Grier/Compton/Robins concert 6/11 Bloomington

[F5G WIZ]

Jim know it's off the subject but saw your video on youtube. Very cool. Is that a Kimble you are playing?

[JimRichter]

I have confirmed the Compton/Grier/Robins show in Bloomington


A Celebration of Bill Monroe's Music
Mike Compton/Butch Robins/David Grier

Sat. 6/10/06
Rose Firebay, John Waldron Arts Center http://www.artlives.org/index.html
122 S. Walnut, Bloomington, IN

Workshop with Compton/Grier/Robins: #4:30P to 6P #$50 preregistration required
Evening concert: #Doors open at 7:15P; show starts at 7:30P
Concert is $20 day of show; $18 in advance for ticket
$65 concert/workshop package price
Please contact me immediately if interested in the workshop, as we need a minimum of 10 attendees to make it happen.


I will be hosting a program which entitled "A Celebration of Bill Monroe's Music as performed by Mike Compton, David Grier, and Butch Robins).

Mike Compton (http://www.mikecompton.net) is a Grammy-winning mandolinist best known for his tenure with the Nashville Bluegrass Band and John Hartford, as well as his work on the Oh Brother soundtrack. #Mike is one of the foremost authorities on Bill Monroe style mandolin and history.

David Grier (http://www.davidgrier.com) is a Grammy-winning guitarist who is known for his incredible skill and originality. #David's father Lamar Grier was a banjoist for Bill Monroe in the 1960's.

Butch Robins (http://www.butchrobins.net) is one of the innovators of melodic style progressive banjo and served one of the longest tenures (almost 5 years) in the banjo seat with Bill Monroe in the late 70's/early 80's. #He has also performed with Harry James, Leon Russell, Buck White, and the New Grass Revival (with Sam Bush). #Butch made several landmark albums with Rounder in the 70's and recently came back into acclaim after writing his IBMA award nominated book "What I Know Bout What I Know."

We will have a paid/fee-based workshop/open forum from 4:30PM to 6PM. #Doors open at 7:15PM. #Show starts at 7:30PM with an opening act. #Compton/Grier/Robins will go on at 8P and go to 9:30P. #

We would like to seat 80. #Entry will be $20 day of show; $18 for those who buy advance tickets from me. #Then there will be a package price of $65 for those who do both the workshop and the concert.

The workshop will discuss how to interpret/arrange Monroe for their respective instruments and how to arrange for an ensemble. #There will be a picking session toward the end of the workshop.

Contact would be Jim Richter 812-825-5514 or email: #jim@richterdigitalarts.net

[JimRichter]

For anyone interested, the Indiana Daily Student (IU's student newspaper) ran a (poorly and at times inaccurate) interview with me today regarding the upcoming concert, as well as my grass roots bluegrass activism. Here's the online read:

Interview with Jim Richter re; Celebration of Bill Monroe (http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?id=36121&adid=arts)

Jim

[JimRichter]

This is the last call for tomorrow's (June 10th) concert in Bloomington Indiana by Mike Compton, David Grier, and Butch Robins. The boys will be doing a workshop from 4:30P to 6P on the rudiments on Monroe-style Blue Grass and then a concert from 7:30PM to 9:30PM composed entirely of Monroe material. This is a rare opportunity to see these guys in this configuration and to hear them perform Monroe material exclusively (you'd have to make it to the Station Inn on Monroe Appreciation Night to get close to this).

Here's the details of what's happening tomorrow:

Noon-2PM: Mike, David and Butch will be picking/talking on the radio airwaves on 91.3 FM WFHB in Bloomington. They will be on Scrapper Blackwell's Rural Routes Bluegrass Show. This show will also be simulcast live as streaming audio at http:www.wfhb.org

4:30PM-6PM: Monroe workshop by Mike, David and Butch. $50. If you decide you want to come to this workshop tomorrow, you can pay me at the door. There's plenty of room.

7:30PM-9:30PM: Concert. Opening act will be David Baas and Alex Puga performing acoustic blues. Alex Puga is a harmonica wiz who is also a De Ford Bailey fan and has been asked by me to showcase a De Ford Bailey tune (more than likely, Evening Prayer, which influenced Monroe to write Evening Prayer Blues). Cost at door is $20. If you're in the Bloomington area, you can buy advanced tickets up till about 2PM tomorrow at Roadworthy Guitar.

Venue for the workshop and concert will be at the Rose Firebay at the John Waldron Art Center. The Rose Firebay is ground level on the 4th St. side next to WFHB radio. It is one block from the city square.

If you have any questions, you can still call me at 812-825-5514 or 317-538-3725 (cell).

See you there!

Jim

[earthsave]

Jim,

Thanks for putting together a wonderful show. At the workshop, Butch brought a perspective on Mr. Monroe's music that I had never heard nor thought of and it was also interesting to hear David's stories from hanging out at the Opry as a kid when his dad Lamar Grier was a Blue Grass Boy. That was my first time seeing Butch and David Grier play and it was jaw dropping to watch... and of course Mike was amazing on those mandos.

Really was cool to hear the opening blues act end their set with Sittin' On Top of the World and Arnold Schult's Evening Prayer Blues on harmonica. Tied the two parts of the concert together very well.

[earthsave]

Jim,

You've got to get yourself a mandolin and quit playing that "madoline"http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[JimRichter]

Thanks for the kind words, Scot, great to have you come. And yes, the Indiana Daily Student editorial staff need to spend a bit more time proofreading.

I do want to correct one thing though: Alex Puga, the harmonica player last night, played "Evening Prayer" by DeFord Bailey (not Arnold Schultz). Arnold Schultz was the African-American blues musician that Monroe played with some as a kid. DeFord Bailey is the unsong first star of the Opry who had hits with tunes such as the Pan-American. Monroe based Evening Prayer Blues (from Master of Bluegrass which Butch played on) on Bailey's Evening Prayer. This is the version that Mike plays as his intro to Evening Prayer Blues (which you can also hear on the album Stomp). I feel very fortunate that Alex agreed to play that tune, since you get to hear the tune on the instrument it was written for.

Jim