HAVE BANJO, NEED LESSONS: A fellow named Justin Hospital writes: "i have a banjo and need some lessons...kumu will have to start from scratch with me - no musical experience. i have a few books that i've tried to get a grasp on, but to little success. i live in manoa; i can travel anywhere on island." Please contact Justin at justinhospital@gmail.com.

NEW WEST HAWAI`I JAM STARTED: John Breen is an upright bass player on the West side of the Big Island who has begun hosting a monthly jam session/potluck in his studio. Jams are being held on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 1:30 pm. Contact John at westhawaiiscreenandglass@hawaiiantel.net.

LET'S JAM IN WAIALUA!
Pickers and grinners on the North Shore of O`ahu are talking about a monthly jam at the Aweoweo Community Park in Waialua. This would be separate from, and in addition to, the regular Pickin' In The Park jam hosted by Bluegrass Hawai`i--though we happily encourage it, as we encourage ALL jam sessions! Says Sharon Jeter, who lives in a condo across from the park: "We can have a potluck, barbeque, a dip in the ocean from the beautiful sandy beach. There are also hoops, a playground and the paved bike trail is two blocks away!" Many jammers and other bluegrass enthusiasts live pretty close, and Sharon says this is a wonderful place for a pickin' party. She hopes to pick a date that doesn't conflict with Bluegrass Hawai`i's Pickin' In The Park (thanks, Sharon!) Coolers, shade and a few chairs will be provided. If you'd like to participate, call Sharon directly at 220-1382, or e-mail her at SharonJ@OhanaIslandHomes.com.

CLAWHAMMER BANJO PLAYER SEEKS PICKIN' BUDDIES
Clawhammer banjo player looking for fiddle, guitar, or other banjo players who love the old-time tunes. Skillet Lickers, Doc Watson, Tommy Jarrell... Please e-mail Andy at uberandy at hotmail.com.

ELECTRIC VIOLINIST WANTED! If you play blues & jazz on your electric fiddle, your services may be welcome at a Honolulu recording session! Warren at Vibe Asylum Studios in Honolulu is looking for an electric fiddle player for some session work. The job pays $75.00 per track and the artist will also receive musician credit on the CD jacket. Call Warren at 808/349-3880!

UPRIGHT & ELECTRIC BASS LESSONS WITH ALEX MORRISON: Alex Morrison, one of O`ahu's most in-demand upright bassists, is offering lessons for beginning to advanced players. With a background stretching from bebop to bluegrass, modern jazz to rockabilly and blues, Alex is a real find for any aspiring bassist! Learn the fundamentals of timing and technique to be a solid player in any style, or increase your understanding of music theory to expand and enrich your improvisational skills. Heading for a teaching career in Archaeology, Alex has a rich understanding of how to structure and guide students along their individual paths to success! Call him while he still has slots available at 808-393-1767, or email aljazz4@aol.com.

BEGINNING BLUEGRASS GUITARIST SEEKS PICKIN' BUDDIES: Janet Shaw is learning to play bluegrass music on guitar, and is seeking folks to pick with! She lives in the Punahou area of Honolulu, on Beretania near Central Union Church and Foodland; she hopes to jam with folks who are in town on a bus route. Contact Janet at zendordin@juno.com

SEEKING WESTERN SWING & HOT CLUB JAZZ PICKERS: Loren Tilley plays guitar and sings, and he's looking for other musicians who are into western swing and old 1930s-'40s jazz and swing, like Bob Wills, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, etc. Please contact Loren at loren.tilley@gmail.com or call 951-0747.

ALBUM PRODUCTION • AUDIO RECORDING • PRO TOOLS: Here's a message from Patrick Conway, a recording professional who has experience with bluegrass and similar music: Aloha!!! I'm a producer/engineer new to Hawaii and I'm looking for people to work with. I own a full blown Pro Tools HD system and have access to a professional studio. I've been working in San Francisco for the past 8 years and have produced and recorded a lot of great Americana/Alt. Country/Traditional Country & Bluegrass music there. I'm hoping to meet and record some great musicians here too!!! I'm open to all kinds of music and any size budget. I hope to be an asset to Hawaii's music community. Here's a link to my site for contact info and references: www.conwayaudio.com. Please contact Patrick directly at info@conwayaudio.com.

FIDDLE LESSONS PROVIDED: Country fiddle lessons available from experienced fiddler/mandolinist. Call Jay at 239-5041 or e-mail swlinskey@aol.com.

WAIPAHU MANDOLINIST SEEKS GUITAR PICKER to jam with. Chris Cerna, a uniquely gifted musician, would like to hear from guitarists who want to jam. You may have seen Chris at our jams--he happens to be visually impaired, but that doesn't slow him down. He has a billion megawatt smile, a deep love for bluegrass music, and extraordinary mandolin talent! Please call him at 677-7361 if you play the guitar and want to jam!

DOBRO PLAYER into bluegrass, old-time string and jug band looking for like-minded. Also plays slide blues, hokum and ragtime fingerstyle guitar, blues harp. Growly vocals. East Honolulu. Contact: Don at 396-6048 or email buchholzd001@hawaii.rr.com.

GUITARIST SEEKS OTHER PICKERS: Our pal Bob plays guitar, likes traditional bluegrass and loves to listen to Rice, Watson, Crary, Blake, White, etc. He says, "It's hard to rate my level. I guess the best way to say it is more than a beginner but not ready for the stage. Right now, I'd just like to get together with others to have some fun and get in some practice." To reach Bob and set up a pickin' party, email mickibob@verizon.net.

HEY, NEIGHBOR ISLAND BLUEGRASS LOVERS! Send us an email, and we'll add you to the Bluegrass Hawai`i mailing list! Some spectacular bluegrass and traditional acts are headed this way next year--and they'll be doing some inter-island touring! Sign up for our mailing list today, and we'll make sure to let you know about it!

TAYLOR BASS WANTED! A very sincere gentleman named Martyn writes from England: "Searching for Taylor AB1, AB2 or AB3 acoustic bass. Must be in very good condition; please be willing to package and ship the bass safely to the United Kingdom. I'll pay the postage." He'd seen an old ad for a Taylor on our Classifieds page, but it has now been sold. In a follow-up email, Martyn writes: "I am trying New York and other places but because these guitars are so rare, I thought I'd try everywhere - particularly since I know there was one in Hawaii. So I would appreciate it if you could place the ad on the Bluegrass site." If you have a Taylor bass you're willing to part with, contact Martyn at MARTYN_SCOTT@UK.IBM.COM.

HUGE RECORD AUCTION: 5000 bluegrass records. Some country & Irish. Private collection. All have been played, but nearly all are in LIKE MINT condition. For a list (each list will contain 200-300 records), e-mail lots_of_records@hotmail.com.

NEWBIE SEEKS INSTRUMENTS: David Hubbard, a new picker, is looking for a nice beginner's banjo and fiddle. He lives on O`ahu, in the Honolulu area, and he can be contacted at dave2355@hotmail.com.

INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE: Kilin Reece of the Squirrel Hunters and Two Grass Revival is selling a couple of instruments! If he sells any of his instruments through our classifieds, he'll donate 15% of the sale price to Bluegrass Hawai`i, so please make sure to tell him you saw it here! Here's what he's got...

1. A beautiful Dobro from the 1970s set up for bluegrass-style playing, with high bone nut, ebony/maple saddle and inverted tuners for easy access. Kilin says: "Love the sound of this guy but don't need two Dobros. One just like this sold on Elderly Instruments for $1400. This is a steal at $1100, with original hard case and slide."

2. Kilin is also selling a Flatiron mandolin for Chris Cerna that he built a one-piece bone saddle for. "It sounds really good," he tells us. "This instrument is listed on Mandolin Cafe for $700, but for a local buyer we could go as low as $650 with original hardshell case."

If you're interested in either of these fine instruments, please call Kilin at 808-387-4583 or email mandomonkey@gmail.com.

FIDDLES, ETC. FOR SALE: Margaret Brown, who organizes the Trad Jam gatherings, has asked me to pass this message on... "Our late jammer friend, Jim Belcher, left 8 fiddles, mostly older European made instruments, ranging in price from about $500.00 to $1900.00. There are also several bows, including a viola bow, a Vega Mandolin and a beautifully inlaid Korean made octave mandolin, as well as assorted fiddle cases. Only the fiddles have marked prices, which are negotiable. Lois, Jim's widow,would like to sell any or all of the above as soon as possible. You may call her at 396-0543 for an appointment to come look at these instruments at her home in Hawaii Kai."

FOR SALE:
Oscar Schmidt Autoharp, 15 keys, traditional button configuration, in a tobacco sunburst finish. Comes with chipboard hard case, tuning tool and spare replacement parts. $100.00. Instrument located in Kaimuki. See photos below and at left! NOTE: This instrument has been SOLD!

Takamine Acoustic/Electric Guitar, FP-360-SC acoustic/electric workhorse, dreadnaught cutaway guitar, solid spruce top with pickup/Accuracoustic preamp on board offering lots of volume and tonal control. Good condition. Rosewood back and sides. Come with soft case. $500.00. Instrument located in Kaimuki. See photo below!

If you're interested in either of these instruments, call Jeff at 382-3078, or e-mail jkloetzel@hawaiianagroup.com (e-mail weekdays only please!)

FOR SALE: Fishman Violin Pickup and cable. Will amplify any fiddle. $60.00. Call Jay at 239-5041 or e-mail swlinskey@aol.com.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST DEPARTMENT:

GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT to Mike Kear in Australia for providing us with server space for the images on these pages. Mahalo, Mike!

Mike is a New Zealander living in Australia who LOVES bluegrass. He's host of a wonderful radio show, heard on the Web by thousands of people all over the world, called Music From Foggy Hollow. It can be heard at www.bluegrasscountry.org. He even interviewed Caroline (that's me!) about Bluegrass Hawai`i, way back in May when we had our first jam--check it out here.

Mike's Bluegrass Australia pages can be found at www.bluegrass.org.au. He has an incredible knowledge of bluegrass music, and his show is a favorite of many professionals in bluegrass music--I know it's true; they've told me so themselves!

He's also a serious techie. His company, AFP Webworks, handles web design, hosting, and promotion. He has servers and other fascinating and intimidating tools of the trade at his disposal. Mike has kindly offered to host a website on his server for Bluegrass Hawai`i, and he's even paid the domain registration fees for our first year! This is an INCREDIBLY generous offer from a fellow a half a world away. The value of the site hosting alone: at least $150/annually. On behalf of Bluegrass Hawai`i, MAHALO NUI LOA, MIKE!