NAMA to be broadcast on Satellite TV

On Sunday, June 1st, at 2:00PM, the highly esteemed Native American Music Awards will be broadcast in over 18 million households as a featured two-hour televised special on CoLours TV. CoLours TV can be found in all 50 states in the top 100 TV markets through the EchoStar/Dish Network channel 9407 and on local cable affiliates, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A rebroadcast of the Awards program is scheduled for Sunday, June 8th from 2:00 to 4:00PM. The Awards program can also be viewed live through CoLours' online presence at www.colourstv.org.

CoLours TV was created by Black Star Communications (BSC), a non-profit corporation organized to operate exclusively for civic, charitable, and educational purposes. The CoLours TV network has set out to be a voice of authority for America's multicultural community. Today, they are in over 18 million television households which accounts for more than 40 million viewers. CoLours' technical information is Satellite Intelsat Americas 13, Transponder 6.

The Ninth Annual Native American Music Awards show was recently held at the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel in Niagara Falls, New York, and taped in front of a live audience. This two hour broadcast program features award presentations, special guest appearances and live performances in all genres of music by leading artists of Native American heritage from North America. Featured performers include; Lifetime Achievement Award recipients Joanne Shenandoah and Bill Miller, South Dakota's Brule' & AIRO (Group of the Year), Buffalo's own Tonemah (Best Folk Recording), Upstate New York's Corn Bred (Best Blues Recording) Lumbee pop artist Jana (Best Pop Recording), Gary Small & the Coyote Bros (Best Rock Recording), Drum group Pipestone (Record of the Year), Nightshield with Maniac the Siouxpernatural (Best Rap Recording), the traditional Iroquois Dancers, nominees Digging Roots, and Jan Michael Looking Wolf with renowned Latin music producer, George Noriega. Other special guest presenters include; Beth Wray Webb (Daughter of the late Link Wray), Keith Secola, and Wayquay among others.

Founded a decade ago in May of 1998, the critically acclaimed Native American Music Awards is the country's leading membership based association consisting of music industry professionals directly involved in the recording and distribution of traditional and contemporary Native American music initiatives.

Support for the Ninth Annual Native American Music Awards' broadcast was received by the Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, the Seneca Nation of Indians (SNI), the Shokopee Mdewankaton Sioux Community and The Seminole Tribe of Florida. The Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is a premiere entertainment destination and features the largest hotel in Western New York with breathtaking views of one of the most incredible natural sites in the world, Niagara Falls.

A DVD of the Ninth Annual Native American Music Awards is available for purchase on the Music Store Page at www.nativeamericanmusicawards.com .

Weekend Events: May 23 - 25

You can alway check out the Northern California Flute Circle Calendar to see what's happening further out, but I encourage you to login every week to review what's coming up for the weekend events!

Native American Flute related events and other World music events happening in Northern California are posted on the Naflute calendar.

NOTE: If I missed an event for the weekend, please add a comment with event info so that others can know!

Saturday, May 24

• Valley Clan Flute Circle, 3-5PM, Napa, CA

Sunday, May 25

• Joaquin Clan Flute Circle, 2 PM, Modesto CA

Weekend Events: May 16 - 18

You can alway check out the Northern California Flute Circle Calendar to see what's happening further out, but I encourage you to login every week to review what's coming up for the weekend events!

Native American Flute related events and other World music events happening in Northern California are posted on the Naflute calendar.

NOTE: If I missed an event for the weekend, please add a comment with event info so that others can know!

Sunday, May 18

• Loping Wolf Flute Circle, LOP Clubhouse 1 - 3:00 PM
• Bay Clan Flute Circle2 - 4 PM, San Jose, CA

Microsoft Worldwide Telescope Launches today

This is a software telescope, but it might just as well be the most powerful telescope in the world. If you love looking at the stars, like I do, then you'll appreciate this project. It's a new technology out of the Microsoft labs and this is the first time it's been made available to the public.

The software provides an interface which shows you the night time sky. You are able to navigate around the universe and see all of the stars, constellations and planets as they would appear in the sky. You can fly light years across the universe to see far away objects. All of the stars and galaxies are in the appropriate configuration relative to each other. It's like being on a spaceship that you can fly anywhere in the universe!

The interface is intuitive to use and takes little time to get the hang of navigating around. All of the images displayed are public images taken from the most powerful telescopes (Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra). The key differences between looking at the image on the various telescope sights is that you get an appreciation for how detailed the images are and how far away the objects are, as you fly out to view the various objects.

The installation of the software is not for the timid. Unfortunately this is still a 'lab product' so you'll need to install several additional components on your computer to make it all work. (e.g. Microsoft .NET Framework plus other stuff) I was fortunate that my computer already had all of the prerequisite software installed for work. But if you have a powerful enough computer (check the requirements) and a few PC skills, it should be easy enough. You won't be disappointed!

You'll also need a fast internet connection as it downloads the high quality images of the various objects.

If you're not up to downloading and installed this first version (I am sure it'll get easier with each release...) then at least check out the videos that they have posted which show the software in action.

Link to download: http://www.worldwidetelescope.org

Valley Clan Flute Circle this weekend

Just a quick note to remind the wine country folks that there will be a Valley Clan Flute Circle this weekend.

What: Valley Clan Flute Circle
When: May 24, 2008
Time: 3-5 PM
Location: 1388 Mt. Veeder Rd., Napa Valley, CA

We'll break for dinner at 5, so bring a dish to share and continue jamming for those who want to stay

Complete details here: http://www.naflute.com/Valley_location.html

Bay Clan Flute Circle this weekend

Just a quick note to remind bay area folks that there will be a Bay Clan Flute Circle this weekend.

EVENT: May Bay Clan Flute Circle
DATE: Sunday, May 18th, 2008
TIME: 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
LOCATION: Trinity Lutheran Church 1500 Leigh Avenue, San Jose, CA 95125
HOST: Julie Ryan
ORGANIZER: Frankie Sierra, f dot sierra at comcast dot net

SCHEDULE:
2:00 PM: Arrival, setup and social
2:15 PM: Talk about recording the flute
2:30 PM: Open Mic Playing
3:00 PM: Snacks and social
3:15 PM: Open Mic Playing
3:50 PM: Wrap up and Cleanup

More details here: http://www.naflute.com/bayclan_location.html

New Online Guitar, Keyboard and Drum lessons from iVideosong.com

I just discovered this very cool, online music lesson site. They offer guitar, keyboard and drum (drumkit) lessons. It's all pop music, but I love the concept. They are compiling a catalog of video lessons for songs, where you learn the song by watching how the chords are played. It's ingenious, and it looks like its got some really good backing. If you've every struggled to learn to play a song by listening to the CD, this will be a huge help. The lessons are well thought out and presented.

http://www.ivideosongs.com/songs/tutorials/acoustic-guitar.aspx

Here's a like to their Acoustic Guitar lessons feed: http://stream.ivideosongs.com/podcasts/itunes/ivs_acousticguitartechniques.xml

If you have iTunes and listen to podcasts, then you can subscribe here: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=278942067

Please let me know what you think about this idea by posting a comment.

The Flute Portal

Hey, if you haven't checked out the Flute Portal in a while, you need to hop on over and check out all of the great contents in the Forums. I think that the Flute Portal is finally reaching critical mass with the number of folks online and contributing. There is a ton of information already online, and it's a great place to find answers to your questions.

Weekend Events: May 9 - 11

You can alway check out the Northern California Flute Circle Calendar to see what's happening further out, but I encourage you to login every week to review what's coming up for the weekend events!

Native American Flute related events and other World music events happening in Northern California are posted on the Naflute calendar.

NOTE: If I missed an event for the weekend, please add a comment with event info so that others can know!

Friday, May 9

• Stanford Pow Wow, 5 PM - 11 PM, Stanford Campus, Palo Alto CA

Saturday, May 10

• Valley Clan Flute Circle, Noon - 5 PM, Napa Valley CA
• Workshop with Scott August, 1 - 2:30 PM, Napa Valley, CA
• River School Benefit Concert with Scott August, 7:30, Napa Valley
• Stanford Pow Wow, 8:30 AM - 11 PM, Stanford Campus, Palo Alto CA

Sunday, May 11

• Call your MOM!
• Stanford Pow Wow, 8:30 AM - 6 PM, Stanford Campus, Palo Alto CA

Hawk Littlejohn G Flute for auction on eBay

There's a really nice Hawk Littlejohn flute for sale on ebay. It's in the key of G from 1994 and looks to be made from cedar. I can't vouch for the seller, but this is an excellent opportunity to own a piece of history. Hawk was far and away one of the most influential Native American flute makers of the 20th century.

Also, the picture above shows the Cherokee Wrap that Hawk fashioned on some of his flutes. Mac Lopez also does this same style of wrap. He learned it from Hawk.

Auction link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120259007464

Mary Youngblood Retreat hosted by Loping Wolf

I just heard from Dan and Sheree this evening about the success of the Mary Youngblood Retreat that they sponsored this last weekend. It was a huge success! There are two dates left at the Loping Wolf Ranch on the calendar and space is going fast. To RSVP: fill out this form: http://www.maryyoungblood.com/Retreat/regformhtml.htm

Folks who attended, had the opportunity to spend some quality time with Mary Youngblood . Here's an outline of the workshop:


11:00 am to 12:00 pm ~ Arrival and Lunch - (Bring your favorite potluck item)

12:00 pm ~ LOPING WOLF
Welcome and Introduction Theme Song ~ “The LOPING WOLF Lope”

Mary Youngblood ~ Welcome Performance

12:30 pm to 1:15 pm ~ Beginning Workshop


Work on your beginning skills with the “First Lady of the Flute”. Breath control, embellishments and techniques. ( Mary will collect your written questions before the workshop.)

~Break ~

1:30 pm to 2:00 pm ~ Intermediate Workshop - Tips on vibrato, improvisation , and embellishment details will be discussed and demonstrated

~Break ~

2:30 pm to 3:00 pm ~ Advanced Workshop - Advanced techniques such as how to duet with another player, composition, phrasing, timing, plus performance and recording readiness will be shared

~Break ~

3:15 pm to 4:15 pm ~ This open mic hour will be “your” opportunity to duet with Mary and learn how Mary takes a player to the “next level”. Sign up to have your duet with Mary recorded on DVD with “you” for an additional fee as a keepsake of this unforgettable day! Autographed pictures of you playing with Mary at this special NAF musical retreat will be available for purchase before you leave!


The next dates are: June 7th and July 5th
Cost: $45

There may be future dates after this, but they have not been confirmed yet!

For more details: Mary website: http://www.maryyoungblood.com/Retreat/music_workshops.asp
Or the Loping Wolf website: http://www.lopingwolf.com/

Stanford Pow Wow May 9 -11, 2008

It's almost Mother's Day 2008, and that can only mean one thing: the 37th annual Stanford Pow Wow! (sorry mom). If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, then you have to attend the Standford Pow Wow. It's one of the biggest Pow Wow's on the west coast, and always has good representation from Flute Makers. I am not sure who's planning to attend this year.

Grand Entry is at 7 PM on Friday evening, but most of the dancing will be on Saturday and Sunday.

Here's the link to the poster: http://powwow.stanford.edu/documents/PosterColor2008.pdf

Video: Blogs in Plain English

Are you curious about what blogging is all about?

I found the perfect explanation of how blogging works, if you're curious.

This short video explains it all, in the simplest terms I've found yet.
(the video is entertaining by itself...)

http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs

Scott August Concert and Workshop, May 10, 2008, in Napa

Scott August will be performing in Napa, CA on May 10th, 2008 for a benefit fund raiser for the River School Music Program. This event will include August's multi-media presentation, a silent wine & flute auction and more.
This is a rare Bay Area appearance by Scott August not to be missed!

Concert Information

When: May 10, 2008
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $20 for adults $10 for children under 12
Location:
Napa High School Little Theater
2475 Jefferson St., Napa, CA 94559

More Info:

(707) 363-2915

Workshop Information

When: May 10th, 2008
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Cost: $40
Location: 793 La Salle Way, Napa, CA, 94559

Details: Class size is limited. To reserve your space send an email to Cedar Mesa Music or take your chances and just show up. For more information please call (707) 363-2915

If you feel you've reached a plateau with your Native American flute playing this workshop is perfect for you. Learn the secrets to spicing up your NAF playing and improvising. Make the leap to the next level. Learn the tricks that make you sound like a pro!

• Vibrato control
• How to make your flute chirp
• Advanced ornamentation including trills and turns
• Tonguing techniques for more expressive articulation
• Flutter tonguing
• How to improvise like a pro

UPDATED: Here's a link to the latest on the NCFC webpate: http://www.naflute.com/valley_august_concert.html

Weekend Events: May 3-4

You can alway check out the Northern California Flute Circle Calendar to see what's happening further out, but I encourage you to login every week to review what's coming up for the weekend events!

Native American Flute related events and other World music events happening in Northern California are posted on the Naflute calendar.

NOTE: If I missed an event for the weekend, please add a comment with event info so that others can know!

Saturday, May 3

• Loping Wolf presents: Retreat with Mary Youngblood

Kudos to the NoNahme Clan

I want to send a heart felt thanks to all of the NoNahme clan members who produced an awesome event this weekend. The weather was perfect, the setting was beautiful, and everyone had a great time. It was a lot of work to pull the event together but the results were worth the effort. There were lot's of beautifully crafted musical instruments and other works of art for sale, too many to list here.

Hope to see you all again next year at the Spring Flute Festival.

How To: Hank Drum Building Instructions

So it seems that my "Hank Drum" was a big hit at the Flute Festival this weekend. I had lot's and lot's on inquiries on how to build one, so that I thougtht that I would add a post here with a link to the building instructions on my other blog.

First of all, I want to thank Rick Dunlop and Steven DeRuby for joining me on stage during the open mic session on Saturday. It was a wonderful jam, and one that I'll remember for a long time. I pulled the Hank Drum out at the campfire on Friday evening and Rick (who was camping next to me) was immediately drawn to the drum. He started tooling around on it, and I grabbed a D flute and played with him. It was awesome. The next day, I encouraged Rick to take the drum to his booth and play around with it. Well, it was a great spot for folks to check out the drum. I came down later in the morning and Steven encouraged me to try playing with one of his new low D drones. WOW! Sounded great. I was playing with Rick when Stephen joined in on a diatonic C Major flute and we were all amazed. So I asked both Steven and Rick to join me for open mic!

The drums are not difficult to make if you own a jigsaw and dremel. (and a big pipe wrench) The empty propane tanks cost between $20 & $30 (buy a brand new empty one ONLY). You'll need a digital tuner as well.

Here's the link with instructions: http://foundmusic.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-build-hank-drum.html

Please send me pictures or video if you make one using the instructions! I'll keep posting more articles as the tradition continues!!

Save the Dates: Mary Youngblood Musical Retreat

Loping Wolf is sponsoring several workshops with two time Grammy Winner Mary Youngblood. This is a great opportunity to learn how to play and improve your playing with one of the best Native American flute players.

Mary is offering three Musical Retreats:

• May 3rd, 2008
• June 7th, 2008
• July 5th, 2008

The events take place at LOPING WOLF RANCH. A nominal fee of $45 will buy you 6 hours of fluting and drumming fun including a workshop of your choice. Workshop space is limited and can only be offered to the first registrars.

Bring ALL your flutes (plus “A” minor’s for the workshops) drums and percussion instruments. Mary Youngblood books, CDs and other merchandise will be available for purchase.

Here's a great video with highlights from the first event earlier this month: http://www.maryyoungblood.com/videos/Clips%20Rev%20b.WMV

For more information and to register: http://www.maryyoungblood.com/Retreat/music_workshops.asp

NCFC Spring Fesitval 2008: Scott August

The second annual NCFC/NoNahme Spring Gathering starts tomorrow in Georgetown, CA. I saved the best for last in my articles this week leading up to the event. Headlining the event this weekend is recording artist Scott August.

Scott August will be presenting both an Anasazi Flute Workshop on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, starting at 10PM. There is a limited number of seats, so check in early to see if there is still room. Scott will also be presenting an Advanced Flute Playing Techniques workshop on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Check the Festival website for more details: http://www.softcom.net/users/greebo/festival.htm

Scott August will also be headlining the concert on Saturday afternoon. The concert starts at 3 PM on Saturday afternoon, in the amphitheater. Tickets are $10 and there are a limited number of seats. Be sure to purchase your tickets first thing after arrival to the festival. Tickets will be sold at the NCFC/NoNahme booth near the entrance to the festival. You'll get the chance to hear teh Anasazi flute during Scott's performance. The Anasazi flute is more difficult to learn than the other styles of Native American flutes, and Scott has emerged as one of the premier recording artists on this style of flute. His latest recording: Lost Canyons features this instrument.

For a complete list of vendors, check out the festival page: http://www.softcom.net/users/greebo/festival.htm Don't forget that the NCFC/NoNahme Spring Flute Festival is April 26-27, 2008, in Georgetown, CA. 8 AM - 6 PM each day

NCFC Spring Flute Festival2008: Lew Price

The second annual NCFC/NoNahme Spring Gathering starts tomorrow in Georgetown, CA. To highlight the event, I thought that I would feature a short introduction or review of each of the vendors who will be selling flutes next weekend. There will be a lot of other vendors with awesome crafts for sale, far too many for me to talk about each of them. But since I know personally, or know of all of the flutemakers, I thought that I would spend a few moments letting you know what's in store so that you bring a few extra bucks with you, just in case...

What can I say about Lew Paxton Price that hasn't already been said?
If you are new to playing the Native American Flute, then you may not have heard Lew's name before. But almost every modern flute maker (flutemakers who have started making flutes in the last 10 years) has been influenced by Lew's work in some way or another. Lew's is a humble guy, probably one of the humblest people that I've met on my flute path. But Lew's life work has been focused on making the incredibly difficult physics of the flute understandable for the average person. Lew has written well over a dozen books on topics related to the construction of the Native American Flut and other styles of indigenous flutes. In his books, he has outlined the specifications for creating a flute and where to position the holes to get a perfectly tuned instrument. Lew has also helped to create software and spreadsheets to help guide flutemakers as they produce their instruments. If you have any questions about how the flute works, how to make a flute or anything else related to the transmission of sound wave, Lew is a great source of knowledge and an engaging teacher.

Lew and Mary Youngblood are the two folks who helped start the Northern California Flute Circle so many years ago. We consider Lew and Mary to be our "elders" helping to guide us as we grow, prosper and evolve to meet the needs of our membership.

Once you get the chance to met Lew I think that you understand how much we appreciate all that he's done to bring this beautiful instrument back to life!

Be sure to stop by the NCFC/NoNahme booth during the event, where you can meet Lew, check out his books and flutes that he'll have for sale.

You can also visit Lew's Website:

• http://www.softcom.net/users/greebo/price.htm
• http://www.lewpaxtonprice.us/index.htm
• http://www.lewpaxtonprice.us/fltbks2.htm

For a complete list of vendors, check out the festival page: http://www.softcom.net/users/greebo/festival.htm Don't forget that the NCFC/NoNahme Spring Flute Festival is April 26-27, 2008, in Georgetown, CA. 8 AM - 6 PM each day