Wendy V's Local Blend

Volume 10 Issue 6

July/August 2003 - Writer/Editor: Wendy Vickers

Related Links:
 
 Gig Calendar

Coffeehouses/venues

Just Plain Folks

 Radio Regulars page

What this newsletter's about.

Matter of FAQ: So what's it (normally) take to have your CD mentioned in Wendy V's Local Blend? Click here for the guidelines!

Singer/songwriters, venues: Have a web page full of gig dates? Send me your link for the gig calendar! 

Better late than never...

Oh well, so it's a little late in July. As I'm still recovering from my latest life overhaul, I put Local Blend on a little vacation. Hey, we all need one of those once now and then. But, after a while, we all have to come back to reality and come back to work! 

A few words of thanks are in order:
Along with myself, my website also moved to a new home. I want to thank the folks at odeon.net, who are leaving the web hosting business, for being the host for Local Blend and www.wendyv.com for the past few years. My website is now hosted by NetAcceleration.com. Thanks to local singer/songwriter Glenn Shope of NetAcceleration.com for getting me started and set up. Glenn is also involved with TCMusic.net,  an excellent local musician and resource site you ought to check out.

With my new web home comes some neat tools, like visitor statistics. I was encouraged to find that not only are people using wendyv.com as a music resource, but there is a lot of local music interest out there. My stats show people coming to my pages looking for information on coffeehouse music, open stages, and particular Twin Cities artists. 

Speaking of open stages....

Coffeehouse homecoming:

I must confess something. I have not gotten out much lately. I decided being at coffeehouses and other gigs "in spirit" can only cut it for so long if you do what I do. So this month, I got out to an open stage...Dunn Brothers Grand in St. Paul. This one is hosted the first and third Sunday evenings by Gary Lumpkin. I first met Gary a few years ago when I attended an event he was covering when he was a reporter for the "Good Company" TV show. Like many other folks, he enjoyed writing songs and playing, so he began performing music at coffeehouses and eventually was asked to host the Dunn Brothers open stage.

Many of the players this evening were "regular" performers at this open stage. They ranged in age from the younger to the older, with varying degrees of musical ability. Most did cover tunes (Jack Johnson and Mason Jennings songs were popular picks), but some had original material. One was very skilled at using some slick musical technology.  As with many open stages I've seen, it was a cordial and encouraging atmosphere among the audience and musicians. Many in the audience were there to support their friends.

If you're planning to play an open stage, though, I do offer some pieces of advice:

- Even though you signed up with your first name on the sheet, tell us who you are when you get up there. Some of us just might want to remember you afterward.
- Be sure to sing directly into the microphone. We don't want to miss anything.
- In Toastmasters, we're told not to apologize or tell if we've made a mistake in our speech. No need to tell us you messed up your lyrics or playing. Probably most people are like me, who otherwise wouldn't know the difference if you hadn't said something. And it's okay if you do miss a line. I've heard people forget the lyrics live on the Grand Ole Opry.

CDs: 

Bill Isles - "The Threshold"
One of the fun things that can happen when you're traveling is running into someone you know when you're hundreds of miles from home. When I was in Nashville last summer visiting the Bluebird Cafe, I found Bill Isles in line for a seat for the Saturday late show. Bill's been a busy guy this year, playing gigs in his home area of Duluth and elsewhere, and working on a great new CD, released in the last couple of months. "The Threshold" establishes Bill as one of the most gifted and solid singer/songwriters in the upper Midwest area. The media is starting to take some serious notice. The standout track "Hole In Our Town" has been featured by Dale Connelly and Jim Ed Poole on the MPR Morning Show.  Bill's done it all while continuing to fight off health challenges. His biography notes that the June release of this CD coincides with the 10th anniversary of his surviving a cardiac arrest. Here's to continued good health, Bill!

Other News:

Minnesota Folk Festival changes:

The sluggish state of our economy is impacting just about everything and everyone, and the arts are certainly no exception. Due to budget cuts, the Minnesota Folk Festival scheduled for 2003 has been cancelled. But don't despair--it will be back in 2004, complete with a new location and the next edition of the New Folk Songwriting Contest! The festival moves to the Little Log House Showgrounds in Hastings and runs April 30-May 2. The Folk Festival tries out the new setting with a stage at the Antique Power Show July 25-27. More details on this and other upcoming events at the Minnesota Folk Festival website...where you singer/songwriters can also get started submitting your entries for the 5th Annual New Folk Songwriting Contest!

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Summer's not over yet! The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board still has summer concerts for Lake Harriet and Minnehaha Falls...click on the above link for info!.

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        Thanks to all Local Blend and wendyv.com visitors for your patience with wayward links during the "re-construction" period!

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