If you’ve ever played American roots music, you’ve almost certainly encountered the Nashville number system. It is part of every jam, every lesson, and every fake book. It is the cipher that we use to pass on our aural […]
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When most people think of big-band jazz, they’re probably thinking of glittery urban scenes in the Roaring ’20s. They’re thinking art deco dancehalls and Prohibition-era speakeasies. There’s something about the idea of a brassy jazz band that evokes imagery […]
When you think “bluegrass,” your first thought probably isn’t “Cleveland.” Or, to get a little bit more metaphorical, your first thought probably isn’t “industrialization” and “urban centers.” But maybe it should be. Despite how old bluegrass feels, it is […]
There are a lot of jokes about modern country music. What can I say, it’s easy to make fun of a bunch of millionaires pretending to enjoy being on a farm when all they really want is to be in […]
We in the bluegrass world love to talk about the high lonesome sound — that painful, heartbreaking high tenor pealing out mournfully in the happy-sad songs in our particular musical canon — as though it’s something that’s wholly ours. If […]
The most Scandinavian aspect of many Americans’ lives is probably the IKEA furniture in their homes. But minimalist interior design is just one small way Scandinavian influence finds its way into modern American culture. Before there were Swedish meatballs […]
A cappella is having a bit of a moment in pop culture these days. With the popularity of groups like Pentatonix and the blockbuster success of the Pitch Perfect movies, we can certainly forgive you if you’re experiencing a bit […]
We’re all familiar with the sounds of the banjo, popularized in the American imagination by media highlights like the dead-eyed banjo picker in Deliverance and the band on Hee Haw. But more than anything, you would recognize the iconic, rollicking […]
When I say “mambo,” you probably immediately think of “No 5.” Fair enough — it’s catchy as all get out. But where did Lou Bega get his inspiration for “Mambo No. 5”? You may think it was from Monica, Erica, […]
Back in the early days of the Western frontier, community was a matter of life-and-death: It was the work of people in tandem that led to a successful winter, not merely one man’s luck in finding gold or trapping furs. […]
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