[Bluegrass Jam] Finger Lakes Bluegrass Meeting Sunday, January 23, 2011, 3-6pm, Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY

[Peter McDonald]

Del

Finger Lakes Bluegrass Jam
January 23, 2011
3-6 pm
Smith Opera House
82 Seneca Street, Geneva, NY
4th Sunday of the month except June, July, August and December.
Use door to the left of the main entrance, and go up 1 flight of stairs.
$3 per person, light refreshments served.

Hello Everyone, and Happy New Year,

With hope that this year will bring your bluegrass dreams and plans 
closer, please consider joining us for our first
FLBG jam of the new year.  The Smith Opera House has graciously offered 
their second floor dance studio (hardwood floor and
a whole wall of mirrors) for our jams.  Every month has seen more 
pickers and listeners attend, and we do hope that continues.

Mostly, Strictly Bluegrass

One of the challenges to having a good bluegrass jam is that other 
styles of music that people love to sing and play has
a tendency to creep into the jamming.   Upon occasion this is fine, but 
many of us are all too aware that without a focus and direction to a 
bluegrass jam, it can quickly change course to something that really 
doesn't represent bluegrass at all.  Many believe that if we're going to 
call ourselves a Bluegrass Association, that we should be playing and 
jamming on primarily Bluegrass tunes and in a Bluegrass style.   If a 
new comer wants to listen, or a new picker wants to learn how to be a 
better bluegrass player (and we hope to build and encourage these 
folks), consider how confusing and misleading it can be if they come to 
a FLBG jam, and actual bluegrass (2-4 part harmony, 
fiddle-banjo-guitar-mandolin-bass-dobro, that 'high lonesome' sound) is 
in the minority of music played....well, we might have to reconsider our 
name and our direction.  Thankfully, this is not a concern of FLBG at 
this time, but is just a
caution and encouragement that our plan is to play bluegrass primarily, 
but with occasional alternate styles of
music thrown in.  Thanks for understanding.

Want Lessons on a Bluegrass Instrument?
Want to Teach a Bluegrass Instrument?

We are getting some interest from newer players to learn on a more 
accelerated level, so consider which of you more accomplished players 
may be interested in giving lessons.  These new folks expect to pay, and 
it could be a good pastime for any pickers to fill some winter hours 
while making a few bucks and keeping their chops up.   Please let me 
know if you have any interest in this area, and I'll put you in touch, 
or you folks can just ask a player at the jam who you think you could 
learn from, and see if they have interest in teaching you.

Below are some Great Bluegrass Events, support our music!

Well, that's it for now.  But before we go....below are some excellent 
bluegrass events coming up in the next number of weeks and months that 
you will want to consider attending.  If anyone has an event they want 
announced, please forward it to me via email, and we'll be sure to get 
the word out.

best regards,
Peter McDonald 315-651-6267
Phyllis Mattison 585-394-5684

January 28-30
Winter Village Bluegrass Festival
featuring:
_/*Claire Lynch Band, Cornerstone, Jesse Alexander Band,
Rebecca Colleen and the Chore Lads*/_
and more.  FLBG is a sponsor of this event and we look forward to a 
great weekend.
Please visit http://wintervillagebluegrass.org for more info

February 5, 2011
/_*The Boxcars*_/, featuring 2010 IBMA mandolinist of the year, /*Adam 
Steffy with
John Bowman, Keith Jarrett, Ron Stewart and Harold Nixon*/
plus
/*_New Found Road_*/ and _/*Eva and the Dogboys*/_ featuring our own
Elaine Verstraete, Mike Cloonan, John Denniston and TBone Farley.
Smith Opera House
82 Seneca Street, Geneva
FLBG has been working with the Smith to help raise awareness of
our favorite kind of music and we are thankful for their support of our 
efforts.
Please remember, all students 12th grade and under come FREE to this 
concert.
http://www.theboxcars.com for more info

March 12, 2011
_/*Tony Trishka*/_ at the Westcott Community Center
http://www.westcottcc.org/

March 26, 2011
_/*The Grascals */_with _/*Kate Lee*/_
Sodus High School, Sodus, NY
http://sodusrotary.com/events.htm

July 8-10, 2011
_/*Busy Bird Bluegrass Festival*/_
Berkshire, NY
http://www.busybirdbluegrass.8k.com/

July 14-17, 2011
_/*Grey Fox Festival*/_
Walsh Farm, Oak Hill, NY
http://www.greyfoxbluegrass.com

August 4-6, 2011
Brantling Bluegrass Festival
featuring _/*Mountain Heart*/_ and _/*Rhonda Vincent*/_
http://brantling.com/html/bluegrasssite.html

August 12-14, 2011
_/*Top Of The Hill Bluegrass Festival*/_
sponsored by STBANY
6226 Lain Road, Canisteo, NY
http://stbany.org/

August 25,-28, 2011
_/*Pickin in the Pasture*/_
at the Andy & Susan Alexander Farm, Lodi, NY
http://www.pickininthepasture.com/










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