There was a lot to like in last night's IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, the 33rd uninterrupted running of the annual event. It's always fun to observe our bluegrass stars done up in all their finery, with spouses and families in tow.
Opinion / Humor
From The Side of the Road… Can IBMA not afford double-sided printing?
Greetings from the IBMA World of Bluegrass. I know that "this space" is not a place to be plugging my own musical appearances, but this week is all about self-promotion. So in that spirit... Here are the upcoming showcase appearances for
From The Side of the Road… health tips for your World of Bluegrass experience
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. For the uninitiated (most of the population), this is bluegrass
From The Side of the Road… Juke app invades the world of bluegrass
There's an intriguing new app that's recently been developed, designed to both enhance a concert-goer's experience and make a few extra bucks for the artist at the same time. It's called Juke, and it was developed and first used in
From The Side of the Road… World of Bluegrass seminars for today’s realities
The IBMA World of Bluegrass in Raleigh, NC is fast approaching, and by all indications this is going to be a huge and exciting event this year. For some, it will be their first in-person attendance since 2019, which sometimes
From The Side of the Road… can there be positive bluegrass?
In many parts of our society, we place a high value on being positive. "Just stay positive," we're often told, even if we've just received the news that we have three months to live. Some countries are more positive than others,
From The Side of the Road… bluegrass haiku for publicists
We haven't done any bluegrass haiku in a while. I'm starting to get complaints about this from the Iowa Corndog Queen who is also president of the Bluegrass Haiku Appreciators of Iowa and Parts of Northern Missouri (or BHAOIPONM, pronounced
From The Side of the Road… Jones’ Rules of Jamming
This is a column written the year the Night Drivers and I taught at the MBOTMA festival's Jam Camp in Minnesota. I thought it might be fitting here in the height of the outdoor jamming season (officially May 15 to
From The Side of the Road… Disney grassups for a summer’s day
A friend of mine suggested once that this column is like the "Buzzfeed of bluegrass." He assured me it was a compliment, but I wasn't so sure. Concerned, I looked back through the archives and found a generous helping of
From The Side of the Road… bring back the Bluegrass Pentathlon!
The International Bluegrass Music Association's World of Bluegrass (and I should inform you that that's the last time, possibly in my entire life, that I'm going to be writing that out in longhand) takes place annually in late September/early October.
