24 November, 2011

Big Fun December Oregon concerts!

This annual gathering is a closeness to the longest night of the year. Bring your own special candles or use a donated on made from the finest beeswax. S   p   a   c   e  to hold ––  no between tune patter or verbal stories, just a unique guitar concert in two sets for the community. Donations are welcome, and no one will be turned away for lack of $$.

Tsunami Books is at 2525 Willamette, Eugene, OR 97405
Lisa Markley and Bruce Balmer live in Dallas, Texas –– Kerrville friends with bright jazz-inflected tunes, fine musical chops and a sense of humour and excellence. They don't make it up here often so this is a rare treat for the Willamette Valley and a great way to unwind before the holidaze descends. $3 - $5 sliding scale.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Cozmic Pizza is at 199 W 8th Ave. in Eugene. All ages are welcome.

30 September, 2011

Ridin the Midwest on an Equinox wind! UPDATE

Grovefest 2011 Photo © Nicholas Cutean

Howdy folks!
Time for the booga booga of another meanderthal adventure as I head to the midwest for s series of gigs and visits. Here's the first blush of dates and slightly pruned raisin consciousness appearances for you to eschew and plan ahead for. The Great Bundance is upon us as the seasonal Turn turn turns and that means music, and the opportunity to celebrate the Great Awakening after the Great Asleepening. I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible and have a taste of another midwest autumn.

Here's the pertinent info for your refrigerators. Hope to see you here or there!

bq

•• OCTOBER 2...GROVEFEST...GLENVIEW IL
I play at 11:55 am on the stage and later on at 2:45 pm in the Kennicott Courtyard without a PA. Both are fun. I have played this fest for about 15 years. Music outdoors and food, gorgeous autumn day and nice folks!

The Grove National Historic Landmark is at 1421 Milwaukee Ave. Glenview, IL 60025 for Google map and their phone is 847.299.6096

•• OCTOBER 7...MOLLY'S CAFÉ at THE PEOPLE'S CHURCH...CHICAGO, IL...7:15 pm

An evening of two sets in this gorgeous old church as a part of their monthly coffeehouse. This venue is not wheechair accessible. All ages are welcome.

941 W. Lawrence Avenue in Uptown... just West of Lake Shore Drive;  East of red line el at Lawrence stop. www.peopleschurchchicago.org/jazz.htm

•• OCTOBER 13...SALT of the EARTH...FENNVILLE, MI... 7 pm
Two sets in a good listening room with good food and folks. $8 cover. Dinner available but not mandatory. Reservations are a very good idea as the place fills up fast. Call ahead now 269.561.7258 to reserve seats.

Salt of the Earth  114 E Main St. Fennville, MI  49408
  www.saltoftheearthfennville.com

•• OCT 21...THE EDGE...CRETE, IL...6:30 pm...All ages welcome
It's a new coffeehouse in Crete not far from the old Teapots Café. I am doing two nights here this trip; this one wordless guitar music like the new album and November 11 here worded and singing.

1366 Main St.   www.theedge-coffeehouse.com

••FRIDAY NOV 4...COFFEEHOUSE AT FIRST LUTHERAN PARISH HOUSE... 7 pm...ROCK ISLAND, IL
  This is a gorgeous library concert space where Quad City people gather to warm hands and hearts. My fourth year here and always waylotsa fun and great cookies too. The one and only Chris Dunn opens the evening once again with his thoughtful wit and tuneage.

1620 20th St. Rock Island, IL 61021   309.788.9661

 

•• FRIDAY NOV 11...THE EDGE...CRETE, IL...6:30 pm...
Two singing sets this time. All ages welcome!

1366 Main St.   www.theedge-coffeehouse.com

•• NOV 12... THE BUZZ...OAK PARK, IL...6:30 pm...All ages welcome
I played here a couple of years back with Vernon Tonges. It is a small all-ages venue that sounds good and is close to my new nephew Charlie's home so I'll get to see him too!

905 S. Lombard Ave, Oak Park, IL. 60304  708-524-2899 www.thebuzzcafe.com


If you’d like to host a house concert with me, drop a line and we’ll figure out a good date. It’s easy and simple to host one and your friends and family will love having live music without a club scene attached. Bulletins as they occur.

02 September, 2011

September in Eugene as The Turn begins

Quite a lot of music fun this month is planned before I head east for a couple of touring months. The harvest is coming right on time. I saw a little maple beginning to change already and I can smell the cottonwood bark in these trees. Yes summer was different this year for us all. Perhaps everything always is. Enjoy these gorgeous days and nights.

Here are several opportunities to hear QTN Wordless Guitar music alå Guitarred and Feathered and song singing gigs in the Eugene area.

Thanks to you all for staying in touch and being a part of the music for me.
bq


*********QTN music this month in Eugene!*********

•••FIRST FRIDAY   7 pm•••
for the Splinters show
881 Willamette

•••SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 4   8:30 pm•••
QTNSTRUMENTAL WORDLESS GUITAR
SAM BOND'S GARAGE
4th and Blair   21+over

•••SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 10   1 pm•••
EUGENE SATURDAY MARKET
8th and Oak

•••FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16   7:30 pm
QTNSTRUMENTAL WORDLESS GUITAR
ALLANN BROS. BEANERY
5th and Olive
All ages welcome

•••SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17   7:30 pm•••
QTN singing at TSUNAMI BOOKS
25TH and Willamette
All ages welcome
Sliding scale cover
No one will be turned away for lack of $$

30 June, 2011

QTN in JULY Oregon Country Fair and more!

The simmering of summer to you all and especially to you in the parched dry southland.

Just got back to Northwest and relieved to be out of the heat. Kerrville was sweet amazing dusty and dry as the land the Fest is on hasn't seen any rain since November. Time to put our collective noggins into the idea of rain for the southwest of this country. It's never been this bad there and summer has only just begun. Texas was just declared a statewide disaster area... and Arizona and New Mexico have both been on fire and can't be too far behind. Portland Peter suggests diverting the Mississippi River which has been flooding through a viaduct to carry it to Texas...That's why California is possible, (and  in trouble too thanks to the rapidly disappearing Colorado River...)

Anyways a busy July looms for me and even though some of you getting this are not near the Northwest, I am sending word to let you know that our Oregon Country Fair set this year will be streamed live via the internet so you can listen in from anywhere in the world. Yes web or net is something to get caught in, but alla same, this is a fun way to listen in realtime... and who knows what will happen with a band like this...

The Qband opens the 42nd Oregon Country Fair, Friday, July 8 at 11:55 am Pacfic Time and it will be broadcast on the radio locally as well as streamed worldwide at www.KLCC.org. You folks in Denmark and France will have to set your clocks accordingly. Anyone can record the set too to listen to over and over.

This year's band features:

Jason Montgomery on upright basso profundo
Lewi Longmire on mandolin
Oliver Steck on accordion
Perhaps Billy Oskay on fiddle and other surprises too in a 50 minute set of QTN tunes.

Life in the fest lane indeed. Pass the word on.
I have been told that I must make a FB event page for it too. I still like the old way best but I will accede accordingly...  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141922852551115

If you're coming to the Fair, my other "official" set will be Saturday July 9 on Shady Grove Stage at 2:15 pm. Look for us "unofficially" on the path, at Tofu Palace, Friday night by Blue Moon for Dana's Cheesecake's anniversary celebration, Sunday evening busking and maybe even in the sauna. In other words, the endibilities are postless...

Post fair looks like this and all these dates are in the Eugene area...

WEDNESDAY JULY 13  Scobert Park Gardens, 4th & Blair- Eugene 6:30 pm. Picnics and all ages
SATURDAY    JULY 16  South Eugene Mausoleum, with Raina Rose and Andrew Pressman
                    RSVP for more info through email
SUNDAY         JULY 17  Sam Bond's Garage, 408 Blair Blvd., w/ special guests 8:30 pm, 21+ over

19 May, 2011

Post Kerrville Texas gigs!

Have been having a wonderfilled time in Texas. It's still real dry but there is some sprinkling going on today and the air is mistymoisty and water is falling from the sky. They need lots here so send it thisaways if you have too much.

Here's a shot from last night's concert at Artz in Austin.  I've been playing with these folks for a looong time. That's jim Hancock on the left playing his magical mandolin and Carolyn Norulak on the right, fluting it up on "Darkness Comes". Always feels like coming home seeing and playing with friends from long ago.

Here's the poster for the upcoming Father's Day concert at Jovita's on Sunday Juneteenth post fest. The rest of the updated schedule follows. I'll be out at the Crow's Nest in Quiet Valley for the next few weeks.


Click the poster to enlarge or print...



• THURS. MAY 25 - SUN. JUNE 12 ...THE 40TH KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL!
Join the special anniversary year festivities. I've been to more than 30 of em and will be out there the whole time again, most nights up 'til early singing and pickin at the Crow's Nest. I host the Ballad Tree, Sunday June 12 at 3 pm on Chapel Hill so come share a tune. There's a new CD of campfire recordings this year: Songharvest 2011 available too at Staff Rekerrds and Mainstage merch area.

FRI. JUNE 17...FLIPNOTICS ** • Austin • 1601 Barton Springs Rd. 8 pm
I'm sharing the evening with the luminous musicbeing of world traveler Amy Annelle and the beatnik jazz of Ike Eichenberg. Haven't played here for a couple years. We each will do a set and Ike will sit in with me (and possibly others) too.

• SUN. JUNE 19.......JOVITA'S • Austin • 1619 S. First St. 7:30 pm 
Our annual Father's Day concert (perhaps the 10th or 11th year) with the one and only Robert Vignaud on bass and special guests. The last time here was a blast. A fine sound system, plenty of room, all ages welcome, Tex-Mex food and libations!

Sign up for the mailing list at www.QTNRG.org.

28 April, 2011

QTN in Texas and spring newsletter!

QTN at 1803 House Concert 8 May 2011  Photo by Raina Rose
Folkville Reunion coming!

Upcoming Texas gigs! Spring newsletter follows!

Dates for live music in Texas. Bring yr friends and kids and neighbours. Print it for your refrigerator art if you want too. Request QTN music from KOOP, KDRP, KUT and KFAN.



                ***BRIAN CUTEAN TEXAS WITHDRAW'L SPRING CONCERTS***


• SUN MAY 8.......... HOUSE CONCERT • Austin • Bruce Chandler's Birthday concert. Email me for address at www.QTNRG.org. Come at 6 pm, music at 7.

• SAT MAY 14........ HOUSE CONCERT • San Marcos • Tracy and Joanna's Potluck dinner/BYOB. Music at 6:30. Seating is limited. Don't wait to RSVP to 512.392.6636 or email trweinberg@yahoo.com. Directions with RSVP.

• SUN. MAY 15........FOLKVILLE REUNION • Austin • Thrice Café/Café Caffeine
, 909 W. Mary  4 pm - ??? featuring all Folkville performer alumni:Therapy Sisters, Ky Hote, Bill Oliver, Frank Hill, Gail Lewis, Brenda Ladd, Norm Ballinger, El Monte Slim and many many more. These folks have all been playing and writing great songs for more than 30 years! There'll be a tribute to Weldon Brewer too and possibly memorabilia! NOTE: Cafe Caffeine has now become Thrice Cafe. www.thricecafe.com

• WEDS. MAY 18....ARTZ RIB HOUSE, 2330 South Lamar Blvd. with Nancy Scott and Ky Hote – Nancy Scott hosts, kicking off the evening at 7:30 or so. Musical fun and mayhem with half hour sets for each. "We''re all here because we're not all there."

• THURS.MAY 25 - SUN. JUNE 12 ...THE 40TH KERRVILLE FOLK FESTIVAL!
Join the special anniversary year festivities. I've been to more than 30 of em and will be out there the whole time again, most nights up 'til early singing and pickin at the Crow's Nest. I host the Ballad Tree, Sunday June 12 at 3 pm on Chapel Hill so come share a tune. There's a new CD of campfire recordings this year: Songharvest 2011 available too at Staff Rekerrds and Mainstage merch area.

• THURS. JUNE 17...FLIPNOTICS • 8 pm • Austin • 1601 Barton Springs Rd. Sharing the evening with the luminous music of world traveler Amy Annelle and the beatnik jazz of Ike Eichenberg. Three sets and Ike will sit in with me some too.

• SUN. JUNE 19.......JOVITA'S • 7:30 pm • Austin •
1619 S. First St. Our annual Father's Day concert (perhaps the 10th or 11th year) with the one and only Robert Vignaud on bass and special guests in the mix. Last time we played here was a blast. A fine sound system, plenty of room, all ages welcome, Tex-Mex food and libations!


                           ****QTN SINGING THE BOING OF SPRING!****

Here I am again, on the corner again, back where I belong, where I've always been... and all the green green green of this swiftly tilting blooming season I wish you (even if it's not quite happening where you live yet). Everything previously preposterous is clearly postposterous now and is there any time to be ponderous (perhaps preponderous)? Is there really any time? Emit DNA and time.

Many miles and moons since the last word dance from here and I thank you for reminders to compile and send. It has been a busy time since Solstice, not quite the winter I was reaching for, but many amazing things take place and who was it that said it's too late to stop now...

Obviously many systems are going full tilt these days and each day is an adventure. Staying in touch is good and music is still a fine place to go where no one can find you for awhile and a blissed respite (good thing it's not illegal...). Gardens are important to make if you like to eat, so dig out those old Mother Earth News and Foxfire mags and dig.

There's a couple of sections here:

A. Heading south - going through Texas withdrawl
B. New QTN videos coming to pocket tubes everywhere
C. Summer plans: Oregon Country Fair news/Colorado
D. Guitarred and Feathered, Bite-sized Mantras and CDs
E. Regarding Facebook



A. Heading south Getting it all tucked in, ready to scoot from the Northwet to the heartland where Texas is already on fire and rain is sorely needed. Doing my best to send boxes of rain and need an assist in doing the great rain dance for that hugest of huge states.

Yes, heading for the 40th anninversary Kerrville Folk Festival, one of my favourite times of the year. Imagine 18 days camping with many many others, beneath a huge sky, far from city cars and electrical wire fields, sitting up late singing and stargazing, sharing tales and silence and all that's coming up very soon. Staying true to my ancient migration pattern, I am and will soon be around the Hill Country playing up a musical storm in many places before and after the Fest. If you are on the Texas area list, those details are coming. If you live in other places and are heading that way, let me know and I'll add your address for the sending too.

B. New vids  In January, I played a concert at the gorgeous new Alberta Rose Theatre in Portland with Billy Oskay and Jason Montgomery. Thanks to John Schroeder and his five camera crew, the evening was filmed gloriously and is being edited now for a future DVD. Get in your webcar and drive on over to the new Hibidiville channel and enjoy three QTN tunes now here.

C. Summer plans I've been performing on stages at the Oregon Country Fair for the last 22 years and I've just been asked to open this year's 2011 OCF on their mainstage at 11:30 am, Friday July 8. The Fair is held in Veneta, Oregon and is a huge weekend Festival with eye-popping bright moments of colour, imagination and consciousness.

In August, I am planning dates in Colorado and New Mexico for the first time in many years. Not sure what all this energy is about but I like the idea of seeing those folks again. More on this in a later update.

D. Guitarred and Feathered has been getting airplay on nearly 100 stations across the nation and across the seas as well. It is, like my other discs, instantly available to order, download or listen to through www.QTNRG.org or CDbaby. See the CDbaby QTN page here.

Bite-sized Mantra Cards inventories are replenished and available again too here and there are still a few copies of LOLOLOLOLOLO, the colouring book available too.

E. Regarding Facebook Yes there is a FB music page for Brian QTN here but it has no email capability or the ability to collect "friends". I do sometimes leave posts there and can respond to comments, but am mostly email-oriented in terms of messaging and that works best if you have personal communication.

Thanks for caring about these things and for emailing and asking why there's been so much time between newsletters. Thanks for coming to concerts, for buying CDs and other projects and for keeping me moving to the communities I care about. Many thanks too for the couches and meals, hilarity and fellowship. I could not do this without all of you. The adventure is way different than before but still a good way to present these gifts that come through. My favourite quote since I headed out on the road the first time is from Pharoah Sanders who I finally got to meet and thank last year:

The music never goes away even if the people who make it do. that's the whole point of creating something above and beyond yourself, whether it's music or anything else. What I do is to attempt to bring forth the master spirit within us all and exalt that spirit through my music. To me, music is a giving process on the part of the musicians involved, nothing more and certainly nothing less. All the other aspects of the performance or of the music itself are secondary to the presentation of the gift.            Pharoah Sanders


In all this chaos and confusion of recent natural disasters, massive suffering and human ineptitude, foxes continue to pillage the hen house and not just for the eggs. There are many social distractions redirecting collective sorrow and anger from constant streams of yet another great train robbery in the old "watch this hand, not that one" routine. Now more than ever before, it has become a crime to have your savings plundered and be out on the street, in the world.

It's amazing how states screaming the loudest about having to slash budgets for social services, seniors and collective bargaining are also budgeting the commensurate amount toward tax breaks for businesses already taking over cities, discarding city councils and civil servants (read about Michigan's daily advenutres if you thought news from Wisconsin was bad) and this is not science fiction or a conspiracy theory. If you haven't been paying attention, there are many states currently (with others lining up) unashamedly undoing every last shred of what democracy was supposed to look like all the while turning up the volume on stupidity and arrogance to unheard of levels.

This is the time we knew was coming in these lives and vigilance is not obsolete and neither is feeding and caring for our closest community. It is a good time to pay attention, grow food and become involved in whatever way you can.

As a wise guy once said "The only thing there is to atmosphere is sphere itself!"

Bright moments amidst it all to you all.

Your cornforest spondent
bq

09 March, 2011

Archeology

dig

the secret is thanks to sedimental fools dusting off the ashes of timeburn

dig

the evre elastic clues revealed in pots of water and earth,
clay tablets with reed'd shapes spelling tales
long and deep as ocean is wide
and solid as heaven is true

the only way we can know what happened here 250 years ago
(even before BCE as writ was first wrought)
is because someone took the time to write it, draw it or paint it
grounding its lifeforce into earth terms
passing down tales of creation and destruction
and every variation
through many generations
changing through gestations

the only way we can tell how thinking has evolved –
even as it is timeless –
is to decipher forgotten tongues
into today's remarkable lexicon of jargon,
repartee, turn of phrase,
unforgettable soundtracks and
the beepbeepblip of images and sound
that used to be 60 second spots,

then two 30s

now four 15s, and often unworded


BEEP –––– message conveyed

dig

the libraries of babylon
filled with previous generations' tools and belongings
are aflame now that more than 25 years information has been reduced to 0001001110100100101001000111101

not written through hands

and nothing to hold
feel
smell
touch
in direct transmission

no handwriting
as intrinsic clue to the moving hand

can bytes and pixels survive to be transposed in the another future?

ancient sumerian musical notations are
still playable today
on instruments rebuilt
from surviving pictures and instruction

huang po
whose sages who,
abandoning learning,
came to rest in spontaneity

mark twain
whose autobio is finally public,
a century beyond his greatly exaggerated passing

the shard of an ute pot
made 7000 years ago
textured like woven basket

like a tale woven into
collective unconscious,
referred to by metaphor
a shorthand in commontongue,

a tale handed down, woven into a collection of the most sacred word
made up of all sacred words from many times before

somewhy proclaimed as prophecy

although
it seems like it's one thing after another,

the same thing over and over
is more like it,

woven into belief systems, enforced by theology's
overfull basket of world woe

now the libraries of sumeria are burning
with the loss of personal historical perspective
perceptive in the connection 'tween handwrit and heartmind,

the mystery of that moving hand and flaming pen
that writes and having written, writes on
even as one can barely hold on to it
and can't take time to read what it's writing
(though the bumpersticker proclaims "the penis: mightier than the s word")


dig

beneath the surface
like you're reaching into sky
languages blossom
with a puff of breath blowing centuries away

beneath the surface, bituminous layers peel back
showing rainfall
tools
charred ash and bone
burial customs
weather pattern skywriting
cave paintings' glyphs of creation
as hootowls relay calls dark night on


han shan writing poems on rocks

leonara's theatre temple of the word

heckle and jeckle's 20 second theme

oceansky sound

heronfeather's steelypowderblue


dig a little deeper



lukachukai navajo elders
singing the arizona night



hamza el din's ancient nubian oud


kenneth patchen: "...so many little dyings, it doesn't matter which of them is death"


señor wences, johnny, pedro and cecilia chicken


the first named author, enheduanna, ornament of the sky,






now dig


d

o

w

n




now dig


more


dig yes



now dig
know

01 February, 2011

New Guitarred and Feathered review

Brian Cutean gets "Guitarred and Feathered"
By Gary Tuber
Chicago Folk Music Examiner

Clearly, Brian Cutean, code name "QTN," has a sense of humor. Starting with the title of his latest CD. Guitarred and Feathered, the liner notes acknowledge Harpo Marx for the lyrics, and Marcel Marceau for background vocals.

It's an instrumental CD!

Besides, Marceau was a little flat a few times.

Seriously, though, folks, Guitarred and Feathered consists of ten beautifully-crafted original compositions by Brian. Just guitar. You can play the CD in your office, and the boss won't get mad. If (s)he does, get another job. You don't need to work for such a Bozo (no offense to clowns everywhere).

How to convey a sense of humor through an instrumental CD? Well, short of playing The Pink Panther, or Dueling Kazoos, you don't. The jokes stop when the guitar starts. This is as it should be.

Did I mention it's distributed through Burnttoothbrush Records? Of course it is.

Guitarred and Feathered is just great guitar work, so enjoy. And smile as you try to pick out the Marcel Marceau harmonies.

Check out Brian's web page: QTNRG.org.

http://www.examiner.com/folk-music-in-chicago/brian-cutean-gets-guitarred-and-feathered