Live at Peaceful Bend

Published by Brance on February 17th, 2009
Filed under CD and DVD releases
Tags: guitar

Robin Kessinger, Robert Shafer & Mark Cosgrove: Live at Peaceful Bend was released back in the fall (of 2008), and I just never got around to blogging about it.

The DVD features a live performance by three guitarists who have all won the prestigious National Flatpicking Championship in Winfield, KS.

Robin Kessinger, Mark Cosgrove, and Robert Shafer combine their talents on 13 tunes, some traditional, some original. Here’s the press from the product page at FlatpickingMercantile.com.

The National Flatpicking Guitar Championship, held each September since 1972 in Winfield, Kansas, is the most prestigious flatpicking event in the country. Every person who has won this event is a master guitarist of the highest order. In this concert performance DVD, filmed at the Peaceful Bend Americana Music Festival in Steelville, MO, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine and SimpleFolk Productions present three of the National Flatpicking Guitar Championship’s most respected past champions: Robin Kessinger (1985 champ), Mark Cosgrove (1995 champ), and Robert Shafer (1983 and 2000 champ).

In this concert, these three masters of the acoustic guitar perform as a trio, and in different duo configurations. While the National Champions, in general, are known for their skills at flatpicking fiddle tunes, these three display their virtuosity and versatility in this concert by providing a variety of guitar instrumentals ranging from fast fiddle tunes, to slow waltzes, and tunes that highlight other various rhythms and styles from their vast repertoire. Guitar players will appreciate the left and right hand close-ups that are prevalent throughout this DVD.

There are a total of 13 tunes presented on this DVD:

Forked Deer
The Third Eyebrow
When You and I Were Young Maggie
Dorothy’s Waltz
Round Island
Angeline the Baker
Turkey in the Straw
Jerry in Jamaica
Good Morning Isaac
Sweet Bunch of Daisies
Sally Goodin’
Daley’s Reel
and Bill Cheathum

Included on the disc is a slideshow of photos taken over the course of the weekend, covering both the concert and the workshops and jams. You can purchase the DVD from Flatpicking Mercantile.

Here’s the trailer for the DVD.

Live at the Station Inn

Published by Brance on May 30th, 2008
Filed under CD and DVD releases
Tags: Andy Falco, Chris Eldridge, guitar, Josh Williams

Here’s a video clip from a project I completed last year, but never posted any footage of.

This was a live concert event with Josh Williams, Chris Eldridge, and Andy Falco. The DVD is available from Flatpicking Mercantile.

Here are the guys performing the fiddle tune, Cherokee Shuffle.

Get To Know Your Acoustic Guitar

Published by Brance on March 19th, 2008
Filed under CD and DVD releases
Tags: AcuTab, guitar

Not long ago we finished up the latest AcuTab release, Get To Know Your Acoustic Guitar. This DVD is an exploration of the care and maintenance of an acoustic, steel-stringed guitar. The on-screen personality is renowned guitar builder and repair specialist, Marty Lanham.

Marty is extremely knowledgeable about what makes a guitar work. And on this DVD he explains a lot of the physics behind the guitar and lets you, the owner, know how to care for your guitar, when to have it serviced by a professional, and what to look for when purchasing a new guitar.

We traveled to Nashville and recorded this in Marty’s repair shop. He had a number of vintage Martins and other guitars on hand to use as demonstrations during the presentation. If you are into the guitar, you’ll want this DVD. It’s available from AcuTab.com for $35.