SAMW is WUMB's Summer Acoustic Music Week. I've been attending this "band camp" since 1997 and the instructors and students have helped me find my musical voice--literally and figuratively. I'm going to record various things about SAMW on this page. SAMW was begun, nurtured and sustained by Dick Pleasants, Bob Franke, and Lorraine Hammond. They are gods in my life! Over the years I have also been profoundly affected by Bennett and Lorraine Hammond, Pete and Maura Kennedy, Joel Mabus, Kim and Reggie Harris, Guy David, Rev. Robert Jones, Cliff Eberhardt, and many, many others.

SAMW is where I met the folks who let me join their song circle, and eventually form the "band" New England Weather (www.neweather.com): Kathy and Mike Danielson, Angela Marseglia, Tom Maynard, Ken Porter, and formerly Greg Hodgson.

Pictured at the top of the page is the Chapel in the Pines where all the concerts, open mikes, and dances occur. At night, the only time it is quiet, you can hear the natural reverberance. It is magic.

Pictured above is the Inn. The porch of the Inn is the location of the most wonderful jams every evening and often during the day. 

9/1/11 - Here's a bunch of pimentos from the August 2011 edition of SAMW. First, my student concert performance was with Barry Spiro. I wrote a parody of a Joel Mabus song, now called "Hopelessly SAMW". Here is the recording and the lyrics. Next, I had the pleasure of having The Kennedy's Harmony Class work up harmonies to my song, "The Song (Goes on Forever)" which is a tribute to The Kennedys, Dave Carter, and Beth DeSombre. Here is the class recording and the lyrics. Next it was a joy to play "12th Street Rag" in Joel Mabus' intermediate mandolin class. Here's the student concert performance.

4/1/11 - Did you catch The Kennedy's epic TV movie series. It's great to see such a deserving couple get such notoriety.

Here's a nice picture of me with Linda Wheeler and Jack Murray at SAMW, Augusts 2009:

Vocal Harmony Class, August 2009. Here's the class performance of HELP! led by The Kennedys.

I WISH YOU WOULD STOP SINGING, August 2009. Joined by Kathy Danielson and Tom Maynard, I honored the SAMW community with a parody of "How Can I Keep From Singing", which I learned years back from Pete Seeger. I was blessed that the audience was willing to not refrain from singing the refrain. Here's a recording and the lyrics.

            (Photo by Dan Senie.)

SAMW 2009...is James Kreuger the vision of a young Mike Seeger? Remarkable!

(Mike Seeger photo from: http://iaanhughes.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/the-true-vine/)

SAMW 2009 Rev. Robert Jones' Harmonica Class, featuring Ian's train on video:

BENNETT and LORRAINE, August 2008: Here is my tribute to Bennett and Lorraine Hammond. I wrote new lyrics to the old standard "Sweet Lorraine". The live video is about 3 minutes in. It was filmed by Pedro Ribiero from Portugal. The MC was Cece Borjeson. Included in the performance are Ken Porter on percussion, Rick Wood on upright bass, and Bruce Jones--performance artist! Here is the video...and it's also here in higher resolution... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g7wKNT5NjU

Mike's Student Concert Performances: The student concert culminates a week of fun and learning. For the last few years I've decided what I was going to play at the student concert months in advance.

1997: "You Rule", by Jim Infantino