Thursday, May 31, 2012

Welcome to Matt's Folk Musings

Welcome!  

Take a look around, read a few words, enjoy a photo, and comment.

This Folk Musings Blog is new, and comes as a companion to the new Web Page.

Over on the web page, you can find a music profile, some songs, performance schedule, and so forth.  You can also sign up for email updates there.  Look for the Wolf down near the lower right and fill in your email address.

Here on the Folk Musings Blog, I'll be posting news updates and short essays, photos, and reviews of my favorite songwriters and festivals.

Feel free to participate.  Life works better that way!

Thanks!

Matt "Folkmuse" Stone


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

News for May 2012

It has been a busy spring, and an even busier May.  Here are a few News items.  That, and I've started a new Blog.  I hope you enjoy it.

Web Page

Some time ago, I began thinking and planning for a new web page.  I'm slow.  This is evening and weekend work.  So the process went along.  I figured out a domain name and reserved it.  I collected ideas and photos.  I looked through several dozen pages and made notes about what I liked best.

Sandy Frye was a referral from my friend Jade Taylor.  She and Valerie are the yin and yang of web design.  Sandy, the sharp eyed and intuitive graphic designer, Valerie the tech savvy programmer.  We started with a standard template plan, but soon realized this was too much fun and we developed some new elements.  One particular day I recall was the day I was out in my driveway taking photos of driftwood and river rocks.  Anyone who really knows me knows about my thing for rocks.  Sandy soon learned.  Then there was the hilarious driftwood incident.  Let's just say, one piece looked a little to "masculine" for Sandy, and once she said it, we could just not UNSEE it.  It had to go.

I like the end result.  My goals were that it reflect a little (or a lot) of me, presented my music, showed a gig schedule, and basic information for a bio, as well as provided a place for people to get on a mailing list or (once one is available) find out about getting a CD.

So the web page is almost ready for a roll out.  We may be adding more or making adjustments still, but its mostly there.


If you'd like a sneak preview, go on over here:   MattFolkmuse.com

And while you are there, sign up for email updates.  Look for the "Wolf" on the lower right hand side of the page....

Thursday, May 24, 2012

May Gigs and Mini Tour


May Gigs and Mini Tour

I've had a flurry of gigs in May.  Most fun was what I dubbed the "Central Coast Mini-Tour".  I was up in Monterey for some business, and managed to fit in three gigs over a weekend before coming home then three more here locally.  

I played a show at East Village Coffee Lounge in Monterey with friends Jade Elizabeth Taylor and Glenn MacPherson.  It was a great venue and a fun show!  I lured a few work friends in (who probably were stunned by all that).  Our friend Midyne helped in many ways, including running sound and fetching things from the stage when needed.  It was such a supportive and attentive crowd.  I never sleep well after those kinds of shows because the adrenaline and endorphin keeps flowing for hours.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Sweet Barcelona


Sweet Barcelona

A few years ago, I found myself in Barcelona over a long weekend.  Every city has its rhythms and cycles.  Barcelona was a revelation.  I'd been to Paris. Beijing. London. Amsterdam.  They each had their patterns and vibe.  Barcelona (Barthelona in the local Catalan dialect) was...like none of these.  Streets filled up on Friday evening and people did their shopping and then dined, socialized and strolled late into the evening.  Saturday, I had a chance to visit La Sagrada Familia, a cathedral under construction for more than a lifetime, to be finished (barring economic collapse, or perhaps in spite of it) in another decade or so.  This was the work of mastermind Antoni Guadi.  It is a masterpiece of imagination and dreaming.  Most impactful was the statue of Jesus near the top of the spires, sitting on a stone bridge, not impaled on a cross, but sitting peacefully looking down on the city below.  Like  a gentle sentinel, he watches out for Barcelona.