At the Quick Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, March 17, I played banjo with Orchestra New England on Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. We read the original arrangement as it was performed by Paul Whiteman's orchestra when it debuted in 1925. It was an all Gershwin program, the music was lush and beautiful, played by the finest classical musicians in the New York metro area.

I was the featured songwriter at the LYRICS COFFEEHOUSE SERIES on Friday, March 2, 2007 at the Redding Community Center, 37 Lonetown Road, Redding, CT. Me and the boys from HOE performed 2 sets, one of all the usual HOE faves plus a set of my material, some old and some new ones which will be appearing on my next solo CD tentatively entitled "BEACON". This is a prestigious engagement and I'm flattered to have been selected to perform my music there. In fact, we broke the attendance record for the event--as we did at the Acoustic Cafe in December--and have been invited back for a return engagement at the Coffeehouse on Friday, December 7, 2007.

On February 27, 2007 Chris Berardo saw the national release of his new CD, "Ignoring All the Warning Signs" which I co-produced with label head Dave Moody. We recorded basic tracks in Charlotte, NC at the studio owned by his label, Lamon Records. Overdubbing took place here in Connecticut. As of April 27, 2007, this CD was number 4 on XM Satelite Radio's "X COUNTRY" chart, receiving in the vicinity of 30 spins daily. It is also in heavy rotation on cable tv's MORE MUSIC among many others. Here's Lamon's press release:

I produced a CD for composer/arranger/violinist LARRY DEMING called "JOURNEY TO THE EAST" that I'm very proud of. It is best described as contemporary chamber music (cello, viola, violins, alto sax, ethnic percussion) with a world music flavor. Besides being a virtuoso player, Larry is an innovative composer/arranger. His work on this set explores themes and sounds garnered from his travels in Asia and the cultures he encountered there when a member of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. You can buy a copy at music-z.com.

Also on the recording front: JUDD FULLER released his debut cd (another DN production) "GROCERY STORE ROSES" on May 4 2005. It's all acoustic with a bluegrass/roots flavor. Judd wrote all the tunes--except one, see below--plays mean guitar and sings his ass off. The tracks were recorded live--including all Judd's lead vocals, which tells you something about this guy's ability.

We played a string of SRO concert dates in the Northeast to celebrate the release. Among the many highlights was having Peter Wolf join us onstage in Boston to sing his song "SOME THINGS YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW" which we covered on the disc. Initial reviews are excellent, the Boston Herald said the cd has staying power and the Martha's Vineyard Times published a favorable piece about the music. Visit music-z.com to purchase the disc. You can see Judd on tour playing bass with Nashville's hit singer Rodney Adkins.

The MARC DOUGLAS BERARDO cd "As You Make Your Way" (produced by yours truly...) continues to be recognized by the songwriting community: the track "The Story" was nominated for a Just Plain Folks 2004 Music Award as song of the year in the male singer/songwriter category. He also was recognized in March '05 at PLOWSHARES convention and will be a judge at next year's event.

Speaking of Marc, his new CD "HARBOR" (also produced by yours truly...) is available at shows and online at http://cdbaby.com/cd/mdberardo3. While at this page on cdbaby make sure to read the reviews at the bottom of the page--let's just say this one is being warmly received by fans and critics alike: read a rave on-line review from The Muses Muse Online magazine.

In July '05 HOE and Bluegrass maestro NICK NOVIA of Big Apple'acchia combined forces to record a segment of JIM MOTAVALLI'S "WEEKLY SONG PROJECT". Jim and GREG PACKHAM produced the track and Jim wrote an article about the process that appeared in the Fairfield County Weekly. The story and the track was also featured on the Weekly's web site www.fairfieldweekly.com.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT THE HOE CD...
"The original music is fresh and interesting"--Bluegrass Now Magazine, March '05
"Great songwriter"--Fairfield County Weekly, July '05
"Cool banjo instrumentals"--Banjo Newsletter
For more about HOE, visit www.hoesite.com

I played on the soundtrack for a documentary that airs on PBS stations around the country called "THE AUCTION" scored by the incomparable LIAM BAILEY. Watch for it...I also played on Liam's first cd which was released in 2004...

I played banjo, mandolin, and dobro on the cd accompanying the acclaimed book I HEAR AMERICA SINGING. Published by KNOPF in 2000, it's a book with lyrics, notation, and history of American folk songs. From what I'm told it is an American Library Association Notable book, as well as a Booklist Editor's choice, and a School Library Journal Book of The Year. Wow!! Pretty heady stuff for a simple banjo picker.

Note to mandocaster searchers: I sold this instrument in May 2005--good luck finding another one...

From time to time the HISTORY CHANNEL broadcasts a project I was involved with. I played a bunch of instruments (all the banjo, dobro, etc...I'm the string band!) on the soundtrack of the documentary called "SCOTT", the story of Wendel Scott, the first black man to race in the NASCAR circuit. The soundtrack was produced by MARK EPSTEIN. Speaking of Mark, he hired me recently to work on another soundtrack project, that documentary will probably air at the beginning of '04.