Welcome to The Morning Star...
the occasionally updated newsletter of the Peter Mayer Group |
|
|
|
|
|
| Photo of the Month by Ron Horne |
|
| Hello from the land of chocolate kisses and caviar dreams. I am heading home to Nashville today after playing to a great crowd of just about 30,000 people in Hershey, PA. Alan Jackson took the stage before us and Jimmy Buffett and the band did a two-hour set to follow. It's been a busy summer out with Jimmy. We have not played many PMG shows in the last couple months, but… we look forward to a busy September with some great shows coming up. Here's the news: |
|
| First, in Panama City Beach, FL, at the "Chasin the Sun Festival," the PMG (Peter Mayer Group) will be playing on Friday night, September 12, from 7:30 -9:00 pm. I've got some good friends and fantastic musicians joining me featuring: Chris Walters on keyboard, Brendan Mayer on guitar and vocals, Maggie Estes White on violin, Zeb Briskovitch on bass, and Miles Vandiver on drums. The weekend is packed full of music and fun in the sun, all MC-ed by Radio Margaritaville's JD Spradlin and Steve Huntington. Nadirah Shakoor takes the stage Saturday night, and Mac McAnally closes it out on Sunday. Check the schedule for the other acts due to rock the Beach. We'll look forward to seeing you down in the panhandle! Visit the festival's website at: http://visitpanamacitybeach.tunestub.com/event.cfm?id=155866&cart |
|
Scott Kirby, Peter and Brendan Mayer Tour
|
|
Immediately following Chasin' the Sun, Brendan and I will be heading up to the Northeast to join Scott Kirby for a week and a half of shows. This is our third annual September tour together. We'll feature songs and stories from the years of playing. It's always a lot of fun sharing the stage with Scott and Brendan, two wonderful songwriters and players. Along the way there will be special guests as well on some of the nights, so check the schedule!
Schedule:
September 13 – The Sandbar Grille; Taunton, MA (with the Massacoustics!)
September 14 – The Stephen Talkhouse; Amagansett, NY
September 17 – Manayunk Brewery; Philadelphia, PA
September 18 – Sandi Pointe Coastal Bistro; Somers Point, NJ (Peter, Scott and Lew London)
September 19 – Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center; Haymarket, VA (with Jim Mayer and Gary Green)
September 20 – Annapolis Maritime Museum; Annapolis, MD
|
|
|
|
September 12 - Panama City Beach, FL
September 13 – The Sandbar Grille; Taunton, MA (with the Massacoustics!)
September 14 – The Stephen Talkhouse; Amagansett, NY
September 17 – Manayunk Brewery; Philadelphia, PA
September 18 – Sandi Pointe Coastal Bistro; Somers Point, NJ
September 19 – Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center; Haymarket, VA
September 20 – Annapolis Maritime Museum; Annapolis, MD
October 31 - Key West, FL
November 1 - Key West, FL
December 6 - Bristol, TN
December 7 - Stone Mountain, GA
December 9 – Virginia Beach area
December 10 - Lancaster, PA
December 11 - TBA
December 12- Somerville, NJ
December 13 - TBA
December 14 - Bartlett, IL
December 16 - Hopkinsville, KY
December 18 - St. Louis, MO
December 19 - Tulsa, OK
December 20 - Linn, MO
More tour dates? Visit Peter's website at PeterMayer.com! |
|
|
|
|
|
We will head to Paris, France, once again at the end of September, for a couple of dates at the Olympia Theater. There is good news and bad news for this trip. The bad news is we won't be playing any Peter Mayer shows along the way on this visit, but that is because of the good news that my family will be joining me this time for a week in the City of Light. We'll have some days to cruise around and check out the sights, taste the food, fill the soul with the Spirit of Paris. We will miss our friends in Basel, Switzerland, Amsterdam and Paris, but we will hope to be back to tour in Europe in the near future.
Check out the video of "Moonlight Over Paris" recorded in Paris a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeqaGgAfVvI&feature=youtu.be
|
|
Peter Mayer, Jim Mayer and Brendan Mayer on Vinyl
|
|
Speaking of music in Europe, be on the lookout for a special vinyl release of our show from last year's trio concert in Amsterdam! This was a unique set of songs, a unique band, (Jim Mayer on bass, Brendan Mayer on guitar and vocals and myself) in a most unique setting (the wonderful De Herren Van Amstel) for our first show in Amsterdam. We thought this would be a good time to choose a unique media, vinyl, to release it on. Each vinyl album would be accompanied by a free download of the digital tracks. Stay tuned!
|
|
Meeting of the Minds
Key West, FL
|
|
We'll be heading to Key West for the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Minds 2014 – Havana Daydreamin' for a wonderful weekend of music in the Southernmost City! Joining Peter on stage this year are: Jim Mayer, Roger Guth, Brendan Mayer, Chris Walters, R. Scott Bryan and Maggie Estes White.
Friday, October 31, the PMG will be playing on the West Lawn of Casa Marina from 9:45 – 11:15 pm.
Saturday, November 1, Peter will be joining Club Trini, followed by an Encore with the entire Coral Reefer Band, on the West Lawn of Casa Marina from 9:30 – 11:30 pm.
Convention credentials are required to attend these performances. For more information, check out the Parrot Heads in Paradise website at: http://phip.com/MOTM.asp
|
|
Stars and Promises 2014 - Evergreen
|
|
Believe it or not we are heading into fall and you know what that means: Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it. Stars and Promises will be coming through your neighborhood this holiday season, please come and join us, "Ring out the Bells" and sing along!
The theme of this year's Stars and Promises tour is "Evergreen," celebrating the tradition and significance of the Christmas tree as a symbol of hope, life, and light amidst the dark days of winter. Don't miss this chance to experience "Stars and Promises" and make it part of your Christmas tradition.
The schedule is as follows - we look forward to sharing Christmas joy with you all along the way:
December 6 - Bristol, TN
December 7 - Stone Mountain, GA
December 9 – Virginia Beach area
December 10 - Lancaster, PA
December 11 - TBA
December 12- Somerville, NJ
December 13 - TBA
December 14 - Bartlett, IL
December 16 - Hopkinsville, KY
December 18 - St. Louis, MO
December 19 - Tulsa, OK
December 20 - Linn, MO
|
|
Hole and a String- Bajo Sexto
|
|
I was in a cool music store in St. Louis, Missouri, a few years back called "Music Folk." It is a long-standing St. Louis institution in the heart of Webster Groves, that carries all kinds of musical instruments, not just guitars. It specializes in acoustic instruments, but has few electric guitars as well as penny whistles, clarinets, harps, zithers, trumpets, percussion, shakers… and Bajo Sextos – A what?! I hadn't heard of it either if you feel out of the loop. It is a 12-string guitar like creature that is tuned a full octave below the standard guitar tuning, and often was simply tuned in 4ths across the neck. The standard guitar tuning is E A D G B E, where a Bajo Sexto would be E A D G C F. For more historical info on this cool instrument check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajo_sexto
It often doubled the chords the other instruments were strumming to create a big sound down under. I saw this unusual friend hanging on the wall that day and thought; "I have got to hear this." When I strummed a chord, the strings flapped a bit because they were tuned so low, but this thing thundered out a really cool unique voice. This rare beast was on consignment, so I asked my music store friends to call the owner and a deal was struck. Oscar Schmidt makes this particular model and it is a surprisingly good instrument for its affordable price – believe it or not – in the neighborhood of $300.00. Though I have to thank, once again, my good friend and personal luthier (or at least I like to claim it) Joe Lindner for taking the Bajo Sexto and setting it up, tuning it and turning it into a wonderfully playable guitar. Now a warning, if you are a beginner and suffer the sore fingers on a normal six-string, wait a bit before you take on this 1967 Plymouth Fury of a road hog. Bass players and those who make friends with the Low Hum of the world will be drawn to this baby. It is a surprising fact, but to make it sound you have got to play it with a soft touch in your right, and a firm touch with your left hand. If you come across one of these instruments and are in an adventurous state of mind, give it a shot. It is as beautiful to look at, as it is to hear and we all could use a friend that's got the lowdown.
|
|
Travelogue
(Photos from tour and along the way)
|
|
Rehearsing before the big show, "Stairwell to Heaven."
|
|
|
|
|
