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News
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Contemporary folkster
Eliza Carthy won Best Traditional Song ("Worcester City"),
Best Album (Anglicana), and Folksinger of the Year at the
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in London, England, on February 10. Linda
Thompson won Best Original Song for "No Telling," and Irish
band Altan garnered the Best Group Award. Singer-songwriter
John Prine was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award
for his contribution to songwriting. Ireland's Christy Moore
also received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Dixie Chicks broke
yet another record on March 1 with the biggest single-day concert
ticket sale in music history: more than 867,000 tickets sold
for their Top of the World tour, bringing in $49 million in sales
and selling out 51 of 59 shows.
Prominent polka musicians
and polka-friendly members of the music industry met in Nashville,
Tennessee, on February 9 to form a polka trade organization.
The as-yet-unnamed organization will work to improve polka's public
image, resolve differences among the various ethnic styles, and
provide support to artists, promoters, and labels while preserving
the genre's musical heritage.
Satellite radio provider
Sirius (www.sirius.com)
recently launched the Working Artist Group at Sirius, dedicated
to recording and producing unsigned artists in their New
York City studio. Selected songs from these sessions will be broadcast
on the Sirius satellite radio network and released on compilation
CDs.
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Events
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The Association of
Stringed Instrument Artisans Symposium will be held June 4–8
at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Working and would-be
luthiers can attend an inlay class by Amy Hopkins, an engraving
class by Jay Darmstadter, a presentation by Martin Guitar's R&D
department, and panels on different aspects of lutherie. For registration
information, go to www.guitarmaker.org.
Guitar-toting windsurfers
can enjoy both their hobbies at the Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished
Music Festival, June 10–15, in Worthington, Minnesota.
The free event includes performances by Kristina Olsen, windsurfing
and musical gear swaps, workshops, and jams. For information, go
to www.wgtn.net/wow.
Build a river raft,
go catfishing, and watch an arm wrestling championship at Huck Finn's
Jubilee (www.huckfinn.com),
June 13–15, in Mojave Narrows Regional Park, Victorville,
California. Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, Blue Highway, the
Del McCoury Band, and other bluegrass and country musicians
will perform throughout the weekend.
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New
Releases
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Classical guitarist
JoAnn Falletta's latest CD, Schubert's Guitar (Koch
International Classics, www.kochentertainment.com),
features her original transcriptions of Schubert's works for guitar,
clarinet, flute, and soprano, including a previously unrecorded
transcription of Schubert's "Arpeggione" sonata arranged for guitar
and clarinet.
Merlefest Live! The
15th Anniversary Jam is available on CD, DVD, and VHS at www.merlefest.org.
The recording features performances by Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs,
Patty Loveless, Alison Krauss, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Tim O'Brien,
Chris Thile, Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, and many others. MerleFest
has also released Fresh Faces at MerleFest 2003, a CD with
performances by Americana artists who are new to the MerleFest stage.
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In
Memory
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Jim McReynolds,
of the bluegrass duo Jim and Jesse, died December 31, 2002, in Gallatin,
Tennessee, at age 75. Jim's clear, high tenor and rhythm guitar
complemented his brother Jesse's lead vocals and cross-picked mandolin
to create the duo's unique sound, as heard on "Are You Missing Me,"
"The Flame of Love," and their biggest hit, 1967's "Diesel on My
Tail." Although deeply rooted in bluegrass, the duo pushed musical
boundaries, experimenting with percussion and recording an album
of Chuck Berry songs, Berry Pickin' in the Country.
Lovin' Spoonful guitarist
Zal Yanovsky suffered a fatal heart attack on December 13,
2002, at his farm outside Kingston, Ontario. The short-lived Spoonful
charted seven Billboard Top-10 hits, including "Summer in
the City," "Daydream," and "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?"
in less than two years. After the band broke up, Yanovsky briefly
pursued a solo recording career before moving to Kingston, where
he opened a restaurant with his wife.
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Contests
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Step onto an old Hollywood
movie set for the Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest and Folk Festival,
May 18, at the Paramount Movie Ranch in Tarzana, California. Events
include over 100 instrumental and singing contests, folk dancing,
and old-time, folk, and bluegrass performances. For information,
go to www.topangabanjofiddle.org.
Acoustic Live is looking
for 42 artists and bands to compete for prizes and perform
in Los Angeles in front of music industry professionals. Musicians
can submit tapes or CDs of their original material until August
1. For complete submission requirements, go to www.acousticlive.net.
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Cyber
Notes
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Gregg Miner's Knutsen
Archives (home.earthlink.net/~chrisknutsen)
is an online museum dedicated to harp guitar builder Chris Knutsen.
The site includes historical information and extensive photographs
of Knutsen's instruments.
German luthiers Uli
Albert and Toni Müller offer printable and downloadable PDFs
of blank guitar and mandolin tab paper, standard notation
paper, and chord diagram sheets in their A&M Cafe (www.albert-mueller.de/cafe/print/print.html).
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Meet
A.G.
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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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Excerpted from Acoustic
Guitar magazine, June
2003, No. 126.
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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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