The Fifth Course

I've been to a lot of house concerts. They're quite popular among the acoustic music appreciators in Modesto, CA and surrounding communities, so I thought I knew how the evening would go. Since our band leader, Señor Tim, was the host, I figured we, Señor Circus, would get up and do 4 or 5 songs before the main attraction, Catherine Feeny, would take over. But my expectations were wildly inaccurate, and pleasantly so.

After the potluck dinner (yummy vegetarian foods, mostly) We ...

Gig last weekend in Sonora CA...
Two sets with Señor Circus, a band for which I play mandolin and guitar. So my gig rig is fairly heavy. I use both an eight string electric mandolin and a four string electric mandolin, so an amp and a set of effects pedals are part of the package too. The regular mandolin and the guitar round out the gig stable, and they just go through the PA.

I've altered the four string electric mandolin a little. It is an Epiphone Mandobird, and it was ...

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Besides copious amounts of jamming from Thursday night to Sunday night, The Strawberry Music Festival provided a rich source of mandolin listening pleasure.

Thursday night the Dry Branch Fire Squad brought their traditional Bluegrass crossed with Will Rogers style to the Music Meadow Stage and tore it up. Friday afternoon they hosted a workshop, and Friday night they played a final set at "Amy's Orchid Lounge," a special late night venue at Strawberry that charges festival ...

In my last post on this subject I came to the conclusion that the ability to play more than one instrument is a good thing. It broadens musical perspective, it highlights similarities and differences between instruments, and it helps development of music theory knowledge.

But playing an instrument and focusing on an instrument are quite different musical pursuits. Anyone who can play a few songs and/or tunes with a moderate degree of musicality on a musical instrument can be said ...

I spent about 2 hours today with my Weber (Alder #2) 'dola. You put something away for a while and you forget how cool it is.

With a banjo capo, this thing becomes incredibly versatile. I was banging through a ton of folk music (contemporary and traditional) and some rock n roll too. [John Prine, John Hiatt, Neil Young, Victoria Vox, Kate Wolf, Dylan, Grateful Dead, Graham Nash, Tom Waits, Stephen Foster, Danny Dill, etc.] I got nearly 2 sets worth of tunes just passing through ...

As you may or may not know I am the moderator over at the Santa Cruz Guitar Players Forum. Recently on that discussion board one of our regular posters posed the question, "One instrument or multiple instruments?" It’s an interesting question, and one that can only be answered definitively for oneself.

But that doesn’t mean examining the topic is pointless. The examination alone may prove useful reinforcing your own opinion. Or it can serve as an opportunity to change ...

Damn.
I played Gary Vessel's tribute to Monteleone today. It was hard to put down.

Visuals:
The maple back has a great looking tiger stripe figure to it, and Gary bookmatched the grain so that the stripes climb from the end pin to the neck joint.

The two piece cedar top is equally beautiful with a straight grain and a pumpkin color.

Gary just used clear lacquer to finish the mandolin, preserving the beauty of the woods. He says it would ...

Just to catch you up...

I did see the insanely good Andy Statman that Sunday afternoon (3/23/09). He is, in a word, amazing. Go see him. Buy his CD. You haven't lived right until you've heard him roll through chromatic versions of "Rawhide," "Turkey in the Straw," and "Back Up & Push" that were surely making Big Mon squirm uncomfortably in his grave. Indeed, the old cabin home on the hill itself might have been creaking in musical discomfort ...

Friday #1
This is a regular Friday afternoon thing. John and Ken come over and we just play. The line up is mandolin (we all three play it), guitar (Ken and I play it (John used to --claims a '68 Gibson SG in a closet somewhere that he has not touched in more than 10 years --what a tease!)) and fiddle (John plays it).

John loves Texas Swing, Ragtime tunes, and old timey tunes. So I've been learning things like "Pig Ankle Rag," "Chinese Breakdown," and ...

Lots of music this weekend!

• Friday Lunch Jam starts around 1pm and we go until a little after 2.
• Zero Visibility String Band practice tonight from 7:30 to 10 or so...
• Señor (of Señor Circus) is holding an electric jam on Sat afternoon
• Saturday from 3 to 5 is the new regular jam at Ingram & Braun here in Modesto CA

• Andy Statman is performing on Sunday afternoon at Congregation Beth Shalom here in Modesto as well!

A mandolirius ...