• PocoNotes Newsletter 2006-5: March 1, 2008



    As the year winds down to a close, Pat and I have been reflecting on what an unbelievably amazing journey it has been for us. So...we'd like to share one last update with you as to what we've been doing recently before 2006 is officially "one for the books."

    So…when we left you last, we had just returned from an incredible first-time visit to Jorma and Vanessa Kaukonen's FurPeaceRanch, located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Meigs County, Ohio. It's truly impossible to do justice to what we found there, but we wholeheartedly recommend it for anyone that wants to become a better guitar player - no matter what their current level of expertise may be. Pat's already signed up for another class with Jorma in May and, again, in August when we'll attend our second Couples Weekend together. Jorma and Vanessa have certainly honed the concept of "simply magical" to a fine art.

    Then there was the visit to The Juilliard School. With all of my fingers and toes crossed, I sent an e-mail to their Office of Career Development explaining our desire to bring their students into Northeastern Pennsylvania to perform. To my delight, they liked our idea and asked us to meet with them to tell them more. So we did, and it seems that they were pretty delighted, too. We know that because we are currently working with them toward launching an annual series beginning in 2007 with performances by some of the best and brightest budding musicians…in the world. As soon as we know more, so will you!

    Ironically, it was this visit to Juilliard that led us to make a very impromptu visit to New Orleans a mere 10 days later. The excuse was my birthday, but the truth is that we wanted to surprise our good friends, TheStoryvilleStompersBrassBand, at their midnight gig at one of the French Quarter's well-known clubs, Snug Harbor. Well, as it turns out, the surprise was on us...because as we were leaving the hotel that night to see them, we heard the strains of some very familiar music coming from a wedding in the hotel's lavish courtyard. Yep...it was Woody and the gang, playing their incredible jazz to an entire audience of...unbelievably enough...New Yorkers! Needless to say, we can now cross off "crash a wedding" from our list of "things to do before we die." The amazing thing is that it took them just seconds to recognize us. What a compliment, since the last time we had seem them, it was a "black coffee and aspirin" kind of early-morning at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Airport after three days of blowing the roofs off of Lackawanna County Stadium...and The Mall at Steamtown...and The Mellow Theater...and The Bog - in that order. Of course, Scranton's Courthouse Square has no roof, but if it did...!

    All in all, it certainly has been an amazing year…filled with laughter and tears, fear and exhilaration, small disappointments and unbelievable accomplishments - and, through it all, there's been music!! In fact, we've been to countless venues and performances of all sizes and genres over the past year, all in an effort to find out how we can best bring together the musicians that need to be heard and the audiences that will appreciate hearing them. To give you just an idea, here are a few of the artists we've encountered...alphabetically, of course - to be fair:


  • Al Green: F.M. Kirby Center
  • Alien Red: The Bog
  • Belly of a Drunken Piano (a Tom Waits retrospective…for those of you who, like myself, found this title puzzling): SoHo Playhouse
  • Briggs Farm Blues Festival
  • Chris Smither: Fur Peace Station
  • Coral Sea : The Bog
  • Crawfish Festival
  • David Gilmour: Radio City Music Hall
  • Dixie Hummingbirds: F.M. Kirby Center
  • Django Reinhardt Festival: Birdland Jazz Club
  • Dr. Horsemachine and the Money Notes: The Bog
  • Funk 'n' Gumbo: Sussex County Fairgrounds and Blues Street
  • Hot Tuna: Fur Peace Station
  • James Taylor: Beacon Theater
  • Jim Cullen: Stax
  • Jorma Kaukonen with Barry Mitterhoff: The Society for Ethical Culture
  • Kris Kristofferson: The Society for Ethical Culture
  • Leon Russell: B.B. Kings
  • Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble: Woodstock
  • Marcia Ball: Sussex County Fairgrounds
  • Music for Models: State Street Grill
  • New York Guitar Festival: Kaufman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall
  • Newfoundland Bluegrass Festival
  • Okay Paddy: The Bog
  • Pat Flynn: Jilly’s
  • Poconos Blues Festival
  • Preservation Hall Jazz Band: The Mellow Theater
  • Rebirth Brass Band: Sussex County Fairgrounds and the “Coming Out The Door for the Ninth Ward” Second-Line Parade in New Orleans
  • Richie Havens: The Turning Point
  • Ring of Fire: The Barrymore Theater
  • Rob McNurlin: The Society for Ethical Culture
  • The Inaugural New Orleans Blues Festival: Lafayette Square in New Orleans, of course
  • The Storyville Stompers Brass Band: Lackawanna County Stadium, Scranton’s Courthouse Square, The Mall at Steamtown, The Mellow Theater, Maison DuPuy Hotel and Snug Harbor
  • The Subdudes: B.B. Kings and The Mellow Theater, where they headlined our From NOLA To NEPA: A Benefit Concert For New Orleans Musicians
  • The Times They Are A-Changin: The Brooks Atkinson Theater


    Along the way, we've met many interesting people, some of whom we crossed paths with only briefly and others who we know we will have as friends for a lifetime. Each of these encounters has made a difference in its own way and, for that, we're thankful. We truly hope that we've done a bit of the same for each of them, as well.

    What’s next…you ask? Well, in keeping with our name, we have decided to concentrate much of our effort in the coming year toward making a big impact at smaller events. We are very much in sync with the current, and growing, trend toward "home concerts" ( ConcertsInYourHome); however, we'd like to ratchet it up just a bit - but still maintain the intimacy. The first of these events is scheduled for February 18, 2007, when we will be co-hosting The Hideout's Annual Mardi Gras Party, featuring the incredible sound of Funk_N_Gumbo, who play the hottest funk north of the Mason-Dixon Line, we do declare!

    If you've made it this far, I'd like for you to stay just long enough for me to ask you to please take a moment to remember our military personnel, many of whom are away from their own families and friends so that we can continue to be with ours. And...perhaps you can keep the people of New Orleans in your thoughts, too. Our recent visit certainly confirmed for us that there are many, many people whose lives remain devastated by the hurricane season of 2005.

    Okay...you've made it to the end…almost.

    In closing, we send our love and thanks to the many people who have played a part in making 2006 so special for us. You know who you are...and so do we!

    We wish ALL of you the healthiest and happiest of holidays, and we look forward to being a part of what will make 2007 a year for you to remember.

    Talk to you soon. Until then, you can always visit us at PocoNotes to see what we’re doing!

    Peace...really!

    Dolores & Pat
    “It’s About The Music!”
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