Acoustic Americana Music Guide ~ Dec 8 through 10 edition
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Tied to the Tracks
ACOUSTIC AMERICANA
MUSIC GUIDE & NEWS
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DECEMBER 8 through 10, 2009
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…A rainy and chilly start to this week, in a place that we take for granted is always sunny. There’s more rain and cold on the way. So, you probably want to be indoors. That means there’s TV (boring, and overloaded with insipid crap that is apparently some cretin’s “reality”), or going to the movies (waaaay too expensive for an hour-and-a-half of movie, plus the preceding half an hour of being blasted with annoying big screen commercials), or shopping (spending money you don’t have on junk the recipients don’t want), OR, you can treat yourself and a lucky companion to some LIVE MUSIC!
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It’s all right here for you! And you can send the url to your friends, so they can lavish gratitude upon you; as always, it’s http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com
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First, here’s a bit of EVENT NEWS
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The big JOHN GORKA show, with DAVE MORRISON opening, is in our “Heads-up for advance Tix” section, and you should jump right on that one. It marks the return of a folk series to the Neighborhood Church in Pasadena, the longtime home of the legendary series produced by the late Ron Stockfleth.
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It’s an appropriate return. No less than Rolling Stone Magazine calls JOHN GORKA “The preeminent male singer-songwriter of the New Folk Movement.”
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And opening act DAVE MORRISON is named as one of the “Top Ten / Best of 2008” male singer-songwriters in Los Angeles, in FolkWorks, and you’ve heard him perform live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks.”
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You can read the Guide’s whole write-up in our “Upcoming / Heads-Up” section, or get your tix right away at asalvatierra@cluela.org or via Paypal, at www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=gBv9Ow-o6w6jnpNx5fb7lTvai3cuXgzBbio3RGEC4KvsZrQPQlwu8ZTnemG&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9b833248354cf50881e4ea372b2a42d76305e03018dc2a2bc7. Tix, $20.
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GENEVIEVE GOING TO CUBA WITH A HUMANITARIAN / ARTS CAUSE
You’ve heard her music on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks,” and no doubt seen her perform around town (when she’s not touring all over the map). Now, the very kinetic Genevieve tells us, “I will be traveling to Cuba over the winter with a humanitarian-based arts organization to lend a hand and providing aid to underprivileged musicians. I’m working with a non-profit, so all donations are tax-deductible.
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“While there, I will be interviewing people in the music community about how we can foster more open relationships between the artistic communities in the US and Cuba. The information will also be used to create an educational curriculum for American exchange students from my alma mater who want to learn about the culture hands-on. Additionally, I will be working on several journalism projects focusing on music advocacy and helping artists (particularly young ones) to expand their opportunities and find a voice outside of Cuba. Think Buena Vista Social Club, but for children and young adults.
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“The money raised here will be used to help with the educational and advocacy costs-providing guitar strings and reeds for instruments, and music instruction books, for example. It’s a little tricky, because due to the nature of Cuban-American ties, people cannot directly contribute to Cuba (the US government considers that giving the money directly to the regime, which is really not far off), so you have to contribute through other channels (like donating money to volunteer organizations who purchase the goods and literally hand-deliver them). It’s a little confusing, but I’m happy to send more details on the situation. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
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“The website is www.kickstarter.com/projects/genevievemusic/the-future-of-cuban-music
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We are happy to report that Genevieve reached her fund-raising goal that allows her to make the trip, so for all of you who donated based on our initial notice about her trip, we thank you. “But Hopefully I can start doing more of these things. I figure if people are going to donate, they might as well donate to something where they actually know where the money is going. Or, if they want to volunteer but don’t have the time to do so, they can send someone else on a volunteer trip. either way, they’re helping.”
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Meanwhile, Genevieve acknowledges, “It’s a little confusing jumping through the hoops to donate, and you will need to set up a free account with Kickstarter (so you can log in and add comments to my page), and the donations go through Amazon.com, which also confuses people.” And she thanks everyone who navigates all that to support her as an arts ambassador.
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NEW CD, LOOKS INTERESTING…
We haven’t heard it, but… the EARTHWORM ENSEMBLE CD, with members of I SEE HAWKS IN L.A., MIKE STINSON, THE CHAPIN SISTERS, CHRISTINA ORTEGA, and ZACHARIAH is now available (in time for Christmas); official release is in February. Info, www.earthwormensemble.com
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Part 4 of “ENJOY LIVE MUSIC WHILE YOU BUY YOUR HOLIDAY JUNK
(ER, GIFTS)”
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(…reduced to what’s still happening, from the original BIG list in the Dec 1 edition):
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Back to solving The Age-Old Dilemma. They’re a couple. She’s addicted to recreational shopping, and he’d rather have a root canal than be dragged along. The Guide offers a solution. There are events where merchants offer live music, often with other pleasant amenities, to lure shoppers. We reported in recent editions about the music-filled Thanksgiving weekend in Old Pasadena, and the special one-night annual events in Santa Monica, Claremont, and Venice. But it isn’t over: there are still the recurring events that take-on a Holiday character.
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See the times and dates in the Guide for complete listings, and here’s what to look for.
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Every Wednesday:
5-8 pm The “CLAREMONT WEDNESDAY GREEN MARKET” features live acoustic music inside and outside the Packing House in Claremont.
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Every Wednesday:
7-9 pm The weekly “WINE & SONG” series hosted by award-winning songwriter BRAD COLERICK always brings talented musical guests, at WineStyles in South Pasadena, and you can buy bottles of wine there while you hear the music.
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Every Friday:
11 am-5 pm “FREE FRIDAYS” at the LONG BEACH MUSEUM OF ART in Long Beach, gives you a chance to shop at the museum store and enjoy the exhibits.
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Every Friday:
5:30-10 pm The “MONROVIA FAMILY FESTIVAL” offers a four-block street fair in old downtown Monrovia, always with live acoustic music in several places ~ free parking, free event.
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No doubt there are similar events elsewhere, combining live acoustic music performances with shopping opportunities for the next few weeks. As we learn of more shopping-melee-with-escape-hatch-to-live-acoustic-music events, we’ll let you know.
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AT EVERY PERFORMANCE VENUE:
There’s that always-wonderful holiday gift idea: give your music-loving friends a CD of the act you just heard!
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Entire contents copyright (c) © 2009, Larry Wines. All rights reserved.
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Now, on to the ACOUSTIC MUSIC LISTINGS in the Guide…
at http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com
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