Winter Village Bluegrass Festival

Is this what love sounds like?

Rick Manning — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 03:14:36 +0000

A beautiful instrumental from the Kruger Brothers with the best You tube comment of all time…..’Is this what love sounds like?”

Video: Jack of the Wood

The Kruger Brothers – What Others Say

Rick Manning — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:05:48 +0000

Like artists Della Mae and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, who performed at the 2013 Winter Village Bluegrass Festival, the Kruger Brothers are new to Ithaca audiences. Here is what others in the bluegrass world say about them:

“Jens Kruger is a wonderful banjoist who is one of the most creative and giving and positiive musicians I’ve ever met. The Krugers put on a great show and you shouldn’t miss it.” Tony Trischka

“The Krugers are nothing short of magnificent.” Bluegrass Journal

“I used to think the banjo was somewhat limited to certain styles, until I heard Jens Kruger. Jens has played some of the most beautiful and expressive banjo I’ve ever heard.“ Ron Block of Alison Krauss and Union Station

“The Kruger Brothers are just about as fine a band as I’ve ever played with … I love to play music with them.” Doc Watson

“It’s a blast playing with them … not only are they all superior musicians, they are the nicest guys you’d ever want to meet.” Adam Steffey

“They are some awesome musicians.” Bobby Hicks

“Jens Kruger has established himself as one of the world’s most musically sophisticated and technically accomplished five-string banjo players.” Happy Traum

Winter Village Bluegrass Festival in Ithaca’s Top 10 Concerts of 2012

Rick Manning — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 19:02:03 +0000

Jim Catalano, Music Editor of the Ithaca Journal, just posted his top 10 shows of 2012 and the Winter Village Bluegrass Festival’s Saturday Night Big Show at the Hangar was in the top 10. The show featured Sierra Hull and Tony Trischka Territory and Cornerstone. Thanks Jim and good memory since this went back a year. You must have liked it!!

This year’s Hangar Big Show is on Saturday, January 26 and features Della Mae, Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen, Chris Stuart & Janet Beazley with a Cornerstone Reunion.

Winter Village Fiddle Show – Saturday, Jan 12 at 7:30pm

Rick Manning — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 19:34:08 +0000

SATURDAY NIGHT FIDDLE SHOW ADDED!!!! Winter Village is pleased to host a Saturday evening fiddle show featuring Fiddle Camp faculty Darol Anger and Judy Hymans, Eric Aceto, Rick Manning and a rockin’ rythym section including Dave Davies, Jeff Claus, Ethan Jodziewicz, and Tom Hodgson. This performance is part of the Winter Village Fiddle Camp. The show will begin at 7:30pm at La Tourelle. $10 tickets available only at the door that night.

Gibson Brothers Took Slow, Steady Approach to Bluegrass Respect

Rick Manning — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 18:47:36 +0000

A nice article from the News Observer in Raleigh, NC about the Gibson Brothers, the 2012 IBMA Entertainer of the Year.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/12/27/2569239/gibson-brothers-took-slow-steady.html#storylink=misearch

Winter Village Fiddle Camp

Rick Manning — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 03:00:10 +0000

Join us for a fun and instructive weekend of learning and playing fiddle with some friends and faculty. Winter Village Fiddle Camp (WVFC) will be held at La Tourelle Resort two weeks before the bluegrass festival on January 11 – 13.

FIDDLE FACULTY
Darol Anger – Swing, Bluegrass & Rhythm Fiddle
Judy Hyman – Old-Time & Fiddle/Violin Technique
Laurie Hart – Irish, French Canadian & Scandinavian
Rick Manning – Bluegrass, Swing & Harmony Fiddle

ABOUT THE WEEKEND
Join us for a fun, instructive and inspiring weekend. Instruction will be offered at beginner, advanced beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The weekend will begin on Friday at 5pm with a happy hour reception and jam in the La Tourelle Lobby. After the reception and dinner, at 7pm faculty will each briefly demonstrate the styles and levels that they will be offering throughout the weekend. At 8pm we have the first 90-minute class and from 9:30 until midnight there will be time for socializing and jamming throughout the hotel. Four 90-minute classes will be held on Saturday during the day and there will be a faculty fiddle show on Saturday night in the La Tourelle Lounge. Jamming and socializing will continue after the show until midnight or so. Sunday morning there will be two additional classes with the weekend coming to a close at 1pm on Sunday afternoon. Class schedules will be finalized in early January.

COST
The cost for the weekend of fiddle instruction will be $150; Saturday only cost is $100 fee. This does NOT include hotel accommodations or food. You do not need to stay at La Tourelle to attend the WV Fiddle Camp. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available. Contact Rick Manning for more information.

WVBG to Offset Band Travel to Festival Thru the Finger Lakes Climate Fund

Rick Manning — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 02:20:14 +0000

Like we did last year, we will offset the band travel to our festival by purchasing carbon offsets from the Finger Lakes Climate Fund. The Finger Lakes Climate Fund works to promote energy efficiency projects in the Finger Lakes area while strengthening our regional economy and assisting local families in need. Carbon offset donations are used for grants to fund energy efficiency projects that would not otherwise be possible in low to moderate income households in the Finger Lakes region. These grants help pay for insulation, air sealing, energy efficient heating equipment, and other upgrades to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The Finger Lakes Climate Fund is also investigating other cost-effective local carbon offset projects such as solar hot water, solar photovoltaic, biomass heating, and other renewable energy projects.

The Finger Lakes Climate Fund is a way for people to support our community while offsetting their home, plane, or vehicle pollution. To learn more Click here to view a video about the Climate Fund at the Ithaca Airport. Click here to view a short video about Miranda Philips and why she purchases offsets.

Della Mae Continues Its ‘Stan Tour’

Rick Manning — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 03:56:21 +0000

This trip seems to be good preparation for their visit to Winter Village Bluegrass Festival in Ithaca, Jan 25 – 27. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
A post on their facebook page:

Della Mae has been busy in Kazakhstan Last night, they played their concert at the ornate State Philharmonic Hall. The crowd went wild when they played the Kazakh folk tune “Illigay” with local musicians playing a dombra and a cezarnaz syrnai

Today, they did a masterclass at the Almaty Jazz School. The adorable kids played some jazz tunes for the Dellas, and the Dellas reciprocted with some bluegrass licks. Now, they are at the American Corner of Almaty, chatting with students interested in American culture and books.

Tonight, they head to Astana- the capital of Kazakhstan. Astana is the second coldest capital in the world. -20C awaits.

Della Mae Starts State Department Tour

Rick Manning — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 23:21:39 +0000

The following note is from Della Mae’s web site home page as the prepare for their tour to Pakistan beginning November 6. Visit their web site to sign up for posts from their Pakistan American Music Abroad tour. Hopefully their new CD will be done in time for Winter Village 2013!

Hello Friends~

As the weather gets colder we are preparing to wrap up our festival season and launch into our American Music Abroad tour. Below is a promotional video we made special for that tour, anything look different to you?

We have had a fantastic summer. As the days grow shorter we find ourselves talking about how lucky we are to have such a supportive group of musicians to help us along the way. We are blessed to be included in a community that watches out for one another, and whose members take the time to mentor performers, such as ourselves, who are still figuring out the tricks of the trade.
Special mention goes to The Steep Canyon Rangers, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Del McCoury Band, and of course Bryan Sutton. We love you all!

We have a few more shows before we fly to Pakistan on November 6th. The purpose of the American Music Abroad tour is to be a cultural exchange and learning experience for local people and ourselves. We will be collaborating with local musicians, teaching educational programs to youngsters and playing concerts for people whose only experience with Americans may have come under much more dire circumstances. We hope to build a bridge between ourselves using music as our common language. After Pakistan we will be traveling to (in no particular order) Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Yes! We will be taking pictures and documenting our experiences every step of the way. Right now we are in the process of setting up a blog, and we hope to leave you with some of the lessons that we learn on our travels.

Cheers to you, new fans and friends! See you this winter for the release of our new album in January.

Love, Della Mae

Tony Trischka & Territory – Sunday, May 27, 4pm @ Ithaca Unitarian Church

Rick Manning — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:54:18 +0000

Winter Village is pleased to bring Tony Trischka & Territory back to Ithaca this Sunday for an intimate and affordable show at the Unitarian Church in downtown Ithaca. Banjo master Tony Trischka will be accompanied by vocalist and guitarist Michael Daves (Thile – Daves duo) , fiddler Tashina Clarridge, and bassist Skip Ward. Tony and his fine band will perform two sets beginning at 4pm (no opening act). Tickets cost $15 in advance and can be purchased at the door for $20 ($15 for seniors and students). To view a video of TT & T performing The General at Winter Village in January 2012, click here. Here they are with Tashina on fiddle at the Joe Val Bluegrass Festival in 2011 performing the By and By Medley.

The Unitarian Church is a great venue for music with excellent acoustics, high quality sound system, all in an intimate setting that holds up to 300 people. It is located at the northwest corner of Aurora and Buffalo Streets in downtown Ithaca. Note however that this is Cornell graduation weekend so restaurants will be difficult to get into in the downtown area. Tickets are available in advance at the Ticket Center on the Ithaca Commons, www.ithacaevents.com; (607) 273-4497 until Saturday at 2pm. Tickets purchased at the Ticket Center are subject to additional fees and can be purchased in person, by phone or online. Tickets should be available at the door but arrive early to ensure you get in and get a good seat.

Tony Trischka & Territory Instrument Workshops
Sunday, May 27 at 1pm
$30 for 2 hour class (5 person minimum)
Contact Rick Manning to hold a place in workshops.

Tony Trischka – Banjo
Tony Trischka is one of the most influential banjo players in the roots music world. In his 40 plus years as a consummate banjo artist, his stylings have inspired generations of bluegrass and acoustic musicians. A true luminary in the banjo world, his technical and conceptual advances opened the way for such players as Bela Fleck and Alison Brown. His recordings with them and others such as Earl Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, Pete Seeger, members of REM, William S. Burroughs, Natalie Merchant, Alison Krauss and Steve Martin are part of every banjo-lovers musical reference.
The latest of his 16 recordings for Rounder Records, Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular, won several IBMA (International Bluegrass Music Association) Awards including one for Banjo Player of the Year and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Tony has raised the awareness of both the banjo and his own music with numerous articles in the national press, interviews on radio and television appearances. His solo album for Smithsonian Folkways Records, Territory was named Best Americana Album at the Independent Music Awards. He has just produced Steve Martin’s Rare Bird Alert (Rounder), which features performances by Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks. Tony is also the musical director of the documentary Give Me the Banjo, which aired on PBS and will be released on DVD this spring. In addition, Tony is one of the instrument’s top teachers, and has created numerous instructional books, DVDs and CDs. The groundbreaking Tony Trischka School of Banjo launched in July of 2009, and is the online banjo home for students from all around the world.

Michael Daves – Guitar & Vocals
While he can play just about anything with strings and has had his hands in styles from jazz to noise rock Michael Daves is known as one of the U.S.’s premier bluegrass vocalists and guitarists. In addition to playing with Tony, Michael also appears as a solo artist and with his experimental noise rock-country band, the Buzz Buzz Tabernacle. He has also performed with John Herald (of the Greenbrier Boys), Gordon Stone, Chip Taylor, Howard Fishman, John Herald, Greg Garing, Josh Roseman, Jen Larson, the Klezmer Mountain Boys, and Matt Munisteri of Brock Mumford.
Michael’s album with Chris Thile, Sleep With One Eye Open (2011, Nonesuch Records) received a Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass Album!

Tashina Clarridge – Fiddle
Tashina began Suzuki violin lessons at the age of 2, at Humboldt State University & the University of Montana. She continued studies in Baroque classical violin with Rob Diggins, and in Texas-Style/Contest fiddling with Megan Lynch. Drawn into the creative world of acoustic music camps, she was immersed in the music of fiddle greats such as Darol Anger, Natalie MacMaster, Matt Glaser and Mark O’Connor.
Now a resident of Boston, Tashina enjoys a lively pursuit of bluegrass, Appalachian old-time, Irish fiddling, and the fusion of such styles, sometimes labeled “New Acoustic” music. She is a Grand National Fiddle Champion and 11-time Grand National finalist. She has performed at Carnegie Hall as part of MacArthur Fellow/Grammy-winning bassist Edgar Meyer’s Young Artists program, and works regularly with Darol Anger, Tony Trischka, and Mike Marshall. She tours with her brother Tristan, Simon Chrisman, & Wes Corbett in the acoustic eclectic quartet The Bee Eaters, and with Mark O’Connor’s American String Celebration, representing O’Connor’s Strings Conferences, where she has taught for the past 8 years. Tashina and her brother also created and administrate 2 extremely popular fiddle camps of their own which have run every year for the last six years.

Skip Ward – Bass
Skip Ward is one of the most in-demand stand-up bassists in New York City. As with the other member’s of the band, Skip is conversant in a number of different musical styles. Skip is a classically-trained jazz musician with a penchant for rock n’ roll and fusion, blues and bluegrass. He plays four, five and six string electric and acoustic fretted and fretless basses, and has a special love for the upright. He has studied with Anthony Knight of the Cleveland Orchestra and Frank DiLaberto of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also had the privilege of studying with the great Jaco Pastorius. Artists he has played/recorded with include: Tony Trischka, with Steve Martin, Bela Fleck, and Gordon Stone (Phish), Phoebe Snow, Cyndi Lauper, Cassandra Wilson, David Sancious (Sting, Eric Clapton), Manolo Badrena, Jim White, Tandy, The Wild Colonials, Angela McCluskey, David Benoit, Carrie Rodriguez, Melissa Manchester, Shannon McNally, Michael Daves, Steve Holley (Paul McCartney, Ian Hunter), Demolition String Band (featuring Boo Reiners), Brendan O’Shea, Glenn Miller Orchestra, Tom Pierson Big Band, Canton Symphony, Akron Symphony, the Ohio Ballet. You’ll hear Skip on many soundtracks, and he has been on national tour with a number of major theatrical productions.