Bought my first pair of bones in late 2018 and have been hooked ever since. Used to play a fair amount of spoons around the Nashville area, and was looking for something new. Until the pandemic hit, you could find me most Sunday nights playing bones down at Bluegrass Jam at The Station Inn in Nashville.
I entered the virtual All-Ireland last year, and really wanted to go this year. Not that I would have come close to placing – more than anything I wanted to to experience the musical week and the competition.
Music has turned out to be the hobby that hopefully will keep my mind sharp for another couple of decades. My wife and I host jams at our barn about every 3 weeks on Saturday evenings. If you come to Nashville at all, let me know when you are here – we would love to have you join us. I decided back in 2015 that I wanted to learn a new instrument or musical discipline each year until I turn 70 in 2024. 2019 was my “bones” year, 2020 was the dobro, last year was the Tennessee Music Box (a member of the dulcimer family), and this year is the upright bass. It’s been a blast, but bones (so far) is the instrument that people think of and want me to play when I’m at a jam or playing with a band.