Un Paese a Sei Corde
That means "Six String Nation" in Italian and its the name of a festival in Piemonte that we've been invited to at the beginning of September. The problem is that we need to raise about $12,000 – not just to pay the way of our crew to get there but also to bring members of Toronto's Sicilian Jazz Project up from Sicily, where they will be at that time receiving this year's Ragusani Prize.
With support from the Columbus Centre and the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Toronto, we're putting on a fundraising event at Grano (2035 Yonge St., Toronto) on Tuesday August the 11th with music by Michael Occhipinti and Dominic Mancuso on Voyageur, storytelling by Mariella Bertelli and poetry by Giovanna Riccio.
Tickets are $120 and include dinner and wine. Call (416) 440-1986 to book a ticket.
Air Canada is giving us a discount on the tickets but we still have a long way to go to make this trip possible so even if you can't come, please consider making a donation at the DONATE link above or get in touch to see how you can become an official sponsor.
Thanks to Pal Di Iulio, Corrado Paina, Elena Dell'Osbel, Roberto Martella, Martin Stiglio and all the participating artists.
Posted at 2:55 PM
On the Air In New Hampshire
Well that was fun!
Did a live interview yesterday with New Hampshire Public Radio on their program Word of Mouth.
It was short but sweet, though for some reason they played a clip of Doug Cox at Hugh's Room that didn't sound so good. In fact, I remember other people playing Voyageur at that particular Toronto Blues Society workshop but not Doug. However, they made up for it on their website by linking to the wonderful performance on it by Rodney Brown done at Kelly Saxberg's house in Thunder Bay. You'll find the interview and the YouTube link online here.
I believe they got the idea for the interview from Cory Doctorow's wonderful review of the book on the July 31st edition of BoingBoing.
Posted at 11:41 AM
Hope Springs
Well, after wishing on Twitter that the rainy Sunday morning in Port Hope would give way to sunny skies, everyone was pleasantly surprised by how the day turned out: a bit of rain until mid-morning and then mostly clear in spite of the forecast.
Lots more portraits on Sunday. Funny, it didn't feel like a huge crush as we've had in places like the Edmonton Folk Festival but when we look at the number of sessions, it's surprisingly high for a relatively small event. Way to go Port Hope!
Again, many great conversations with folks but an especial thanks go out to Debbie and Jim with the handmade cane who drove in just to have a moment with Voyageur. It was great to meet you.
Outside the Lines, the duo from Claremont with whom I'd been corresponding before the festival about using the guitar during their set, came over and were really nice people. I'd heard that the guitar player, Ted Wright, was really nervous about playing it but you wouldn't have known from the little bluegrass rundown he did at the booth. Later, on stage, he graced us with some Joni Mitchell, which is always nice to hear.
My friend Aengus Finnan (pictured) was the headliner for the evening and we stuck around for a few hours after we'd shut down the portrait booth so we could hear him use Voyageur for a couple of songs. Delighted to see that he'd put together a band for the event, including crack guitarist Jimmy Bowskill - another Six String Nation alumni. Aengus started with a Dave Newland tune and then launched into "The Julia B. Merrill", a great song about the tragic end of a storied Port Hope 3-master ship. Check out Aengus on MySpace for more info.
Really enjoyed meeting John from the ChurchKey Brewery in Campbellford this weekend too. We loved both his beer and his company and together we're hatching a plan to get the guitar back to Northumberland County some time in the fall so keep your eyes and ears peeled.
Thanks to John and Peg Bennett, all the Estival! staff, volunteers and attendees, the Port Hope Comfort Inn and an especial thanks to Marielle Lambert and her husband Will for bringing us out and making us feel so welcome.
Posted at 9:11 AM