Category Archives: Bluegrass & Old-Time

For my Valentine

Posted on February 14, 2013 by

In honor of Saint Valentine, Patron Saint of lovers, happy marriages and bee keepers, I wanted to write a quick post about my wedding song. At our lovely reception in Georgetown, Maine, my wife and I danced to “Treasures Untold” … Continue reading →

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The Father of the Delta Blues

Posted on February 11, 2013 by

In the history of American folk music, the guitar was a late-comer to the party. It only found its way into many rural parts of the country with the advent of mail order catalogs like that of Sears & Roebuck. … Continue reading →

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Louder. Faster. Less Distortion.

Posted on January 23, 2013 by

Punk rock is now decidedly middle-aged along with the teenagers that made up its early audiences. Those mosh pits have dispersed into all corners of society and I thought it would be fun to start exploring how the music itself … Continue reading →

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Andy Boarman, Part II – An Interview with Darrell Sanders

Posted on May 2, 2012 by

Last summer I wrote a post about Andy Boarman, “The Banjo Man of West Virginia.” My father-in-law knew Andy in Hedgesville and often wondered about the local barber who moonlighted as a player and builder of banjos and was rumored … Continue reading →

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The TB Blues

Posted on March 31, 2012 by

Last weekend my wife and I were walking along Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade and we happened across a fine new group busking out on the street calling themselves The Buffalo Skinners. They played a raucous, Levon Helm-inspired version of … Continue reading →

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Remembering Earl Scruggs the Guitar Player

Posted on March 30, 2012 by

To mark the life of the great Earl Scruggs who died Wednesday at the age of 88, I would like to celebrate a lesser known portion of his work. Earl Scruggs was an amazing guitar player! I first became familiar … Continue reading →

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Coal Tattoo

Posted on March 24, 2012 by

Coal mining songs make up a significant and powerful contribution to the bluegrass and folk music repertoire. The Merle Travis classic “Dark as a Dungeon” has become a bluegrass standard and never fails to affect the listener with its grave … Continue reading →

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