Click for T-Shirt picture

MANDOLIN CAMP NORTH® April 15, 16, & 17, 2011 Director: Mike Holmes Music Director: Phil Zimmerman

It was a great Camp, one of the best ever, but more than a dozen players didn't show up for the photo shoot -- no dessert for them.
High quality, 20 x 8.4 inch copies of the picture are available from MCN for $25. MIH

Camp will open Friday at 12:30 PM for registration, jamming, and instruction. Registration will occur in the Adult Center starting at 1:00 PM. We'll have hands-on workshops, round robin demonstrations and guided jam sessions for three days, a Friday night "meet the faculty concert," a formal concert Saturday night, and lots and lots of time for jamming and getting to know each other. Our resident instrument specialist will be there from 12:30 PM on Friday and all day Saturday. Lecture-demonstrations about Mandolin history and setup will be offered. Instrument vendors and makers, plus recordings, accessories and books will be on sale in our market area. Attendees are encouraged to bring Mandolins and other instruments for sale or trade.

The Beginners' Track provides instruction for absolute beginners (those who haven't played before), and those who can play a little bit, but still can't play with other people or pick out tunes on their own. Click below for more information.

Advancing Beginners and Intermediates will find classes geared to their levels and needs. Advancing beginners may still only play a few phrases and chords, but they have some basic mandolin experience. In general intermediates know some tunes but aren't able to play up to speed yet. They are still working on rhythm. They may already read tab or notation, but can use help playing by ear and learning to arrange a tune or song on their own.

Classes at the Advancing Beginners/Intermediate level will include Learning To Play What You Hear, Playing Slow Tunes, Controlling The Pick, Choosing Your Next Mandolin, Bluegrass Mandolin Monroe Style, Introduction to Modern Bluegrass Style, Old Time Mandolin -- Brothers Music, Translating Fiddle Tunes To The Mandolin, What To Do When Another Instrument Has The Lead, Accompanying Singing, and many more. At Mandolin Camp the emphasis is on using tab minimally - just to get you started playing.

For the Advanced Players, there will be added classes in Arranging Tunes or Songs For The Mandolin, Introduction To What It Takes To Be An Effective Sideman, Playing For A Living, Playing And Composing For Commercials, and more.

The weekend will include at least 100 class hours plus guided jams at all speeds and levels. After each evening program there will be plenty of time for free jams, again at various levels. Most of the classes are hands on, practical learning situations. A few are demonstrations or mini-concerts, but even in these classes the intention is for you to take something away that you may want to learn or speak with the instructors about later. You are encouraged to bring a recording device of some kind.

Mandolin Camp North takes place at a beautiful wooded lakeside setting near Groton Massachusetts. Cabins are heated, so you don't have to worry about our unpredictable New England weather.

Cabins: The cabins each have 3 or 4 rooms, and each room has 2 or 3 bunk beds. Each cabin also has 2 bathrooms and one shower. Separate women-only cabins are available. Cabins are far enough away from the playing/jamming areas so that quiet at bed-time won't be a problem. But then again many of you won't want to sleep, anyway! There is no smoking allowed in any of the buildings and no alcohol allowed on the camp site. Local accommodations are available for those who want to bring the family, or just prefer more privacy. The tuition fee will be adjusted for commuters.

Meals: Meals are provided as part of the tuition package, and vegetarian meals are available. Dinner will be served promptly at 6 PM Friday. The meals schedule for the rest of the weekend will be announced in the program book at camp time.

Off site residence: Click here for local accommodations. Electric hookups are available on site for motor homes, but there are no on site facilities for water or waste hookups.

MCN 2010 STAFF

Darol Anger has helped drive the evolution of the contemporary string band through his involvement with numerous pathbreaking ensembles such as his Republic Of Strings, the Turtle Island String Quartet, the David Grisman Quintet, Montreux, the Duo and other ensembles. Today Darol can be heard on NPR's "Car Talk" theme every week, along with Earl Scruggs, David Grisman and Tony Rice. He has recorded and produced scores of important recordings since 1977, is a MacDowell and UCross Fellow, and has received numerous composers' residencies and grants. He is a featured soloist on dozens of recordings and motion picture soundtracks. Best known for his fiddle work, he is an outstanding mandolin player and teacher.

Rich DelGrosso is, according to author Mark Hoffman, "the greatest living blues mandoman, the best since Yank." He has performed for the past thirty years, mentored by and performing with blues-band legends at clubs and festivals throughout the country. He has been a writer for Blues Revue magazine since 1991 and an associate editor since 1966. A respected writer in the blues realm, his work has also appeared in Living Blues, Mandolin World News, Frets, Mandolin Magazine, and Footsteps. DelGrosso's latest book from Hal Leonard Publishers is Mandolin Blues: from Memphis to Maxwell Street.

David Harvey was raised on Bluegrass music! He began playing professionally at the age of 14, when he joined Red Allen’s band. Master mandolin player and fiddler, David Harvey is also highly praised as a teacher. David’s 30 plus years of performing and teaching experience allow him to assist students of all playing levels. He has been a featured instructor at manyu festivals and workshops. David also conducts mandolin and vintage instrument symposiums for the Gibson Instrument Company, where he heads the Mandolin Department. In 2006, David represented Gibson as a panelist and master luthier at the prestigious LoarFest in Bakersfield, CA. During David's years on the contest circuit, he won titles on guitar, mandolin, and fiddle at prestigious contest events in Winfield, KS, Kerrville, TX, and Telluride, CO, to name a few.

Don Stiernberg learned to play the mandolin from Jethro Burns. More than three decades later Don is still playing, teaching, and writing about the mandolin. He is currently at work on his sixth recording for Blue Night Records, and a jazz mandolin method book for Mel Bay, Inc. Don has been a columnist for Mandolin Magazine since it's inception and is a respected teacher at mandolin camps from coast to coast and abroad.

Sharon Gilchrist, mandolin, upright bass and vocals, makes her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has played with many a household name including the Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet, the all-female, old-time collective that is Uncle Earl, her own progressive bluegrass infused collaboration Mary & Mars. Sharon received a Bachelor's Degree in Mandolin Performance from Belmont University. She also composes music for art shows and film, writes a pretty song and teaches privately and in music camps around the country.

David Surette is highly regarded his work on the mandolin, guitar, and bouzouki. He plays regularly in a duo with singer Susie Burke, as a soloist, and as a freelance accompanist. He was also a founding member of the contradance band Airdance. His most recent release, Northern Roots, is a collection of traditional New-England based music that has drawn strong praise. His diverse repertoire includes traditional American roots music, Celtic and contra tunes, original compositions, bluegrass, blues and ragtime, and folk music from a variety of traditions. He coordinates folk music programming at the Concord Community Music School and is the artistic director of their March Mandolin Festival.

Mike Holmes (MCN Director) is best known as publisher of Mugwumps Magazine now Mugwumps Online. He is the former chairman of the National Council for the Traditional Arts, and the National Folk Festival, and is widely regarded as an expert on the history of American stringed instruments. Mike has performed acoustic music on the North American and international circuit, and appeared on recordings of traditional and contemporary musicians. He is equally proficient on mandolin, guitar, and old time banjo; he also sings. His Smithsonian/Folkways book & CD set is titled Mandolin Instruction, Old Time, Country & Fiddle Tunes; it has recently been chosen for inclusion on iTunes. Mike is also director of Banjo Camp North, an annual event, held in May.

Phil Zimmerman developed his multi-instrumentalist chops as a solo performer, and has won regional contests for bluegrass and clawhammer banjo, guitar and mandolin. He’s a founding member of Connecticut’s ground-breaking eclectic string band, Last Fair Deal.. For ten years, Phil played mandolin and sang lead with Connecticut’s premier traditional bluegrass band, Traver Hollow. Phil also performs Old-Time music in Heroes of Tradition, a duo with Stacy Phillips, and recently he joined with Phil Rosenthal (of Seldom Scene), and Bruce and Kelly Stockwell to perform Bluegrass as North By Northeast. Phil is the Music Director of both Mandolin Camp North and Banjo Camp North, and has taught mandolin and banjo workshops at the Joe Val Festival in 2006 through 2009.

Mike Rivers has played old time music since 1960. He perfomed with the Greasy Run Toad Trompers, one of the first of the eclectic string bands who played a mixed bag of Southern, Northern, Western, swing, ragtime, and Celtic music on string band instruments. As a recording engineer and producer, Mike has recorded albums of various artists for Folkways, Folk Legacy, Rounder, Troubador, Flying Fish, among others. He has run concert sound for the Smithsonian, National, and Lowell Folklife Festivals. Mike will teach backup guitar and conduct seminars in sound production and recording.

Neil Rossi is a multi-instrumentalist who is best known for his fiddle and mandolin work. He is sought after as accompanist in both Bluegrass and Old Time settings. Beginning in 1960 when he heard the Osborne Bros, he spent hours every day learning banjo, three-finger picking. Later, he bought a mandolin and, in 1964, began learning fiddle. In 1966 he formed The Spark Gap Wonder Boys, and over the years has gravitated more to the fiddle and mandolin as his primary instruments. He has played those with The David Bromberg Band, The Yankee Rebels, Diamonds In The Rough, and Bob Yellin & The Joint Chiefs Of Bluegrass, among others. Neil currently plays mandolin and sings baritone with the Vermont based, traditional, bluegrass band Big Spike Bluegrass.

Skip Gorman has played old time and bluegrass styles of mandolin for 46 years. For two years he has had the distinction of being selected to be among the first mandolin instructors at the International Bluegrass Museum's Bill Monroe Weekend in Owenboro KY. Ken Burns, has used Skip's mandolin music in his PBS series Baseball. A nationally recognized fiddler and singer of cowboy ballads, Skip has recorded for Rounder, Folk Legacy , Columbia and Old West recordings. His latest projects are Mandolin In The Cow Camp and Old Style Mandolin, Vols. 1 & 2.

Lorraine Lee Hammond is best known for her Appalachian dulcimer playing and recordings. She is also a fine singer and teacher. Lorraine teaches instrument styles as well as classes in songwriting and basic music theory at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. She also organizes two annual music festivals at the Center: The Blacksmith House Folk Festival held each November and the Blacksmith House Dulcimer Festival held each May. Since 1986 Lorraine has performed and toured extensively at home and abroad with guitar virtuoso Bennett Hammond. They married on Thanksgiving Day 1991. Together they run Great Acoustics.

Ben Pearce Beginning his mandolin career in the Carolinas and making his way up to New England via Washington D.C. Ben Pearce has played bluegrass mandolin all over the east coast. Currently playing with Rhode Island's Pegheads and various other New England bands, Ben is also a builder of violins, guitars and soon mandolins. Don't let his youthful appearance fool you! He knows a hugh variety of tunes, songs and mandolin styles as a result of his careful study with many of the first generation mandolin giants.

Dave Reiner is best known as co-author of Oldtime Fiddling Across America (Mel Bay Publications), and as author of Anthology of Fiddle Styles. He is also a fine mandolin player and teacher. He currently plays fiddle and mandolin with the Reiner Family Band and with Granite Grass in and around New England. Dave is the former Wisconsin state fiddle champion and has won many contests in the Northeast. A veteran of years of giving workshops, Dave will teach from beginner levels on up, focusing on fiddle tunes for the mandolin, including New England, ragtime, Irish and oldtime styles. He likes tune variations and unusual tunes.

Bill Walach's chosen voice has been the mandolin for more than 30 years. In his musical journeys he has played folk, folk rock, contra-dance, country, old timey, blues, standards, swing, jazz-world-music fusion and classical music. He has commissioned and premiered pieces from such diverse composers as Vaclav Nelhybel and Ornette Coleman. Bill writes music both for mandolin and larger ensembles. He is a strong advocate for the idea that the mandolin has its place in all music, both acoustic and electric.

Martin Grosswendt (Old Time Music Director) has played old-time and blues mandolin since 1970. Known as a musician’s musician in a variety of genres, he also plays guitar, Dobro and bass, and is a powerful singer. He is a veteran of countless recording sessions and produces recordings for other artists as well as his own. His first album, Dog on a Dance Floor, was released on the Philo label in 1980; his most recent recording is Call and Respons, a collection of pre-war acoustic blues released in 2004. Martin has performed and taught at festivals and at WUMB’s Summer Acoustic Music Week and has been a Master Artist’s assistant at the Augusta Heritage Workshops.

Richard (Richie) Brown has been a part-time bluegrass musician in the Boston area since the mid-sixties. Richard has played with several prominent New England bands and occasionally filled in with nationally known bluegrass artists, as well. He has done mandolin workshops with Ron Thomason, Dave McLaughlin, and Lou Martin at the Joe Val Memorial Bluegrass Festival and other events for the Boston Bluegrass Union, and with Mike Holmes at the New England Folk Festival. Richard's playing is heavily influenced by Bill Monroe's style and "old style" mandolin players. He currently plays mandolin and sings in the Boston-based Reunion Band with Dave Dillon, Lauck Benson, Margaret Gerteis and Art Schatz.

Dave Howard started playing mandolin, guitar & banjo in the early 1960’s starting with Old-Time & Bluegrass and has since branched out into traditional Country, Western & Eastern Swing, New England & French Canadian dance music, Honky-Tonk, and what he calls “Smoochy” songs. His versatility as both an instrumentalist and a vocalist keep him in constant demand as a utility player, and he regularly performs with Walach & Howard, The Rick Lee Trio, Please & Thank You Stringband, and Lazy Aces. His latest release is Southern Schoolhouse Rascals, and he is currently recording his first solo album.