We arrived in the early afternoon in Farmington, Maine. There is nothing quite so picturesque as a tiny college town, brimming with smart students and intertwining with autumn color. All seemed hastily swirling about thanks to a classic breeze that can indeed only be described as crisp.
Except for the uncomfortable seats that would soon afflict our dear audience, Nordica Auditorium’s acoustical vastness was it’s most notable quality. There were giant windows, a very high ceiling, a massive stage, and countless blanketed pianos milling off to the side. Our soundcheck was easy, fast, and refreshing.
Before the show, we held workshop on explorations of getting started in Gypsy jazz. Our circle of guitarists was a great group and everyone seemed to get the hang of some new techniques by the end of the day. We all enjoyed opening some musical doors for interested folk, and were glad to meet some locals. It makes our travel a little more memorable, a little more meaningful. Another treat was all the familiar faces, some from many, many years ago. That’s one of the best things about playing in an artsy place like Farmington. You’ll see someone you know!
We thank all of you who helped with promotion in any way at all, and we thank our generous audience for the standing ovation—even though it meant another 10 minutes in the hardest seats in the world. Hopefully you all went to sleep that night with a joyful frenzy of notes cascading about in your head. We’re into that.
Live at Mehanata Bulgarian Bar. This is a seriously cool venue. We started playing there in March and they have been so kind to us inviting us back every month since. It is such a hip place with a hip staff. They usually feature the best in live world and Gypsy music… it is the place where Gogol Bordello lifted his career off the ground. So come out and check out the link to the promo video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1dAnkproSE
Ameranouche is wrapping up the summer with some huge breakthroughs.
As you see in the subject line, Ameranouche will be opening for Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins at the legendary Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island on Sunday, August 10th at 11am. This is huge! Other artists in the line-up include headliner Aretha Franklin, Bad Plus, Dave Holland, Soullive and many more.
Ameranouche is the first Gypsy Jazz group to ever play at the Newport Jazz Festival since it started in 1954, so this is history in the making. Many thanks go out to Ourstage for making this oppurtunity available to us, and to all the folks who did and did not vote for us. Every opinion counts!
In other news, Ameranouche was recently voted New Hampshires Best 2008 by the readers of NH magazine. Also, the National Lampoons movie “Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell” was released this month on DVD, which features 3 songs from our debut CD. You can rent or buy this movie online, or ask your local video store to order a copy. And finally, Ameranouche will be releasing a new CD in September, 2008!
And if that isn’t enough, check out our calendar for concerts in August. We are playing 9 shows up and down the East Coast. From Maine to Mass, R.I. to NYC and down to NJ, we are nouching all over the place.
Cheers,
Ryan Ameranouche www.ourstage.com/fanclub/ameranouche
Having arrived after a show at Mehanata Bulgarian Bar (Manhattan) in the very wee hours, the Ameranouche caravan set up tents and zonked readily out. Being nestled in the Catskills and lulled by the rolling melody of the River has a sweetness that we can all agree on. None of us mind not agreeing on everything. It just makes it all the sweeter when it does happen.
In the morning light, we enjoyed the long-awaited first glimpse of our surroundings. In the down time, we went over a few of our trickier tunes. A man with a name that sounded like “Taco” wandered over to our rehearsal and we ended up doing an impromptu mini-set for his family, a few campsites down. That’s another thing that we all agree on: That we are here to spread good music, Seeing peoples’ faces light up when they hear it makes us feel very thankful. We packed up and drove north, energized.
Our friends at Stony Creek Inn, which is either more rustic than charming, or more charming than rustic, or both, are in our thoughts all the time. They confront more perils than anyone should have to confront, and once again we are glad to have music at our fingertips in order to convey the unconveyable. They are up and running, the place is hopping, the burritos are luscious, and we thank our friends there for coming out.
Being in a Gypsy jazz band is all about learning experiences. For instance, I’ve learned that every year at about this time, guitarists need to be dunked in Schroon Lake, and then there needs to be ice cream. Fortunately we had a gig at the Boathouse Concert Series, conveniently located about 10 feet from the water’s edge, so we piled in the van once again to be a) refreshed and b) once again wowed by the wonderful audience with friends both new and old.
A most alluring hammock welcomed us to the guest house where we landed that night. Everyone wanted it until we realized it looked more comfortable than it was. We all were so glad to be resting and not driving, though, as stood the original plan. Big thanks to our wonderful host and hostess.
Once again, we’d arrived after dark, so our surroundings were first sighted upon awakening. This time we were in a fabulous structure (our host, himself, the architect!) with glorious lines and windows and gardens all culminating in a truly home-y, snug abode, complete with dog and cat. And right, smack in the Adirondack Mountains. Splendid.
The morning’s drive led us out of the Adirondacks, though a town called Paradox, and past magnificent views with rocks, lakes and almost enough mountains to placate the bass player. We took a shortcut that involved a neat little cable-ferry across the river at Vermont’s border.
Abruptly, the mountains became rolling hills. Farmland and wildflowers, fluttering of breeze, and decent roads had us cruising home in top form, home to our families and comforts. The southern edges of the Green Mountains and then a check engine light were the last few notable bits of the adventure.
Hopefully we’ll see you at the Gorham Music Festival in Maine on Sunday, July 27th. Till then…be ‘Nouchey!
We are truly excited about the advances that Ameranouche has made over the last year. From winning #1 in December’s Ourstage College Clash, to being voted New Hampshires Best 2008, this year has been quite a busy and rewarding time for us. It seems much of our hard work over the years is starting to pay off…a little. We want to thank everyone on Ourstage and beyond. Even if you did’nt vote for Ameranouche on Ourstage.
I have some down-right amazing news about what is going to happen next with Ameranouche, but I am not allowed to mention this one yet… but it is big I promise, and we are very excited to tell you about it… next month.
All that being said, I would like to end this message by inviting you to leave a comment on this page, visit our profile frequently and join our fanclub on Ourstage. Just go to the top of our profile and click the button on top right. You won’t recieve any spam from us at all… but by joining our fanclub, you will truly have an effect on our future success here on Ourstage, so please join the fanclub if you like the group.
Thanks and peace to all, Ryan Ameranoche
