Glenn Roth Plays Guitar

Pics from the first annual “Lymestock,” benefitting...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:54:12 -0400

"Lymestock" barn concert to benefit Simply Smiles, which brings hope, food, and shelter to Oaxaco Mexico and Cheyenne Reservation, South Dakota

Glenn Roth and Kristen Graves rockin' out

Glenn Roth playing to an appreciative crowd

Glenn Roth signature move

Don't let the sheep out

Our fine and talented friend, Kristen Graves

Pics from the first annual “Lymestock,” benefitting Simply Smiles. A good time was had by all.

My fingerstlye cover of Ozzy’s Mama I’m Coming Home.

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:34:00 -0500

My fingerstlye cover of Ozzy’s Mama I’m Coming Home.

This is the first slack-key guitar song I’ve learned,...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 22:32:00 -0500

This is the first slack-key guitar song I’ve learned, inspired by a recent trip to the amazing Big Island of Hawaii: Spouting Horn (Mark Hanson).

Adventures in Kansas - Walnut Valley Festival, International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 19:08:00 -0400

On September 9, Glenn and I flew out to Kansas for a week, during which he performed at the Kansas State Fair and competed, for the third year, in the International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition at the Walnut Valley Music Festival. Great week of real-deal state fair-in’ and fantastic music and musicianship! I have a profound appreciation for Kansas!

A few pics from the festival (the locals call it “Bluegrass” but we tend to go with “Winfield”—no one seems to call it “Walnut Valley,” oddly) below. I’ll post some of the more interesting sights from our travels over the next few days, as well.

Glenn Roth - Top 5 Finalist in Walnut Valley Festival’s...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:56:13 -0400

Glenn Roth - Top 5 Finalist in Walnut Valley Festival’s International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition

Glenn performing Waterfall and Mama I’m Coming Home during...

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:53:52 -0400

Glenn performing Waterfall and Mama I’m Coming Home during round 1 of the International Fingerstyle Competition. He was selected as a finalist!

Arriving in Winfield, KS

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 18:48:00 -0400

Arriving in Winfield, KS

Oh, the places you’ll go! New friends at this...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:50:07 -0400

Oh, the places you’ll go! New friends at this year’s Gathering of the Vibes, in Bridgeport, CT (July 2012)

Glenn performs at one of our favorite events, the Block Island...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:44:00 -0400

Glenn performs at one of our favorite events, the Block Island Music Festival! Great people, good music, a beautiful setting, and just a damn good time. (June 2012)

Glenn Roth plays an plays on an unusual stage (top of a...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:40:24 -0400

Glenn Roth plays an plays on an unusual stage (top of a retaining wall in an empty-lot-reclaimed-as-community-garden) above the Worcestor, MA “Start on the Street” Festival (June 2012)

Speech, after long silence

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 17:36:00 -0400

it is right… ah Yeats, to be so abused by me, groping for an opening line to explain:

A Long Silence.

Well, no lovers estranged or dead (a good thing!), just lots of activity, interspersed with periods of lassitude and just-not-wanting-tah. But we have been busy and having fun, and descanting and descanting,upon the supreme theme of art and song…

Another Dimension - Glenn Roth (live, Hartford, Connecticut)

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 10:54:49 -0400

Another Dimension - Glenn Roth (live, Hartford, Connecticut)

Green days

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:19:31 -0400

Everything is coming up in bloom! The past few months seem a blur, even though it’s been fairly routine. We had a few trips north, for music and for snow sports—it wasn’t the best winter in terms of snow, but we had a great time skiing and boarding nonetheless. On the music front, with the benefit of hindsight, it was Good Times, Bad Times (can’t let a chance to reference a Zeppelin song pass, sorry folks, it’s knee-jerk at this point).

Good times: Glenn played a bunch of really good gigs and made some new friends and fans. Bars are probably the worst venue for a solo fingerstyle guy—it’s so loud that even when there’s good audience reaction, it tends to drown out the sound and the vibe. So while we had a great time in Portsmouth, NH, the gig he played there was not the most heartening. Fortunately, the other gigs (featured performer at some music nights hosted by the ever-arts-supportive Unitarians, some other venues) went over well, and we had a good time in the north country.

Now, in between trying to get the household projects underway (all kinds of powerwashing and painting and planting plans—operative word being PLANS right now), I’ve been trying to help more with the marketing side of things. Man, it’s overwhelming sometimes. There are so many vehicles—I spent today trying to figure out what Google Plus has to offer on the front, as well as Reddit and some other stuff that I have only a nodding acquaintance with. So much signal to noise. Hard to be heard amid the din.

On my own front, work and homefront and getting serious about getting into shape for kayaking season. Not a whole lot of writing going on, alas, but I am submitting to Tumblr’s poem a day… contest? feature? not sure what to call it…nothing new so far, but it may give me a much-needed kick in the butt.

Upcoming Glenn gigs: New coffeehouse in New Haven on Friday; we’re heading back to the Block Island Music Festival (yay—love BI!), possibly the Montauk Music Festival; gearing up for the summer season too. I’ll post dates and links soon.

A bright, shiny new year!

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:37:00 -0500

Happy New Year! Filled with resolve and optimism, we’re off on another year that we hope will be filled with adventures, new opportunities, travel, friends, and, of course, music!

Already, things are busy on the calendar. Glenn booked a bunch of shows up north, in a repeat of our “shred-to shred” adventures last year—in a nutshell, booking gigs near ski areas. It’s two for one: mixing business and fun, by bringing the music farther, hoping to make new fans and friends, and also getting in a little time on the mountains.

Upcoming shows include:

Friday, Jan. 13: Mocha Mayas, Shelburne Falls, MA
Saturday, Jan 14: Radio Bean, Burlington, VT
Sunday, Jan. 15: The Bees Knees, Morrisville, VT
Friday, Jan. 27: 51 Main at the Bridge, Middlebury, VT
Friday, Feb. 3: Parish Hall, Peterborough, NH
Wednesday, Feb 29: The Press Room, Portsmouth, NH

Check out Glenn’s calendar for more details.

Now all we need is snow! (The downside, of course, is having to travel in conditions that are great for skiing, but less than optimal for driving. So let’s hope for snow targeted precisely at the ski areas, to be exact. Am I asking too much?)

Looking back, we had a hectic and fun couple of months, spanning the holidays. I traveled to California over Thanksgiving with my friend and “coaster partner” (and a hell of a good musician/songwriter), Brian Larney, to ride our 300^th roller coaster. Wanting to make it something good, we had decided on San Diego’s Giant Dipper—and it was a wonderful choice, a classic, old woodie dating back to 1925, with wonderful views of the Pacific. We spent a long weekend splitting our time between amusement parks (Knottsberry Farm, Magic Mountain) and playing LA tourist (seeing bands at the venerableWhiskey; strolling the Venice Beach boardwalk). Fun and frenetic.

The week before Christmas found Glenn and me in Turks & Caicos, relaxing on deserted beaches, eating great food, and just enjoying a break. Glenn played a couple of gigs at The Lemon Café in Grace Bay, a really nice Mediterranean restaurant with great food and really nice people. Unfortunately, the vacation ended on a down note—on the way to drop off the rental car and fly home, we stopped for lunch, and the rental car was broken into. They stole Glenn’s pedal board, but oddly did not take the laptop or the guitar, which were also in the car. Let me hasten to say that Turks and Caicos is a wonderful place, friendly and pretty safe overall, and not at all sketchy. But crimes of opportunity happen everywhere, and we created the opportunity by parking in a bad spot (blocked by a larger vehicle from view and near a half built hotel complete with a hole in the surrounding fence—hunger makes you stupid). Fortunately, we got off relatively lightly, and he doesn’t seem too bummed at having to get new toys (i.e., gear).

New Year’s Eve was Montreal, just for the hell of it. Spent the previous night in Burlington (and enjoyed better-than-expected skiing/boarding at Bolton Valley), then headed up to Montreal. We had a great meal at Le Petite Italien, recommended to us by John, the chef from The Lemon Café, in TCI, who hails originally from Montreal, and just enjoyed the beautiful city. It was cold, and a lot of shops and restaurants in Old Montreal, where we stayed, were closed (the week between Christmas and New Year, many of the locals are on vacation and close up shop for a week or two), but we had fun traveling around on the Metro, finding great little food spots (if you’re in Old Montreal, definitely hit Le Gros Jambon, a cool and casual small-diner-vibe breakfast joint with delicious food), and just enjoying the moment.

A week in, I’m back to my nine-to-five (nine-to-six, really), and Glenn is busy booking gigs and writing new songs. We’re excited for the year ahead, and hoping to continue to enjoy the good fortune we’ve been blessed with so far. And hoping the same for you!

Glenn plays Greensleeves, December 2011, Grace Bay,...

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 11:03:48 -0500

Glenn plays Greensleeves, December 2011, Grace Bay, Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands

Upcoming Gigs - Winter 2011

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:52:39 -0500

Here’s where I’ll be!

This Wed., November 23: It’s the biggest party night of the year, and I’m opening for the exuberant Vermont-based Twiddle, at one of my favorite venues – Fairfield Theatre Company (Stage One) at 7 p.m. FTC is located at 70 Sanford Street, Fairfield, CT (right at the Fairfield train station). For ticket info., visit www.fairfieldtheatre.org.

Sat., December 3: Catch me at Riverdale Temple, 4545 Independence Avenue
Bronx, NY, from 7 to 9:30 p.m. http://www.riverdaletemple.org/

Sun., December 4: Just in time to see New York City in all its pre-holiday glory, I’m back in the East Village at Sidewalk Café, 94 Avenue A at Sixth Street, 7 p.m. sharp. http://www.antifolk.net/sidewalk.html

Fri., December 9: I’m psyched to make my return to Sono Caffeine, 133 Washington Street
South Norwalk, CT at 8 p.m. www.sonocaffeine.com

December 15 and 20: I’m really excited about this one too: fun, sun, and me playing at the Lemon Café, Turks & Caicos, Village of Grace Bay, 7-9 p.m. http://lemon-cafe.com/

Fri., December 23: Come out and celebrate the holidays in style with me at the fantastic Long Island winery, Castillo di Borghese, 17150 County Rte 48, Cutchogue, NY. I’m playing from 5:30-7:30 p.m. http://www.castellodiborghese.com/

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:49:14 -0400

Here’s Glenn’s latest newsletter. It’s the first one I’ve done. It ain’t fancy.

Glenn Roth

Fingerstyle Guitarist

www.glennroth.com

Upcoming gigs

Autumn 2011

Hey friends! I’m playing some great events over the next few weeks, so hope you can come out and enjoy the music! Check my website for ongoing information…

Sat., October 15: Brian & Jeanne Horton’s 7th Annual “Acoustic Evening” – Lost Acres Vineyards, 84 Lost Acres Road, North Granby, CT, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. RSVP to the Horton’s if you plan to attend. Bring a picnic supper and your camp chairs. $15 musician donation at the door.

Sat., October 22: Strings & Vines wine dinner, featuring five courses prepared by The Hellenic Restaurant and paired with wines from One Woman Vineyard, and a Batson guitars showcase –One Woman Wines & Vineyard, 5195 Old North Road, Southold, NY, from 7-10 p.m. Make a weekend of it—the North Fork of Long Island is especially beautiful this time of year, with farm stands and vineyards galore! (For a real treat, stay at the Coffey House Bed and Breakfast.)

Sat., October 29: Solo performance at the Riverdale Temple - 4545 Independence Avenue, Bronx, NY, at 7 p.m.

Thurs., November 10: I’ll be playing a set at Two Boots’ Indie Night, also featuring Kristen Ford, Kara Kulpa, and Kristen Graves – Two Boots of Bridgeport, 281 Fairfield Ave.
Bridgeport, CT, beginning at 9 p.m.

Sun., December 4: I’ll be returning to the Sidewalk Café on the Lower East Side of Manhattan – Sidewalk Café, 94 Avenue A at 6th St., New York, NY, 7 p.m. sharp.

More dates…

What I’ve been up to…

…Just spent an awesome weekend learning about harp guitars at The 9^th Annual Harp Guitar Gathering in Milford, CT. To learn more about these fascinating instruments, check out www.harpguitars.net and www.harpguitar.com.

…Writing new music, with a new CD planned for 2012. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for a sneak peek at what I’m working on!

…Touring the Midwest, including performances with Brian Henke, Akihiro Tanaka, and Shohei Toyoda in Ohio, three sets at the Kansas State Fair, a whirlwind weekend in Nashville, and other fun stops along the way. Come along for the ride via my tour vlog!

find me online

Keep me in mind…

Know someone looking for music for a private event (parties, weddings, holiday events, etc.)? Please feel free to share my information!

I hope you enjoy getting these updates—we never spam and never share your information! However, if you’d like to unsubscribe, please contact me with “unsubscribe” in your subject line.

Home again

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:47:00 -0400

Back from tagging along on Glenn’s tour—he’s still a couple of days out, driving back. (I flew back from Nashville yesterday.) He’ll be spending the night in Virginia with an old New Haven buddy, and will probably roll in sometime tomorrow. I’ll be back at work, which will be something of a mindshift, given the past days of movement and freedom. I love being on the road—the long drives (or, in my case this time, rides) don’t bother me, and there’s something about rolling into a new place, trying to get a sense of the local scene in a day or two through the music and food and the people you meet. In such a short time, it’s all impressions and probably nothing close to the reality of a place, but the images and experiences are indelible and, as with people, first impressions count.

Kansas was extremely hot when I got there, flying into Wichita. Glenn picked me up, and we headed about an hour southwest, to camp at a place called Cheney Lake. Since it was early in the week, we had the place to ourselves, pretty much, staying in one of the rustic cottages available for rent. With AC, kitchenette, and hot shower, it wasn’t exactly roughing it. A beautiful place and a comfortable stay.

Glenn played three sets at the Kansas State Fair. Some issues with the wind and one equipment failure were challenging, but he gave great performances and made some new fans. We had plenty of time to wander around and check out the fair, including spending time watching hilarious pig races. They’ll trot their little hearts out for an Oreo at the end of the course.

Onto Winfield, where Glenn performed a couple of days at College Hill Coffee, gearing up for the International Fingerstyle Competition at the Walnut Valley Festival. We had a lot of fun at “Winfield,” as it’s commonly called (or “Bluegrass,” if you’re talking to a Winfield native). Tommy Emmanuel was jaw-droppingly good, as he always is—such an eclectic, electrifying player, with such great technique and energy and heart. Seeing him play a few songs with Stephen Bennett was a treat—the camaraderie and skill were so evident. Getting to see last year’s fingerstyle competition winner, Akiro Tanaka, perform was great too—Aki has such energy, precision, and skill, and has so much fun playing, that he’s a pleasure to hear. And he’s a really nice, funny guy too.

The competitors were top notch, overall, as they were last year. Glenn played great! He also got to perform at Stage 5, which was a treat and went over really well. As far as the competition goes, I especially enjoyed Henry Chen, who placed in the top five, and 2nd place winner Tomoaki Kawabata. Both were just amazing players.

Onto Nashville, where we spent three fun-filled days. Too much food, never enough music, and time spent visiting with our friends, the Batson Brothers, luthiers based in Nashville. Glenn played Taps and Tapas and The Listening Room, we briefly met American Idol’s Bo Bice (who is a really nice guy), and we just had a blast.

Check out Glenn’s tour videos at www.youtube.com/heevamos.

Glenn Roth Tour Vlog—setting out….

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 21:14:22 -0400

Glenn Roth Tour Vlog—setting out….

On Tour

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 21:12:26 -0400

I’m packed, the house is clean (enough), and I’m flying out at 7 a.m. tomorrow to meet up with Glenn in Kansas on his tour. Road trip, yeah! I’m an old hand at ‘em (racking up three hundred roller coasters takes some traveling), but it never gets old for me. A week and a half of being unplugged, camping most of the time, seeing some fantastic musicians, and getting to hang with my honey. All’s well with the world.

A highlight is the Walnut Valley Music Festival, in Winfield Kansas. Some of the world’s finest guitar players performing (Tommy Emmanuel, Beppe Gambetta, Stephen Bennett and on and on!), and getting to see some of the good folks we met last year at Winfield. Once again, Glenn will be competing—this is like the Olympics of fingerstyle, so it’s exciting and amazing to watch such top-notch players. The other competitions (banjo, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, etc.) are equally riveting!

Glenn’s doing another tour vlog: www.youtube.com/heevamos will get you there. With luck, there won’t be anything nearly as dramatic as last year’s tornado!

From Kansas to Nashville (where I’ll get to see my niece, who just started Vanderbilt University)—it’s going to be a great trip.

Here’s the gig list; come on out if you’re local!

Mon., 9/12: Kansas State Fair: Glenn performs at 10, 2, and 5. I’m excited for this gig, and not just because of the pig races! (I lived with a potbellied pig, Zoe, for 14 years, so trust me when I say that piggies can *move* when they want to.)

Tues. & Wed., 9/13 & 14: College Hill Coffee, Winfield Kansas

Thurs., 9/15: Winfield Fingerstyle Guitar Competition: the best of the best!

Sunday, 9/18: Belcourt Tapas/Commodore Grill, Nashville, TN

Mon., 9/19: Listening Room, Nashville, TN

more to come!

Glenn Roth Plays Guitar

Pics from the first annual “Lymestock,” benefitting...

My fingerstlye cover of Ozzy’s Mama I’m Coming Home.

This is the first slack-key guitar song I’ve learned,...

Adventures in Kansas - Walnut Valley Festival, International Fingerstyle Guitar Competition

Glenn Roth - Top 5 Finalist in Walnut Valley Festival’s...

Glenn performing Waterfall and Mama I’m Coming Home during...

Arriving in Winfield, KS

Oh, the places you’ll go! New friends at this...

Glenn performs at one of our favorite events, the Block Island...

Glenn Roth plays an plays on an unusual stage (top of a...

Speech, after long silence

Another Dimension - Glenn Roth (live, Hartford, Connecticut)

Green days

A bright, shiny new year!

Glenn plays Greensleeves, December 2011, Grace Bay,...

Upcoming Gigs - Winter 2011

Newsletter

Home again

Glenn Roth Tour Vlog—setting out….

On Tour