The Bee Eaters are Coming!

"It is a joy to hear both the exploration of this music and the grounding of it simultaneously. Also, I love the emphasis on the simple beauty of the acoustic instruments." Edgar Meyer (3 time Grammy Award Winner/Bassist/Composer)

There are a lot of extremely good musicians alive today and Edgar Meyer is in that elite group of the very best. He is also one of my favorite musicians and someone who I respect highly. So when Edgar speaks, I pay attention. Upon learning that their debut, self-titled CD was produced by Darol Anger, that sealed the deal. I had to find out what this band, named after a species of colorful birds that, yes, eat bees, is all about.

The core of the group is comprised on brother-sister duo Tristan and Tashina Clarridge. For those of you who have seen Crooked Still, you will recognize Tristan as their cellist. He now splits his time between both bands. He is also a 5-time Grand National Fiddle Champion. His talents have been sought by Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Bruce Molsky and Cape Breton fiddle phenomenon Natalie MacMaster.

Tashina is also a Grand National Fiddle Champion (2005) and has toured with Mark O'Connor, Tony Trischka and Laurie Lewis and has performed at Carnegie Hall as a part of Edgar Meyer's Young Artists program.
The Bee Eaters also feature an instrument not usually heard outside of Celtic groups, the hammered dulcimer, played by Simon Chrisman. The Bee Eaters press release describes Simon's "inventive virtuosic touch and sophisticated rhythmic sensibilities" as redefining the instrument and earning the attention of musicians the world over.

Rounding out the quartet is guitarist Courtney Hartman. Fluent on multiple instruments, she is currently attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. The Bee Eaters Colorado tour is a homecoming of sorts for Courtney who hails from Loveland.

The Bee Eaters now have two CDs to their credit; their 2009 debut mentioned above and on Sept. 6 they are releasing their newest CD, OddFellows Road.

Banjo great Tony Trischka said it best: "Their impressive ensemble work… leaves me breathless. Their music excites, heals and enriches. Listen often."

Copy by Jeff Smith

Show Details

Showtime is Friday, September 9 at 7:00p.m. Doors open at 5:30. Cost: general public $7.00, Students $5.00, BRAS Members $4.00, Children 12 - under are Free.

At the Black Forest Community Center: See the Black Rose Acoustic Society Website for more details: www.blackroseacoustic.org

Coming up August 12th! -Spring Creek Bluegrass

BRAS Present Spring Creek Bluegrass Band LIVE at Stargazer's Summer Fun Free Friday Concert Series

The Spring Creek Bluegrass Band kicked off our 2008 season with a packed house and a night of great bluegrass. Hailing from the home of Rockygrass in Lyons, CO, the band was coming off a celebrated and successful 2007 in which they won both the Telluride and Rockygrass band contests in the same year; a feat they are the first and only band ever to accomplish. The band has been touring constantly since, performing at venues and festivals all over the country. They recently appeared at this year's MeadowGrass festival in Black Forest.

The core of Spring Creek is Taylor Sims: guitar and vocals, Chris Elliott: banjo and vocals, and Alex Johnstone: mandolin, fiddle and vocals. Rounding out the group is recent addition, Dan Booth on bass and vocals. Taylor has studied under Joe Carr and Alan Munde at South Plains College where he received the Male Bluegrass Vocalist of the Year Award. His sentimental and poetic lyrics mixed with bluegrass instrumentation give Spring Creek their signature sound.

Chris Elliott comes from a long line of rural musicians and is also the grandson of a prominent Kentucky fiddle builder. With a sharp ear for arranging harmonies, his original instrumentals give Spring Creek a dynamic and unique edge. Chris studied banjo with Alan Munde for three years and now passes on the tradition by teaching banjo at the Olde Town Pickin' Parlor in Arvada. Chris Elliott is the 2007 RockyGrass Banjo Champion.

Hailing from Illinois where he grew up playing electric guitar, Alex Johnstone unplugged his guitar and found himself drawn to bluegrass mandolin and fiddle. His original songs–favorites among the fans– keep Spring Creek's repertoire fresh and excit- ing. Alex found his way into the Spring Creek family one day when Taylor picked him up hitchhiking near Crested Butte, CO, and he hasn't looked back since.

Spring Creek newcomer Dan Booth has been playing and singing bluegrass for over 16 years now. Born and raised in Alaska, he migrated to California not long ago and hooked up with several bluegrass bands in the San Francisco area that include 49 Special, the Kathy Kallick Band, and Homespun Rowdy. Dan was recently voted 2011 Best Bass Player in the Northern California Bluegrass Awards.

In 2009, Spring Creek joined the ranks of Ralph Stanley, Kenny & Amanda Smith and Steep Canyon Rangers as a Rebel Records recording artist. Their latest album Way Up On A Mountian was released on that label. Prior to that, the band released two other albums on their own; Rural & Cosmic Bluegrass, and the Sally Van Meter produced Lonesome Way To Go.

Please note that the Black Forest Community Center is being used for the annual Black Forest Festival on August 12 so our open stage event featuring Spring Creek will take place at Stargazers Theatre. This is good news for a couple of reasons. The last time we hosted Spring Creek, we had to turn people away but with over double the capacity at Stargazers, that shouldn't be a problem this time. Better yet, this show if FREE! Yes, that's right. We're doing this show in conjunction with Stargazers Summer Fun Free Friday Concert Series.

You won't want to miss this night of free bluegrass with Colorado favorites, Spring Creek.

Copy by Jeff Smith 

Show Details
Showtime is Friday, August 12 at 8:00p.m. Doors open at 7:00p.m. Cost: FREE!

Stargazer's Theatre
10 S. Parkside Drive
Colorado Springs, CO 80910

Friday July 22 Open Stage with Headliner The Honeydewdrops

July 22 Open Stage with The HoneyDewdrops

On Friday we had an enjoyable night of good music at Black Rose:

For our first act we had the Sagebrush Wranglers a local bluegrass band featuring Joel Theriault.

We were happy to have longtime Black Rose member and volunteer, Joel up on the Black Rose stage with his band. They performed a nice round of traditional music even backed up by Joel’s sister on electric bass (she doesn’t own a string bass).

The second act was Branden Sipes.  A good singer-songwriter with a very smooth voice and nice guitar playing. He was a nice opener to the headlining act and I hope that he will come back to Black Rose again sometime.  

Of course everyone was anticipating the night’s headlining act, The Honeydewdrops:

The Honeydewdrops are an entertaining roots music duo. On the night of our Open Stage they garnered favorable comparisons to Anne and Pete Sibley. This incredibly talented duo features lovely harmonies with obvious traditional influences.  They performed a little bit of everything including one of the better covers of The Beatle’s “Across the Universe” that I’ve ever heard. We hope to have them back to the Rose again soon. I expect that The Honeydewdrops have a big future ahead of them.

 

If you want more information about The Honeydewdrops tour through the Rockies take a look at their blog with wonderful photos of their trip.

Also, as always we’re in need of volunteers. Would you like to help keep Black Rose running? Contact Joanna Springer at volunteer@blackroseacoustic.org.

Remember our next event will take place at StargazersTheater as part of Stargazers' Summer Fun Free Concert Series.  We will be hosting Spring Creek Bluegrass Band so come out and join us for great night of bluegrass!

Photos in this blog taken by Reggie Barrett.
Follow us on Twitter: @blackroseas

See you next time at the Rose!

Joanna Springer
President, Black Rose Acoustic Society

July August Letter from the President

Like last year, Black Rose was invited to be a part of the first night of the Meadowgrass Festival. Meadowgrass is picking up a good following and if it continues to grow the way that it has for the past couple of years it should have a nice long future. We wish the festival well and are always glad to participate on the Friday night - first day of the event. Black Rose members received a special advance discount, just $10 for a ticket to Meadowgrass on Friday night or $10 off on a weekend pass, either way, an excellent deal to see high energy, quality music.
We got to see old friends, Boulder Acoustic Society in their latest configuration. Naturally being acoustic minded we loved them best when they got down off the stage and played several acoustic songs from smack in the middle of the audience. A first for Meadowgrass and it seemed like the audience enjoyed it as much as we did. Black Rose also brought Sandra Wong and her band to the Meadowgrass stage. Excellent musician- ship with unique instrumentation, Sandra alternated between violin and nickelharpa (first seen at the March concert with Mike Marshall, Darol Anger and Väsen). This was the first time Sandra performed at Meadowgrass, and also the first time she's performed for the Black Rose audience. I'm sure it will be the first of many.
One of the great things about being involved with Meadowgrass is the opportunity it provides for people from outside our region to discover what Black Rose really has to offer. While we all know that Black Rose Acoustic Society is unique among non-profits dedicated to traditional music, very few people realize some of the Rose's unique qualities. One of those is our dedication to developing musical talent. Through the Black Rose Scholarship program, artists of any age and ability can apply for funds to help them develop their talents utilizing Black Rose's excellent roster of local teachers. Then, they can present their abilities in front of a live audience at the Black Rose Open Stage. What some of you may not realize is that many local musicians now play professionally or semi-professionally because they were a scholarship recipient and Black Rose helped them on their way to becoming a better musician. The program is one of our many contributions to the artistic community in the Pike's Peak region and it is something that we want to continue into the future.

If you want to contribute you can let us know. We are accepting donations to help fund the scholarship program. See you at the Rose.

Joanna Springer, President

The Black Rose Acoustic Society Present Sandra Wong at Meadowgrass Friday Night

The Black Rose Acoustic Society is partnering with Meadowgrass again this year for the first day of the festival, Friday, May 27. The Friday program starts earlier this year. Gates open at 1pm and the Boulder Acoustic Society kicks off the festival at 3pm. We were asked to recommend an act for Friday and offered Sandra Wong who we were planning to introduce to the BRAS audience this year. Sandra and band will take the stage after the Boulder Acoustic Society set at approximately 4:30pm. Following Sandra will be 2011 Grammy winners Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, winners for Best Zydeco Album. Capping the Friday night entertainment will be San Francisco bay area band, Hot Buttered Rum.

Before we get into the rest of the festival weekend, I'd like to introduce you to Sandra Wong and her band. The first time I saw Sandra was in Lyons, CO where she opened up for

Three Ring Circle

at a High Street Music concert last May. You may recall that we hosted

Three Ring Circle

for a concert last April 30. I tagged along to two other shows on their Colorado mini-tour that ended in Lyons. Sandra performed that night on fiddle and nyckelharpa, an instrument that was featured in our recent concert with Mike Marshall, Darol Anger and Väsen. I was so impressed with Sandra's talent and stage presence that I knew the BRAS audience would enjoy her too.

For the show at Meadowgrass, Sandra's band will feature tabla player Ty Burhoe and mandolin wunderkind, Dominick Leslie. Some of you may recognize Dominick from his performances recording with Grisman Quintet guitarist, Grand Gordy. We're really excited to have Sandra and band represent the Black Rose Acoustic Society at Meadowgrass this year. Friday's lineup is going to be great from start to finish. We'll be there; we hope you will too.

Of course, Friday just gets things started. The Saturday and Sunday lineups are not to be missed either. Saturday starts off with the Lindsay Weidmann & Jeremy Facknitz whom you may recall as a recent BRAS open stage performer. Following Lindsay and Jeremy are local folky Joe Johnson, the Colorado bluegrass band Spring Creek, The Haunted Windchimes from Pueblo, Horse Feathers from Portland, OR, alt-country-folk band Yarn, and finishing off the evening is musician-actor John Doe.

Sunday keeps up the pace with local folk duo The Mitguards followed by Nathan McEuen, Westcliffe's Sons & Brothers, singer-songwriter Damien Jurado, roots music artist D.B. Rielly and Sunday headliner, Canadian singer-songwriter and ex-Be Good Tanyas band member, Frazey Ford. Black Rose Acoustic Society and KRCC members can get discounted tickets to the festival. Please note that we will only be selling Black Rose member discount tickets. Member tickets will be available at our May 13 open stage and on our website. For general public and KRCC ticket purchases, see the Meadowgrass website: http://www.meadowgrass.org/ for Black Rose discounted tickets see the Black Rose website: www.blackroseacoustic.org.

By Jeff Smith
Vice President, Black Rose Acoustic Society

New President's Letter

I debated for a time on what I should say in my inaugural column for Black Rose. I thought that it may be best if I introduced myself to those of you who may not know me yet. I've been on the board of Black Rose for a little over a year now and prior to that I was a volunteer (and I still am one). In that time we have put on some excellent acoustic music concerts where the caliber of music seemed to elevate with each concert we did. These shows included our first ever free Thanks to the Members concert with Hot Club of Cowtown and of course, the recent Mike Marshall, Darol Anger and Vasen Trio concert featuring a skilled, internationally known group of musicians.
Prior to moving to the Springs I lived in Denver and worked at Swallow Hill Music Association –Denver's home for acoustic music. I worked there for 5 years doing a number of jobs over the years that included volunteer coordination, PR and marketing, membership growth, concert production, venue rentals, MC duties, booking and talent scouting. I had worked my way from a lowly intern all the way up to Concert Director. While I loved the work that I got to do there, I truly loved the music and the people involved in the creation and enjoyment of that music. It was like being part of a large, extended family that reached across the country and the oceans.
I was glad to come to Colorado Springs and to Black Rose to see that the two parts of the acoustic music scene that I have always loved: the music and the community were still just as vibrant as they were in other parts of Colorado. I am happy to be a part of the Black Rose Acoustic Society and proud to be the next president.
I was very honored to be asked to be the next president of Black Rose and I hope that I can help Black Rose to continue into the future. I would like to thank Jeff Smith for all of his dedication and hard work as the president for the past four years. He's done an excellent job and Black Rose wouldn't be what it currently is without his work and those of the rest of the board and volunteers.
I look forward to continuing the work that they started. The next time you are at the Rose be sure to say "hello" and by the way, we are always looking for more volunteers.

Joanna Springer
President, Black Rose Acoustic Society
www.blackroseacoustic.org

Welcome to the Black Rose Acoustic Society

The Black Rose Acoustic Society is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the education, performance, enjoyment and preservation of all types of traditional acoustic music in the Black Forest and Colorado Springs area.

Ask about acoustic music in the Colorado Springs area and folks will enthusiastically tell you about The Black Rose Acoustic Society. A few short years ago, several local musicians formed this non-profit organization in order to actively foster traditional acoustic music and to provide a supportive audience for acoustic musicians at all levels. Today The Black Rose Acoustic Society is the home of acoustic music in the Pikes Peak Region.

Twice a month - on the second and fourth Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m. - The Black Rose Acoustic Society holds an open stage at the Black Forest Community Center eleven miles north of Colorado Springs. On these evenings, acoustic music lovers gather to hear great music and to experience the heart-warming ambiance of this unique spot.

Nestled in the tall Colorado pines, the down-home atmosphere of the log cabin-style Black Forest Community Center provides a family-oriented setting unsurpassed in friendliness and congeniality. We cordially invite you to come, bring your kids and join us at our next open stage event!

Outstanding national and regional musicians regularly grace our stage at The Black Rose Acoustic Society. Our open stage format encourages all performers by providing a friendly, supportive audience in one of the top venues of the region.

Guest musicians rave about our Black Rose Acoustic Society audience. Performers often experience the famous Black Rose Stomp during which the rafters and floors shake with a rousing, sustained stomp of approval.

The Black Rose Acoustic Society supports all acoustic music styles - bluegrass, folk, swing, country, Celtic, blues, etc. Our events are listed on our Information Hotline (719-633-3660), in the GO section of The Gazette, in our bimonthly Newsletter and on our Web site atwww.blackroseacoustic.org.

Membership in The Black Rose Acoustic Society brings many benefits. As a member, you will:

* actively support acoustic music in our area
* receive a copy of our bi-monthly newsletter
* enjoy reduced admission to our regular open stage events and special concerts
* be able to pay reduced prices on such items as T-shirts and books