MUMBO JUMBO – APRIL 2016
“What would April be without December,
A warm and wondrous spring to melt the snow
A waking sun rising ’cross the mountain
To a solitary peaceful place I know.”
This is the first verse of a new song I just finished with the help of Peter Mayer, entitled “Mother Winter.” Its theme is that some of the most beautiful places on Earth are protected from overpopulation and environmental ruin by a hefty dose of tough love by Mother Winter. Northern people understand this.
FOOD AND FAMILY
I just returned from New England, where everything feels on the cusp of spring. Most people have a bounce in their step and at least a restrained Yankee smile on their face – even my stepfather who just celebrated his 95th birthday. He methodically and reverently devoured his first lobster roll of the season with such a display of pleasure that it gave me a new insight into the relationship between ourselves and our food. With each bite, he seemed to reflect on every wonderful memory he ever had of summer and the sea.
The following day I met my aunt for lunch. A joyous but sophisticated woman, she bemused me by ordering the meatloaf special. Seeing my look of surprise, she laughed and said, “In memory of Nana and her meatloaf!” (her mother and my grandmother’s only dish). I turned to our server and said, make it two. I don’t think I’ve eaten meatloaf in forty years, but as the plates arrived and the familiar aroma surrounded our table, I took my first bite and suddenly felt home. Really home.
I hope to see you near your home this summer! I’ll be visiting 35 states and we’re still adding summer tour dates, so keep an eye on my schedule.
JOIN US FOR THE “LUCKY ENOUGH” TOUR OF IRELAND: August 19–26
Join Gabriel Donohue and me on our seven-day musical tour of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. Gabriel hails from Galway and will be leading us on this coach tour of Ireland’s majestic west coast. We will travel through some of the country’s most scenic and historic areas by day, and play our way through Gabriel’s favorite pubs and clubs by night, often joining local musicians along the way. We’ll even stop by Chieftain Matt Molloy’s pub in Westport to play a session. Gabriel played with Matt in the legendary Irish band for three years and Matt performed on the Smokin’ Tuna stage on his recent trip to Key West. I’m looking forward to seeing him again.
Our tour will begin on Friday, August 19 at Shannon Airport, to which we will return on Friday, August 26th. We’ll spend nights in Westport, Galway and Kerry with side trips to Dingle, Kinsale, and perhaps the beautiful Skellig Islands.
Cost for the tour will be $1995, and this includes all transportation, seven nights’ hotel accommodation, all breakfasts and a number of dinners. There will be music sessions most evenings, many with wonderful local artists. I think it’s safe to say only someone like Gabriel could put together such a unique insider’s tour of the magic and music of Ireland’s west coast.
We will be accepting payments in May when the exact itinerary is released, but if you’d like to reserve a spot now, please email sabrina@scottkirby.com and we’ll hold your place until then. We will only take 40 people so there is limited space.
MY FAITH IN FAITH GUITARS
People regularly comment on the great sound of the two guitars I’m playing these days and wonder what they are, as they don’t recognize the FAITH logo on the headstock. Here’s the story of how I met my Faith.
Two years ago while on holiday in London, I walked into a vintage guitar shop to have a look around and limber up my fingers a bit (they too had been on vacation). I carefully pulled down a Faith rosewood and spruce jumbo, plopped myself down on the old leather couch, began to play and fell in love with this guitar I had never even heard of. The neck seemed like it was custom fit for my hand, the intonation was perfect and the sound that came out of the instrument was amazing.
The shop owner said the guitar was designed by British luthier Patrick James Eggle and manufactured in a small shop in Indonesia. The instrument had a solid rosewood back and sides with a beautiful Englemann spruce top. Precise maple binding, ebony bridge and fretboard and Grover tuners. The price was under $1,000. I asked to play a used $4500 guitar I was familiar with and it didn’t sound as good as the Faith. I left the shop with the Faith.
I soon learned that the only store in the United States that carried Faith was in California, so I stopped in while on tour and after 20 minutes left with my second Faith, a round-shouldered sunburst beauty constructed of solid mahogany back and sides with a cedar top. These are the two guitars I’ve been playing live, one in standard tune, the other in DADGAD.
Faith is just beginning to make their instruments available in the US, and this week my friend Bob Doolittle, owner of Crossroads Music in Hanover, Massachusetts, has become an official dealer. He has seven brand new Faiths in his store. If you’re in the market for a beautiful guitar that stands up to instruments 3 to 4 times its price, I suggest you give Bob a call at the store at 781-826-1619. He’s one of the finest guitar players I know and won’t steer you wrong.
2016 TOUR SCHEDULE
See the website for details of the following tour dates and more:
April 20: Venice Train Depot, FL
April 22: Private event, Punta Gorda, FL
April 23: Private event, Jacksonville, FL
April 27: Sawyers on the Boulevard, Mount Pleasant, SC
April 28: Canyons Restaurant, Blowing Rock, NC
April 29: Ashland Coffee & Tea, Ashland, VA
April 30: One Particular Phlocking Festival, Breinigsville, PA
May 1: Private event, Adamstown, MD
May 4: Aero Club, Louisville, KY
May 5: Private event, Louisville, KY
May 6: Churchill Downs, Louisville, KY
May 7: Four Seasons Ford, Hendersonville, NC
May 8: Big Owl Tiki Bar, Grasonville, MD
May 11: Concord City Auditorium, Concord, NH
May 12: BaHa Brothers’ Sandbar Grill, Taunton, MA
May 13: Private event, Groton, CT
May 21: The Cannibal and Craft, Fayetteville, AR
May 22: Private Event, Tulsa, OK
May 25: Private Event, Amarillo, TX
Thanks for listening!
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