Whew, been busy, time to catch up...

I've been working long full days, so I haven't really had time to update the blog. Here's a quick review of some gigs I've had......


Borders Bookstore in Colorado Springs on Saturday May15th. I played solo Chapman Stick from 6-8pm in the coffee shop area. Not a very responsive crowd, most were there to peruse books and magazines or stare at laptop screens. I did get some nice compliments and the occasional smattering of applause. A fellow Stickist from the Denver Area came down for the performance. It was very nice to meet him in person and talk a bit during my break.
I got a call from the store manger this week, he said he got a lot of positive feedback about my performance. I'll be playing there again on June 19th.

On Saturday May 22nd I played at Cafe Dawn here in Salida. It was a reception for the Artists in residence for Colorado Art Ranch. The house was packed to the extreme, I found a spot to set up near the serving counter and played for about 40 minutes. The the residents gave presentations showing what they had been working on during their stay here in Salida. Toward the end there was a little time left for music so I invited Sarah Henson from San Francisco to play. She was one of the residents and played a couple of very lovely fingerstyle guitar pieces that she had composed.
I had been working out of town and rushed home for the start of the Colorado Art Ranch Artposium "Wade in the Water", which was a total blast! I was pleased that I was able to pick up my instrument for the first time in 5 days and play a good solid set. I'm also feeling way more comfortable performing in front of people than I have ever felt before. All in all, it was a fun evening.

Saturday May 29th I performed with Steel String Revue. Chris Nasca on vocals and guitar, Brian Pence on drums, Dave Sparkman on sax and yours truly on Chapman Stick. We played at the Fallen Bikers Memorial Rally here at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds. The stage was enormous! Three huge video screens, lights, lasers, fog machines, more decibels than really necessary! We played from 4-6pm, it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside, the problem was we were inside. There was a small crowd and at least we managed to get some folks dancing. I'm hoping to get some pics and/or video from this event, I'll post it here if I do.

It looks like another busy week, I'll be back at Adams Mountain Cafe in Manitou Springs this coming Thursday and Friday, more later, peace.....

Ark Valley Humane Society

Last night (Saturday), I played a party at my friends Jan & Dan's house nearby. The party was for some cat's birthday, and by some cat, I mean an actual feline. The party was also a fund raising effort for new facilities being built for the Ark-Valley Humane Society.
As far as parties go, this was a great time, muy excellent food, drinks, and dessert, lots of nice, interesting people. Lots of very nice compliments on my playing and the music in general, as well as the numerous inquiries about the Chapman Stick.
I really do need to get some new cards together explaining the instrument and my contact info. I'm getting much better at talking briefly while playing, but it still throws me when someone wants to engage in conversation in the middle of a tune. I figure I can always nod towards a info sheet while playing and then talk after I'm done playing.
I'm really liking this new rig, especially for gigs like this. I played my Bamboo Grand through a Berhinger Xenyx 1202FX mixer into my Roland KC-300 Amp. The mixer has built in effects, so I used  just a touch of reverb, and I have instant access to EQ and volume. Last night I could easily adjust my volume as the size of the crowd grew and then dwindled. I really like having the mixer at a height I can easily reach and adjust, plus it's a great clean sound. I got a lot of compliments last night on the sound as well.
I don't have any pets myself, but I do appreciate the good work the Ark-Valley Humane Society does. I donated my time and proceeds from CD sales to their cause.