Acoustic Americana Music Guide NEWS FEATURES, July 11 edition

        
Acoustic Americana Music Guide NEWS FEATURES, July 11 edition
        
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This is quite a week and the coming weekend is WILD. In addition to all the NEWS that's right here, check out the full abundance of events in the newest edition of The Guide’s SPOTLIGHT EVENTS athttp://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2011/07/spotlight-events-acoustic-americana.html     
    
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        Welcome to the  
      
    Tied to the Tracks  
    
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          ACOUSTIC
                    AMERICANA
                              MUSIC GUIDE
                                        NEWS FEATURES
                                         
                                                       July 11, 2011 edition
    
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THIS WEEK’S NEWS FEATURES    
    
  1) SILENT MOVIE CLASSICS WITH LIVE MUSIC, JUST FIVE BUCKS, MONDAY, JULY 11  
  2) DULCIMERS, ANYONE?  
  3) TEXAS MUSIC STAR CAROLYN MARTIN IN TOWN FOR THURSDAY SHOW  
  4) FUR DIXON & STEVE WERNER's CD RELEASE SHOW IS FRIDAY AT McCABE'S    
  5) BOULEVARD MUSIC SUMMER FESTIVAL, FREE, SUNDAY, JULY 17    
  6) PERSHING SQUARE SUMMER LUNCHTIME CONCERT SERIES STARTS
    WEDNESDAY    
  7) CAMARILLO CAFÉ CONCERT SERIES BRINGS FINE MUSIC TO VENTURA COUNTY  
  8) JULY 23 & 24 WEEKEND: FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, TOUGH CHOICES    
  9) SKIRBALL'S SUNSET CONCERT SERIES FOR 2011 – WHAT HAPPENED?  
10) GOOD MUSIC FILMS IN SKIRBALL'S SUMMER OFFERINGS    
11) ARTIST'S SUICIDE BRINGS THOUGHTS THAT MAY PREVENT ANOTHER TRAGEDY  
  
    
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       Here are these news feature stories...    
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Our # 1 Story
    
SILENT MOVIE CLASSICS WITH LIVE MUSIC, JUST FIVE BUCKS, MONDAY, JULY 11
    
    If you're expecting to hear about a big theater organ supplying sound for a silent film, this is a LOT more than that. It's a full band of top musicians performing a new original score. When was the last time THAT happened? Tonight at 7 pm, the Oscar-winning "Best Picture of 1923," Paramount's "The Covered Wagon" will screen at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Bl, Beverly Hills. Just going there for a screening should be enough to get you excited. Add to it the film's accompanying new live music by Hollywood veterans WILL RYAN & THE CACTUS COUNTY COWBOYS.
     There's more. The evening brings multiple films, including rare, never-before-seen 3-D images from LON CHANEY's "Phantom of the Opera" (with 3-D glasses provided). Plus, more classic silent film surprises.
     "The Covered Wagon," the main feature, includes ALAN HALE (one actor you may know from his much-later TV career); it stars J. WARREN KERRIGAN and LOIS WILSON, and features the star of THOMAS EDISON's 1910 film "Frankenstein," CHARLES OGLE.
     So, the silent part is rather special. Now, let's introduce you to the artists doing the live performance of sound – the original music – for this special night.
     Think you’ve never heard WILL RYAN’s voice? Well, you – and your entire family – have been hearing him for decades, as Tigger, Eeyore, Goofy, Yosemite Sam, and hundreds of animated film and TV characters for whom he’s been the voice. That includes the speaking and singing voice of Eugene on Radio Adventures in Odyssey.
     Will's songwriting is marvelous. He has written songs for other artists, including tracks on albums by PATTI LaBELLE and THE POINTER SISTERS. His originals have been recorded by Jonathan Winters, George Gobel, Alan Young, and even Mr. T.
     A true all-star band, tonight's lineup of WILL RYAN & THE CACTUS COUNTY COWBOYS features internationally-performing conductor/composer BENEDICT “BENNY” BRYDERN (Hot Club Quartette, Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys) on violin, JOHN “PRESTO” REYNOLDS (Janet Klein & Her Parlor Boys, R Crumb's Cheap Suit Serenaders, and many other notable bands) on guitar and banjo, KATIE CAVERA (in-demand '20s and '30s music specialist) on upright bass, multi-instrumental wunderkind CHLOE FEORANZO on clarinet (and maybe a lot more), RANDY WOLTZ on percussion, film composer DEAN MORA on piano, and WILL RYAN on guitar and humidophone.
     Band leader WILL RYAN has two Gold Records, an Emmy and an Annie Award, BMI’s Pioneer Award, and a nomination for the Writers Guild Award, plus he's the long-time Official Troubadour of the City of Burbank, and plenty more.
     This special screening with live performance of the new score is a ONE NIGHT ONLY event, open to the public. More info (if you dig for it) is at www.Oscars.org and you can get advance tix with no processing fee (what a concept) at http://sa1.seatadvisor.com/sabo/servlets/EventSearch?presenter=AMPAS&venue=OSCARS-LINWOOD,OSCARS-GOLDWYN,OSCARS-HIGHLAND. Tickets are only $5!
     
    
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Our # 2 Story
    
DULCIMERS, ANYONE?
    
    This must be Dulcimer Week. First, this Tuesday, July 12, brings both a workshop and a concert by mountain (fretted) dulcimer master DON PEDI, on a rare West Coast visit. Check him out at www.donpedi.com. Both events are in Downey. The workshop on Strumming and Fingering Techniques, is 6-8 pm; complimentary refreshments are 8-8:30 pm; the concert is 8:30-10 pm. Workshop is $20; concert is $10; or attend both for $25. Spaces are limited, so make reservations promptly at dulcimer@scdh.org or by calling 562-861-7049 or 562-665-3418.
    Then, Wednesday, July 13, 6:30-9 pm, is the monthly HAMMERED DULCIMER SESSION at Culver Palms United Methodist Church, Room 6, 4464 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City 90230 (Near 405 Fwy & Culver Bl.) You can come at 5 pm and join the group for dinner at Tender Greens at 9523 Culver Bl, Culver City 90232; RSVP to bgershman@socal.rr.com (Barbara Gershman).
    Thursday, July 14, 4-7 pm, WHEN PIGS FLY! - a group with dulcimers, does a free performance at the South Pasadena Farmers Market, 905 Meridian Av (at Mission Bl), South Pasadena 91030; www.farmernet.com/events/one-cfm?venue_id=822. Bring chairs or a blanket for seating. You can ride the Gold Line light rail to the Mission Station and you're right there. Music is in the grassy park at the Gold Line end of the market near the food booths.
    Friday, July 8 (and every Friday evening) KATTYWOMPUS, complete with dulcimers, plays 8-10 pm for the family-friendly and free Monrovia Street Festival, at 412 S Myrtle Ave, Monrovia 91016.
    Saturday, July 16, 8-11 pm, DULCIMANIA with NORM JACOBSON and BARBARA GERSHMAN on hammered dulcimer and BRAD MOORE on mountain dulcimer perform at Alta Coffeehouse, 506 31st St, Newport Beach; info, contact Norm Jacobson, norm@dulcimania.com. There's no cover, and the band says “the coffee and food are great.”
    Sunday, July 17, 9 am-noon, WHEN PIGS FLY! performs at the Long Beach Southeast Farmers Market at Alamitos Bay Marina, E Marina Dr, south of E 2nd, Long Beach; http://www.farmernet.com/events/one-cfm?venue_id=608.    
    If you want to hear, find, or learn to play either the mountain (fretted) or hammered dulcimer, check the Southern California Dulcimer Heritage website, www.scdh.org – they list plenty of events and resources.
    
    
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Our # 3 Story
    
TEXAS MUSIC STAR CAROLYN MARTIN IN TOWN FOR THURSDAY SHOW
    
     No less than VINCE GILL wrote in Guitar Player magazine, “Carolyn Martin is a great swing singer. It’s rare to hear a singer that really swings these days, and she certainly does.”
     A 2011 inductee into the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, CAROLYN MARTIN is a multiple award-winning western swing singer and guitarist. Carolyn's performances combine classic western swing, jazz standards, and new material into a high energy show. Carolyn will be accompanied by upright bassist Dave Martin for her Thursday night show at the Coffee Gallery Backstage.
     Carolyn has been described as “… a winning throwback to the days where emotion was measured and artful rather than loud and histrionic.” From European concert halls to intimate venues at home in Nashville, fans have come to know Carolyn as a vocalist with a unique sense of musical style, a charismatic stage presence and a voice that exudes passion and experience – the soulful elegance that is the very essence of music.
     Carolyn was named as the 2008 and the 2010 Western Swing Female Vocalist of the Year by the Academy of Western Artists. Her CD, “Swing,” was a nominee for the Western Music Association Western Swing Album of the Year and as named as one of the Top 10 western swing albums of the year by DJ’s around the world. Carolyn’s latest project, “Cookin’ With Carolyn”, has been nominated by the WMA as both the Western Swing Album of the Year and the Album of the Year, and Carolyn has been nominated for the Outstanding Female Vocalist award by the WMA.
     RANGER DOUG, of the Grammy-winning RIDERS IN THE SKY, says, “I have grown increasingly in awe of Carolyn’s talent: her taste, her musical sensibility, the thoughtfulness and care she brings to every line of every song she sings.”
     JUNI FISHER, the Western Music Association 2009 Female Performer of the Year, says, “Carolyn is absolutely, positively the best!”
     CAROLYN MARTIN, with bassist DAVE MARTIN, play Thursday, July 14, 8 pm, at the Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Av, Altadena; info, www.coffeegallery.com; reservations are strongly recommended, at 626-798-6236.
    
    
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Our # 4 Story
    
FUR DIXON & STEVE WERNER's CD RELEASE SHOW IS FRIDAY AT McCABE'S
    
    Certainly and deservedly one of L.A.’s favorite folk duos, these two have toured the open road and the charming roadside venues and smoky bars in countless little burgs, playing far and wide to great acclaim. Along the way, they've become specialists – authorities, even – on the rhythms and themes and music of the road and its characters, their idosyncracratic fellow travelers on it, from blue-skied back roads to ribbons disappearing over some distant horizon.
    Their originals are so good you wonder they aren’t waaaay up the Folk & Americana Charts. Typically, they mix-in some traditional favorites with their splendid vocal harmonies and Steve’s fabulous Merle Travis-style picking.
    Any show they play is a thoroughly satisfying experience. But this one is more. This Friday, FUR DIXON & STEVE WERNER play their CD RELEASE SHOW for their latest album, "Songs of the Open Road."
    And they're playing amidst warnings of trouble of a closed road. You should note that the scheduled closure of the 405 Fwy won't happen until midnight Friday, so you can get over the Sepulveda Pass – and off the entire freeway system – in plenty of time after the show.
    Fur and Steve tell us, "We'll be performing 'Songs of the Open Road' in its entirety plus all your favorite Fur and Steve songs. The concert features the death defying skills of JOHN McDUFFIE on steel guitar, BRANTLEY KEARNS on fiddle, PAUL MARSHALL on bass, and from Conjunto Los Pochos, OTOÑO LUJAN on accordion."
    Fur adds, “It's Steve's Birthday! Cake anyone?” And you can meet Fur's Mom, Betty, from NYC. It'll be the first time she sees them perform live in concert.
    This all-ages show would be a sure sell-out, except for all those 405 Freeway fears. It's the duo's only L.A. performance this summer, and it's with their all-star band, to boot. So, go. If you like to eat at Norm's at Pico & Sepulveda, just remember that this time, you should go there before the show - that way you can be home before the midnight closure of the 405. The show is Friday, July 15, 8-10:30 pm, at McCabe's, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica 90405; 310-828-4497. Advance tix ($15) are available online at http://store.mccabes.com/home.php?cat=249.  
    
    
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Our # 5 Story
    
BOULEVARD MUSIC SUMMER FESTIVAL, FREE, SUNDAY, JULY 17
    
    The annual Boulevard Music Summer Festival is presented by GARY MANDELL and his music store and acoustic performance venue in Culver City. This year looks great, with performances by BERNIE PEARL, BORDER RADIO, JAMES LEE STANLEY, TRACY NEWMAN, RICK SHEA, CHAD WATSON, FRANK GIFFEN, SABRINA & CRAIG, CERVES McNEIL, GREGOR WALNUM, ED MUNTER, PETER McGOWAN, THE DOZIERS, WESTSIDE VOICES, PAUL ARNOLDI, CHRIS SMITH, the Boulevard staff and teachers, and more, at Veteran's Park, 4117 Overland Av (at Culver), Culver City. It's some of the finest local and nationally known talent in a five-hour variety show of folk, blues, country, jazz, and pop, plus Gary Mandell's “all new jokes about the music business.” Bring a picnic lunch, a blanket or lawn chair, and enjoy a great afternoon of live music in Culver City. There are shady places for your chair, or bring your sunscreen and bask. It's Sunday, July 17, 11 am-4 pm, and it's free.
    
    
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Our # 6 Story
    
PERSHING SQUARE SUMMER LUNCHTIME CONCERT SERIES STARTS WEDNESDAY
    
    An Americana group, THE BROKEN NUMBERS BAND, kicks off the 2011 season debut of the Pershing Square Free Summer Lunchtime Concert Series. If you work downtown, be sure you get out of the office for a long lunch this Wednesday, July 13.
     The self-described “Folk/Country/Rock/Americana” band brings MICHAEL WHITESIDE on banjo, guitar & vocals; TYLER WHITESIDE on drums, harmonica & vocals; JACOB LIPMAN on fiddle, piano & organ; COREY GRAHAM LOVETT on vocals, guitar & harmonica; and CHRIS SOUSA on bass. There's more at www.thebrokennumbersband.com. Get downtown, grab some take-out food at nearby Grand Central Market and check 'em out.
     The show is noon-1:30 pm in Pershing Square, 532 South Olive St, downtown Los Angeles 90013. There's more info at www.laparks.org/pershingsquare; or call 213-847-4970
    
    
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Our # 7 Story
    
CAMARILLO CAFÉ CONCERT SERIES BRINGS FINE MUSIC TO VENTURA COUNTY
    
    Okay, so it's really not a cafe at all. But they do serve-up some tasty musical treats. Sponsored by the Pleasant Valley Recreation & Parks District, and produced by Gary & Kathy Lynch, it's an every-other month series that always packs the place to overflowing. This week's show is especially tempting.
    It's a double-bill with ERNEST TROOST plus JOHN ZIPPERER & FRIENDS. Part of the series format brings an open mic preceding the featured acts. ERNEST TROOST is a Kerrville New Folk winner and L.A.’s resident expert practioner of the Piedmont Blues style. Zipperer and his band received their first airplay on “Tied to the Tracks,” en-route to getting featured sets at Folk Alliance conferences. Sponsored by Pleasant Valley Recreation & Parks District. Produced by Gary & Kathy Lynch.
    ERNEST TROOST , a Kerrville New Folk Award winner, has an evocative songwriting style. He combines folk and Piedmont blues style guitar picking with timeless stories and colorful character portrayals drawn from the American past and present. Ernest is an award-winning composer of scores for films and television, including the quirky scores for the Oscar-nominated animated short Dr. DeSoto and the much-loved cult classic Tremors. From his hipster jazz for the Sundance film Beat, to the majestic orchestra and choir for the MGM historical epic One Man's Hero, to the edgy delta minimalism of HBO's Lesson Before Dying, and the playfully eclectic score for the Campbell Scott film Crashing, Ernest's music always uniquely supports the filmmaker's vision. Check out www.ErnestTroost.com for more.
    JOHN ZIPPERER has performed and taught with such greats as Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus), Doane Perry (Jethro Tull) Dave Sutton and many other notable members of the Los Angeles music community. His focus on new material and new approaches to familiar material makes every performance fresh and keeps audiences coming back again and again. John will be joined by Friends TARA SITSER (vocals, keyboard, percussion), ED "THE SPOON MAN" TERRY (spoons, vocals) and JIM VAN BOOVEN (vocals, acoustic & electric bass). More at www.JohnZipperer.com     
    Here’s the schedule:
7:30 pm - Doors open - open mic signups begin
8 pm - Open mic (sign-ups start at 7:30)
8:30 pm - John Zipperer & Friends
9:20 pm - Break (refreshments and snacks available)
9:40 pm - Ernest Troost
    It's Friday, July 15. The “Camarillo Café Concert Series” is $10 at the door., at the Camarillo Community Center, 1605 E Burnley St (NE corner, Carmen & Burnley), Camarillo. More info at www.CamarilloCafe.com; 805-523-2682.     
    
    
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Our # 8 Story
    
JULY 23 & 24 WEEKEND: FESTIVALS, CONCERTS, TOUGH CHOICES
    
    For starters, if you want to see DOLLY PARTON at the Hollywood Bowl, she plays two nights, so go see her on Friday, July 22 and keep the weekend free. (Uh, except that would keep you from seeing the Grammy-winning PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND on Friday at Open Borders, the new venue in Thousand Oaks (www.openborders2011.com. First thing you'll discover on their website is another Grammy-winning band, THE KLEZMATICS, play there on the 23rd).     
    Yeah, you're right. That weekend will be loaded with temptations and distractions. Among them are festivals – two on Saturday and one on Sunday. On Saturday, July 23, you can chose from the National “DAY OF THE COWBOY & COWGIRL” or the annual "MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS FESTIVAL."
    The first one brings Grammy winners RIDERS IN THE SKY, a Square Dance with THE BEES KNEES and caller SUSAN MICHAELS and many varied western-theme activities and performances, 11 am-5 pm, at the Autry National Center (Autry Museum) 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, L.A. 90027.
     It's in conjunction with the “National Day of the Cowboy” in the US and Canada, and it's the Autry's second year with a big event (last year's “day of” broke attendance records).
     More info at www.TheAutry.org.      
     
     The annual "MUSIC IN THE MOUNTAINS FESTIVAL" on Saturday, July 23, brings LOONEY'S FORTUNE, PATTI AMELOTTE, GEORGIANNA HENNESSY, MATT TONGE, WHEN PIGS FLY! JIM COPE, BEA ROMANO, JIM ROMANO, MARIANNE SCANLON, LEGACY, BARBARA GERSHMAN, PATTY MCCOLLOM, SENARA, DIANE GRADY, SANDI HUCKABY, CAROL POTTER, WAKE THE BARD, MICHAEL & STEPHANIE ADAMS, CLARE BELLEFEUILLE-RICE, PAT & SANDI HUCKABY, with workshops, concerts and jams all day long at beautiful Green Valley Lake, at a cool 7000 ft elevation in the San Bernardino Mountains. Info, www.green-valley-lake.com/MITM_info.html; or contact Sandi Huckaby, 909-867-7105 or huckaby49@yahoo.com.
     
     Meanwhile, there's an ASSOCIATION OF FINGERSTYLE GUITARISTS SEMINAR at noon at Mo's Fullerton Music. More at www.afg.org.      
     
     Saturday night, July 23, brings more tough choices. But the two festivals end in time to catch an evening show, so why not?
     THE SYNCOPATHS, the great contra dance band, do a concert at the Caltech Folk Music Society series in Beckman Institute Auditorium, and they perform at a contra dance the next day, at Dabney Lounge, both on the Caltech Campus in Pasadena. There's plenty more on them in the Guide's Spotlight Events section.
     Grammy-winners, THE KLEZMATICS play Saturday night at Open Borders, 125 W Thousand Oaks Bl, Thousand Oaks 91360; www.openborders2011.com; email openbordersmedia@gmail.com; 805-497-1018. This new venue is kid-friendly and wheelchair accessible and has already booked some first-rate talent.
     Or, at 8 pm, DOUG MacLEOD & JESSE MacLEOD perform dynamite acoustic blues at Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City; www.boulevardmusic.com; 310-398-2583. The venue’s web site has a helpful local dining guide.
     
Then there's Sunday, July 24. In San Diego, 11 am 5 pm, there's the annual “SEA CHANTEY FESTIVAL” with THE JACKSTRAWS, KEN GRAYDON, RAGGLE TAGGLE, FLASH PACKET, GILMAN CARVER, TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY WALKER, JEFF PEKAREK, abpard the docked sailing vessel Star of India, 1492 N Harbor Dr, San Diego 92101; 619-234-9153. If you go, catch the next one:
     At 7:30 pm, GUY DAVIS plays the AMSD Concert Series, 4650 Mansfield St, San Diego 92116; 619-303-8176.
     At the Skirball on Sunday the 24th, there's ZAK MORGAN, who performs the Skirball's only folk music shows of the summer, at noon & 2 pm in an all-ages Family Amphitheater
Performance. Plus, if you go, allow time for a 2 pm lecture ($12), “William Kalush: The
Secret Life of Houdini,” which will add greatly to your experience of the summer's special
exhibition there.
     Sunday afternoon at 3:30 pm, THE SYNCOPATHS play a contra dance with caller SUSAN MICHAELS at Dabney Lounge on the Caltech Campus in Pasadena.
     Sunday night at 7 pm, FRANK FAIRFIELD, the wizard of old time banjo and delightfully appropriate vocals, plays McCabe’s, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica 90405; 310-828-4497.
    
    
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Our # 9 Story
    
SKIRBALL'S SUNSET CONCERT SERIES FOR 2011 – WHAT HAPPENED?
    
    Looks like somebody didn't get the memo. In past years, the prestigious and free weekly
summer concert series at the Skirball Cultural Center has always included Americana / folk-Americana. Not in 2011. The six consecutive Thursdays are all world music that's well, uh, out
there.
    So, what happened? In spite of the clear evidence that Americana is the hottest thing going (record-breaking attendance at this spring's folk-Americana music festivals, despite a crappy
economy; rock-pop SPIN Magazine doing an all-Americana issue for June; the sold-out
phenomenon of the Railroad Revival Tour; Austin City Limits backing away from alt rock to
return to its Americana / alt-country roots; and many more signs and trends) it seems the
Skirball decided to book nothing but world music this summer.
    Crazy thing is, the Skirball's slick summer season brochure has a message from its
president right inside the cover, and he uses it to talk about music – specifically, the classic
cowboy song, “Red River Valley,” and how it influenced his acculturation as an American. But, aside from his salute, don't look to the Skirball's Thursday series for what it's welcomed in the past: there are no cowboys in big hats, or bluegrassers in overalls, or fedora-clad bluesmen, or rollicking old time string bands, or modern or history-based socially conscious folkies booked
for the prestigious multicultural institution's fine outdoor venue this time around.
    We always look forward to catching some of the Skirball's free Thursday summer concerts ($10 to park, though). We 'spect we'll skip it this year. Their promo wants you to “Kick back and groove … to a diverse line-up of leading musicians.” Groove? Uhh, no thanks. We'd waltz or shuffle or clog or contra or do the two-step. But “groove” sounds too much like that “world beat”
stuff that's essentially bad American pop sung in some other language.
    Not that their offering isn't high quality – within the genres they choose to represent. They
have Cape Verde-derived Afro-Brazilian singer MARIA de BARROS as their season opener,
July 21. The Punjabi (North Indian) dhol drums and horns of RED BARRAT make their U.S.
West Coast debut there on July 28. YEMEN BLUES brings “West and North African grooves”
on August 4. The “rumba flamenco, Latin, and Middle Eastern” music of NURIYA is August 11. The “colorful mixture of Zimbabwean sounds, Western rock, and other modern musical genres” of THOMAS MAPFUNO AND THE BLACKS UNLIMITED play August 18.
    Only one thing makes us say, Well, maybe...
    The Thursday night series closes with the only offering that tempts us (at all), Mexican-
American accordion virtuoso MR. VALLENATO – though it appears he'll concentrate on
Columbian music for his August 25 Skirball show.
    As Chicago Cubs fans say (and Dodgers fans are learning to say), there's always next year...    
    
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Our # 10 Story
    
GOOD MUSIC FILMS IN SKIRBALL'S SUMMER OFFERINGS
     
     As if to compensate for the concert offerings, there's a surprising mix of unexpected films at the Skirball, featuring iconic musicians of this and previous eras.
     Most screen at an inconvenient midday Tuesday time, though two screen on Saturday after-noons. There's one folkie playing one Saturday, and a fine special exhibition on the late, great HARRY HOUDINI. But, as you saw in the preceding story, there's nothing for folk-Americana
fans this year in the big Thursday night free concert series. But we do need to bring you the
good news – good, except for schedules.
     
Skirball's Summer Film Series is Focused on Music & Musicians
     
     A pair of Saturday afternoon films and a Tuesday daytime series are all free, reservations
not needed, and these are worth the $10 parking charge (or park free, down the hill, and ride
the Metro bus).
     “THE KLEZMATICS: ON HOLY GROUND” (2010, 105 minutes) screens Saturday, July 23, chronicling the Grammy-winning indie band's lives and live performance. 2 pm and it's free.
     “JOAN BAEZ: HOW SWEET THE SOUND” (2009, 110 minutes) screens Sunday, August
20 at 2 pm, and it's free. Directed by multiple Emmy Award-winner Susan Lacy (“Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind”) the film “offers unprecedented access to iconic singer-songwriter
JOAN BAEZ, Examining her remarkable history as a recording artist, performer, and social
activist.”
     “SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND” (1978, 113 minutes) the update of THE BEATLES classic, with PETER FRAMPTON, THE BEE GEES, and ALICE COOPER, screens Tuesday, July 5 at 1:30 pm.
     “CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC” (1980, 124 minutes) is a musical comedy based on THE
VILLAGE PEOPLE, screens Tuesday, July 12 at 1:30 pm.
     “YES, GIORGIO” (1982, 110 minutes) stars the great LUCIANO PAVAROTTI as a fictional
Italian opera singer. It's Tuesday, August 2 at 1:30 pm.
     “SINCERELY YOURS” (1955, 115 minutes) cast LIBERACE at the height of his career in a drama of an aspiring classical pianist who becomes deaf, then discovers a world full of people with greater misfortunes than his own. That closes the season, Tuesday, August 9, at 1:30 pm.
     
Three Interesting Weekends, and a Summer Exhibition
     
     The summer's best opportunity at the Skirball is Sunday, July 24. Mentioned in the previous story, there's a 2 pm lecture ($12), “William Kalush: The Secret Life of Houdini,” which will add greatly to your experience of the summer's special exhibition. And see ZAK MORGAN, who
performs the Skirball's only folk music shows of the summer (noon and 2 pm) in an all-ages
Family Amphitheater Performance.
     We are happy that the Skirball is presenting “Houdini: Art and Magic,” a summer exhibition
through September 4. It features over 150 artifacts and artworks, including the legendary
escape artist's Metamorphosis Trunk and other apparatus, included with museum admission.
Plan carefully, and you can catch it on a day when something else interesting is happening.
     Saturday, August 13, THE SQUEEGES perform “Eco-friendly music” in the same
amphitheater series, and Sunday, August 28 is WE TELL STORIES, a concert of storytelling
from around the world. Each happens twice, at noon and 2 pm. (There are other programs of
various kinds on other weekends. Note that the Skirball is closed July 16 & 17, with the 405
Fwy closure.)
    
    
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Our # 11 Story
    
ARTIST'S SUICIDE BRINGS THOUGHTS THAT MAY PREVENT ANOTHER TRAGEDY
    
    This one is difficult to write. It opens wounds for some of us, wounds of other losses, when another artist friend chose to leave us, or when a member of the armed services took their own life rather than be re-deployed ,yet again, to a war zone. (We note that just this past week, President Obama changed a long-standing Pentagon policy that had prohibited a letter of condolence being sent to the family of any member of the military who died as a suicide.) Time was, cancer couldn't be discussed – the word could not even be mentioned. An absence of dialog offers little hope for prevention of most things we want to change or stop or avoid.
    So we are sharing this with you. A young artist named ARWEN MORGAN, much beloved by the maritime music community in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest for her work with her family's band, THE CUTTERS, took her own life on Thursday, July 7.
    Within a few hours, the Seattle music community was sharing the news and attempting to make sense of it. Things have been uncharacteristically open. We learned that “she had been under treatment for some time for suicidal tendencies, but she had a new job and a couple of shows going, and seemed to have a bright future.” And we read, “She was found by her brother, Tyler, and her father, Philip, who tried to revive her with the aid of paramedics, but without success.” Her mother, Teresa, was soon with them.
    That message continued, “This is a shock to those of us in the maritime music community, who watched her grow up and become a very talented, accomplished performer and a wonderful human being. It is like a light has gone out of the world.”
    We are sharing this for a reason. Jan Elliott-Glanister, a musician and a grief counselor, wrote a piece to help everyone there deal with this. She asked that it be passed along to the music community. We believe it has potential to help others – artists and those who deal with artists through thick and thin, triumph and tragedy. Hence, here is what Jan wrote:
    
Dear Friends,
    We are all shocked and greatly saddened by the loss of Arwen Morgan, a dear, young member of our own musical community. Many of us have known her most of her life and have taken great joy in watching her mature as a young woman and a fine musician and singer. Now we join together in our grief at her untimely passing by her own hand. It is such a waste.
    If I might offer a word of encouragement even now:
    As a trained grief counselor I would encourage us all to consciously make some space in our life in the coming weeks to express our grief and morn our loss. This expression can be anything that you need to do; cry out loud, pray, walk alone in a park, hold your loved one and cry together, rant at God or Arwen or the universe, whatever you need to do to deal with your own, personal emotions.
    Then, at the previously arranged designated time, stop and quietly pull yourself together and continue on with your daily life. You can do as many of these sessions as you need, as often as you like over the coming weeks and months. Each session should be relatively short (10-20 minutes) and done in a place where you will not be disturbed. Each session may be different as you process different emotions.
    Grief takes as long as it takes over the months and years. This is a tried and taught way to manage your daily grief and still function in your daily life.
    I look forward to hearing about any funeral or memorial service that might be appropriate for us all to attend so we can be together in the tragic loss of one of our own. I wish you all the blessings of productive grief and the assurance of the love of our community for one another.     Please pass this message along to anyone you think might need it.
    With love and grace,
    Jan
Jan Elliott-Glanister, MS
Watch the Sky!
Celtic Music with Spirit
    
    Expressions of sympathy can be made to Philip, Teresa, and Tyler Morgan at 2218 W Barrett, Seattle, WA 98199-2931
    
    We close with this thought: Listen to people who are hurting. Be aware and alert for signs of trouble that they may not be able to bear life's challenges on their own. Err on the side of meddling if that seems warranted with someone you know. Sing someone a song that makes them feel special, that allows them to know they are not forgotten. It may make all the difference, or it may make no difference at all. Don't blame yourself for someone else's bad decisions, but – be open to the needs of others while we share life's paths together. Get in touch with your own needs and distinguish them from your wants. Keep a sense of what really matters. We must make time to take care of each other.
    
    
    
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MORE STUFF >>>>>>> Resources, etc
    
Our recently updated VENUE DIRECTORY    
  
...with OVER 500 acoustic-music-friendly venues in Southern California, is available at   
  
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2011/02/venue-directory-from-guide-updated.html   
  
  
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RECENT EDITIONS of The Guide's NEWS FEATURES are still available!  
  
Just check our archive! Read the contents bar on the left side of the page at www.acousticamericana.blogspot.com and click the appropriate month.   
  
The MOST RECENT past editions (last 30 days) are archived and easy to find.
    
June 24 edition is available at    
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2011/06/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news_24.html      
                        and the stories are:
  

  1) It’s the Last Big Weekend of Acoustic Music-Friendly Festivals, ’til Autumn  
  2) Serious Threat to Americana Radio in L.A. - Are the Days Numbered?  
  3) Annual L.A. Guitar Festival Brings Star-Power, July 2 & 3  
  4) Be in Local Musician / Filmmaker’s New Movie, June 29    
  5) Win a DROPKICK MURPHYS Deering Banjo    
  6) CBS Keeps GRAMMY Awards Broadcast for Another Decade    
  7) MERCHANTS OF MOONSHINE Play Local Show July 1    
  8) BMI Artists Eligible for Multi-Genre “STAR-SPOTTING” Showcase    
  9) Get the Kids in a Summer Musical  
10) This Couldn’t Wait for April 1st…    
    
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June 17 edition is available at    
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2011/06/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news_17.html         
                        and the stories are:
  
  1) Get Thee to A Festival – This Weekend and Next 
  2) LISBETH SCOTT & ABRA MOORE: Benefit for Forgotten Dream Women’s Project,
    Saturday, June 18    
  3) Free, Father's Day: Church Blues, TRAVELING WILBURYS Webcast, GOE (that’s
    Grand Ole Echo) 
  4) Musicians: ‘Arts For All’ Application Workshops, Paid Opportunities  
  5) UCLA Live’s New Season Features EARL SCRUGGS, LUCINDA WILLIAMS 
  6) Musicians: Get Your Chops Back This Summer at the Music Center 
  7) Apply to Perform at L.A.’s Superb Annual Holiday Celebration  
  8) Entertainment & Presidential History: The June 17th Connection  
    
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June 10 edition is available at    
http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2011/06/acoustic-americana-music-guide-news_11.html         
                        and the stories are:
  
  1) Top Indie Women Musicians Playing This Week  
  2) June “Rocky The Flying Squirrel” Foray, World's Most Famous Animation
    Voice Artist: June 16 Musical Fete With WILL RYAN & Band 
  3) Socio-Political Singer-Songwriter ROY ZIMMERMAN, Amidst Tour,
    Co-Headlines All-Star “Public Citizen” Benefit, Sunday, June 12  
    Plus, One Local Solo Show, June 11 
  4) SPIN Magazine's Americana Issue: What Happens When a Bigtime  
   Rock / Pop Mag Explains Banjos & Dulcimers, and More?    
  5) L.A. Pianist / Composer MARC BOSSERMAN Wins at Park City Music Festival   
  6) June Festivals: There Are More than Ever Before  
  7) Make Music Pasadena is a Free Festival, June 18  
  8) 70 Free Summer Concerts Coming to Los Angeles County   
  9) Your Band Based in Los Angeles County? Get Registered, Get Gigs  
    
    
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Questions? Comments? Contact us at   
  
                          tied to the tracks (at) Hotmail (dot) com  
  
(We're trying to cut-down spam. Please help – just remove all the spaces and type the "@" and the ".")  
  
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The LATEST EDITION of THE GUIDE, the NEWS FEATURES, THE SCENE, SPOTLIGHTED EVENTS, & THE VENUE DIRECTORY– what it takes to bring you the world of current acoustic music happenings, including "heads up" notices to buy advance tickets for shows likely to sell-outc   
  
Plus VENUES TO HEAR MUSIC OR CONTACT TO GET GIGS, and lots more   
  
    – is available 24/7 (& frequently updated!) at ~  
  
             www.acousticmusic.netor at   
             www.acousticamericana.blogspot.com    
  
- or follow any of the links in the fifteen web sites and web groups that carry the Guide’s weekly News Features.  
  
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