australianbluegrass.com

Sydney 14 – 15th August 2010.

Mark Simos will be conducting workshops in Sydney this coming weekend.

Mark Simos, songwriter, composer and tune-smith is respected as both innovator and neo-traditionalist, a ‘musician’s musician’ and a master at avoiding clichés in genres built on them. Drawing on deep knowledge of varied traditional music sources, Mark’s signature style combines finely crafted lyrics with surprising twists of melody, harmony and phrasing.

This is great opportunity for any bluegrass folks in Australia even though the class gives a broad spectrum of Music writing skills not focused on bluegrass. He displays his folk influences and it was very enjoyable all round – Lachlan Davidson.

Mark has had four songs recorded by Americana super-group Alison Krauss and Union Station, and more than 100 song and instrumental cuts overall with artists including Del McCoury, The Infamous Stringdusters, Laurie Lewis, and Doyle Lawson.

Mark is a remarkable songwriter, one of those rare people who knows what words sound good together, his lyrics just as unique as his melodies. I never stop being amazed at his songs; I’m never surprised that I love another one – Alison Krauss.

Also a respected guitar accompanist for traditional music and a prize-winning fiddler, Mark is featured on over a dozen albums and has appeared in concerts and at festivals throughout the US and Europe. Mark has released an acclaimed solo album of songs, Crazy Faith, and four albums of original and traditional fiddle music.

Mark is an artist who has spent enough time with traditional music to learn its spiritual as well as its musical lessons, and to use that learning to forge an art at once timeless and utterly contemporary – Fellow songwriter Bob Franke.

For more than three decades Mark has been staff musician, teacher and workshop leader at summer music and dance camps including Pinewoods, Ashokan, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop (PSGW), California Coast Music Camp (CCMC), Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW), Augusta Old-Time Week, NewSongs Festival. As Assistant Professor in the Songwriting Department at Berklee College of Music, Mark has developed new curriculum in areas including guitar techniques for songwriters, songwriting collaboration, and traditional and contemporary fiddle ensembles.

Register here.

In the leadup to their concert with The Strzelecki Stringbusters in Yinnar on 31st March, Virginia’s Whitetop Mountaineers will be presenting an instrument workshop at 7.30pm in the back room of the Yinnar Community Hotel.

This is a unique opportunity for anyone interested in Fiddle, Clawhammer Banjo and Bluegrass Mandolin, to pick up some tips from these two fantastic Old-Time musicians, Martha Spencer and Jackson Cunningham of the Whitetop Mountaineers. They’ll be discussing their style in detail, providing instrumental tuition and breaking down several songs for those in attendance to learn.

Martha and Jackson are currently in the middle of their 3rd Australian tour, ending at the National Festival at Easter this year.

Tickets are $20.00 with limited numbers.Please contact John Werner on 0400 964 941 or stringbusters@bigpond.com to secure your place, for old-timey lessons direct from the USA’s richest area for traditional musicians.

Here’s an update from Donal Baylor’s fiddle workshop in Melbourne next month. Two space have become available due to a late cancellation.  If you are interested you can contact Sean Kenan on  Phone: (03) 9380 5643  or email: seankenan@hotmail.com. The workshop fee is $60.

The workshop is at Fancy Yourself Fiddling located at 316 Park St., Carlton. The workshop will run from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday 13th March.

News from Donal Baylor is that he will be presenting a fiddle workshop in Melbourne next month that might be of interest.

The workshop is at Fancy Yourself Fiddling located at 316 Park St., Carlton. The workshop will run from 2:00pm to 5:00pm on Saturday 13th March.

Workshop space is limited to a maximum of six students participating.  The workshop fee is $60.  If you are interested you can contact Sean Kenan on  Phone: (03) 9380 5643  or email: seankenan@hotmail.com.

Sean is a great fiddle teacher for anyone in the Melbourne area.  He is particularly good with adults who want to take up the instrument.  Here’s a link to a recent article in The Age about him and his success with students.  The Age Newspaper link

We caught up with John Werner this morning and got chatting about the coming bluegrass festival in Beechworth where John is taking the bass workshop. So for all those bottom-end folks with bad backs heading to Beechworth in vans, station wagons or simply in a sedan with the front seat wound down, a great bass workshop awaits.

Ironically, the largest instrument in the bluegrass and old-time string band line-up is often the least considered, with the focus more on the front line. Hey, and rightly so I hear you say! They’re the guys (and gals!) who are taking the melody out for walk, weaving silky instrumental skills in between tight rhythmic chops and generally taking the lead roles in tune.
However, the subtle power of rock-solid and dependable bass playing, providing the foundation for these instruments and artists to shine should never be under-estimated. I look forward to meeting up with old friends and making new ones, and welcome bassists of all levels to an informative and fun Saturday morning Bass Workshop at the Priory – John Werner.

Kelly Country Pick – Beechworth Victoria, 21st – 23rd August 2009.

Festival The Kelly Country Pick website has published a list of workshop tutors for this years festival.

Workshops and Tutors:

There is a fabulous weekend planned featuring concerts, instrumental and dance workshops, jam sessions, instrument displays, blackboard concerts and the Sunday gospel sing-a-long.

Visit the website Kelly Country Pick.

Cathy Moore plans to visit Australia from mid-November through to mid-December 2009 on a business speaking tour. Cathy has advised us that her itinerary will allow her to attend a few jam sessions or host a few clawhammer workshops while in Australia. The dates she’s looking at are:

• Nov. 15th or 16th in either Adelaide or Tasmania
• Nov. 22th in Perth or Darwin
• Nov. 28th to 29th in either Brisbane or Sydney
• Dec. 6th in Melbourne

Workshop topics proposed by Cathy include: syncopation/beyond bum-ditty, learning by ear, making a tune your own, or similar ideas. Or she could just jam whatever works for you.

Cathy is also planning to take in a bush dance or two while she’s here and otherwise check out the Australian music & dance scene and is open to invitations.

Cathy Moore on Myspace

Contact Cathy via her email address Email

9th May Pickin’ at the Piggery

Jim Golding the banjo meister from that irreverent bluegrass ensemble Coolgrass has offered to deliver a banjo workshop at the start of the May Pickin’ at the Piggery.

The workshop will commence at 7:00pm at the Footscray Community Arts Centre on the 9th May 2009.