Autumnising In September
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. GREETINGS AND A HURRICANE
2. UPCOMING SHOWS AT-A-GLANCE THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2011
3. TOUR DATES TO FILL
4. NEWS
-Nova Scotia and Lunenburg Folk Harbour
-Finally, A New Website
-Facebook
5. TRIVIA
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GREETINGS AND A HURRICANE
The greatly diminished Hurricane Irene gave us a lot of “O the Wind and the Rain” last weekend. Fortunately, the winds weren’t as ferocious as they could have been and it turned out to be one of those dreary New England days. We didn’t lose power and except for some leaves and small branches in the yard we escaped un-scathed. I cannot say the same for our neighbors in upstate NY, portions of New Jersey, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. They are still dealing with record floods and many folks are still without power
My trip to Nova Scotia and the Lunenburg Folk Harbor Festival was fantastic. They have a wonderful festival up there and I encourage anyone who loves the combination of great music and picturesque views to attend this festival. More on that below.
UPCOMING SHOWS AT-A-GLANCE THROUGH NOVEMBER 2011
Let’s get right to the schedule:
*with John Roberts
*Sep 10, 2011 – Bath, ME (USA) @ Maine Maritime Museum
Oct. 20, 21, 22, 2011 -Eugene, OR (USA) @ Far West Folk Alliance Conference
Date TBC (Late Oct) – Sandpoint, ID (USA) @ House Concert
Nov. 2, 2011 -Kennewick, WA (USA) @ House Concert
Nov. 4, 2011 – Seattle, WA (USA) @ House Concert
Nov. 7, 2011 – Portland, OR @ Portland Guitar Society
As always more dates are added on a continual basis so please check
for up-to-date performances
And always check with the venue for updated venue information
TOUR DATES TO FILL
Oct. 18 and 22-Portland, OR
Nov. 1 -Eastern WA (Spokane?)
Nov. 5-6 – Greater Seattle, WA, or anywhere between Seattle and Portland OR
NEWS
-Nova Scotia and Lunenburg Folk Harbor
It was a great trip back to Nova Scotia, my second one in a year. My last newsletter was written from the town of Pictou (pronounced Pick-toe) where I performed in a concert series called “Summer Sounds of Nova Scotia” at the deCoste Centre along with a great piper named Robbie MacInnis and group that included three young fiddlers named “Fiddles and Feet“.
Pictou was settled after a ship named the Hector arrived there from Loch Broom, Scotland in the spring of 1773 and arrived on the shores of what would become known as New Scotland on September 15th, 1773. There is a wonderful museum and a replica of the Hector moored on the quay. A beautiful and lovely town with ferries to Prince Edward Island and lots of great nature all around.
Lunenburg Folk Harbor Festival
Wow. That’s what I kept saying to myself as I drove back to the US after the festival. It began with my participation in a pre-festival program called “Folksteps”. Along with Jeff Davis, Brian Peters, Norman Kennedy and a duo named Sheesham and Lotus, this event was a seminar focusing on traditional music. I was very disappointed in that I didn’t get to hear Norman or Sheesham and Lotus, but I certainly made up for it later in the festival.
My main-stage appearance on Friday night was quite a lovely experience. There were close to 900 people in the marquee tent which was probably the largest live audience I had ever sang for. But what made it extraordinary was that it seemed to me that all 900 people were singing along! I had a “Wall of Vocal Sound” coming back to me in every chorus and refrain. It was an experience I’ll treasure for a long time.
The other highlight for me was participating in the Sunday Morning Gospel Concert. I did there what I love to do most and that was provide harmonies for all the other artists who contributed a song. Along with singer Pat Watson , she and I added our voices to Kim and Reggie Harris to form a spontaneous gospel quartet. Man, it was amazing.
I don’t have room to go into detail about all the talented musicians I met and sang with but if you follow this link you will arrive at the performer page. Do a bit o’ Googlin’ and find out about these excellent musicians. Then save the date for next year’s festival. Worth the money, worth the time and worth the trip.
-Finally A New Website
Yes, I know. I’ve been threatening a new website for eons and I can say now that it’s finally going to happen. We’ll start the process this month and hopefully the changes will be happening soon. In the meantime the old reliable clunky HTML site is still a-going.
-Facebook
I am nearing the friends limit on Facebook. Who would have thought I’d get over 4000 friends? When I hit 5000, I’ll be operating exclusively out of the Debra Cowan Music page. If you haven’t done a “like” on that yet, please wander over to my Facebook music page and click on the “like” button.
TRIVIA
This song was popularised by Bob Wills and has been recorded by Willie Nelson, Rose Maddox, Merle Haggard, Asleep at the Wheel, and lots of others. The song is originally attributed to Blind Willie McTell (no relation to Ralph) recording under the pseudonym Blind Sammie in October of 1929. Name the song for a free download.
EXTRA CHALLENGE: Once you hear the song guess the name of the fiddle player on the track.
Again, thanks for reading. Keep checking the website www.DebraCowan.com. I am also on Twitter, Facebook, and Reverbnation. You can purchase music from iTunes, CDBaby, Bandcamp and of course from ME!
Autumn at Whitney Portal, California photo by Debra Cowan