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Our float in Virginia City's St. Patrick's Day Parade
Rick, Karen & Phil froze their patooties off. It was 25 degrees!
But the crowd loved them!  | Click here to see a video clip of the fun.
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The St. Paddy's Day Parade is considered to be the
"Season Opener" for Virginia City's tourist season.
That means summer is just around the corner.....right?? | |
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It's Been a Long, Cold Winter in Northern Nevada
Sunrise on the Sierra, viewed from Geiger Grade
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We trust that this long winter has been a time of practice, reflection, hope and inspiration for you. That's what it's been for us! We are excited about the future, and committed to working hard to bring traditional American music to our region.
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Music Really Can Change Lives
A little less than a year ago, in April, 2009, we received really high scores on our grant applications with the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. We were euphoric!---grant money plus the corporate and private sponsorships we had worked hard to earn, looked great. We were confident that our two big events---the Americana Festival (May) and the Bluegrass on the Comstock Festival (July) would be smash hits. We signed contracts with many wonderful musicians to perform at these two events, obliging ourselves to pay over $25,000 in artist fees.
But then something happened....the national economic downturn hit Nevada. Grant allocations were slashed by three-quarters. Corporate sponsors backed-out. Online ticket sales slowed to a trickle....
As we drove home late one night after yet another one of our events that saw only a handful of people attend, we realized we were finished. We would have to quit. We would have to go out of business.......
But then I turned on my CD player to my favorite Sawmill Road album, and Steve Spurgin'sThank you, Sawmill Road!  | uplifting voice was singing a rousing sea shanty. We listened to the lyrics of this great old ballad---about a small band of men who---against all odds and taunted by people who wanted to see them fail---experienced triumph by rescuing a ship that they dearly loved, the "Mary Ellen Carter", after she had sunk to the bottom of the ocean :
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow,
With smiling
bastards lying to you everywhere you go.
Turn to, and put out all your
strength of arm and heart and brain,
And like the Mary Ellen Carter,
rise again.
I had to pull to the side of the road as the emotion overtook me. Yes, we resolved then and there---we would reorganize, regroup, refresh and reinvent ourselves. The Nevada Bluegrass Project---now renamed The Traditional American Music Project---has risen again, and this song has become our inspiration, our theme, the tune that keeps us going. Thank you, Steve, Charlie, Dick, Mark and Doug! Music truly can change lives!
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Happenings
New Shows, Cancellations and Reminders
Several new shows have been added to the Calendar. For you "World Music" fans, three great shows are coming to the Studio on 4th Street:
Thurs, April 1st at 9pm
GONZALO BERGARA QUARTET (GYPSY
JAZZ) $10 advance
$15 day of show
Fri, April 30th at 9m UNDERSKORE ORKESTRA
(BALKAN/GYPSY) With Hobohemia (swing/django) and Nagini Tribe (belly dance) $10 advance $15 day of show
Thurs, May 6th at 9pm MARK GROWDEN (ACOUSTIC
TROUBADOUR) ____________________________________________________________
Cancellations
The third Friday Bluegrass Jam at the Red Dog Saloon has been canceled for March. Next one will be Friday, April 16.
Several folks have called about the Celtic Sessions at the Firkin & Fox that were supposed to be happening on Wednesdays. Apparently, these have been rescheduled and/or cancelled. For information on ALL things Celtic, contact Sean at piperseancummings@yahoo.com
He'll put you on his email list, and you'll hear about all sorts of great Celtic sessions.
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Reminders
Another great resource for Celtic and Old Time music in our area is Chris Bayer. His website, Nevada Music, is a treasure trove of information! You'll be seeing more and more of Chris in his many performances coming up throughout the Spring and Summer (see his schedule here). He's an incredible performer!
Sign up now for the "Appalachian Music & Dance" Class at Truckee Meadows Community College. The class meets for 6 weeks, on Thursday evenings, at the Neil Road campus of TMCC. Each session will feature live musicians and dancers, slide shows and videos featuring historical recordings, photos and performances of the music that is the foundation of today;s bluegrass and country music. It'll be a hoot! Email me with any questions: bluegrasstramp@gmail.com
We are still taking ads for our March/April issue of The Sierra Tramp
Advertising will be free through our May/June issue. After that, we will be charging minimal fees. Paper copies of this newsletter are distributed at festivals, music camps, community events and music stores, and online versions are available at our website (click here to view past issues). We welcome contributions from anybody on any topic related to traditional American music & dance---photos, too! Share your stories! Don't forget to put the Americana Festival on your calendar! July 9-11, in Virginia City. It's the only "big" event we will do this year (we'll still host our many jams, classes and workshops). And it's FREE! (except for the Friday night dance party, and that's only $10). Tell all your friends, too! |
A FREE Festival
July 9 - 11, 2010  |
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