Category: Arts Academy in the Woods

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Happy New Year

Happy new year to all! This year is suiting up to be a great one. There are some Major changes in the works. For starters I have return to my position at Gus Zoppies Music Center as a guitar and bass instructor for private lessons. I will be taking students Monday thru Thursday nights. If you are interested in taking lessons you can call (586) 978-1816 for available time slots. Lessons are $20 per 1/2 hour. I have a promotion going on for all students. If you refer a new student that takes at least one full month of lessons I will give you 2 free lessons.

Also, I am leaving Arts Academy in the Woods. This was a hard change to make but I am looking forward to spending more time working on the many projects I have had in the works for some time now including new solo guitar tunes, an acoustic duo and songwriting with Jon Vidal, and Jazz music with Chuck Bartel.

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School is back in session

School has been back in session now for a couple of months. This year at Arts Academy in the Woods I am teaching 3 guitar classes, a piano class and Jazz band. It has been a lot of work so far. Far busier that I have ever been before. But tomorrow I get to reap the rewards as my students will be performing in their first concert this year. "Come Together" a choral and instrumental concert will begin at 7pm. It is free and open to the public, however we will accept donations to the music department during the event. For more infomation click here.

Also happening at AAW, we have David Blair coming in for a live poetry and music performance on Friday, October 30th. This will be the second year we have been fortunate enough to have such an inspirational artist perform for us. If you have not heard of Blair before please check him out. The assembly is free and open to the public but you must check in at the front office to recieve a guest pass if you would like to attend. The assembly will start at 2:17 and will last till 3:10. Click Here to watch video of Blair.

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Summer Vacation

Summer vacation is flying by!! Whew! This week there a ton of performances to check out. For starters I have 2 gigs with 7MJ this FRI/SAT at Lake Point Yacht Club in Livonia (rocking room with a great patio). Then on SUN I am playing solo at a new venue, Gala Bistro in
Farmington (check out the shows page for more info). And on TUES I will be playing a second show at Vintage Tavern in Port Huron with Jon Vidal. I am very excited about this show since the first show with Jon and I as a duo went very well and I get to exercise my vocal chords
again. Vintage Tavern is a great listening room with incredible food, spirits and atmosphere. Even if you are not able to make this show I strongly reccommend heading out to Vintage Tavern for dinner, it is worth the drive!

Jenny Brady and I finished the promo video for AAW!! Video production was provided by Electric Image Studio. There are two versions, a 30 second and 10 minute. I am proud to announce that the song at the end of the
10 minute version was written and recorded by Jon Vidal and I at Studio 1946 and features Jillian Bundy AKA Jilly Mae on vocals! Watch out for Jilli! She is an incredibly talented young lady
that is destine for greatness. Her debut CD is in the finishing stages and will hopefully be ready soon. As for the video you can check
it out on the AAW YouTube page. Please leave a comment and let us know what you think. Also there are over 50 videos uploaded from the events at Arts Academy.

The summer has not been all work… My wife and I did manage to get away for a few days here and there. We spent 2 days in Saugatuck!
Wow! Amazing beaches. Wish we could have stayed longer but being only 3 hours from home hopefully we will get to cruise out there again before summer ends. We also journeyed back up to Alpena to visit with the family. Rejuvinating as always!

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Summer Vacation

Summer vacation from AAW has begun… I am trying to unwind while getting ready for some great summer gigs. For startes this coming Tuesday, June 30, 2009, my good friend Jon Vidal and I will be performing our first gig together as an acoustic guitar duo playing tons of our favorite pop tunes. This will be my first attempt at lead vocals! We will also be performing our original solo material thoughout the night. The show will start at 8 PM at The Vintage Tavern in Port Huron. MAP

Also, 7MJ is booked just about every weekend till the end of the year. Check out the shows page to find a place near you. If you have suggestions for venues you think might be looking for some good entertainment email me the name and location and I will be very greatful for the leads.

As for everything else… I am still working on it… The 3rd CD is still in the works, Studio 1946 is still working on some great projects that I can’t wait to share with you, Arts Academy in the Woods is still accepting new students and to the best of my knowledge I will still be the guitar instuctor at AAW next year (although enrollment may be limited this year so please enroll early), I am still available for private lessons throughout the summer, and I am still working with Chuck Bartel & Jullian VanSlyke to put together more jazz performances.

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Acoustic Show and Holiday Concert

Acoustic show tonight! I am really excited! I have not done an acoustic show in quite a while other than a song or two here and there. Not only am I playing an acoustic show, I am playing it at Bakers Keyboard Lounge, one of the most respected stages in the world of Jazz music. It is always such an honor to play there, but tonight is especially exciting because I will be playing my original music. I can’t wait!

Also, need to mention that this Thursday, December 18th is also a very big deal for me. The AAW Guitar Ensemble Holiday Concert will be a 7pm on The Woods stage inside Arts Academy in the Woods. While teaching was never my goal in life, it has proved to be one the most satisfying experiences in my life, especially at AAW. I am so proud of the progress of my students. Many other them have gone well beyond learning to play a few tunes or cords but have let music take over their souls. This concert will include all 5 classes playing together both holiday favorites as well as some of the other classic songs we have been working on throughout the year. This is a free concert that is open to the public. Even if you are not involved with this school or its students come check out the amazing things that are going on here! I promise you will be inspired!

Happy Holiday!

Nate