Is it Christmas already?

I know it's not, but already the garlands and ornaments are up in the grocery stores. I've been preparing for awhile because I earn a good portion of my living during that time, selling CD's and playing events and parties. I love playing Christmas music, even while playing it 24 nights in a row!
Which brings me to this point from the shameless commerce department: For those of you who are looking for gifts, I'd be honored if you wanted to consider my Holiday CD Comfort and Joy.

I recorded it last November with Celtic harpist Tisa McGraw, and folks really seem to love it. You can read some reviews here, and purchase it here.

I'm actually having a 3 for 2 sale, I guess you could call it. Buy any 2 CD's from my website and get a third one free. Just email me (kylemeadows@kylemeadows.com) to let me know which one you'd like for free. (Free shipping on the third one, too.)
I hope to see some of you during the holidays!

Currently listening to...

One of the suggestions I've received regarding blog topics is to discuss the music I am currently listening to.
It may not be what one would expect...

I was digging through an unorganized pile of CD's at home and found the Who's greatest hits. Back in the 70's and 80's, in my youth, I used to love listening to them and playing air guitar and screaming along with Roger Daltrey. (I still do when I'm in the car alone on the highway with the windows rolled up!) As I have done with the Beatles, I am now contemplating arranging some of the Who's songs on the hammered dulcimer. I never know for sure what that will sound like, but sometimes I really love the result. I am amazed how a song that was originally hard, fast rock can sometimes be transformed into a beautiful, slow ballad. I really enjoy "Pinball Wizard" and its' chord changes. I wonder if I can pull that off?

I've also been listening to, and loving, the Beatles' "Love" CD, a soundtrack remix album of Beatles music produced by George Martin and his son in 2006. There are so many Beatles songs that would sound great on the hammered dulcimer that I would love to make an entire album of their music. Their sound has been a part of my life since I was a toddler, for longer than any other music. I wonder if anyone's ever thought of rerecording their songs? Hmmm...

Renaissance Festival

Hooray! (or should I say "Huzzah"!)
It's official (at least verbally confirmed) that I'll be playing this year at the Ohio festival. No paper contract yet, but verbal's good enough for me. The dates are Sep 5 to Oct 25, including Labor Day. I'm really glad to be returning.
I'll miss three days due to previous engagements - Sep 12, 19 and 20, but otherwise I hope to see everyone there! Now, if I can just remember where I put my suit of armor...

Spring cleaning

Ok, It's actually summer cleaning. For those of you who have hammered dulcimers and are looking for a way to clean them, here's how I do mine.
I take a large, soft brush and work it down through the strings and then rub it back and forth to dislodge the dust as much as possible.



After that, I go to my wife's shop and use the air compressor with a needle valve attachment to blow high pressure air across the instrument and into the crevices.
I'm amazed at how much stuff I get out of the inside. Leaves, dust bunnies, dog hair, you name it. I guess that's what happens when you play outside for many weeks of the year!

I do this only once or twice a year. The results look nice, but the sound is the same as before so I am not compelled to do it very often.
Occasionally my wife will do me a huge favor and rub Scott's liquid gold into the wood, and then it really shines!

Internet connections

After many years of dial-up Internet service, we finally got DSL a couple of months ago. It's amazingly fast compared to dial-up. The problem is that we live about three miles from the nearest "sub-station" and so our connection frequently drops. We have about a minute of connection, then a minute of no connection, a minute of connection, then a minute of no connection, etc. We call it "the intermittentnet"!

Renaissance Festival?

I'm still waiting to hear from the Ohio Renaissance Festival regarding my performance there this year. There has been a change in management and I still have no contract, which is very frustrating. I've played there for 18 consecutive years and always wonder when it will end for me, and this may be it. We'll soon see. It starts September 5.

Construction project

For the past 6 weeks, I've been constructing a post and beam building to cover the roof of a camper my Mom purchased and which we have parked in our back yard. The idea is that she can come to visit us (from SC) and stay for weeks at a time and still have her own space. It's a very nice camper, but the roof and windows are leaky, which is why we decided to build a roof over it. My wife, son and brother have all pitched in with heroic efforts. (Finally, having a teenager has paid a dividend!) It's coming along nicely and is almost finished. We have had so much rain in the past month that there have been many days that I just had to wait and watch the rented scaffolding sit unused. I'm hoping that within a few days, it will actually be finished. (A few dry days, I should say. I'm typing now because it's raining once again!)