Martin Gilmore Music - June 2026

Martin Gilmore in Telluride, CO

Martin Gilmore Music - June 2026

I spent the day driving from St. George, Utah and then ate sushi tacos at a place called O.Onigiri (They aren’t actually tacos, they are an Okinawan food that consists of Spam and eggs wrapped in rice and seaweed.) I played the last show of a tour with Jackson Emmer last night at Amusement Co. Records. We started at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, played a fun show at the Grand Mesa Arts Center in Cedaredge, CO, as well as at the Pitkin County Library in Aspen, and a show for Mountain Arts and Music in Huntsville, Utah. What a great run, and it was so nice to see everyone.

I started the month at the super wonderful Grand Mesa Songwriter’s Festival and met a lot of new friends and songwriters there. It’s a wonderful event and I would encourage everyone to try to attend next year! Cedaredge is a charming little town in a beautiful part of Colorado. It was so much fun to hear everyone’s songs and Rodney Crowell was the headliner. If you want a musical vacation to start the summer you could do a lot worse!

The Martin Gilmore Trio played some shows on the front range the next weekend. We played a house concert in Lakewood and then went up to Estes Park to play the Listening at the Legion concert series at the American Legion Hall in Estes. It’s a wonderful concert series with so many great players, also in a scenic place. I can’t believe how many places there are to hear great music for such a reasonable price these days. There are world class musicians at all of these places and I want to make sure to highlight the work all these wonderful folks are doing curating culture in their communities.

July brings more travel!

I will be in Bozeman Montana on June 8th playing a concert at the Gallatin Labor Temple for the Bozeman Folklore Society at 7:30pm. I’ll also be teaching a songwriting workshop at 5pm that day before the show! Come hang out if you’re up in Yellowstone territory!

July 9th I will be playing at the Longstaff House in Missoula, MT at 7pm. I’ve never been to Missoula before, so if you know anyone there, let them know! I’ll be grateful for any help you can give!

July 10th I will be near Spokane playing the Bunkhouse Concert Series at 7pm! I’ll also be teaching a songwriting workshop the next morning. This will be a really fun show and I’ll probably have a guest or two play some songs with me!  

July 11th I will be in Moscow, Idaho at the One World Cafe for a show starting at 5pm! I have learned that it is not pronounced “Moss-cow” but instead “Moss-co”. I’m excited to be there and to make light of my regionalism-ignorance. Maybe I’ll write a song about mispronouncing and misunderstanding regionalisms. Regardless, Moss-co sounds like a very cool place and I am so excited to be there!

July 14th I will be playing an intimate song circle event at the Roxy on Broadway in their Speakeasy. The space is very limited for this, and I think it’s first come first serve the day of, so don’t hesitate, show up early and hang out!

July 17th I will be returning to Scottsbluff National Monument at 7pm playing songs and talking about the history of the American West. The one-hour program is free to the public.

July 31st I will be playing the Wallace County Fair in Sharon Springs, Kansas at 7pm. It’s always great to be in western Kansas and especially in historic Wallace County where the first Elasmosaurus was discovered in 1867.

I took June off from teaching mostly, but things start back up in July.

My Intermediate Bluegrass Ensemble class at Swallow Hill resumes for a short session starting July 15th at 8pm on Wednesdays. This is a great opportunity to learn the ropes of jamming and playing bluegrass music with the same songs each week. It’s also a great place to try a new instrument! Sign up now!

There are a few things to give you a heads up about as well!

I will be teaching a Wernick Method Jam Camp class on September 12th and 13th. This is a perfect opportunity to learn to jam with others, meet folks who want to jam, learn a new instrument, and get to know the songs and culture of bluegrass music. I cannot recommend these workshops enough. They will help you find a musical community and they are always so much fun! There are some discounts available for bass players and banjo players! Sign up now or recommend it to someone who might be looking for more music in their life!

Finally, every fall I offer two in-depth classes at Swallow Hill under the title “Progressions”. One focuses on bluegrass guitar and the other focuses on songwriting. They are 16-weeks long and we meet twice each week, Tuesdays online and Thursdays in-person at Swallow Hill. They are always wonderful classes and I look forward to them each semester. They are a big commitment, but they are also a wonderful investment in yourself and your music. If you are interested in more information, reach out to me, or check them out  at these links: Progressions : Songwriting & Progressions: Bluegrass Guitar. Registration starts soon!

I have a lot of other cool things cooking right now as well. Travel blogs on Patreon, a new Tiktok channel (for all you Tiktokers), a few new projects, and new merch on the presses. Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, or Youtube (or all four) to keep up!

Happy summer! Hope you all are getting out there and enjoying it. Glad to have you here!

Martin