Finnders & Youngberg, Colorado’s premier Americana quintet, will add yet another honor to their impressive resume: they’ve been chosen as an official showcase act for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass conference in Nashville, Tenn., this fall. They are one of just 13 acts invited to perform during the bluegrass industry’s biggest and most important week.
Festival Mozaic has announced its 2012 summer season, which will take place July 12-22 in the most charismatic spaces across California's Central Coast including Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, Chapel Hill in wine country, Hearst Castle overlooking the sparkling Pacific Ocean, and Mission San Miguel . The theme, "In The Footsteps of Giants," will showcase a lineage of masterworks which inspired – and were inspired by – phenomenal composers over the ages.
The San Francisco Mandolin Orchestra with singers Susan Gundunas and Twila Ehmcke will be performing one of the gems of the Baroque music era, Stabat Mater, written in 1736 by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.
The Newport Festivals Foundation has announced the lineup for the 2012 Newport Folk Festival set to take place July 28-29 at Fort Adams State Park.
A neurological disorder called dystonia is estimated to have ended the careers of at least one member of every major American metropolitan orchestra. Dystonia has claimed the livelihoods of musicians across genres including the acclaimed pianist Leon Fleisher of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, former first oboist of the Chicago Symphony Alex Klein, acoustic guitarist Billy McLaughlin, classical guitarist Liona Boyd, keyboard player Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, and others.
Radim Zenkl, the Czech-born, California-based magician of the mandolin has been on the road and onstage since he arrived in the USA more than twenty years ago. He recently swung through my hometown of Portland, Oregon and performed his eclectic solo show to a packed house of enthusiastic fans.
Rio Con Brio started out to make one CD. As they recorded tracks, they realized they had two albums on their hands. One is their third choro album, the other is the debut of fado singer Alexandra Coutinho.
If you were there, you’ll agree that the Baltimore host team put on an excellent convention for our quarter-century landmark. With so many people attending, the energy level was high. If you weren’t there, you want to know what you missed. Here are some highlights.
James "Yank" Rachell was the primary exponent of blues mandolin, although he also played guitar, violin, harp and sang expertly well.
To create a violin with the same characteristics as the 1704 instrument known as "Betts," Dr. Sirr worked with professional violin makers John Waddle and Steve Rossow of St. Paul, Minn. They used a CT scanner and a CNC router. Here are a few photos.
Albums
Cheryl J. Watson: Watertown
Watertown is an honest low cost production. All tracks but one are signed songwriter Cheryl J. Watson. Fellow musicians helped her by contributing takes from their home studios.
CD Tracks
- Hurricane of Trouble (C. J. Watson)
- Here Comes My Only Heartache (C. J. Watson)
- All the Things I Used to Feel (C. J. Watson)
- Beaumont Rag (Trad.)
- Watertown (C. J. Watson)
- The Old Man Next Door (C. J. Watson)
- What I Stand to Lose (C. J. Watson)
- When in Drought Blues (C. J. Watson)
- I'll Learn to Live With the Blues (C. J. Watson)
- Hard Time Wind (C. J. Watson)
- (It Won't Be) The Bottle You'll Miss (C. J. Watson)
- Rising Again (C. J. Watson)
- Holding On to Hope (C. J. Watson)
Published by Cheryl J. Watson 2011
By Reidar Falch
Cheryl J. Watson is influenced by many different styles of music. Both words and music have hints of blues, and are well crafted. The music reveals a woman who knows something about life and dignity. Her words dressed in Acousticana is a great fit.
Cheryl J. Watson is singing and plays mandolin and guitar. The guest musicians are Gabe Valla (lead gutiar and harmony vocals) Robert Lee (dobro), Jack Piccalo (banjo), Bill Hendry (fiddle), Teri LaMarco (upright bass), Jason Thomas (fiddle), Scott Sweet (dobro), Lon Williamson (upright bass), Gary Goldsmith (dobro) and John Winters & Doug Evans (harmony vocals).
This album is recorded in the home studios of the musicians. Only the final mixing and mastering are done in a professional studio. That is not an ideal route, but that was the only option. The album is not flawless, why should it be? Somehow there is a feel of honest live performance.
This album is sophisticated urban pop played with a combination of acoustic instruments usually found in bluegrass bands. Any further references to blugrass is hard to find on the album.
Luckily, Alexandra Coutinho and Rio Con Brio decided to make this a stand alone album. The plan was to feature Alexandra Coutinho on some tracks of Rio Con Brio's Caprice.
Caprice is an album by a guitar and mandolin duo playing mostly choro standards. It could be a challenge to make this fly. Rio Con Brio have pulled it off.
Watertown is an honest low cost production. All tracks but one are signed songwriter Cheryl J. Watson. Fellow musicians helped her by contributing takes from their home studios.
The expression Goat Rodeo is a description for an event where a hundred things must go right in order for the event to work. That is the concept for this cross genre production.
The 23 String Band are a genrebending band rooted in American traditional music. All members are hailing from all around Kentucky. Dave Howard (mandolin) grew up just up the road from Bill Monroe’s old homeplace.
Is this a solo recording, -no overdub or multitracking? Believe or not, Chris Acquavella recorded all tracks solo one take.
One main feature of music is the inherent danger of getting tired of a tune or a whole genre. To keep music alive, someone has to bring in new excitement into old contexts. Chris Thile and Michael Daves are indeed keeping their roots alive.
Kenny Liner is the mandolin goalie in a rock band. The fifth studio album from The Bridge is more than mandolin laced pop music.
It is a Finnish tradition to make their own new words instead of importing foreign words. Imported music styles tend to get a distinct flavour.
Sundogs was nominated in the categories Intrumental Album of the year and Roots Traditional album of the year in the 2011 Juno Awards. This is their 4th album.
Enrique and Roberto Ruiz Cubero are Los Hermanos Cubero (The Cubero Brothers). Enrique plays guitar and Roberto plays mandolin. Growing up, they taught themselves to play, influenced by traditional Spanish music and bluegrass.
This is not punk or folk punk. It is punk and rock classics interpreted as Celtic folk tunes. This is the second album from The Bad Shepherds.
This is an imaginary universe created by Feloche. It is his vision of modern cajun music.
This is energetic folk punk from Vancouver. European folk music is delivered with Canadian street punk attitude. The Dreadnoughts has a distinct sound and an energy that make them stand out.
Souvenirs celebrates the ten years of musical partnership. Alison Stephens and Craig Ogden released Music from the Novels of Louis de Bernières in 1999. It was Chandos’ alltime fastest selling classical CD. Since then the duo has performed across Brittain and around the world.
Duo LaRé is Chris Acquavella on mandolin and Nathan Jarrell on guitar. The sound of Chris Acquavella's bowlback mandolin blends and contrasts well with the semi-acoustic and electric guitars played by Nathan Jarrell.
Hebrew Mandolin is a project initiated by Jacob Reuven, an Israeli classical mandolinist. Hebrew songs are rearranged for mandolin and symphonic orchestra in a classical manner.
The leading mandolinist Jacob Reuven (34) and his ten years younger friend and colleague, the prize winning Alon Sariel, are sharing the same musical background from Israel. Both have played in the Beer-Sheva Mandolin Orchestra, a youth orchestra.
This album by Barrocade contains works by Vivaldi. Three mandolin concertos are followed by Laudate Pueri, a motet for soprano and orchestra.