By Nancy Buchan In the fine tradition of traveling minstrels, a lot of interesting looking folks with musical instruments have been passing through our little town of Dominical, locally known as Dysfunction Junction. Some of them linger for a while, playing at a bonfire on the beach, or blissed out
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan The most true-to-life and hilarious movie ever made about musicians is called This is Spinal Tap. If you have never seen it, get on your computer and order it, or run right out and buy a copy – it should be required viewing for all family and
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan There’s a whole mess of annoying crap that happens to us as we get older. First it’s the vision thing. You can’t see worth a darn, then when you do get the appropriate glasses, you’re always putting them down somewhere where you can’t find them. I can’t
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan Best wishes to all for a fun-filled and prosperous 2014! Now I may be too broke to pay attention, but I can help with the fun part! There are three music festivals coming up in January and February in our area that are guaranteed to be fun!
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan The great Jamaican musician Bob Marley wrote a song back in the late 70’s about jamming. It was a celebration of sorts – an enthusiastic anthem for the Rastafari movement and an effort to take music outside of the socially deprived areas of Jamaica to an international
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan When my godson Travis called and invited us to his wedding in Los Angeles, and asked me to play the violin for the ceremony, I was thrilled at the prospect of getting out of the relentless rain here and honored to be asked to play for his
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan Diversity is a word that describes this beautiful country of Costa Rica in many, many ways. Thankfully we don’t have scorching hot summers or snowy winters, but our rainfall can go from almost nothing to huge amounts seasonally, and botanists and biologists just love prowling around this
Read MoreLiving here is often challenging. Try to find decent violin strings that aren’t already rusted. Locate a drum head that hasn’t been on a shelf for 4 years soaking up the abundant moisture in the air. Figure out how to find the music for a Bach piece without a credit
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan Every once in a while I’ll be rudely jolted out of a blissful sleep at like 5 in the freaking morning by the incredibly loud call/song/RACKET being produced by what I call the Maniacal bird. He mostly hangs out under dense foliage, and apparently likes to walk
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan While happily slopping through the ankle deep mud at the Envision Festival I started talking with a young woman about why she was there. It was clear early in our conversation that she was smart and politically active about all kinds of things back in her home
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan There’s a generosity of spirit – a musical selflessness – that sets some musicians apart from their equally skilled fellow musicians. They have an uncanny ability to affect people emotionally through their playing or singing, and this is why we turn to music in the first place
Read MoreBy Nancy Buchan Going to an outdoor music festival is just about as much fun as a person can stand. Whether you’re dancing to a circle of banjo players pickin’ some fine bluegrass in the Colorado mountains, or laying in a lounge chair sipping a drink with a little umbrella
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