March 2014 Arizona Bluegrass Beacon The Proof is in the Pickin’ THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ARIZONA BLUEGRASS ASSOCIATION www.arizonabluegrass.com Prep & Dist.: Sandra Ausn Editor: Rosemary Langley March 2014 2nd Annual Marana Bluegrass Fesval Set For April 12 & 13, 2014! This Fesval will be held each day from 9:45 am to 5:30 pm at the Ora Mae Harn Park in downtown Marana. It connues to be a partnership of the Town of Marana, the Desert Bluegrass Associa- on (DBA), and the Arizona Bluegrass Associaon (ABA). The event will showcase not only local bands from the Phoenix and Tucson area, but also musical legend, Dan Crary, a flatpicking stylist with an internaonal rep- utaon for innovaon, taste, brilliance, and master of the guitar! Dan’s Fesval schedule for Saturday includes a guitar summit performance with Greg Morton and Peter McLaughlin, a 2-hour workshop on guitar (at the Marana Community Center), and a solo performance to close out the Saturday fesvies. His schedule for Sun- day includes two guitar summit performances with Morton and McLaughlin again. Entry fee for Saturday or Sunday is only $12 a person, and a weekend pass is only $20 a person. Children under the age of 12 are free with an adult. The Fesval’s opening ceremonies start at 9:45 am on both days. SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION: One of the ways the partnership expects to make this Fesval profitable is through sponsorships. The ABA’s guarantee of $2500 to pay bands will be reimbursed if enough sponsorships are sold. Do you know of a compa- ny or service that would like to be a sponsor? Or maybe you as an individual would like to be a Friend of the Fesval? If so, please contact the Fesval Sponsorship Chair, Ned Robbins, at [email protected] or 602-510- 0587. Join Terry & Bonnie Williams, Jan & Mike Zale, and others in becoming a Friend of the Fesval! SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES INCLUDE: $1000 Planum Sponsor - On stage recognion by emcee, banner displayed on stage, business card size (3.5” x 2”) ad in Fesval program, 501C3 tax donaon receipt from ABA OR 10 weekend passes. $500 Gold Sponsor - On stage recognion by emcee, half business card size ad (1.75” x 1”) in Fesval pro- gram, and 501C3 tax donaon receipt from ABA OR 10 weekend passes. $100 Friends of Bluegrass - Your name listed in fesval program as a “Friend of Bluegrass,” on stage menon by emcee, and 501C3 tax donaon receipt from ABA OR 5 day passes. For more informaon, go to www.maranafesval.com. FILL OUT THIS FORM NOW & SEND IT IN. THANK YOU! Marana Bluegrass Fesval Sponsor Donaon Form ____$1000 Planum Sponsor ____$500 Gold Sponsor ____$100 Friends of Bluegrass Sponsor Name______________________________________________________________________ Address/City/State/Zip Code___________________________________________________ Phone ___________________________ Email_____________________________________ Please include with your check to the ABA: P.O. Box 8139, Glendale, AZ 85312-8139 Thanks Much!
Transcript
March 2014
Arizona Bluegrass Beacon The Proof is in the Pickin’
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ARIZONA BLUEGRASS ASSOCIATION
2nd Annual Marana Bluegrass Festival Set For April 12 & 13, 2014!
This Festival will be held each day from 9:45 am to 5:30 pm at the Ora Mae Harn Park in downtown Marana. It continues to be a partnership of the Town of Marana, the Desert Bluegrass Associa-
tion (DBA), and the Arizona Bluegrass Association (ABA). The event will showcase not only local bands from the Phoenix and Tucson area, but also musical legend, Dan Crary, a flatpicking stylist with an international rep-utation for innovation, taste, brilliance, and master of the guitar! Dan’s Festival schedule for Saturday includes a guitar summit performance with Greg Morton and Peter McLaughlin, a 2-hour workshop on guitar (at the Marana Community Center), and a solo performance to close out the Saturday festivities. His schedule for Sun-day includes two guitar summit performances with Morton and McLaughlin again. Entry fee for Saturday or Sunday is only $12 a person, and a weekend pass is only $20 a person. Children under the age of 12 are free with an adult. The Festival’s opening ceremonies start at 9:45 am on both days.
SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION: One of the ways the partnership expects to make this Festival profitable is through sponsorships. The ABA’s guarantee of $2500 to pay bands will be reimbursed if enough sponsorships are sold. Do you know of a compa-ny or service that would like to be a sponsor? Or maybe you as an individual would like to be a Friend of the Festival? If so, please contact the Festival Sponsorship Chair, Ned Robbins, at [email protected] or 602-510-0587. Join Terry & Bonnie Williams, Jan & Mike Zale, and others in becoming a Friend of the Festival!
SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES INCLUDE: $1000 Platinum Sponsor - On stage recognition by emcee, banner displayed on stage, business card size (3.5” x 2”) ad in Festival program, 501C3 tax donation receipt from ABA OR 10 weekend passes. $500 Gold Sponsor - On stage recognition by emcee, half business card size ad (1.75” x 1”) in Festival pro-gram, and 501C3 tax donation receipt from ABA OR 10 weekend passes. $100 Friends of Bluegrass - Your name listed in festival program as a “Friend of Bluegrass,” on stage mention by emcee, and 501C3 tax donation receipt from ABA OR 5 day passes.
For more information, go to www.maranafestival.com.
FILL OUT THIS FORM NOW & SEND IT IN. THANK YOU!
Marana Bluegrass Festival Sponsor Donation Form ____$1000 Platinum Sponsor ____$500 Gold Sponsor ____$100 Friends of Bluegrass Sponsor
Please include with your check to the ABA: P.O. Box 8139, Glendale, AZ 85312-8139
Thanks Much!
March 2014
March 2014
Pete Seeger: Living Outside the Box – a Tribute by James Reams “To my old brown earth and to my old blue sky, I’ll now give these last few molecules of ‘I’.” – Pete Seeger When I arrived in New York City, I had the good fortune to play at the Greenwich Folk Festival in Greenwich Village, then considered to be the heart of the folk music scene. And one of the biggest hearts belonged to Pete Seeger. Backstage, he was always warm, welcoming, and nurturing — setting an example that I still try to follow today. As part of a roots music concert tour, we rode in the van together to the shows and I loved lis-tening to him talk (not surprisingly, he was a great storyteller!). We made our own stories, too. One time we were at a lodge in upstate NY for a convention of the People’s Music Network. It just so happened that Pete didn’t have an instrument with him. All the musicians were doing a round robin, picking for a bit, then sitting down to let the next musician play. When it came around to Pete, he stood up on his chair and told a little story about what he was going to do. He then started hamboning while the crowd roared its approval. He brought music with him wherever he went. I had such an admiration for him as a performer…even without an instrument, he could mesmerize a room full of musicians. I had been working on collecting interviews for the documentary “Making Music with the Pioneers of Blue-grass” when I got a call from the International Bluegrass Music Museum in Owensboro, KY, asking if I would do an interview with Pete Seeger for their Oral History Project. Seems that back in the 70s, Pete had donated his banjo to support a fundraising effort for the folk music community. This was the banjo that he had played for more than 15 years at protest rallies in the 60s and it featured his slogan, “This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender” on the head. The IBMM had just acquired this banjo from long time CBA member Carl Pagter to display at the Museum. They wanted folks to be able to connect with the instrument through a recorded interview with the living legend. Of course I jumped at the chance and headed off to Beacon, NY with Carl and a film crew to meet with Pete, now 87 years old. The Clearwater Meeting House, where we held the interview, had a wood-burning fireplace. When Carl and I arrived with the crew, we found Pete outside splitting logs for the fireplace so we could be warm during the meeting. That was classic Pete, always thinking of others first. I remember when the interview was over he shook our hands, tossed his ax and the remaining firewood in the bed of his beat up old pickup truck, and then proceeded to back right into the front of my van before taking off like a shot. The crew and I just looked at each other in shock and then busted out laughing. It was a fitting end to the whole meeting. I’m proud to say that I still have that dent in my front bumper — probably should get a “Pete Seeger was here” sign painted over it! Pete is still a controversial figure in bluegrass music circles. Most bluegrassers contend that Pete was not a bluegrass musician. But take a look at what he’s done for our genre. His book on 5-String Banjo Instruction was one of the seminal books for beginning banjo pickers, and acknowledges bluegrass along with other styles. He brought international attention to bluegrass music when he helped produce the “Folksong ‘59” show with Alan Lomax at Carnegie Hall that featured relatively unknown bluegrass musicians Earl Taylor and the Stoney Mountain Boys (including my long time friend and fellow recording artist, Walter Hensley). His TV show Rainbow Quest ran on public television from 1965-66 and brought guests like The Stanley Brothers, Greenbriar Boys, Doc Watson, Roscoe Holcomb, and Cousin Emmy to the attention of viewers all over the east coast (12 episodes of these rare performances are available on DVD now.). To paraphrase one of his famous quotes, “We’re all different, but we’re all singing together. It gives you hope.” When we start naming things, we put them in little boxes. I just don’t think music should be put in a box. Be-cause he embraced American culture and the arts, Pete Seeger is bigger than any one musical genre. His influence is still being felt by generations of banjo pickers across the whole musical spectrum. Though he’s gone physically from this world, Pete will always live on…outside the box. (This article originally appeared in Bluegrass Today, January 29, 2014.)
March 2014
March 2014
Useful Tools of Our Trade or Just Another Gadget by
Ken Killebrew Whether you play a banjo, bass, guitar, or mandolin, there is always one more thing on the market to buy for your instrument. We will take a quick look at what works, what some people say works, and maybe what is just not worth buying. First of all, do you need that $35 Bluechip pick? Well, I have a couple and I believe that I notice a differ-ence. The main difference is the tone. I can play with the same one for over a few months and not notice a tone difference or any wear. A lot of people claim that these picks stick to your fingers better. I wouldn’t know. I have a tendency to sweat a lot and every pick I use moves around. So-o-o, all of my Bluechips have been drilled out using the Wegen hole patterns as a guide. Speaking of Wegen picks, I have always liked them. They are around $4 a pick, depending on where you buy them. They do seem to wear quicker than I like. I keep some 1000 and 2000 grit sandpaper around to keep a point on them. Many folks use the Dunlap Tortex. These are very reasonably priced (50 cents) and work great. Look around at what others are pickin’ with and try out a few. Capos are another $8 to $150 investment. Is the big dollar one a gadget we don’t need, or is it really worth it? I have a couple of Elliots, some Shubs, a Paige, and Planet Waves. My two major concerns with a capo are: (1) are my strings bright and still in tune when my capo is on, and (2) when I am making a chord is the capo in my way? (Do I hit it and move it when I make a B7 chord because it is so bulky?) The Elliot is so streamlined and out of the way. Plus with the thumb adjuster, I get just enough tension to cleanly fret my strings and not pull them out of tune. The Planet Wave has an adjustable clamp and when put on with the thumb screw on top, it is out of my way. The Paige is shaped basically the same as an Elliot —you choose. I almost think it is mainly user preference. Tonerite is a gadget to vibrate the top of your guitar and age it. It costs around $150. There is a great de-bate as to whether it works. Read the articles or find someone who has one. I’ve heard of opening your case and playing loud music, with the speakers faced towards the top to do the same thing (vibrate the top). There’s an interesting post on Acoustics guitar forum — “Simply, play your guitar a lot”. That will loos-en up the top. Adam Schlenker did an a b test of the Tonerite and lets you listen to it before and after — you decide. I couldn’t tell the difference. I recently purchased a guitar case humidifier (gadget) that requires no maintenance — Planet Waves’ Hu-midipak. I’ve had it in one of my cases for over a month and check the humidity weekly with no change and no maintenance. They claim it will be 4 to 6 months before you have to change the packets. It uses some kind of technology that puts moisture in your case when it’s low and pulls it out when it’s too high. Still have a couple of cases with the wet sponges in a plastic container with holes in it —your choice.
What are our choices for a humidifier for your music room? Wow! The one I use was a twelve dollar deal at Goodwill. It holds four gallons of water and works great. I use a gauge in the room and keep it at around 50 percent humidity. There are many expensive humidifiers that require much less diligent care than mine, but I seem to be in that room quite often so it isn’t an issue. If I felt a need to be less active in maintaining the humidity, or if I wasn’t going to be in my room for an extended time, I would invest in running a water line to a humidifier and having it set to come on and off with a preset humidity. If you happen to have an evapora-tive cooler on the roof, that works to maintain the humidity during the summer. You’re home free for keep-ing your instrument from drying out. Strings seem to be another product that we use that can be what we need or what seems to be an extrava-gant gadget. I use D’Addario J17’s. Purchased in bulk 10 sets at a time from Strings and Beyond gets them down to around four bucks a set. The Elixirs are the choice of many, but the cost is out of my range. I have friends who swear they get 4 times the life out of a set of Elixirs and that offsets the cost. There is everything in between for cost and tone. Try some out and get what your ear tells you to buy.
March 2014
Useful Tools of Our Trade or Just Another Gadget (cont’d) Be careful when purchasing a stand for your instrument. I use high end Hercules stands that lock the head-stock in. I still managed to snap the neck on one of my banjos. I hooked the strap with the wheel of my chair and pulled the whole stand and banjo over — whoops! The floor stands that balance your instrument are less expensive, but they make me nervous. Looks like it wouldn’t take much to knock one over. There are quite a few stands out there today that have mechanisms that lock in the neck. Look around for one. String winders are a must for me. I use a special one that fits between the tuning keys of my mandolin. Be careful not to get one that is too wide for that mando. My best friend is my Ernie Ball electric string winder. It takes four AA batteries and they last forever. It also cuts my string changing time in half. They make a couple of cool string winders that have the cutter and a pin puller built into one tool. Planet Waves makes an all-in-one string winder, cutter, and pin puller. Check it out; it’s only around twelve bucks. Last of all, keep your instrument clean. All the manufacturers have their own cleaning kits. Martin, Fender, etc. have kits that are worth the mon-ey. Warm clean water on a smooth rag works for a quick clean up. Pol-ishers that cut the grime and do not harm the finish are great for some-one who sweats a lot (we do live in Phoenix) like me. Make sure the pol-isher is made for the finish on your guitar, mando, or banjo. Most manu-facturers will give some tips on keeping your instrument clean and hu-midified. Check out the Internet for other tips on maintenance. Remember — if you can’t be handsome, be handy.
Igor and friends at the Beatitudes jam session. (Igor is on the far left.)
March 2014
JAM SCHEDULE – Art Wirtz Please submit additions, corrections, etc. to Art at [email protected]
Sundays 3rd of the month 3:00 pm Dove Mountain Bluegrass Jam Tucson , AZ Contact: Rich 520-818-0358 3:00 pm Elks Club Jam Elks Club, 2455 N. Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ (October – April). Contact: Jan Zale 602-619-4163.
Mondays all 7:00 pm—8:30 pm, Monday Night Melodies, Peoria Main Library, 8463 W. Monroe St., Peoria 85345. Free Performance Concert Series (not a jam). Public is welcome. Acoustic Instruments preferred. Contact: Sandra Austin 623-972-3021. Three 30-minute performances.
1st and 3rd of the month 7:00 pm Bill Johnson’s Big Apple Jam, 16810 N. 19th Ave, Phoenix, AZ. All skill levels, prefer traditional bluegrass instruments and songs. Contact: Tim McCoy [email protected] YL
2nd and 4th of the month 6:30 pm Scottsdale Jam, Granite Reef Senior Center,1700 N. Granite Reef Road. Contact: Pricilla Harp [email protected] 480-219-2510, Cell-480-612-5963, or Debi Duvall [email protected] 480-600-0606. All experience levels and all instruments. YL Tuesdays all 1st and 3rd of the month
6:30 pm Acoustic Jams, Peoria Main Library, 8463 W. Monroe St. Peoria, AZ. Contact: Ernie Winterkorn, 602-942-7417. 6:00 pm Shalimar Jam, 2032 E. Golf Ave., Tempe, AZ. Contact: Dan Stone 480-213-8747 [email protected] Acoustic only, all experience levels,
traditional Bluegrass YL 4th of the month
6:30-7:45 Sing-alongs and local bands, 12034 N. Clubhouse Square, Youngstown, AZ. (come up 111th St. to Alabama then turn West) Contact: Paul Wilson 623-939-2406. All experience levels, Acoustic only; Country, Bluegrass, and Gospel. YL except Dec. June, July, Aug.
5th of the month 5:30 – 8:30 5th Tuesday Jam at the Stones - Potluck and Jam. 2512 South Bala Dr., Tempe. Contact: Dan Stone [email protected] (does not in-
clude a jam on December 31); acoustic only, traditional bluegrass. Wednesdays all
1:00 pm – 3:30pm Pyle Adult Recreation Center, SW Corner of Rural and Southern; Bluegrass, Country, Gospel, and Folk. All experience levels. Contact: David Bernstein 480-234-6350 [email protected] YL 6:00 pm Wednesday Jam, 11596 Sierra Dawn Blvd., Surprise, AZ. Contact: Bob Tobias 623-933-4057. All experience levels, acoustic only, open
to any song choice. 6:00 pm Phoenix/Hootenanny Jam, The Beatitudes Campus, Luther Life Center, 1610 West Glendale Ave. Phoenix (Directions at guard gate
on Glendale Ave. North Side); 6pm-Round Robin Jam; everyone welcome; 7pm-Individual Performances (Professional entertainers scheduled by the Beaded Lizard Folk Musicians. Contact: Igor Glenn 602-315-1525.
Last of the month 6:00 pm Glendale Library Jam, 5959 W. Brown Road, Glendale , AZ (in the large meeting room) Contact: Ivy 623-930-3573.
Thursdays Fridays All
4:30 PM – 8 PM Open mic format. American Legion Dining Hall 99th Ave Just North of Peoria Ave. American Legion has food available (steaks, fish fry) 4:30 – 6:30. Contact: Gene Burkhart 623-939-0141 [email protected], or Jackie Thomas 623-815-2308 [email protected] YL
9:00-1130 am Pyle Adult Recreation Center Jam, 655 East Southern Tempe, AZ (SW corner of Rural and Southern, enter from Southern) Globe Room. Contact: David Bernstein 480 234 6350 [email protected] . All instruments welcome, but no amplification.
All experience levels. All types of songs. YL 2nd of the month
6:00 pm Knights of Columbus Jam, 8066 N 49th Ave, Glendale, AZ. Fish fry begins at 5:00 pm or you can order off the menu. Contact: Rick or Leslie Rhodes 602-768-0478 or 602-565-3285. Acoustic instruments, primarily for Intermediate to Advanced Pickers, but Beginners are always welcome and encouraged.
3rd of the month 7:00 pm Gilbert Jam, First Methodist Church, 331 South Cooper Road, Room 142, Gilbert, AZ Contact Marty Province [email protected]
All instruments okay, but mainly acoustic; all experience levels, all types of songs. Sept.- May. Park in east parking lot behind church. Saturdays 2nd and 4th of the month
9:30 am Sun Lakes Cottonwood Jam, 25630 S. Brentwood Dr. Chandler, AZ (also known as Sun Lakes). In the Phoenix Room. Contact: Rich Mente 480-802-1164. Intermediate and Advanced players only. Acoustic bluegrass instruments. Primarily traditional Bluegrass songs. YL.
1st 2nd, 4th and 5th of the month 2:00 pm Beginner/Intermediate Jam, 7635 N. 31st. Ave in Phoenix. Contact: Tom or Susan Leach 602-451-5967. 6:30 pm Sing Alongs and local Bands, 12034 N. Clubhouse Square, Youngstown, AZ. Contact: Paul Wilson 623-939-2406.
3rd of the month Noon—3:30p AZ Pickers and Grinners Jam, Performer and Round Robin, 2802 E. Devonshire, Phoenix, AZ. Contact: Andy Hurlbut 602-437-
0811 4th of the month
9:00 am—Noon; Phoenix Mountain Dulcimer Group and Jam, Metrocenter Mall, 9617 N. Metro Parkway W., Phoenix 85051, Community Room (located next to the food court). Beginner to Advanced; all instruments welcome, YL. Contact: Mike McClure 602-739-4577, [email protected].
instruments outside on a tarp, including eight mountain dulcimers. One musician made the comment, "It looks
like an instrument Bar-B-Q out there"! We bought cookies and water and coffee and cocoa, and talked with lots
of wonderful musicians and patrons, and listened to the other bands. Our fans, Rachael and Myron Lieberman,
were there in the front row telling us how much they love us. That makes us feel great! Jam Pak furnished the
sound system, and everyone commented on the fine sound and the work of our sound tech, Francisco Briseno.
At 10:30PM, Jam Pak got their instruments, got on the stage, and lit the place up with peace. Rosie Lopez, age
10, opened with, "Tonight we dedicate our music to Pete Seeger. He had a simple message: Make the world
better and be kind while doing it. We call our instruments our "weapons for peace". And Pete Seeger
considered music to be his weapon for change. We hope that all of us can help bring more peace into our world,
both near and far."
Jam Pak kicked off with "Peace Like a River" and all the people sang. "Don't Throw Away Your Stick Till You Cross
the River", composed by Lil' Rev of Wisconsin in honor of Vincent Beach, was a reminder of the Father of Jam
Pak who lived a life of peace and helped counsel all of us to do just that. "Deportees" by Woody Guthrie, "God's
Not Dead", and “Aragon Mill" by Si Kahn (another songwriter who wrote of social conditions in the 60’s and
70’s) were sung. Mark Hickler of Cisco & The Racecars and Greenwood Sidee bands, performed a special song
called "Talking Union Blues". "Sow 'Em On the Mountain" sung by The Carter Family was done in an old
fashioned "preacher style". Then the people got a surprise -- not a Pete Seeger banjo tune, but Francisco, Giselle
Lee, and Mark electrifying everyone with the Bela Fleck tune "Slipstream". To complete the 40-minute set, the
Mountain Dulcimer Orchestra of Jam Pak made its debut performance and kicked off "The Circle Song". Part of
the medley, including "I'll Fly Away", was a perfect ending. We made people and ourselves happy with our
music. And that's the central goal guiding everything we do in the Jam Pak Blues 'N' Grass Neighborhood Band.
Visit www.jampak.com for a short video of our performance.
Photo by John Hallet
March 2014
Upcoming Festivals & Events Schedule MARCH March 22 & 23 — Glendale Folk & Heritage Festival, 10a-5p. Sahuaro Ranch Park Historic Area, 9802 N. 59th Avenue, Glendale, AZ. Will include local area bluegrass bands. Info at www.glendaleaz.com. APRIL April 12-13 — Marana Bluegrass Festival, Ora Mae Harn Park, 13250 N. Lon Adams Road, Marana, AZ. Entry fee each day -$12.00, and a weekend pass is available for $20.00. Children under the age of 12 are free with an adult. The Festival’s opening ceremonies start at 9:45AM both days. More de-tails at www.maranafestival.com. April 26 — Hi-Country Bluegrass Festival, 9a-6p. Held at Arcosanti (Northeast of Cordes Junction at I-17 and Highway 69). Info at www.arizonahighway69chamber.org. Canceled — Benson Bluegrass Festival, Benson,AZ.
JUNE June 13-15 — Huck Finn Jubilee, Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park, Ontario CA. Del McCoury Band, Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Junior Sisk & Ramblers Choice, The Boxcars, Chris Jones & the Night Drivers, and more. www.huckfinn.com.
AUGUST
Canceled — High Pines Festival, Pinetop, AZ.
SEPTEMBER
September 12-14, Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival, Ft.Tuthill County Park, Flag-staff, AZ. Info at http://pickininthepines.org/.
Contact us | Arizona Bluegrass
Mailing Address:
Arizona Bluegrass Association P.O. Box 8139 Glendale, AZ 85312-8139 www.ArizonaBluegrass.com Send emails to: [email protected] Membership questions - [email protected]
A recent post on Facebook to change my profile picture resulted in an encourager from the ABA saying to me, "I love this picture and what you are doing. Put this in the BEACON and a little story about husband and wife doing music together." She even came up with this title. Thanks, Anni Beach!
I know there are other husband and wife teams in the ABA doing awesome music together and I'm sure they would all agree that one of the greatest joys in life is to team up with your spouse to create music. We know several of you and see the same glow on your face that we feel when we play and sing together.
For Ken and me, our music journey began in the 90's when we met and started doing music together at our church. After a couple of years of doing praise and worship together, we knew we were blessed with something special. Music has continued to be one of the key ingredients in making our life and marriage a joyful experience. There were times when I did music without Ken at women's retreats and other venues while he on the other hand was doing music with other bands. These were all good experiences for us; however, it wasn't the same as doing music together, especially with friends who have the same passion.
We've met so many amazing musicians and wonderful friends at ABA events, festivals, and jams. Music has been the common denominator that continues to connect us with people all over Arizona and the country who love the same thing we do. Pickers and grinners alike are some of the happiest people we know. I applaud all the spouses of musicians. Your support and encouragement make such a difference.
I have to admit there have been times when we may have one of those "marital disagreements" before a performance and just simply don't feel like singing or playing. Realizing the commitment has been made, we do the performance and guess what? .....it's as though a miracle took place because there is no possible way to feel upset after singing and playing. I'm not saying that it's always easy, and there can be heartbreaks along the way. But in the end, the blessings and joy far outweigh the difficult times.
With our children raised and grandkids to love, we are enjoying retirement and looking forward to lots of music and traveling. Ken plays upright bass with the Grits 'n Roses Band. This summer we look forward to touring Montana, Minnesota, and Iowa performing the Johnny Cash Tribute show, and doing Gospel Music at churches and retirement centers with Steve Christiansen, along with his wife Georgiann. You can follow us on the Internet at www.CSteveMusic.com
At one time I read that one thing that keeps our minds sharp (even better than crossword puzzles) as we get older is learning to play an instrument. I have a picture in our home that says "Life is the Song -- Love is the Music". I couldn't agree more.
March 2014
MARCH BIRTHDAYS Welcome New Members!
Eleanor Wells Judy Irvin
Nicky & Ginny Riley-Nicastro Dave Lawrence Myron K. Olson
The ABA Bluegrass Beacon is published monthly by the Arizona Bluegrass Association. Articles, photographs, letters, classifieds and business advertising should be
submitted by the 15th of the month preceding publication to Editor at [email protected]. Business advertising rates are as follows:
Full page - $50 Half page - $40 Quarter page - $30 Business card size - $15
There is no charge for members classified advertising, “Jams”, and "Coming Events", which will be included on a "space-available" basis. Checks should be made payable to Arizona Bluegrass Association and should be mailed to the P.O. Box 8139, Glendale AZ 85312-8139 Membership dues are $20 per year for individual or
family. Memberships can be paid for online through PayPal at www.arizonabluegrass.com. The Arizona Bluegrass Association is a non-profit corporation formed
under the laws of the State of Arizona for the promotion of bluegrass, "old-time", gospel, and traditional instrumental and vocal music of the United States, and is recognized by the IRS as a 501C3 tax exempt organization.
