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Tickets On Sale For California Guitar Trio - Sept 12th

Fall 2010 & Spring 2011 Concert Announcements

Dear Friends of MFGS

It's about time to announce our fall schedule and remind you of other musical events going on.  If  you were thinking about going to the  Canadian Guitar Festival there’s still time.  It starts on July 30^th.   They have an amazing lineup of guitarists.  Check out the information at   http://www.canadianguitarfestival.com/    

Also here in Michigan there is our own Interlochen Guitar Festival and Workshop starting August 26th.   

http://college.interlochen.org/program/guitar-festival-and-workshop

These are two premier guitar events you won't want to miss!

Now on to our  Fall Concert Series 2010/Spring 2011

Sunday September 12th - with the remarkable California Guitar Trio http://www.cgtrio.com/   This will be a Sunday evening concert @ Callahans http://www.atcallahans.com/ 

The California Guitar Trio was founded in 1991 and consists of Paul Richards from Utah, Bert Lams of Belgium and Hideyo Moriya of Japan.  They  first  met in England at one of Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft Courses in 1987. After their studies they embarked on a worldwide tour with Fripp’s League of Crafty Guitarists. 

A California Guitar Trio performance is like a night at the theater: Drama, passion, humor, joy , pathos, it's all there." -

                                                                                    Acoustic Musician Magazine

Save this date to see one of the most remarkable group of guitarists in the world today. 

         Buy Tickets Now!

Next ...on Saturday September 25th MFGS presents  Preston Reed  @ the First United Methodist Church in Ferndale we will present http://www.prestonreed.com/ in  Concert & Guitar Workshop.  This will be Preston’s third visit here to MFGS.  He  last played way back in 2003. 

"True spellbinding guitar mastery" - Guitarist Magazine

November 20th - Stephen Bennett & Tony McManus on the same stage. 

January  29th, 2011  - International Guitar Night featuring Clive Carroll, Pino Forastiere, Brian Gore and Alexandre Gismonti

March 12th - Pierre Bensusan

April 16th - Stefano Barone

May 21st - Craig D'Andrea & Antoine Dufour

title not provided

Dear Friends of MFGS

Andy McKee - In Concert @ Callahan's - CANCELLED

http://www.atcallahans.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lWwxi8VNLk&feature=related

Tickets are on sale now. $25 for General Admission and $20 for Seniors (60 & over) or students with ID.    There will be limited seating for this performance

We first brought Andy here to Michigan in 2006 after hearing about his finalist performance in the 2001  Winfield Kansas Fingerstyle Competition.  Andy was a newcomer to  MFGS which, fulfilled another part of our mission by bringing in new fingerstyle performers to our audience.   Andy returned in 2008 to an overwhelming show selling nearly 400 tickets at our First United Methodist Church Venue.

Picking up the guitar at age 13 Andy eventually was inspired by Preston Reed, Billy McLaughlin, Michael Hedges and Don Ross. From teaching guitar at a music store in Topeka  the self-taught McKee is now considered one of the worlds finest acoustic guitar soloists  His dedicated online community has raised his YouTube video views in excess of 78 million plays and at one point he held the #1, #2 and #3 positions for Top-Rated Videos of All Time on YouTube. McKee has seen fantastic online media success which has allowed him to tour internationally with over 200 live shows a year. 

 Callahans offers a unique venue in that it is a concert hall and a restaurant!  Stop in early to reserve your seat, enjoy a meal and then watch Andy McKee perform. 

http://www.atcallahans.com/Menu/Menu.htm

Better yet!   Andy will also sponsor a guitar workshop for players of all levels from 3pm to 5pm @ Callahans.  The workshop cost is $40 and you can reserve your front row seat at the concert by attending the workshop.  

 For More information on the Picking Party, the Andy McKee concert or the guitar workshop please call 248-646-4030

MFGS Music Updates & Andy McKee Concert Information

We at MFGS would like to thank all of you for your support, and also to our musical guests for a really fabulous spring season of guitar music.  Typically this would be the last you would hear from us until September but we have a few things brewing that we hope will catch your attention. 

First of all let's take a moment and thank Germany's Peter Finger for starting of our season out with a really impressive display of his guitarmanship.  Peter was not well known here in the US but we certainly witnessed a special night of diverse fingerstyle music and storytelling that has been performing in the rest of the world for a few decades now.  Thanks Peter!  Next we were just totally enthralled by  Guitar Republic's remarkable evening of innovatively brilliant music.  Until that night I have never seen a standing ovation before intermission!  Italy's Pino Forastiere, Sergio Altamura and Stefano Barone really enjoyed the 'love' they felt from the audience and you can tell by their encore arrangement of Johan Sebastian Bach's, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (yea right Pino, you can't fool us on that one, we're an educated audience !!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC-7hgnpZqc . Guitar Republic deserves a 'saluti e baci' (it's an Italian thing!) from all of us.  Finally the master, Laurence Juber, did some great interviews on Pam Rossi's 'Overeasy' and then Ann Delisi's 'Essential Music' shows. Laurence then joined us along with our friends at MAMA's Coffeehouse.  Thank's MAMAs for allowing us to share a very special night of beautiful compositions and some covers of Beatles tunes by LJ.  

So, what's up now?  As part of our mission of supporting guitar music that comes in our area we would like to remind you that This Wednesday, June 2^nd, California Guitar Trio's Bert Lams performs with  Tom Griesgraber  @ 'The Barn' in Rochester Hills.   This is a house style concert with limited seating, which isn't a bad thing, if your there!  Please go to http://www.poorman.ws/detroitstick/berttom/ for more information.  We've been trying to get these guys for a few years and this is the chance to see them up close.  Support these musicians, you won't be disappointed.    Here is a sample of what you will see this Wednesday!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU0MaVHXV54&feature=related 

Next on our agenda is a  MFGS Picking Party, Sunday June 6^t  from 2-5pm  Another part of our mission is to help promote Fingerstyle Music by having networking or picking parties. These are very informal gatherings where some of our more seasoned guitarists  lead a discussion about an aspect of fingerstyle playing. After that there can be more discussion and then  there is time to go up to the mike and perform in a truly non-competitive, supportive and very appreciative audience.  MFGS's  own Dave "Dadgadave"  Stuart will host this Picking Party at Shelest Music Studio in St. Clair Shores on this Sunday.  Shelest Music Studio is at  22410 Harper Ave. Saint Clair Shores, between 8 & 9 mile on Harper Ave.  Use google maps or mapquest to get you there.   (586) 218-7071.  guitargordo@yahoo.com   June 6^th,  Learn a little and play a lot or play a little and learn a lot!

And finally, we have been getting calls about this special performance for a couple months now.   We are very pleased to announce that on Saturday, July 17^th  Andy McKee will perform live at Callahan's Music Hall in Auburn Hills Michigan. 

http://www.atcallahans.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRAiUzrmkMk&feature=related

Tickets are on sale now. $25 for General Admission and $20 for Seniors (60 & over) or students with ID.    There will be limited seating for this performance

We first brought Andy here to Michigan in 2006 after hearing about his finalist performance in the 2001  Winfield Kansas Fingerstyle Competition.  Andy was a newcomer to  MFGS which, fulfilled another part of our mission by bringing in new fingerstyle performers to our audience.   Andy returned in 2008 to an overwhelming show selling nearly 400 tickets at our First United Methodist Church Venue.

Picking up the guitar at age 13 Andy eventually was inspired by Preston Reed, Billy McLaughlin, Michael Hedges and Don Ross. From teaching guitar at a music store in Topeka  the self-taught McKee is now considered one of the worlds finest acoustic guitar soloists  His dedicated online community has raised his YouTube video views in excess of 78 million plays and at one point he held the #1, #2 and #3 positions for Top-Rated Videos of All Time on YouTube. McKee has seen fantastic online media success which has allowed him to tour internationally with over 200 live shows a year. 

 Callahans offers a unique venue in that it is a concert hall and a restaurant!  Stop in early to reserve your seat, enjoy a meal and then watch Andy McKee perform. 

http://www.atcallahans.com/Menu/Menu.htm

Better yet!   Andy will also sponsor a guitar workshop for players of all levels from 3pm to 5pm @ Callahans.  The workshop cost is $40 and you can reserve your front row seat at the concert by attending the workshop.  

 For More information on the Picking Party, the Andy McKee concert or the guitar workshop please call 248-646-4030

Pickin' Party Sunday 6/6/10, 2-5 pm!

Learn a little, play a lot!!

We're having a Picking Party on 6/6/10, 2-5 pm at Shelest Music Studio 22410-A Harper Ave. Saint Clair Shores, MI 48080.

I, Dadgadave, will host and put on a short demo on composing (using a couple of my DADGAD tunes to teach with). It will mostly be fun with guitars and plenty of encouragement to stretch out and play with abandon!

Cheers, Dadgadave

Shelest MusicWorkshop

(586) 218-7071

guitargordo@yahoo.com

22410-A Harper Ave. Saint Clair Shores, MI 48080

Upcoming Concerts - Californita Guitar Trio's Bert Lams teams up with Tom Griesgraber

June 2nd 7:30 pm  - 

California Guitar Trio's Bert Lams performs with  Tom Griesgraber  

At 'The Barn'  near Meadowbrook Music Theatre

California Guitar Trio’s own Bert Lams will pair up with Chapman Stick extraordinaire, Tom Griesgraber for an evening concert at the ‘Barn’ in Rochester Hills. The Barn is an intimate house concert setting where you will experience two world class musicians up close.   We encourage buying tickets early since there is limited seating at the 'Barn'

Tickets $15 - Info @  http://www.poorman.ws/detroitstick/berttom/

Since 2004, California Guitar Trio member Bert Lams and Chapman Stick player Tom Griesgraber have been organizing tours in the US together, performing primarily as a duo but also dual soloists. 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU0MaVHXV54

 

The Chapman Stick

Developed by musician Emmett Chapman in the early 70s, The Chapman Stick used by Griesgraber combines six guitar strings tuned in fourths with six bass strings tuned in fifths. Notes are “tapped” rather than strummed allowing the player to create separate parts in each hand with a variety of guitar and bass-like sounds.  An unusual instrument at first glance and still unknown to most of the world, this 12-string guitar/bass/synthesizer hybrid capable of sounding like all three instrument families at once.  Until you’ve seen it performed live, the music of Chapman Stick player Tom Griesgraber sounds too big to be real. There are acoustic guitar or piano-like moments, funk rock bass lines, ambient synth and soundscape textures, rock guitar leads, jazz solos and even small bits of percussion sometimes all happening simultaneously. To the uninitiated listener it sounds like an ensemble, but to those who have seen him live, it is the magic of a unique virtuoso.

Bert Lams

Bert Lams has twenty years of experience in performing and teaching classical guitar and guitar technique. He studied classical guitar with Monique Vigneron and Albert Sundermann (A. Sundermann was a student of Andres Segovia.) at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Brussels, Belgium where he graduated with honors. He has also conducted workshops for guitar students around the world, including master classes in Berlin, Paris, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Los Angeles, Tokyo and Mexico City.

Since 1990, Bert Lams has been a composer and performer with the highly acclaimed California Guitar Trio. In 1993, the California Guitar Trio released their first recording Yamanashi Blues on Discipline Records followed by a successful world tour. In the same year Lams completed a world tour with the Robert Fripp String Quintet resulting in the recording, The Bridge Between, on Discipline Records.

Tom Griesgraber

Griesgraber is one of the world’s most respected and active performers on The Stick. He has toured as an opening act and guest for more than eighty US shows with the California Guitar Trio, toured the US and Europe with drummer Jerry Marotta as the duo Marotta/Griesgraber and opened numerous shows for artists like The Tony Levin Band, The League of Crafty Guitarists, The Dixie Dregs, Steve Hackett, Adrian Belew, Al Dimeola, Stanley Jordan, Bill Bruford’s Earthworks, Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather, Muriel Anderson, Tower of Power, Asia, Michael Manring, Tim Reynolds, Jazz Mandolin Project and The Bad Plus. At the request of Recording Academy (Grammy’s) president Neil Portnow, he has also performed for the Academy’s Board of Trustees as well as the Academy’s Holiday Party and the 2004 Grammy Awards Show Post Party

____________________________________________________

 

The Return of Andy McKee !

 

July 17th @ Callahans Music Hall

 

 

http://www.atcallahans.com/

Remember that Callahans has Dinner avialable before the show.