Free Range

Chuck Holloway: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow 

If you are new to the Oregon bluegrass community, you might know Chuck Holloway as the banjo player in Thunder Ridge and a key member of KBOO Radio’s Music from the True Vine show.

If you have been involved for a while (say, decades), you might know him as a former Oregon Bluegrass Association president, a Eugene radio programmer, a member of various bands throughout the Willamette Valley, and a keeper of the flame of traditional bluegrass.

Portland fans are…

Sharon Hennessy: A force of nature unleashed!

Sharon Hennessy is hard-wired to be goal oriented.

Just a couple years out of high school, Sharon set the goal of becoming an executive and owning a red Mercedes by the time she was 30.

Fortunately for everyone in our community, Sharon is also flexible. Under the influence of her then-beau, now husband, Jeff Smith, “I started seeing things from a different perspective,” Sharon said. 

Her new goal was to become fluent in Spanish and visit Spain, which she did. She…

The Banjo Sisters: Bringing Bluegrass Home

KBOO radio, 90.7, is amazing in many ways. 

And one of the most amazing things about it is Music from the True Vine, which we believe to be the longest-running bluegrass radio show west of the Mississippi, with programmers who have been volunteering for upwards of 40 years.

These days, something else exceptional is going on with Music from the True Vine. It’s the Second Saturday collective, in which two of the stalwarts of Oregon’s bluegrass world and two more recent…

Joel Cofield grew up in Georgia, close to the epicenter of bluegrass. But it wasn’t until he lived in Boston that he caught the bluegrass bug. And these days, thousands of miles from where he started, he’s an influential and admired member of the bluegrass community.

BB (Before bluegrass). Joel grew up knowing that his father, who died when Joel was very young, and his grandfather played electric bass in country bands. So, when the teenaged Joel picked up an instrument, it was the bass. 

But playing bass…

Joe Sanchez, Easyfolk and community

One of the very best things about playing music in Portland is the opportunity to meet amazing people. Joe Sanchez is amazing in many ways, and we feel very happy to have met him.

Joe Sanchez learned about music and community at his childhood church.

The choir and other church activities were a big part of his young life, and it was there he began to value the sense of community churches foster. It’s where he identified the elements that contribute to his sense of…