14th Annual Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival Returns to the Museum March 1 – 2

The 14th Annual Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival takes place on March 1 – 2, 2019, at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Anna Whitten Hall. This free event invites visitors to meet instrument designers and learn about their trade, attend workshops for a variety of stringed instruments, and hear live performances from area musicians.

KICKOFF CONCERT with Shari Kane & Dave Steele
FRIDAY, MARCH 1
6 – 8 p.m.
The Kickoff Concert of the 14th Annual Kalamazoo Fretboard Festival at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum features Shari Kane & Dave Steele. They throw a four-handed acoustic party—street swing, stomp blues, mountain twang—music from the holler and swamp.

FREE MUSIC, WORKSHOPS, INDUSTRY VENDORS & MORE
SATURDAY, MARCH 2
10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Meet music professionals to learn about their art and trade, attend workshops of all varieties, see demonstrations on guitar maintenance with Heritage Guitar Company, and enjoy the live performances from area musicians.

Patrons attending the 2019 Fretboard Festival will appreciate the convenience of food service provided by The Spot at Kalamazoo Valley's Anna Whitten Hall, where performances, workshops, and demonstrations will also be taking place. The cafe will be open for service from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and will be serving snacks, beverages, and simple sandwiches. Cash or debit/credit cards will be accepted.

Bands: 15 total throughout the weekend
Friday Night Art Hop Kickoff Concert:

Shari Kane & Dave Steele
Genre: street swing and stomp blues
Website: http://www.sharianddave.com
Friday, March 1, 6 p.m.
Festival Stage: Museum

Shari and Dave throw a four-handed acoustic party—street swing, stomp blues, mountain twang—music from the holler and swamp. They include blues and gospel shouting, stellar fingerpicking, deep slide, banjo, Dobro, mandolin, and Appalachian harmony singing. Gary Davis meets Dock Boggs and Muddy Waters, and they share a jug. Shari and Dave shows are steeped in folk and blues roots, blended with Appalachian grind—serving up an intoxicating acoustic brew. Dave’s smoky vocals, percussive rhythm and innovative lead, and Shari’s crisp picking style, rootsy leads, and stinging slidework are a testament to sounds once heard on the streets of Harlem, juke joints of Mississippi, the Carolina hills, or the jug bands of Memphis.

Saturday Special Events

Mark Sahlgren
Saturday, March 2, 9 – 10:15 a.m.
Festival Stage: Planetarium
Mark Sahlgren, former Gibson Guitar employee and local Americana musician, will discuss some of the history of guitar, banjo, and mandolin making in light of Gibson Guitars having Kalamazoo as its beginnings over 100 years ago. Orville Gibson came to Kalamazoo in the 1880s, began making mandolins in an original way, and changed how the world viewed instrument making. Mark will discuss Gibson and its historical resonance in our city. This program will also feature a display of stringed instruments from local luthiers, as well as from Mark’s collection.

Guitar Care and Maintenance

Saturday, March 2, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Festival Location: Vendor Booth 23 – Anna Whitten Hall
Visit the Heritage Guitars vendor booth, where their technicians will be providing 20-minute guitar general maintenance demos.
Saturday Stage Acts
Bob Rowe & The Green Valley Boys
Genre: alt-country, folk, pop, gospel
Website: http://www.bobrowemusic.com
Saturday, March 2, 2 – 3 p.m.
Festival Stage: Museum
One of the longest-running bands in Michigan and members of the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame, Bob Rowe and The Green Valley Boys are widely known for their fine blend of traditional country, folk, and gospel music. They have performed for thousands over the span of many years and won numerous awards, accolades, and acclaim throughout the Southwest Michigan region and beyond.

Rene Meave Trio
Genre: rock, folk rock, Tex-Mex
Website: www.renemeave.com.
Saturday, March 2, 12 – 1 p.m.
Festival Stage: Stryker Theater Stage
Rene was born and raised in Weslaco, Texas. He came to Michigan as a migrant farmworker. He is a founding member of the Tex-Mex musical group Los Bandits de Michigan and a member co-founder of the Chili Peppers Songwriting Club. He is a songwriter/entertainer recognized by the American Song Festival and BMI Song Festival. Rene currently has signed songs with Sony ATV and Next Number One Publishing, both out of Nashville, Tennessee. Rene performs as a solo artist as well as with Los Bandits de Michigan, The Chili Peppers Songwriting Club, and his trio.

Dacia Bridges Project
Genre: Singer-songwriter inspired by dance pop and nu metal
Website: www.thedaciabridgesproject.com.
Saturday, March 2, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Festival Stage: Museum
Dacia Bridges is a powerhouse vocalist cited by some as reminiscent of Tina Turner, as well an accomplished songwriter and performer. From the age of five on, she has been gracing the stage not only as a singer, but also as a professional dancer, choreographer, actress, and model. She recently relocated back to the United States after spending decades performing in Germany and throughout Europe. After returning to the United States, Dacia found Kalamazoo's finest female musicians and formed the group The Dacia Bridges Project with Cori Somers (violin), Carolyn Koebel (drums and percussion), Sarah Fuerst (bass), and Dacia herself on guitar and vocals. Through her dance music approach paired with her incredible energy and charisma, Dacia delivers a performance that guarantees a music experience not to be forgotten.

The Jump Bunnies
Genre: family
Saturday, March 2, 10 – 11 a.m. Festival Stage: Anna Whitten Hall The Jump Bunnies love to sing songs about...chickens! What? Yes, but that’s not all...they like to perform for the whole family, so they are sure that no matter your age, you’ll enjoy their jams. They don’t jump around like bunnies, but they do deliver a snappy show filled with the magic of youth, and they hope to fill your hearts with a little feathery and furry love.

Elden Kelly Trio
Genre: classical, jazz, world
Website: eldenkelly.com.
Saturday, March 2, 1– 2 p.m.
Festival Stage: Anna Whitten Hall
The Elden Kelly Trio features Carolyn Koebel on percussion and Denis Shebukhov on bass. Carolyn and Elden have worked together since 2010, cultivating a musical vocabulary based on a shared affinity for instrumental improvisation and exploration, unusual instrumentation, and original songs. Denis completed the trio in 2015, and they have been performing together ever since. All three are also active educators. The trio has performed around the Midwest region at numerous clubs, summer festivals, and performing arts centers. In 2016, the ensemble collaborated with internationally renowned balafon master Famoro Dioubate from Guinea for unforgettable performances. The group headlined the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival in the summer of 2017 and recorded their first CD as an ensemble last spring.

Mark Sahlgren & The Fragile Egos
Genre: Americana, folk
Saturday, March 2, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Festival Stage: Museum
The Fragile Egos is made up of some of the best and most knowledgeable and seasoned musical performers in the Midwest. Having their feet planted in Americana music, supplemented with tinges of rock and jazz, Mark and the Fragile Egos can sing and play music 'til the cows come home. Mark Sahlgren and Allen Bates have toured for many years, playing bluegrass, original, and old time music in Sweetcorn for thousands of people; while Darcy Wilkin, Sarah Fuerst, and Michael Fuerst have done the same with The Corn Fed Girls, Knee Deep Shag, and Thunderbolt & Lightfoot—all entertaining for huge numbers of people. Mark Sahlgren and the Fragile Egos present some comedy tunes as well as some serious thought-provoking songs in their presentation of music.

Red Tail Ring
Genre: folk, country blues themes
Website: www.redtailring.com.
Saturday, March 2, 5 – 6 p.m.
Festival Stage: Museum
Laurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp of Red Tail Ring create lush, intricate arrangements of original folk music and traditional ballads with banjo, fiddle, guitar, and close harmonies. The Michigan-based band is fresh off their fourth full-length studio release, Fall Away Blues. Featuring new songwriting fused with old-time and country blues themes, the album tackles topical subjects such as gun violence and environmentalism as well as age-old questions of place and love. Over seven years of touring, Red Tail Ring has performed their brand of acoustic roots all over the United States, traveled overseas to play in Denmark, Germany, and Sweden, and also appeared at some of the most notable festivals and venues that the U.S. has to offer, such as The Ark, Club Passim, Caffe Lena, the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering, Wheatland Music Festival, and Hiawatha Traditional Music Festival.

Elephant Rescue
Genre: swamp funk, blues
Website: Elephantrescueband.com.
Saturday, March 2, 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Festival Stage: Stryker Theater Stage
Elephant Rescue is a three-piece band based out of Niles, offering a recipe of New Orleans swamp funk, blues, rock, folk, and world flavors. Taking root in 2009, Elephant Rescue has spent the past 9 years engaging audiences in venues and festivals throughout Indiana and Michigan, celebrating community and life through music. With one full-length original studio album and another EP on the way, they find themselves constantly evolving while following their passion for creating and sharing music with anyone who will listen. Their live shows span a diverse musical landscape that would be right at home in the blues bars of Chicago or the streets of New Orleans. Oftentimes, audiences can hear second line/Bo Diddly-inspired grooves provided by Cory Miller dancing on top of tuba bass lines laid down by his brother, “The Professor” Chad Miller, all coming together to support the bluesy, eccentric guitar tones of front man/lead vocalist Dave Dale.

Joel Mabus
Genre: folk
Website: www.joelmabus.com.
Saturday, March 2, 4 – 5 p.m.
Festival Stage: Anna Whitten Hall

Singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and maverick of the folk music world, Joel Mabus returns for another welcoming performance at this year’s Fretboard Festival. A staple to American folk music, it is a pleasure to welcome Joel back to the Museum for this annual event. By turns, he picks a mountain banjo to accompany an ancient ballad, sings a witty song about modern life, plays a sweet Irish melody on guitar, swings a hot jazz number, and then reaches deep for a soulful expression of values in a troubled world. He tops it all with a fiddle tune or old Carter family song—all skillfully blended into a seamless flow. Joel has an impressive 24 albums to his credit, the latest being A Bird In This World (2015), original songs that take on the blues, and Pepper's Ghost (2013), an award-winning 5-string banjo album. He has performed in concert with such folk music stars as John Prine, Joan Baez, and Tom Paxton, and has been featured at the top folk clubs and festivals.

Gifts or Creatures
Genre: Americana
Website: www.giftsorcreatures.com.
Saturday, March 2, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Festival Stage: Stryker Theater Stage
Gifts or Creatures is the musical pursuit of husband/wife duo Brandon and Bethany Foote. The couple fuses a blend of Midwestern folklore, old-world history, and cinematic soundscapes to create a trove of antique Americana. The Michigan duo’s latest release, Fair Mitten, offers up a collection of songs that celebrates the rich history and timeless significance of the Great Lakes Basin. Since 2010, Gifts or Creatures has performed throughout the Midwest and has shared bills with Blitzen Trapper, Breathe Owl Breathe, and Frontier Ruckus. They have appeared at the Wheatland Music Festival and recorded with Daytrotter. Brandon and Bethany are also active members of Michigan's Earthwork Music Collective, advocating for original music and environmental awareness throughout the Great Lakes region.

The Birdseed Salesmen
Genre: jazz
Website: www.facebook.com/TheBirdseedSalesmen.
Saturday, March 2, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Festival Stage: Anna Whitten Hall Stage

The Birdseed Salesman are Kalamazoo-based purveyors of gypsy jazz guitar music played in the "manouche" style, reminiscent of the era of Django Reinhardt.

Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra

Genre: classical
Website: www.kalmando.com.
Saturday, March 2, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Festival Stage: Anna Whitten Hall Stage
The Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra is a plucked-string ensemble of mandolins, mandolas, mandocellos, guitars, and bass. The KMGO was founded in 2003 to revive the mandolin orchestra tradition in Kalamazoo. The orchestra enjoys performing a wide variety of music, including classical, world-folk, ragtime, and traditional mandolin orchestra music. The KMGO is one of only 40 mandolin orchestras in North America.

Jordan Hamilton
Genre: folk, hip-hop, soul, classical
Website: jordanhamiltonmusic.com.
Saturday, March 2, 3 – 4 p.m.
Festival Stage: Stryker Theater Stage
As a member of Last Gasp Collective and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Jordan merges songwriting, loop pedals, sample machines, cello, and vocals to create a sonic landscape of experimental hip-hop, folk, soul, and classical music. The Western Michigan University graduate aims to find new ways for the cello, a traditional instrument, to relate to a modern audience, where it can be found playing the music of Bach, the Beatles, or Chance the Rapper. Filled with an eclectic range of songs, Jordan’s set is sure to capture the heart and mind while reflecting on new horizons.

Matt Martinez
Genre: acoustic rock/pop
Website: www.mattmartinezmusic.com.
Saturday, March 2, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Festival Stage: Stryker Theater Stage
Matt Martinez is a musician/singer-songwriter originally hailing from Detroit, Michigan. Discovering a passion for music early in life, Matt grew up playing in several bands, most notably Xoned Out, a pop-punk band in which he played the drums. While fluent in five diverse instruments, the guitar is where Matt feels most at home. Matt has been writing and performing his own music across the United States for more than 10 years. With a sound that has been described as "Sublime meets Santana," it’s no wonder his toe-tapping rhythms and memorable melodies have been engaging audiences everywhere his music takes him.

The Chris Canas Band
Genre: blues, funk, soul
Website: www.facebook.com/chriscanasblues.
Saturday, March 2, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Festival Stage: Museum Lobby Stage
The Chris Canas Band can be seen blazing a trail in the Metro Detroit area and beyond. In 2007, they won their first blues competition when they competed in the West Michigan Blues Society's challenge. They also won the Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association challenge in 2010, and the Detroit Blues Society challenge in 2012 as well as 2014. Chris "The Prince of the Blues" Canas has put together a who’s who of veteran musicians over the years and has learned many lessons the hard way to help keep the blues alive and moving forward. The Chris Canas Band has a well-blended set of classic covers and clever, rollercoaster-like originals that keep the audience captivated and coming back for more. They provide heart-wrenching vocals, pulse pounding rhythms, and an electric energy that can be felt in the air.

Workshops: Exotic Scales
Facilitator: Elden Kelly
Website: www.eldenkelly.com.
Saturday, March 2, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 204
The world does not lack for books and information about scales ranging from basic to obscure. The real question is how to learn to use those scales effectively and musically. That's what this workshop is all about. If you are bored with the seven standard modes, major and minor scales, and you long for more melodic variety, this class is for you! Gleaned from all styles of music, these scales open up new melodic vistas. From inside the chord changes to outside the box, these scales provide you more choices and great range of expression. This class is open to all musicians; the workshop is beneficial to any interested musician who can read music or who has a good ear. Recommended for advanced beginner, intermediate, and beyond.

Ukulele Workshop with Joel Mabus:
Beyond Basics: Finding the Cure for the Common Chord
Facilitator: Joel Mabus
Website: www.joelmabus.com.
Saturday, March 2, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 207
The everyday chords you learned in your first uke book are ok if you want to always sound like a beginner. But to take your playing to the next level, there are easy modifications to those basic chords that the professionals use all the time. Some are as easy as lifting a finger—or sticking a finger on a different string. This workshop will be taught with standard uke tuning GCEA and a “high G.” We will learn by doing, using some great old songs that are easy to play. If you bring a baritone uke, you will need to transpose everything.
Versatility in Performance: Expanding Your Repertoire
Facilitator: Megan Dooley
Saturday, March 2, 12:30 – 1:30 p.m.
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 209
Attendees of this fun and unconventional workshop will be challenged to unpack their preconceived notions of musical performance techniques and traditions, while learning to use their own uniquely individual talents to create a musical experience all their own. Featuring everything from various stringed instrument techniques and whistling to studying comedy and open discussions on topics spanning all things performance related, garner an array of tools and tricks from Megan Dooley, one of Kalamazoo's most versatile entertainers.

Clawhammer Banjo with Guitar Accompaniment
Facilitator: Laurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp (Red Tail Ring)
Website: www.redtailring.com.
Saturday, March 2, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 205
Laurel Premo and Michael Beauchamp-Cohen of Red Tail Ring will present a duo workshop focusing on clawhammer banjo repertoire and techniques, with Laurel teaching her favorite banjo tunes and Michael chiming in with tips on guitar accompaniment ideas and approaches. Banjo and guitar players are all welcome to attend.

Understanding Chords: Triads, 7th Chords, and Beyond

Facilitator: Bill Jones
Website: www.williamfrankjones.com.
Saturday, March 2, 2 – 3 p.m.
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 208
This workshop focuses on better understanding the structure, function, and relationship of chords.

Lap Steel Slide Style Playing

Facilitator: Al Bates
Saturday, March 2, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 204
This workshop focuses on tunings and techniques for playing Dobro, lap steel, and Weisenborn guitar.

Sonic Exploration

Facilitator: Brandon Foote and Steve Leaf
Website: www.giftsorcreatures.com
Saturday, March 2, 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 205
This workshop will explore electric guitar tone and guitar pedalboard basics. Learn about guitar body style/pickup choice, effects chain, amp choice/settings, and how it is all interconnected. Take a detailed look at how to choose effects, effect order (why it matters), and various settings and tricks.

Song Writing & the Fretboard

Facilitator: Rene Meave
Website: www.renemeave.com.
Saturday, March 2, 4 – 5 p.m.
Location: Anna Whitten Hall Room 207
Make a connection between original written works and the utilization of the fretboard to interpret and present a song. For the purpose of this presentation, stringed instruments such as guitars and vihuela (Mexican Mariachi five-string guitar/instrument) will be used to demonstrate techniques.

Pop-Up Sets: Look for five surprise pop-up performances throughout the Museum on Saturday

Public Access

Website: www.publicaccessmusic.bandcamp.com .
Public Access is an instrumental band based throughout the Midwest. Headquartered in Grand Rapids with outposts in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Marquette, Public Access boasts a variety of musicians. Public Access draws its inspiration from the searing guitars of Brian May and David Gilmour, the sultry sax tones of Paul Desmond, the rhythm of Four Tet, and the synth of Daft Punk.

Andrew Saliba
Genre: jazz
Andrew Saliba is a guitarist and composer from San Diego, CA. He graduated from Western Michigan University with a degree in Jazz Studies and currently performs throughout southwest Michigan. He has performed with and written for WMU's award-winning Gold Company and Advanced Jazz Ensemble, and Miracosta College's Frequency, Jazz Collective, and Jazz Orchestra (MOJO). He is also part of the DownBeat Award-winning group Lush, and the Sam Pilnick Project. Andrew has received awards from Miracosta College, Western Michigan University, and DownBeat Magazine, and has been fortunate enough to perform with such artists as Chico Pinheiro, Ernie Watts, George Garzone, and Peter Eldridge.

Megan Dooley

Megan Dooley was born and raised in Kalamazoo and has been performing in and out of Michigan and abroad for 18 years. Specializing in rich vocals, whistling, rhythm guitar, ukulele, and songwriting, Dooley's versatile and eccentric originals and covers span an array of genres and styles that will appeal to all audiences, young and old. Dubbed "The First Lady of the Kalamazoo Music Scene" by Revue Magazine, Megan Dooley creates a musical experience all her own.

Matt Cosgrove

Genre: classic guitar
Website: www.cgstudio.us.
Matt Cosgrove has been playing the guitar since the summer of 1990. Matt’s guitar playing has been nationally televised on the Rejoice Broadcast Network, serving in both solo and accompaniment roles. Matt placed first in the annual commencement contest at Pensacola Christian College (PCC) and performed for nearly 5,000 people. Recently, Matt has performed multiple times with the Kalamazoo Symphony. Matt received a Bachelor of Arts in guitar performance from PCC as well as a Master of Music in Guitar performance from the Florida State University. Matt has been teaching guitar, bowed-string instruments, music theory, and advanced cello at the college level since January 2000. He currently has a full private teaching studio and teaches at Kalamazoo College.

. OFB3 (Out of Favor Boys Trio)

Genre: blues
Website: outoffavorboys.com/ofb3.
In the past 15 years, Out of Favor Boys have become a blues staple in Southwest Michigan and beyond. OFB3 (Out of Favor Boys Trio) delivers a mix of the band’s original music along with classic and contemporary blues favorites. The more intimate instrumentation (acoustic guitars and saxophone) allow the trio to delve into other genres of music, including pop, rock, and country, which highlights the band’s diverse influences. Sets sometimes even include radio favorites from the 80s and 90s.

Vendors

Aaron's Music Services
Broughton Music & Art Center
Crescendo Academy of Music
Elderly Instruments
Farmer Foot Drums
FE Tellier Guitars
Grand Rapids Guitar Workshop
Great Lakes Acoustic Music Association
Hand Crafted by Tom Woolworth
Heritage Guitars
Kalamazoo Custom Cut Records
Kalamazoo Gals
Kalamazoo Guitar Company
Kalamazoo Sportswear
Kalamazoo Valley Blues Association
Kazoo Books, LLC
K'zoo Folk Life
La Luna Recording & Sound
Local Spins
Painted Songs
Pieces of Jayde Soulful Adornment
Rock Built Banjos
The Kalamazoo Recycled Steele Amplifier Company
W. Michael Siegel, Luthier
Zero Gravity Guitar Lift
Zimnicki Guitars
The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and is governed by its Board of Trustees. Admission to the Museum is free.