Ring out the old!

It seems to me, by the look of all the status updates and tweets I see from friends, colleagues and other people out there, that we're all ready for the end of 2009.

I know I am!

I thought I'd take a look back at my year, as best as I can recall it, and even the '00s as a whole, as my final blog post for the year and decade. As they say, I'm ringin' out the old.

I began the year with a title promotion at work but a lot of struggles all around me. It felt good to achieve what I did on the Swallow Hill front, not to mention U.S. Pipe. Lots of music surrounded me. I worked my ass off to help with a lot of changes. U.S. Pipe released the album in February, I said goodbye to them after seeing it through. They got the cover of Colorado Music Buzz magazine, was featured in the Westword Backbeat and got a bunch of other great coverage.

The band eventually split in April. My husband was as tired as me and we were ready to lay four years of work to a rest. That's right--four years. U.S. Pipe was born in 2005, the same year we married, but the divorce was final for the music in 2009. I had and still have mixed feelings about it. It became a family for me and was definitely a passion. I'd learned a lot, was proud of what I was able to do, but I'd be lying if I said I was completely satisfied. I really wanted the Pipe to keep going and tour nationally as well as overseas, but my dreams were larger than what was possible in the end. It was good while it lasted, even if there were a lot of frustrations and struggles along the way.

Same story on the Swallow Hill front--but I feel like I've been released from a lot of pressure, even through all the mixed feelings and desire for more. In retrospect, I've learned a lot about myself, but haven't come to any clear conclusions. It's funny how the more you learn, the less you know. I feel like that's so true for me. My ambition can be great but it can bite me in the ass. Sometimes I feel like "career" is overrated. I tried to apply for a job at Target but they wouldn't hire me because they thought I'd get bored too easily. That was the whole point of applying!

I teeter on a line between wanting to be a leader, working my way up some kind of ladder (but as a woman, I definitely feel a glass ceiling) and a similar desire for something less stressful, something simple, where I just show up and it's just a regular deal all the time. There is a conflict between my desire to achieve and my similar desire to relax.

If monotony wins out in the '10s, we'll see.

I worked hard for my dreams and I was able to do a lot of things I maybe thought I'd never be able to do. I saw my writing published in print in Colorado Music Buzz and Pow'r Pickin' magazines. I could have kept going with PP, but I felt like the time for me to perhaps explore other possibilities for my writing had come. I have been searching for these opportunities and I know it's hard to make a living as a writer but I've been able to do it, although at a poverty level in all realness. I've done a whole lot of writing for free but I've also been hired strictly for writing. It's my hope to continue building the portfolio and steadily make more money from it. It would be a great dream fulfilled!

I got to work on my first film this year. Friends of mine finally got enough money together to shoot their film independently. Since I became unemployed the opportunity to really help them came through--another great silver lining to the cloud of my employment history. I have been in a vicious cycle of employment/unemployment in the '00s but I am so happy the timing here brought about this ability. Hired originally as a Production Assistant, my responsibilities grew to include being a Boom Operator, an Extra (twice) and Publicist. It was really a wonderful thing to be able to do and I can't wait to see the end result of the filming process, as well as keep assisting with promotions and marketing!

On more personal matters, I am blessed with a wonderful, supporting husband who loves me truly for who I am. In this day and age of superficiality and greediness, it can be so hard to find a partnership that is true and real. I am so lucky to have a man who really wants to give me everything he can--and I'm not just talking about material comforts. I am hoping to find more paying work not for the desire to buy myself crap, but to be able to have him taste more freedom in his own creativity as a musician. He has worked hard throughout my cycles of feast and famine, and has been able to do more for me than I could have ever imagined.

My in-laws are also so supportive and have helped us keep a roof over our head and food in our bellies. My furry children give me unconditional love as well. The home front is a happy front. It's been a relief to leave some of the work I've had behind, as it's far less stressful. I'm happy even with very little money. My only real hope in looking forward is to just be able to make enough to cover my needs, pay off my debts, as I do still have much to pay. I'm so rich in love and warmth that I can't complain, regardless of the debt.

My life is blessed with wonderful, loving friends and family. I was able to go back home to KY with my husband earlier this year, thanks to my mother's generosity in helping pay for the expenses to travel and such. My nieces are growing like weeds, my mom still wants me to move back and my sister is as spunky as me, still. We McGaugheys truly are Southern sassy people--especially the women. I am fortunate to have been raised by good female role models, as well as male. My father passed away a long time ago and I still think of him and miss him. How he would have been happy for the husband I have.

To those of you reading this--and I have no idea how many do, I'm not really writing this to garner a bunch of attention, this is really a blog for me and for whoever stumbles upon it, in a hope that it will make you feel the sense of what life really is about and being true and authentic to our ordinary yet extraordinary miracle of life--a forum of stream of consciousness filled with my meanderings and reflection--may you be able to move forward, not regretful of the past or holding on tightly to it, just observing it and seeing it for what it is, striving forward and experiencing your present state with as much happiness as possible, savoring every moment, loving those around you and remembering to be kind. Our lives are short, your condition is only temporary. Make the most of it and much love to you and yours!

Southern Exposure...Exposed!

 












Southern Exposure…Exposed!
story by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the November 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

At 28 years, Southern Exposure has a longevity rarely seen in bands. Most are lucky to make it through just a few years, but bluegrass outfits in general seem to outlast the standard average. As a pure conjecture, I’d reckon it’s just the heart and soul of the music, coupled with the genuine nature of it and its players that make for bluegrass bands’ ability to stay in the music race for a longer haul. Southern Exposure is a prime example of a band that has an authenticity and an approach that makes it all about the music, rather than the individual players, and they have fun doing it.

I got the chance recently to speak with its two original members, mandolin player Jerry Mills and banjoist Hereford Percy, to talk about the band’s history and philosophy. Mills and Percy have known each other for about 30 years. They met playing at a benefit for a wild horse preservation organization and really just “locked in” musically, Mills tells me. They got together with Jack Davis, who knew that Red White and Blue(grass) player Dave Sebold had moved to Colorado, and suggested they bring him into the band.

Those beginnings set the tone for truly professional band whose members have myriad experiences—not at all uncommon in the bluegrass community—and makes for an incomparable entertainment experience. Mills has an impressive list of recording credits, including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s Stars & Stripes Forever album. Talking about how the band works together, he makes a point that everyone had similar ideas about the importance of having a base and love for the traditional bluegrass style as well as an ear to “follow your own muses.”

“We didn’t want to wear suits,” he laughs. Some things “were evident,” like how the group enjoyed each other, the songs they were playing and the element of entertaining people. “We had fun right out of the shoot,” he grins. “We got our footing pretty early and we stay true to our school. We don’t take ourselves too seriously but we take the performance seriously.”

Over the years, the band has played an amazing array of events and concert halls. Percy jokes that they’ve not done a “true bar gig” in a long time: “At this point we’re so old that a four-set night is next to impossible,” he laughs. They’ve played everywhere from Telluride to Cheyenne, hitting up RockyGrass and the Greeley Stampede and everywhere in between, showing they’ve got stamina in their own right. This coming year marks their 25th year playing the esteemed Arvada Center, a gig that’s been a real treat for them.

“The Arvada Center is our longest-running continuous concert,” Percy notes, reminiscing about one of his favorite Center shows of theirs with the legendary John Hartford. “At the end of these shows, both acts play together,” he says. When Southern Exposure and Hartford came out together, Percy told Hartford to take the vocals for “Uncle Penn,” but “he didn’t know the words,” Percy recalls with a smirk, and Percy took the vocal lead. But it was something else to have Hartford fiddling beside him for one of bluegrass’ all-time, well-known favorites.

The band has a repertoire with astonishing breadth. One moment they’ll be playing Bill Monroe’s “Little Georgia Rose,” the next, Del Shannon’s “Runaway.” From traditional to contemporary songs, Southern Exposure does it all with a bluegrass sensibility that drives them. “We play hard, we never let go of that bluegrass element,” Mills says, “and it makes a diverse sound.”

Percy estimates the band easily knows 50 songs, probably more, making for performances where no song is repeated, even in a three- or four-hour stretch. They also look to the audience for guidance in where to go during a show, and while they will cater to an audience’s familiarity, they’ll also take opportunities to introduce the audience to something new, seamlessly moving from one to the other, making a well-rounded experience.

Bluegrass is a “big salad,” Mills says. The talent today is deeper than it ever was, he believes, and tapping into the traditional tunes, Mills and his fellow players and audiences find the tunes “just as satisfying now as they were then.”

“I approach the band the same way I approach my radio show,” Mills says in reference to his Sunday morning “Rocky Mountain Bluegrass” show on Cheyenne’s KOLT-FM (100.7 on the dial and streaming online at KoltFM.com). “There’s neither one music nor one bluegrass, but you always tap back into what you started with and bluegrass has a soul that’s undeniable. It’s musically satisfying.”

Southern Exposure’s current lineup includes Jerry Magnetti on guitar, Gordon Burt on fiddle and Ryland Percy on bass. The band will entertain the patrons of Golden’s Acoustic Alley on Saturday, November 7. Doors open at 6:45 with a show start of 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $12 in advance, $15 day of show and are available at www.acousticalley.org. You can connect with the band at their site at ReverbNation.com/SouthernExposureBluegrass.

Hot Buttered Rum serves up a delicious cocktail of progressive string music

Hot Buttered Rum serves up a delicious cocktail of progressive string music
story by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the October 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society. Photo of Hot Buttered Rum by Matt Sharkley.)

Bill Monroe once said, “Bluegrass has brought more people together and made more friends than any music in the world.” In that vein, Hot Buttered Rum has lived up to the bluegrass standard, generating buzz and bringing in no shortage of new fans over the seven years they’ve been together. Whether you’re a bluegrass purist or if you accept, with arms wide open, various bluegrass offshoots such as “progressive acoustic” or “newgrass,” the fact remains that this quartet has found admiration and success throughout a diverse career that is as much filled with critical acclaim as it is scores of fans.

“Bluegrass is a huge part of what brought us together. Without bluegrass music, there would be no Hot Buttered Rum,” says Erik Yates, who sings and plays banjo, woodwinds and guitar with the group. “(It’s) one of the most incredible things that ever happened in American music,” he goes on to say, citing bluegrass’ unique ability to foster interaction between not only the players of the music, but the audience as well. “I think our mission with traditional music is to not do more of it than our souls can hold. We’re primarily a band that does original material, and that material pulls from bluegrass, swing, rock, folk and world music alike.”

The interactive spirit of the band’s distinctive blend of music carries over to the band’s website at www.HotButteredRum.net. The band members are quite savvy with social marketing, posting regular blogs and Twitter updates. They also offer fun multimedia tools like “view from the stage” photos and “Butter Radio,” a portion of the site that simulcasts their live shows. Hot Buttered Rum is just as busy spreading their music across the non-borders of the World Wide Web as much as they are making it, engaging their fans far and wide in myriad ways.

Initially formed as an acoustic string band, Hot Buttered Rum broke out with their first studio album, In These Parts, landing spots at esteemed stages from the Newport Folk Festival to Telluride. Their 2006 follow up, Well-Oiled Machine, was produced by another acoustic pioneer, Mike Marshall. As the band’s sound continued to develop, they became more electric and developed a harder sound with the next album, Live in the Northeast, which they’ve proclaimed the “best representation” of their music. Based off performances that were professionally multi-tracked and mixed, the disc captures the unique, improvisational energy of what drives them the most: live performance.

Likewise, the live performances are what die-hard Hot Buttered Rum fans seem to appreciate the most. The “Butter Family” atmosphere persists: fans know each other, they hoot and holler, they dance and have a great time, following the improvisational cross-dimensional lead of the band wherever it may take them. The energy and excitement is infectious. Anyone new to the band and their shows are welcomed into the camaraderie. The band’s street team members are affectionately referred to as “Butter Spreaders.”

Hot Buttered Rum just released their latest studio recording this September, Limbs Akimbo, marking another milestone in the band’s evolution. Produced by Tim Bluhm, front man for the Mother Hips, the album takes a new course in showcasing the songwriting side of the band. “Everything Tim does is about the feel and the song. There’s very little fancy picking on the record, but then, that’s never been our strongest suit,” Yates says. “Our mission is to create the best songs we can, the songs that speak the loudest and most clearly, and Tim helped spearhead that mission in the studio, every step of the way.”

Those who refuse to acknowledge the importance of innovative bands, who cling to the purist faction of bluegrass, might take a note from the lyrics of the title track: “Let this be your chance to grow, with your arms outstretched and your limbs akimbo.” Hot Buttered Rum may not be the traditional sound bluegrass enthusiasts would rather hear, but the band’s uncanny connections through multi-generational lines and fans who appreciate myriad musical sounds will likely lead more fans back to the roots of tradition. After all, bluegrass is a mutt all its own, born out of a mixture of old-time influences from the English, Scots and Irish, a banjo that has roots in Africa, the Spanish-born guitar, Italy’s fiddle, upright bass and mandolin, and the dobro, an instrument made in the U.S. by immigrant brothers from the Slovak Republic (the Dopyera Brothers, hence the origin of the instrument’s name: DOpyera BROthers).

Hot Buttered Rum will be bringing the new album with them as they make a stop at Boulder’s Fox Theatre for a special two-night engagement October 9 and 10. Tickets are on sale now at www.FoxTheatre.com. “We’re overjoyed to be coming back to the Front Range!” Yates proclaims. No doubt fans will be equally as ecstatic.

My final weekend at Swallow Hill

I walked through the doors of Swallow Hill for the last time today.

It was especially poignant because I'd went to the shows on Saturday night to see many great friends and fellow community members play. In Tuft Theater was the monthly faculty concert, featuring school director, Michael Schenkelberg, on bass, along with guitarists Paul Trunko and Aaron McCloskey, banjoist Keith Frankel and mano picker Julie Gussaroff, all wonderful people, accomplished performers and teachers.

In Daniels Hall was Southern Journey: A Tribute to Alan Lomax. Lomax was a musicologist who traveled throughout the South to document and record the music and life stories of the roots of American music: gospel, old-time, blues and much more. Marta Burton, a major force behind this and the forming Colorado Musician's Consortium, has been a great friend to me for several years, a consummate professional with a beautiful soul. This project she's put together features 10 members who sing and play multiple instruments to bring the Lomax archives to life. It's really one of the most moving musical experiences I've ever seen.

I was struck by the passages she'd read, about Lomax's love for these people, who were some of the most downtrodden. Their tenacity, resilience and spirit really struck a chord of me as I thought back to my own days growing up around such folk. It made me think about my father and how hard he'd worked, how much faith he had and the goodness he and others had in a neighborly spirit of helping each other however possible. My father passed away many years ago now, from cancer, while I was in college. It made me miss him very much.

I have to say I am a bit heartbroken to not go back to Swallow Hill but I feel a lot of inspiration from my last moments there with teachers and performers alike. They're the reason there is a Swallow Hill and they're the reason I was so glad to be there to help advance the organization in any way I could. I will miss them greatly but know I'll see them in other capacities.

Adieu, Swallow Hill. And if any of you out there could use someone like me, I'm available and eager to see what awaits me on the horizon!

Swallow Hill’s “Top of the Hill” faculty not only teach—they perform

Swallow Hill’s “Top of the Hill” faculty not only teach—they perform
story by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the September 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society. Photo of Aaron McCloskey courtesy of Scott McCormick and Swallow Hill Music's Faces of Folk project.)

“The faculty at Swallow Hill Music are undoubtedly some of the best musicians in the world,” says Clay Kirkland, who has been a long-time member of the faculty. “Most have toured on a regional basis and continue to do so. Still others stay off the road so they can be home to raise their families. The Denver community reaps the rewards when they’re here at home, teaching. Where else can a beginner learn from such professionals?”

Kirkland is the mastermind behind the monthly “Top of the Hill” Faculty Concert Series at Swallow Hill Music, showcasing the faculty’s talent. Every third Saturday of the month, a different configuration of teachers come together to perform. On September 19, guitarist Paul Trunko, mandolinist Julie Gussaroff, banjoist Keith Frankel, guitarist Aaron McCloskey and bassist Michael Schenkelberg will share the Tuft Theater stage to perform a unique blend of Americana and bluegrass. They’ll present some favorites as well as material that each of them has written.

Guitarist Paul Trunko has worked professionally as a musician since the early 1980s. He was a member of the acoustic bluegrass band, Quickdraw, spent eight years as band leader with blues/rock band, The Keepers, and is a current member of the region’s most popular Grateful Dead cover band, Shakedown Street. Trunko has also recorded and released two acoustic kid/family albums in the Jammy Man series with fellow faculty member, Ernie Martinez. As a teacher, his focus is on basic rhythm and lead guitar in the styles of rock, blues, bluegrass, folk and country.

Julie Gussaroff was raised around a constant flow of music back in her home state of New York. “It’s what we did as a family,” she tells me, reminiscing of her early years singing as her father played piano. She went on to learn piano, guitar and mandolin. In 1996, she moved to Colorado and found her next musical family at Swallow Hill. “I love the community here, the students. I met a lot of musicians at Swallow Hill that I’ve been able to work and perform with in numerous capacities and places.” Gussaroff has a wide repertoire, from bluegrass to swing and Gypsy jazz, and she teaches a variety of vocal, mandolin and children’s classes at Swallow Hill.

Keith Frankel began playing piano and baritone horn at an early age. In his teens, he picked up a five-string banjo and found his true voice. He studied with Tony Trischka as a beginner and is currently mentored by Pete Wernick. His unique melodic style incorporates world, Celtic, classical and jazz flavors built on a strong Scruggs-style bluegrass foundation. Frankel’s career as a performer has had him working with everyone from jam bands to symphony orchestras, and his teaching career at Swallow Hill encompasses beginning through advanced bluegrass method, melodic style and various avant-garde techniques.

Aaron McCloskey, a Massachusetts native, is a guitarist with Steve Smith and Hard Road and performs regionally in various bands as well as a solo act. He loves the guitar because “every time I play, I learn something new.” His special love of acoustic and bluegrass music began when he picked up The Pizza Tapes about a year before he began playing guitar. “Bluegrass is a uniquely crafted music. It’s still a relatively new genre but it’s also somewhat of a lost art at this point. It’s refreshing to play. The chord progressions aren’t hard but the tempo is challenging. And it’s a big community—you can go out to something like RockyGrass and there are a lot of people out playing, all receptive to you sitting with them and jamming. It’s a lot of fun.”

Bassist Michael Schenkelberg not only teaches at Swallow Hill, he is the director of the music school. A native of Cleveland, he attended an all-boys prep school and would venture into blues clubs on the weekends with his pals. On one such excursion he decided he wanted to learn music and approached one of the musicians for lessons. Even after being told to buzz off, he persisted, the Delta bluesman finally relenting so long as he’d bring him a bottle of Crown Royale. The bluesman turned out to be none other than the legendary Robert Lockwood, Jr.

Schenkelberg’s career path took him everywhere from research in tropical biology to doing music and voice-overs for the Cartoon Network. He eventually landed in Chicago to join the staff at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and played in Americana bands Third Wheel and Back off the Hammer. In 2007 he joined Swallow Hill as their school director.

“Everyone should feel empowered to play music,” Schenkelberg says, as he explains the distinctive methods of Swallow Hill’s music school. The school teaches people to play immediately, unlike a conservatory that would first delve into theory. It also encourages people to play together, offering ensemble and group classes, and by hosting graduation parties at the end of each session.

The community of Swallow Hill also allows students to aspire to grow into professionals if they so desire: beginners start out learning from the pro faculty, share what they’ve learned at the graduation party, and can go on to the open mic and jam stage at the Café to work their way up (hopefully) to Daniels Hall. Swallow Hill is an organization that offers the full spectrum of music experience. The “Top of the Hill” performances are one aspect of this cycle—one not to be missed and a great quality at a bargain cost.

More information and tickets are available at http://www.swallowhillmusic.org/. Future performances include Richard Reed & Friends on October 17 and a Neil Young Tribute-themed show with Clay Kirkland, Paul Trunko, Ernie Martinez and Julia Hays on November 21.

Jayme Stone & Friends pay tribute to John Hartford

Jayme Stone & Friends pay tribute to John Hartford
story by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the September 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

John Hartford was a true American original and Renaissance man: a songster, banjoist, guitar picker, fiddler, riverboat captain, calligrapher, folklorist and old-time music revivalist. He won GRAMMY awards in three different decades and recorded a catalog of more than 30 albums. He contributed music and narration to Ken Burns’ landmark Civil War series and was an integral part of the hugely popular O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, as well as its subsequent Down from the Mountain tour.

After a long battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hartford passed away in 2001, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire fellow musicians and artists. Known for keeping one foot deeply rooted in tradition and the other a few steps ahead into the future, Hartford’s innovative influence will be honored by some of the Front Range’s top acoustic musicians at Swallow Hill Music on September 12, led by Jayme Stone, “one of Canada's most accomplished and visionary banjo players.” (Live Music Report)

Stone is the perfect fit to head up a live performance project playing homage to Hartford. His last two albums won Juno Awards (Canada’s equivalent to the GRAMMY): The Utmost for Instrumental Album of the Year in 2008 and Africa to Appalachia for World Music Album of the Year in 2009. The first album was a bridge between jazz and bluegrass, while the second found Stone tracing the roots of the banjo, an instrument so well-known as an integral part of American mountain music, all the way back to Mali. His ability, like Hartford, to connect all the incredible branches of the deeply rooted tree of music, makes him a worthy contemporary.

“Instantly smitten” by the banjo at the age of 16 (“It was the one-two punch of discovering American roots music and Béla Fleck at the same time,” he says), Stone’s love for the instrument turned his life “upside down” as he became consumed by it. He practiced seven hours a day and went on to learn from Fleck, Tony Trischka, Dave Douglas and Bill Frisell. When his unquenchable thirst for learning led him to Mali, he spent seven weeks studying with the likes of Djelimady Sissoko, Adama Tounkara and Bassekou Kouyate, coming to the realization that old-fashioned oral transmission suits him best.

“With little common language between us, we turned to music for communication,” Stone recalls of his first meeting with Mansa Sissoko, a griot singer and kora player from whom he learned many traditional Malian songs and with whom he collaborated on Africa to Appalachia. “This tangible heart-to-heart connection was there immediately and I knew that he was the perfect collaborator for the project. African music is not designed to be analyzed. It is learned by doing, by immersing yourself in the sound, rhythm and story. It is participatory.”

While Stone is a Canadian native, he has called Boulder home for the last few years, playing informally with an array of other musicians. Rich Zimmerman, Ryan Drickey, Brad Murphey, Ian Hutchison and KC Groves are a few of these musicians, the ones who will join him at the John Hartford Tribute show. “Everyone is passionate about Hartford’s music and understands the spirit of interaction and interplay that keeps the music fresh and engaging,” says Stone.

A huge influence to Stone, the Hartford tribute concept was a no-brainer for him and his comrades. Noting Hartford’s genuine character and diversity, he says, “I’ve culled little things from his playing but more than anything, he’s someone I look to as an example of an artist who has truly found his own voice.” The Hartford catalog provides tremendous breadth and diversity and the tribute performances will delve in myriad directions, presenting a cross-section of riverboat songs, old-time fiddle tunes, music from the Aeroplane era and, of course, the gems like “Gentle on my Mind.”

In the oft-cited struggle between tradition and innovation, Stone’s viewpoint is one of no need for war. As he reflects on his own learning path, he recalls the two-week gap between his discovery of the banjo and actually getting one for himself. He spent the time at a local library, poring over the “treasure trove of acoustic music,” from old-time to bluegrass and newgrass, from minstrel music to mountain music. “It all seemed equally valid and inspiring, so when I set about learning to play, I was trying it all simultaneously, not feeling bound to the historical order things came in. That attitude has stayed with me,” Stone says.

“I am passionate about traditional music of all stripes and feel that innovation is essential to keeping it alive. It’s like recycling: your used pop bottle is still useful, but you can make a toothbrush, jacket or thumb pick out of it. I find that playing traditional music adds a certain gravity to all the other music that I play and write.”

In addition to the Swallow Hill performance on September 19 (tickets available at http://www.swallowhillmusic.org/), the John Hartford Tribute will also be presented on October 10 as part of the High Street Concert Series in Lyons (http://www.highstreetconcerts.com/). More information about Stone’s many projects can be found on his website at http://www.jaymestone.com/.

A Pantheon for the People: Harry Tuft and the Denver Folklore Center

A Pantheon for the People: Harry Tuft and the Denver Folklore Center
photo & story by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the August 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

On March 13, 1962, the Denver Folklore Center opened for business and proprietor Harry Tuft began his legacy as not only a business man, but as a folksinger, teacher, promoter and friend. There are few who have contributed to and have given as freely as Tuft has for our Colorado music community.

I’ve tried to get him to admit how great he is but he’ll of course never boast about what he’s done or who he’s known. He’s not a name dropper or full of self-worth about his achievements. He’s the first to show gratitude and lend a friendly hand to anyone without any prejudgment. He’s so devoid of ego that I almost have to wonder if he’s even got an id to satisfy! Tuft is so personable and friendly that I should refer to him, simply (and probably preferably), as Harry.

All joking aside, Harry truly has a beautiful soul and many great stories to tell. His hard work and determination are inspirational, and his good works have had a ripple effect to the extent of which is immeasurable. Back when he first opened shop on 17th Avenue and Pearl Street, just several blocks east of downtown Denver, his rental fee was fifty-five dollars a month and his inventory consisted of items he’d bought from Izzy Young’s Folklore Center in New York’s Greenwich Village.

Harry’s stock grew to include instruments, records, books and other musical supplies, and he decided to open the store on Sundays for hootenanny song circles as a way to publicize and raise public awareness about the store. He also began to offer group guitar and banjo lessons on Saturday afternoons, modeling his approach after what he’d learned on a prior trip to Chicago’s renowned Old Town School of Folk Music.

As word about the Denver Folklore Center spread, it became a center point for both local and traveling musicians. The camaraderie and comfortable atmosphere led to open jams, friendships, and—as word continued to spread—his initiation as a promoter of concerts. The Denver Folklore Center hosted and promoted shows within its own space as well as in other venues. He had solidified his reputation, offering a much-welcomed performance stop to musicians traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast. One of the biggest shows Harry presented was Joan Baez’s first appearance at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 1964. He also presented shows by legendary bluegrass artists like Doc Watson and Flatt and Scruggs.

Harry’s employee, David Ferretta, was vital to the success of the Denver Folklore Center’s growth in its early years. An accomplished bluegrass guitar and banjo player, he helped build the store by being a great salesman. Ferretta went on to open his own store and also helped establish the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society. “We were happy to see him do that. He was particularly attuned to the bluegrass community,” Harry says.

The bluegrass community owes a great deal to Harry. Colorado’s legendary band, Hot Rize, all met through their work in the DFC in numerous capacities: as teachers, repairers and countermen. "Hot Rize exists because the Denver Folklore Center exists. We were involved in music making and teaching, and the shows we did there and the community that surrounded the Center was a big help in launching us," Hot Rize banjoist Pete Wernick recalls.

Hot Rize officially began their touring career in 1978. The following year, the Music Association of Swallow Hill was established by Harry and others in an attempt to continue the traditions of folk and roots-based music on a larger scale than he and the Denver Folklore Center could. Thirty years after its establishment, Swallow Hill has grown to produce more than 200 concerts and serve more than 4,000 students each year, in addition to other outreach programming.

The creation of all this should be enough for anyone to feel as though they’ve given a great deal to life and its purpose. For someone like Harry, though, the giving doesn’t ever stop. He has made myriad donations to the community, including most recently giving a mandolin to the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society for a promotional drawing at RockyGrass. “I’m happy to support them. I love bluegrass,” he says.

Harry is a performer in his own right, having recorded several albums as a soloist as well as a part of his trio, Grubstake. In the opening notes of his album, Across the Blue Mountains, Sandy Paton writes that Harry is “one of the finest interpreters in the folksong revival.” It’s very fitting for him to be chosen as part of an all-star tribute at Red Rocks this summer honoring the fortieth anniversary of Woodstock called “Peace and Love on the Rocks.” The event is part of the Denver Film Society’s annual Film on the Rocks series and Harry will be among other esteemed Colorado acts (Something Underground, Runaway Express, Hazel Miller, Paper Bird and more) to perform prior to a screening of the “Woodstock” film on Monday, August 17 at 6:30 p.m.

And so, as I climb up and down along the myriad branches that have grown off the tree of Harry’s work and the birth of the Denver Folklore Center (now located on 1893 South Pearl Street), I ask him, point-blank: What is your legacy? And of course, Harry laughs. He won’t answer that question. He just simply tells me: “Music has been number one in my life and I make a living being immersed in that! I couldn’t be much happier.”

Pickin' & Grinnin' at the Olde Town Pickin' Parlor

Pickin' & Grinnin' at the Olde Town Pickin' Parlor
photo & story by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the July 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

Stepping into the Olde Town Pickin’ Parlor for any musician is much like a child stepping into a candy shop filled with delights. The Parlor is a haven for anyone to come in, take a beautiful, high-end instrument off the wall or its stand, take a seat, and strum away with any number of friends she or he may meet. From Martin to National Resonator guitars to vintage Gibson mandolins and Morgan Monroe banjos, all the instruments are in a space worthy of their exquisiteness. With an inviting atmosphere and friendly, helpful staff, it won’t take long for any picker to find the right fit.

Founder and proprietor Kit Simon, also affectionately known as “Uncle Kit,” has created an ambience that is as welcoming and attractive as the stunning instruments. He established the store in 1991, after meeting “Banjo Bob” Anderson the previous year. Banjo Bob had a shop up in El Jebel and convinced Kit that they should open a store together in historic Olde Town Arvada. Bob had a theory that “the best acoustic stores are near army surplus stores,” Kit laughs.

It was the start of success. Today the Parlor occupies a space that is three times the original location. It’s still in Olde Town Arvada, at 7515 Grandview Avenue, adorned with living plants and 19th century brick walls, and its service to the music community in the area is unmatched. “I wanted a comfy, big space for people to play,” Kit says. Truth be told, it’s not only a place for people to meet, play and buy instruments and supplies, but to get their instruments repaired by, learn from, and listen to, respected professionals.

“With the repair shop, we can set up instruments for every individual,” Kit tells me, “and people come from afar because he (Edward Dick) really knows his stuff.” Dick is the head of the repair shop and has a good 35 years’ worth of experience as a luthier, building more than 300 instruments. The staff and teachers at the Olde Town Pickin’ Parlor also have formidable experience. Currently there are about 15 teachers providing classes six days a week on anything from bluegrass flatpicking to fiddle and banjo. Included on the teaching roster are Long Road Home’s Martin Gilmore, Spring Creek’s Chris Elliott and Reckless Abandon’s Ernie Martinez.

“Some of the teachers have been with me a long time and they keep their students because they have a great personality in addition to a great ability to teach students what they like and want to learn. Their students look forward to their lessons,” Kit says. “The teachers are an integral part of the store. They not only bring people in for the lessons, but for buying books and other supplies. They also open their students’ eyes to different music.”

Exposing patrons to the dynamics of music is an important component of what makes the Parlor so special to the Colorado music community at large. Intimate performances and song circles also take place within the Parlor’s space, providing further community enrichment. Every third Tuesday of the month the Parlor hosts America’s Soul Live with Jon Chandler, a round-robin, Austin City Limits-esque acoustic concert showcasing regional and national singer/songwriters.

The Parlor also hosts other special performances. On July 9 they’ll be presenting Steve Smith and Hard Road, a show sponsored by Swallow Hill Music Association. A leading mandolin player, Smith has been performing for more than 30 years and has long associations with Kit and his Parlor. “I first met Kit through (Colorado mandolin player) Charlie Provenza, and would always visit when working in the Denver area with him,” Smith says.

Smith and his songwriting partner, Chris Sanders, are joined by banjoist Bill Evans, bassist Bill Amatneek, violinist Megan Lynch, and guitarist Aaron McCloskey, the newest member of Hard Road. McCloskey was a student of Smith’s before he was enrolled as a member. The band mates are scattered throughout the country: Smith and Sanders in New Mexico, McCloskey in Colorado, and the remaining three in California. “The week before our run of gigs begin, we usually get together and power rehearse,” says McCloskey about their logistics.

This is the fourth performance Steve Smith and Hard Road have done at the Parlor. “The fact that Kit offers a performance space within his place of business to me really shows his willingness to support and promote good music. It takes a lot of work to put on any show, as you know, but they also have to rearrange the store, do chairs, promo, etc. That’s dedication!” Smith says. “I wish we had such a place in New Mexico!”

Tickets for the July 9 Steve Smith and Hard Road show are available on line at www.SwallowHillMusic.org or you can make a reservation through the Olde Town Pickin’ Parlor by calling 303-421-2304. The Parlor is open for business Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also find them online at www.PicknParlor.com.

Poem 8: Lacerations

LACERATIONS

i keep trying
to pick up
the shattered pieces
of
        my
                life
but i keep
cutting
        my
                fingers

copyright 2009, Spunky

Money...grab that cash with both hands and make a stash (I hope)!

God bless Dorothy Parker. She was one of the wittiest and most insightful women of all time.

"If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."

I've had issues with money all my life. I grew up in poverty--the picture-perfect stereotype of "white trash" poverty in Kentucky. My father farmed tobacco and worked in a factory. My sister went to work at the same factory at 17, right as/before she graduated high school to help support us. My mother never had a job--we were old-school like that.

But enough about the past. It teaches us, right?--and makes us who we are to an extent, but it is by no means a nod to any destiny before us.

Recently I've decided I'm in a cage and I need to rattle out of it. It is wonderful I have a job, even if it doesn't pay very well. More people are doing worse than me given the state of the economy, I'm sure. All the same, I ain't getting any better and it seems to be worse, especially since I'm digging my proverbial head out of the sand to try and take steps to get on top of it and hopefully move in a direction of more stability.

The last 6 or so years of my life have been tumultuous. I've been through cycles of employment and unemployment. My current employment pays the least amount of money I've ever made, which is depressing, given I'm at an age where I should be making the most ever (not overqualified or without experience). My husband is doing better pay-rate wise than me but it's not totally steady all the time. Then we spent all this energy on a band that pretty much just ended up frustrating us and taking all our time for no money...as great as it was in many other ways.

I want to go back to school but my past loans are in default so I have to figure that out first before I can get any aid I need so it looks like it will be some work before I can go down that path. Plus I still have credit card debt...place that along with the daily life-to-life crap and every day, someone else is ready to take whatever dime just landed in my hand, even if it's turned into a penny by the time it gets to me.

Then the banks charge you up the ass if you're a bit overdrawn...that just happened again today so I am really anxious for payday to get here. I had to bite my tongue on the phone with my bank today. Can't afford to be rude or say what I really think!

The only thing that I can do to keep from falling to pieces and being melodramatic is just to remind myself that life and these situations are all in passing...take it one tiny step at a time...and not hate myself for past mistakes or dwell in regret. And smile at a quote like that, from the lovely Ms. Parker.

I hope for a lot of strength these days. I need it. My tenacious crab nature will overcome in time.

Get Hip with superstar bluegrass bassist Missy Raines at Swallow Hill

by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the June 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

A seven-time IBMA Bass Player of the Year Award winner, Missy Raines is a bass superstar. She launched her career playing with the experimental bluegrass band, Cloud Valley, going on to tour the country with masters such as Eddie and Martha Adcock, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves, and Jesse McReynolds. From there she joined Claire Lynch’s popular Front Porch Band, and went on to develop a successful duo with band mate, Jim Hurst.

Now she’s taking the helm of own band, The New Hip, a band that fuses bluegrass virtuosity with jazz grooves. They will make their Denver debut at Swallow Hill on Thursday, June 4 at 8 p.m., and the band just released their debut on Compass records, Inside Out.

"It took time finding the right people," Raines tells me on the phone from her home in Nashville. "I had a lot of ideas in my head and wanted to find a lot of different folks from whom we could have a good song pull," she explains. The project she envisioned was one of pure collaboration: a mixture of hot new talent who could all write new, fresh material.

The time involved has paid off, for she has assembled a unique cast of players. The music is rich and deep, filled with beauty and eloquence, and a stirring expressiveness. Inside Out was produced by Raines, members of The New Hip and Ben Surratt. It also features special guest appearances by Matt Flinner (mandolin), John R. Burr (piano) and Megan McCormick (guitar, vocals). The New Hip members on the album are Ethan Ballinger (mandolin), Michael Witcher (resonator guitar), Lee Holland (drums) and Dillon Hodges (guitar).

For the performance at Swallow Hill, the lineup is slightly different, as Ballinger has moved from playing mandolin to guitar, replacing Hodges. "He's phenomenal on guitar," Raines notes. Travis Burch takes over on mandolin and Robert Crawford will take the spot on drums. Witcher, whose credits have included playing with everyone from Laurie Lewis to Tyler Hilton and Dolly Parton, is still with the band on resonator guitar.

The New Hip's name is a play on words inspired by real life. "I wanted the name to reflect the music as much as it could—new and fresh, with jazz sensibilities," Raines says. "I thought, ‘This band is going to be hip.’ And I had a hip replacement surgery to correct a birth defect earlier in my life that was really life-changing. It gave me mobility, a new lease on life, so I thought it would be fun to call it that: the new hip. It works both ways, whether you know the whole story or not."

Bluegrass is all about innovation to Raines. Inspired by past role models like Bill Monroe, Raines is spurred on by what he did: taking elements of what is around him—in Monroe’s case, blues and early jazz players—and experimenting with them to create something new. “When I’m playing a jazzier piece, do I lose the essence of bluegrass? No,” she says. “It’s important to preserve the culture and tradition. It’s equally important to interpret sounds in your own, new way, taking the past and the present to make something different.”

Her unique trailblazing abilities have earned her many labels as being the best. For Raines, there simply can’t be a best. “I can name off 12 bass players I’d consider favorites, and that’s just to start. There can’t be a ‘best.’ Music is about affecting people at that moment and I’m gratified that what I have to offer has been recognized.”

And Raines never forgets the fans. “We (musicians) have the best job in the world and they’re the reason we can do that,” she says. Interacting with fans on a personal level is important to her and the band. They put work into personally responding to their own emails and maintaining their own online social networks, from blogging to MySpace and Facebook networking, and tweeting on Twitter. “I love playing to faces I recognize, to see those loyal fans, so personally responding to the fans is extremely important to us,” she smiles.

Opening the show for Missy Raines & The New Hip will be the Boston Boys featuring Sam Grisman. Tickets are available online at http://www.swallowhillmusic.org/, or at Swallow Hill's box office at 71 East Yale Avenue, 303-777-1003. CBMS member tickets are for $12 advance, $15 day of show.

Spring Creek Celebrates Record Label Release

by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the May 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

Spring Creek is quickly on the rise on the national level these days and it’s really no surprise to those who’ve been fans from the very beginning. With a real genuine love and zeal for the roots of classic bluegrass, they’ve stood out among the plethora of newgrass and jamgrass outfits that seem to permeate today’s Colorado scene. Versatile and innovative, they’re setting a standard for others to follow with the release of their latest endeavor, Way Up On A Mountain, their debut on the Rebel Records label.

For 15 days straight at 12-hour shifts, Spring Creek worked with Nashville producer Jeff White to record Way Up On A Mountain. “We wanted to make this album as strong as we could,” says bassist/vocalist Jessica Smith, adding the pressure was more intense than with their two previous, independently released albums. “If it wasn’t as good as it could be, we’d not only be letting ourselves down, but (the label as well).”

Guitarist Taylor Sims also adds: “We had time constraints and we picked material, as well as a producer, that would push us, and it was all more rewarding because of it. Rebel really wanted us to have it ready in time for our tour schedule, before going to MerleFest in April. We’re really excited with the results. There is nothing stale—it’s all new, fresh material.”

Way Up On A Mountain showcases 12 tracks of amazing musicianship by the four players as well as special guest musicians. IBMA winner and fiddler Michael Cleveland lends his talents, as does Grammy-winner resophonic guitarist, Sally Van Meter (who, consequently, produced the band’s 2008 album, Lonesome Way To Go). The tracks range from rip-roarin’ pickin’ pieces that get your blood pumping to softer tunes filled with gorgeous fluidity. There are touches of Western swing and Cuban jazz with tracks such as “Drivin’ Me Crazy” and “Cuban Vera Swing.” The original material not only showcases Spring Creek as great players and vocalists, but their burgeoning talents in songwriting, as they wrote a great deal of the album’s material.

Sims and Smith met banjo player Chris Elliott while studying in Texas and, as they began playing together and building a musical relationship, they all fell in love with bluegrass. Mandolin player Alex Johnstone came into the fold when Sims found him hitchhiking near Crestone, Colorado, and picked him up. When the three Texans came up to Colorado, they hooked back up with him, and named themselves Spring Creek after one of the creeks that surrounded the ranch they had while living in Gunnison County.

Spring Creek are the 2007 Telluride and RockyGrass Festival winners, the first band to win both titles in the same summer. Their reputation for excellence made them the most in-demand Colorado bluegrass band this past summer, earning them spots at more than 10 regional festivals. Their songs have already become local jam standards and have been covered by internationally touring acts such as Uncle Earl. In addition, the band's original crowd favorite, "High Up in the Mountains," won the Vox Populi Award for Best Americana Song from the Independent Music Awards last year.

The acclaim will no doubt continue to pour in as the band travels across the country. Most recently they were chosen to be an official showcase for the International Bluegrass Music Association’s World of Bluegrass annual event this autumn in Nashville, one of 13 acts that were chosen out of 121 that applied. It’s further proof that this young band is hot and on its way to a very successful, stellar national—if not international—career.

Now based out of Longmont and Lyons, the band will be vigorously touring nationwide in support of the new album. They’ll be traveling through Texas, Oklahoma and into the Southeast region, making a stop at the acclaimed MerleFest. “The Southeast region is really important to us,” Sims says, making a nod to the origins of the bluegrass and old-time styles. This tour marks the band’s second venture into the Southeast market.

The official Colorado CD release party for Way Up On A Mountain will take place on May 9 at the Boulder Theater. Joining Spring Creek in support will be Martha Scanlan, who may be best known for her work with the Reeltime Travelers, who were part of the “Cold Mountain” soundtrack and who toured with Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley and others for the wildly successful Great High Mountain Tour.

Spring Creek will also be making stops in Fort Collins at Avogadro’s Number on May 7, then on to Salida, Colorado Springs, and Gold Hill, finishing up the first Colorado run of shows to promote the album at Swallow Hill in Denver on June 6, where they will be joined by the Blue Maddies (featuring KC Groves of Uncle Earl).

Tickets for the Spring Creek CD Release Party, featuring Spring Creek, Martha Scanlan and KC Groves & the Blue Maddies, are on sale now and available at the Boulder Theater Box Office at 303-786-7030 or by going online to http://www.bouldertheater.com/. Doors open at 8:00 p.m. and the performance begins at 9:00 p.m.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

Feels like things are shifting for a lot of people and things have been changing a lot in my household.

U.S. Pipe has disbanded. Citrus had struggled with the stresses of running the business, being a leader in the band on many levels, and having to try to be all things to all people at any given time. It was a long journey, with many highs coupled with lows. I think we both learned and grew a lot through it and I'm hoping others did, too.

I was pretty amazed at how many emails and messages I got through social networks asking me what happened and wishing us well. One person simply said "Don't give up!" I wrote back, "It's not about giving up. It's about moving on." And it is. I don't think Citrus, or even myself, in quitting this project means we've given up in some way. The energy just wasn't really moving in the right direction at times and it's hard to feel like people aren't happy...what's the point then? So I really hope that everyone finds a lot of happiness in whatever next steps they take.

It's been great to see Citrus so happy, working on his own music within this new recording studio. I love the idea of the studio and it will be interesting to see what path(s) that may present.

As for myself, I'm still working on what I want. I have lots of conflicting feelings about where I am, where I want to be, how I fit into things here and there. We'll see.

Right now my mind is a little focused on getting done with Swallow Hill deadlines before I leave for a vacation back home to Kentucky. All my family is there and I expect to see an old friend or two. I've not been back there in at least 7 years. It should be really fun to keep a travel diary, to take photos and video and post them here and on Facebook, and Tweet as things happen. It will be a good break, I think, and the process of documenting it will be really fun for me. Come check it out! I'll be in KY from April 25 - May 5.

Pete Wernick’s fantastic Flexigrass is back at Swallow Hill!

by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the April 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

Living bluegrass legend Pete Wernick has been a past president of the IBMA, is one of the original members of Hot Rize, and is a pioneer in bluegrass instruction and mentorship. Known by the moniker “Dr. Banjo,” he’s most recently been working with Steve Martin on Martin’s just-released debut CD, The Crow, which Wernick co-produced, performs on and features a song he helped write.

It’s no secret that Wernick is one of the long-standing kings of the bluegrass tradition. But with his band Flexigrass, he takes bluegrass in a completely fresh direction, to the fabulous reactions of most and, here and there, the bewilderment of others who are more hardcore purists of the genre.

“When Hot Rize disbanded, I didn’t think I could come up with a bluegrass band comparable to that. And, musicians are always striving to be creative, to do something new and different. Flexigrass started out as a way to explain the type of music we were doing but then it just became the name of the band,” he says. Bluegrass and jazz are “musical cousins,” he explains. “They’re cousins that hardly ever see each other. I got them to dating, if not married,” he laughs.

Elaborating on the connections between the two, he goes on to cite examples of early jazz standards that have crossed over into bluegrass, such as the 1922 tune, “Farewell Blues,” that Earl Scruggs covered. “We’re respectful of both genres,” he says. “Our aim is to do something new and exciting.”

Fellow bandmate Greg Harris also offers: “What’s unique about what Pete has done with Flexigrass is that he concentrates on the early jazz side. Whereas some of the more modern newgrass fusion acts might borrow from looser, Miles Davis-style jazz, Flexigrass is rooted in traditional jazz.”

Joining Dr. Banjo in Flexigrass are some of the most talented and eclectically experienced musicians in the Front Range. Wife Joan Wernick, featured vocalist, has a sparkling voice and also performs as a duo with Pete, and works as an educator alongside him in their jam camp sessions. Greg Harris adds a unique dimension to the band’s sound on the vibraphone, and has extensively studied the roots of mallet instruments and the music they make, going as far as West Africa. In addition, he fronts his own Greg Harris Vibe Quintet and appears in other amazing acts like Future Jazz Project.

Clarinetist Bill Pontarelli is a veteran of the Denver swing and Dixieland scene, a founder of the Platte River Jazz Band and member of one of my other favorite Colorado acts, Deco Django. Drummer Kris Ditson has teamed with greats such as Andy Statman and Tony Trischka, and performed with a number of bluegrass bands including Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mt. Boys. Bassist Roger Johns, another scene veteran, keeps the beat locked in and delivers amazing solos.

“I’m blessed with the loyalty of such great musicians,” Wernick says. The Flexigrass project has lasted for 17 years with very few personnel changes, most having occurred because of people moving away. Wernick is content to be in Colorado more often than not, as the crowds here have open, receptive minds to exceptional music and because there is no shortage of cultural experiences within the Front Range area.

However, he does still travel, educating and performing as far as Ireland last summer with Joan and Don Rigsby, and most recently returning from conducting camps with Joan in Texas. “It’s so rewarding to teach,” Joan says. She recently ran into a student in Boulder who’d taken one of the camps the Wernicks offer, and who told her that he’s still playing with some of the people he’d met in the camp, in addition to now taking leads on his guitar. “Knowing your students are growing and continuing on the musical path—it’s proving that your teaching has been productive,” she smiles.

Flexigrass will be performing at Swallow Hill on Friday, April 10. Rising buzz worthy bluegrass outfit Finders & Youngberg will be joining them in support. In addition, Wernick will be delivering a special Banjo Skills Workshop the following day, Saturday, April 11, at Swallow Hill.

If you’ve not heard Flexigrass it’s the perfect opportunity to be dazzled by the marriage of traditional jazz and bluegrass. And not only can you be impressed with what you hear, but by what you can learn from Dr. Banjo. Among Colorado’s talent, he’s one of our greatest shining stars. Tickets and registration are available online at SwallowHillMusic.org or by calling 303-777-1003.

Hot Rize & Swallow Hill celebrate 30 years of music together at RootsFest

by Laura "Spunky" McGaughey
(Originally published in the March 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin' magazine, the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.)

In the mid-1970s, Pete Wernick was drawn to the music scene in Colorado. A buzz had spread among musicians traveling throughout the country, from the East Coast to the West Coast, about what was going on in Denver. He left his home in New York State to check it out and found himself in Harry Tuft's Denver Folklore Center, the hub of everything that was going on in the strong folk/bluegrass music community along the Front Range.

Wernick met Charles Sawtelle, who worked the main counter at the Center and repaired instruments, Nick Forster, who also did repairs, and Tim O'Brien, who taught classes. Wernick began teaching at the Center as well, and they all hung out and struck up friendships that led to the band's formation.

"Hot Rize exists because the Denver Folklore Center exists. We were involved in music making and teaching, and the shows we did there and the community that surrounded the Center was a big help in launching us," Wernick recalls. Likewise, Tuft says that one of the greatest things that ever came out of his establishment of the Center was the fact that Hot Rize met and formed through their work at the Center.

In 1979, when Swallow Hill Music Association was established out of the growth of the community the Center fostered, Wernick's membership card was one of the first issued by Swallow Hill. "I think mine was #0002 or something," he smiles.

Hot Rize marked their 30th anniversary on January 18, 2008, while Swallow Hill will celebrate its 30th birthday this March. Wernick says, "We're very dear to each other, with a long history and much shared. Swallow Hill is a keeper, or trustee, of harnessing the music scene. For both of us to have survived all these years--it's something deep and lasting--it's a treasure."

On March 28 at 6 p.m. the Third Annual RootsFest, produced by Swallow Hill at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, will feature some buzzworthy up-and-coming acts in addition to three headliners, with Hot Rize leading the pack. Shawn Colvin and Leo Kottke co-headline, with showcases by Tallest Man on Earth, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Joe Pug, and Boulder Acoustic Society. Tickets have been selling at a brisk pace.

The long ties between Hot Rize, Swallow Hill and the Denver Folklore Center made the decision of playing the RootsFest a no-brainer for Wernick and the rest of Hot Rize. It "instantly made sense to us," Wernick says.

Hot Rize's legendary career is based on delivering first-class entertainment and musicianship. The band toured full-time from 1978 - 1990, winning over fans of all ages and rising to prominence, hitting everywhere from national broadcasts such as NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion" and the Nashville Network's "Ralph Emery Show," to performances in almost every state, as well as Europe, Japan and Australia. Their album, Take It Home,garnered a Grammy nomination as well as the IBMA award for Song of the Year, for "Colleen Malone."

In 1990, the band semi-retired while everyone worked on their own projects, but they came together from time to time to make appearances as Hot Rize. Wernick had a successful solo debut with On a Roll in 1993 and formed the Live Five, an innovative bluegrass/early jazz band, later renamed Flexigrass. Nick Forster went on a highly successful tour in Eastern Europe, where he developed a new concept in radio and Etown, the popular weekly radio variety show now heard coast-to-coast, was the result. Tim O'Brien developed a huge discography as a solo act as well as an ensemble player, and was named by the IBMA as the Male Vocalist of the Year in 1993. Charles Sawtelle joined forces with Peter Rowan and also formed his own band, The Whippets. He recorded and toured with various groups in the U.S. and overseas and also produced some excellent records by a variety of different bluegrass and folk artists.

In 1993 Sawtelle was diagnosed with leukemia, but it didn't stop him from working in his studio, Rancho de Ville, and making great music. Alongside close friend Laurie Lewis, Music from Rancho de Ville, a 16-track compilation of music featuring an array of top drawer musicians including David Grisman, Peter Rowan, Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush and many others, was made. In the wake of his passing in 1999, Lewis saw the project through to its release.

Hot Rize did not perform for three years after Sawtelle's passing but regrouped in 2002 with Bryan Sutton on guitar. Sawtelle's beloved studio equipment was bequeathed to Swallow Hill, and the Sawtelle Recording Studio, dedicated to helping musicians record their material at a low cost, was born. It was "a relief to have an obvious place Charles could smile upon," Wernick says, and it "meant a lot to a lot of people that he could carry on through this."

As RootsFest approaches, so does the 10-year mark of Sawtelle's passing, lending poignancy to the event, to the bonds that exist within the large community that has sprung out of the Denver Folklore Center, Swallow Hill, Hot Rize and the fans of the music and its meaning. These are "things that are worth preserving," Wernick says. With any luck, the community base of Swallow Hill will continue to thrive, and great bands like Hot Rize can inspire other up-and-coming musicians to carry on the tradition and make it their own.

For more information and tickets to RootsFest, visit www.SwallowHillMusic.org or call 303-777-1003 x2.

It's not as bad as I think...I think?

It's been tough lately and I'm really struggling with what my life is all about. I decided that I would no longer work as hard as I have because I just don't get enough in return for it and I have to have a boundary set up so that I can try to pursue other projects and what makes me happy. I'm sad that I thought I'd get more this year than last year on the money tip only to find that everything is frozen where it was...and unless I can get to $$ from $...I can't burn the candle at both ends.

I was feeling pretty low down but then I have been thinking about trying to really learn how to cast astrological charts for the hell of it (and I have a great Llewellyn George resource book), and I began to remember a chart I had done once for myself that I still have, and how I thought the astrologer was rather accurate. I went to his site today (cainer.com) and saw this year ahead forecast that somewhat soothed and reassured me.

I thought it would be good to voice my anxiety and fears and to post the forecast here as a way to reflect. I'm scared about not having enough, about stretching myself too far for too little. I sometimes fear that I'm being used too much. I have worked very hard to prove myself and I sometimes feel it is for naught. I really thought that, by this point in my life, I'd be in more of a managerial position with the best salary to date, only to find I'm still groveling at the bottom, AND, to top it off, I'm making the lowest salary of my entire life. I feel my 20s may have been my best in the career sense and that's a real bummer. And then I think, maybe I'm not meant to have a career like I wanted? Maybe my drive and ambition and aggressiveness are lost in drudgery, never to be fully expressed and used for the greater good. And that's a sucky thought. Maybe, I think at times, I'm not who I think I am nor will I ever be who I wish I could be. These are among the fears I "knitted" and now here is what the forecast tells me:

"What if nothing were to happen this year? What if no great storm cloud were on the horizon, nor any sign of real, new sunshine? What if everything were to carry on in much in the same old way?

Even if this year were to fail to fulfill many of your dearest desires you could still have a heart that was full of happiness. You could still wake up each day feeling glad to be alive. You could still discover new ways to increase your level of material and emotional comfort.

So, if you can do all that against a negative backdrop, what could you do against a positive one? Possibly not as much! Your life, currently, is full of factors that make you feel doubtful or anxious. Almost all of these, though, have more to offer you than you know. Begin 2009 by being a bit more accepting. That won't make life stand still. It won't keep change at bay. It will just mean that instead of feeling as if there is a desperate need to force a change, you are beginning on a relatively firm foundation.

When we don't have a great fear of loss or feel the urgent need to make a big gain we are always in a much better bargaining position. There are many negotiations due to take place during the coming year and you are well placed to benefit from these as long as you can stand a little further back.

In 2009, you need to feel OK! Nothing will help you feel OK unless you start by feeling as OK as you can about where you currently are. Make a conscious effort to do that and the year will bring a time when your life becomes full of interesting options and attractive propositions. There will be instances where you actually can have your cake, and eat it and other cases where you have to make a choice, albeit one that many might envy. To maximise all these chances you just need to see yourself as someone who is confident and strong. Regardless of the roller-coaster ride that 2009 is going to bring to the world, you stand protected by a great bubble of planetary help and assistance. As long as you recognise that, you will always find the wisdom and the inspiration to make the right moves, at the right times.

If the experts are to be believed, by the end of 2009, there'll be no homes left for us to live in. They will all have been claimed back by the banks that no longer exist because they have run out of the money that we haven't been saving from the wages that we are no longer being paid.

The cost of everything will have risen and we'll all be pushing wheelbarrows full of freshly minted money just to pay the newsagent for our Daily Mail. Assuming, that is, that there are any roads left down which to go. Climate change could have all our cities under water while we shiver and sniffle on makeshift barges whilst suffering from a deadly new strain of bird flu. Um... Er... Mind if I ask you a question? Do you, by any chance, know anyone who sometimes takes a small cause for concern and blows it up into a tale of terror? Might your own expectation for 2009 be based on a piece of projection that's not, in essence, so different to the exaggeration above?

I need to tell you that the opposition of Uranus and Saturn, this year, is due to benefit you enormously. It will effectively oblige you to unravel, strand by strand, every inch of the scarf of scariness you have recently knitted. Whatever you fear, it ain't gonna be that way. And whatever you dare hope for, within reason, you can have."

Spunky's Top 20 albums

For Facebook (I'm a bit of an addict at times):

“Think of 20 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life. Dug into your soul. Music that brought you to life when you heard it. Royally affected you, literally socked you in the gut, is what I mean. Then when you finish, tag 20 others, including me. Make sure you copy and paste this part so they know the drill.”

Ok, here are mine and I'm kinda just shootin' 'em off quickly with little regard for contemplation, as I think I'd drive myself crazy if I did thought about it too much. And they're somewhat based on my "growing up" experiences...lol...

1. The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

2. Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes

3. Public Enemy: Fear of a Black Planet

4. George Clinton: Computer Games

5. Dr. Dre: The Chronic

6. Nirvana: Bleach

7. Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti

8. Prince: Purple Rain

9. The Clash: Combat Rock

10. Guns N Roses: Appetite for Destruction

11. Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville

12. NWA: Straight Outta Compoton

13. Rage Against the Machine: self-titled

14. Arlo Guthrie: Alice's Restaurant

15. Bikini Kill: The Singles

16. Johnny Cash: I Walk the Line

17. Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter

18. Radiohead: OK Computer

19. Twisted Sister: Stay Hungry

20. Kate Bush: The Hounds of Love

Addictions

I have been thinking a lot lately about how life changes a person, how someone can change her own self, why we are who we are.

Mostly I have been mulling over addiction and recovery a lot lately. Once you've had any sort of addiction, be it drug or alcohol, or even something like an addiction to a relationship/co-dependency, or overeating, or sex...it changes you and the way you cope with it is something wholly unique to you. While there are programs out there to help people that are VERY worthwhile, in the end, it's all about the person coming to terms with it and taking their own steps toward sobriety. You have to figure out why you're doing that, how it affects everyone including yourself, and how you can cope with the mechanisms that set you off to be involved in these behaviors, and hopefully rise above and take it one day at a time.

I'm sad that there are some people in my life that may not understand how very fine the line can be between letting loose and having a few drinks, or a good time in whatever way, and stepping across it to self-destruct.

As I see my own self-destructive behaviors, I know that stress can impact me. I know there are voices in my head that want me to run away from time to time, to drink myself into a black out state, or take whatever drug may be handed to me, and to maybe be used by people who'd want to take advantage of that. It's happened before!

It's a matter of life and death, addiction. I wish sometimes people in my life could be just a tad more sensitive about it. While I can (and sometimes do) go out and have a drink or a few, I've known lots of alcoholics and I know how destructive a "legal drug" like alcohol can be.

Even last night as I stayed in, I was watching Diane Sawyer's program about Appalachia...how POOR and DESTITUTE these left-behind people STILL are...and it really touched me even more on this subject. Pharma companies haven't always been up front about the dangers of their products. They get prescribed to someone in this kind of depressing lifestyle and they get hooked! One case in particular: Oxycontin.

ONE Oxy pill can go for $125 in Paintsville, KY.

Drug dealing is just as prevalent as moon shining anymore...for most it is the only way to make a living!

Alcoholism is of course still a problem in the area....just like the reservations, you can find these mountain folk at the top of any statistics list for this addiction.

I have been finding too little understanding from some people in my life about these issues. I question if I really know these people and if they're really a friend to be trusted. I worry for my own people caught up in between. They need better support, not some holier-than-though BS or lack of empathy!

I don't really pray...but I do *wish* and meditate upon this whole smokescreen, that some light will shine through and that the bull-headedness will be left behind in an attempt for REAL support in recovery. Recovery is a lifetime, after all.

Shannon Whitworth @ Swallow Hill

Biscuit Burners founding member Shannon Whitworth makes an appearance at Swallow Hill
by Laura “Spunky” McGaughey
(Originally published in the February, 2009 issue of Pow'r Pickin', the official publication of the Colorado Bluegrass Music Society)

Most people would recognize Shannon Whitworth from her days with the Biscuit Burners on vocals, clawhammer banjo and guitar. An original founding member of the band, she toured with them throughout the U.S. for four years, her compositions adding depth to the band’s material.

Now she's striking out on her own, though not completely alone. Touring with a trio, she will be coming through Colorado in February, making a stop at Swallow Hill Music Association on Friday, February 13. "I've been hearing about Swallow Hill for a long time now," she says, "and figured I'd make tracks through there myself."

Joining Whitworth on her tour are John Stickley and Jake Hopping. Stickley, who used to live in Colorado, has played with myriad bands, including the Colorado Playboys. He appeared alongside Whitworth in the Biscuit Burners and how plays full-time with her on guitar and mandolin. Stickley and Whitworth have been known for performing amazing duets and will include some of those on their set list. Hopping is a great upright bass player and old time banjo player who used to be with the bluegrass band, King Wilkie.

The three together on one stage is sure to conjure pure musical magic.

Whitworth is a native of the Southeastern U.S., having lived most of her life in South Carolina. She currently resides in the mountains of Asheville, N.C. Indeed, her music reflects the rich culture of the region, from the rootsiest old time mountain music to contemporary country. A gifted songwriter, the community that surrounds her has taught her much.

She was drawn to Asheville because of its visual arts community and gained a "double education" from one of her closest friends in the area, who taught her not only about pottery, but about poetry. To her, the music she writes is simply poems put to music, and the visual arts allow her a way to relax and collect her thoughts. "In this society, we're constantly going, going, going," she says. With the practice of visual arts, she finds a space within the stillness to channel creativity.

Alongside the Appalachian pickers and potters, the natural setting of the area is inspirational. Music "exudes in the rivers and creeks" of the mountains, mimicking music, providing another source from which she can draw creatively. It's definitely not L.A.!

Speaking of mountains, Whitworth is excited to return to those in Colorado. She has been here several times and is happy to come back in pursuit of her solo endeavors. With the trio, she's "stripping it down" acoustically and having fun exploring the flexibility within the instrumentation and harmonies alongside Stickley and Hopping.

A recent Denver Post article by music critic Ricardo Baca proclaimed "the banjo is back," citing how the instrument has re-emerged throughout the Colorado scene. I ask Whitworth for her opinion, given this article, the attention the instrument is garnering throughout the music world and her own love and work with the banjo. What is the story behind the love affair with the banjo?

For Whitworth, she grew up with it, playing the instrument with her family members. "It's a fabulous instrument," she says. "It combines a lot of elements. It can be percussive or melodic. It has all kinds of different tunings. It's very accessible. You pick it up, it's in G and it automatically sounds awesome. You could make one out of a hubcap! It's very laid-back, but then you can take it to the most intense, technical side, like Béla Fleck."

Her debut solo release, No Expectations, is generating a lot of buzz. Her stunning, smoky voice and exquisite instrumentation have struck a chord in the Americana/country fan base. Whitworth is bringing in a breath of fresh air and is in top form. Her appearances thus far throughout the country are bringing out fans who are eager to receive her. No doubt Swallow Hill will be just as welcoming.

Media is changing!

I caught this on the Sunday morning broadcast yesterday and it really was succinct and brought the point home: that media power and information is shifting from the provider to the user, BUT the fundamentals of what will compel endurance of something stay the same: real, quality STORIES.

I really love it and think it's one of the best straight-to-the-point pieces about media trends I've seen in a while!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/31/sunday/main4766386.shtml

U.S. Pipe media, Citrus records + more

We've had some really great news come as of late that I just wanted to share with some of you out there.

First, Colorado Music Buzz will feature U.S. Pipe on their cover for February.

There will also be pieces about the new album and release party (set for Feb. 19 at the Bluebird--hope you can come!) in Westword and the Denver Post (hopefully more)!

And...Citrus has somewhat inherited a music studio...we're going there tomorrow to meet and talk about it some more but I think it will be a great addition to the greater Denver music community. Read more here:

http://www.denvermusicboard.com/dmb/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1174

Anyway, these are the gems in my life (not to mention Citrus' and others') right now that are giving me reason for doing what I do and being who I am and I wanted to share them with you. Please feel free to share your gems with me. We all need to be reminded of the awesomeness in our lives!

Enjoy your weekend!

Handle your own sh*t! (da rant)

Wouldn't it be a lovely world if people would just handle their own sh*t?

You know what I'm talking about...the boss that never communicates with you about something, then you have to nag and he acts like you're the biznitch, when really, he should be handling his own sh*t! He ain't got NO ONE to blame but hisself. Don't get mad at me for tryin' to keep you on point!

I have worked for other people all my life. I wish I was the boss! Seriously! I KNOW I can do better than most of those fools who've "supervised" me throughout my life. I've never needed much supervision. Once I know what is expected of me, and/or WTF is up with what I'm involved in, I can totally dig in and handle the thing.

But "management" I've had is sorely lacking in handling their own sh*t!

A friend of mine and I were talking earlier. Her boss took her to lunch recently and she was hoping to have some time with him to talk about how she can better assist him. He's got a lot to handle. She's trying to be the best she can be for him. And what, pray tell, does it all boil down to? What does he tell her?

That she should "anticipate" what he needs. If he has to tell her, he's better off to do it himself.

A mind reader? WTF?

I can't even believe that someone at that level of "in charge" can even GO there. Who thinks that an assistant is a mind reader? What? Did she go to psychic school? Has she been leading police to valuable tips per her amazing insight into things outside her normal realm? Does she speak with spirits?

Hell no!

I mean, really, people, come on. It's not about mind reading. It's about communication. Focus. Planning. Being organized. Following through on what you say you'll handle. Handle your own sh*t! Give direction and orders if you're in charge, geez! To give a performance review and tick demerits for "not mind reading" has to be one of the most ludicrous things I have EVER heard.

Today I was awestruck by the lack of foreplanning by a colleague. Life never ceases to amaze me. It's like you're sitting there, waiting for the world to pass on by...whatever happened to the thought that people in charge should be proactive, anticipating their own sh*t, motivating and being an example to those they're supposed to be supervising?

Then there are those assholes who think they're your boss even when they aren't. The ones who tell you how to do your job when they should be doing their own job. (Like you don't know how to do your job when you've been doing it for a while--and rather successfully!) The condescening way of it all...self-important bastards! ASK me for something...don't TELL me to do it and definitely don't expect that my world revolves around YOU. Have some friggin' respect, geez. Yeah, RESPECT. Let's do some teamwork, asshole. Remember that concept? Working TOGETHER?

The whole world seems backwards to me. My mommy lied. Hard work will get you a place as a grunt to some hack who gets all the glory. But I guess I should be thankful that I have what I have...because some people are in the unemployment lines!

Oh--but WHY are they in unemployment lines?

Because the fuckers in charge were CEOs who were greedy, who caused our system to collapse and they were probably, very likely, NOT HANDLING THEIR OWN SH*T.

25 Random Things About Me (for Facebook)

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your home page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people [in the right hand corner of the app] then click publish.)

1. I am from a tiny place called Briar Ridge, KY. Our address for the longest time was "Rural Route 4" and our closest neighbors were a clan of hillbillies who did everything from shoot while drunk to making moonshine, and the dog catcher. Now that land borders a nature preserve and is turning into a suburb of the sprawl of Louisville, with neighbors and neighborhoods popping up all over.

2. My first pets were a border collie/sheepdog mix named Buster and a tom cat named Taffy. Taffy never got fixed and went crazy at times. Once he bit part of the cartilage of my ear off, causing me to have to get stitches. I begged dad not to kill him and he didn't just because he loved me too much, although he would've killed it. To this day you can still see the chunk of my ear gone, if you look close enough and compare the two.

3. My heart was broken a lot in my early years because I was born a liberal optimist in a backwards part of the world. Kids taunted me, parents thought I was a bad influence and no one seemed to understand me. I found a way to feel good/deal with this through writing.

4. I think we didn't have a phone in my household until I was about 7 or 8. One of my aunts had one that we used--a party line, remember those!--and we had to walk the path to her house to accept/place calls until we got our first, hot black rotary--woot, woot!

5. I thought I was a hippie (instead of a redneck) and then I went to a hippie school to find out I wasn't one. I hate bad drum circles and I like taking showers. I *can* be communal but to a point. Some people you DON'T wanna be sharing close quarters with, ha!

6. Even though the kids in college were pretty cool, I still felt out of place slightly. I continued to write, wanted to be a writer, had an obnoxious writing professor/advisor who I allowed to rip me apart to the point that I just stopped writing. I regret that, but all the same, I learned from it.

7. I decided I'd pursue a dream I had since I was about 6: becoming an archaeologist. So I switched majors and went to study in Kytoto, Japan. This was a good time for me and one of the best things I ever did for myself as I developed more independence and esteem as a woman.

8. I was once romantically linked to a Czech who became an American citizen. He was 39 when I met him at 18. I ended up having a long-distance relationship with him and ultimately moved to Denver permanently, where he lived. One NYE he said his resolution was to have a baby with me. Two months later, I left him with nothing to my name and started out officially "on my own."

9. I slept around a lot as a young woman. I keep wondering why, if I really enjoyed it (at times I did) or if I did it out of hate of myself (at times I did). I don't find it bad nor good because women are expected to be saints over sluts more often...and men who sleep around usually get praised for their prowess. All the same, I was assaulted and I never did much about it and that sucked. But I learned how to move past it all and become stronger so it is all for the better. I don't mind telling people because dammit, it's the truth and I believe in the truth. Speaking of which...

10. Another reason I bring it up is because I refuse to feel shame or guilt! I grew up in a very traditional, conservative Southern Baptist home in which sex, homosexuality, etc., were the worst things ever. I refuse to play along with this. I view sex as natural and overall positive if people would just talk about it and be real with each other.

11. I don't believe in god. I may get slammed but...how can people believe in god when there are SO many religions, active and from the past, that claims to know what you need to know or do to get to a heaven, or advance to another level, or whatever they think. I think it's a figment of the imagination...nothing more than a tool for people who are weak. It *can* be a positive tool and I've known some great spiritual people...but for the most part, come on, god is something you can never know! When you die, when we die, we'll all find out. Until then it's just a guess at best.

12. My family didn't know I didn't believe in god until after my dad died of cancer and I finally just said I didn't believe in god or church functions. My sister, for the longest time, would talk with me about it every time we spoke and would say things like, "What's going to happen in heaven? We'll all be reunited in heaven with dad...but you..." and she didn't know what to make of where I'd be. She couldn't accept hell but heaven was certainly out of the question, given her dogma. All the same, once saved always saved, the Baptists say, and I was baptized of my own cognizance when I was 8, so hey, maybe I'm safe, either way?

13. When my dad died it was a really terrible thing. I really loved him. He was one of the most generous and hardworking people ever and he didn't deserve the way cancer took him. All the same, I felt relief because I knew he'd no longer feel pain. Before his passing, I was convinced I could save him given if I could find the right combination of natural therapies. But he didn't want to bother. We fought, my whole family fought. After he died and I went back to visit for the first time, we still fought, my brother saying things I never thought I could forgive about how bad I'd treated dad before he died. All of this is some of the saddest stuff in my life. And I feel like I can't connect with my uber-religious Southern family. It is something I can accept but at times, it does pain me, that loss...it solidified with my father's death.

14. Writing is therapeutic for me. Even now, as I write this, I can't help but cry a bit and it actually feels good because it's releasing a lot of other stresses I've been feeling trapped under lately. Writing, making music, painting, whatever your bag...you have to do it...it keeps you sane, it keeps you human. Without it we are animals!

15. Love saves us. I met my husband at a particularly pivotal moment. I felt when I first looked at him that we'd met before. It sounds pretty cliche and all but I never thought we'd be where we are today, given how it all started! I'd like to romanticize that I saved him but in a way he really saved me. Love saves us. Learn to love.

16. Ok, enough of this sap, really I'm a total arrogant bitch! :) I do have sharp edges and a soft underbelly. I am the quintessential crab. I will pinch, grab, nag, all of it. I have a sarcastic humorous edge that people either love or hate. But my intentions are all true to being positive and kind.

17. I have a low tolerance for certain things: lack of integrity, not handling your shit, not being able to remember details I've told you a thousand times. This has been a difficult thing, given I work in the music business. Musicians teach me patience...while

18. Management just makes me want to kill myself. One of life's ultimate mysteries to me is how people of such incompetence are in charge. WTF? If anyone has a hold on WTF, hit me up. Otherwise, it's something that continually comes up in my life and with which I find it very difficult to deal!

19. I am bisexual, even if you didn't guess by some other references already. I don't go around touting this or anything but it is something that people may or may not know, and I don't necessarily hide it as I flirt and get flirted with, etc. I've never come out to my family because that will just never go down well, trust me. I would prefer to be able to but it's just not on my top list. However, I wouldn't lie if they asked me. But they never will. I'm married and that makes them happy...if only I'd have kids!

20. I'll never have kids. I may get urges and my hormones may play tricks on me but are you joking? Me with a kid. Yeah. Sure.

21. I hated bluegrass when I was growing up because it was all around me and most of what I had to hear of it was Christian-themed. But today, here in Colorado, bluegrass is the bomb. Some of the best musicians EVER are bluegrass. They gotta play fast and hard and have chops unlike any stupid emo band or jam band. I hate emo and I hate jam bands, particularly the Dead and PHISH. Yuck.

22. I am a Reiki master. Oh yeah. I went through a New Age phase of life after my ho phase, trying to find the truth to the mysteries of life, trying to go back to those hippie elements of myself. I used to attend a Star Mountain Center to be a Star Shaman too...I have master Reiki certification and have pounded drums in the kiva while visualizing my chakras. I don't really do that now, lol!

23. I wish I could be Hunter S. Thompson or Tom Robbins. They're the best at what they do and always have been and always will be major influences on me.

24. If I could make a complete living off my writing, that's what I'd be doing. In a way, I'm doing it but not in a way that I love all the time. I'm happy at times writing what I write while other times it feels forced and unpleasant. Perhaps I will one day, though, and be very happy!

25. I long for freedom. It's probably at the core of everything I am and do and what compels me. I want to be able to express myself without judgment, to get up and go to bed whenever I want, to come and go anywhere and everywhere as I please, to not be under the thumb of some boss who wants to control me and demand I be in front of a computer from such-and-such hours. FREE!