Always surprised how much time has passed since the most recent entry in this blog. What with holding down a job (part-time though it may be), working on my internship for my Music Practitioner Certification, and making music with Hank – life is hopping and very full. And three concerts coming up in the next two weeks, in rather far-flung locations, especially considering Hank is domiciled in Ocean Shores. See the Gig and Events page for location and date details.
The Bellingham concert is a return to the wonderful performing space in the Roeder Home. This time we’re sharing the stage with two wonderful musical friends: Bob Nelson, co-director of the Pacific Northwest Folklore Society, balladeer, archivist, and occasional unpaid coach to grateful performers, will open the show and delight us (no doubt) even as we find ourselves enriched by his “liner notes”; and Jim Portillo, a beloved activist for folk music and musicians, a member of The Cruzers, and sometime bass player for The Wanderers, will favor us with a couple of his favorite songs and then back us up on his bass ukulele. Yes, there is such a beast – it has strings the size of underground cables!
A week later we will be part of a new venture making use of a terrific acoustic space in, of all places, the Everett Mall!! It’s called the Lobby Lounge and is glassed in so the acoustics are wonderful, but because of the glass, it’s also visible to folks strolling by. We’re hoping to help turn this into a permanent location for music-making in Everett, and expand the audience for this music that is in our bones.
The night after the Everett concert, we’ll be close to my home, in Bremerton sharing our music in a community concert at the local Unitarian Fellowship. We had hoped to designate a specific local charity that the Fellowship works with, to receive the funds, and that hasn’t panned out quite the way we first thought it would. But all gate proceeds WILL be donated to the Fellowship and all it does for the surrounding community. Proceeds from CD sales will go to Hank and Claire. Though we look forward to sharing some new pieces with you, we’ll be taking requests during our concerts of any song on the CD.