Martin Gilmore Music - November 2025

Happy autumn! 

There are still a few colorful leaves on the trees here in Denver but it’s probably time to get my rake out and make some leaf piles so I can mulch my garden for next year. 

October brought a bit of a respite from my travel schedule, but I was still busy. My classes at Swallow Hill are running well. I have a great group of students in the Swallow Hill Bluegrass Band class and they are working on a fun repertoire of songs. My songwriting class is turning out great new songs every week, and my bluegrass guitar class is hammering away at the extensive repertoire I give to them. It’s a great reward to see people learn and make music together. I look forward to every class, and it’s especially great when they are making such great music. 

I started my artist “residency” with the Colorado Symphony in October. I am a featured artist for the symphony’s Youth Concert series. The theme of the youth concert this year is “Colorful Colorado” to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Colorado becoming a state. The concert focuses on the landscape and history of Colorado and they chose a song I wrote for my Songsmith Series on Patreon titled “The Dry and Dusty West” to be orchestrated and performed with the symphony for these concerts. I put together a bluegrass band featuring Ian Haegele on bass, Nick Amodeo on mandolin, Chris Elliott on banjo, and Neva Wilder on fiddle to play the song. We stand at the front of the stage with one of the country’s best symphony orchestras behind us and perform for area school children. It's a really amazing opportunity, and what an experience. The shows aren’t specifically open to the public, but there are some opportunities to attend if you are interested. You can visit the webpage for the youth concerts, or contact me and I might be able to help you out. Oh…In celebration of these concerts, I’m going to be releasing a full band recording of “The Dry and Dusty West” soon, so stay tuned for that, and if you haven’t already, subscribe to my Patreon to hear new original songs each week. You never know where they will end up, and you could be the first to hear it!

I was also grateful and excited to be part of the Livingston Songwriter’s Festival in Livingston, Montana at the beginning of the month. What an amazing group of performers and what a beautiful town. I made so many great new friends and became a fan of so many new artists. It’s always so much fun to make connections with people as a musician. If you like beautiful landscapes, charming small towns, and great music, you should look into attending the Livingston Songwriter’s Festival next year, or its companion festival in Red Lodge, Montana. 

I’m back on the road in November!

I will be in Garden City, Kansas on November 6th playing at the High Plains Public Radio station at 7:00pm or so. It will be great to be back there and to see everyone. 

On November 7th, I will be in Amarillo Texas at the Chalice Abbey at 7pm. I have family roots in Amarillo and I always love getting back to that Route 66 town. 

Because I was one of the winners of the Kerrville New Folk Songwriter’s Competition, I get to go on the curated New Folk Tour in Texas this month with the other winners. 

It starts in Dripping Springs, Texas on November 8th at the Sycamore Creek House Concert.

The next day, November 9th, we will be in New Braunfels, Texas at the New Braunfels House Concert Series.

November 11th I will be back in Denver to play with the Colorado Symphony and then will turn around and head back to Texas to play the rest of the tour. 

November 12th I will be in Austin, Texas at the 04 Center with the New Folk Tour. 

November 14th, I will be with the New Folk Tour in Kerrville, Texas at the Pint and Plow

November 15th, I will be at the Old Folk New Folk Festival in Fischer, Texas with the Kerrville Winners. 

November 16th, the final show of the New Folk Tour will be in San Antonio at the Bowman Backyard Concert Series. 

I’m really looking forward to hanging out with these super talented songwriters and hanging out with the good people of Texas!

I’m back in Colorado playing the bluegrass music with my pals in The Otherners at the Gold Hill Inn on November 22nd at 8pm. That band features myself, Justin Hoffenberg, Eric Thorin, Jordan Ramsey, Dave Richey, and Chris “Cbob” Elliott. I love playing music with these guys and feel super honored to be part of this group. 

November 22nd I will be playing a fundraiser concert for the American Legion in Estes Park, Colorado at 7pm. 

What a busy month of travel and playing! I’m very much looking forward to seeing everyone!

Another thing I would like to put on your radar is that I will be playing a concert at Swallow Hill on December 5th, 2025 with my trio. We will be sharing the bill with my good friend John Depew and his amazing trio. He’s on of my favorite up and coming musical artists and is the real-honest-to-goodness deal when it comes to acoustic music. His trio is phenomenal and I’m very excited for this co-bill. Please don’t wit to get your tickets, and spread the word. You won’t want to miss it!

I also want to remind you all that I have a new tier of contributors on my Patreon page. The perks include postcards and stickers from the road, travel blogs and behind the scenes stuff from the tour! If you want to keep up with the Texas tour, there will be lots of special things there for you all. Not only that, but you will also get access to the weekly original songs from my Songsmith Series and much more. Patreon is a great way to support independent artists and keep us going as streaming services diminish earnings from selling music. Plus it’s a great community of fans! Come on over and check it out! New stuff coming soon for the month of November!

It’s getting cold out there. Don’t forget your coat!

Happy November all y’all!

Martin