Craig Edwards
AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC
Appalachian, Blues, Bluegrass, Cajun, Celtic, Early Country, Folk, Swing, Zydeco
Whew! What a busy Spring! Just returned from the second Connecticut Sea Music Festival in Essex, CT, where I worked the the historical demonstration/reenactment group Dirty Blue Shirts showcasing maritime skills and sailor customs from the Age of Sail. I'm hard at work on writing a history of sea chanteys (Title: The Secret History of Sailor Chanteys) for Reaktion Press, the popular publishing arm of University of Chicago Press, to be completed by year's end. I've started teaching for an arts/culture/community non-profit in Westerly, Rhode Island, the UnitedTheater, which coordinates with the local schools, string orchestra, and the non-profit Knickerbocker Music Center (formerly the Knickerbocker Cafe) They responded enthusiastically when I asked if they would be interested in a Roots Music Program, so I'll be teaching fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, button accordion, and group classes in old time string band, Irish music, and Cajun music. I had a great contradance tour with with the Dead Sea Squirrels, and I've got a busy concert, festival, bar, dance, and farmer's market, and recording schedule coming up this summer. And if anyone is interested in buying my recent sea music recording, "Alone on the Wide Wide Sea: Solo Sailor Songs," you can find it on BandCamp. As I said - whew!
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