Bluegrass Cardinals on the red carpet at the IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards - photo © Roger Black Billy Strings dominated the first World of Bluegrass in Chattanooga this week, cementing his role as the next new hope to lift bluegrass to
Opinion / Humor
From The Side of the Road… return of the lanyard song
Greetings from the very first IBMA World of Bluegrass from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Because I'm out at the Walnut Valley festival in Winfield, Kansas during this week, I was only able to attend for one day. From what I saw, though, it
From The Side of the Road… are you ready for World of Bluegrass?
In past years when we get to this month of the calendar, I have discussed sleep, fitness, and diet strategies for having a safe and healthy IBMA World of Bluegrass. In fact, it was the subject of my very first
From The Side of the Road… So, is Rhonda Vincent retiring?
I know I make a lot of stuff up in this column for fun, but this one deals with falsehoods spread on social media, and the difference between truth and fiction. All examples used below are true, or I should
From The Side of the Road… choose your World of Bluegrass goals
I'll have a new column next week, but this week I wanted to present a rerun from way back in 2012 that has to do with strategies for making the most of the World of Bluegrass, since that hallowed event
From The Side of the Road… Most boring stories of the year
I'm in the midst of a SiriusXM radio marathon, because apparently no one else is working right now, so here's an "encore presentation" of what was the second installment in the barely-popular Most Boring Stories of the Year series. This was
From The Side of the Road… bluegrass pronunciation key
Is it "Mon-ROE" or "MUN-roe"? Is how we pronounce bluegrass names important? It probably is, yet it's not always as simple as it might seem. Do we pronounce people's names the way they would pronounce them themselves, or do we
From The Side of the Road… what if bluegrass bands were named for their hit songs?
This month I'm wearing my classic country DJ hat (size 7.5) and working at SiriusXM Willie's Roadhouse on weekday mornings most of this month. While on the air the other day I played Stateside by Mel Tillis, and I was
From The Side of the Road… comparative recording budgets
If this week's column seems at all disjointed, it's only because The Night Drivers and I are in the studio all this week, and I'm writing this in between takes of our new medley of Next Sunday Darling is My
From The Side of the Road… is bluegrass very superstitious?
We live in a world full of superstition. Perhaps this is the time to cue the drums to kick off that Stevie Wonder song, unless you object to drums, in which case cue the drum mounted on the bass and
