Acoustic Musicians sighted at Dempsey's

Ken and Stan Nelson along with Camey and Delvin Hackwith were spotted at Dempsey's Brewpub in Watertown SD getting in a little practice on Saturday December 22nd.  Fiddles, mandolins, guitars and even a Dog House Bass were also in attendance.  When asked what was going on they replied that they were just shaking off a little bit of the rust from not playing enough.  Rumor has it that this little group of like-minded musicians will be putting in some more practice soon.  Is there an actual gig in store for the near future?

Ya'll Come

Saturday January 5th starting at noon there is going to be a gathering of the SD Old Time Fiddlers at the Golden Corral in Sioux Falls.  Thank you George Mallory for setting this up for us.  Rosin up your bow, tune up your guitar and lets go play some music.  Good way to shake off some of those winter blues and shake some tunes out of those fiddles.  What a great way to start off the New Year!  See ya there.

New Year's Day Music

Back to South Dakota music.  Come one, come all.  Joey Koustrup called last night and there is going to be music New Year's Day at the old school in South Shore, SD.  Things are going to get rolling around noon or so.  There will be some BBQ made up. Bring something to drink, some buns, some paper plates, utensils, chips and an instrument to play.  It should be a good time.  It is just a chance for some musicians to get together and play some music.  If you have friends that want to come and listen they are welcome also.  This is a musicians' jam. It will give us a chance to work on some songs and learn from each other without doing it in a performance setting.  Thanks Joey and company !!! 

Roys Barn

Back with "The Pretty Good String Band" again.  Saturday night we were playing a fundraiser at the Red Barn which is North of Bozeman, Montana. OK, it is really Roys Barn and Lodge but it is cool no matter what you call it.  We got to play music up in the loft of the barn and everyone had fun.  This was going to be the last year this particular fundraiser was going to be held here.  The event had outgrown the location.
The first we year we were hired to play, the organizers warned us that after the meal and the auction, the kids and young adults would bail on the music and only a few folks would hang out to listen.  We started playing, called a few dances and all the racket brought the young folks back in - and they stayed - and they had fun, lots of fun.  The next year they brought their friends and everyone had more fun.  It got so big they had to limit the number of people upstairs in the loft.  The owners were worried the crowd was going to literally bring down the house.
For this gig they brought in a second dance floor and set it up outside under a huge tent.  We were completely wireless so some of us played down there and some of us upstairs.  First time I had ever called dances for people I could not see.  Thankfully, J. L. was down below to help with the dance instruction.

What a kick !  Sad to see the week come to an end.  Thanks for letting me play guys.

Detour to Clyde Park

Heading back to Livingston for the last gig with "The Pretty Good String Band" I had to make a stop in Clyde Park for Old Settlers' Days.  The crew that has taught me hundreds of great Old-Timey fiddle tunes was going to be jamming and invited me to stop.  These guys are awesome - their enthusiasm and love for their music is unmatched.  You may find better musicians, but you will not anyone who has any more fun than these guys and gals do.  After a few tunes the fingers get limbered up, the voices clear up, old stories get dug up and it is a runaway - there is no stopping them.  One warning though if you are playing rhythm - they will sometimes lie about the key they are in. It's not malicious - it's just hard to keep thousands of tunes straight.  Grab that guitar and let's go.  Ken Nelson on guitar and Livingston's own Bud Schleicher on his fiddle, Old Ivory. 

Let's Go to Billings

Saturday morning I got invited to play a little music at the Farmers' Market in Billings.  Of course I couldn't turn that down.  Notice who does NOT have a microphone however.  Nor is the mandolin plugged in - these guys are no dummies.  Of course all unrehearsed.  I flew so much by the seat of my pants this trip I wore out two pair.

63 Ranch

Gig two with the band finds us at the 63 Ranch outside of Livingston Montana on Thursday night.  I have now had a chance to practice the new material and life is much better.

This has to be our favorite place to play because we get to interact so much with the guests and the location is drop dead gorgeous. These are also the folks that went out on a limb and gave us our first steady gig.  Thank you Jeff and Deanna Cahill for letting the band play for another season.  That's J. L. Wilkins on bass,  Robert Frisbey on Fiddle, Ken Nelson on Mandolin, Sam Gordon on Guitar.  J. L. and Sam take care of the vocals. 

Mountain Sky Guest Ranch

Getting to play with "The Pretty Good String Band" when we get back to Montana is always special.  The band was shy a mandolin player for the week, so they let me sit in for three gigs, make a little gas money -- and have a lot of fun. At least they didn't spring too many new songs on me.

Mountain Sky Guest Ranch is located up Paradise Valley from Livingston, Montana.  Wednesday evening we got to play at the cookout at the Pavilion. While we may not get a chance to interact as much with the guests because they are eating part of the time we are playing, the band still gets the guests' toes tapping as we dish up some mighty fine music to go with great scenery and all that wonderful food.  The pie - all seven kinds of pie. Yum !

Otto & Friends Were Here

What a wonderful surprise.  Otto the official "Jam Dog" of the Montana Old Time Fiddlers' Picnic came to South Shore,SD for a visit the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Of course, he brought along David and Candace Payne who are the host and hostess for the picnic as well as his official chauffeurs.  They also like to play a bit of music.  A couple of other friends came over as well.  Harold Tribitt of rural Revillo came by with his guitar and played and sang a few for us.  Jerry Anderson from Volga brought his fiddle along and got in on the fun.  Pat Tribitt and Nancy Anderson came along to listen and socialize - or was it just to make sure their husbands didn't get into too much trouble. Music was played, food was eaten, stories were told and memories were made.  Dave and Ken played swapped tunes well into the evening.  Otto declared that after playing with Isabelle and chasing the tennis ball for hours he was ready to call it a day.

Lonesome Rail Music Jam

Winter is here and that means that Rollie & Marie Trooien of Lonesome Rail are going to be hosting their Saturday night acoustic music jam in Toronto, SD.  It's mostly bluegrass music with just a bit of Old-Time and Old ( Real ) Country Music thrown in.  Folks are always welcome to come listen.  Music starts at 7 and goes until 10.  Rollie said that they have done some remodeling in the music room so I'll get some pictures when I get down there and post 'em for ya.

Valley City ND Bluegrass Jam

Got a chance to play at a Bluegrass Jam in my hometown of Valley City, North Dakota last weekend.  What a wonderful group of musicians.  If you get a chance to catch this group, do so.  It's nothing fancy - just some friends getting together to play some music.  Very relaxed atmosphere.  Musician and audience friendly.  I'll definitely be going back.

The jam is held the second Saturday of each month from September - May.  The times are 1:00 - 5:00 pm.  The musicians and friends gather at the Barnes County Museum at 315 Central Avenue North, Valley City ND.  Did I mention there is no charge.

Click for the link to the website - Bluegrass Association of North Dakota. 

Turner County Fair

Rave reviews again for the SD Old Time Fiddlers at the Turner County Fair.  These fiddlers love to play events like this one.  The stage was packed with musicians playing great Old-Time Music. The crowd got to kick up their heels a bit as many did more than just listen to the music.  More than once toe tapping turned into dancing which is just what these fiddlers enjoy seeing.  That is what the music is designed for - along with the usual hootin' and hollerin' that accompanies the clapping.  It's all just good fun.

If you have not had a chance to hear these musicians play you are missing some real entertainment.  Check out where you can catch up with them next by checking the schedule on their Website HERE. 

And catch up with the Turner County Fair on Facebook.  They have been celebrating family fun since 1880.

Sargent County ( ND ) Fair

If you happened to be at the 2012 Sargent County Fair in Foreman, ND the last Saturday of July you got to hear some great acoustic music being played.  This group of folks came up from South Dakota and played two sets for the fairgoers.  Everyone enjoyed the music as well as the lawnmower races, the "Duck Chuckin" and all of the other great events going on.  If you were not there in 2012 you need to be there in 2013.

Acoustic Musicians Wanted

If you are an acoustic string player or know of any person or group that plays acoustic String Band, Old-Time, Bluegrass, Celtic, Western, etc. we would like to hear from you.  You can post information on upcoming gigs, jams, gatherings or just general info on this blog.  If you have a website, let us know and we will link to it.  We are primarily concentrating on folks in South Dakota.  Drop me a note or post a comment and let's get playing some music.  Click Here for an email address you can use.

Twin Brooks Threshing Show

Rumor has it that on August 11th there are going to be some acoustic musicians at the Twin Brooks Threshing Show in Twin Brooks, South Dakota. 

First up at 10:00 am are going to be some of the folks from the area around Roslyn, SD playing bluegrass and old country songs.

Then at 2:00 PM some folks who formerly lived in Montana are going to be playing.  Delvin and Cammy Hackwith along with Ken and Stan Nelson will be playing some great old-time fiddle music and bluegrass standards.

Show up and join in on the fun.

Hot Time

 



On Sunday July 22 the South Dakota Old Time Fiddlers traveled to Hartington, NE to play a show for the 2012 Cedar County Fair.  Outside it was triple digits - but inside it was air conditioned comfort with some hot fiddling on the stage.  The crowd loved the show and the fiddlers loved playing for the crowd.  Old time music at its best - LIVE !!

Earlier in the day the group entertained the folks at the local nursing home.  As usual, toes tapped and people sang along to many of their favorites.

Thanks to the fiddlers for making the trip memorable and of course, thanks to the folks in Hartington for inviting us.  See ya next year.

How about some bluegrass ??

This is another group of musicians that have been getting together and playing music in the northeastern corner of South Dakota.  They like to play bluegrass as well as old country standards and some pretty good fiddle tunes.  They have been spotted playing in Britton, Grenville, Roslyn and Sisseton  SD.  They also venture into North Dakota and will be playing at the Sargent County Fair in Foreman, ND on July 28th.  They claim that they play for the fun of it, and if you get to hear them, you'll know it's true.

Wes Monshagen, Ken Nelson, "Doc" Kleinberg, Lannie Navertil and Geneva Iverson.

Fiddlers at Pipestone, MN

The South Dakota Old-Time Fiddlers had a great time putting on a show in Pipestone, MN at the Performing Arts Center on Sunday July 15.  The audience listened and enthusiastically clapped, sang along, tapped their toes and stomped their feet as the group entertained them for just over two hours.  Thanks to all who played the music and a huge thank you to the folks in Pipestone who invited the fiddlers over for an afternoon of music and also to all the area businesses that donated door prizes.