9/28/13 Rushad Eggleston, Clinton Corners, NY 7:00pm
It is by no small coincidence that my first musical opportunity announcement here happens to be for a friend of mine. I must say that I am honored and humbled to share this with you all, as I am always humbled and awed by Rushad's performances, whether in public, or sitting around a camp site just goofing around. Let not that fact that Rushad and I are friends dissuade you from pursuing this opportunity. If you be a traditional music fan, or that of a more classical pursuant, this will be a night to enjoy. Assuming you are not familiar with the talents of Rushad Eggleston, let me regale you with some details of note. Classically trained and practiced, Rushad is a graduate of the Berklee School of Music, and to my knowledge the only person to have been awarded a full cello scholarship at that prestigious institution.Cello? You say, well thats not for me. Hold on there just a doggone minute partner and hear me out. First, let me point out that unless you have actually seen Rushad in performance, you have no idea what this will be like. NOPE, Not a clue. But that's OK, because I will give you a little primer.
Hailing from Monterey, CA and currently living in LA, Rushad was a founding member of Crooked Still, prior to that he played with Fiddlers 4 which relaeased a Grammy nominated CD and he also played with Draol Anger's Republic of Strings which brought him national prominence. Rusahd released "Plyahouse of the Universe" in 2006 with The Wild Band of Snee. Rusahd is also known for his current band, Tornado Rider which is aptly named for sure, playing a wild combination of music that wends between head banger heavy metal and sublime, if not jazzed up classic derivations.
As for his performance style, well that is hard to describe accurately. I have seen folks hear his music and in the first 2 minutes discount him as a comedian, but then after listening for a few more minutes, they begin to pay attention to his playing and the complexities and realize this in 'no gimmick'. In a few more minutes they are wrapped in his web and joining the growing crowd of people who are laughing clapping, singing, stomping, and dancing. Such is his magic, that it takes both the youth and the aged along his path. I have seen him do this with the sophisticated classical fans as well as with a class of 8 year olds, both with equal results. If you are in fact, a skilled strings musician, you can lose the whole evening just watching his left hand. It would take another evening to understand what he does with that bow and how he makes those sounds. Some folks have a hard time wrapping their brains around a cellist who plays his instrument as if it was a guitar, including the use of a pick (if I'm lyin', I'm dyin'). I don't even mention here that athleticism enters into what Rushad does (you will have t see that for yourself). (Wait, WHAT? Did he say 'athleticism' in a post about a cello performance? What is THAT all about?)
Rushad has played with such a huge list of people that I won't even attempt to mention them here, he is widely sought after as an instructor at various high end strings camps around the country, not the least of which are the Mike Block string camps. Rushad has also recently released and instructional video from Homespun Tapes (June 2013), and it is rumored he has a new CD which we are all hoping he will have with him for this very concert.
Having schooled in Boston, he has many friends in that area, and we are extremely fortunate that Rushad is also friends with Dean Seabrook, who lives right here in Woodstock. Dean was kind and thoughtful enough to set up a house concert back in September of 2012 which I attended and met with Dean for the first time. Following that Dean set up another, as a fund raiser at a middle School in Lake Katrine, then another, which I tried to help find a venue for and wound up, fortuitously in a small barn in Clinton Corners, NY. I say fortuitously because that's just what it was. We were desperate for a place and Dean and I were calling everybody and every venue we knew of. They were all booked or unavailable. As we spread our reach out further and farther to friends of friends, Dean came in contact with Russ, who had the P-E-R-F-E-C-T place, New friendships were formed and great joy was had by all. This will be the second time that Rushad will appear at this barn and nobody who was there before will opt out of this one, for sure. (This venue is so nice, that I am trying to get some other performers to check it out in the hope that they might choose to do some recording there, or try out some new tunes in a low key setting.)
IN ADDITION to Rushad, as if that were not enough, we will also be blessed with the presence of 3 other great musicians: Sam Weiser, Gabe Terracciano, and Danny Fishman will be coming down from MA to open and possibly (probably) play with Rushad. I think I may have met Sam at a festival in passing, but I really don't know these guys except to note that Sam is what all consider to be a prodigy on the violin. You can check out some stuff he has on you tube. You can also check out Rsuahd there as well, but you will get over 8,000 hits for his videos because when folks see him perform they all say "Wow, I gotta get some video of this guy!"
Please note that I don't provide a more detailed plan of what will transpire that night. If you know Rushad, then you know that to do so, or attmpt it, would be folly. Nobody knows what Rushad might do, or not, and to try to predict anything would be folly indeed. But I will say this, Rushad works in the moment, and this can be confusing and disorienting to the casual observer (It's supposed to be). He tailors his work to what the moment demands which includes the environment, the audience, his mood, even the weather. I can also say that what he has offered, at every performance I have seen, has never disappointed me or anyone else that I can tell. This is an unusual and exceptional opportunity.
But wait, there's more... this particular date, September 28th, has turned out to be a busy one, and many of the other invited musicians are working elsewhere. In addition, the IBMA awards and convention are on that same weekend, so we have lost a large number of folks that would like to attend, and perhaps, cut a tune or two. None the less, there are others who have been invited and may attend if they are not working other gigs, so you never know who might show up. Just sayin'.
If you would like to attend, and you should, Clinton Corners is just 15 minutes from the Kingston area, as well as Poughkeepsie. The entry fee is damned cheap if you ask me. Send an email to the address on the poster below and we'll get you on the list. This isn't a big venue. In fact, it is a barn on private property. This is a house concert, not a club event. Please keep that in mind. (It might not be a bad idea to throw a bag chair in your car, because seating (that is, chairs) might be in short supply.)
So, you can follow the instructions on the flyer below, or if you are a Face Book person, go here and join the party.
Tom
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