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Friday, January 25, 2019

Friday Frolics at the giant NAMM Show in Anaheim. Fri Jan 25 2019

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All the CONCERTS, FESTIVALS, club gigs, SPECIAL FILM EVENTS and more across the vast array of Southern California acoustic and Americana venues is in our PRE-NAMM edition at:

https://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2019/01/wonderment-namm-concert-scene-special.html 
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THIS EDITION continues our series of reports from the NAMM Show in Anaheim.
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Day Two at NAMM

The astonishing array of every aspect of music performance -- exceeding all you can imagine -- whirls like a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds and gear and instruments and artists and skilled techies. Thing is, every year for four days, That's the status quo at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. We gave you an intro yesterday, so we'll jump right in.

First, get a sturdy bag to haul all the flyers, brochures, colorful catalogs, price lists, gig postcards, and everything else you collect as you make your happy odyssey through the matrix of aisles and booths and two-storey temporary structures that comprise this tuneful NAMMtown. Every third or fourth exhibitor is equipped to give you a bag of some kind.

But the best freebie giveaway we found today is available at Messe Frankfurt (booth 3033) in the lobby of the main hall. 

As you can see, it's a bag that doubles as a little backpack, as modeled by the lovely FRANZISKA LIND, here to represent the German trade show organizer who produces music shows and more in Europe. 

That bag will return with us tomorrow. Sometimes the simple things are appreciated most.
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PERFORMANCES TO CATCH

We're excited about a bunch of artists we've seen, but we'll begin with two shows to see TONIGHT if you're here at NAMM.

First, at 5:30 pm, get to the very top of the Anaheim Convention Center. A "ROOMFUL OF PIANOS" concert event should be like nothing you've ever experienced. The world's top high-end makers of concert grands,  baby grands, and more are all represented there, and their endorsed pianists are collaborating across brands to present an all-piano, many piano concert.

Then, at 8 pm, ONE OF THE FEW NAMM CONCERTS ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC happens in the ballroom of the Doubletree hotel, 2085 S Harbor, a few blocks walk from the convention center in Anaheim. It's the one that beckons us every year: it's THE JOHN JORGENSEN TRIO with Djangostyle Gypsy jazz and more acoustic string magic, plus two opening acts. Things get started with either NEW WEST, a beloved and award-winning Western / Western Swing / traditional cowboy band, or the other openers, and THE TORA BORA BOYS, a bluegrass band of musicians who happen to be music industry execs, mostly from Saga Instruments and Shubb Capo -- plus their young'un member who is still in school and who can blow you away with his playing. Three acts, all delightful.

To attend this one, just get over there by 7:15-7:30 pm. Get in line for the door and talk about needing a ticket. One for you will magically be put in your hand. Really! Just understand that parking is crazy, and you'll need to wait until the NAMM Show closes for the day at 6 pm before you can park anywhere within hiking distance.

Other artists you can still catch at NAMM on Saturday and Sunday are ukulele stars DANIEL HO and JAKE SHIMABUKURO, and various ukesters in ensemble with acoustic bass master JENNIFER LEITHAM. Just get to Hall E, on the lower level, and It's easy to find two "blocks" of ukulele neighborhood.

In that same Hall E are the Deering Banjo folks, and they have a talented bevy of banjo masters performing about three shows a day in the little stage area of their booth.

And you'll accuse us of "burying the lead" when we tell you the next part.

You MUST see young fingerstyle guitar master ADRIAN BELLUE from Sacramento. He combines the lightning-fast precise dexterity essential to his craft with hurricane-like power. He is someone you'll heard about much more, here in the Guide, and before long, in every source that celebrates great guitarists.

You can catch Adrian twice a day at the Furch booth. They are instrument makers from the Czech Republic, at their first NAMM Show. Adrian is endorsed by Furch (pronounced "Furq") and it's the right fit for both. Their handmade line of acoustic instruments combines old world craftsmanship with exceptional sturdiness.

Adrian says, "They are the only guitars I don't break with my playing style."

That will make sense when you see him. If you're not at NAMM, catch the performance links to YouTube on his website: www.AdrianBellue.com

Now, while you're at Furch, you need to hold, play and get the demo disassembly/ reassembly of their travel guitar. You've seen others that partly disassemble, but this one is unique. It uses a single clamp, completely recessed so it can't hook you or your clothes, and it stays in tune when reassembled. The way it packs for travel is a lesson in compact wonder. It's a must-see.
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MORE GOOD THINGS FROM EXHIBITORS

Washburn Guitars, building on the success of its AGM5K Apprentice G-Mini Guitar, today announced the addition of the "G-Mini5 BK" model featuring a stunning matte black finish. It's now joined the company's 2019 line of Apprentice Guitars, debuting here at Winter NAMM 2019. Those at the NAMM Show can give it a test drive in Booth #6814, says Washburn Vice President & General Manager Gil Soucy.

Sharing the scaled down proportions of its sister instrument, the matte-finished select spruce top with classic Washburn “Heritage” rosette and Sapele back and side pairing of the G-Mini5 BK lend to a mellow and well-defined tone with surprising note clarity for an instrument of smaller dimensions. 

The natural matte finished Okoume neck is extremely comfortable and feels smooth in the player’s hands, while the Techwood fingerboard and bridge ensure stability. Soucy calls it "Ideal and at home in the living room, at the chalet and campfire or anywhere you may find yourself," and proclaims, "the new G-Mini5 BK will be your faithful little musical companion."

He continued, “Washburn’s Apprentice Series is the perfect instrument for any player looking for a rock solid guitar to join them on their journey, be it the beginning player, or the well travelled musician looking for an instrument for the office, beach or road."
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Take a look at the all-new Rhythm Village Benkadi Club™ Bongo Set, new from Rhythm Tech, creator of the world’s first crescent-shaped tambourine. These drums feature easy play finely pre-tuned heads and exclusive new exterior pattern designs by famed New York City artist Robert Pizzo. 

These bongos are just the right size and appropriate for all ages and level of player. Rhythm Tech asserts, "The vibrant new design captures the rhythmic fun of playing."

This Bongo Set is a 6” Hand Drum, 10” Tom with Mallets, 14” Rally Drum with Mallets and 9” Djembe. Whether you're alone in the living room, looking to do your part to propel the drum circle, participating in a group jam, or as a member of a band, this will get percussions excited about keeping the proper beat.
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That's it for today. MORE from NAMM while we're here and for some time to come, as we process, comprehend, and report on what we're seeing and hearing here.

'Til then, remember that ALL THE EVENTS ON THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MUSIC SCENE are in the pre-NAMM edition, at: 

https://acousticamericana.blogspot.com/2019/01/wonderment-namm-concert-scene-special.html

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We'll be back again soon with music news and more "News of the Non-Trumpcentric Universe." (c)

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LEGALESE, CONTACTING US, 'N SUCH...

Boilerplate? Where's the main pressure gauge? And the firebox?

What "boilerplate"? Who came up with that goofy term for the basic essential informational stuff...

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♪ The ACOUSTIC AMERICANA MUSIC GUIDE endeavors to bring you NEWS – and views of interest to artists everywhere – more specifically to musicians and the creative community and music makers and fans of acoustic and Folk-Americana music. That includes both traditional and innovative forms. From the deepest roots to today’s acoustic renaissance, that’s our beat. We provide a wealth of resources, including a HUGE catalog of acoustic-friendly venues (now undergoing a major update), and inside info on FESTIVALS and select performances in Southern California in venues from the monumentally large to the intimately small and cozy. We cover workshops, conferences, and other events for artists and folks in the music industry, and all kinds o’ things in the world of acoustic and Americana and accessible classical music. From washtub bass to musical spoons to oboe to viola to banjo to squeezebox, from Djangostyle to new-fangled-old-time string band music, from sweet Cajun fiddle to bluegrass and pre-bluegrass Appalachian mountain music to all the swamp water roots of the blues and the bright lights of where the music is headed now.
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The Acoustic Americana Music Guide. Thanks for sittin' a spell. The cyber porch'll be here anytime you come back from the road.
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