2010 Music Camp

Monday, August 16 to Friday, August 20, 2010

Join us for Music Camp at the festival site!

Sessions with the Masters: from beginner to virtuoso.
Classes in fiddle, guitar, banjo, upright bass, mandolin, dobro, old time piano, songwriting and vocal harmony.

The Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Tyme Music Camp will provide an additional opportunity for people to play and engage in bluegrass and old time music. The music camp provides a friendly, noncompetitive environment for everyone from beginners to advanced players. The camp schedule provides a jam-packed three days of class time, private lessons, special workshops and many other spontaneous activities like slow pitch jams, old time dance lessons, songwriting contest, band scrambles, hollering contest, yodelling, and of course, campfire picking!!

SCHEDULE
Monday: Registration and BBQ, with open jamming after meeting with instructors
Tuesday to Friday Classes: 9:00-11:30 am and 1:15-3:00 pm
Special Interest Workshops Daily
Friday: Workshop concert on the festival stage, 6 pm
Evenings: Slow Pitch jam for beginners and open jamming for more advanced players

TO PICK YOUR CLASS
Refer to the class descriptions and guidelines to pick the best class for you.
PDF of Class Selection Document

TO REGISTER
PDF of 2010 Camp Brochure (legal)
PDF of 2010 Camp Registration

INSTRUCTORS

Banjo
Robert Earl Davis - Banjo Boot Camp
Robert Earl Davis grew up in Richmond Va., the heart of the south-land. He began playing the banjo & writing songs at the age of 14. As a teen he played festivals, television and bar-room gigs in an around the Virginia and Washington DC areas. He relocated to the west coast where he maintained a reputation as having a unique sound and original playing style on the 5-string banjo. He is best known as the founder of the uncompromising group The Earl Brothers. Robert Earl Davis has published over 47 original songs which have become the foundation of the Earl Brothers' sound. His music is played world wide.

Tom Lucas - Old Time Banjo (Clawhammer)
Fiddler Tom Lucas has been playing with the Earl Brothers for over a year now. Tom plays "both kinds of music" --- Bluegrass and Old Time, and has managed to make his fiddling fit with the Earl Brothers' Mountain music. Tom was a seminal member of the Crooked Jades, a renowned San Francisco Old-Time band. He has played with many other bands as well and is one of the founders of the San Francisco Bluegrass and Old-Time Festival. Tom's voluminous knowledge of music theory and history, of Bluegrass, Old-Time and related musical forms, and his raconteur tendencies, are balanced by his interest in his student's development and his laid-back, pedantry-free teaching style. His workshops are as pleasurable as they are educational.

Dobro
Bob Hamilton
Producer/Musician Bob Hamilton is based in Whitehorse, Yukon where he runs Old Crow Recording Studio. Bob has been honoured with four Juno nominations and a Juno award for albums he has produced. His love for Traditional Bluegrass led him to be one of the founding members of the internationally renowned band Hungry Hill. He is a multi-instrumentalist as well as a gifted songwriter.

Fiddle
Shane Cook - Intermediate/Advanced
At the age of 26, Shane "rates at the top of the short list of the finest fiddlers in the world today," says the Canadian Fiddlers' Hall of Fame. He has distinguished himself as a master of the Canadian old-time fiddle tradition and excels at an array of fiddle styles ranging from Irish and Scottish to French-Canadian, Texan, and Bluegrass. In 2006, Shane retired from competitive fiddling as one of Canada's most highly awarded fiddlers. He is a three-time Canadian Open National Fiddle Champion, a three-time Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Champion, a Grand North American Fiddle Champion, and is the only Canadian to have ever won the US Grand National Fiddle Championship, a feat he accomplished at just 17 years of age. Shane resides in his home town of Dorchester, Ontario, having recently completed an Honours Music degree at the University of Western Ontario. He teaches both privately and at several annual fiddle camps, sharing his deep understanding of Canadian fiddle.

Sarah Hamilton - Beginner
Sarah started her musical journey on the fiddle as a Suzuki kid and soon discovered the world of old time and bluegrass fiddling. As well as being an accomplished fiddler, Sarah is blessed with a strong natural sounding voice and a keen sense of harmony. Her performing experience includes a season of musical theatre in Dawson City, Yukon with the performance group Fiddleheads, as well a long list of music festival appearances.

Rhythm Guitar
Skip Holmes - Advanced
Skip has been playing professionally for over 35 years and plays guitar, banjo, fiddle and mandolin. He has recorded and toured Canada and Britain with numerous renowned fiddlers, has been teaching at the Canadian Conservatory of Music in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the past 23 years, and is in demand as an accompanist for concerts, dances, contests and recordings. He recently published "A Guitar Player's Guide to Accompanying the Fiddle" and is a frequent instructor at fiddle camps and guitar workshops across Canada.

Danny Morris - Intermediate
Danny grew up in the mountain community of Payson, in central Arizona and has played guitar for over 20 years. An avid fan of Classic Country Music, Danny discovered Bluegrass early on through the likes of Keith Whitley, Emmylou Harris and Ricky Skaggs. Danny learned vocal harmony from his mother, who was a backing vocalist for the Bill Gaither Gospel Group, among others. Whether it's playing guitar, bass, singing or songwriting, Danny maintains a philosophy of "Success through Simplicity".

Patrick Hamilton - Beginner
Patrick's driving clawhammer banjo is the engine room of the Done Gone Stringband. His innate and intense sense of rhythm and groove is also seen in his skills as a guitarist and drummer. Patrick's musical interests run from New Orleans funk to jazz/blues to Appalachian old time and this is evident in his freestyle approach to his playing. Patrick also has extensive stage experience playing festivals from a young age.

Mandolin
Ray Legere - Intermediate/Advanced
Ray is the 2003 ECMA (East Coast Music Award) Winner for "Bluegrass Artist Of The Year" which he also won in 1996. The Amherst, Nova Scotia native is becoming known as one of Canada's premiere fiddle/mandolin players. Ray is a five-time winner of the Eastern Division Bluegrass Awards in the categories of Mandolin and Fiddle "Player of the Year", honors which have distinguished him with a "Masters Award" for each. The first year of the awards he captured a total of three, including guitar, and was recently awarded the Masters for "Best Fiddle Player" in the Central Canadian Bluegrass Awards. Ray, although not wanting to be a contest player, was selected winner of the 1983 Open Mandolin Championship in Woodstock Ontario, winner of the 1986 Open Mandolin Championship in Winfield, Kansas, and winner of the 1989 Old Time Fiddle Championship in Sackville, New Brunswick. He scored among the top ten in Nashville's Grand Masters Fiddle Championship in 1990 and in Napean, Ontario's 1990 and 1991 Grand Masters Fiddle Championships. Ray has accomplished many accolades, the most notable playing a concert filling the shoes of an ailing Bill Monroe, the father of Bluegrass Music in 1982. His love for Bluegrass has found him playing alongside his heroes, David Grisman, Sam Bush, Tony Rice, Jerry Douglas, Tony Trischka, Doc Watson, Bela Fleck ... and is well respected amongst them.

Kyle O'Brien - Beginner Mandolin
Born in Evergreen Colorado, while growing up Kyle was steeped in bluegrass, folk, and old country from Norman Blake, Tony Rice, and Hot Rize to Hank Williams, Sam Bush, and Allison Krauss. He has been going to festivals since he was 3 and by the time he reached 6 he picked up the fiddle. When Kyle was 8 he started playing the mandolin and then shortly after the guitar as well. At 10 years old he began playing with his family as the O'Brien Family Band, who started out playing coffee shops and open mics and soon bought a tour-bus and started travelling around the country playing music at festivals and concerts. After 4 years of being on the road full-time he wanted to enroll in high school back in Colorado and continued to play and teach along with starting a band called the Bluegrass Quartet. In 2009 Kyle moved to San Francisco to go to the University of San Francisco, where I met the Earl Brothers and began playing with them. He plans on graduating from USF and then continuing his passion for music either in San Francisco or in Nashville Tennessee.

Old Time Piano
Troy MacGillivray - Intermediate/Advanced
Troy was raised in Lanark, Nova Scotia. His musical prowess can be attributed to an especially rare combination of commitment and bloodline. By the age of six, Troy was already impressing audiences with his step dancing skills and by 13 he was teaching piano at the renowned Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anne's, Cape Breton. He has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in music from St. Francis Xavier University. From repeat appearances at Scotland's Celtic Connections Festival to a tour in British Columbia to appearing at the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddle Championships to promotional tours in Toronto, Ottawa, British Columbia, Boston and Chicago, Troy continues to impress and amaze audiences around with world with his incredible array of talent.

Upright Bass
James Touzel
Earl Brothers' bassist James Touzel's path in Bluegrass Music began at age 8 when his mother and grandfather took him to see Bill Monroe at the original Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. After hearing and seeing the Father of Bluegrass perform, James knew a career as a musician was for him and began performing by the age of 10. Originally from Georgetown, South Carolina, he completed his Bachelor's Degree in Music Performance at the University of South Carolina. Although James has a deep passion for Bluegrass and Country Music, he enjoys almost all styles of music, especially Gospel, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Soul and Hip Hop. He has performed classically with the Augusta Symphony, Aspen Festival Orchestra and the Wilmington Symphony under the batons' of conductors David Zinman, James Dupriest, Donald Portnoy and Michael Stern just to name a few. Outside of classical music, he has performed with the Earl Brothers, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, the Stylistics, the Tams, Danielle Howle and Jackie Gore. Currently, James lives in San Francisco, CA where he stays active in the American Roots Music scene both in studio and on stage.

Vocal Harmony
Anne Louise Genest
Anne Louise Genest emerged from the Yukon's growing crop of songwriters with two solo CDs that showcase her critically acclaimed songwriting. Her music has been used in theatre and film, and she is a songwriter, vocalist and guitar player with the Done Gone Stringband as well as with the Juno award nominated and acclaimed band Annie Lou. Anne Louise's comfortable stage presence makes audiences feel right at home, and her solid chops on rhythm guitar and great big vocals are a centerpiece of the style she brings to the fore. Anne Louise has toured nationally and internationally as a solo and ensemble performer. Through exploring old time music, she has added mandolin, fiddle, and banjo to her roster of instruments, and she composes on all of these as well as pursuing her craft of fine songwriting. Anne Louise lives in a cabin outside of Whitehorse, with no running water but lots of high speed internet.

Max Heineman
Max has been singing ever since he can remember and began playing bass at 12. The son of vocalist Erin Malone-Heineman and saxophonist Jim Heineman, Max has been immersed in music since childhood. The early influences on his vocal style would come from soul and jazz and the likes of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Dinah Washington. Max began playing double bass in the high school orchestra and would take the bass home for jazz gigs on the weekends with his father. He is now with the popular Ontario bluegrass band, the Foggy Hogtown Boys.

Songwriting
Vanessa Kuzina
As a member of country-roots femmes fatales, Oh My Darling, Vanessa Kuzina was honoured with a 2009 Western Canadian Music Award nomination for Best Roots Album. Oh My Darling is rooted in old-time and bluegrass traditions, inspiring Vanessa's songwriting, arrangements and performance. She has been mentored in songwriting under James Keelaghan, Stephen Fearing, Tom Wilson, David Francey, Eliza Gilkyson (USA), Peter Ostrushko (USA) and more. Ms Kuzina has hit the stage at such festivals as The Winnipeg Folk Festival, Dauphin Country Fest, Blue Skies Festival and Trout Forest Music Festival. She has been touring Canada sharing her down-home tunes on the stage and on the airwaves, topping national campus radio roots charts with Oh My Darling's 2010 release and national spinning on CBC's airwaves. Not for the bashful this country belle will ask you to two-step then break your heart with three chords and the truth.

Subject to change

LOCATION
The festival and workshops will be held at the well-established Ness Creek Festival site near Big River, SK. Many recreation opportunities are available at nearby Nesslin Lake, so whether you’re coming with one or many music camp participants, each can enjoy their stay in beautiful Northern Saskatchewan. Although the Northern Lights Bluegrass workshop and festival site provides a remote getaway in a rustic setting, water and shower facilities are available, and optional food services will be provided.

PDF of map
PDF of Saskatchewan map

For more information on the workshops,
contact Anna at 306.653.1880