Someone in Wilmington, NC, please help

[jackweasel]

I'm hoping this is the right place to post this, if not, mods please move it.
I have an old Marine Corps buddy who lives in Wilmington who is desperately seeking folks to pick with. Don is an amazing guitarist, both acoustic and electric, bass player and is a pretty darn good home recording engineer. He's also a Beatles fanatic but loves all kids of music, and loves a chance to use his Bose PAS. Don's been complaining for some time now about how hard it's been for him to find folks to play with. He's even started doing [free] shows at retirement homes and a VA hospital just to have a place to play and an audience to play for. He's not from there so there's no built in home-town data base for him to fall back on.
If anyone out there knows of any get-togethers anywhere near Wilmington or if anyone is interested in meeting this man, please PM me or post replys here. I'd love to be able to help him find some other musicians to jam with.
Oh, and Merry Christmas to you all.

[tbondo]

I have a son who lives there, plays keyboard (classically trained pianist) and guitar, and might be interested...I'll send him the post (via email) and see what he says (he'll be down here in FL for XMAS tomorrow).

[lcogginz]

Also, there's always Monreostock, but it's not until October/November. I'm hoping we can get some of us together more often than that, but I'm sure MS will continue yearly at least for the forseeable future. We may end up having some more regional jams, but from Wilmington his drive may be a bit far. Has he joined up here? It's a thought, so he could be posted on anything local...

Wilmington's a neat town. I was born there and don't get back much, but it's got some really nice areas. Growing, though.

[astrummer]

He's even started doing [free] shows at retirement homes and a VA hospital just to have a place to play and an audience to play for. .

I know you probably didn't mean anything by it but (IMHO) both our Veterans and our Elders deserve our best....

Bob Rowe is someone who encourages professional musicians (those of a caliber far above my own abilities ) to perform for shut ins

http://www.visioncouncil.org/bobrowe/

perhaps an e-mail to Bob's organization would help your friend hook up with others who would want to share in what he is already doing at retirement homes and the VA.

P.S. Even though Mr. Rowes organization doesn't currently work in the Carolinas I suspect he might know someone who does.

[jackweasel]

No, of course I only meant to say that it's so important for him to play for an audience that he does free shows. He has told me many times that these are the best audiences he's ever played for, even though at times it was heartbreaking to see fellow veterans and our elderly in such bad health and so desperately needing attention and interaction with others.
I'll get in touch with Bob and pass the info on to Don. Actually, my friend's experience with these "venues" has encouraged me to do the same thing. I'll be playing as part of a duo at a senior center in Athens, TN in February.

[astrummer]

I'll be playing as part of a duo at a senior center in Athens, TN in February.

:up: :up: :up: Glad to hear it!:up: :up: :up:

[Chicago Sandy]

Laura McLean is an awesome picker and one of the leading lights of the Wilmington music scene, and is a guitar teacher. She can be reached via the local NPR station (has a weekly folk show) and also books the local coffeehouse chain (for the life of me, I can't remember the name of it) and the annual Cape Fear Folk Festival and the Airlie Gardens Fri. night concert series in the summer. She also rocks harder on electric than any other woman I know (save for Los Angeles' Kathryn Grimm and Shredmistress Rynata).

[guitarget]

I can't say I'm thrilled to be described as "desperate", but I'll live. :D

Anyone who knew me before I moved to Wilmington would understand that all the rejections and weirdness I've gone through in this town over the last 5 years are the ONLY reason I am able to perform at rest homes and the Fayetteville V.A. Center. Had I found a nice comfy gig when I first moved here (as I totally expected, having had plenty of success in places like New York and Washington State and California and Florida and Virginia) it would not have occurred to me to donate my time and music for free, playing for a lot of old and sick folks who don't seem to even know I'm there playing for them. That is just who I used to be before I grew up a little. It took a lot of frustration with the local music scene for me decide to start giving my music away - I HAVE to have an audience; it's in my blood - but they say God works in mysterious ways, because I have my rest home gigs now and I doubt I will ever take another dime in my life for doing what I feel I do best. Money makes music (and some musicians) suck, in my limited 41 years of playing guitars.

So, thanks for all the pity, but I believe I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. No, I didn't like the method, but the results are certainly satisfying. If you don't believe me, talk to the folks at the V.A. in Fayetteville, or Liberty Commons and Cypress Pointe here in Wilmington, or the Woodbury Wellness Center up the road in Hampstead.

Don Ward
Not-Quite-Done Wandering Minstrel
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
U.S. Naval Submarine Service Veteran
Beatlemaniac/Guitar Player/Human Jukebox/One Man Digital Band
Human Herd Observer
Golfer Non-Extraordinaire ;)
Abstract Artist
American Idealist

P.S. Laura McLean heard me play once, years ago - long story. I also recorded and played all instruments on submarine balladeer Tommy Cox's last two CD's, "In Honor Of" and "Spirituals."

2002 Rainsong WS-1000
1998 Taylor 555
1993 Fender Strat w/Roland VG-88
2005 Variax 700 w/podXt Live
2002 Yamaha Classical
Johnson Baritone Ukelele
Fender P-Bass
Bose PAS

[Pvee]

http://www.nctaf.com/

Good guys here...

[jackweasel]

Sorry Don,
"Determined" would have been a better choice of words.
Semper Fi

[guitarget]

Jack, whatever choice of words you may use, I'm obviously cursed in this place.

Of course, in my defense, I have never been anywhere else in the United States where musicians do not get together regularly for music, food, conversation, and fun. Florida, Virginia, Washington State, California, New York, Connecticut - all different than what I've found here. I wish we could afford to move somewhere else before I drop dead of boredom.

D.W.

[outsidenote]

Strange that it should be so hard. Wilmington is an expanding beach vacation town. I would have thought there would be lots of gig at hotels, restaurants etc. One would also think that it would not be that hard to find people to play with. Its pretty easy here in the Western part of NC esp if you play bluegrass.

[guitarget]

Strange is the word, outsidenote. I could tell you stories that just don't make any sense at all.

[wingtip4]

You might cruse over to Chapel Hill and Asheville (Black Mountain).