Canada's smallest music store
Simple well made Italian accordion. Frontalinis, per say, haven’t been made for many years and, like many other accordion makes, were absorbed into several other well known accordion companies in the Castelfidardo area of Italy, known as the international capital of accordion makers. It is playing decently but could use some new leathers for the bass notes. Good condition, no mold, case included.
On Saturday Aug 24th I attended the Nimble Fingers Concert with a market booth. Met lot’s of fine folks and heard some great music. I also had the pleasure of meeting Mike and Annie of Clawhammer Press in Fernie, BC. Mike is the creator of the beautiful poster for Nimble Fingers which is printed on ‘turn of the century’ letter press equipment! Love what you are doing Mike!
Ron Wall and Liz Lupton from Penticton have been visiting Kaslo area on and off for years. Liz plays in the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra and together they teach violin to kids in their program called ‘fiddlekidz’. They play wonderfully together and enjoy playing for others. They have collaborated on a wonderful beginners fiddle book for kids and adults alike with original mountain paintings by Ron and are in the process of writing a second book. I will post some photo details about the book in the coming weeks and the book can be purchased from Mtn Fruit. We are planning to have Ron back in the fall to teach an introduction to the hammered dulcimer.
Every year the Village of Kaslo has a small birthday party on the lawn of the Kemball Memorial Centre (right below the window of Mtn Fruit). There was cake, shade, speeches, social cheeriness amongst a small crowd and this year a live performance from Ron Wall and Liz Lupton from Pentiction. Liz plays violin and Ron plays fiddle, hammered dulcimer, harp and I am sure a few other instruments as well. Thanks to Liz and Ron for their short notice ‘goodwill to Kaslo performance’, I’m sure they would be welcomed here anytime!
These instruments are great fun and I like them because they seem (for me) a little easier to play with the 17″ scale length. Tuned a 5th lower than the mandolin one can still play what you know on mandolin with the same fingering, albeit in a different key. Very nice fit and finish on these instruments, case included.
This is a Japanese Suzuki version of Italys abundant Neopolitan mandolin. Very good condition, very playable and decent tone.
Functional kids guitar, more than a toy, price is right!
Possibly a Hawk or Falcon from the Matsumoku factory.
From the Tokai plant in Japan this is an all original instrument in near perfect condition.
As seen on the poster a few days ago in front of Mtn Fruit, local band the Lichens hosted and collaborated with the Slocan Ramblers in a small lawn concert. The sun was pushing everyone to the one corner of shade but the show went on. This is the first of a series of outdoor concerts coordinated by Mtn Fruit and Radio Free Kaslo, stay tuned for the next date and enjoy this new tune from SR written while visiting Kaslo and titled ‘Coffee Creek’!
Come out and visit with the Slocan Ramblers, all the way from Toronto, and local band The Lichens. They’ll play some tunes together and apart in the noonday sun on the green, green grass of…..the Kemball Centre! Wednesday, August 7th at 3pm, see you there.
Torontos Slocan Ramblers were in Mtn Fruit for a Radio Free Kaslo interview and performed two songs. One of which was a new arrangement of an old song titled “ramblin sailor”. Magic to hear such beautiful music in such an intimate setting. These young lads make it look easy but to my ears they are all masters and real craftsmen in the musical sense of the word. Unpretentious and sensitive to the details that take take us deeper into the listening journey.
Thanks for sharing guys!
Margaret, the gypsy from Palestine, wandered into the store after following others to a purported ‘Rainbow Gathering’ in Meadow Creek, BC. The gathering never happened but Margaret stuck around Kaslo a few days and sang some songs for me in the shop. Her travelling guitar had been backed over by a truck while she was picking fruit in the Okanagan so I gifted her a ukelele that needed a home. She had a lovely voice and some lovely songs, made a little money busking and then moved on! But not before an interview with ‘Radio Free Kaslo’ from the pew at Mtn Fruit.
These country bumpkins, Darrin Herting, Alton Gowan and John Flemming, hail from Salmon Arm, BC and put on a good ol show with lots of banter. They got some funky tenor banjos, nice harmonies and a washtub bass (aka gut bucket). Very amicable hillbillys! Go see em whenever they’re in yer neck of the woods, we hope to have em back real soon!
Buckman Coe and his friend Rika dropped by Mtn Fruit for a chat and some tunes yesterday. They are on a fundraising tour for the Dogwood Initiative’s efforts to stop proposed plans for the Enbridge pipeline and increased tanker traffic on BC’s coast, power to them! Rika is accompanying Buckman with his beautiful oceanscape art and together they are a very soulful team! Hope to see them again soon. In the photo, from left to right are Buckman, Randy (our intrepid Radio Free Kaslo host) and Rika. Doesn’t matter how you arrange their names, you’ve always got a band name.
In photo 1 the new railroad spikes can be seen and the screw holes from 2 previous capo systems on the side of the neck. After the screws for these intrusive systems were removed I drilled them slightly oversize to ensure roundness. Then proceeded to make a triple layer lamination of black and white celluloid with curly maple. The layup was too fragile to turn in my micro lathe so I quickly rounded the affair with a file and tapered each plug to get a snug fit in each hole.
In photo 2 the final touch up has been done. The curly maple stained, lacquer built up, leveled and buffed. This photo is up close but the end result is quite effective when viewed slightly farther away.
These two played a concert at the Bluebelle Bistro on Friday night that I wish I had been at. The song, The Promise, is what they sang during an interview on the Pew at MtnFruit and had me close to tears and lamenting a missed performance. Christina and Dale share a creative intimacy that is rare and beautiful.
Dale Murray, an accomplished Nova Scotia musician, accompanied his wife Christina Martin on copy of a 19th Century guitar made by Jeremy Behn.
I’d wish these two luck but they don’t need any, the next step is the path they’re on!
We have Christinas latest CD, Sleeping With a Stranger, for purchase at the Mtn Fruit.
Cellist, Michael Kevin Jones played a wonderful concert on Friday night past at the United Church as part of the Kaslo Concert Societies 2013 program.
It doesn’t matter whether the program is familiar, as with his Bach solo repertoire or unfamiliar, as with the rediscovered Rodrigo solo cello piece, when someone plays with the emotional intensity and skill that Michael does one can’t help but be transported into another world called the beautiful present.
Rick wandered into Mtn Fruit the day before he played two wonderful concerts at the Langham on April 20th. He had a look on his face as if he had just opened the door into Narnia, a ‘what is this place?’ kind of look.
He chatted about the usual musician on the road ponderings; espresso machines that reveal themselves through a small door in the back of your double bass, kids who laugh at fart jokes, adults who laugh at fart jokes, you know how it goes.
Thanks for sharing yourself Rick, and thanks to Valley for getting him to the shows on time!
I have seen Jeff play a few times now and he really has a unique sound. Certainly rhythm features prominent in his all original songs but it’s such an intense, strong, driving rhythm that nods back to his metal roots. Combined with his raspy, dreamlike vocals he gets you into a trance like state, like listening to good electronica played live on an acoustic guitar. Jeff bought a hammered dulcimer by Dusty Strings on this visit to Mtn Fruit and I can’t wait to hear how he incorporates it into his music!
Cara is the first musician to be officially interviewed live ‘from the pew’ at Mtn Fruit by Randy Morse of Radio Free Kaslo. I don’t work as a travelling musician but I can safely say from meeting, watching and listening to Cara that she is the consummate professional. She works tirelessly on every aspect of her career as a singer/songwriter. It’s easy to tell she loves what she does and it’s humbling to see how much energy she devotes to her passion. She played a fantastic and lively rendition of ‘The Cockney and the Ploughboy’ for us and we look forward to having Cara back in Kaslo soon! You can purchase Cara’s latest CD, Darlingford, at the Mtn Fruit.
