The next Old School Open mike is scheduled for September 15, 2024. Stay tuned for details.
The Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest celebrates the life and muse of one of bluegrass music’s most beloved songwriters.
Early this year we posted an ETSU “Appalachian Places” article by Jack Tottle, (find it here:
https://www.appalachianplaces.org/post/the-1950s-appalachia-invades-the-nation-s-capital-peacefully),
in which he recalls 1950s bluegrass as it spread from rural areas to urban settings like DC. Now the magazine carries Jack’s latest article:
https://www.appalachianplaces.org/post/bill-monroe-s-bluegrass-black-and-white-music-intertwined
Jack shows how clearly and directly Bill Monroe was influenced by black origins in the blues alongside white origins from music of the British isles. Thanks again to Appalachian Places for permission to link the article here.
Formative musicians from our area include Jack Tottle, probably best known for the band Tasty Licks and for founding the ground-breaking bluegrass curriculum at East Tennessee State University (ETSU). From his home in Hawaii, Jack recently forwarded this reflection on early bluegrass, the DC area’s prominent place in it, and how the music’s roots in Appalachia kept pulling him south.
It is published by ETSU’s “Appalachian Places,” posted here by permission. We thank them.
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Every third Sunday of the month, DCBU now is hosting Open Mics at the Lucketts Community Center (aka, the Old Schoolhouse). At no charge, your band is welcome to come and sign up for time on the sound-equipped stage! Not a band? We’ve got you covered for accompaniment by some talented volunteers. Time slots start at 6 PM and we clear the stage at 8 PM; in between times, there’s been a lot of fun and great music. Thanks to Loudoun County Parks and Recreation for joining with us to keep raising the roof at Lucketts.
One important aspect of DCBU’s mission is to promote music education. We offer an instructor directory so students can locate teachers in their local area for in-person instruction. Additionally, since so many great musicians teach online classes, we’re now posting information for instructors wherever they are located. To sign-up as an instructor fill out the form by selecting the link below. Your submission will be reviewed and added to our directory within a few days.
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