Martin Gilmore Music - April 2024

Happy spring! We have budding leaves on my honeysuckle trees, and I was in a storm that turned from thunder and lightning to blizzard in a matter of a couple of hours the other day. It must be spring here. 

March was busy with a few school shows around Denver, and lots of teaching. I lost my voice at the beginning of the month, and it has been a slow and frustrating recovery, but things seem to be on the mend (hopefully) and gigs are lining up for the summer. I’m excited to be playing several shows with Jackson Emmer this June in Colorado and Montana, and the trio has some fun stuff lined up throughout the year.

I have very exciting news! I entered the Telluride Bluegrass Festival’s Troubadour Contest, which is their yearly songwriting contest and was accepted as one of the ten finalists! It’s such an honor to be part of this group of amazing songwriters and I’m very much looking forward to being part of the festival. If you will be at the festival please come and support me and all the other contestants. If you have never been to the festival before, maybe this is a great year to come enjoy some of the best music there is and maybe catch the songwriting contest while you’re at it. Check out the other contestants on the Planet Bluegrass Website.

April 13th & 14th I will be teaching a songwriting retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico for Queen Bee Music Association. My good friend and champion slam poet Jovan Mays will be joining me. If you feel like taking a weekend trip to Santa Fe and spend some time concentrating on songwriting we would love to have you. Santa Fe is an inspiring place with a long history and I’m inspired every time I visit. The retreat starts at 9:30am on Saturday, April 13 and should be lots of fun! Check it out now by visiting Queen Bee Music Association’s website!

I’ll be playing a couple of shows in Wyoming at the beginning of May. I’ll be playing on Wyoming Public Radio on May 2nd in the morning. I’ll be at the Blue Raven in Cheyenne, WY on May 3rd, and in Chugwater, Wyoming on May 4th at the Stampede Saloon at 7pm. If you’re in the area come on out and say howdy!

Finally, my record Trade Songs: American West is available! Please, if you haven’t downloaded a copy of it yet, go and check it out on Bandcamp. You can name your price, or if you want to trade something for the record we can work out a way to make that happen! Just send me a message through my website. I enjoyed making it and am excited for you to hear it if you haven’t already!

I turned 40 in March, and feel surprisingly good about it. I love teaching and playing music, my family is healthy and busy, and I find myself looking forward to every new concert and class. I have had lots of opportunities in recent years, and there are a lot more headed this way. Thanks to all of you for supporting my music so far, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of it through the coming years. Hopefully we will cross paths this year. It's always great to see you. 

Martin