Like many of you, I’m watching the situation in Ukraine with dismay, while deeply inspired by the spirit of the Ukrainian people. Last month marked one year since the passing of a great Ukrainian-American musician, Peter Ostrousko, a good friend who performed on Prairie Home Companion throughout the show’s 40+ years. … Read More
The April, 2014 edition of Merlefest included a special event Friday called the BanjoRama. Festival talent coordinator Steve Johnson had thrown an interesting assignment my way this past winter: coordinating ten banjo players to do an hour-long set on the the Doc and Merle Watson Stage.… Read More
Pete and Joan Wernick and Justin Hoffenberg have returned from headlining the first-ever Russia-America Bluegrass Jamboree. The event took place July 20 and 21, 2010 in the cities of Vologda and Semenkovo in “deep Russia”, an overnight train east from St. Petersburg. … Read More
Pete and Joan weather tsunami threat in Kauai! Today was “tsunami day” here in Hawaii. We got a call from the mainland that woke us up about 5am. Joan checked with the front desk and they were already apprised that there would be sirens at 6am, which there were. … Read More
I am lucky to have had some neat opportunities in music these days. Along with three banjo camps and six or seven jam camps a year, I’ve gotten to perform with a number of cool groups in a variety of places (Ryman Auditorium and Carnegie Hall in just the last week, yow!). … Read More
“It was a thrill and a challenge to lead so many people. We had a lot of guitars and mandolins, some banjos, a few saxophones, a trumpet, a harp, a vena (a large stringed instrument from India), and quite a few percussion instruments. All acoustic. … Read More
This was my 20th Merlefest, having missed only the first one, back in 1988. What an amazing event. I heard some of the most beautiful music and some of the most inspiring I’ve heard in a long time (Jerry Douglas Band and Levon Helm’s Ramble on the Road set concluding Saturday night).… Read More
It’s been hard to keep this under my hat, but now it can be told: Hot Rize performed July 28 at the wedding of Steve Martin to Anne Stringfield, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Due to Steve’s concern about disruption by paparazzi, we were asked to not discuss the event in advance.… Read More
Notes From The Road: This is my “Pete’s-eye view” feature on this site, with reports on interesting people and events I encounter in my travels. I posted this piece in July 2006 on the BGrass-L discussion list when a number … Read More
Louise and Earl Scruggs first met at the Ryman Auditorium in 1946, and in the years to follow, thanks to her steadfast efforts as his manager and booking agent, she watched him perform there countless more times.… Read More