Opinion / Humor

Since this is the first edition of this column, I thought I’d take up just a few lines telling you what to expect in future submissions. First, the disclaimer: the opinions expressed here will not necessarily be those of the

Pete Wernick, the estimable Dr. Banjo, has sent along a three-part report compiled during his attendance at last week's Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration in Owensboro, KY. They were adapted from comments he posted to the internal IBMA email discussion list. This

Pete Wernick, the estimable Dr. Banjo, has sent along a three-part report compiled during his attendance at last week's Bill Monroe Centennial Celebration in Owensboro, KY. They were adapted from comments he posted to the internal IBMA email discussion list.

Change is inevitable. Innovations are unavoidable. Perhaps no greater example of this can be found than within musical art forms. Music is a living, breathing thing, involving many different people with many different ideas. It is foolish to think that

As The Bluegrass Blog rolls into Bluegrass Today, I thought I’d take us back to the beginning of the online bluegrass community. Let us recall a simpler time, a time when bluegrass social media meant the letters section of Bluegrass Unlimited,

Legitimate old-timers and serious students of bluegrass music recognize Bill Monroe as a bona fide rebel. When he first burst onto the music scene in the 1940s, he was both a visionary and a revolutionary. Using the mandolin as a lead

NPR.org has posted the audio from the recent Mountain Stage performance by Dierks Bentley, along with The Travelin' McCourys. They visited the show during the promotional tour they did in support of Up On The Ridge, Bentley's latest CD on Capitol.

Brian Hazard over at the Music Think Tank blog has posted a good article entitled The case for online-only promotion. Some of his thoughts are right on and I agree wholeheartedly, others I have to respectfully disagree with. First he issues a

With all the advances in technology, it seems we've created a contrast in the way music is produced, and the way it's consumed. On one hand, recording technology has enabled the recording of high resolution audio. Most studios these days are

Brian Baker, writing for CityBeat Cincinnati, recently suggested that we coronate a new King of Bluegrass. His suggestion as to who should wear the crown? Ralph Stanley. His reasoning for recognizing Stanley is certainly sound, but his premise is wrong. If Monroe was