New Song from the Rock Hearts “Pretty Paper”
Happy Holidays from New England’s own “Rock Hearts” to you! Rock Heart’s newest Christmas song “Pretty Paper” is out just in time for the holiday season.
Pretty Paper, according to some sources, tells the story of a disabled salesman from Fort Worth, TX, who lost the use of his legs to childhood meningitis. Willie Nelson was inspired to write the song, upon seeing the man, Frankie Breirton, on the streets of downtown Ft. Worth, using a wooden cart to navigate around town during the holidays to sell his wares. The lyrics were intended to bring attention to those who are often overlooked during the holiday season.
Rock Hearts is extremely proud of this latest song and can’t wait for everyone to hear it. We pray it causes us all to pause, to be thankful for what we have, and to be mindful of those who may need a helping hand.
“Pretty Paper” is available exclusively on the Rock Hearts Website – It’s will be released for streaming on all platforms December 12
On the Trail Presents: An Appalachian Christmas Show
Saturday December 21 6:30 PM
Come and join On the Trail as they perform their program, “An Appalachian Christmas!” Playing a mix of Christmas standards and bluegrass-adjacent tunes, this special and fun show is not to be missed. Ring in the holiday season with On the Trail, friends, and family. ***This is a ticketed event. Please purchase tickets prior to the show date as we expect the show to sell out, meaning little to no tickets at the door on the day of the show.**
Date and time
Saturday, December 21 · 6:30 – 8pm EST
Location
Great Hill United Methodist Church225 Great Hill Road Seymour, CT 06483
Winter Village Music Camp Jan 9-12
Winter Village Music Camp is a fun and inspiring winter weekend of LISTENING, LEARNING, PLAYING in a friendly and inclusive setting.
LISTEN: Winter Village’s faculty concerts are a highlight of the camp. Join us on Thursday night for the Camp’s Opening Concert featuring Emily Miller & Jesse Milnes and Hildaland (Louise Bichan & Ethan Setiawan). The popular Saturday Night All-Faculty Concert features faculty in a series of short performances and spontaneous collaborations. Sunday evening enjoy the Closing Concert featuring The Clements Brothers with Natalie Padilla & Quinn Bachand.
LEARN: WVMC offers more than 100 workshops on fiddle, mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass, ukulele, singing and songwriting taught by our 25 person faculty. Workshops explore a variety of styles – Bluegrass, Old Time, Irish, New England, Cajun, Scandinavian, Swing, Folk, Americana and more. Singing and songwriting workshops are offered along with sessions on how to practice more effectively and enjoyably. This year we will explore some new topics – online marketing strategies for musicians, modern recording strategies at home and in the studio to capture and share your music, and weaving your musical practice into a healthy lifestyle.
PLAY: Musicians at all levels ‘play music’. There will be many opportunities for musical play dates, group sessions in the styles you like and at a level where you feel comfortable playing with others.
Banjo Camp North, Mandolin Camp North Dates Announced
| Music Camps North offers two of the Northeast’s premier acoustic music camps — Mandolin Camp North and Banjo Camp North — featuring workshops, jamming, and personal interaction with some of the top performers in the roots music world in a friendly, supportive environment. Our camps are held in a beautiful rural setting in south central Massachusetts. Mandolin Camp North: April 25-17 Staff: Don Stiernberg, Sharon Gilchrist, Michael Prewitt, Lauren Price, Jim Richter, Maddie Witler, Steve Roy, Tara Linhardt, Skip Gorman, Nate Lee, Lorraine Hammond, Billy Thibodeau, Claudine Langile, Ben Pearce, Flynn Cohen, Zach Meyer, Alex Rubin, & Tony Watt |
| Banjo Camp North: May 16-18 Staff: Alan Munde, Adam Hurt, John Showman, Matt Flinner, Janie Rothfield, Eli Gilbert, Chris Coole, Gretchen Bowder, Hilary Hawke, Scott Hopkins, Howie Bursen, Natalia Padilla, Rich Stillman, Lorraine Hammond, Gabe Hirshfeld, Tim Rowell, Dick Bowden, Sara Grey, Glenn Nelson, Maggie Shar, Matt Arcara, & Bruce Stockwell Both camps are held at Prindle Pond Conference Center in Charlton, Mass. For directions and other travel info visit this page. For both camps, classes start at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and end at about 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Six meals are served, starting with dinner on Friday and ending with lunch on Sunday. |
JAMuary Weekend at the Ashokan Center Jan 17-19 2025
Do you play guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bass, or dobro?
Come be part of a bluegrass jam weekend with Austin Scelzo this MLK weekend!
-All bluegrass instruments welcome. No jamming experience necessary. You will be jamming in the first class! Friendly, encouraging, knowledgeable teaching. Hands-on learning in large and small groups Gentle tempos! Mistakes expected! Music/tab reading not needed or used. Singing not required, but encouraged and taught. Soloing not required! “Faking” solos taught. Do you qualify? It’s easier than you may think! If you play guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, bass, or dobro… you can be part of a bluegrass jam. Only requirements – be able to: Tune your instrument and Change smoothly between G, C, D, and A (or the notes that work on bass and fiddle)
Austin Scelzo hosts a weekend of jam instruction using the Wernick Method, an inventive and time-tested pedagogy designed to build or improve confidence making music with others! All Bluegrass Instruments, all skill levels welcome. Hands-on learning in large and small groups. Understanding, low-pressure, experienced teaching from a certified teacher. Experienced Jammers are given extra challenges and can be grouped together. Make music with friends, make friends with music!” Jan 17-19, 2025 The Ashokan Center Olivebridge, NY Meals & Lodging must be reserved directly through the Ashokan Center (even for off-site participants) Sign Up Here
How to Promote your bluegrass show or jam
Check out this New Feature: Promote Your show / event / jam directly to the calendar through a submission form
At IBMA this year, Austin Scelzo connected with other bluegrass organizations from around the country. He’s learned a method of embedding a google form that will be integrated with the website calendar. This has made it even easier to publicize your bluegrass show, jam, or event. To access this new feature, simply scroll to the bottom of the calendar page: CTBluegrass.com/calendar
Have other suggestions? Comment here or send an email to CTBluegrassAssociation@gmail.com
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