We're pleased to be participating in the TEDx Greenville Conference on Friday March 5.  The Conference will be at the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center Auditorium on the Clemson University ICAR Campus from 8:30am to 5:00pm.  More information is available at tedxgreenville.com.  In addition to performing as a duo, we will accompany Paul Anderegg during his flatfoot dancing performance.  Should be a fun and informative day!

On Saturday March 13, we'll be serving up a selection of irish & celtic tunes at Downtown Coffeehouse and Creamery in Greenville to help celebrate the upcoming Saint Patrick's Day.   And, if anyone wants music for a St Patrick's Day event, let us know.   We're free that day!

Hope to see you all somewhere soon!  Have a happy & safe March!

Hope you're staying warm this winter.  We've had either rain or frozen precipitation almost every weekend so far this year.  We're ready for some nice weekends, at least!

Lucy was looking at the calendar after learning that the Native Americans (not sure which tribe, Wikipedia is a bit vague on that point) name each full moon of the year. We start with Freedom Day on the first, followed by Groundhog day on the 2nd. The Chinese will celebrate their New Year with the new moon of February (Year of the Tiger), which also falls on Valentine's Day, just after Lincoln's Birthday and before the US Gov Holiday, President's Day (which this year is also the same date as Susan B. Anthony Day, Nirvana Day, and in Canada, Family Day).  If you just want to focus on the month, you can celebrate both American Heart Month and Black History Month.  With all of that going on, we all can celebrate something!

We'll be having fun at a couple gigs this month. First, on Friday we'll join the Fine Art Ramblers for a fun evening at the Coffee Underground. Then a week and a day later we'll be at Downtown Coffee House and Creamery in Mauldin to celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day.  Red is good for either celebration, in case you're in a quandary as to what to wear.

Hope you have a great month, and we'd love to see you!

Marshall & I had a great time playing Christmas tunes (and some of our regular stuff) during December at both private and public venues.  Loved being at Smiley's as the last gig before Christmas.  We hope to be back there soon, possibly for a songwriter night.

We're working on some new (or at least recycled) tunes and songs, and dusting off some that we haven't played in awhile.  Our first gig of the year will be back on home turf, at the Downtown Coffee and Creamery on Butler Road in Mauldin.  In early February, we'll be headed back to Coffee Underground and to Hagood Mill.

The BattleAxe Band (Lucy, Amy, Michele, and Nancy) will be playing not one, but TWO dances in January, the first for the new City Dance at St. Mark's Church. This dance replaced the one at the YWCA and is organized by Harvest Moon Folk Society.  The second one is a benefit for the Environmental Action Group at Furman University, with Jennie Wakefield as the caller.

Finally, we want to wish Jim Hurst (our friend and former producer) all the best as he moves to his new solo career after playing with Claire Lynch for so many years.  Jim is a great guitarist & performer and we recommend him to other music lovers.

 We just added links to a bunch of musicians who are in or near Greenville, under Upstate Musicians (and if I missed you, let me know!).

 On a non-musical topic, the Oatmeal may be a very bizarre website, but occasionally has some choice posts.  One is "10 words you need to stop misspelling" Check it out! http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling. 

 Thanks to all for supporting live music.

We've pulled out our Christmas songs and started practicing for the upcoming holidays. We love learning new info about the songs each year. For instance, this year we learned that Jingle Bells was originally intended as a Thanksgiving Day song, not Christmas. Not that we're likely to be dashing through the snow here in South Carolina on either holiday, but still... An interesting historical item!

Most of the shows this month will feature music for the season, while some will also include our usual eclectic mix of tunes. We're also working on some new tunes and songs and dusting off some old ones to perform at our shows in 2010.

We're thrilled to be heading back to Village Cup and to Christmas at Connemara at the Carl Sandburg Home this month, and we always enjoy the variety Ed Harrison brings to the 3rd Saturday Celebration at Hagood Mill. If you've never been to the Mill, you're missing a treat.

Also sponsored by the Pickens County Cultural Commission is a new exhibit that should be of interest to music lovers--"Story Song and Image" a collaborative project by Glen MIller and John Fowler, combining music and paintings. The show will be at the Pickens County Museum of Art & History from Dec 12 to Feb 12th (other art shows opening that date, too). We've heard quite a bit about this collaboration from both artists, and are really excited to see the project!

Finally, we'll be playing at Smiley's on Dec 19th in the early evening slot (7-9:30ish). We're glad to be playing at this venue, featuring live music 7 nights a week and really great food, too!

Thanks for all your support. Hope all of you enjoy the holidays, and we'd love to see you at a show.

We have a compact set of shows coming up this month, especially this first weekend--should be something for everyone! The show at the Downtown Coffee House and Creamery in Mauldin will be a benefit for BikeMS. On the 4th and on the 17th we'll be sharing the stage with our friends the Fine Art Ramblers (http://www.greenvillesouth.com/ramblers.htm), first at Music in the Woods at Paris Mountain State Park, and later in the Coffee Underground theatre.

On Sunday, July 5th we'll be doing music at the Upcountry History Museum, focusing this time on music from the 18th and 19th centuries and the associated instrumentation. Last but not least, we'll be providing music to the shoppers at the Carolina First Saturday Market in downtown Greenville. Come on out Sat am and pick up some fresh produce.

If you're looking for us in Laurens, the Village Cup has put music on hold till the Fall, so check back later this year!

And thanks for all your support of live music.

Since the last note we've had lots of rain (thankfully!) and lots of signs of spring here.

Marsh and I had a great time playing celtic tunes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and now are working on some fresh tunes and songs for our upcoming shows. Not on our regular calendar, we'll be playing at Piazza Bergamo tomorrow evening (Friday, April 3) from 5:30 to 7:30 pm as part of the City of Greenville's Acoustic Cafe. Our friend Brooke Lauer will be joining us.

We're looking forward to trips to Bear on the Square and Merlefest later in the month. No official gigs there, though we'll be playing some at both. We'll also be joining some friends to play oldtime music during the lunch hour (noon-1) at the Prime of Life Expo at the Carolina First convention Center on May 7th.

As we mentioned earlier, we are having a wedding celebration on May 9th. We have a nice graphic that some of you may have received separately, but we're not yet able to send it in this format. So here is the info! If you'd like to see the pretty version, send me a reply email and I'll send it separately.

Lucy Hawthorne Allen and Marshall Alan Goers

Invite you to A celebration of their Marriage

May 9th, 1-5 pm Potluck picnic and Music Jam

Paris Mountain State Park Picnic Shelter A http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/722.aspx

Please join us to honor this happy occasion. Feel free to bring your hiking boots and go off on a trail for part of the time, or stay late for the Music in the Woods series in the amphitheatre at 6 pm. Or stay late and Jam On!

No gifts, please. Your presence is the greatest gift.

*Note: There is a $2.00 entry fee to the park

In the Calendar are the other shows coming up. Hope to see you sometime soon!