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A website for Mandolin enthusiasts
of all styles
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A personal note
works in progress... life (and my choices in it) continue to propel me forward
at an astonishing pace! For those of you that have expressed interest in
Seventy-Seven Head Bangin' Hot Licks for the Procrastinating Mandolinist,
the project is still in the works. Good things come to those who wait!
"National Flatpick Championship Walnut Valley Mandolin"
contest for the SECOND TIME!
2004 National Flatpick Championship 1998 National Flatpick Championship Only one other person has won this National competition multiple times.
David Peters was a Three Time Champion who sadly passed away in December of 1999.
Bruce is in great company, other as past winners include; Chris Thile, Carlo Aonzo,
Radim Zenkl, Randy Howard, Paul Glasse, and Bobby Clark!
Bruce is proud to be an
endorsing artist for
Weber Mandolins
made by Sound to Earth Ltd.
in Logan, Montana.
Bruce traveled there this summer to
select woods, and to salvage the only
small pieces of wood left from his
Great-Grandfather's original homestead
outside Greyclif, Montana. The cabin was
consumed by a forest fire in 2003.
What was left of the original log cabin burned
in a forest fire that swept
through the area in 2003. There were only a few small pieces of
charcoal
left in the ashes of the cabin. Bruce Weber and his team were
able to salvage
just enough useable wood from the one softball sized piece of
charcoal
to make a pickguard for his new custom Fern Mandolin.
Visit our Weber
Artist page to see pics of Bruce's new
custom Weber Fern, some Weber factory pics, and pics of the homestead
cabin in 2001, when about half the cabin walls were still standing,
and more pics taken in 2004, after it burned.
Bruce was elected to the office of President
by
The Classical
Mandolin Society of America,
which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to
"promotion of the Mandolin family of
instruments,
and works written for those instruments."
CMSA sponsors an annual convention in a different
North American city each year. The 2005 convention
will be held in Denver, Colorado, November 16-21, 2005.
Keep an eye on the CMSA
site for news on the
society and it's developmental plans and projects.
Bruce finally got to play the Grand Ole Opry!
The event was the 2003 Showchoir Nationals competition
held in Nashville at the Opry. Bruce performed with the
combo that accompanies his daughter's showchoir;
the Hillside Singers. Hillside made finals, and took
Fourth Place in the national competition, so there were
performances on both Friday and Saturday!
A dad couldn't ask for anything greater than performing
with his daughter! Here is a picture of Bruce and Kelley
after the finals performance.
The Providence Mandolin Orchestra released 'The Walnut Valley
Suite'
on their wonderful new CD Resonance.
The CD is available from Mando
Kinetics.
Click the Resonance link above for details.
"The Walnut Valley Suite" at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in Washington DC on February 16, 1999! The concert was a part of a series called
'The Millineum Stage,' and represented the state of Rhode Island.
Printed editions of this work are currently available from Mando Kinetics.
Included in the article is a standard notation and TAB version of 'Russian Rag' that he played in the
final round of competition at the National Flatpicking Championships.
Also included is his twin Mandolin arrangement of 'Liberty.'
Click on this link to Email Mandolin Magazine.
Judging by the first few years, this is a great publication!
is based in the Kansas City area. Bruce presently performs as a Solo Artist, in addition
to performing with Classical and Jazz Guitarist and Instructor Ray Bell of Little Rock, Arkansas.
The 1997 Kansas State Flatpicking Guitar Championship
The Kansas State Mandolin Championship Four times (1990 / 1995 / 1998 / 2002)
at the National Flatpicking Championships in Winfield, Kansas.
for Mandolin Orchestra, preparing a Mandolin instruction book entitled
Seventy-Seven Head Bangin' Hot Licks for the Procrastinating Mandolinist,
and recording several projects. These projects range from a Twin Mandolin release
with accompanying book to his more recent work with Ray Bell.
Bruce is a BMI Publisher (Mando Kinetics Music) and Writer member.
embarked on a lifelong musical journey in 1975. In his first professional musical venture he toured, as Lead
Guitarist, with a Floridian Rock group called The Ebony Blue Show Band. Citing early musical influences like
Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Young, Bruce was introduced to the Mandolin in Bluegrass music
in 1982, and has studied its use in various musical forms, from Jazz to Classical, since that time. His solo album
(above) of original instrumentals, with Spontaneous Combustion, received many favorable reviews.
'Live Bluegrass from the Heart of America'. This is a live recording that was made during the first Kansas City
Boulevard Bluegrass Revival. Eight Kansas City area bands were recorded live during the three day festival at Jimmy's Jigger.
Mandolin arrangements of public domain works, Instructional materials, and Brooster Booster merchandise on the
Mando Kinetics Products Page. Reduced scale samples of sheet music can be seen on the Sheet Music Samples page.
Mandolin Society of America web site. The article is in the editorial archives section of the CMSA website.
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Log this address and visit Brooster's Page monthly for the most recent edition of:
allotment of dry wit, in a monthly column on Ray Bell's Technique Page. Ray's instructional columns regularly
appear in The Mandolin Journal, the member publication of the Classical Mandolin Society of America.
His experience, gained from nearly forty years of teaching, is worth it's weight in notes!
You can also check out Ray's books, for Mel Bay and others, and get a dose of Ray's no nonsense approach to learning.
Following the rich tradition of trailer-living, pick-up driving, spouse cheating, street fighting, commode-hugging,
cry in your beer country song writing; Brooster sets his sights on the mainstream!
Try one of these songs on for size for something new and different in the acoustic music world.
your instrument for repairs and service, check out George's Music Service II
fan club (FREE) for event notifications by mail.
Send Email or Postal address by Email Correspondence.
Please write Brooster Booster in the subject line.
Intrasite Links:
*Brooster's Honky Tonk Haven* *Live Bluegrass from the Heart of America* *Mandocranium Page*
*Mando Kinetics Products Page* *Ray Bell's Technique Page* *PMO Resonance Page*
*Seventy Seven Head Bangin' Hot Licks* *The Knights of the Blue Fesque Page*
Intersite Links:
Brooster's Mandolin Related Links
