The Blog

I was wondering where this place went. No it's found! No music information right now. I'm wishing that both or either John Cowan or Mando Saenz would come to town, but I see nothing on the tour lists. It's December. Pick on!

and 2 years later...

I was looking at http://www.dfwlivemusic.com and thinking about my own, long, lost blog created a few years back where I was doing some footwork to find as much bluegrass music type news as possible. I was always searching for news concerning something outside of bluegrass but in DFW there is little. And if there are other events, they seem to be kept close to the promotion vest.

I'm contemplating whether or not it is worth it to restore care to the site. Comments are welcome.

Bluegrass in Blue Ridge, TX

The Upper Grassmen host "Bluegrass in Blue Ridge" this Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Other bands will include Copper Canyon from Argyle, Texas and a new group of 12 and 13 year olds called Back Stage. Tickets are only $4.00 to help pay for facilities.

Come on out to Blue Ridge and join us at the community center this Saturday night.

Gold Tone Banjola

I wanted to post a picture of my latest musical endeavor, the Gold Tone Banjola. It's a unique instrument with the body of a mandolin and the neck style of a 5 string banjo. It's got a unique sound as well. Not to be played like a traditional banjo, it lends it self to a solo performance.

Support Melody Ranch

The MR Bluegrass Festival is going on this weekend. Take a short drive and support it. There are some great young bands there, so the music rocks pretty good. It's just up 75, exit Howe and take 902 east towards Tom Bean, TX. It's about 7 miles off of 75. It's goes strong through tomorrow night. Click here for the website.

Learn From the Stars

A few of acoustic music's best will showcase their talents and teach you how to play better through basic, intermediate or advanced instruction. It's all a part of the Acoustic Music Camp coming to Dallas. Whether you're looking to hone your skills on guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle or songwriting, it seems they may have something for everyone.

My personal excitement about this event comes from the fact that Terry Baucom will be on hand to teach some of his technique. I've been following him since the early days of Ricky Skaggs' Boone Creek band from the 70's. He's got an awesome style, one which I've stolen a couple of riffs from over the years.

Dallas own Brad Davis will be teaching guitar. He's probably one of the biggest secrets in acoustic music today. Brad is an awesome flatpicker with a great voice to boot, plus he's just a good guy.

The only drawback to the camp is the cost. It's $295 for three days. That seems a little expensive, especially for us hillbillies, but if you've got it I would imagine it would be money well spent.

Me? I'd love to go, but probably will be on the road or have other commitment. I'll know more as the date nears. Check out the website, or follow it from the Charley's Guitar Shop link.

Melody Ranch Bluegrass Festival

The Melody Ranch Bluegrass Festival in Tom Bean, TX kicks off its first year May 31 - June 2nd. A few regional bands carry the lineup. It's located about 45 minutes north of Plano. Take Hwy. 75 to Howe, TX. Exit towards Hwy. 902 and go east about 10 miles. Check out the new website at melodyranchbluegrassfestival.com.

Wildflower Festival

This years lineup for the Richardson Wildflower Festival includes John Gorka. There is an equally impressive list of other entertainers. Check it out at the website. John will also appear at the Kerrville Folk Festival on May 28th and 29th. That link is also included here.

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones

Bela is back with the Flecktones for a road tour. They perform locally in Grand Prarie at the Nokia Theatre on June 2nd at 8:00 p.m. This is the original group with Victor Wooten, Jeff Coffin and Futureman. Tickets are available on the Nokia website.

Maintaining DFW

I haven't had the time to keep this blog up. My intent and hope was to have some feedback and thus more resources to keep it up to date for acoustic music lovers in the area. If you've read these posts from time to time and have information, I'd love the help. Thanks.

Guthrie

The lineup is just out for the International Bluegrass Festival in Guthrie, Oklahoma this fall. Check out the link at www.oibf.com.

Doc's

The Upper Grassmen play Docs Bar and Grill in Muenster, TX tomorrow night. We fire it up around 8:30. We're going all acoustic. It's a fun room and we look forward to it.