NYC BLUEGRASS NEWSLETTER
for the week of April 5, 1999
THE SLOP-BUCKET
by the Editors
Two recent events inspired me to take up the issue of jam etiquette
in this week's edition of the list. The first occured at 9C a couple of
weeks back; two guitar players nearly came to blows when one told the other
he was playing too loud. (He was.) The other happened at Jack Dempsey's
last Wed. night; a fellow showed up with a thing that looked like a guitar
but that plugged into a wall socket, like a vacuum cleaner. Come to think
of it, the thing sounded like a vaccuum cleaner too. It was called a
"Stratocaster." It occured to me, quite narcissistically, that the
publicity juggernaut that is the NYCBLUEGRASS Newsletter might be
responsible for bringing in some new faces to the jams who aren't sensitive
to their quirky dynamics. And indeed, jamming in public requires
finely-tuned social skills and not a little self-awareness, qualities not
always in abundance in the world at large. So with that in mind, I
consulted a few jam regulars to give some guidance.
The first rule is, there are no rules. Jams get their vitality from
their organic quality. But there are a few basic guidelines for a bluegrass
jam. First: at a bluegrass jam, people usually play bluegrass. It sounds
obvious enough; but you'd be surprised how many different defintions of
bluegrass there are. You've got your Bill Monroe freaks, your Stanley Bros.
maniacs, your Seldom Scene junkies (lord help them), your folkies (zzzzzz)
and you've got people like Deadheads who think playing Scarlet Begonias on
a banjo is bluegrass. Well, it may be. The important thing is just to be
aware of how your own personal definition of bluegrass jibes with the
definition of the people you're playing with. Some old time backwoods
bluegrass tradionalists might think your Scarlet Begonias is the coolest
thing they've ever heard. But if they come after you with a pitchfork,
don't say you weren't warned. The same approach works for non-traditional
instruments. People who show up at a bluegrass jam with a tuba or one of
those "Stratocaster" jobs might be the life of the party. But since
bluegrass is an acoustic music usually played on the guitar, mandolin,
upright bass, dobro, fiddle, and banjo, the tuba player shouldn't get his
feelings hurt if somebody at the jam asks him to put a sock in it.
As for the actual jamming part of a jam, my dobro playing friend
and list member Brian Neligan writes:
"It is rare to find an individual who seems cognizant of the Golden
Rule of jamming, which Bluegrass Moses got from the Burning Bush long ago.
It goes like this: 'If you cannot clearly hear every note that the lead
player is playing, YOU ARE PLAYING TOO LOUD.' Consider the overall sound.
Would you want to put it on stage? Consider the person next to you who
can't hear the lead either, because all he can hear is you. And lastly,
consider the person taking the lead, who can't even hear himself and is at
this point wondering why he puts himself through this every week."
As a reformed loud player, I tend to agree with Brian. I would add
noodlers to the loud playing category; noodlers are the people who play
leads the whole time, even while others are trying to take a break. The
effect is to muddle the sound or perhaps confuse the poor person trying to
play on top of the noodles. Loud players and noodlers are a lot like "close
talkers," the subject of the famous Seinfeld episode. They just need to be
told once to be made self-aware--but who's going to tell them!? Not me. So
my advice is, look in the mirror and ask yourself, Am I a loud player? And
while you're there, you might as well ask yourself if you're a close talker
too. (If you're within 6 inches of the mirror, the answer is yes.)
Pretty much everything else you need to know about jam etiquette
you can learn from the facial expressions of the jam regulars around you.
If you find people raising their eyebrows, rolling their eyes, or pointing
at you and making the "gag face" by sticking their fingers down their
throats, that may be a sign that you're in violation of some obscure jam
rule or other. When in doubt ask somebody. And if people don't let up with
the gag faces, you can take solace in the fact that it's a just bluegrass
jam in a bar someplace, and who gives a damn anyway?
-------------------------------
General Announcements:
-- Check out the bottom of the list for information on local instructors.
-- For a fix, bluegrass addicts should check out solidgoldbluegrass.com, a
24-hour bluegrass radio station on the Net.
-- Coming soon: an update on the bluegrass festival season.
-- If you want to write for or contribute to the list in some way, let me know.
-- If you want more info on bluegrass, f*lk, and other acoustic shows in
the tri-state area, subscribe to the Traditional Music Line, the long-time
authority on subject. Subscriptions are $20 for one year, $36 for two yrs.
and a sample issue is 3 bones. PO Box 10598, New Brunswick NJ 08906.
-- My announcement about the free Tony Rice CD to the 100th subscriber
brought on a sudden slowdown in subscriptions. Someone pointed out that I
may have hurt the feelings of "early adopters" by not offering them a CD as
well. So here's what I'll do; when number 100 signs up, I'll give that
person a CD, and I will randomly select two others from the list to receive
Manzanita, Ricky Skaggs' Ancient Tones, or something else cool. Are you
happy now?!? Thanks for spreading the word folks.
Bluegrass Web Site of the Week: A guy named Motoya Kitagawa has put up a
web site with the lyrics to several hundred bluegrass songs. Either his
English isn't that great, or he mistakenly believes that absurd typos will
help him beat a copyright infringement indictment. Either way, there are
plenty of errors, but few you can't decipher on your own:
http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~motoya/index.html
Listings for the week of March 29, 1999.
All info believed to be accurate, but call before going out of your way.
<<<Monday>>>
JAM: Gershwin Hotel Bluegrass Jam (7 East 27th St. Manhattan) 8pm or so;
hosted by Anina. Portuguese tourists, cheap-ish beer and a keyboard (on low
volume).
GIG: Alphabet City Opry hosted by NYC's own Goth bluegrass god Greg Garing:
9C, (9th St. at Ave C.) 9:30 PM -'til ?; bluegrass and h*onky t*nk. Garing
has been profiled in Times and had a film made about him. Go see what all
the fuss is about.
GIG: Bluegrass Bouillabaise; Baggot Inn, 82 West 3rd Street, 8pm - 11pm; a
monthly showcase for bluegrass singers and pickers; hosted by Tom Hanway.
<<<Tuesday>>>
RADIO: WFDU 89.1 FM, The Bluegrass Palace hosted by John Heffernan, 6am to
9am. This station is sometimes hard to tune in, but I've found that
wall-papering your apartment in tin foil seems to improve reception.
GIG: ELena SKye & The Demolition String Band, 9C (9th St. at Ave. C); 10pm.
These guys recently opened for Ricky Skaggs at Irving Plaza and put on a
great show. They're a h*nky t*nk band, but they all know how to play
bluegrass, so they qualify for the list. Plus they're just a lot of damn
fun.
<<<Wednesday>>>
JAM: Dempsey's Bluegrass Jam, Jack Dempsey's Pub (61 2nd Ave. b/t 3rd and
4th Sts. in Manhattan), with Tom Hanway and Uncle Bob. 8:30pm to 12:30am.
Perhaps the best attended weekly jam in the city; a great place to hook up
with other players, but not necessarily the best place to hook up.
<<<Thursday>>>
RADIO: WFDU 89.1 FM, The Sunrise Saloon hosted by Carol Beaugard, 6am to 9am.
GIG: Kenny Kosek et. al. Brew's Pub (34th St. just East of Lexington Ave.
in Manhattan.) 9pm-till. Banjo player Akira Satake and guitarist Dave
Thompson with a fiddle super hero. A regular gig at a raucous old pub.
Beer: good. Caesar salad: pretty good, too.
<<<Friday>>>
RADIO: WFDU 89.1 FM, The Soundpost hosted by Kim Gluckler, 9am to 1pm.
GIG: What are we--your social secretary? Make your own damn fun.
<<<Saturday>>>
RADIO: WMFU 91.1 FM, The Shruken Planet, 6 a.m. (yes, a.m.) to 9 a.m.,
f*lk, bl*es, Celtic and bluegrass.
RADIO: WFDU 89.1 FM, The Bluegrass Express hosted by Earl Karlsen, 6am to
9am. I have a friend who gets up at 6am every Sat. to tape this show; he
swears by it.
MORE RADIO: WMFU 91.1 FM, Radio Thrift Shop, hosted by Laura Cantrell.
Noon-3pm.
JAM: Jam with your friends. If you don't have friends, well, practice.
<<<Sunday>>>
RADIO: The Moonshine Show, hosted by Matt Winters; 89.9 FM WKCR, 10am-Noon.
This week Orrin Star and Bob Green, two thirds of the Sultans of String,
will be playing live in the studio.
JAM: The Bluegrass Session, hosted by Tom Hanway, Paddy Reilly's Music Bar,
4pm-7pm; (519 2nd Ave at 29th Street) Tom leads a session of bluegrass and
Celtic tunes; imagine St. Patrick's Day in Appalachia.
GIG: The Linemen, at Scotty D's, Merrick Road And Park Ave. So. in
Rockville Center. 2pm-5pm.
JAM: 9C Bluegrass Jam, 4:30pm or so, tilŠ (9th St.and Ave. C.) Bluegrass,
second-hand smoke and an extra-stingy pistachio vending machine.
GIG: Riverside Drive; XR Bar, 8:30pm-ish (Houston at Sullivan Sts. in
Manhattan). Nick Novia, Sam Morrow et. al. sing a lot of great old Stanley
Bros. tunes, etc. around the single mike. Check them out.
<<<Upcoming>>>
Vassar Clements, April 23, Limestone's in Brooklyn; for info call 718.745 9699.
Hazel Dickens, April 23, the Emelyn Theater in Westchester Co., for info
call 914.698.0098.
<<<Instructors>>>
Orrin Star, guitar, banjo and mandolin: 718-237-2216 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Orrin won the National Flatpicking Championship in 1976, and wrote "Hot
Licks for Bluegrass Guitar," a classic instructional book. He's taught me a
lot and I recommend him. Check out Orrin's website:
http://www.flatpick.com/ostar.
Tom Hanway, guitar and banjo: 718.884.5721. Tom heads several local jams,
and has recently written a book for Mel Bay Publcations on Celtic banjo.
Bob Grant, guitar, mandolin. Bob is maybe the fastest living player of
bluegrass music. He plays with the Cream of the Crop, and lots of other
people. He's at 212.780.9689.
Damian Boucher, fiddle. 908.352.3522. Damien is in Hillside, NJ. His card
says, "Reasonable rates--Priceless Memories." Sounds like a bargain to us.
Sam Morrow, banjo and archtop. 212.866.4081. If you like the fiery playing
of Ralph Stanley, you'll like Sam. If you don't like the fiery playing of
Ralph Stanley, you should get your head checked.
Boo Reiners, pretty much any fretted instrument. Boo can teach you a lot
about rhythm, ear training, harmony etc. He's just across the river in
Weehawken. 201.348-4841, or by email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Andy Polon, guitar. Andy teaches flatpicking and fingerstyle. He studied
with the Rev. Gary Davis when he was young. Check out his website for a
couple of sample lessons: http://www.nymall.com/polon. Email:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ALSO: Those who can get away for a week in June might want to check out
list member Steve Kaufman's bluegrass bootcamps in Tennessee. Mandolin camp
is June 2-6, 1999, guitar flatpicking camp from June 6-13, 1999; Check out
Steve' site: http://www.flatpick.com, where you can register online; email
or call him if you have questions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 1-800-FLATPIK.
-------------------------------
Send listing submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Spread the word about the newsletter. Tell friends to subscribe by sending
a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
---------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------ZZXX
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/nycbluegrass
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com
<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--
blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { margin-top: 0 ; margin-bottom: 0 }
--></style><title>for the week of April 5, 1999</title></head><body>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2"
color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab> NYC BLUEGRASS NEWSLETTER</font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2"
color="#000000"><x-tab>
</x-tab><x-tab>
</x-tab> for the week of
April 5, 1999</font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br>
THE SLOP-BUCKET</font></div>
<div>by the Editors</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>Two
recent events inspired me to take up the issue of jam etiquette in
this week's edition of the list. The first occured at 9C a couple of
weeks back; two guitar players nearly came to blows when one told the
other he was playing too loud. (He was.) The other happened at Jack
Dempsey's last Wed. night; a fellow showed up with a thing that
looked like a guitar but that plugged into a wall socket, like a
vacuum cleaner. Come to think of it, the thing sounded like a vaccuum
cleaner too. It was called a "Stratocaster." It occured to
me, quite narcissistically, that the publicity juggernaut that is the
NYCBLUEGRASS Newsletter might be responsible for bringing in some new
faces to the jams who aren't sensitive to their quirky dynamics. And
indeed, jamming in public requires finely-tuned social skills and not
a little self-awareness, qualities not always in abundance in the
world at large. So with that in mind, I consulted a few jam regulars
to give some guidance.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>The
first rule is, there are no rules. Jams get their vitality from their
organic quality. But there are a few basic guidelines for a bluegrass
jam. First: at a bluegrass jam, people usually play bluegrass. It
sounds obvious enough; but you'd be surprised how many different
defintions of bluegrass there are. You've got your Bill Monroe
freaks, your Stanley Bros. maniacs, your Seldom Scene junkies (lord
help them), your folkies (zzzzzz) and you've got people like
Deadheads who think playing Scarlet Begonias on a banjo is bluegrass.
Well, it may be. The important thing is just to be aware of how your
own personal definition of bluegrass jibes with the definition of the
people you're playing with. Some old time backwoods bluegrass
tradionalists might think your Scarlet Begonias is the coolest thing
they've ever heard. But if they come after you with a pitchfork,
don't say you weren't warned. The same approach works for
non-traditional instruments. People who show up at a bluegrass jam
with a tuba or one of those "Stratocaster" jobs might be
the life of the party. But since bluegrass is an acoustic music
usually played on the guitar, mandolin, upright bass, dobro, fiddle,
and banjo, the tuba player shouldn't get his feelings hurt if
somebody at the jam asks him to put a sock in it.</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>As for
the actual jamming part of a jam, my dobro playing friend and list
member Brian Neligan writes:</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><x-tab>
</x-tab>"It is rare to find an individual who seems cognizant of
the Golden Rule of jamming, which Bluegrass Moses got from the
Burning Bush long ago. It goes like this: 'If you cannot clearly hear
every note that the lead player is playing, YOU ARE PLAYING TOO
LOUD.' Consider the overall sound. Would you want to put it on
stage? Consider the person next to you who can't hear the lead
either, because all he can hear is you. And lastly, consider the
person taking the lead, who can't even hear himself and is at this
point wondering why he puts himself through this every
week."</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>As a
reformed loud player, I tend to agree with Brian. I would add
noodlers to the loud playing category; noodlers are the people who
play leads the whole time, even while others are trying to take a
break. The effect is to muddle the sound or perhaps confuse the poor
person trying to play on top of the noodles. Loud players and
noodlers are a lot like "close talkers," the subject of the
famous Seinfeld episode. They just need to be told once to be made
self-aware--but who's going to tell them!? Not me. So my advice is,
look in the mirror and ask yourself, Am I a loud player? And while
you're there, you might as well ask yourself if you're a close talker
too. (If you're within 6 inches of the mirror, the answer is
yes.)</div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab></div>
<div><x-tab> </x-tab>Pretty
much everything else you need to know about jam etiquette you can
learn from the facial expressions of the jam regulars around you. If
you find people raising their eyebrows, rolling their eyes, or
pointing at you and making the "gag face" by sticking their
fingers down their throats, that may be a sign that you're in
violation of some obscure jam rule or other. When in doubt ask
somebody. And if people don't let up with the gag faces, you can take
solace in the fact that it's a just bluegrass jam in a bar someplace,
and who gives a damn anyway?</div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2"
color="#000000">-------------------------------</font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000">General
Announcements:</font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">-- <b>Check out the bottom of the list</b>
for information on local instructors.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">-- <b>For a fix</b>, bluegrass addicts
should check out solidgoldbluegrass.com, a 24-hour bluegrass radio
station on the Net.</font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">-- <b>Coming soon</b>: an update on the
bluegrass festival season.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">-- <b>If you want to write</b> for or
contribute to the list in some way, let me know.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">-- <b>If you want more info on
bluegrass</b>, f*lk, and other acoustic shows in the tri-state area,
subscribe to the Traditional Music Line, the long-time authority on
subject. </font>Subscriptions are $20 for one year, $36 for two yrs.
and a sample issue is 3 bones. PO Box 10598, New Brunswick NJ
08906.</div>
<div><font color="#000000">-- <b>My announcement about the free Tony
Rice CD</b> to the 100th subscriber brought on a sudden slowdown in
subscriptions. Someone pointed out that I may have hurt the feelings
of "early adopters" by not offering them a CD as well. So
here's what I'll do; when number 100 signs up, I'll give that person
a CD, and I will randomly select two others from the list to receive
Manzanita, Ricky Skaggs' Ancient Tones, or something else cool.
<b>Are you happy now?!?</b> Thanks for spreading the word
folks.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000">Bluegrass Web Site
of the Week</font><font size="+1"
color="#000000"><b>:</b></font><font color="#000000"> A guy named
Motoya Kitagawa has put up a web site with the lyrics to several
hundred bluegrass songs. Either his English isn't that great, or he
mistakenly believes that absurd typos will help him beat a copyright
infringement indictment. Either way, there are plenty of errors, but
few you can't decipher on your own:
http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~motoya/index.ht<span
></span>ml</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"> </font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<font face="Times" size="+2">Listings for the week of March 29,
1999.</font></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
All info believed to be accurate, but call before going out of your
way.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<<<<font face="Times" size="+2">Monday</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>><br>
<br>
<br>
JAM: Gershwin Hotel Bluegrass Jam (7 East 27th St. Manhattan) 8pm or
so; hosted by Anina. Portuguese tourists, cheap-ish beer and a
keyboard (on low volume).</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
GIG: Alphabet City Opry hosted by NYC's own Goth bluegrass god Greg
Garing: 9C, (9th St. at Ave C.) 9:30 PM -'til ?; bluegrass and
h*onky t*nk. Garing has been profiled in Times and had a film made
about him. Go see what all the fuss is about.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">GIG: Bluegrass<b> </b>Bouillabaise; Baggot
Inn, 82 West 3rd Street, 8pm - 11pm; a monthly showcase for bluegrass
singers and pickers; hosted by Tom Hanway.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<<<<font face="Times" size="+2">Tuesday</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>><br>
<br>
RADIO: </font>WFDU 89.1 FM, The Bluegrass Palace hosted by John
Heffernan<font color="#000000">,</font> 6am to 9am. This station is
sometimes hard to tune in, but I've found that wall-papering your
apartment in tin foil seems to improve reception.<font
color="#000000"><br>
<br>
GIG: </font>ELena SKye & The Demolition String Band<font
color="#000000">, 9C (9th St. at Ave. C); 10pm. These guys recently
opened for Ricky Skaggs at Irving Plaza and put on a great show.
They're a h*nky t*nk band, but they all know how to play bluegrass,
so they qualify for the list. Plus they're just a lot of damn fun.<br>
</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<<<<font face="Times" size="+2">Wednesday</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>><br>
<br>
<br>
JAM: Dempsey's Bluegrass Jam, Jack Dempsey's Pub (61 2nd
Ave. b/t 3rd and 4th Sts. in Manhattan), with Tom Hanway and Uncle
Bob. 8:30pm to 12:30am. Perhaps the best attended weekly jam in the
city; a great place to hook up with other players, but not
necessarily the best place to hook up.<br>
<br>
<br>
</font><br>
<br>
<font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<<<<font face="Times" size="+2">Thursday</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">RADIO: </font>WFDU 89.1 FM, The Sunrise
Saloon hosted by Carol Beaugard<font color="#000000">,</font> 6am to
9am.<font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
GIG: Kenny Kosek et. al. Brew's Pub (34th St. just East of
Lexington Ave. in Manhattan.) 9pm-till. Banjo player Akira Satake and
guitarist Dave Thompson with a fiddle super hero. A regular gig at a
raucous old pub. Beer: good. Caesar salad: pretty good,
too.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<<<<font face="Times" size="+2">Friday</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">RADIO: </font>WFDU 89.1 FM, The Soundpost
hosted by Kim Gluckler, 9am to 1pm.</div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">GIG: What are we--your social secretary?
Make your own damn fun.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<<<<font face="Times" size="+2">Saturday</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>><br>
<br>
RADIO: WMFU 91.1 FM, The Shruken Planet, 6 a.m. (yes, a.m.) to
9 a.m., f*lk, bl*es, Celtic and bluegrass.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">RADIO: WFDU 89.1 FM, </font>The Bluegrass
Express hosted by Earl Karlsen<font color="#000000">,</font> 6am to
9am. I have a friend who gets up at 6am every Sat. to tape this show;
he swears by it.</div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
MORE RADIO: WMFU 91.1 FM, Radio Thrift Shop, hosted by Laura
Cantrell. Noon-3pm.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
JAM: Jam with your friends. If you don't have friends, well,
practice.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<<<<font face="Times"
size="+2">Sunday>>></font></font><font color="#000000"><br>
<br>
<br>
RADIO: The Moonshine Show, hosted by Matt Winters; 89.9 FM WKCR,
10am-Noon.</font> This week Orrin Star and Bob Green, two thirds of
the Sultans of String, will be playing live in the studio.</div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
JAM: The Bluegrass Session, hosted by Tom Hanway, Paddy Reilly's
Music Bar, 4pm-7pm; (519 2nd Ave at 29th Street) Tom leads a session
of bluegrass and Celtic tunes; imagine St. Patrick's Day in
Appalachia.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">GIG: The Linemen, at Scotty D's, Merrick
Road And Park Ave. So. in Rockville Center. 2pm-5pm.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br>
JAM: 9C Bluegrass Jam, 4:30pm or so, tilŠ (9th St.and Ave. C.)
Bluegrass, second-hand smoke and an extra-stingy pistachio vending
machine.<br>
<br>
GIG: Riverside Drive; XR Bar, 8:30pm-ish (Houston at Sullivan Sts. in
Manhattan). </font>Nick Novia, Sam Morrow et. al. sing a lot of great
old Stanley Bros. tunes, etc. around the single mike. Check them
out.</div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><<<<font face="Times"
size="+2">Upcoming</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Vassar Clements, April 23, Limestone's in
Brooklyn; for info call 718.745 9699.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Hazel Dickens, April 23, the Emelyn
Theater in Westchester Co., for info call 914.698.0098.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><<<<font face="Times"
size="+2">Instructors</font></font><font
color="#000000">>>></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Orrin Star, guitar, banjo and mandolin:
</font>718-237-2216<font color="#000000"> or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Orrin won
the National Flatpicking Championship in 1976, and wrote "Hot
Licks for Bluegrass Guitar," a classic instructional book. He's
taught me a lot and I recommend him. Check out Orrin's website:
</font>http://www.flatpick.com/ostar<font
color="#000000">.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Tom Hanway, guitar and banjo:
718.884.5721. Tom heads several local jams, and has recently written
a book for Mel Bay Publcations on Celtic banjo.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Bob Grant, guitar, mandolin. Bob is maybe
the fastest living player of bluegrass music. He plays with the Cream
of the Crop, and lots of other people. He's at
212.780.9689.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Damian Boucher, fiddle. 908.352.3522.
Damien is in Hillside, NJ. His card says, "Reasonable
rates--Priceless Memories." Sounds like a bargain to
us.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Sam Morrow, banjo and archtop.
</font>212.866.4081<font color="#000000">. If you like the fiery
playing of Ralph Stanley, you'll like Sam. If you don't like the
fiery playing of Ralph Stanley, you should get your head
checked.</font></div>
<div><font color="#000000"><br></font></div>
<div><font color="#000000">Boo Reiners, pretty much any fretted
instrument. </font>Boo can teach you a lot about rhythm, ear
training, harmony etc. He's just across the river in Weehawken.
201.348-4841<font color="#000000">, or by email:
</font>[EMAIL PROTECTED] </div>
<div><br>
Andy Polon, guitar. Andy teaches flatpicking and fingerstyle. He
studied with the Rev. Gary Davis when he was young. Check out his
website for a couple of sample lessons: http://www.nymall.com/polon.
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>ALSO: <b>Those who can get away for a week in June</b> might
want to check out list member Steve Kaufman's bluegrass bootcamps in
Tennessee. Mandolin camp is June 2-6, 1999, guitar flatpicking camp
from June 6-13, 1999; Check out Steve' site: http://www.flatpick.com,
where you can register online; email or call him if you have
questions: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 1-800-FLATPIK.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2"
color="#000000">-------------------------------<br>
Send listing submissions to:</font><font color="#000000">
[EMAIL PROTECTED]</font></div>
<div><font face="Times" size="+2" color="#000000"><br>
Spread the word about the newsletter. Tell friends to subscribe by
sending a blank email to: </font><font
color="#000000"><u>[EMAIL PROTECTED]</u>. <br>
---------------------------</font></div>
<hr><center>
eGroups eLerts!
Exclusive discounts on the latest health & nutrition products
Join Now! http://clickhere.egroups.com/click/26
</center>
eGroup home: <a
href="http://www.eGroups.com/list/nycbluegrass">http://www.eGroups.com/list/nycbluegrass</a><br>
Free Web-based e-mail groups by <a
href="http://www.eGroups.com">www.eGroups.com</a><br>
</body></html>
