Thursday, February 20, 2014

Molasses Creek January and February Travels and St. Louis Adventures

Hello there Molasses Creek friends,

Molasses Creek prepares for launch up the St. Louis arch

We are writing to you from the hallowed halls of the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City Missouri.  Molasses Creek is attending the conference today through Saturday, meeting and greeting around 2000 folkies from around North America.  What fun!  We will be doing four showcases and participating in workshops and events throughout the weekend.  We will even be doing a song on Chrstine Lavin’s webcast on Friday!

On our way out to here we stopped by to visit Rock and Melissa Jones in Delaware, OH, performed a fundraising concert at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake, IL for Fiddler Dave's childhood friend, Carrie Smith, and spent a day wandering the streets of St. Louis visiting Jim and Margie Allen.  Thanks to all our friend for hosting and feeding us and helping us on our way! Here are some pictures from St. Louis.
Molasses Creek passes through St Louis!
At the top!
 

            January was a busy month, making final preparations for the international radio launch of our new album, Something Worth Having.  This week has been the first week for DJ airplay so we are just beginning to receive reports from around the country.  We are crossing our fingers that it makes a big hit!  While at Folk Alliance we will be meeting some with Kari Estrin, our radio promoter, and spreading the word amongst friends and colleges.
            Mid-January we had a wonderful mini-tour through North Carolina and up through Virginia to Maryland.  On Thursday, January 16th, we traveled to Tyro, NC (south of Winston Salem, NC), and had a day of residencies culminating in an evening community concert where we were joined by choirs from the Tyro schools.   
Fiddler Dave gets his head eaten by a the Tyro mascot
These talented Junior High School students really impressed us with their talent, focus, and interesting questions.  Thanks for hosting us, especially to their faithful music directors, and to Keith Stanek for lining everything up for the fundraiser and providing awesome Lexington style barbecue!  We miss it already!
A fine looking Tyro Chorus
            On Friday, we journeyed to Ashland, VA for a packed out show at the Ashland Coffee and Tea.  This has become one of our favorite stops.  They have an incredible calendar of talented folk artists, and director, Kay Landry provides some of the best house sound we have encountered on the road!  
Molasses Creek at Ashland Coffee and Tea, VA
We also love to visit our friends, Ed and Lynda Leslie who host and feed us like we are long lost children returning from a world tour.  Hmm! It is hard to leave their home . . . and boy did we bake a great fig cake!
Preparing for baking the fig cake with Lynda
Shes a goodern
 
Beautiful Cooper's House
            From Virginia, our next stop was at the Cooper’s House Concert Series near Baltimore, MD.   
Myra and Steve Gnadt are longtime folk musicians and supporters who have an incredible program in their historic home.  They also make a mighty tasty quiche!  We found out that Steve and Myra know John and Mary Ellen Golden from their days living in Wilmington, NC.  Steve and John used to have a radio show together and Mary Ellen’s beautiful watercolor paintings could be found in every nook and cranny of the Cooper’s House.  Steve and Myra’s warm welcome and the sold out crowd turned a bone chilling evening into a warm and festive celebration.  Thank you folks!
            The final stop on Sunday in our January weekend tour was a return to Bett Padgett’s house concert series in Raleigh, NC.  Bett and Bill Padgett have one of the longest running housing concerts we know of and Bett is also a wonderful songwriter and guitarist, and president of the NC Lighthouse Society which makes frequent trips to Ocracoke Island. Thanks to Bett and Bill for hosting another magical evening, and all the fans who came out to fill the sold out show!
            At the end of January, Amy, David and Lachlan headed to Florida for a family trip where they visited friends, saw manatees and made a stop at Universal Studios in Orlando.
Lachlan at the Blue Man Group
Hogsmeade Village is a must too!
And of course, some fine Florida fruit!

            We have quite a bit of touring coming up in March.  Here are the details.  Hope to see you out on the road!

Feb 23, (Sun), 7:00 PM, Molasses Creek in concert, Oak Creek House Concert, Stillwater, OK

Feb 24 (Mon), Molasses Creek residency at Stillwater High School, Stillwater, OK

March 1 (Sat), 7:30 PM ~ Molasses Creek at Music Across the Sounds, Mattamaskeet High School, Swan Quarter, NC

March  2 (Sun), 3 PM ~ Concert with the Randolph Community Concert Association, Sunset Theatre, 234 Sunset Avenue, Asheboro, NC

March 7 (Fri), 8:30 PM ~ Purple Fiddle, Thomas, WV

March 8 (Sat), 7:30 PM ~ Molasses Creek at Songspace, First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, PA

March 9 (Sun), 1:30 PM ~ Molasses Creek participating in Marcy Brenner’s Dead Girl Walking presentation event, Undercroft Gallery First Unitarian Church, 605 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA.

March 12 (Wed), 7 PM ~ Molasses Creek concert at the Franklin Regional High School, Pittsburgh PA

March 15 (Sat), 7:30 PM ~ Molasses Creek at the Hershey Area Playhouse, Hershey, PA

March 16 (Sun), 10 AM~ Milton Hershey Founders Hall Auditorium, Hershey, PA.  Molasses Creek will participate in the Sunday morning service and then will give a short concert after the service.

March 18 (Tues), 7 PM ~ The Outer Space, Hamden, CT

March 21 (Fri), 7:30 PM Salmon Brook Music Series, South Congregational Church, Granby, CT

March 23 (Sun), 7:30 PM ~ Concert at the Holyrood Episcopal Church, New York, NY

March 24 (Mon), Time TBA ~ Molasses Creek in concert at the Indian Road Cafe, Indian Road Cafe, 600 W 218th St #3, NY, NY

March 25 (Tues), 12:30 PM ~ Molasses Creek in Concert at Filomen M. D”Agostino Greenberg Music School, Lighthouse International, 111 East 59th St. NE, NY, NY.  Workshop at 2:30 PM

No comments: