The nausea I feel after being berated by the presidential party conventions has been soothed a bit by my discovery of the following movie on YouTube. John Duffy is one of my musical heroes and if he were alive today, I’d like to have seen him run for president. This country could use a chain smoking, shop teacher with bad pants and a butch cut in charge. In a post-911 world, now more than ever, we need Duffy around. He’s the kind of guy you could (and I did) have a beer with (or 12).
Mr. Duffy… you are sorely missed.John Duffy For President
Bluegrass Boy Reunion w/Mike Compton
Attendees at this year’s Sugar Maple Festival were treated to a Bluegrass Boy Reunion show featuring Mike Compton on mandolin. Bluegrass Boys Bob Black, Tom Ewing, Mark Hembree were joined by Mike Compton on mandolin, Paul Kienitz on fiddle and Seth Forester on guitar/vocals. Their show was the highlight of the festival and was a fantastic performance by the boys. The tent was rockin’!
(This is the) Squirrel Hunters - Now in HD
I recently bought a Canon VIXIA HV30 HD camera and schlepped it along to our TITSH show this past weekeind. Long story short, the difference in quality compared to my last camera is HUGE. The differences can’t be as easily detected after YouTube butchers them but the QuickTime files tell the tale…
TITSH plays the 4th Annual Brooklyn Bluegrass Festival
This past Saturday, (This is the) Squirrel Hunters played our second show at the 4th Annual Brooklyn Bluegrass Festival. The 3rd incarnation of the fest had seen heavy rain on Friday night… and so, not to be outdone, the weather this year decided to take it up a notch and include Tornado conditions. The tornado alarm went off during our opening tune! I myself, having been feeling rather funky all week, and apparently not wanting to be outdone by a little silly weather, decided to have a panic attack during the second song of the set, and nearly provide the audience with a face plant from stage.
But the show must go on… or as Sean would say… “What would Duffy do?”. I managed to remain vertical, hit the tenor parts and with hands shaking, bang out a few solos. Actually, it sounds far better than it had seemed from stage… yeesh.(This is the) Squirrel Hunters
Okay, I have been slacking… but only in regards to updating my blog (and buying a dresser for the lump of cloths on by bedroom floor). I’ve actually been quite busy with my new band (This is the) Squirrel Hunters.
For some time I have known that in order to get my playing to the next level, I need more reps and to be forced into sweating every detail. In other words, I need a band. As luck would have it, I have some good friends who’s playing I enjoy and who all have similar interest in improvement. Thus was born (This is the) Squirrel Hunters. We recently had our debut… our maiden voyage… our, if you will, debutant ball (oh, and I will)…. The event took place at one of my favorite bars, the Roxbury Tavern. Tom, the owner/proprietor of the Roxbury, showed his TITSH colors by cooking up a fantastic squirrel stew in honor of the occasion! It was a fine time to be sure. There’s work ‘o plenty still to do but it was a fine beginning. You’re welcome to see for yourself. There are a few videos up on YouTube, as well as a photo sideshow on the band site. Our next show is this weekend at the Brooklyn Bluegrass Festival in Brooklyn, WI.Flatt & Scruggs TV Show DVD
Even if you’re not that into Bluegrass, I would think you’d find the Flatt & Scruggs TV Show DVD pretty cool. If you are even remotely into Bluegrass, then this DVD series is absolutely essential! I don’t think I can hype these DVDs too much… just go buy one and see for yourself. In addition to the many, many great tunes, they also included some of the original Martha White commercials… which are priceless!
New Pioneers - Crawdad Song
Click image to play
QuickTime 7 required.Northland Jamboree Radio Show/Podcast
Being relatively new to Wisconsin, I am continually discovering new (to me anyway) Bluegrass resources. the Northland Jamboree is another fine example. The show is no longer being recorded but is available online to download or as a podcast (see below). It features both national and local Wisconsin artists and… well… is just plain good! Give it a listen!
The Northland Jamboree was recorded live from the stage of the Northland Ballroom, in the heart of Wisconsin’s dairyland. Each week the program’s host, Art and Stephanie Stevenson, welcomed a special guest for a jam-packed quarter-hour of music. This live radio show was recorded and is offered as a podcast and features some of the best bluegrass and acoustic music in the Northland. You can find a listing of shows that are available to download and listen to by searching kyouradio.com. You can also subscribe to the Northland Jamboree podcast via iTunes or get the RSS feedThe Brothers Ray
Click image to play
QuickTime 7 required.Rosebud Blue - Morgan Hill, CA
Click image to play
QuickTime 7 required.Next Page »
