Happy autumn!
I have two trees in my front yard that provide wonderful shade. They have dense small leaves that grow quickly in the spring. In the fall, they all let go at once, so one day my lawn is green and the next day its covered in all the leaves from these trees. That day was last week, so we are in full fall mode here. The garden is harvested, and I need to make a new door for my chicken coop.
October was busy with teaching. My final class session for the University of Denver Enrichment School is on November 2nd and then I’m off to work on planting seeds for a potential songwriting camp in New Mexico sometime in 2023. Stay tuned for that, I think it will be a really magical setting in an inspiring place.
I don’t have many shows this month, but there are a couple I want to highlight. First, My student bluegrass ensemble at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley will be playing on Monday, November 7th in the Milne Auditorium in Kepner Hall at 7:30pm. We will be joined by Eric Thorin’s Alternative String Styles Ensemble. It’s free and open to the public. Please come and see the hard work these students have put in this semester. It has been a hard re-entry after COVID, and I’m very proud of them.
Second, I will be playing an online happy-hour show on November 18th at 4:30pm to start working out some new material. Some of you may recall that I did some livestream concerts during the pandemic. While not as much fun as live shows it does allow audiences in far-flung places (Ireland, Egypt, Etc.) to see a show. Also, it’s a great place to work out new material. I have been writing new songs and working up new repertoire. I think it’s easy to fall into the old and comfortable repertoire when I’m playing live, so this winter I’m going to be doing a few of these shows to try out new stuff. In a change of platform I’ll be broadcasting from my YouTube channel rather than from my Facebook page. However, a recording of the concert might show up on Facebook after the fact. Make sure not to miss it by subscribing to my YouTube Channel. I hope you will join me!
Finally, my bluegrass band Long Road Home will be playing a show at Oskar Blues in Lyons, CO on November 19th! We have some festivals booked for next year so we are getting back in shape with a few shows. It’s always great to play traditional bluegrass with these guys. Justin Hoffenberg and I started Long Road Home in 2005, and Pete Wernick and Jordan Ramsey joined us in 2008. It’s hard to believe that we are nearing 20 years together as a band. These shows are always a big party, and Oskar Blues is the only place where Long Road Home plays without our signature suits. Come on up and party bluegrass style!
This year has flown by, but I’m so glad to be back to making music. I can’t believe it’s time to start thinking about next year already. Thanks for reading, and thanks for listening. Hope to see you somewhere before the end of the year.
Martin
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