Octoberfest! Rocky Point, NY - Sunday, October 7, 2012

Octoberfest at The Rocky Point Farmers Market

Pig Roast by Naturally Grass Fed Meats

Octoberfest Beer by Rocky Point Artisian Brewers

&

Music by The Homegrown String Band

www.rockypointfarmersmarket.org

2012 Hudson Valley Garlic Festival - September 29 & 30

If you've never been at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival get ready for a real treat. Located in the town of Saugerties, NY at the foot of the beautiful Catskill mountains on the Hudson River. Prepare to have a wonderful time! 10 musical acts on 5 stages.

The Homegrown String Band on the West Market Stage

Saturday and Sunday - 3 sets each day!

Click Here For Directions to the HVGF

Nickels and Dimes

In these hard times, a lot of hard working people are struggling to get by while a few are doing very well.

I wrote this song over the, just past, Labor Day weekend for the people who whose sweat and hard work have helped to make America great. I Hope you like it and will share it with others.

Thanks,

Rick 

A Homegrown Weekend on Long Island

The Long Island Apple Festival - Sunday, September 23rd @ Sherwood-Jayne Farm in East Setauket

Just want to let folks know about a couple local (Long Island) Homegrown String Band shows coming up this weekend. On Friday, September 21, 2012, Erica, Georgianne, and I will be performing as a trio at the Levittown Library Coffeehouse Concert Series. The show starts at 7:30 pm. "Light refreshments served in a cabaret atmosphere" Call ahead to reserve free tickets.

Levittown Public Library

1 Bluegrass Lane

Levittown, NY 11756

(516) 731-5728

On Sunday, September 23, 2012, the full band (including "The Amazing Annalee) will be returning to Long Island's premier apple festival at the Sherwood-Jayne Farm in East Setauket. We will be splitting the bill with Larry Moser and Mary Nagin. The music, along with many other activities, will be going on all day from 12 noon to 4 pm.

Sherwood-Jayne Farm

55 Old Post Road

East Setauket, NY

631-692-4664  

Sheep and Fiber Festival

Hunterdon County Fairgrounds

9AM - 5PM  September 8 - 9, 2012

This weekend Georgianne and I will once again be taking our Homegrown Two show on the road as we assume the role of wandering minstrels at the Garden State Sheep Breeders 18th Annual Sheep and Fiber Festival. We will be entertaining the visitors, vendors, sheep, and alpacas as we roam from barn to barn playing acoustic American music on guitar, dulcimer, harmonica, banjo-uke, doumbek, and banjo. We did this last year and had a lot of fun; there is so much going on, including sheep shearing and sheep dog herding demonstrations, a parade of breeds, sheep and fleece competitions, spinning and knitting workshops, and much more.

Erica and Annalee won't be performing, but they will be there as vendors "manning" (womaning?) our tables stocked with Erica's hand dyed yarn and knitting patterns, Annalee's hancrafted soaps, Georgianne's copper, brass, and aluminum shawl pins, and my Navajo spindles, copper bowls, and wooden spoons.

Come on out and check out this wonderful festival. If you have any interest in, or curiosity about, animal husbandry or any facet of fiber arts you are in for an enoyable day.

Hunterdon County Fairgrounds

Routes 202 & 179

Ringoes, New Jersey

We had a great time at the NJ Sheep Breeders 18th Annual Sheep & Fiber Festival. A big thanks to all the peeps and sheeps who made it possible.

Citico: An Oldtime Fiddle Tune

I was just listening to some of our old recordings. I had forgotten about this one. It is an oldtime fiddle tune played in an open tuning. This was recorded in July of 2000. Erica had just learned this tune a couple days earlier from fiddler Bruce Molsky who was passing through and took time to give a few private lessons. She was fifteen years old at the time. It's one fiddle recorded live no overdubbing.

Ed Pressnell: Dulcimer Maker

Photo by Paul Macatee

Georgianne usually plays her dulcimer on a song or two in each of our Homegrown String Band sets. She received her first mountain dulcimer as a fifteenth wedding anniversary present, from yours truly, in 1994. Over the years she has developed her own unique chording style that fits in well with the band and gets a more featured role in our Homegrown Two duo shows.

The Appalachian dulcimer is a type of zither developed and popularized by folk musicians from the southern Appalachian region of the United States. This unique instrument owes much of its beauty, both visual and musical, to its elegant simplicity. Audience members are often fascinated by the look and sound of this traditional American folk instrument.

Here's a short film profiling traditional dulcimer builder Ed Pressnell, produced by Thomas Burton and Jack Schrader in 1973.