Charmed And Dangerous 
 “Carrying the tradition while breaking
new ground”—this sounds
like a dichotomy. It is, but it is
just one in a series of dichotomies that makes up my somewhat crazy existence. I have spent most of my life jamming
things together that didn’t seem to fit, but somehow, I’ve made it work. As a teenager,
I played bluegrass with a punk rock hairdo; it was spiked and purple.
My dad and former Blue Grass Boy, South Salyer, hated my hair, but I pulled
it off. I am a college lecturer who
uses Beavis and Butthead references; it works for me.
I teach people to use good grammar and speak Standard American English, but
I write songs with “ain’t” in them and there’s twangin’ in my sangin’.
I’m creating a new look for myself based on the concept of
Charmed & Dangerous, the
title of my new CD. I call it glam meets glam—that’s old
Hollywood
glam meets ‘80’s glam rock. So you see, I am a series of dichotomies or maybe I’m
a nut. Either way, I feel it is my
duty, and I know it is my great privilege to carry the tradition and break new ground.
I call my new music “blues grass”
for reasons that will become apparent to you once you’ve given it a listen.
Kick back, enjoy the ride and get to
know more about me and my great new band, Midnite Flyer.
 What is the “Bluegrass State of Mind”? 
The answers to that question
can be as varied as the people who might ask the question. I will, however, tell you the story behind
the song and what I consider to be a bluegrass state of mind.
One day in 2001, I was
sitting in my office on Music Row awaiting the arrival of my friend, Joel Keller. It would be our first co-writing session. While I waited, I
picked up my guitar and started singing “Come on Down to My World” which is one of my favorite bluegrass songs of all time. Joel walked through the door, and I looked up and said, “I’m just
gettin’ in a bluegrass state of mind.” We looked at each other and just knew what we were going to write that day. Neither of us knew that it would be the beginning of a great and lasting songwriting relationship.
Joel is a blues guy from way back.
He knew about bluegrass, but he had never even imagined that he would be writing a whole CD of bluegrass songs and then be the executive producer of said CD. I am converting the world to bluegrass one person at a time.
As for what the phrase “bluegrass state of mind” means, I think it is a place where you can go where all your troubles melt away. Steve Martin said that you couldn’t be sad while listening to the banjo. That’s paraphrased, but it makes his point. It doesn’t really matter if the song is happy or sad or even morbid; the feeling of the music takes you away. For me, it conjures great memories of life on the road with my dad, great friends I made along the way, moments where time stood still—like my first festival at age 6 when Bill Monroe said from the stage, “We’re gonna do this one for Marci Salyer...” or the first time I heard Larry Sparks sing “I’m like a John Deere tractor...” or the first time I heard John Cowan sing “Good Woman’s Love.”Bluegrass picks me up, makes me cry, warms my heart, chills me to the bone, helps me to live, laugh, and love.
Anyway, welcome to my little corner of the world.
Enjoy your stay in the “Bluegrass State of Mind”.
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