Received our first sample of a ball cap we're having made for the Cafe. We like it. Will order a few to give away to some friends and possibly some to sell as well. Web address will be on the back.
We received an email from Mark Boucher who is with the magazine CMM Quarterly. CMM's current issue deals with musical instrument building, and in this special issue, our readers will recognize some familiar names: Dave Smith, Smith Creek Mandolins Greg Deering, Deering Banjos Jeffery Elliott, Elliott Guitars Greg Byers, Byers Guitars Jonathan Hiller, interesting article on composite graphics vs. wood JEM magazine, article about Luis and Clark composite ...
Updated Feb-22-2009 at 9:32pm by Scott Tichenor
In terms of technique, playing an 8 string solid body electric is pretty much the same as playing a 4 string solid body electric. Except you don't bend notes. Having 8 strings makes the tone more mandolinistic and less guitaristic [to invent a couple of words]. So I've been playing material I usually reserve for my Vessel F5, just to hear it come through an amp. And I've added songs to my mandolin repertoire, because I am crazy enough to stomp on some effects boxes too. ...
Hello everyone! Recently Chris sat in with local band Hillbilly Highway in order to record a song for Race horse track Emerald Downs to use as an advertisement! It is currently airing on local television and radio, so keep your eyes and ears peeled! The song is "Break My Stride" You can visit: http://www.emeralddowns.com/?cat=6&id=1807&type=news and hear all 4 versions! www.myspace.com/tangograss Facebook, search: Chris Luquette ...
Yea, I'm hip. It's true. I'm on Facebook, baby. I knew it'd eventually happen. Confronted with the fact that my daughter is on there along with every friend she has (and those she will never meet), plus her sixth-grade teachers, her old piano teacher that lives 10 hours away, and about anyone else in her life. Time for a guy that is in love with a Unix command line with a black background and white text (don't start with me vim users. I'm not color coding and I mean it) to start receiving life-changing ...
Updated Apr-12-2009 at 11:13am by Scott Tichenor
I insure my mandolins with a policy from Heritage Insurance, a company that actually *knows* what a mandolin is, and is engaged in the business of insuring instruments like Loars and high-priced violins, guitars and other acoustic instruments along with lesser valued instruments (such as my own). I once had the unfortunate experience of having to go toe-to-toe with FedEx on a $10K instrument that arrived at it's destination with a crushed in face that required about $700 of work and ...
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 ...
Updated May-08-2009 at 9:44am by Daniel Nestlerode
I had to face a few facts: 1: I may be to old to work but, I'm to young to retire. 2: I would starve to death trying to make a living playing a mandolin and it doesn't lay eggs. 3: The truck engine has to be rebulit. 4: No "Super Mando" this year. After a few weeks in a rental truck (), I'm back in the black beast. As fast as ever with a fresh stable of 600 horses. You just don't realize how much of ...
Here we go again. Seeing last year's announcements of the pending launch of Jerusalem Ridge Magazine, a magazine devoted to traditional bluegrass music I could only shake my head. Unsuspecting innocent lovers of traditional bluegrass were going to lose their money, this much was guaranteed. Meet Ron Malec. The Mandolin Cafe has a very long and very well documented history with Ron. I've personally devoted more hours and effort than I could begin to estimate ...
The new Butch Baldassari tribute CD is now out and available from SoundArt Recordings. I was honored to be asked to contribute a cut and there's an interesting story behind the the piece I recorded. I played a composition you may have heard on Butch's 1998 recording, New Classics for Bluegrass Mandolin. Has it been that long since he recorded it? Doesn't seem possible. The story behind the music: first, this is a ...