“Barb, banjo?” was the comment at the end of an email. My friend Nancy was forwarding a call from the Bangor Symphony for a banjo player and bandoneon player for their spring concert. “I just found out it’s Kurt Weill’s Kleine Dreigroschenmusik” Nancy wrote in a follow-up email. Well, that got my attention. Kleine Dreigroschenmusik is the overture for the Threepenny Opera written by Kurt Weill. Wouldn’t it be a trip to do that piece with an…
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The Gig Calendar is Revived!
June has exploded with dates after a disturbingly quiet year and a half. Before Covid, having three gigs in a month might be considered a bit light weight, but that was then. It is refreshing and exciting to have some things to let people know about! Below is a brief description of three events coming up this month. I suppose each of these should demand individual posts, but because I’m out of practice and it’s…
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One Year Later
Yes indeed, it is one year later (plus a month). I never quite felt compelled to write or post anything while musical things were shoved to the side, falling apart, put on hold or moved to a digital format (my worst nightmare). Politics ramped up in a most hideous fashion and my day job hours increased (that at least was a good thing) leaving the instruments mostly packed in their cases hoping not to be…
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The World is Canceled
There is no particular reason to include this photo of sculptures from Fingask Castle in Scotland. This sculpture by David Anderson is of three very good friends from the 1700’s: Allan Masterton, Willie Nicol, and Robert Burns. They illustrate the song “Willie brew’d a peck o’ maut” written by Masterton and Burns. Whiskey, of course, is the subject at hand, and Willie was good at making it. You might have a need for whiskey these…
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Loopin’ Trio Reunion!
One never knows what the universe will dish out and I never expected the opportunity would arise to revive the trio version of the world music band Loopin’. Led by percussionist Shamou, the original big group included Annegret Baier (percussion, violin), Andy Chipman (bass), Gary Wittner (electric guitars), and me (electric and acoustic dulcimers, ukuleles) and was active in the mid 2000’s. During the life of the big band there was also the trio version…
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And several months later…
You might say I’ve been rather delinquent in keeping up with this blog thing. Blogging is hard when one is really busy, and also when one is not. When busy, there is little time in between rehearsals, gigs, projects and the day job to write and post events. When idle, why would anyone want to know why you’re not busy? It’s a dilemma. The last six months has indeed been very busy. We begin with…
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Dark Follies at the Camden Winterfest
February 2 (tomorrow as I write this) the Dark Follies will be at the Camden ME Winterfest from 11-2 in the amphitheater behind the library. Check out this fabulous article: https://knox.villagesoup.com/p/fire-and-ice/1798442
Early Winter 2018-19 A review and what to expect in the new year
After a hectic fall butting up against the holiday season and the added adventure of a plumbing flood in our house just before Christmas, it is finally time to catch up with fans and readers….. The November 30 concert with Sidestep (pictured above) at the Woodfords Meloon Chapel in Portland, ME was a delight. We had a wonderful house filled with new and old friends and some who just came because it looked interesting. Our…
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Barb Truex Music 