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Tutor Update - January 2022 -
This the final list for Easter 2022! |
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Les Gustafson-Zook - AUTOHARP
Les Gustafson-Zook, from Goshen, Indiana, is a popular autoharp instructor and performer, appearing at many festivals and music schools in the U. S. since 1990. He began playing the autoharp when given an autoharp in 1985 as a wedding present by his wife’s sister who thought the two of them were collecting unusual instruments. Visiting the autoharp contest at Winfield, Kansas that fall gave a taste and vision of what the autoharp could sound like and soon, contests and jamming became a motivator for pushing the limits of the instrument. Les won the 1989 National Autoharp Championship and placed 3rd and 2nd four time each at Winfield before winning the International Autoharp Champion in 2001. Along the way, he discovered the joy of teaching and the joy of building musical community through playing with others.
Les began teaching autoharp in 1991 at Linn Benton Community College in Oregon. The desire to expose students to a variety of performers and styles led to the founding of the Willamette Valley Autoharp Gathering with a group of his students in 1994. He has taught at Augusta Heritage Center, John C. Campbell Folk School, Kentucky Music Week, Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering, Walnut Valley Festival and many other festivals across the U.S. In 2014 he was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame, acknowledging his contributions to the autoharp world. He is known for his clear and encouraging teaching style, his fast, clean picking of fiddle tunes, his energetic performances and for his sensitive arrangements of hymns, waltzes and Christmas carols.
Les has recorded six Cds, including Cascade Noel and Gather at the River (with guitarist Jon ten Broek), Finger Pickin Pals (with guitarist Ray Frank), and two with his wife, Gwen joining him on guitar and vocals - Long Time Traveling and Home. In 1991 he began performing on multiple instruments in elementary schools, doing a program called Songs of the Pioneers. This led to a 10 year full time music stint, performing in hundreds of schools across the eastern U.S. His CD of that traditional American music is called, Skip to My Lou.
Les also hosts a two hour acoustic music radio show on Monday nights on a local college radio station, WGCS. You can hear his musical choices by streaming it on the internet at globeradio.org at 9-11pm EST. He’s also been a core member of a contradance band, called Band ‘o Goshen, which plays regularly for dances in the northern Indiana area, and performs regularly with Gwen and his daughter, Sadie. When not doing music, Les works for Mennonite Central Committee, an international relief, development and peacemaking organization, and volunteers with a non-profit bicycle shop called Chain Reaction Bicycle Project.
Les enjoyed S.F.Week so much last time he came he asked to come back at the first opportunity. So here he is. Website
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Ned Luberecki - BANJO 1
Want to learn Cripple Creek backwards? Ned’s your man… Amazing sense of humour, he’s man who suffers for his art but, believe me, it’s all worthwhile. Ned’s an amazing teacher and will run a fun class too. Is that possible with banjos only Ned knows if you follow him….
A 25-year professional who’s noted for his dazzling technique, originality and broad sense of humor, Ned Luberecki has served for over a decade with Chris Jones & The Night Drivers. His resume includes stints with Paul Adkins & The Borderline Band; Gary Ferguson; Radio Flyer and the Rarely Herd, frequent winners of SPBGMA’s Entertaining Band Of The Year award.
He’s a popular banjo instructor at some of the most renowned instructional camps in the US, Canada and Europe as well as private lessons at his studio in Nashville and online via webcam. Ned is also a broadcaster on SiriusXM’s Bluegrass Junction, where he hosts the regular newgrass show, Derailed, and the popular Sunday Banjo Lesson.
Since joining The Night Drivers, Ned has continued to make a name for himself as a guest on a variety of recordings and appearances, including tours with Larry Cordle & Lonesome Standard Time and as the “other” banjo player with Tony Trischka’s Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular. In 2007, he released a popular solo project, Nedski, which included duets with friends like The Infamous Stringdusters’ Chris Pandolfi and Punch Brothers’ Noam Pikelny, along with comic favourites like “Cabin Of Death.” In 2010, he teamed up with the Sam Bush Band’s Stephen Mougin as Nedski & Mojo, releasing an acclaimed project Nothing More.
One of his latest projects is working with the Becky Buller Band – Becky is also teaching this year – and together they will lighten up the showcases.
You just can’t miss the banjo class with this guy around! |
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Leon Hunt - BANJO 2
Leon makes his living playing alongside some of the world’s top musicians from a number of musical styles, backgrounds and disciplines. Since graduating from his ‘Music and Music Technology’ degree in 2000 Leon has taken part in several notable ‘transatlantic’ recordings; Miles Apart (2004) Shuttle Diplomacy (2008) and Fishing Music (2009). These projects have included some of the biggest names in American traditional music; Viktor Krauss, Tim O’Brien, Stuart Duncan, David Grier and Matt Flinner to name a few. Beyond proving his Bluegrass credentials, Leon has found himself in a diverse array of other musical settings; occasional live and/or recorded collaborations with Irish traditional music’s Michael McGoldrick and Flook, African Kora virtuoso, Sekou Kieta, and English Folk singer, Kate Rusby. He has also enjoyed being part of several major theatre productions for The Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Rep, and The New Vic (search the web hard enough and you’ll find a very funny picture of him in a powdered wig and tights!!!) If all of the above name dropping means nothing to you then we’ll have to resort to Anchor Butter’s major 2008 TV advertising campaign (the series of commercials with the fuzzy felt cows), that was Leon too Website
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Ben Somers - BASS
Ben Somers grew up surrounded by music as his father Steve Somers was and still is a very active professional musician. Steve was a long time colleague of Peter Sayers well known for his part in the UK country and bluegrass scene. Ben began playing the saxophone at the age of 16 and went on to study jazz at university in London. It was around this time that he got drawn back to the sounds of his childhood and got hooked on bluegrass, country and western swing. He got hold of a double bass and fully immersed himself in the music. Currently Ben tours regularly with Seal, singing backing vocals and playing sax. He has also played and recorded with the likes of Dr John, Dizzee Rascal, Mika, Leon Hunt, Krystle Warren and many more. He is also very active on the jazz and world scene playing as a regular member of the Gareth Lockrane big band, Kate William's septet (daughter of John ), Real Word recording artists Dub Colossus, Latin ensemble Manteca. In more recent times, his involvement with Sore Finger Week have brought into several Bluegrass collaborations notably with Grant Gordy, Joe Walsh, John Lowell (new album just out) from over the pond and nearer to home Louvat Brothers Dorian Ricaux, Davis West, the list just goes on. But everyone of those little combos toured successfully and delighted their audiences wherever they went. The week is never complete with Ben’s presence and he has been ubiquitous appearing out of nowhere with his bass or tenor sax to spice up the proceedings. There’s only one way to close this out, Ben is just one thoroughly great musicians and good guy! Website
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Becky Buller - BLUEGRASS FIDDLE
Warning! This high energy entertaining fiddler and songwriter is coming back to inject some “je ne sais quoi” into the 25th Sore Fingers Week! Fiddlers are guaranteed a great time with Becky she enormous fun and fits perfectly into the Sore Fingers spirit. Those who have seen her in action at previous events will testify…
Born to a musical family in Southern Minnesota, Becky soon persuaded her parents she wanted to learn to play the fiddle and very soon became a full time member of the family band. Music was a constant during her school and college days and she was soon trying her hand at song-writing winning awards and despite graduating from East Tennessee State university with a degree in Public Relations, it was career in music that beckoned.
Becky is frequently shortlisted in the top 20 nominees for IBMA’s Fiddler of the Year award and her songs have been covered by IIIrd Tyme Out; Valerie Smith & Liberty Pike; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Rhonda Vincent & the Rage; David Parmley & Continental Divide; the Mark Newton Band; and Fragment, among others.
Her live performances with Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike have raised her reputation as a fine fiddler in this country and alongside her fabulous own band, she’s been taking the stage with the “First Ladies of Bluegrass” with Mollie Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Alison Brown and Missy Raines.
Becky is special, you’ll love her and she’ll teach you things you didn’t know were possible!!! Website
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Todd Livingston - DOBRO
Todd Livingston has come forward at short notice to replace Mike Witcher who has had to pull out of Sore Fingers Week 2020 due to unforeseen circumstances. Todd Has been playing, teaching and touring professionally for over fifteen years and has shared stages with some of the greatest names on the circuit including Earl Scruggs, Jim Lauderdale, Missy Raines, Tim O’Brien Bryan Sutton Matt Flinner and many others. A distinguished list of American musicians. Whilst growing up as musician with the traditional Bluegrass repertoire, Todd has never been afraid of stepping out of the Bluegrass box and spent six months in the theatre on Pullizer Prize winning play “A Particle of Dread” written by Sam Shepherd. Todd has also been involved the American Musicians Abroad Programme and played all over the world covering 40 odd countries. Todd’s enthusiasm for the Dobro and music is infectious and there’s nothing Todd’s likes more than playing, teaching or talking about the resophonic guitar. You can tell, he’s always smiling…. |
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Robert Bowlin - GUITAR 1
Unfortunately, Peter McLaughlin has had to withdraw from S.F.Week due to ill health. We wish him a rapid recovery and we do have a distinguished replacement tutor, Robert Bowlin. Read on
In 2002, Robert Bowlin stood center stage in the old Ryman auditorium, home of the Grand Ole Opry, performing one of his compositions for solo guitar. Many in the audience were undoubtedly surprised to hear such a combination of bluegrass, classical, folk and jazz played on a steel string flat top guitar. At times listeners will hear a simple melody with a characteristic round tone, other times complex rhythms and harmonic textures, all played with a flat pick. Listeners often ask “How do you get that kind of tone?” or “How do you play those patterns up the neck?” It’s these and other questions Bowlin enjoys addressing, as he has at many music workshops, some of which include the Walnut Valley Festival, the Colorado Roots Camp, Kauffman Kamp, North Circle Bluegrass Camp and Acoustic Music Camp in Dallas, Texas. With a background in music theory (not enough to hurt he says) and playing the fiddle and piano, Bowlin can explain the theory behind the many methods available to students in the marketplace, and comparisons of these with his own concepts are always welcome to discuss. In addition to class time teaching about tone, phrasing, and improvisation, there’s always room for telling highly amusing stories about his working on the road with the so called “stars”, growing up in the Arkansas Ozark Mountains, what it’s like living in “Music City” and just having a good time while learning all things guitar. Bowlin has performed and or recorded with many artists including the Osborne Brothers, Bill Monroe (his last fiddler of 3 years), Ray Price, Tom T. Hall, Maura O’Connell, Vince Gill, Ricky Van Shelton, Faron Young, B.B. King, John Prine, Bobby Bare, John Hartford and many others. With Hoot Hester he was a founding member of the Time Jumpers, an all star Western swing group in Nashville, and as a versatile multi-instrumentalist has worked on hundreds of recording sessions playing guitar, fiddle, mandolin and piano. Participating in several instrument contests early in his career, he won the National Fingerpicking Championship in Winfield, Kansas, the Tennessee State fiddle championship, and the Indiana State mandolin Championship. Robert lives in Cobden, Illinois and tours with his partner, singer songwriter Will Maring, playing concert venues and festivals. Website
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Ross Martin - GUITAR 2
Guitarist Ross Martin has performed in concert halls, honky-tonks, theaters, rock clubs, living rooms, on festival stages, television programs and everywhere in between. He grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, TX, with brief stints in East Tennessee, attended the University of North Texas, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies, then headed west. After ten years in the front range area of Colorado, he relocated to the east coast and has lived in Brooklyn, NY for the past ten years. His musical path has covered as much territory as his physical one. Reflecting his love of diverse genres like jazz, bluegrass, country, folk, experimental, and classical music, Ross has always felt at home with fellow musicians who seek to reconcile, through their music, the incredible wealth of styles available to listeners in this global and digital age.
He has toured and performed with a wide range of artists including Matt Flinner, Tony Furtado, Ron Miles, Mollie O’Brien, The Motet, Caroline Herring, Dwele, Sonya Kitchell, and many others. Ross, along with bassist Eric Thorin, has been a member of the Matt Flinner Trio for the past eleven years. Known in acoustic circles for his groundbreaking mandolin work, Matt developed a unique concept for the group: All three band members write a tune each day while on tour and perform it that evening. After several tours, they picked twelve of their favorite tunes and recorded them. The result was “Music du Jour” which was released on Compass Records in April, 2009. Since then, the Trio has produced two more recordings of Music du Jour compositions: “Winter Harvest” (2012) and “Traveling Roots” (2016).
Music education plays an important role in Ross’s professional life. He maintains a private guitar studio, is a sought-after instructor at workshops and music camps, such as Rockygrass Academy and Alabama Folk Life School, and regularly facilitates clinics and teaches master classes at educational institutions across the United States.
Ross’ solo album, “Volley”, features his original compositions and electric guitar playing, and he recently released a duo recording with acoustic guitarist Grant Gordy titled “Year of the Dog”. He performs frequently throughout the New York City area, and tours nationally and internationally with various projects.
Anyone who is a friend of Matt Flinners’ is a friend of ours! This will be a first visit for Ross and those who have attended course with Grant Gordy will find Ross equally inspiring and adventurous. So let’s; give him a warm welcome! Website
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Mike Compton - MANDOLIN 1
Mandolin Magazine calls him a player with "a worldwide reputation as one of the modern masters of bluegrass mandolin...one of the most recognizable and respected mandolin voices anywhere". He's Mike Compton--Grammy and IBMA award-winning recording artist; solo, duo and band performer; and as passionate a teacher and advocate for the mandolin as you're ever likely to find. The New York Times calls Compton, "a new bluegrass instrumental hero."
Born in Meridian, Mississippi (hometown to the legendary Jimmie Rodgers) in 1956, Mike grew up hearing old-time country music, and took up the mandolin as a teenager. Drawn to the powerful mix of old-time fiddle stylings, blues influences and pure creativity embodied in Monroe's playing, he moved to Nashville in 1977 and quickly found work with veteran banjoist and former Monroe sideman Hubert Davis with whom he made his first recordings. In the mid 80’s, he was recruited by Pat Enright and Alan O'Bryant to help found the Nashville Bluegrass Band, and the group quickly became one of the most prominent and admired in bluegrass. Mike joined the legendary John Hartford, recording and touring extensively until Hartford's death in 2001. At the same time, he began to develop collaborative efforts in recording, performing, and teaching with other masters such as guitarist David Grier, with whom he has toured and recorded the IBMA Album Of The Year-nominated Climbing The Walls; renowned mandolinists David Grisman and Mike Marshall, at whose invitation he participates in the Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz, California; producer T-Bone Burnette, for whom he not only performed as a Soggy Bottom Boy on 2001's Grammy Album Of the Year, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, but on the following Grammy-winning Down From The Mountain soundtrack and tours, and on the cold Mountain soundtrack and tours; and, most recently, with up-and-coming mandolinist David Long, with whom he recorded Stomp, nominated for the IBMA's Recorded Event Of The Year in 2006. Adding to his full schedule, Mike was invited to rejoin the Nashville Bluegrass Band in 2000, where No Depression magazine noted in a 2004 review that "his contributions notably enhance one of the band's greatest strengths: its uniquely precise take on the blues."
Honored in 2002 with a special resolution by the Mississippi State Senate for his accomplishments, Mike Compton is in demand today at every level, from solo tours, treasured performances with the Nashville Bluegrass Band, appearances with Grier, and other duet partners, to instructional settings like the International Bluegrass Music Museum's wildly successful Monroe Mandolin Camp, to studio recordings with bluegrass legends such as Ralph Stanley and country stars like Faith Hill. In the end, there's no better way to say it than in the words of Mandolin Magazine--Mike Compton, is, simply put, "a certified mandolin icon."
Wearing his signature pressed blue overalls and rocking and weaving with fluid body motion, Compton stuns not by tricks or artifice, but through his singing, his ability to engage a crowd, and through decades of honing his technique into the unique, one-of-a-kind Compton signature mandolin sound. With his Gilchrist mandolin, this is a perfect match of a musician and his instrument. Mike is another familiar face at Kingham Hill School and takes up his role as tutor for the fourth time since his first visit in 2000. No mandolinist should go through life without attending a course with Mike Compton! Website
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Jack Tuttle - MANDOLIN 2
Jack grew up in a musical family in rural Illinois and began playing guitar at age 5. When Jack was about 12 years old, he began playing bluegrass banjo (he learned from hearing his father play) and a little later took up mandolin and then fiddle. He began teaching full time at Gryphon in 1979 and has worked very hard on developing a complete lesson program on banjo, mandolin, fiddle and guitar. He has taught thousands of students over thirty years, many of whom have become top players in the Bay Area and beyond. He has been especially successful with children, some of whom have grown into major talents on the local and national scene. His current and past students heavily populate the jam scene in the South Bay and on the Peninsula. He is also the music editor of Fiddler Magazine and has written twelve instructional books. Jack has developed and taught special seminars in History of Bluegrass, Critical Listening to Bluegrass, Bluegrass Improvisation and Music Theory for Bluegrass and he is a known across the nation for his work in music education.
Jack also taught his own three children, Molly, Sullivan and Michael, who are all three nationally recognized bluegrass talents. Despite their young ages, they have performed throughout the US, Europe and Canada. Their YouTube videos have over two million views.
Jack has performed professionally in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan and has been a member of numerous bands, including the Gryphon Quintet and the Fog City Ramblers. He now plays with The Tuttles with AJ Lee, which features three of his own kids. Jack has performed at many notable events, such as: A Prairie Home Companion, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Strawberry Music Festival and Merlefest. He has been a mainstay every year at the prestigious CBA Bluegrass Camp in Grass Valley, one of the largest bluegrass camps in the country. He also has taught at the Walker Creek Music Camp, the California Coast Music Camp, the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes and the Northern Bluegrass Circle Workshop (in Canada). In 2012, 2016 and 2017, Jack won the Northern California Bluegrass Society's Bluegrass Fiddler of the Year award. He has recorded various albums in his career, including a duet album with his daughter Molly and two with The Tuttles with AJ Lee. Jack has worked as album producer and sound engineer as well.
In 2007, Jack was presented with the California Bluegrass Association's distinguished Honorary Lifetime Membership Award and in 2014, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Northern California Bluegrass Society. Website
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Travis Stuart - OLD TIME BANJO 1
We’re pretty proud to get Travis Stuart back at Sore Fingers Week. This man is fun as well as being a great teacher of Old Time Music. He came with Trevor back in 2007, a long time ago. Time we had him back, prepare for good times.
Travis Stuart began playing the banjo as a young teen in Haywood County, North Carolina. A respected banjo player and multi-instrumentalist known for his rich style and accompaniment, Travis has toured throughout the US and several foreign countries with the Stuart Brothers and as a side man with other bluegrass and old time bands.
He learned from old-time masters like the Smathers family, Oscar “Red” Wilson, Snuffy Jenkins, Byard Ray, and Tommy Hunter. Travis currently teaches in the old-time music program at ETSU and has led the Haywood County JAM for many years. He is on a number of recordings and is especially known for the banjo fiddle duets with his late brother Trevor, The Stuart Brothers. Travis lives in the woods of Haywood County with his family, his dog and cat, and loves many styles of music.
Banjo class
This class will explore alternative tunings used in solo banjo playing from some of the late banjo masters of the Appalachians. Using clawhammer, up picking , 2 and 3 finger styles, the class will cover playing with a fiddler, regional styles within the Appalachians, chord structures for playing waltzes, and accompaniment for songs.
The class will also cover jam sessions, general tips for getting good tone, and some basic music theory for exploring the banjo neck. Participants will find expression in the music with a focus on listening. They will explore possibilities in variations of tunes, maintaining rhythmic integrity rather than focusing on speed and technical display.
Travis Stuart began playing the banjo as a young teen in Haywood County, North Carolina. He is a respected banjo player and multi-instrumentalist known for his rich style and solid accompaniment. Travis has toured the U.S. and internationally with The Stuart Brothers , Dirk Powell Band, Riley Baugus, The Reeltime Travelers, Martha Scanlan and step dancer Ira Bernstein. Travis learned from old-time masters such Red Wilson, the Smathers Family, Snuffy Jenkins, and Byard Ray.
He is dedicated to performing and teaching old-time music. A respected teacher, Travis has taught at music camps around the country and abroad. For the last 13 years he has led the JAM Junior Appalachian Musicians program in Haywood County, North Carolina. Travis has recordings with The Stuart Brothers and has performed on many recordings and films. |
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Graeme Parry - OLD TIME BANJO 2
Graeme is a musician with a wide range of musical experiences to draw from. As a young man, fresh from music college, Graeme played in many bands around Nottingham and Derby making a good name for himself as a bass guitarist. After a few years he ventured off to Germany with a funk band and cut his teeth gigging and living music before coming back to the uk. Graeme now teaches music and performs with a number bands full time and has built a reputation as a great teacher, a talented clawhammer banjo player and a solid double bass player. Graeme currently plays banjo with The Brickyard Rounders, Pad the Hoof and The Midnight Specials. He also plays double bass in The Firecrackers and The Midnight Specials. He teaches music to individual students on a daily basis and has run workshops at Crossover and Gainsborough festivals. Simon Robinson is a folk musician, music facilitator and workshop leader from Leeds, Yorkshire, who has taught the banjo, guitar and ukulele privately from his home for a number of years. After touring extensively and releasing 3 albums and an EP to critical acclaim with the “Sci-Fi Folk” band Maia for 12 years, Simon has gone on to explore the more traditional roots of acoustic music, releasing two solo albums of traditional material (The Wandering Boy, 2018 and When The Sun Goes In, 2020) and performing around the country solo as well as with the bands Redwood River Band, Moorlanders and Sugarwell Hill. Graeme taught at the last S.F. live event prior to the pandemic in October, 2019. He impressed so much we decided to let him lose on and Easter class. You’ll not be disappointed, he’s the business! |
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Dirk Powell - OLD TIME FIDDLE 1
Dirk Powell is a musician, writer, producer, composer, studio owner, and engineer residing in Southwest Louisiana. His roots in Kentucky and his commitment to Creole and Cajun culture have fused with early classical training to form an artistic palette and vision that are unique in today’s musical environment.
In addition to his own performances, he has toured with Eric Clapton, Joan Baez, Rhiannon Giddens, Linda Ronstadt, Jack White, Loretta Lynn, and many others. His work in film has found him collaborating with producers such as T Bone Burnett, and directors like Anthony Minghella and Ang Lee. In 2018, he will be touring with both Rhiannon Giddens and Joan Baez, while working on several projects in his studio on the banks of Bayou Teche, the Cypress House.
As this biography testifies, this man is busy and as a result, very hard to get hold of! I haven’t been shy of trying since Dirk’s last visit in 2013. So, it was like a light bulb coming on when I got an email from him expressing an interest in another visit for the great man. Dirk will bring along a bucket full of Old Time and Traditional American Music and lots of other things too. No one will have forgotten his showcase appearances with Mollie O’Brien turning Kingham’s main hall into ”Texas” Honky Tonk. Those in his class and the rest of the congregation have a lot to look forward to next Easter and it’s fitting that it’s the 25th S.F.Week. A little footnote, at S.F. 2013, Dirk played so much, he left Kingham Hill School with…. You’ve guessed it Sore Fingers! You couldn’t make it up. Website
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Rachel Eddy - OLD TIME FIDDLE 2
When Rachel was based in Sweden, she became a regular visitor to Kingham. Not far to come and she made many UK friends and collaborators. A true friend of the event.
Rachel was born and raised in rural WV just south of Morgantown, where her musical family inspired her to play and sing as a little girl. She grew up listening to local fiddlers, her father among them, going to old-time festivals, and attending square dances. The old-time bug bit her early in life and Rachel now performs and teaches full-time on fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin and bass.
She has recently relocated back to West Virginia after living the last 5 years in Stockholm. During that time, she invigorated the Swedish old-time scene, inspiring dozens of people to learn Appalachian music and dance. In addition to being a performer, Rachel is passionate about teaching. She has taught fiddle, banjo and guitar at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins WV, at Sore Fingers Summer school in the UK, and different various weekend workshops from the hills of West Virginia to Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, London and Wales.
Rachel’s love of music comes from the heart and she loves every part of her job from performing, to educating dedicated students, and the electrifying charge of playing in jam sessions around the world!
Over the years, she has had the honor of sharing stages, workshops and recording sessions with the likes of Tim O’Brien, Erynn Marshall, Dirk Powell, Adam Hurt, Rayna Gellert, Russ Barenberg, Bruce Molsky, Mark Schatz, and a month long tour in Germany with the g’earls from Uncle Earl!
She has four full length albums: The Morgantown Rounders (2006), Hand on the Plow (2008 solo), Chilly Winds (2010 duo with Kristian Herner), and Nothin’ But Corn (2014 solo).
We’ve lost count of how many times Rachel’s has worked at Sore Fingers be it the Easter week or the October weekend. All we can say is she’s well into the way we do things and will get straight in feeling quite at home at Kingham Hill School. Welcome back Rachel! Website
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Val Mindel - SINGING
Val Mindel is a longtime musician, teacher and workshop leader, known for bringing out the best in singers, whatever their level. Her specialty is the close, buzzy harmony that makes American old-time, bluegrass and country harmony so compelling. In addition to teaching, she performs in various combinations, including with California-based Any Old Time (see Arhoolie’s new anniversary book and CD compilation, “They All Played for Us”) and with daughter and country musician Emily Miller and her husband Jesse Milnes. In addition to their 2007 CD “In the Valley,” they have a new CD, released in early July 2013, “Close to Home.” For more, visit www.valandemmy.com. As well as a busy workshop schedule across the country and abroad, Val teaches regularly in New York City at Brooklyn’s growing old-time music school, Jalopy. She lives in Marlboro, Vermont.
Val has stepped into cover for Dede Wyland who has had to withdraw to personal circumstances. We hope to see her at S.F.Week in the future. Website
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Wil Maring - SONG-WRITING
We first heard Wil with her then band “Shady Mix” in the mid-nineties. Shady mix were a rarity, a professional touring band based in Germany playing some 200 shows a year. There’s absolutely no doubt as to the success of this band Wil’s songs. Their albums were filled with great original songs all written by this talented songwriter. So, it’s long overdue that Sore Fingers Bring this lady to share her knowledge with you.
As Wil Maring sat for long summer hours as a teenager at her family's roadside vegetable stand, picking out self-made tunes on her Sears guitar to pass the time, she never dreamed of the path she would one day follow. Wil has become a highly acclaimed songwriter, a previous winner of the prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest, and has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry with her original music, in addition to touring extensively in Europe and Japan. She honed her songwriting skills playing music professionally in Europe with her group Shady Mix.
Wil Maring and virtuose guitarist and fiddler Robert Bowlin have been recently combining talents to create beautiful original acoustic music which straddles the fence between bluegrass, folk and country music. Wil’s beautiful airy vocal style and heartfelt lyrics have raised the eyebrows of the acoustic music world in recent years with the release of her three solo cds and four band cds with her band Shady Mix.
Their music will leave audiences spellbound long after the show is over. For bigger venues, Wil sometimes appears with whole band, Shady Mix, which includes instrumental lineup of upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, and sometimes banjo.
Let’s make this lady welcome to Sore Fingers and if you take just a smidgeon of her creativity, you will be writing masterpieces before long! Website
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Andy MacKenzie - IMPROVISATION
We ran this course as a two day pilot over the S.F. October Weekend, Autumn 2019. Was it a success? You bet. Student feedback has ben amazing and we are running this course over five days next Easter. So, let's start with a bit about your talented Tutor: Andy Mackenzie has over forty years of experience as freelance recording and live performer covering a wide ranges of musical styles and still preforming up 150 live concerts a year!. Alongside his live and recording work, Andy is currently the Jazz guitar tutor at Bangor University and has delivered several classes in Jazz and improvisation including prestigious institutions such as LIPA. He also co-authored Masters of Jazz guitar published in 1999 and continue to write reviews for the music press. And to top that all, Andy is a proficient Flatpick Bluegrass Guitar and banjo player! His knowledge of music, scales, harmony and chord sequences equip him perfectly to deliver the great class we believe this new venture is going to provide!
Trevor Hyett is the instigator of this course with our full endorsement so here is his introduction: Before we get in too deep, we must emphasize that this course is not instrument specific and will benefit all including singers. This new course for this October’s Sore Fingers Weekend which we believe you might find tempting: essentially, it’s about developing advanced strategies for taking an instrumental break…IMPROVISATION. We’ve developed a full-blown weekend designed to help players of any and all instruments to take a convincing and rewarding break over any chord changes…not just the 3-chord tricks that we all know and love. As such it might be more suited to higher intermediate and advanced, more experienced players. As is implicit in the above paragraph, this weekend’s class/workshop will be open to all instrumentalists (and singers too, if you like to scat!). A unique departure from the usual instrument-specific classes we’re all familiar with. The tutor will be one of my favourite players: Andy MacKenzie. Many of you will know him from Easter’s at Kingham as he has come along especially to take part in David Grier and Grant Gordy’s classes.. (BTW – check out his shredding Blackberry Blossom on YouTube…absolutely knock-out!!). Andy is a great, professional with, in addition to his bluegrass flat-picking skills, great swing and jazz chops…and a truly innovative improviser. Uniquely this course, as part of the Sore Fingers October Weekend, will bring players of different instruments to play together collaboratively and creatively to take a giant step down the never-ending road of IMPROVISATION. End of sales pitch…but I’ve booked already!! Come and join me! |
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- BEGINNER/LOWER INTERMEDIATE CLASSES
The highly talented and entertaining Percy Copley will be taking charge of the beginners classes at Easter 2022. Read more below! |
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Percy Copley - BEGINNERS ALL INSTRUMENTS
Percy performs and teaches bluegrass, country and old time music and songs and jazz and popular songs of the golden age. He’s a regular and popular teacher at S.F.Week and never fails to add some colour to the event with his humour and music. A talented musician and actor, he’s taught at several camps here and in Europe.
After three years at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London he embarked on an acting career doing everything from Shakespeare to musicals, occasionally playing banjo or bagpipes! He soon added a number of instruments to his arsenal of skills and is probably one of those who can get a tune out of anything you throw at him! Around here, he’s known for playing Banjo, Mandolin, Guitar, Ukulele, Bagpipes, etc, etc. He’s fine singer too.
So, he’s well placed to take the beginner group and it is rumoured that he enjoys the challenge of bringing on those starting up and sending them on their way to greater things; extremely satisfying he says.
Percy has a distinguished track record on stage both here and in France where he’s made his home and where he went to take up what turned out to be a twenty year gig at Eurodisney. He kept his connections with the British Bluegrass scene, particularly in the south east and London area but was seen around all the popular UK summer festivals.
Since then he has continued to play 5-string Scruggs style banjo and added guitar, mandolin and tenor guitar playing in bands in the park, hotels and resort. More recently he has been playing jazz and singing old popular songs with the Disney Dixieland Band. He has also played in the bands “Paris Texas” around Paris, “The Hillbilly Hiccups” based in the UK (Didmarton and Laroche festivals), with American duo “Field and Thompson” around Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland), and the “Flatland Mountaineers” based in Holland.
But, if you are still in the throws of getting your head around Bluegrass mandolin or banjo, Percy’s your man and you are guaranteed to have a great time and learn a lot, he’s a great teacher and very funny man! Website
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