Backstage Views at Streetmosphere

Because Streetmosphere (BeetStreet's on-the-street presentation of live music and art) takes place on sidewalks and public spaces, there is not usually a backstage view.

But on this Friday night, I was stationed between Moe's BBQ and Pueblo Viejo in downtown Fort Collins, both of which have outdoor seating.



My friend, Cynthia Vaughn, from Magnolia Music Studio was out for dinner with her husband and took these "backstage" pictures that let you see some audience participation, reaction.

The younger children were really intrigued and entranced by both dulcimers this night, and enjoyed some "hands-on" opportunities to make music.

(This is how I plant "dulcimer-seeds" in future musicians!)

Dutch Hop Dulcimer

Local bass player, Marty Rein, whose father loves Dutch Hop Dulcimer, was playing across the street from me for a Streetmosphere gig in Fort Collins this summer.  During his break he video-ed me playing his request: "The Windsor Special".

I wrote an article about dulcimers in the Dutch Hop Tradition some years ago for DulcimerSessions.com.  You can read it here.

July: Back home from the road

After crisscossing much of the country from April through June...

... sharing music and stories with old friends and new, I'm very glad to be home!  

(Here is a photo from my concert at Mt. Zwingli UCC Church in Wadsworth, Ohio, taken by Jan Hammond.)

      The frightening part of the journey was the last few days that were undertaken as the High Park Fire in Colorado was extending its reach toward Fort Collins. Anxiously checking the internet when the local radio station lost its transmission tower; providing news to my loved ones; It was a very surreal experience to drive into town, toward a burning fire with 9 different fingers of smoky plume working their way down the foothills toward the western edge of town, while my brain was trying to turn on the "flight" module.

      Thankfully, our town has been spared (so far) and we continue to give thanks, moment by moment, to all of the local, county, state and federal government people whose training and commitment guide the bravery and steadfastness of those whose boots are on the ground digging, trimming, cutting, dropping water and fire retardant, guarding and evacuating people.

 

     And this fire is only one of many in our extremely DRY state.   The Red Cross welcomes all contributions to help those displaced by these disasters.  The harder work comes next as families rebuild or decide to re-locate.  

     

     My song, Rock on Rock, was originally inspired by people I met in Mexico City who rebuilt their homes after a massive earthquake in the early 1980s.  It continues to find relevance for many people in different settings.  This link takes you to my website where you can hear it, read the lyrics (and download it, if you wish.)  I'm continuing to give a donation to Peace Lutheran Church in Joplin, Missouri from all sales of this song and its related CD and DVD to help in their rebuilding efforts

following the April 2011 tornado that devastated their town.

Someone reminded me of the words

of an old bluesman:  

"You can't make depression go away, but singing can send it to the far corners of the room." 

 

So, let's keep singing!

Concert Slide Show

Jan Hammond set up an afternoon of workshops and an evening concert at her church, Mt. Zwingli UCC in Wadsworth, OH and sent me these photos afterward.  I put them together in this slideshow with a musical track from my 5 song Kids EP (Mr. Steve's Folk Music for Little Folks).


After playing Amazing Grace on my Galax dulcimer as an audience sing-a-long several people noticed a spectacularly-timed sunset rainbow! (Featuring Galax Dulcimer built by Ben Seymour, Dulci-bro by Don Neuhauser, Didjeridoo from Australia, hammered dulcimer by Nicholas Blanton, guitar by Huss & Dalton.)

Stevens County Library Hugoton, KS

After driving through parts of Southwestern Colorado for the first time as I began my May-June 2012 tour,  I arrived in the Natural Gas Capital of the world on Tuesday and was delighted to find that my housing was booked into a Bed and Breakfast with a hammered dulcimer shape carved in its stone sign!

The Stevens County Library was the venue for the concert, booked by Unbound Booking.

Because I arrived early, I was able to visit the very impressive local museum, where I was informed that I was visiting the two best features of the town today!

Hugoton, county seat of Stevens County, (a story which is interesting in its own right!)  had a massive natural gas boom in the 1920s, which paralled a similar boom in my hometown of Pemberville, Ohio.  The comparisons between this town and the one of my birth and rearing were very uncanny, even though my hometown is about a 1/3 the size of this one.

This was my first gig booked by Unbound Booking and was great fun.

Even MORE fun was when Eunice, the librarian, brought out her dulcimers made by a builder in Liberal, Kansas in the 1990s!

Sometimes the Road Leads Home!

Sometimes the Road does lead home!  I was booked to play in Old Town Fort Collins for Streetmosphere to kick-off the Memorial Day weekend on Friday Night, but there was double-booking for a motorcycle rally.  The smart call was to recognize that the dulcet tones of the dulcimer would rarely be heard if in competition with revving Harleys.  So, I decided to change the venue and play a home game!



FiddleWhamdiddle scheduled a House Party instead at my home in Fort Collins.

Vi Wickam and I recorded this tune that I learned from Ken Bloom at the Western Carolina Dulcimer Week, in Cullowhee, NC several years ago.  Enjoy!

(This is part of Vi's year-long commitment to play and record a new fiddle tune each day throughout 2012.  You can sign-up and get them delivered to your email box every day!)

Views from "Duci-topia"--The Nikwasi Dulcimer Club

My friend, Bonnie Carol, always celebrates my travels throughout dulci-topia* and inquires about the state of the dulcimer world as she remembers her dulcimer touring across the USA and beyond.


Following lunch with Phil Myers at the Open Air Cafe, along the creek in Franklin, North Carolina,

This tour began with an afternoon of workshops for the Nikwasi Dulcimer Club which meets every Thursday afternoon at 1:30 pm at the First United Methodist Church.

This was the beginning of the "homecoming" season when many of the migrating dulcimer players who live further north or south are returning for their season to live and play in the lush green hills of western North Carolina.

Following the workshops, I was able to capture this snippet of members of the group playing "The Boatmen", a tune from the canal days.  I celebrate this circle of friends sharing music they enjoy, as they prepare to share it with the wider community for the Airing of the Quilts celebration in the town square to be held the following Saturday.

From Left to right:  Kathy, Phil, Sally, David and Ben.  

Special thanks to Phil Myers for putting this afternoon together.

*[For non-Latin scholars: "dulci-topia" is Bonnie's term for the dulcimer places or dulcimer world.]