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Excerpted
from Acoustic Guitar
magazine, March
2002, No. 111.
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News
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The Second Strings Project has collected more than 10,000
sets of guitar strings for musicians in South America, Asia, and
Africa since its founding in 1999. Singer-songwriter Darryl Purpose
and activist Kevin Deame started the project to bring better-quality
equipment to musicians in underdeveloped countries. For more information,
call (516) 409-5433 or visit www.darrylpurpose.com.
Folk legend Odetta will be honored with a lifetime achievement
award at the National Folk Museum’s first annual banquet, March
20 in New York City.
Alt-country band Wilco has signed with Nonesuch Records.
And in a new documentary, I’m Trying to Break Your Heart,
director Sam Jones chronicles the recording of the band’s new album,
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as well as its tumultuous last year, which
included a split with the band’s previous label, Reprise, and various
changes in personnel. Outtakes, still photos, and a filmmaker’s
diary can be viewed at www.wilcofilm.com.
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Events
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The Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association’s Winter
Bluegrass Weekend, held March 1–3 in Plymouth, Minnesota, will feature
workshops, exhibitions, round-the-clock jam sessions, and performances
by more than 40 bands, including Mark Schatz and Friends,
with Jim Hurst, Missy Raines, and Casey Driessen.
For information, go to www.minnesotabluegrass.org.
Sharon Isbin will teach classical guitar master classes
at the Aspen Music Festival, July 19–August 18. Classes will concentrate
on technique, sound production, interpretation, and Baroque performance
practices. For more information, call (970) 925-3254 or visit www.aspenmusicfestival.com.
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New
Releases
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Stefan Grossman’s Guitar Workshop has released two new blues
instructional videos: The Guitar of Blind Lemon Jefferson,
taught by Ari Eisinger, and The Guitar of Lead Belly, taught
by Harry Lewman. For more information, call (973) 729-5544 or visit
www.guitarvideos.com.
Dick Weissman’s new book Songwriting: The Words,
the Music, and the Money (Hal Leonard) includes a brief history
lesson of the developing role of the songwriter, a chapter on operating
your own music publishing company, and advice about the benefits
of co-writing with you band’s lead singer.
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In
Memory
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Blues and ragtime fingerstyle legend Dave Van Ronk died in New
York City on February 10. Van Ronk was dubbed the "the mayor of
Greenwich Village" during the '60s because of his encyclopedic knowledge
of jazz and blues, and he became an important mentor for the young
Bob Dylan and the burgeoning New York folk-music scene. Mainstream
success eluded him, but Van Ronk he remained influential and active
in the folk community. He performed and recorded until the end of
last year, when surgery for colon cancer forced him off the road.
His most recent album was the jazz-influenced Sweet and Lowdown,
which was released last year via Santa Monica-based Folklore. He
received a traditional folk Grammy nomination in 1996 for From
. . . Another Time & Place.
Waylon Jennings, one of the great Texas "outlaws" of
country music died of complications from diabetes on February 13.
He was 64. The popular artist sold more than 40 million records
worldwide and had 89 singles that entered the Billboard singles
charts, including 53 that reached the top ten and 16 number-one
hits. Among his best-known songs are "Good Heated Woman,"
"Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys,"
and the theme from the Dukes of Hazzard, "Good Ol' Boys."
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Contests
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Amateur songwriters wishing to submit their original songs to the
annual Chris Austin Songwriting Contest—held at MerleFest
in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on April 26—should do so by
March 18. For more information, go to www.merlefest.org
or call (800) 799-3838.
The International Michele Pittaluga Composition Competition
for Classical Guitar, created to expand the contemporary repertoire,
is accepting unpublished, unperformed pieces arranged for guitar
and selected instruments. Entries must arrive by March 31, and winners
will be announced on June 5. For more information, visit www.pittaluga.org.
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Cyber
Notes
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Listen.com
recently launched Rhapsody, an interactive digital music service
that combines Internet radio, music reviews and recommendations,
and, for a monthly fee, licensed music-on-demand in a single application.
Music librarian, author, and Deadhead David Dodd combines his passions
in the Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics Web site. Dead-icated
fans can peruse lyrical analysis, background information, and critical
essays for more than 125 songs at http://arts.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl.
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Meet
A.G.
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If you’re attending the Folk Alliance Conference in Jacksonville,
Florida, February 21–24, stop by the Acoustic Guitar booth
to meet A.G. editor Simone Solondz and other staff
and pick up a free copy of the magazine. For more information on
Folk Alliance, visit www.folk.org.
Click
here to meet the Acoustic Guitar team at a wide variety upcoming
music events and trade shows. Listed below are some things happening
in the next few weeks.
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Got some news? Send it to Happenings,
Acoustic Guitar, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979-0767; email
happenings.ag@stringletter.com;
or fax (415) 485-0831.
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