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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
 Posted - 08/13/2007 : 10:49:57 PM
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Every other year some of the top luthiers (guitar builders) in the US and Canada gather in Santa Rosa (they outgrew facilities in Healdsburg a few years ago) to show off their creations. It's quite an experience for guitar lovers, with over 100 builders, each with several handmade instruments.
Along with the luthiers and instruments, the festival hosts workshops for players, demo concerts, and "mini-concerts" during each day of the event. This year I'll be teaching a slack key workshop on Saturday, and doing a demo concert and a mini-concert on Sunday. If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by and say hi.
Here's a link with all the info, including a list of builders, a list of workshops and concerts, directions, and lots of pictures of gorgeous guitars.
http://www.lmii.com/GuitarFestival/Default.asp
Fran
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E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
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Keone
Akahai
50 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2007 : 08:01:35 AM
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Hello Fran,
Wow, its great that you're giving a workshop and playing some demonstrations (Kathy Wingert makes beautiful guitars)! You're in outstanding company and by watching your youtube videos, you are well deserving. I was going to try to make it up there and I was wondering what you are teaching in your slack key workshop. It says at the Healdsberg site that you're teaching one song...I wonder what it is? Anyways, I hopefully will be able to come. Thanks |
Keone |
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Admin
Pupule
USA
4551 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2007 : 09:07:14 AM
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Fran,
You are the man, again! Just remember, you can look but don't touch. Just kidding. I want to go to Healdsburg one year, but my wallet is too scared. |
Andy |
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Lawrence
Ha`aha`a
USA
1597 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2007 : 09:14:59 AM
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I won't make it either. Have wanted to go to that thing for many years. My first real guitar teacher (Mark Hanson) usually shows up and does some lessons, demonstrations, whatever. He lives in the Willamette Valley these days and I have not seen him for several years.
Good to see you are doing a concert.
I'll bet that you'll get them so nahanahe 'olu'olu that they slide right off their chairs! 
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Mahope Kākou...
...El Lorenzo de Ondas Sonoras |
Edited by - Lawrence on 08/14/2007 09:15:30 AM |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2007 : 10:23:35 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Keone
Hello Fran,
Wow, its great that you're giving a workshop and playing some demonstrations (Kathy Wingert makes beautiful guitars)! You're in outstanding company and by watching your youtube videos, you are well deserving. I was going to try to make it up there and I was wondering what you are teaching in your slack key workshop. It says at the Healdsberg site that you're teaching one song...I wonder what it is? Anyways, I hopefully will be able to come. Thanks
Keone, I hope you'll be able to make it. I'm always looking for opportunities to spread the word about slack key, and having a well attended workshop will send a nice message to these folks that slack key is an important part of the guitar world.
After my recent Aloha Festival workshop I realized that I need to add to my materials to fill an hour and a half. My initial plan was to teach one of my own pieces, but I'm expecting to go on to "No Ke Ano Ahiahi" and possibly Led's "First Slack Key" as well. A lot of my emphasis will be on the simplest elements, keeping the thumb steady and musical, developing a nahenahe sound.
Kathy is here for a couple of days before heading up to Healdsburg, and she has a bunch of amazing new instruments she just completed for the show, including a devastating baritone that sounds great in "Taropatch D." She also brought a harp guitar with six bass strings alongside the regular six string fretted neck. I'm really looking forward to showing off her guitars at my demo concert. Another luthier buddy, Lance McCollum, was instrumental in getting me this workshop gig, so I'm playing his guitar at the workshop and at the mini concert.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
Edited by - Fran Guidry on 08/16/2007 12:24:14 PM |
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Keone
Akahai
50 Posts |
Posted - 08/16/2007 : 06:12:46 AM
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Aloha Fran,
I wanted to be sure that I could still attend your workshop. It seems the web and phone orders for tickets is no longer available and tickets can only purchased on site. Is there limited space in the workshop or do you think this will be a problem? The people at LMI did not think this would be an issue. Mahalo |
Keone |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
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Keone
Akahai
50 Posts |
Posted - 08/17/2007 : 8:29:48 PM
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Fran,
A true gentleman you are. Thanks! Either way I'll see you tomorrow. |
Keone |
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Julie H
Ha`aha`a
USA
1206 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2007 : 8:39:34 PM
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Waaaah,
We're performing with our Kumu Kalae "Bobo" Miles at the Aloha Fest and Outrigger Races on the Wharf in Santa Cruz, so we can't make it either. So many thing so to do and so little time....
Julie
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Keone
Akahai
50 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2007 : 06:21:20 AM
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Well,
Just wanted to pass on some feedback. The guitar festival was like a candy store....so many choices and so little time. Which do you try out? And, the luthier's (guitar builders) were incredibly friendly and easy to approach. It's not like going to the local guitar store and having the guy eyeing you up before deciding if you can try one of "the behind the counter" guitars. I've never been some where where they will as easily hand you a regular guitar to play and then a $20,000 guitar to play. And they did have some incredibly expensive guitars..although suprisingly not always the nicest (in my opinion). But, if you like looking at wood and steel (or nylon) then it was a great show.
Also Fran was great. For those of you who know Fran, they you know he really is a gentleman and a great, generous player. He had a great introduction workshop but then had an open jam afterwards...with lots of complements from spectators who were taking a break in between looking at the guitars. Incredibly friendly and talented, he was also a great spokeman for Ki ho'alu, giving some history, talking story about tunes, and respectful to the masters. He really is filled with Aloha. Fran great job!
Mahalo nui
Sandy
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Keone |
Edited by - Keone on 08/20/2007 06:22:04 AM |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2007 : 5:52:41 PM
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Hey, Sandy, we had ourselves some fun, didn't we? I think we provided some fun for the folks in the neighborhood, too.
When I've attended the HGF in the past, jamming circles were pretty common, usually swing and bluegrass. But this year the only thing going was _Hawaiian_!! We started Friday afternoon with Bill Benzel and Dusty Foster and I at the main entrance. Then somebody fired up a really loud twelve string doing Kottke imitations so we drifted away and regrouped on the back patio. Pretty soon Rodney Johnson (not a 'Patcher but a fun guy, anyway) came along. We turned Open G every way but loose <grin>.
On Saturday the workshop was very well attended, a real testament to the interest in slack key that seems to grow all the time. Nearly everyone brought guitars, and most were ready to start alternate bass thumbing when they arrived, so we got through all the material I had prepared. Of course, I threw in plenty of plugs for the 'Patch.
After a quick lunch break it was back to the patio, with Sandy, Rodney, and some more folks joining in. The show closed at 6:00 but we just kept pickin'. Slack key is lots of fun sitting all alone late at night or early in the morning, but it's just maybe even more fun with two or three or more guitars blending their basses and melodies, going round and round, exploring all the nooks and crannies of some beautiful old Hawaiian song.
Sunday I had the honor of doing a demo concert for a luthier friend of mine. Kathy had some stunning instruments at the show this year, including a harp guitar and baritone. I performed a few pieces on two of her guitars and my own Wingert, and naturally I slipped in a little talk story on the history and the artists. With the stage lighting in that theater I still don't know how many people attended, or who they were. In the lobby afterward I did meet a gentleman from Malaysia who plays steel guitar among others.
Next up I did a "cabaret" show in the lunch room performance space. Here I could see the audience, and there were lots of familiar faces, including many new friends I'd met at the show. One of the special joys of playing ki ho`alu on the mainland is running into someone from the islands. If they tell me I'm helping them feel home, I'm a very happy player. To have them come to my show was like, hey, you know ... words cannot express.
I'm afraid the sound was not quite as good in this room, but I made up for it by talking lots more story <grin>. My ku`u Lina is a little unhappy with me, because on the video she shot I'm obviously talking lots more than I'm playing <oops>. But several folks afterward made a point of telling me they liked the stories, didn't know the history, wanted to hear more. Naturally I sent them to the 'Patch <grin>.
Bet you can guess what came next ... that's right, back to the patio for more kanikapila!!! Bill was there with his baritone, Rodney with his Sheldon Schwartz, a young new friend interested in exploring open tunings, ... who else was there, please raise your hand <grin>. For this circle I finally got smart and brought "He Mele Aloha" so we could croak some vocals. One disappointment, there were several Weissenborns on display inside, and a number of `ukes as well, but nobody showed up to sit in with one.
I can honestly say that for fans of Hawaiian music, there were _lots_ of better events going on in the Bay Area (especially if you stretch the definition to include Santa Cruz), but I also think we did our little part to raise the consciousness of and appreciation for Hawaiian music in that corner of the world, and I want to thank and honor everyone who sat in with us and made it happen.
Fran |
E ho`okani pila kakou ma Kaleponi
Slack Key Guitar in California - www.kaleponi.com
Slack Key on YouTube
Homebrewed Music Blog |
Edited by - Fran Guidry on 08/20/2007 6:02:13 PM |
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wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2007 : 06:07:29 AM
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Sheila and I just returned from the Healdsburg Guitar Festival and it was a great experience. There were wonderful instruments to try out and lust after. (No, I didn't buy any  ) There were also mini concerts in two venues throughout the three days.
I finally got to meet with Fran Guidry and jam awhile with Fran and Bill Benzel. Fran promoted slack key, brilliantly, with his workshop and two great mini concerts.
We got to go to some great parties and jam with some great musicians. I even got to play Bruce Sexauer's personal guitar at one of the Friday night parties (I want that guitar!). Oh yeah, I also had to load up on Fran's chocolate chocolate chunk cookies and his wonderful "Blondies" (Recipes, please Fran  ).
Of course, being in the middle of Sonoma wine country, we hade to visit a few wineries. We also visited wineries in Santa Maria and in the Santa Ynez valley and Los Olivos area on the way back home. |
Dusty |
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Fran Guidry
Ha`aha`a
USA
1579 Posts |
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chunky monkey
Ha`aha`a
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2007 : 09:50:19 AM
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| Are those choc chunk cookies named after ME? |
Edited by - chunky monkey on 08/25/2007 09:50:32 AM |
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wdf
Ha`aha`a
USA
1153 Posts |
Posted - 08/25/2007 : 09:54:33 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Fran Guidry
Hey, Dusty, sounds like you know how to travel through Kaleponi.
Blondies: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/11/blondies-for-a-blondie
Triple Chocs: http://suzette.typepad.com/the_joy_of_soup/2003/09/thick_chewy_tri.html
Great to finally meet you,
Fran
Thanks, Fran - great to finally meet you too.
A couple of real "finds" for us were Dutcher Crossing winery near Geyserville and McKeon-Phillips winery in Santa Maria. Both had some fantastic red wines.
You should taste these cookies, Terry. They are great in spite of the name. 
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Dusty |
Edited by - wdf on 08/25/2007 09:59:48 AM |
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