[ From Butchross ] Christie and me, playing at the Iroquois Amphitheater in Louisville, Friday night.

[Butch Ross]

Hello All:

This is mostly for you guys in L'ville, but it's as good and excuse  
as any to catch up with you all.

This Friday, Christie and I will be performing at Kentucky Music  
Weekend at the Iroquois Amphitheatre in Louisville. Now in it's 32nd  
year it features tons of great performers like Spontaneous  
Combustion, Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, Small Potatoes Molly  
McCormack, Rick Thum, Anne MacFie, David Moran and Joe Morgan, Guy  
George, Gary Gallier, Arianne Lydon, Susan Trump and Jean Ritchie!

It runs all weekend but we play Friday night.

IT'S ALL FREE.

You can learn more about it here: http://kentuckymusicweekend.com

I dig this venue, last year. Christie and I performed on Saturday  
night, right before Jean Ritchie. As a folk artist and a dulcimer  
player, this was a BIG DEAL, I was really honored to be able to do  
it. Also, my high school reunion was that weekend, and saying "I'm  
sorry I can't make it, I have a gig" is more diplomatic than "you  
never liked me in high school, why start now?"

Christie started a blog a while back to keep tabs on what we do  
musically. It's a good idea, but we're not documentarians  (and there  
are layers and layers of irony in THAT) we're more doers, so this  
email is really how will catch up.

There's been an unending stream of people through our home.   
Musicians mostly. Bing Futch was my ride to KMW this year so he  
stayed a day or two with us, and then getting back to town. Mark  
Gilston, a dulcimer player I met in Winfield, dropped in on his way  
back from Cullowhee. Mark specializes in folk music from all over,  
Swedish, Bulgarian, and God knows what else. So he was nice primer  
for our week in Sweden. We were there to play the wedding of our  
friends Elin Skoglund and Edward Andersson, Swedish Nyckleharpa  
players who performed at our wedding. We were returning the favor.  
Sweden is cool, that's all I can say. A week after that Tom Spackman  
(whom we had just seen in Sweden) and his brother Tyler dropped in  
for a visit on their cross-country BBQ tour. So we now know where to  
get good BBQ in Chattanooga. And last but not least Adrian Kosky, the  
mountain dulcimer player I interviewed for Dulcimer Players News, was  
in the states (he lives in Australia) and came in for a visit. We had  
some friends over for dinner and ended up shooting some video of  
Adrian performing around our house, you can see that on Youtube  
here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMgXDSAXEo4 and http:// 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-OywcG-hcg

That's what we've been up to the last THREE WEEKS!

Hey speaking of Youtube AND Kentucky Music Weekend, you can see a  
video of me performing "I like singing folk songs" at the Weekend  
last year here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nyhTmbahS_s It's also on  
my web site in the "press" section.

And speaking of my web site, there is a new section there called  
"you." This will be were I put up exclusive content like the music  
blog has and things you can't get anywhere else. I plan to use it for  
giveaways and all sorts of things. It will eventually have a password  
requirement, but it will be FREE and EXCLUSIVE to people on THIS LIST.

Okay, I have rambled on long enough. Friday (tomorrow) go to the  
Iroquois Amphitheatre, The show starts at 8 (I think) but it's  
general admission and people get there early. We are the second act  
on the bill Friday. Saturday there will be all sorts of things going  
on, workshops, jamming, dulcimer contests and clogging. Plus another  
whole evening of concerts headlined by Jean Ritchie.

Oh and if you're ever in Chattanooga this summer, look us up. We play  
at the Aquarium in the middle of the plaza from 11 to 3 on Sundays.

C-ya out there.

-Br

Me:
www.butchross.com
www.myspace.com/butchross

Me and the wife:
www.butchandchristie.com
www.myspace.com/christieandbutch