Been offline awhile, folks, 'cos of wacky projects, like below. Hi, again!

HIGHLAND MUSIC & ARTS CENTRE

I'm assembling a team to buy and run

DALMORE HOUSE, Alness, Easter Ross, Scotland

as an education and performance centre for Traditional Arts, with every conceivable music, craft and muso/arts biz course available + spaces to rent to young performers, tutors, promoters, and entrepreneurs.

It's the old owners mansion for neighbouring Dalmore Distillery (a fine single malt), with extensive space for accommodation (18 big bedrooms), offices (7), studios, instrument building/pottery/crafts workshops, rehearsals, tuition, bar, performances and sessions, plus 22 acres FESTIVAL FRIENDLY (I was there!) grounds, 4 staff cottages, kennels, outbuildings, 2 acre organic walled garden (with permission for new house), Salmon & 1/2 mile Trout fishing, visible from main A9 road, own wooded avenue to rail station, 150 yds from local High School, with tech/classroom facilities and 500 cap. car park, full disabled access, catering and smaller kitchens, fire ticket, Public Ents. and Market Trading licences and HUGE local pool of musicians, artists, promoters, songwriters, tutors and supporters.

Offers over £320,000, (about $500,000) for the lot. Seemingly good structural & decorativc condition (1935 build), but the decor's no' ma taste! Big building running costs

We have vocal and written messages of support from the local and national Music, Whisky, Hotel, Tourism, Trad Arts & other businesses, Local council, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Parliament members -- it was discussed favourably by the Trad Arts Cross-Party group on Wednesday.
In the new Scotland, we meet with the politicians in the pub, and the last item on the agenda is ---- tunes & sangs !!! Wicked.

Loads of local and national media coverage, so far, and we're still pushing.
No committed investors or CASH yet, but local & well respected muso hotelier doing business plan, School head/adminisrator + Scots historian/Lighting designer/show-wise combo interested in coming in, plus we're hitting regional rich muos/impresarios like Sirs Tim Rice and Cameron Mackintosh.

We're appealing to the internet Folk/Blues community for feedback/support on the plan + interest from potential overseas students for song/tune/instrumental/craft holiday courses, active/passive investors in the building and/or project running, as well as contacts with possible sponsors.

Please post any interest in such a Scottish Music centre, and we'll add your names to the petition running round the Highlands just now.

We're particularly looking for SERIOUS contacts with the JIM BEAM USA group. They own next-door DALMORE distillery & single Malt name, + 40 odd Blended Scotch brands, as well as other famous malts, & their European Group HQ in Glasgow is called .......Dalmore House. If we can't market Dalmore Foundation Trad Arts & Heritage centre beside the whisky round the world, we might as well go home. Likewise Scots music and Scotch, generally. Where would Rabbie Burns have been wi'oot a dram?

JB have huge US Rock/Country foundation and grants system, administered by serious names, such as Pat Dinizio, presidents of Gibson, Warners, Columbia, and other musbiz bigwigs.

We're hyping it R & R style all the way to the closing date for offers. Please sign up below, or leave message on my board.

Rob