Happy May!
I got my garden planted and the flowers are blooming around the yard. My son keeps asking me to get his little splash pool out, but it’s not quite time. It snowed the other day here, and there might be some more this week, so he will have to wait for a couple more weeks. There are a lot of things going on in May leading up to an absolutely slammed June 2024. No complaints from me. I’m grateful to be busy.
April was a slow month for performances. Long Road Home played a wonderful house concert in Denver, and I had a couple of private events to do. That was lucky since I have been recovering from losing my voice for almost all of March. However, there has been a lot going on in my world of teaching. Two of my students finished their time at the University of Northern Colorado and they are off to new lives in the real world. The Swallow Hill Bluegrass band, which I direct, named themselves “The Hootin’ Annies” and had a wonderful first performance at Swallow Hill. They will be playing again on May 31st at the Lady Justice Brewery in Englewood, Colorado. My Intermediate Bluegrass Ensemble class at Swallow Hill had a great performance at their session graduation, and it’s always fun to see people step on stage and do well after working so hard.
I have lots of stuff going on in May, starting with a mini-tour to Wyoming.
I’ll be on Wyoming Public Radio on May 2nd at 11am as part of the Wyoming Sounds program. I used to live in Laramie, Wyoming while I was attending the University of Wyoming and I’m excited to be back on campus to bring some songs to the Wyoming airwaves. Friday, May 3rd at 7pm I will be playing at the Blue Raven Brewery in Cheyenne. My dad, Steve Gilmore, will join me for some songs. On Saturday May 4th, I’ll be at the Stampede Saloon & Eatery in the very western town of Chugwater, Wyoming also at 7pm.
I am coordinating the Colorado Roots Music Summit for the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance (SWRFA)on May 19th, 2024 from 9am-6pm at Swallow Hill Music in Denver, Colorado. The summit will feature panels discussions on sync licensing, music video production, creating a social media strategy, and mental health for musicians. There will be networking opportunities and an open mic for attendees. $25 admission, which includes lunch! If you are a musician or interested in the music business please join us. If you know someone who might be interested in something like this please, please share this information with them. Word of mouth is the best advertising! Sign up at the SWRFA Website.
May 25th I will be back at the La Veta Mercantile with the Martin Gilmore Trio at 7:00pm. It’s always great to be back in this wonderful town in an enthusiastic listening room. It’s worth a special trip if you have never been to La Veta before.
I’ll be on tour with Jackson Emmer at the beginning and end of June, so stay tuned for those dates in the next newsletter. We will be touring around Colorado in early June and in Montana at the end of June. Jackson is a great songwriter and a super nice guy. I’ll be playing guitar and singing harmony with him.
I’m also looking forward to the Telluride Troubadour Contest which happens in mid-June at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. I’ve been fine tuning my songs and practicing as much as my schedule allows. All the songwriters in the contest have great stuff and I’m excited to be amongst such talented folks.
My album “Trade Songs: American West” is still selling well and if you haven’t downloaded it yet check it out at martingilmore.bandcamp.com where you can name your price. I’ll also trade you something for it if you have something lying around that you think I need. Just send me an email by replying to this, or through my website at martingilmore.com and we can work out the details.
The tomato seedlings are growing fast, and I need to get my drip hoses laid out before things get too busy. My chickens are laying eggs again, and our little homestead in the city is chugging right along. Thanks for all your support! I’m very grateful for my musical life.
Martin
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