Big Timber, Montana – October 10 & 11, 2009

Attention guitar players!! Now is the time to sign up for Spencer Bohren’s autumn acoustic guitar workshop to be held in Big Timber, Montana, amid the scenic grandeur of Sweet Grass County where the Yellowstone River meets the Boulder River in the shadow of the mysterious Crazy Mountains before flowing into Yellowstone National Park. There’s no prettier place to make friends with other players and singers while learning how to get the most from your acoustic guitar.

We will spend two full days playing blues, country, folk, gospel and original songs, and in the process we will cover finger picking, flat picking, open tunings, musical philosophy, singing and song writing. The students influence the direction of the workshop, and breakfast and lunch are provided.

Big Timber is an intact western town where you almost expect to run into Bat Masterson and Doc Holliday playing cards in the saloon of the historic Grand Hotel or witness a cattle stampede on the edge of town. The air is pure, the citizens are friendly, and you will have a great time playing music with no distractions. Guaranteed!

Early Birds get a deal if they sign up before August 10. For additional details please call Marie Thibeault at 406.932.6771, or email her at marie@mtintouch.net.

Greetings from beleaguered, broken, but unbowed and still beautiful New Orleans. The past year has been trying and difficult in ways I could never have envisioned, and the drama is far from over. Progress is being made, though, however slowly, and good things will continue to emerge in the aftermath of last summer’s apocalyptic storm. Many musicians and artists are experiencing a powerful creative surge these days. A couple months ago, my Muse whispered verse after verse in my ear, filling my mind’s eye with pictures of pre and post-storm New Orleans, and hanging them all on the image of the high-water mark that poisonous floodwaters left all over our beloved city when the levees failed. I premiered the song, titled, ‘THE LONG BLACK LINE,’ for approximately a thousand people in the middle of my set at the storied New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival last month, and an incredible thing happened…

Before the final notes of my lapsteel guitar drifted away, the entire audience had risen to its feet, openly weeping! The song’s multiple references to the issues and questions every New Orleanian presently faces obviously hit home in a big way with the people who chose to join me at the Lagniappe Stage that day. Since that afternoon, my mailbox has been filled with requests for the song, and I am pleased to be able to offer it, free of charge, to anyone who wants to hear it.

This recording of ‘THE LONG BLACK LINE’ is an advance copy, part of an album of the same name, that was recorded in Germany in April. For some, it will serve as a reminder of what we’ve been through. For those who do not live in New Orleans, and cannot possibly understand our trials, it will hopefully provide a glimpse of the tribulations our battered city still faces. In any event, this song belongs to the people of New Orleans, and I encourage all of you to download it, listen to it, and share it generously.

To get your copy of ‘THE LONG BLACK LINE,’ simply go to spencerbohren.com, and click on the image listed as “Spencer’s newest music.” You will also be offered a PDF File of some cover art, if you want to dress up your copy a bit. Then listen. Be forewarned, this ain’t no party song.

Thank you all for your support over the decades. Hope to see you at the gig someday soon.

Warm Regards,

Spencer Bohren