Howdy Y'all,
I can’t believe that it’s already June. May was a whirlwind, but mostly filled with gigs at private events and rehearsals for stuff later this summer. I really enjoyed picking with my friends Dylan McCarthy, KC Groves, Paul Kittick, and Chandler Holt at MainStage Brewing in Lyons, Colorado on May 11th. It sounds like I will be back there in July. If you find yourself in Lyons on a Thursday night make sure to head over there and support live bluegrass music.
Teaching has been busy at Swallow Hill, and I have been elected the Chair of the Englewood Cultural Arts Commission, so that has been taking up a bit more of my time. It’s exciting and fulfilling to be part of that community commission. Most cities have commissions or city boards for folks to serve on. They are not usually a big time commitment, and they do work that makes the community better. On top of that, they are often in need of members. If you’re interested in being more involved in your community or in city government I would encourage you to check into your city’s boards and commissions and see if there are openings that would suit you. It’s fascinating, frustrating, and fulfilling all at the same time. If you’re in the city of Englewood, looks for the little Swedish Horses statues around town, and check out all of our city’s wonderful sculptures and murals.
This month I’ll be traveling to Wisconsin, and playing some shows out on the Western Slope of Colorado. On June 17th I’ll be playing with John and Julie Pennell in Bayfield, Colorado at a house concert (if you’re interested in tickets please contact me through my website.) and on June 20th we will be playing in Carbondale, Colorado at Steve’s Guitars. I’m looking forward to these shows. John and Julie are great songwriters and musicians from Nashville, and they try to get out to Colorado once each year or so. John and I wrote the song “I’m Not My Body” about one of his friends who passed away from cancer. You can hear it on my record “The Martin Gilmore Trio” or on their record “Keep on Walkin’”.
I’m offering a bluegrass singing class at Swallow Hill starting the last week of June. This class focuses on singing lead and various styles of harmony. It’s lots of fun. I’m also offering classes on bluegrass guitar. One class focuses on playing bluegrass rhythm and backup and another focuses on developing good bluegrass guitar solos. Those both run on Tuesday evenings and also start at the end of June. I’ll also be offering a summer session of Songwriting In-Depth, which is an introductory course about the elements of songwriting. This class is perfect for new songwriters and for experienced songwriters as well. It’s focused on cultivating new ideas and exploring the structures and traditions of songwriting. Finally, every Thursday I am hosting the Swallow Hill Songwriter’s Circle. If you are a writer who is interested in songwriting come join us and share your ideas with the group for constructive feedback. It’s also a great place to meet folks to co-write with. There are several songwriting resources on my website.
I have some spots available for private lessons this summer, though it might be difficult to keep a regular schedule, if you’re interested in bluegrass guitar or songwriting and would like some pointers please feel free to reach out. I also offer band coaching, and song coaching as well. I’m happy to help if I can.
Looking ahead to July, I wanted to mention that the Martin Gilmore Trio will be playing at the Gold Hill Inn for their annual Fourth of July celebration. If you don’t have plans for the holiday come on up the mountain. There is a town parade and then music all afternoon at the Gold Hill Inn. We kick the whole thing off around noon and there will be several other great band playing that day as well. The Gold Hill Inn is a beautiful and unique venue and restaurant in the mountains above, Boulder, Colorado. Come on up and see us!
Finally, please go check out my YouTube channel. I have been posting regularly and there’s a lot more music to come, including online concerts, videos from gigs, and much more. I also have posted a couple of lessons, and there are many more of those coming as well.
Have a great June and thanks for listening!
Martin