Now that we’ve thoroughly exhausted the subject of band names, and you’ve arrived at your own, whether it be “Sausage: A Very Acoustic Band” or “Blue Ridge Railroad,” I thought we’d continue this series on band self-management, more-or less in
Opinion / Humor
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Bluegrass Band Name Game – part 3
I made a solemn promise last week to wrap up this series-within-a-series on the naming of bluegrass bands, and I fully intend to keep my word. I was even tempted to move on to the next subject in the band
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Blue Yodel #8 – Dear Joe Queenan
Before reading this installment of Blue Yodel, you may want to (re)visit a recent reference by John Lawless to an article written by columnist Joe Queenan in the Wall Street Journal. Dear Joe Queenan, I'm writing from the year 2111—a full 100
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Is Joe Queenan funny?
Or just riven by banjo envy? Author, reviewer and columnist Joe Queenan has taken to the pages of the Wall Street Journal to expose his hatred of all things banjo. His unburdening was putatively inspired by the recent PBS airing of
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Blue Yodel #7 – Herschel Sizemore’s Rebecca
Occasionally in this column I’d like to look at a specific song and, if possible, talk to the songwriter about it. First up is Herschel Sizemore’s Rebecca, a bluegrass instrumental standard. I just heard a story from the respected and beloved
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Bluegrass Band Name Game – part 2
Before I continue this series on band self-management, and its sub-series on naming your bluegrass band, it might be useful to review some of what was discussed last week. A few recent trends in bluegrass music have also been called
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Blue Yodel #6: Ask Mr. Blue Grass Smarty Pants
Ask Mr. Blue Grass Smarty Pants appears at odd times in Blue Yodel. You can post questions or add comments below and we will make sure Mr. BGSP sees them and replies on what he calls the Wonderful World of Webs. This
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Bluegrass Band Name Game
The forming of a bluegrass band and the subsequent management of that band involves a lot of important decisions, too numerous to cover in a single column,so this will be the first of a series. Future columns will deal with
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A Field of Bluegrass Dreams
Instead of writing my bluegrass music column, I’ve been watching the World Series. Tonight, it’s Game Six, which is important enough to be capitalized because it could be the last game of the year before a long, cold winter without
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Blue Yodel #5: 8 Myths About Bluegrass Songwriting
I wish I could sell you something that would make you a better songwriter, but unfortunately, there’s no tablature for songwriters, no string gauges to change if the chorus isn't working, no pearl inlay that will make you look deep