Spinning Yarns and Winter News

Georgianne and I have been extra busy making Navajo spindles since the first of the year. Our creations have been finding their way into the hands of talented fiber artists all around the country and a few other countries as well. Here's a photo, taken by spinner Kiki Jukes, of one of our spindles resting on a bed of natural fiber in Wales, U.K.

This month we've gotten our first real taste of winter since 2011 as temperatures have stayed in the teens and twenties for the past couple weeks. Hopefully the cold weather will make the sap flow better because this year we are going to try our hand at maple sugaring. I've gathered up the supplies to tap six trees this year and if all goes well we'll expand our efforts next year. 

Not a lot of Homegrown music shows to report on this winter, but we should have some more spring, summer, and fall gigs to announce soon. Our next family band performance will be at 1:30 pm on Sunday, February 10th at the Suffern Free Library, 210 Lafayette Ave., Suffern, NY. 

16 Years of Family Style Roots Music

Today was the sixteenth anniversary of The Homegrown String Band's first public performance. The inaugural performance took place at a Long Island Traditional Music Association event in 1997. Tonight Georgianne and I celebrated by doing a private show for a group of local Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts. It's always a rewarding experience to introduce traditional music to a young new audience. Most of the kids seemed to be having a good time and, hopefully, had a memorable evening of unique and enjoyable entertainment, but a few seemed especially interested and may be moved to follow up and learn more about the rich and varied traditions of American music. The music never stops . . .


The full band will get together for a proper celebration of sixteen years of making music together as a family this Sunday, January 13th, 2013, for a 2pm show at The River Vale Free Library in River Vale, NJ.

The River Vale Free Library

412 Rivervale Rd.

River Vale, NJ

201-391-2323

Christmas for Cowboys

A nice version of my favorite Christmas song of all time performed by Wylie Gustafson, the cowboy crooner, from Conrad, Montana.


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Singing for Our Supper

Last Friday night Georgianne and I performed, as Homegrown Two - The Duo, at The Whole Foods Acoustic Cafe in Stony Brook, NY. The idea of playing acoustic roots music in a grocery store seemed kind of strange at first, but I guess we're kind of strange too. So what the heck; carrots, radishes, potatoes, blues, shouts, hollers -- it's all roots to me. We had fun.

Photo by Erica Jackofsky -  (I like the shopping cart in the background)

Frailin', Sawin', and Singin'!

We played a show yesterday and a photographer covering the event gave me this photo that he took of me and my daughter Erica playing together last summer. A reminder of how blessed my life has been. Like Johnny Cash said, "These are the things from which my mind and spirit feed."

Erica and Rick,  Frailin', Sawin,' and Singin'  - photo by Mark Shanholtz

Life is Good!   Happy Thanksgiving!

Copper Finger

A new nemesis for James Bond? No, a new clawhammer banjo finger prosthetic device. I was working in my metal shop and I got my fingers a little to close to the bench grinder. I didn't get hurt (this time) but I gave my clawhammer banjo fingernail an unwanted manicure. Usually when this happens I will use a National or Dunlop metal finger pick spun around backward as a fingernail substitute. I was never really happy with the way they felt or sounded. I would often get the edge caught up on the banjo strings. So today I decided I would make a banjo specific metal finger pick. I made a sketch and paper pattern with a nice wide fingernail the same size and shape of the one I had accidentally ground off. I cut the shape out of 16oz copper and customized it to fit my middle finger perfectly. So far I think it sounds and feels pretty good. It's also loud! I may be hooked on my new copper top banjo pick!.

Rooster Rick's Copper Top Clawhammer Banjo Picks!

By popular demand, I am now making these unique picks available to the banjo pickin' public.

 I'll give it a full test run at our show this weekend at the East Meadow Library.

Sunday, November  18, 2012 at 2:00 pm.

East Meadow Library

1886 Front Street

East Meadow, NY

516-794-2570

Rocky Point Farmers Market Winds Down

Annalee minding the store at the Rocky Point Farmers Market 

Today was our last day at the Rocky Point Farmers Market. This was the first year for the local market place sponsored by the Rocky Point Civic Association. The market started out slowly in May and built up to a peak with the big Octoberfest pig roast celebration in early October. Since then activity has been gradually winding down as the weather cools and farmer's crops become more limited. As winter sets in I will miss the community spirit that was built and nurtured by this local gathering. I'm already looking forward to springtime in Rocky Point.

This Sunday (November 18, 2012) will officially be the last day for the market, but we wont be there because we have a show next Sunday. The Homegrown String Band will be performing at the East Meadow Library at 2:00 pm on Sunday afternoon. The library is in an area that was hit hard by "Post Tropical Cyclone Sandy". Hopefully we can give folks a break from clean up and recovery with a couple hours of old time music and dance.

East Meadow Library
Sunday, November 18, 2012 @ 2pm

1886 Front Street

East Meadow, NY

516-794-2570