Hey MudFolk!

This announcement is also being emailed out to our events list, but I thought it was worthwhile to post it here. Cheers!

Molly

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Announcement:

4th Annual Dusty Strings Clawhammer Banjo Weekend
May 2-4, 2008
Featuring Bob Carlin, Cathy Fink, Jeanie Murphy, and Candy Goldman

Hello Old-Time Banjo Players and Friends of Old-time Music,

I'm excited to send out the news that May 2-4, 2008 Dusty Strings will present our 4th Annual Clawhammer Banjo Weekend. This year's Banjo Weekend will feature the return of some wonderful teachers and performers including Bob Carlin, Cathy Fink, Jeanie Murphy, and Candy Goldman for a weekend full of workshops, a Saturday night concert, and opportunities to meet and jam with other banjoists of all levels. As a bonus, for the Saturday night concert, Cathy Fink will again be joined on stage by Marcy Marxer, and Jeanie Murphy will perform with Forest Newton as the Coattail Riders. For those of you who have attended the Banjo Weekend before with some of the same teachers, you can look forward to a mix of both new classes and variations on previous classes to help you continue your journey toward new horizons.

New this year, Bob Carlin and Candy Goldman will teach a series of "Getting Started" classes specifically designed for first-time beginners. This will be taught parallel with other beginning classes for players who already have a little experience. Having these two "beginner tracks" offers the wide spectrum of "beginning" students the opportunity to select the class level that will benefit them most. We have also reorganized our Friday evening introductory session to include organized jamming (slow, intermediate, and advanced) led by the instructors with the help of guest musicians. This will provide extra time to play some music, reconnect with friends, and meet new friends in the banjo and old-time music community. Anyone interested in or curious about clawhammer banjo or the Banjo Weekend is encouraged to attend the FREE Friday night sessions.

Registration and Information
All Clawhammer Banjo Weekend events will take place at the Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop, 3406 Fremont Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103. Admission price for the full weekend is $195, which includes a Friday evening introductory session that is open to all participants, four workshops on Saturday and Sunday, and a Saturday night concert. Workshops, except for the Sunday afternoon "Roundtable Discussion," can be taken à la carte for $50 each, and extra concert tickets are available for $18. A limited number of banjos will be available to rent for $25 for the weekend with advance arrangements.

Private lessons will be available throughout the Banjo Weekend and possibly before and after. Private lessons are $60 per hour. Lesson slots fill very quickly, so please contact Dusty Strings if you are interested in signing up for private lessons with any of the instructors.

Complete Clawhammer Banjo Weekend information, schedule, and registration materials will be available very soon at Dusty Strings, by calling us at 206-634-1662 (toll free 866-634-1662), or by visiting visiting our web site at www.dustystrings.com.

Thanks for your support in the past and I'll hope to see some of you at this year's Banjo Weekend.

Sincerely,
Gary Davidson