Martin Gilmore Music - January 2025
Happy New Year!
We made it to the quarter-point of the 21st century. Hard to believe the date is what it is, but I’m glad to be here, and thankful for all of you reading this and supporting independent music!
January is a slow month for shows, which is lucky since I have been fighting off upper-respiratory illness for almost two months now. Some of you may have come to shows in November or December where my voice was mostly gone, but it’s coming back and I’m looking forward to taking January off to recover and do some prep work for the rest of the year.
There are some things in February that are worth mentioning now however.
The Martin Gilmore Trio will be at The Laramie County Library on February 8th, 2025 playing from 6pm-8pm. I will also do a talk about the History of the American West through music from 2-4pm.
The Martin Gilmore Trio will be playing a concert at Swallow Hill Music Association on February 22nd, 2025 starting at 8pm. Tickets are on sale and I would love to sell this one out! Don’t wait, get your tickets now!
There are some other exciting things on the horizon for 2025 that are worth mentioning.
I will be playing at the 2025 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in August since I won the 2024 Songwriter’s Showcase competition. It’s a great festival featuring some of the best songwriters and musicians out there. If you have never attended before I would highly encourage you to get tickets and come join us.
In April, I will be back in Ireland making the rounds with my dad Steve Gilmore. I’m looking forward to being back on the Emerald Isle and catching up with all of my friends there. It has truly been too long!
I have a new record in the final phases of production, and I’m hoping to have it out early this spring (you all get a little early notice since you subscribe to my email list). Keep your eyes and ears open for news about that, and if you are so inclined, you can donate to the production costs via PayPal by clicking the donate button on the homepage of my website. Every little bit helps, and it is very much appreciated!
Much more to come as the year gets rolling along.
I do have a lot of classes coming up, and now is the time to sign up!
Swallow Hill’s first regular session of 2025 starts next week and I will be offering my steadfast Intermediate Bluegrass Ensemble class. We learn four bluegrass songs over eight-weeks and perform two of them at a graduation concert in the last week of class. This is a great place to get into playing bluegrass, to try a new instrument, or meet folks to jam with. Sign up now!
Next week will be the first class of the Spring 2025 Swallow Hill Bluegrass Band. This is a sixteen-week course where we learn a whole set of music (12-songs) and play a public performance. There are five spots available (one for each bluegrass instrument: banjo, mandolin, guitar,bass, fiddle/dobro) and students will be selected after submitting an audition. If you’re interested in auditioning, please let me know ASAP. We especially need folks who are interested in playing bass, banjo, fiddle/dobro. We have a bass you can use if you are interested!
There has been a lot of interest in my Progressions classes for the Spring semester of 2025. I will be offering one on bluegrass guitar, and one on songwriting. These sixteen-week courses are deep dives into their subjects and have been some of the most rewarding teaching experiences of my life!
Progressions: Bluegrass Guitar focuses on all the elements you would need to be an effective guitar player in a bluegrass band. We discuss the depths of rhythm guitar, develop techniques to build good solos, lay the foundations for improvisation, and learn a bunch of songs and fiddle tunes. We meet twice each week, Tuesday is online for the class and discussion, Thursday is in person where we get to jam and apply what we learn.
Progressions: Songwriting is a deep-dive into all things songwriting. We talk about working through writer’s block, developing each element of the craft, building a creative framework, and much more. There are weekly writer’s prompts and assignments, and deadlines to meet for the workshopping sessions. We meet twice each week, Tuesday is online for the class and discussion sessions, and Thursdays are in-person for the workshopping sessions.
These classes are a big investment, but they have been so rewarding. The amount of improvement I see in students is really astounding and I end up missing everyone so much when the class is over. If you are interested in either of these topics, please reach out for more information, or join us online for an info session on January 7th. Classes start in February.
Another great learning opportunity for students is my Wernick Method Jam Class at Swallow Hill starting on Sunday, January 26th, 2025 and rolling through February on Sundays. It’s geared towards beginning players who are interested in getting out there and jamming with others. It’s a great place to meet folks to jam with, learn the etiquette and basics of bluegrass jamming, trying a new instrument, or just getting together and playing some music! All levels welcome, and I would love to have you in class!
My YouTube videos will be back in full force starting next week, so get subscribed if you use YouTube to keep up with new songs and lessons. There are also a lot of new learning resources and opportunities coming to my website in 2025, so keep checking back there.
Here’s wishing you a happy, productive, and inspiring 2025. I hope to see you all while I’m out and about this year!
Martin
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