+ = Mighty Fine World Record!
Old Town School World's Largest Music Lesson - August 7th, 2007

The Old Town School of Folk Music is poised to enter the Guinness Book of World Records! Guitar players of every level are welcome to join the Old Town School guitar faculty at the Welles Park Gazebo to learn basic chords and play two songs in full unison.

The current record holder for the world's largest music lesson involved 539 participants being taught to play the harmonica by Roland van Straaten at Camlog Biotechnologies Congress in Montreux, Switzerland on May 12, 2006. We're hoping to register 2,000 participants (not that we have anything against the Swiss, but let's beat them good).

Check in at 6pm for a lesson starting promptly at 7:30pm.

The first 1000 registered participants are automatically entered in a drawing to win a beautiful Martin 00X1 guitar, accessories, and a free Old Town School group class! (drawing will be held immediately following the lesson. Must be present to win.)

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Early notice: Mighty Fine Carter Family Tribute Concert

Event Detail Concerts & Events

The swansong of the Secret Country series [ at the Old Town School ] is an all-star celebration of the weird and wonderful music of the Carter Family. A.P. (whose 114th birthday falls December 15), Sara, and Maybelle gave country music a canon ("Wildwood Flower," "Wabash Cannonball," "Keep On The Sunnyside," just for starters), and their timeless recordings, hard with the stoicism of poor Southern Baptists but sparkling with crystalline melody and sly syncopation, both revere and reimagine the folk music of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Those two poles will guide new interpretations by Danny Barnes, Joy White, Casey Driessen, Kelly Hogan, Bill Kirchen, Scott Ligon, Robbie Fulks, and a secret guest TBA. Carter Family biographer Charles Hirshberg will be on hand to provide historical color.

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July 13-14, 2007
Jim and Mary will be performing with the Grosso Family Band at Camp Euforia in Lone Tree, Iowa. They'll be doing a one hour set at 3:00pm on Saturday.
Click here for details and directions

Event Detail Concerts & Events
Here's a mighty fine double bill. Ollabelle is a New York-based roots-folk-gospel band with multiple lead vocalists and string band instrumentalists.

They take their name from Ola Belle Reed, the great West Virginia songwriter/banjoist who wrote, among many, "High on a Mountain." Ollabelle the band is also known for one particular member, Amy Helm, whose dad is vocalist/drummer/mandolinist Levon Helm of The Band.

The warm up act, King Wilkie, is much more of a straight-up string band playing Bluegrass with an old time tilt. They're from Virginia, they wear suits, they play at Merlefest and they've released at least one superb CD. This show is on August 10th. Advance tickets are on sale via The Old Town School and the usual outlets.

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From the dept. of Where're They Now?

Official Ticketmaster site. Richie Furay Band : Chris Hillman W/Herb Pedersen - Park West

Richie Furay Band : Chris Hillman W/Herb Pedersen
Sat, Jul 28 at 7:30pm
Great country-rock bands of the 70s were largely led by great bluegrass upstarts from the 60s. Chris Hillman is certainly a poster child for the lot of 'em - from the Byrds to the Burrito Bros. and beyond.

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Upcoming Events at Fitzgerald's

Open Mic in the Club
Tue, Jul 10 at 9:00pm
Once a month the open mic is on the big stage. If you ever wanted to check out Jack, Bob and Miguel ... or even better, join 'em ... under the hot lights and beefy sound system, this would be the night. It's still (almost) all acoustic, so grab your favorite stringed instrument and join the jam.

CJ Chenier & his Red Hot Louisiana Band
Fri, Jul 13
It's a Zydeco Party with one of the original and finest Creole Soul bands from the Bayou lands!

Sonny Landreth
Thu, Jul 26 & Fri, Jul 27
The electric bottleneck blues maestro is in town to tape a TV show. So he's playing two nights at Fitz's. The magic of seeing Landreth is his tasteful approach to electric slide guitar that remains free of "blooz bar band" cliches.

Jim Lauderdale
Fri, Aug 3
A true wordsmith, singer-songwriter, sometime producer and collaborator who has shared stage and studio with everyone from Ralph Stanley to Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris. Last year's bluegrass album was a critical success, but he's equally adept at classic country styles as well.

The Blasters
Sat, Aug 4
Back between 1980 and 1984 there were two neo-rockabilly bands vying for supremacy: New York's Stray Cats and LA's Blasters. Fans of each band practically came to blows (as did the members of the bands at one point). High energy, house-rockin' rockabilly is the rule of the night with Phil Alvin's amazing Teflon-throated singing.

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Korsakov - Flight of the bumble bee - by Alexander Dmitriev

Sayeth Jim Polaski - "Phew!"

Ben's new guitar ?!?!?

Sharp Rock: Angel Sword Guitar Plays Iron Maiden Songs, Slays Teen Pop Stars - Gizmodo

Bob Lopardo wants everyone to remember the upcoming Downer's Grove Heritage Festival. It's June 21 thru 24. Click the link below for a bunch of PDFs with lots details. Including ... Thursday's Child playing two sets on Saturday in Fishel Park. (See a complete line up of artists here.)



Downers Grove Heritage Fest Home Page

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The Ghosts Of Waldheim

Not a music video, but it concerns a very local site of historic importance - The Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park.

Old Town School 5th Annual Fiddle Championship

Chicago Folk & Roots Festival | Concerts & Events – Old Town School

The Midwest Fiddle Contest is a contest for music teams - a fiddler and a second lead player - that celebrates the diverse sounds of fiddling in the Midwest. Five Team Division finalists and three Youth Division finalists from earlier rounds will play for $1,250 in prize money on the Folk & Roots Festival Main Stage Sunday at 1pm.



This is part of the 10th Annual Chicago Folk & Roots Festival on Sat, 7/14 and Sun, 4/17 from Noon - 9:30pm at Welles Park (Lincoln and Montrose).



Entries must be received by Mon, 7/2. Entry is free.

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BBQ Drummer

Some folks I work with made this funny, strange, musical video. I'm diggin' it!

Kid's Day at the Farmer's Market in July

Farmers' Market Special Events - 2007

July 14 -- Kid's Day


We could work up a bunch of kid-friendly tunes for Kid's Day and perform a special set just for kids. Post tunes you want to play by writing comments on this blog and I'll compile a set list. Then I'll post that list here with links to tabs, etc.

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Wow! It's that time of year again! And we're counting down the days until we regroup under the old oak tree. Ah ... the sweet smell of donuts in the air. Opening day is June 2nd.

See the Village of Oak Park's official site here.

Help FolkAlley.com Save Net Radio!

On March 2, 2007, the federal Copyright Royalty Board released a decision that will have damaging consequences for public radio stations that stream music. The Board rejected decades of precedent by placing commercial royalty payment schedules and reporting requirements on public radio stations. This decision exposes the public radio system to huge increases in royalty payments and promises drastic curtailment of the programming diversity found on public radio stations' websites.

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FitzGerald's Calendar Listings
Friday, June 1 (BLUEGRASS) Cornmeal plus Tangleweed, 9:30pm
Cornmeal is "heavily influenced by American roots and folk music, Cornmeal was started as a side project over six years ago only to watch it grow into a Chicago institution. Info at cornmealinthekitchen.com

Warming up is Tangleweed, who combine high-energy performances, impeccable musicianship and a wide-breadth of influences to create a unique sound that is simultaneously modern and old-timey. More info at tangleweed.org

Also, Fitzgerald's is now smoke free!

Mighty Fine Streaming Documentaries ...

FolkStreams » Homemade American Music

"A history of rural southeastern traditional American music, as told and played by Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard. Mike and Alice recount their own involvment with this music, and briefly trace its history as we meet their mentors: the late Tommy Jarrell, Lily May Ledford, Roscoe Holcomb and Elizabeth Cotten."





Folkstreams is a collection of independently produced documentary films that have languished for decades. This one, "Homemade American Music," is one of dozens featuring blues, old time, bluegrass, Cajun and more.



You can't download them; they're for streaming only. But they are without equivocation mighty, mighty fine!

Mighty Wacked Out New Old-Time Favorites ...

The Avett Bros.

















5/30/07 Chicago, IL House of Blues 9:00 PM Back Porch Stage

I love these guys. They're nuts. Just guitar, mando and double-bass and more energy than a nor'easter.

Talk About Man Handling Your Guitar ...

glumbert.com - Guitar never seemed so hard

Thanks to Jim Polaski for finding this video. The hammer-on/pull-off technique is quite impressive. The jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan arrived on the scene in the early 1990s with an electric variant of this "finger-style" approach to the instrument. (See this video for "Willow Weep for Me" from back then - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8DCDrKX4_I).

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Folk Alley: Folk Music, Traditional Music, Celtic Music, and World Music



The Merlefest blog at FolkAlley.com as some great stories and photos from what is arguably the finest bluegrass festival out there today.



Did anybody from our group go this year? Please share stories and photos here!

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Don Sibley's Selling Two Fakebooks
He's got the Mandolin Picker's Fakebook and The Fiddler's Fakebook. Both are barely used. Contact Don at donsibley@earthlink.net for details.

Northlight Theatre :: 2006/07 Season :: Fire on the Mountain
From the acclaimed creators of It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues comes a poignant, passionate musical about the lives of coal miners in the Appalachian Mountains, featuring Mississippi Charles Bevel (Jeff Award-winner for Blues) and Dan Wheetman (former fiddle player for John Denver).

Alternately exuberant and soulful, joyous and gripping, this celebration of culture, lifestyle, hardships and heroics is gloriously relayed through the captivating rhythms of Appalachian bluegrass—a uniquely American art form that gained widespread popularity following the release of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Featuring authentic dancing, plus stunning fiddle and banjo licks and more than 30 songs, this spiritual triumph is sure to set spirits soaring.

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Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

Mighty Fine Bluegrass at FitzGerald's on Thu, May 3rd
The Wayword Sons is one of the most interesting new bands in today's music scene. Combining the critically acclaimed songwriting of Benny Galloway (Yonder Mountain Stringband) and stellar musicianship within the unique instrumentation of keyboards, dobro, acoustic guitar and upright bass, The Wayword sound is truly something special.


Winners of the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, Greensky Bluegrass is taking Michigan's blend of acoustic roots music on the road. Driving instrumentals and affecting lyrics contribute a fresh sound to an eclectic acoustic genre. GSBG is currently touring to promote the release of their sophomore album Tuesday Letter, produced by Tim Carbone from Railroad Earth.

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Ledward Kaapana & Mike Kaawa

Old Town School of Folk Music, Fri 4/27 at 8:00 pm

"Led continues to stretch the boundaries of Slack Key guitar, dazzling audiences worldwide with his freeboard improvisations, wide-ranging vocals, and kolohe (rascally) sense of humor."



When my daughter was a baby we lived in a small, streetside one bedroom apartment on a busy corner in Brooklyn. To help her sleep at bedtime, I'd play a Led Kaapana CD. She would relax and sleep. And so did I. But not until the last note fell beautifully from the air.

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Del McCoury Band plus Steep Canyon Rangers
Fri, 4/20 at 7pm and 10pm, 4544 N Lincoln Ave

This is an awesome double bill for hardcore bluegrass lovers. Arguably the DMB is the best in bluegrass at this time. Offering a direct link to Bill Monroe through former Blue Grass Boy and family patriarch Del, the Band features the McCoury sons on banjo and mandolin respectively. They are virtuosi in every way.

Steep Canyon Rangers are another one of my favorite new generation string bands from the Carolinas (others include Uncle Earl, the Avett Brothers and King Wilkie). SCR fall into a more traditionalist lineage making them a hot-picking complement to the McCoury family juggernaut.

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The Old Town School Folk & Roots Festival
Sat July 14 & Sun Jun 15

For Americana and folk fans this year's Saturday line up is pretty much unbeatable. Headliners The Knitters are a roots rock powerhouse featuring members of X plus songwriter-guitarist Dave Alvin. Before them is Bettye LaVette, a soul singer who remained under the radar until the past couple of years. The next earlier slot is held by Uncle Earl, which you may recall is one of my absolute favorite contemporary Appalachian folk/bluegrass groups.

Sunday features African, Brazilian and Mexican folk artists plus the Midwest Invitational Fiddle Contest to kick off the day's festivities. To many the juxtaposition of bluegrass with Afro-Latin folkloric ensembles would appear jarringly out of sorts; but if you look at American mountain music as an authentic expression of indigenous culture then you won't bat an eye.

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JamBase | Robert Earl Keen

Joe's [Official Venue Website]

940 W.Weed

Chicago, IL 60601

Phone: 312.337.3486

Map to Venue: Google :: Yahoo!



"The road goes on forever and the party never ends ..." is one of those lyrics that never grows old. REK is a Texas songwriter who has never gained the national following of, say, a Jimmy Buffett. But songsmiths from coast to coast know a great tune when they hear one. And once you've heard some of Keen's country-fueled three-minute stories, you're hooked.

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Telluride Bluegrass Fest

June 21 - 24, 2007 in Telluride, Colorado

I've always wanted to check out this great, big bluegrass festival in the Rockies. Last weekend I found a vinyl LP on Flying Fish from the 1977 Telluride festival featuring Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Ray Bonneville and John Hartford.



The lineup includes some rock bands. But it's overall a few spectacular days featuring the best of the best in acoustic music. Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Darol Anger, Alison Krauss, Peter Rowan, Bryan Sutton, Chris Thile, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, John Cowan and many more are scheduled to perform.



Tickets are on sale here.

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Petition to Nominate Pete Seeger for Nobel Peace Prize
- The Back Porch News
Now, I know you may be wondering why I'd post such a wild, wide-eyed photo since some would misconstrue the seriousness of supporting this effort. The image struck me, however, as a singular instant in which Pete's commitment to his music, human rights and the Muse erupted from his very soul. For all reasons in his long, illustrious career and life, Pete Seeger deserves global recognition.



Link directly to the online petition here.

Events Commemorating the New Steve Goodman Biography
A new biography of the beloved singer-songwriter Steve Goodman is due for national release at the end of the month. The author, Clay Eals, researched Goodman's life for eight years. He will be making in-person events at the Old Town School of Folk Music in May as well. Pre-orders are available here.



Quotes from notable supporters:
Wry, unpretentious and uplifting, Steve Goodman had a special presence with an audience. As this book recounts, he opened 200 shows for me, often for crowds of 10,000 or more. He was just one guy with a guitar, but in 30 seconds he would have them. It was amazing to see, and this biography captures every incredible detail.
- Steve Martin

Clay Eals skillfully narrates the Dickensian life of Steve Goodman, one of the most exciting and refreshing acoustic performers to grace a stage. Meticulously detailed and carefully documented, this biography reads like a riveting novel. Goodman's spirit and charm leap from its pages.
- Rich Warren, host of "The Midnight Special," WFMT-FM, Chicago

NPR : Open Mic

NPR : Open Mic
"Since it began in 2003, NPR's Open Mic from All Songs Considered has been an online showcase for nearly 800 independent, unsigned or self-produced bands. It's a virtual stage for aspiring musicians to reach a larger audience with their work and a place to discover music you likely won't hear anywhere else. Once-unkown artists like Sufjan Stevens and Regina Spektor were first heard on Open Mic."

- How to submit your recording for the NPR Open Mic
- Subscribe to the NPR Open Mic podcast

That's me on the left and ... guess who? ... That's right ... Peter Frampton!

• • • Sound Clip Joint • • •
Ken Cashion Plays Some Mighty Fine Ukelele

Jim Polaski found this homemade site of old time tunes and American standards for "uke." Lots of MP3s, too.

Greg Reish Recital MP3s



Greg Reish has posted free MP3 files from his recital at Roosevelt University's Ganz Hall. Follow this link to hear the tracks. The sound quality is superb. You can right click (option+click on a Mac) to save each file and make your own Greg Reish "Live" album. Then you can listen to turn-of-the-20th-century music on your turn-of-the-21st-century music player!

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project

Cylinder Preservation and Digitization Project



There is an amazing collection of Edison cylinder recordings preserved as MP3s on this site. My new favorite section is ... no drum roll necessary ... the fiddle tunes collection.

The performances date from roughly 1902 through the first World War, and the sound quality is surprisingly easy on the ears. Keep in mind, these recordings pre-date scratchy 78s by two decades!

It's a miracle they've survived at all. Many of the performances are phenomenal with surprisingly non-traditional brass band arrangements leading into the fiddle soloists' breaks.

I highly recommend you browse the collection for jazz, marches, minstrel music, hymns, spirituals and more.

~ F.Y.I. ~
The Farmer's Market Musicians have been invited to perform at a St. Patrick's Day event at Maguire Hall, next door to St. Catherine-St. Lucy church on Austin Ave at Washington. Plans are still being hatched. Stay tuned.

2007 Chicago Maritime Festival



Saturday, Feb 24 at the Chicago History Museum
1601 North Clark Street

CD Release Show!
“Stuck in the 60s...Cooler Near the Lake” by Natural Bob & Micky Holdsworth

• Friday February 16, 2007 at 9:00 pm (doors open 8:00)
• Hammerhed Lounge (in Cigars & Stripes)
• 6715 W. Ogden Ave. in Berwyn about 1 block east of Oak Park Ave.

Special guest performances by Lila Holdsworth, Kate Early, Jim & Mary Grosso, Bob Lopardo & Lou Nutini and probably others.

Says Natural Bob, "Hammerhed is your typical folk club. A reputed biker bar, the place is also rumored to be haunted. It’s our favorite local haunt; [it's a] cozy, friendly, well ventilated room [with] excellent nachos and good ale on tap."

"SONGS OF LOVE & DEATH"
Greg Reish
A SOLO RECITAL OF AMERICAN FOLK & ROOTS MUSIC
Ballads, Parlor Songs, Old-Time & Bluegrass with Guitar & Banjo

ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY GANZ HALL
Auditorium Building, 7th Floor
430 South Michigan Ave (corner of Congress Pkwy)
- Yahoo! Map Here

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2007
- 7:30 PM
- FREE ADMISSION

Steeleye Span - A Lark in the Morning

From 1970 (and you can surely tell by the fashion choices made). Opens with a great electric dulcimer motif. Harkens back to that short window of time when Celtic folk met rock.

Big Bear Fan on a little scooter

That's Oak Park's own Mike Baldwin on that manly vehicle. Go, Mike, go!

Goin' Down Slow (Blues)

I recognize Norman Blake, Sam Bush, Tut Taylor and Vassar Clements (that's Mike Compton singing and picking the tenor guitar). The guy who posted this on YouTube provides complete credits. It's from a 11/18/2000 concert featuring a reunion of John Hartford's Aero-Plain Band. A DVD of the complete concert is available from Tut Taylor's Web site at http://webpages.charter.net/tutbro/. Who says bluegrassers can't play the blues?!?!

Good news for music lovers who kept their vinyl LP collection - Yahoo! News

Good news for music lovers who kept their vinyl LP collection - Yahoo! News: "A lot of music lovers have stashes of vinyl LPs that may be forgotten in the iPod era. Now Ion Audio has a simple way to convert those albums to digital files that can be listened to in iPods and other MP3 players. Its USB Turntable/CD player connects to your PC and records the albums as they play.

The turntable (model iTTCD10, due in June for $399) works like a standard turntable. And you can listen as the album is transferred to the PC. "

Orrin Star - Whiskey Before Breakfast Lesson

Online video is a fabulous source of lessons (beyond performance clips). Here's a six minute long deconstruction of "Whiskey Before Breakfast" that clarifies every constituent part.

Norman Blake - Nashville Blues

Here's a wonderful look at what is now "vintage" Norman Blake. The fluidity of his lead lines gives the impression of effortlessness and simplicity. Of course, once you try this yourself you get a hearty helping of humble pie. It's wonderful to see Nancy Blake picking the bass line on her cello; in fact, this trio instrumentation is among my personal favorites.

Doc Watson - Deep River Blues

Amazing finger picking technique from one of the all-time greats, Arthel "Doc" Watson. The camera hangs on Doc's left hand a good long time so you can pick up some of the passing chords in the changes. Then it pans to his right hand whence you can clearly see he's mostly using his index finger to picking the melody line. Pure Travis picking technique at its best!

[ The Return of a Native Son ]

David Bromberg Band
with special guests The Angel Band
$35, $33 Old Town School members, $31 kids and seniors
Saturday, January 20 at 7:00 & 10:00 pm at The Old Town School of Folk Music Concert Hall, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.

The great Chicago blues/folk/roots guitarist David Bromberg skipped town for the chance to operate his own community arts center in Wilmington, Delaware. And he rarely returns to the Windy City. So take this opportunity to see this long-struggling, now-thriving artist in the friendliest confines of The Old Town School.

Trad Fest 3 - Old Time Stringband Weekend: Concert
Starring the Foghorn Stringband (pictured above), the Dirk Powell Band and the Clack Mountain Stringband
$25, $23 Old Town School members, $21 kids and seniors
Saturday, January 27 at 7:30 pm in the Old Town School of Folk Music Concert Hall, 4544 North Lincoln Avenue

Friday night, Jan 26th, is an open house at the OTSoFM with all pickers welcome. They're asking for folks to bring a dish for the pot luck. Members of all three bands will guest host jam sessions, etc.

Saturday afternoon, band members will host workshops then host a group jam session. The evening's grand finale is all three bands in concert. Get more info here.

Bill Keith Banjo Workshop - Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival 2003 - Part 1 of 2

Called "Bluegrass Banjo 101", but it's more like "Advanced Melodic Banjo and Music Theory" ... Here's the first of two amateur videos posted on Google Video showing Bill Keith's master class from the Grey Fox Bluegrass Fest in 2003.

More Online Music Instruction Sites

Harmonica Country
The site offers ten free lessons.

Mars Music
Lessons for $11.95 per year. You need to download their proprietary software.

Tonos
Access to guitar or piano lessons is $15.95 a year.

Wholenote
Offers more than 900 free lessons plus a free metronome via the Net.

There's a free video over at the Gibson guitar and musical instrument company's web site featuring Earl Scruggs, his sons Randy and Gary, Sam Bush, Phil Leadbetter on Dobro(R) and Ricky Scaggs jamming on "Jingle Bells" in the Ryman. You can even download an iPod-ready video free. (This link courtesy of Jim Polaski)

Josh Graves, Marty Stuart, Vassar Clements - Great Big Woman

Here's proof of the common roots of bluegrass and the blues.

Merle Travis - Cannonball Rag

I never noticed before seeing this, but Merle Travis used only his thumb and forefinger. I'd always been taught he used three fingers a la Scruggs banjo picking technique. Now I know.

[ From the expansive mind of Jim P., we present ... ]
Trillium The Band

Jim's connection to Trillium comes through its guitarist, Ed Hall, who is a fingerpicking champion and was once Jim's teacher. Visit the band's site here.