit that I'm not. This is a game that has been responsible for accidental drownings, indecent exposure arrests, the burning of public buildings, and possibly the assassination of Archduke
From The Side of the Road… changes to expect from the IBMA awards
It's the day of the IBMA Awards announcements, but I was writing this before the big reveal in Nashville, so I have nothing informed or even uninformed to say on the subject. I do know that one of the changes
From The Side of the Road… if you can make it to the phone
I recently came across this column from several years ago about determining if and when to perform when sick. I quickly realized how much has changed since the COVID era. Cancellation due to the possibility of infecting other band members
From The Side of the Road… bluegrass afterlife; a study in contrasts
As mentioned last week, our recent discussion of epitaphs leads us right to a topic we've never tackled here before: the afterlife. In this divided and argumentative time, this can devolve quickly into theological debates about "soul sleep," or what
From The Side of the Road… on the stone these words were written
The following is a rerun column from last year. Since last week's installment referred to an as-yet unwritten column about the bluegrass afterlife, I thought next week would be a good time to actually write it. I'm hoping this "encore
From The Side of the Road… bluegrass retirement options
A number of weeks ago, we discussed bluegrass death, and if things followed along the expected timeline, we should be approaching the subject of the bluegrass afterlife. Instead, though, I'd like to back up to the part just before death: