The Seldovia Arts Council has a new website and I'll be posting over there now, instead of here. It has an RSS feed and instructions on how you can subscribe to new posts by email, so you'll still be able to keep up with all of our activities.
The new site is at http://seldoviaartscouncil.wordpress.com/. Hope you'll join us there!
Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival will be held on June 20 and 21. Headlining the festival will be veteran performers Joe Craven and Ralston Bowles. Joe Craven hailing from San Francisco, California is a multi-instrumentalist with a twinke in his eye and a contageous love for music of all types. Music is not limited to the guitar, the piano, the drum set or the voice. It is a rhythmic, pulsating, pattern of sound that can sooth or excite the soul. Joe will be showing us that music can be created in unusual ways and that the the physics of music connects the emotions and the theory and can and should be accomplished by anyone. Joe was last heard in Seldovia when traveling with Allison Brown. It was then he won the hearts of Seldovians and Seldovia in turn became one of Joe's favorite places. That is saying alot because Joe has traveled the world with the David Grisman Quintet. Welcome home back Joe!
Ralson Bowles, songwriter and guitarist accompanied by Drew Howard (Captain Midnight) on steel guitar will bring the songs of the heart to the festival. Ralson and Drew are from the Mid -west, They each have had long careers in the music business, sometimes a venue host, sometimes a performer, but always into the heart of music. Their style is a blend of folk/rock with a little bit of country. Ralson's new CD sCarwreck Conversations and Rally at the Texas Hotel on Wildflower Records is a lesson in communications and gets right to the heart of some of the hard issues facing humanity with songs such as "What kind of friend am I?", "Fragile", "What Do You Want From Me Now?", "Velvet Elvis" and more.....
Seafaring Strangers is a group from Homer, Alaska that has been playing together in various configurations for years. Sally Wills, Brian Court, Dave Gerard and Knute Tonga and Tim Quinn play an assortment of acoustic music ranging from original songs and a cross-blend bluegrass and contemporary music.
Marion Walsh is a singer songwriter from Vancouver BC. She sings of her transplanting from the Boston area where she played for years in coffee houses and radio to the west coast, in her CD HOUSE TO HOUSE. Her finest instrument is her voice. She accompanies herself on the guitar, mandolin and piano.
Esther Golton is from Talkeetna, Alaska. She has just returned from a national tour debuting her new CD, UNFINISHED HOUSES . Esther’s whimsical songs feature her golden voice accompanied by unique styling on the mountain dulcimer and flute.
Relatively Famous is a group from Homer, Alaska . Russian songs and original music will be played by Sunrise Sjoeberg, Marjolean, Cardon, Brian Court, Mike Shellman and Tim Quinn.
Sarahnidipity is a family group from Girdwood, Alaska featuring Sarah Bartholmew, Steve Bartholmew, Matt Spence, and Dustin Rider. Traditional bluegrass is featured.
Myspace.com/sarahndipity2006
Wes Wedell, guitarist and songwriter, travels to us from Seattle Washington where he has spent time gathering stories from the folks along the way and putting them into song. His debut CD is called, Songs to Get You from Here to There. www.wesweddel.com
The Momma Tonga Band is a Homer Family Band featuring Mike Tonga, Heather, Tonga, Kristen Tonga, and Burl Tonga.
Exotic songstress, Shawn Zuke and mega-cool base player Milo Matthews sing a combination of new-age jazz. Original songs with a rockin’ base sounds feature, the flute, the diggery doo guitar, drums and more. Myspace.com/llm333 and lovelifemusic.com
The Seldovia fiddlers are just that. This is a group of young people including Serina Turner, Olivia Turner and their teacher Mary Glover. Their songs include traditional melodies and Irish tunes.
Billy Goat feature tight bluegrass music by Seldovians Jeff Snedgen, Chris Lelo, Kerry Hendricks and Kirby Corwin.
Faolan is a young Irish band from Anchorage featuring the talents of Anna Sutherlin, William Sutherlin, Dane Walker, and Willow Feighery.
Susan Mumma, is a Seldovia songwriter and performer . She will play some of her own compositions. www.myspace.com/susanmumma
Rob Rurka, guitarist, is a diamond in the rough. He has been “instrumental” in the phoenix-like development of the local Seldovia music scene and he is a darned good guitar teacher.
Tom Begich is a veteran Alaskan performer with three CDs under his belt and a national touring schedule. Tom’s newest CD, Cool Blue Light is receiving national recognition and taking him to far away places on a regular basis. Tom’s work reflect’s mastery of a classical guitar gone folk , excellent songwriting and lots of heart. ( He even writes sonnets) www.tombegich.com
The Dan MAC jazz band features Dan McElwraith on piano, Katie Strock on vocals and Lucius Oliver on drums. This band features original jazz pieces, songs of the 30-40 and more..
Seek Bob is one of Anchorage Alaska hottest bluegrass/gospel style groups following in the tradition of Barefoot and the Emeralds. Kalia Yeagle, Emily Mc Laughlin, Garren Volper and Forrest Allen (son of Mary Shallert, famous fiddle teacher extrodinare) will be a pleasure to host in Seldovia. www.myspace.com/seekbobak
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This year Seldovia Arts Council's Summer Solstice Music Festival was represented at the National Folk Alliance in Memphis February 19-25. Susan Mumma was asked to coordinate/host a guerrilla showcase at National for the FARWest Region. This was the first time that our Western Region has hosted an artists' showcase and involved three evenings room management, decorating and food preparation for artists and visitors to the room that lasted from 10:30 PM to 3 AM. STARS OVER THE WEST was one of the prettiest showcases at the event.
Susan also represented Alaska by performing.(This was the first time ever at a national event. ) Emily Kurn from Anchorage also performed. Emily was chosen for a Performance Alley showcase as well.
I went back to Anchorage again at the end of the month to see the Anchorage Folk Festival. It is here that I meet up with lots of the folks we having coming down for the Seldovia Summer Solstice Musice Festival. Old and new friends gather for two weeks of music and workshops. This year the headliners were The Stairstep Sisters, and the Savoy Family.. Wow. what great acts and the workshops they gave were wonderful. On the second weekend, I was joined by Randall Williams, the "capo guy" and outstanding performer from the world at large. I helped Randall on his quest for fame and fortune in Alaska by going to various radio interviews with him and helping him see a bit of Anchorage. He later drove on down to Homer and then to Seldovia where he did a house concert and also a workshop for the Boys and Girls Club and the Community.
January 10 and 11, I attended "Leadership: Are You Ready?, a training for non-profit community organizations created by the Forakergroup and sponsored by Conoco Phillips, The emphasis of the conference was to ponder the ways inwhich non-profit organizations statawide can network for the better good of all. A few of the speakers included: Peter Brinkerhoff, award-winning author and expert in non-profit management. Mr. Brinkerhoff expounded on the notion that a non-profit is a mission-based business in the business of doing its mission. He emphasised the importance of creating a clear mission statement a clear guiding force for an orgainzation. Gary Ostrokske, President of the United Way for the Greater New Orleans Area told of his experiences in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. He told of the many ways the community pulled together during this disaster and how non-profits such at United Way, religious organizations and other roots-based local organizations have been the back-bone of recovery. Katarine DeShaw told of her organization, United States Artists, whose mission is to nurture support and strengthen the work of America's finest living artists. Katherine Gottlieb, (former Seldovian) was awarded the 2004 McArhur Genius Award as did Sven Haakanson, Jr. of Kodiak Island. Together they were interviewed about their background experiences and thier inpirations for leadership. Many more speakers taught workshops on financial management, board development, communications, and other challenges to non-profit organizations..
Seldovia Arts Council has been actively supporting folk music in the West. Not only has it been a supporting member of the National Folk Alliance and it's regional arm FARWest Folk Alliance, but it has participated in the event by creating Alaska's own showcase. This mini- showcase room has presented some of Alaska's
best perfomers and highlighted those traveling artists who have come to Seldovia as part of our own Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival It has participated in the exhibit hall several years in a row, promoting the charms of the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival and other great venues such as Talkeetna's Whole Wheat Radio and Eagle River Out North Theater.
Boardmember of FARWest, Susan Mumma and Tom Begich have partnered in this event. Seldovians Suzie and Jerry Stranik have also attended the event, helping to host the room and creating a delightful array of treats for hungry artists to munch while they come to know Alaska talent. Thanks Jerry for the great pictures of the event!!
Seldovia Arts Council’s report from Local Arts Agencies Today: Creativity, Community Connections by Susan Mumma
October 16, 17 and 18th Seldovia Arts Council Chairperson, Susan Mumma participated in statewide conference taking place in Juneau, Alaska This event was hosted by the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council and sponsored by the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Rasmuson Foundation. The intent of the conference, Local Arts Agencies Today: Creativity, Community, Connections, was to allow networking between the various community arts councils and boards and to refresh the group’s enthusiasm toward effective arts leadership. The group explored the history of arts organizations nation-wide and new paradigms for local arts agencies today. They were asked to consider the true mission of the arts in each of their communities. Facilitators of the event were Maryo Ewell, author of “The Arts in the Small Community” and Barbara Schaeffer-Bacon, co-director of Animating Democracy. Among the attendees were Directors of the Alaska State Council, Charlotte Fox, Saunders McNeill, and Andea Noble, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Alaska State Council on the Arts, Ben Brown,Victoria Lord of the Rasmuson Foundation, volunteer board members and paid staff who serve in leadership capacity in local community arts organizations state-wide.
The emphasis the conference was to help build new paradigms in arts management and to encourage each Alaskan group to continue to expand its mission into the roots of the community, through its, arts programs, schools, libraries, local cultural organizations, services and social clubs, communications and media. Huge ideas were presented in which arts play a dynamic roll in shaping Democracy and changing the creative face of America, then practical methods to achieve these goals in even the smallest community were explored. The groups shared ideas and methods and cheered each others successes.
Barbara Schaeffer-Bacon emphasized the goals of each arts agency through the lens of Americans for the Arts, a leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With a 40-year record of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. The thrust of the talk was is best summarized by the mission statement of Animating Democracy:
Animating Democracy, a program of Americans for the Arts Institute for Community Development and the Arts, fosters arts and cultural activity that encourages and enhances civic engagement and dialogue. It is based on the premise that democracy is animated when an informed public is engaged in the issues affecting people’s daily lives. The arts and humanities can contribute unique programs, settings, and creative approaches that reach new and diverse participants, stimulate public dialogue about civic issues, and inspire action to make change.
The state of the arts represents the health of the community. It represents creative excellence. It represents the best of our city spaces and public buildings. It links the arts to the economy through creative design in product development and business plans. In a nutshell, a healthy, thriving economy is partnered by a healthy sense of its arts.
The class will meet for an Artist's Talk on Thursday evening 7 PMl Sept. 19 at the City Mulitipurpose Room. The community will be invited, for coffee, cookies and discussion of the artist's life and work. Classes will begin Friday and go through Sunday. Hours TBA after the first class.
Recommended Material List:
- Brushes: 3/4-1" sabeline or blend one-stroke flat; #8 pointed round; 2" flat wash; 1/2" stiff bristle or scrubbing set; #4 or #6 or small rigger for details.
- 2-3 full sheets of 140# or 300# cold-press watercolor paper cut 11"x14" or larger, block, or pad (Arches, Fabriano or Canson)
- “ Yarka “ Watercolor Professional 24 color Set ( dickblick.com) more economical or more expensive artists' tube colors: French Ultramarine; Winsor or Phthalo Blue (Green Shade or Red Shade); Cerulean; Cobalt Blue; Aureolin; New Gamboge or Indian Yellow; Winsor or Cadmium Lemon (Do NOT use nickel titanate lemon yellow.); Alizarin Crimson; Winsor Red, Cadmium Red, Grumbacher Red or Holbein Permanent Red; Cadmium Scarlet or Scarlet Lake; Rose Madder Genuine (Winsor & Newton ONLY); Quinacridone Magenta; Winsor Violet or Dioxazine Violet; Raw Sienna or Quinacridone Gold; Burnt Sienna; Brown Madder; Indian Red; Indigo; and/or your personal favorites
- white watercolor palette-- 12" or larger with or without cover (Speedball ColorWheel is nice if you need a new palette); Double water containers; tissues or paper towels, pocket knife, HB drawing pencil, white plastic eraser, sketch pad, small natural sponge, spray bottle, artist or masking tape.
This was one heck of a concert!!!! Thanks to all who made it happen!!!!!!!
Doug Cox is a roots music renaissance man. From his home on Vancouver Island the composer, multi-instrumentalist and music programmer has carved-out a diverse career as a recording artist and session and touring musician. He has played festivals, clubs, camps and concert halls across Canada, the United States and around the world from Seldovia, Alaska, to the Baseball Hall of Fame (with Chuck Brodsky) in Cooperstown, New York, to the Sore Fingers Camp in England. Cox was the first Canadian Dobro player to be invited to perform at 'Dobrofest' in Slovakia and was the first Dobro player to be a featured player at the Montreal Jazz Festival (with Todd Butler).
He has worked as a sideman and frontman with Canadian Bluesman Ken Hamm, in duos with Todd Butler and Sam Hurrie, with American songwriter Chuck Brodsky, the late British Blues Icon Long John Baldry and guitar string-bender Amos Garrett among many others.
Doug is currently signed to the Northern Blues Label. His latest release, 'Slide To Freedom,' is a collaboration with India's Salil Bhatt, Ramkumar Mishra and very special guest, Grammy Winner, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
Chris Proctor "Intrumental Americana " on the 12 -string guitar Critics call his guitar playing "breathtaking," "haunting," and "rich." They describe his compositions as "spectacular," "elegant," and "exquisite." They trace the roots of his style to folk, jazz, pop, and classical music, and, when all else fails, they try and categorize his playing as "baroque folk," or "Instrumental Americana." The guitar press compares him to Leo Kottke and Michael Hedges. Another reviewer ventures this analysis: "In his taut, faceted compositions, Chris gives the guitar sole responsibility for a piece's rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic components, and in the process creates full-voiced 'guitar songs.' His playing illuminates the instrument's deepest voices and most sonorous qualities, rendering a pop-folk equivalent of the classical guitar sonata."
Ten CDs on Flying Fish, Windham Hill, Rounder and Sugarhouse Records, and his books, DVD's, videos, magazine articles, and endorsements all testify to Chris's standing as one of the elite fingerstyle composers, arrangers, and performers of the day.
Everybody get ready... October 30
Throat Singing: Sounds rather new age hunh? Actually it is ancient. It is one art form that has its roots in the time before the trans-ice age migration of Northern peoples. It survives to this day in several cultures although it is somewhat different in form these days. If you look into it thoroughly as the Smithsonian did, you will note that the sounds made in throat singing may have been developed by ancient herdsmen to imitate the sounds in nature, such as the mountains, the streams and the harsh winds of the steppes and to see how far they could make their voices travel across the valleys where they lived. Today Mongolian herdsmen such as Huun Huur Tu practice this art and it is mostly identified with Central Asia but Inuit women in the upper regions of Canada have practiced this form since ancient days. Religious institutions and gender taboos had curtailed throat singing until recently in Canada and Alaska, but today it is re surging in Canada through the efforts of such women as Evie Marks of Quebec. It is demonstrated in the Arctic Winter Games and there are various CD's celebrating the Music of the Inuit. There are also versions of throat singing in South African Xosa tribes and by Northern Japanese people, the Ainu.
The tradition is laced with superstition but is simply the careful usage of 'overtones'. It is a method of making sounds that reverberate in the chambers of the throat and takes a good deal of practice. Huun Huur Tu has reached celebrity status in thier own Tuva regions for thier mastery of the art form and for their skillful instrumentation.
If you want to have some fun, follow these links for more detailed information about these this interesting form.
Khoomei - How To's And Why's
Smithsonian article on Throat singing
Inuit Singing article by Bruno Deschênes other articles on musicology website
Wikkipedia Article on Huun Huur Tu is really good!!!
on The Seldovia Arts Council has a new website