Seldovia Arts Council

The Seldovia Arts Council is delighted to announce its summer 2008 events, beginning Saturday May 31 with the Melissa Mitchell Band. A native Alaskan with jazz and classic rock in her soul, Melissa is a singer/songwriter inspired by Ani DiFranco, Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor. She has a smooth, powerful voice and a passionate style that’s great for dancing.

The Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival, June 20 and 21, continues its tradition of  showcasing excellent musicians in a small and intimate venue.  This year’s show will headline two talented veteran performers. Joe Craven is a San Francisco musician, actor, storyteller, educator, visual artist, former museum curator, motivational speaker, and festival emcee. He plays the fiddle, the mandolin, the martini shaker… even a bedpan and a credit card. His stage set may look like your neighbor’s yard sale, but make no mistake, Joe is an extremely accomplished musician who played for almost 17 years with the David Grisman Quintet. Joe is going to help emcee this year’s festival, so there’s going to be a lot of fun mixed in with all the great music.

Midwesterner Ralston Bowles hasroots in both folk music and Rock and Roll, and a smart catchy style with roots in both folk music and Rock and Roll that puts him somewhere between Lyle Lovett and Bob Dylan. Ralston has devoted himself to live music throughout his career, opening for T-Bone Burnett and other musical luminaries. He has just released his second CD ‘Rally at the Texas Hotel’ on Judy Collin’s ‘Wildflower’ label. Ralston brings with him Drew Howard, aka Captain Midnight, a master on the steel guitar.

The headliners will be joined by roots/Americana artist Marion Walsh, coming to the festival from Vancouver BC. Her music ranges from new Country to bouncy folk tunes to Americana. An accomplished guitarist, piano and mandolin player, Marion is best known for her clear pure voice. Seattle singer songwriter Wes Weddell spent 63 days in 2001 traveling the state of Washington, picking up stories about the people he met and turning those stories into song. The project ultimately fueled several CDs, featuring everything from playful tunes and ballads to rockabilly romps, one of which won Wes the 2006 Tumbleweed Music Festival songwriting contest.

Also look for Alaskans such as Anchorage singer/songwriter Tom Begich, returning to the festival with his insightful storytelling, blues rhythms and easy picking style, as well as Talkeetna’s Esther Golton. Esther who plays mountain dulcimer and flute in nontraditional ways, coaxing out jazzy chord progressions and crossing genres from gentle folk to pop to blues and jazz. Returning to the festival is Anchorage pianist and jazzman extraordinaire Dan McElrath and his band, Shawn Zuke and renowned bassist Milo Matthews, plus many other musicians from around the state, including our own Seldovia talent.

Festival performances begin at 6:30pm on Friday and Saturday evenings.  The headliners and many of the other artists will host Saturday afternoon workshops, a great way for everyone to participate in the festival and to learn some new skills.  Adult tickets are $25 per performance and $10 for all workshops, or buy one ticket for the whole festival (performances plus workshops) for $39.  Prices for children (K-12) are $10 per performance plus $5 for a workshop pass, or $20 for the whole festival.   Find more festival information at  http://seldoviamusicfestival.wordpress.com/.

On Saturday August 2, Appalachia meets Ireland meets Alaska when the Celtibillies come to Seldovia. Native to southwest Virginia, these musicians began as a contradance band, then expanded to old-time traditional Celtic and Appalachian music. The band features Becky Barlow on hammered dulcimer, keyboard and bodhran, Jack Hinshelwood on fiddle and guitar, Tim Sauls on banjo, bouzouki and guitar, and Jeff Hofmann on bass. This will be a high energy performance of duet vocal arrangements and spirited jigs, reels, waltzes and breakdowns.

Saturday August 30 (Labor Day weekend) brings Guitar Master’s Workshop to Seldovia. Always a showcase for first rate musicians, this year they are truly the best of the best. We will be hosting Del Rey (yes, that Del Rey), Steve James, Corinne West, and our old friend Doug Cox. Del Rey plays country blues, stride piano, classic jazz and hillbilly boogie in concerts worldwide and collaborates and tours frequently with Austin songsmith and bottleneck guitarist Steve James. Corinne West’s rock/country/bluegrass/Americana music made her a finalist in the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival songwriting competition. Joining them will be Canadian songwriter, slide guitar and dobro player Doug Cox, hailed by the Boston Globe as ‘one of the world’s most expressive dobro players’.

And we’ll add a little theater to all this music. In July (date tba) Joe Rizo’s Triumvirate Theatre presents ‘Fish On!’, a delightful mix of fun, river conservation, salmon fishing tips and fiddle music. Locals will also get in the act with a Community Theater melodrama co-produced with the Seldovia Boys and Girls Club, showtime Aug. 8 & 9.

Performances are held in the Susan B English School and tickets are available at the door.  Tickets for most non-festival performances are $15 adult, $8 child.  Check the Seldovia Arts Council website for updates and more information, including how to get here and where to stay.  Then join us in Seldovia for some of these wonderful events.  Where else can you enjoy such fine music and art in such a beautiful place?

Seldovia Arts Council (907)234-7614 or seldarts@gmail.com
Seldovia Arts Council http://seldoviaartscouncil.wordpress.com/
Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival http://seldoviamusicfestival.wordpress.com/