August 30, 2005
County Sales
Mike told me about a great bluegrass music site called County Sales that has a great selection of bluegrass music. Their newsletter has reviews of newly released cds. You can even search their catalogue by Female Artist. Lots of good bluegrass. Buy 6 and the 7th cd is free.
Posted by songdawg at 8:56 PM | Music
Alberta Centennial Events
Wondering how to celebrate the Alberta Centennial on Sept 1st? Check out what's happening. Think I will go down at lunch and check out the Alberta Legislature Grounds Kick Off Celebration.
Posted by songdawg at 6:44 PM | Comments (1) | Newsworthy
CBC Unplugged
Miss the CBC? Looks like there is no end in sight for the lockout. But you can get your fix here - lots of podcasts available.
http://cbcunplugged.blogware.com/blog
Posted by songdawg at 6:07 PM |
August 24, 2005
2005 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
2005 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
When: Saturday, October 1st and Sunday October 2nd, 2005
Where: Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA.
I wish I could go ... I am drooling over the lineup: http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/2005/artists.shtml
Posted by songdawg at 6:57 PM | Comments (1) | Festivals
August 22, 2005
Shady Grove 2005
Edmonton crew at Shady Grove - photo by Mike Greffen
I have to say that there were quite a few wonderful moments this past weekend at Shady Grove:
- Watching Crazy Bones String Band's set. I left early on Friday hoping to make their 6 o'clock set and I got there with seconds to spare and time to give Mike a wave of encouragement. You know the saying "Everything that can go wrong will". Well it was pretty close - lots of feedback and weird sound issues, dropped guitar pick (retrieved right before the guitar break :) and the most fantastic of all - Dale's bass bridge popping off in the middle of a song. It made quite the dramatic sound. Well, he had it back in place and tuned up by the end of the song. It slipped two more times - the last time right at the beginning of the tag to their encore song "What a way to go". Boom! Lord - whaat a waaaayyyy toooooo go!
- Sitting with Les and soaking up the music - though I had trouble sitting down for too long and kept getting up to walk around.
- Sharing a birthday bottle of wine and catching up with Janet Beazley to celebrate our birthdays. That's becoming one great summer tradition. Check out her new cd 5 South
- My bass lesson with Cindy Browne of Due West - amazing player and fantastic teacher. Thanks Cindy for sharing - meeting you was very inspiring.
- Hanging out with Jeannette and Ken. Thanks for the home base and for the friendship. Jamming with Don too. Sheila and Ed we missed you.
- Jamming with Les and George of course and the Homefire crew.
- Lunch in Nanton with Mike - great to catch up.
All in all it was a great weekend but I was pretty wiped out when I got home. I think it'll take me a few days to recover.
Posted by songdawg at 9:23 PM | Festivals
August 16, 2005
Vassar Clements (1928 - 2005)
Vassar Clements the King of Hillbilly Jazz and a sweet, sweet fiddle player passed away this morning at his home in Nashville. May he rest in peace.
Posted by songdawg at 6:17 PM | Comments (3) | Music
August 15, 2005
Return of the Pink Panther
Had a quiet weekend mostly sleeping and watching movies trying to work through this nasty cold. We're watching some Pink Panther movies. Marshall's been walking around the house quoting "Is that a booomp on yer hed?" and "Does yer dog biiite?"
I am currently downloading some live concert recordings from Rockygrass (recorded by Brian Skalinder) to listen to on my way to Shady Grove this weekend. I am using BitTorrent. Also downloading some Del McCoury, Crossed-Eyed Rosie and Little Feat files from Internet Archive.
Sam - Marshall said you would be interested in this.
Posted by songdawg at 8:03 PM | My Life
August 13, 2005
Photo Tips Podcast
Chris Marquardt is the host of tips from the top floor, a podcast filled with short and sweet non-techy photo tips that you can put to use immediately. Covers everything from image composition to post processing. No matter if you use a digital point-and-shoot or an expensive digital SLR. Tips for the beginner as well as the professional photographer.
tips from the top floor show topics
Posted by songdawg at 9:38 AM | Photography
August 12, 2005
Shady Grove 2005
Only one week until Shady Grove 2005 in Nanton, Alberta which runs August 19-21, 2005. This festival has an excellent mix of great lineup and amazing campsite jamming - it's one of my favourite festivals. Unfortunately there is no Open Stage or Band Contest this year.
This year's lineup includes:
The Kathy Kallick Band
Due West
Jerusalem Ridge
Junior Barber & Beartracks
Chris Stuart & Back Country
Wild Rose Xpress
Crazy Bones String Band
Dirty Hat Band
Posted by songdawg at 5:18 PM | Festivals
Pork & Fiddle 2005
Waskasoo Bluegrass Music Society announces a new partnership between JamFest 2005 and the Alberta Pork Festival. Pork & Fiddle 2005 will take place at the Benalto Rodeo Grounds in Red Deer on August 12, 13, and 14.
For more info visit Waskasoo Bluegrass at www.waskasoobluegrass.com
I am still getting over a nasty cold so I won't be going but it looks like it will be a lot of fun.
Posted by songdawg at 5:13 PM | Festivals
August 9, 2005
EFMF 2005 Sunday
No pics from Saturday - I volunteered during the day and then we left early again when it started raining in the evening. I was feeling a bit under the weather - didn't even hang around much for the mainstage.
On Sunday I took quite a few pictures - mostly the bluegrass sessions.
Todd Phillips on bass during Laurie Lewis' concert.
Me, Todd Phillips and Terry Knutson
Hickory Holler Time Session with Jerusalem Ridge, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, and Laurie Lewis
Doyle Lawson and Todd Phillips
Darcy Whiteside with Byron Myhre
Doyle Lawson
Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum dancing the polka to Craig Korth rendition of "Polka on the Banjo".
Laurie Lewis and her band
Enjoying the session. Photo by Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Joe Teichroeb and Keith Burgess from Jerusalem Ridge
Blue Moon session with Roy Rogers, Norton Buffalo and Big Jay McNeely
Marshall soaking up the blues
Roy Rogers on guitar and Big Jay McNeely on souped-up sax
Norton Buffalo
View of the mainstage hill
John Prine
John Prine
Steve Pritchard and Marshall Lawrence hanging on the hill. Dave and Holly Ann (top right) generously offered a corner of their tarp. Thanks!
Barry Bales from Alison Krauss and Union Station. Cool stance.
View from the tarp. Another great festival!
Posted by songdawg at 7:31 PM | Festivals
EFMF 2005 Friday
On Friday evening I enjoyed Alana Levandoski's performance. She has a new cd 'Unsettled Down' that I will have to pick up.
My favourite part of the Edmonton Folk Fest are the sessions. For an hour or so a group of musicians are invited on stage together. Sometimes each musician takes a turn playing a song but sometimes a bit of magic happens and the musicians start jamming. The "Out of the West" session with The Bills, Alpha Yaya Diallo, Jim Byrnes, Doug Cox, Sam Hurrie, Steve Dawson and Jesse Zubot was fantastic.
The Bills
Jim Byrnes and Steve Dawson
Jim Byrnes
Alpha Yaya Diallo
It was great hanging out with my Mom and enjoying the weekend. Can't believe I didn't take a picture of her. After Marshall's shift on the dessert crew we went for a drink in the beer tent and caught up on our day. Then we watched a bit of the mainstage but since I was fighting a cold we jumped on the Park and Ride and turned in early.
Posted by songdawg at 7:11 PM | Festivals
August 5, 2005
Edmonton Folk Music Festival 2005 - Thursday
My Mom is finally here - she got caught up in the craziness at the Pearson airport when the thunderstorms hit and the plane from Paris crashed. But she made it after a gruelling 24 hours. And just in time for a BBQ jam at our house.
Last night we went to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and saw Loreena McKennitt who gave a wonderful performance. Such beautiful music - it was nice sitting on the hill with my Mom and Marshall going over the program and figuring out who we want to see over the weekend.
It's going to be another great festival.
Posted by songdawg at 10:08 AM | Festivals
August 1, 2005
Blueberry Bluegrass Festival 2005 Sunday
Jerusalem Ridge
Jerusalem Ridge
Jerusalem Ridge
Down to the Wood
As these guys were setting up and I was getting more water I turned to the stage and didn't recognize them in their white shirts and ties :)
Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver
What a great weekend - the weather was fantastic and the musical lineup was great. I got a little too much sun from sitting out in the afternoon and even though I drank lots of water I still feel parched. A bunch of us stayed up until the wee hours to jam which hit the spot. I managed to drag myself home at around 4am with my head filled with melodies. So I am feeling a little draggy this morning.
There's more great bluegrass just around the corner. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is next weekend has some great bluegrass acts coming:
... and of course plenty of other music too.