Ages ago—I believe it was pre-iPhone 5—I offered up an advice column about coming up with band names. In it I provided a band-naming “kit” that involved taking an adjective or geographical location from column A and combining it with
Chris Jones
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From The Side of the Road… making murder ballads safe for school
In past columns, we've discussed the fact that while bluegrass bands get booked at weddings, there are almost no appropriate bluegrass songs to play at these weddings. Most either involve a groom failing to show up for his own big
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From The Side of the Road… context in attribution matters!
Quotations aren't always what they seem when taken out of context. Be especially wary when authors who write both fiction and non-fiction are quoted. It happens often, especially on calendars for some reason (the month of July is notorious for
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From The Side of the Road… jamming etiquette with Mr. Bluegrass Manners
Mr. Bluegrass Manners has made a triumphant return, although he wouldn't put it that way because he's too well-mannered. I keep telling him that social media have made it okay to brag now. We live in a time of posts
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From The Side of the Road… your bluegrass horoscope
Adding to my Bluegrass Junction responsibilities on SiriusXM, I have been on the air every weekday morning at Willie's Roadhouse and time has been in short supply. I cannot rest; there are Faron Young songs to be played! For that
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From The Side of the Road… how about a bluegrass college draft?
Now that the Super Bowl is over (it is over, right?), serious football fans will turn to the NFL draft. If you're not familiar with how sports drafts work, they are a system of distributing rookie talent that strives to
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From The Side of the Road… post bluegrass career possibilities
Is there life after being a professional bluegrass musician most of your life? I realize it's a question that very few full time bluegrass pros ever ask, because they almost never retire. Sometimes they stop working, but that's not necessarily
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From The Side of the Road… a revised Bluegrass Quiz, following complaints
This is the first time there’s been a need for a quiz follow-up, but it seems some issues have arisen: For one thing, it was brought to my attention by a reader we'll call "Lee" (I prefer to maintain reader anonymity)
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Bed of Snow video from Chris Jones & The Night Drivers
Mountain Home Music has released a music video for Chris Jones & The Night Drivers, for one of the tracks on their current album with the band, Make Each Second Last. It's for one Jones wrote with Thomm Jutz, Bed of
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From The Side of the Road… The 2022 Bluegrass Quiz
It's bluegrass knowledge quiz time again. That time generally falls around the 1st of the year but can also happen as late as Groundhog Day, Passover, or Father's Day. In any case, here in 2022 that time is now. I