Full Moon at Stonehenge with Mary Youngblood and Michael Bayard

“Full Moon at Stonehenge” at Christ Unity Church

Don’t Miss this evening of magic, mystery, and the experience of Celtic Spirituality– featuring world class musicians and captivating narrative.

When: Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Time: 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Where: Christ Unity Church (9249 Folsom Blvd.) at La Riviera Drive; Sacramento, CA

Info: 916-368-3950

Cost: $10 Suggested Love Offering

Featuring:

• Music of Enya
• Music of Enigma
• Improvisations by Mary Youngblood and Michael Bayard

Performers include:

• Ann Sabra Roach: Gregorian Latin vocal, French vocal, other vocals and improvisation
• Michael Bayard: Ethereal Soundscapes, Triton Strings, Vibraphone, Ancient Celtic Zither (Psaltery), percussion, skins
• Mary Youngblood: Irish Flute, cedar flutes
• Doug Matson: Acoustic Piano, Triton strings
• Gail Vinson: Narrator, poetry, guided visualization, meditation
• Steve Walker: Sound Design and Audio Engineering
• Ed Vinson: Technical support
• Mia Vinson: Stage support
• Jared Brech: Lighting and technical support; energy clearing
• Cindy “Neuro-Electric” Farris: Room smudging, clearing, Celtic Crystal configuration

Looking forward to meeting all of you.

I will be at the upcoming NCFC Summer Gathering where we'll be celebrating Mary Youngbloods Birthday this Saturday, June 21, 2008. I hope that I get a chance to met each of you in person. Please find some time to chat or play flutes while we're at the event!

I'll be teaching a Beginners Workshop in the morning. This is a great workshop to learn the basics. Also, if you are starting to teach others to play, I welcome anyone to sit in as a teaching assistant.

Lisa Halpin will be teaching a workshop on how to play Duets. Lisa is an awesome teacher and she's great at improvising. If you've always wanted to play a duet with another flute player, this is a great way to start. The workshop will be packed with tips and techniques.

Don Shultz is presenting a all-day workshop on drum building. Anyone can build a drum, and if you've ever wanted to build your own hoop drum, this is a great opportunity. Although the workshop starts early, there will be breaks during the process where you'll have the chance to socialize and play flutes throughout the day.

Mary Youngblood will be presenting a very special workshop on performance techniques. How often do you get the chance to learn how to become a better performer by learning from the experiences of a two-time Grammy winner?

WHEN: Saturday, June 21, 2008
TIME: 10 AM p 6 PM
WHERE: Sacramento Area (RSVP for exact details)
RSVP: send an email to: rsvp AT naflute DOT com
WEB: http://www.naflute.com/mybday2008.html

Weekend Events: June 13 -15, 2008

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, June 14

• Zion Flute Festival in Zion, UT

Sunday, June 15

• Zion Flute Festival in Zion, UT

Upcoming Events

Don't forget to RSVP for the big event next weekend:

• NCFC Summer Gathering and Mary Youngblood B-Day Party, June 21, Sacramento Area. RSVP NOW!

Mary Youngblood video on iTunes performing at Smithsonian Folklife Festival

I discovered a video of Mary Youngblood in the Educational section on iTunes. The video is free, it was taken when Mary performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1998, with Voices of First American Women. She plays Tears for Keintepoos on the video.

You don't need an iPod to view the video, but you do need to have iTunes and quicktime installed.
To find the video, open iTunes, search for "Mary Youngblood"
Under the search results, look for the entry: "Mary Youngblood performs the plains style flute" This is also found under:"Smithsonian Global Sound" - iTunes U <>

Zion Flute Festival starts this week

I hope everyone traveling to Zion this week has a safe trip. Looks like it will be a fun filled week/weekend of Native American Flute music.

There's still time to make it for the weekend events: http://www.zioncanyonartandflutefestival.com/

Mary Youngblood and Michael Bayard in Concert, June 18, 2008

Join Mary Youngblood and percussionist Michael Bayard for a special performance at the Christ Unity Church in Sacramento, CA

WHAT: Live performance with Native American Flute and percussion
WHERE: Christ Unit Church, Sacramento, CA
WHEN: Wednesday, June 18, 2008
TIME: 7 PM

Link: http://www.maryyoungblood.com/events.asp?e=68

Weekend Events: June 6 - 8, 2008

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, June 7

• Mary Youngblood Loping Wolf Retreat

Sunday, June 8

• Loping Wolf at American River Confluence Festival Auburn, CA

Upcoming Events

• NCFC Spring Gathering and Mary Youngblood B-Day Party, June 21, Sacramento Area. RSVP NOW!

Reminder: RVSP Today for Mary Youngbloods Birthday Party

The RSVP's are starting to roll in. But I wanted to remind everyone that you must RSVP for this event. We're expecting a lot of folks this year and we need to know how many are coming. If you haven't RSVP'd yet, do so today. Details are online at the NCFC website: http://www.naflute.com/mybday2008.html

WHAT: NCFC Spring Gathering and Mary Youngblood Birthday Party
WHEN: Saturday, June 21, 2008
TIME: 10 AM - ??
WHERE: Sacramento area, detailed provided after you RSVP

RSVP by sending an email to: rsvp AT naflute DOT com

There will be workshops, open mic, vendors and lot's of time to share your music.

Scott August Radio Interview

Native American Flute recording artist, Scott August is being interviewed on Seattle Radio station KKNW tonight at 7:30 PM (Pacific).

You can catch the interview online at Contact Talk Radio
Look for "Listen LIVE to the current show on Contact Talk Radio!" on the left hand side of the page

TIME: 7:30 PM PDT

Help create an ISHI Stamp

Ishi was the last indigenous person in Northern California to have lived completely outside of the European American culture. A petition drive spearheaded by author, Richard Burrill, seeks the U.S. Postal Service's official endorsement for an ISHI STAMP to be issued to commemorate Ishi (born about 1854, died 1916) for sale August 23, 2011. Ishi’s family and tribe, whose traditional homeland was in northeastern California, had been victims of decades of genocide initiated by European settlers. He alone was left to face the world. On that date 100 years previously, Ishi walked out of the "aboriginal world" into the Twentieth Century. Ishi has become the most written about California Indian in U.S. history.

VISIT THIS SITE TO SIGN THE PETITION: http://www.ishifacts.com/stamp.html

What other historical figures do you think deserve a stamp?

You're invited to a Special Birthday Party

Pssst. You're invited to a special birthday for a special lady: Mary Youngblood!
Details are finally up on the NCFC website.

WHEN: June 21, 2008
TIME: 10 AM - ??
WHERE: Sacramento Area

Details: Workshops, open mic, birthday cake and more.

You must RSVP for this event to receive details on event location.

Vendors - please check out the event info site on how to register.

For complete details check out the NCFC Website: http://www.naflute.com/mybday2008.html

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