It almost looks like German in the subject line.
'Twas a blast at the 2009 NGFDA Fall Festival in Helen, Georgia. My third year in a row, driving up was a joy and all the while it was about looking forward to not only the workshops, concerts, fellowship and jams, but also the wonderful gifts of this little faux-Alpine town.
Of the four nights I was up there, three dinners were spent at the Hofbrauhaus eating nummy German food and drinking Hefe-Weizen. I taught six workshops, performed in the Saturday night concert (with Ken Bloom and Keith "Elvis Two Sticks" Davis closing out the set) and had a great time jamming in tight circles with Bloom, Bill Taylor, Wayne Seymour and Jeff Furman.
Once I got back home, all sights were set on the fast-approaching Key West Dulcimer Fest, specifically in regards to the instructor CD. Some final touches and it's almost ready to go.
Just a couple of shows lined up - back at Dicey Reilly's this Friday and Saturday - then a private concert in Orlando on December 5th with Roger Zimish. Mainly - this time is for the run-up to the festival, recording "Dive!" as well as "Dulcimerica: Volume 2" and trying to keep up with matters around the house and studio.
Pick of the Crop
Since I last posted, the new V-Pick that I've been developing with Vinni Smith has become part of their stable of some 66 designs. They've dubbed this one the V-Pick "Bing" and it currently comes in an ultra-lite (.8mm) and lite (1.5mm) version with a 1mm version coming soon. This is a firm-yet-flexible pick that's perfect for mountain dulcimer playing - excellent for strumming as well as flatpicking. You can find it on the website here.
It's a deep honor to have a piece of gear named for you - and I not only enjoy working with Vinni and Nancy, but I also really dig their picks. Give it a try and see what it can do for you.
Gad! Midnight, already? At this rate - the festival will be tomorrow - where does the time freakin' go?
No comments:
Post a Comment