More Yet From the Midwest

Right now I'm stopped for a short while at the home of Austin and Rebecca Truax and their kids Shane (14) and Makayla (12), near Crofton, Nebraska, just across the state line from Yankton, South Dakota, USA. Very dear friends. I'm helping Austin, who is a talented songwriter, to produce a CD of his compositions. I've also been helping him for some time to learn songwriting methods and forms to employ to strengthen his excellent melodic concepts and lyrical ideas. Austin's work is truly unique, and very interesting. My enjoyable challenge is in teaching him things that will add power and marketability to what he writes without altering his distinctive style.

I've just finished a couple of weeks of driving a gazillion miles around the midwest doing shows. Since my last writing here I've been as far west as western Nebraska, where I was one of the features in the Burton's Bend Music Festival at Holbrook, Nebraska. I was the person who last year originally suggested to Rod and Chris Whipple of Arapahoe (near Holbrook) that a festival should happen out there. I'm glad they followed through and made it happen. Producer of that festival was Mary Schutz, another old friend of mine, who produces the Miles of Memories Festival I'll be performing in later this year. Also on the bill at Holbrook were Tex and Mary Schutz, Alexa Whipple, yodeler Janet McBride, "Nebraska's Daughter" Pat Boilesen, Jim Barnes, a wonderful act headed by Cindy Boehler that featured close harmony singing, Jay Kelly, and several regional and local entertainers. The Burton's Bend event was fun and very well organized except for the final Saturday evening show, which was cut short due to scheduling problems.

I was exceptionally well pleased to do my sets at Burton's Bend with old friend and fiddle/guitar wizard Jay Kelly, who, though ailing, did his usual terrific job of making music; and Jim Barnes, a rock-solid bassist who also did his own act at the festival. Working with these two fine players is always maximum fun. I think we turned out some fine music for the folks. I was especially happy with my instrumental version of America the Beautiful which I worked out and then performed on a patriotic show at the festival.

Also since we last met here I've been as far east as Mount Pleasant, Iowa, away over near the Illinois border, where I played a Farmer's Market show with old friends and musical cohorts Danny Dee and Donna Lynn. It was great to play with Danny and Donna once again, and to have a good old visit with them too! I did a few tunes on an alternate-tuning guitar that I don't usually do, and they came out well. I was warmly received at the Farmer's Market, and market coordinator Morgan Hoenig was nice enough to make me a special card expressing appreciation for the show. Gestures like that are particularly nice, and they mean a lot to me.

Between Holbrook, Nebraska, and Mount Pleasant, Iowa, I did a goodly number of other shows: In Lincoln, Nebraska, I played a very nice coffeehouse, Mo Java Cafe & Roasting Company, 2649 North 48th Street. In Tekamah, Nebraska, I participated in a benefit concert raising funds for Elaine Peacock, producer of the Heritage Festival at Elk Point, South Dakota. Elaine has cancer and in this land of plenty cannot get health insurance and cannot afford the required treatment. Our politicians here in the USA think we can afford to fund useless wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it seems we cannot afford health care for all here in the USA.

After Tekamah I travelled to Des Moines, Iowa, where on July 25 I did a house concert at the home of Scott, Jennifer, Emily, and Anna Erickson. The talented Erickson family opened the show (Scott, guitar; Jennifer, bass fiddle; Emily, guitar; Anna, fiddle) and they made very good music indeed! This house concert was as close to perfect as any I've done. We had an enthusiastic audience of folks from many different walks of life; we had an enormous potluck supper; and after the show, we had a fun jam session which included all the abovementioned musicians and some talented audience members as well! The Erickson girls, Emily and Anna, are both teenagers and both very talented in music. Emily specializes in classical piano, and Anna plays both classical and other fiddle music. Anna is an amazingly talented and skilled fiddler. She's recently released a CD and is making a solid name for herself in festival and other performances around the midwest. While I was at the Erickson home in Des Moines I wrote out some jazz and swing pieces for Anna to learn, and we ran through them. I'm very pleased that she likes and wants to do Georgia On My Mind, among others. I'm hoping she'll have time to work on the pieces so we can play one or two of them at upcoming festivals.

Winding up with the Garden Grove Festival at Garden Grove, Iowa, last weekend, where I played with support by Danny Dee and Donna Lynn, I then made the long, loooong drive back to Crofton to work on the Truax recording. I decided to break the trip into two segments, and all unannounced showed up at my friend Bob Raine's place at Logan, Iowa, sort of halfway to Crofton from where I started, the first evening. Good old Bob welcomed me in as always. What a good friend he is!! The next morning we went out for a good breakfast and then I headed on up the road. Arrived at the Truax manse in midafternoon on Sunday...just in time to load up with them and go to a play, My Fair Lady, staged in Yankton.

I'm kind of on my own at the Truax place during the day, as Austin has a roofing business he needs to attend to, and Rebecca works in Yankton. These are busy times for them. That's okay! Gives me time to do things like getting ready for my trip to the west coast coming up in September...and writing this blog.

See you here next time!!