What It's All About

Who I am and what intend to do with Bluegrass from the Other Side:

I’ll begin by introducing myself.  My name is Sam Sattler and, with the exception of the years I worked internationally, I have live in Texas all of my life.  That, plus the fact that I grew up in a town of about thirteen thousand people, probably explains why I have loved country music all my life.  Well, let’s say that I loved it until the very early nineties when the country music genre began it’s inevitable morphing into something that today sounds like regurgitated pop music from the seventies and eighties.  Luckily for me, that’s when I discovered bluegrass music (1991 or 1992, to be a bit more exact) and bluegrass has been my turn-to music ever since the night I walked into the Ryman and was introduced to the music of Del McCoury and his sons.  Oh, and it didn’t hurt that their guest artist that night was none other than Bill Monroe.  And, as they say, the rest is history.

So why do I call the blog Bluegrass from the Other Side?  Well sometimes living in Houston and yearning for live bluegrass music makes me feel as if I am on the other side of the world from all those great festivals that take place in the Southeast and northward from there.  It’s as simple as that.  I do have to admit that there is probably more live bluegrass music in Texas now than ever before – but it seems that most of it is in the Dallas area and that’s still a four-hour drive from me.

I generally solve my problem by making a 2,000-4,000 mile round trip drive each summer to a major festival in places like Kentucky, Ohio, or the Carolinas but I still can’t help wishing for more. 

So what can you expect to find here on Bluegrass from the Other Side?

 Well, I’ve been making these trips for about ten years now and I’ve accumulated a substantial stash of pictures and video that I will be sharing with you.  And I’m going to be heading to the IBMA convention in Raleigh at the end of September where I expect to add even more to my collection of photos and videos.  In addition, I am a dedicated reader and I will be reviewing books (old and new) related to bluegrass, country music, and artist biographies, etc.  There is a lot more out there than you would expect, so reviews will be an important part of Other Side package. 

In addition, I will be featuring artist bios, interviews (I hope), local bluegrass and country bands, interesting websites, “off camera” personalities, fans, and whatever links I think will be helpful to others – no matter which “side” of the world you live on.  That’s just a start, so hang on for the ride.

Believe me, this is a work in progress, a real labor of love and I expect to be as surprised as anyone how all of this will evolve.  I’ve been blogging regularly for over ten years now, and every day is a new day, one in which I learn as much as anyone who reads anything that I post.  I think that’s why I love it all so much