Tour Update!

I'd like to call it a whirlwind tour, but three weeks does not a whirlwind make! It was more of a steady breeze that carried me through six state stopovers, two major festivals, a trade show, three house concert/workshops and more Mexican food than I've had in a number of months. As I've discovered, it's easier to update via the iPhone than attempt to find wi-fi and use my laptop, which is why I mainly shot tons of pictures and then posted them on Facebook. There are over 400 photos from Nashville, Tennessee (NAMM Show), Townsend, Tennessee (The Pickin' Porch and the Great Smoky Mountains), Bardstown, Kentucky (Kentucky Music Week), Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio (Doug and Deena Snapp's), Portage, Pennsylvania (JT and Missy Taylor's) and Westminister, Maryland (Common Ground On The Hill.) You can find those pictures in three albums on Facebook entitled "Summer Tour 2010" parts 1, 2 and 3. The photos and captions tell the story:


Summer Tour 2010

Summer Tour 2010 Pt. 2


Summer Tour 2010 Pt. 3

Tomorrow, I fly out to Woodburn, Indiana for the 1st Annual Indiana Dulcimer Festival, teaching and performing along with Stephen Seifert and Lois Hornbostel, both of whom I've rubbed elbows with earlier on tour. Looking forward to a great weekend at Folkcraft Instruments headquarters. Returning on Monday, I'll have a quick shot at Epcot to see U2 tribute band 2U before climbing back into Buster and heading westwards to Houston, Texas for the Bayou City Music Festival, thereby kicking off the second leg of this crazy summer tour.

I'll try to be better about at least posting updates here on the blog - but if you follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter, you'll probably get more info until I'm back home with reliable wifi.

Many thanks to those of you who have signed up for the mailing list and regularly drop a line to say "hey". I do my best to answer each e-mail in timely fashion and sometimes the spam filter arbitrarily grabs a message. If you don't hear back from me, try again. We'll see you on the road.

There are Hotwire coupons you can use to get here.

Catching Up With Myself (and the rest of the world)

Dulcimers On The Green in Central City, Kentucky was the very next stop after a rowdy night of "The Pub Thang" in Orlando. I whisked up Interstate 75 and stopped overnight in Signal Mountain, Tennessee at the home of Dan Landrum, editor of Dulcimer Players News. We then set out in the afternoon of the next day and got into Central City with enough time to have some Mexican food at El Bracero and get checked into our rooms.

This first-year festival was quite a joy - great music and jams, lots to see and do. But what made this different was the entire teaching staff was given a key to the city during an opening night welcome party. Here, Mayor Jerry Mitchell is pictured presenting me with the first key. It's never happened before and who knows if it will happen again? All I know is, it was pretty darn cool.



(pictured above l-r, Stephen Seifert, me and Dan Landrum) After Saturday workshops, we had a break for dinner and then the concert at the Merle Travis Music Center.

All in all it was a lovely time - Dan and I headed back to Tennessee right after the concert and then I switched horses in Signal Mountain and continued on home to Orlando where I was greeted by my lovely wife, Jae. We then headed out to meet our dear friends from McWell's over at Epcot and proceeded to zip around, having fun as you do.

Finally, a week later, we met those very same friends on board the Royal Caribbean Monarch of the Seas to help celebrate Andy Weller's birthday (it had been a surprise cruise in the making for a number of months - hard to keep this secret!) We set sail for Nassau in the Bahamas and disappeared off the radar for the weekend. It was my first cruise and I'm still sort of in denial that we're back in Orlando, getting back to the grind of things.



Knowing that I was going to be caught up in the cruise afterglow this week, I took the liberty of already shooting the second installment of "Dulcimerica" dealing with blues on the mountain dulcimer - it will be posted on YouTube tomorrow morning as well as at Dulcimerica.com. Thanks for all of the kind words - glad you enjoyed part one!

It's a busy week here - lots to do. Hope you have a great one - watch this space for more soon!

I Can't Think Of Anything To Say: I Think It's Nice

It was about six and a half hours up to Covington, Georgia and six and a half hours coming back; not counting the horrendous traffic on I-75 just south of Perry, Georgia. Never been a trip this quick. At least driving. I set out in Buster about 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning and rolled into the Atlanta area 'round about 1:30 p.m., after lunch at Margarita's.

"Hoosonanny", as the house concert series is called, was great fun. Everyone had a great time and Bill and Teri's hospitality was tremendous - looking forward to returning sometime for more visits, music and jams. Concerts In Your Home made it possible for artist and venue to connect in this case, so thanks to Fran Snyder for creating this avenue (wow, now that's an amalgam of "artist" and "venue", i'n't? How about "artvenue"?)

I hung out, jammed and talked with folks until 2 a.m. - then hit the sheets for four hours, got up, drove back to Orlando (with more traffic; on a Sunday? Really?), caught an hour-long nap and then went with Jae to celebrate a birthday with our fabulous friends from McWell's. And speaking of which, that brings me to this:

The Pub Thang

It's a long story about how "The Pub Thang" came to be, and if you're really and truly interested, ask me to tell you about it one day.

We'll be at McWell's Restaurant & Bar this Wednesday, April 14th from 7 pm to 10 or 11 pm - depending on how many table dancers we get. Special guest will be Roger Zimish.

What exactly is "The Pub Thang"? Besides a really stupid title for something that's essentially title-proof? It's the show I've been cultivating at Dicey Reilly's Irish Pub for over two years (back when it was still O'Doherty's.) It's a blend of traditional Celtic and Americana music, originals and a wide variety of popular music styles, including rowdy drinking songs. It's not unusual (to be loved by anyone) to have Prince and the Gorillaz bouncing up against Tom Petty, Garth Brooks and selections from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." All performed on Appalachian mountain dulcimer and Native American flute. Then, I get Roger Zimish to sit in. Roger may do a set by himself, all of the mesmerizing acoustic guitar work that he does on his originals, then firing it up with Stevie Ray Vaughn and screaming Texas blues. Together, the music takes on a shape-shifting quality as Roger and I trade off "arrangements", usually improvised on the spot. Trancy good stuff; primal heart-beat kind of groove. And Pink Floyd.

In any case - we're doing it once a month now at McWell's - second Wednesday of each month through summer (with an extra show on May 5th for Cinco de Mayo). 7 to 11 pm. No cover - great food - drink specials - fifty cent wings! Come celebrate making it halfway through the week. Raise your spirits with us and cruise on through to the weekend with levity!

Dulcimers On The Green

The day after "The Pub Thang", I make my amends to the universe by driving up to Central City, Kentucky to teach and perform at Dulcimers On The Green. Other performer/instructors are Stephen Seifert, Maureen Sellers, Rick Thum and Dan Landrum. Awww yeah, nothin' but a party up here in this joint!

Gotta run - meeting Roger at Guitar Center in South Orlando. See you soon.

Aloha,

Bing

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Yesterday

Flying over central Florida in the afternoon is a beautiful experience. The sun sparks fire as it reflects within the many faces of lakes scattered across the landscape, leaping from point to point like heat lightning. The Mid-Winter Dulcimer Festival was tremendous fun and a success for organizer Joe Collins, who said that it was the most densely populated event in the festival's ten years.

After a busy morning of registration and some pre-workshop purchases from the vendor tables, folks got a welcome from Joe and an introduction of the instructors; Alan Darveaux, Wayne Seymour, Margit Roberson, Nancy Galambush, Joe and me. Margit and Nancy are also part of Flat Mountain Dulcimers along with Margit's husband Dave.



Workshops were packed with all skill levels from rank beginner to advanced students, all looking to expand their range of playing. My "Get Rhythm" class, half of whom are shown here, was 40 people strong and nearly spilled out of our room. It was quite amazing to hear that many dulcimers in close quarters beating out grooves and polyrhythms. We were a voluminous group in more ways than one.

Concerts took place during the lunch hour and then in the evening. Joe was joined by his frequent music partner Mike McGee and they played some of the distinctively delicate and delightful tunes for which they're known. You'll be able to hear some of the proceedings on this week's episode of the DPNews Online Audio Podcast.

After all was said and done, the traditional dinner of Mexican food was on: why this has become a thing for me on the road, I have no idea. Fortunately, tiny Shelby, NC had Los Cabos, a new restaraunt (1203 East Marion St. - (704) 482-4584) and we got there in time to enjoy a nice meal. I had the California Burrito, which was just the right portion size and one of the best burritos I've ever had. Sitting there with Joe and Mike, it was nice to reflect back on the day's events, full of smiles and music and friends new and old. No wonder I love road-trippin' so much.


Today

It's all about production this week since the next festival gig isn't until March. This is a not-so-busy time of the year where I can get some recording done and continue work on the "Mountain Dulcimer In The Band" series. As usual, there's a flurry of podcast work to be done for both Dulcimerica and Dulcimer Players News, so that's what keeps me madly hopping today. That and perhaps a little gardening to ground me a bit after all that zooming around in the sky this past weekend.

Tomorrow

Jeff Hames' New and Young Dulcimer Players Forum will feature the topic "Intro To Music Theory" - forum begins February 10, 2009 at 8:00 pm central. I'm a forum host along with Lee Cagle, Jim Woods, Joe Collins, Ken Bloom, Erin Rogers and Butch Ross. Ask questions and get answers in real-time - this is great for folks who are wanting to cut right to the chase and dig in with their ongoing journeys on mountain dulcimer.

Always

Thanks for reading and for visiting all of the folks linked from the page. If you have any suggestions for topics on Dulcimerica or the DPN podcasts or even this blog, please don't hesitate to drop me a line at bing@JOB-Entertainment.com

NAMMazing!

NAMM Show 2009 Video - Liunian Bian | NAMM.org

Attendees were treated to a moving performance on the erhu by Mr. Liunian Bian, who wrote the music for the Beijing Olympics closing ceremony.

We arrived in Anaheim on Wednesday night, checked into the Holiday Inn just around the corner from Disneyland and met up with Richard and Nick from Folkcraft, who brought my new axe along with them to the room. After drooling all over the fretboard, we headed out for dinner at Mama Cozza's (home of the world's largest fried cheese sticks) and then returned to the lobby of the HI where I got Annie and jammed for a while.

The next day, Jae and I met with her co-worker Michelle at the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort and enjoyed a nice character breakfast at the Storyteller's Cafe, where we enjoyed great grub and visits from Chip 'n Dale, Meeko, Koda and a swell bloody mary, among other beverages. Jae was well keyed-up for her visit and the character meet and greet was a theme for the day that sent her spinning back into early childhood; it was fun to see the park through her excited eyes.

We were there before park opening (thanks to Michelle and a special offer for guests of the resort) and closed the park down almost twelve hours later, with a side-journey into Disney's California Adventure, built on what used to be Disneyland parking lot. It pales in comparison to the original Disney experience, but we had some fun there, including free tortillas and the brightest green beer cups you ever saw.

Friday and Saturday, Jae was on her own as I went into NAMM and demonstrated mountain dulcimer at the Folkcraft booth. Each day, I played for about six hours, but it didn't seem that long at all, in fact, time went rushing by as folks stopped by. Friday morning, I attended the free NAMM breakfast and witnessed a performance by Liunian Bian on the erhu, which had been outfitted with a pickup from Roland Corp. As you can see and hear from the video, this was a stunning display of virtuosity and it whetted my appetite for more. However, besides catching a few snippets of demos here and there, I pretty much remained in the booth the entire time, save a couple of breaks to stroll with Jae, and didn't see much of the show - which was alright, because a good portion of the show seemed to come by our booth and see me. I made some decent connections, met some old and new friends, sold some CDs and got to play Annie a whole bunch. No complaints here.

Our plane was scheduled to leave on Sunday morning (Jae didn't realize that there was so much more NAMM going on - but it's just as well, might've spent a bunch of money that we didn't have) so we had a wonderful last night's dinner at El Torito (Mexican food rocks!) and hung out, playing music, in the HI lobby for awhile (the staff had asked me every night to come and play again) before bidding everyone a fond adieu.

Already, I'm looking forward to Summer NAMM in Nashville - and this time, we'll be hanging out for all of the days! Check out the many photos and videos on the NAMM website to see just how awesome this show was!

GOBA, Roscoe and Me

The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA)


Roscoe Village - Coshocton, Ohio


Members of GOBA, The Great Ohio Bike Adventure, were present in Roscoe Village when I arrived ahead of schedule on Wednesday evening. A hearty bunch of folks with a penchant for biking long distances for kicks, I fell in with a small group of riders at a new place in the village called Uncorked .

Those bikers are party animals, I tell you. Good thing it was a short walk, and not a drive, to get "home", which was the Super 8.


Both Rick Thum and I stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast on the hill and were basically right inside the village at all times. It was great getting to know Rick (pictured here with me and Ray Sarchet), sitting up and discussing music and community after each day's festivities. We'd be making the trek down to Kentucky Music Week after all was said and done and had previously had some time to hang out in Morris for the Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival. You do tend to run with some of the same members of the pack on the dulcimer festival circuit, some more than others.

Attendance didn't seem to be as large as last year's 33rd annual Dulcimer Days, but the folks who attended seemed to be having a great time. The concerts were packed and the audience was very appreciative. I try to read the crowd's reactions to music on before me, to make an attempt and gauge what kind of tunes they like to hear. Then I mix that with something entirely different, just to keep a balance. For whatever reason, there in Roscoe Village Methodist Church, I charged fearlessly into a set that included a lot of progressive tunes, including some rip-roaring roadhouse blues numbers. It seems to have paid off, as I just about sold out of CDs after the concert.

Yucatan Mexican Restaurant, Coshocton, OH : Reviews of Yucatan Mexican Restaurant - Yahoo! Travel


We ended the entire thing by dining at El Yucatan (Mexican, again!) and by early Sunday morning, I was on the road, bound for Bardstown. The idea being: get there early enough, Rick, and we can take a dip in the pool at the Quality Inn and have a breather before the crazy week gets started. Rick thought it was a brilliant idea.

Starting off with a bang

Los Reyes Mexican Restaurant

This mural represents the pre-hispanic history of the beginning of Colonization. Before the Spanish came to Mexico there was the Aztec Kingdom . From this comes the take of the Volcanoes next to Mexico City . The great Popocatepelt (Great Smokey) and Ixtlaxiwal (sleeping lady).

Okay, maybe starting with a "bang" is sort of dramatic, but 'tweren't far from the truth, just sayin'.

But first - provided I have connectivity on each of the days I'm gone away from home, I'm going to post something wonderful about my lovely wife every day, because she is absolutely the reason for me to be anything.

1 - She can hang like a pro. Doesn't matter where we are, or who we're with, or how she feels, or why we're even there in the veryfirst place, she can adapt, adjust and be as pleasant and as engaging as an angel. She's gracious, caring, genuine and full of joy - just one of the many reasons that I love her. She's a pleasure to be around. Miss you already, honey!

Okay, so - we kissed goodbye this morning as she left for work and I prepared to head out for four festivals in as many weeks; the longest time we've been away from each other since we met in 2002. It's going to be tough, though we've both got more than enough to keep us busy in the meantime. Our doggie Bella is undergoing some treatments at the vet right now and will be convalescing all month, so Jae's got her hands full there, not to mention her already full hands with work and the house.

Then I'll be in Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio for four festivals, in West Virginia for a school program, lots of driving, plus a visit with my dear friends The Brouses for a week. I love travel - but coming home is nice. And this is serious travel, not only performing and teaching but also shooting video and producing programming all along the way. And the driving. I love Buster, my little Geo Metro LSi convertible, to death - but he's a tin can bred with a roller skate. Great gas mileage, lousy on sticking to the road when 18-wheelers blow past at mach 7. In any case - we had a blown tire last big trip, just south of Nashville. Bubble in the tire caused a shimmy that was present for most of the trip and it finally shredded towards the end. Well, I've been driving Buster since 1991 and we're almost the Borg - one unit. So, when something's not right, it's obvious, even though his engine mounts and front end alignment leave much to be desired.

So, when I started hearing a rhythmic slapping sound as I cruised up Interstate 75 earlier today, I began checking things to see what it could possibly be. My left-side rearview mirror, never-fixed and jerry-rigged by my first wife with steel wire, might've been the source of the noise, but shifting it around didn't make the clatter cease. Not long after that check, the shimmy grew more pronounced in the front end and I knew what that meant. Pulling over to the right shoulder, I hit the hazard lights and took the first exit, inquiring about the location of a Wal-Mart.

Now, I'm not a big fan of Wal-Mart for many reasons - but when it comes to tires, they are cheapest on earth (will I go to hell for buying affordable rubber?) and that's who I went with on the first blowout this year. After an inspection revealed there to be a bubble in the left front tire, I took it over to Wal-Mart and they fixed me up in about 15 minutes, back on the road again.

Do we have the automotive hijinks out of the way for this trip? I sure hope so!

That was in Perry, Georgia - and after sailing through Atlanta at rush hour with no problem, finally got hung up in Kennesaw with nasty traffic, so I've settled in to a place called Los Reyes, with free wi-fi and really killer grilled shrimp. There's also a huge, amazing mural on the wall that commands your attention when you walk into the place and reminds me of something out of Disney. (El Rio del Tiempo, anybody?)

I've still got five hours if I want to make it into Owensboro - or I can stop short and have a brief trip into town for tomorrow's festivities. We'll see how it goes.

A big "I love you" to everybody who reads this - and until next time....

Aloha!