Johnsmith

Hello folks, Johnsmith here at home in Trempealeau, Wisconsin along the shimmering mighty Mississippi River. There is a freshness in the air. A feeling that summer is fading and change is upon us. This morning while I was doing some free writing, I heard the sound of Canada Geese and looked up to see 9 in a row flying just overhead. Primordial stuff, eh? 

I hope this newsletter finds you all well and leaning into a fun Labor Day weekend ahead. It’s been gorgeous here the last week. My wife, Jo, and I kayaked across the river yesterday to see the last of the blooming water lotus and lilies, and have a look back at our home and little town from a different perspective. Trempealeau is nestled in among the tree-covered limestone river bluffs. I actually wrote a song called “Trempealeau” that is  featured on my latest CD Backroads. You can have a free listen here at my Bandcamp page: https://johnsmithmusic.bandcamp.com/track/trempealeau 

It’s been a full summer starting with the Kerrville, Texas Folk Fest mainstage set with my dear friend, Dan Sebranek, on Memorial Day weekend. Jo and I led two very fun back-to-back Ireland group tours in June all along the west coast of Ireland from Donegal to Cork counties. In July, I got the chance to go to my hometown of DeWitt, Iowa and play a concert at the Opera House theater where I used to go watch movies as a kid. It’s hard to describe how fulfilling it is playing to a full house of family, old classmates and neighbors, and countless cousins and town-folk. Like some sort of full circle where time slows down and goes backwards for a few days. 

We also led a rafting group on the amazing Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Stanley, Idaho. I highly recommend this trip. Next year’s dates are July 31- Aug 5. We all gather in Stanley, ID on the evening of July 30th for an orientation meeting and the next morning head for the river. I play music every evening around the campfire. This trip fills up every year so it’s never too soon to check it out. https://johnsmithmusic.com/rafting-trip 

Also, in August our family, kids, and grandkids gathered for another memorable Larryfest in the heart of Wisconsin’s Driftless area. https://www.kvama.org/ 

Next Year’s dates are Aug 15-17, 2024. Hope to see you there. 

So what lies ahead?  

On Wednesday Sept 6th, we fly back to Ireland to lead two more back-to-back group trips: Sept 8-17 Counties Donegal, Mayo, and Clare, and our final group of the year, Sept 19-28th, Counties Cork, Kerry, and Clare. To learn more about the tours to Ireland visit https://johnsmithmusic.com/ireland 

Always a reminder you can listen to any of my songs at my webpage https://johnsmithmusic.com/cds-listen 

I can’t begin to thank you all for your support over the years. It’s fuel to the soul and renews my love of sharing my music with this changing world of ours. 

If you’ve ever thought about hosting a house concert, please don’t hesitate to reply here and we can discuss how it works. Thanks 

Here is a list of ALL the dates for the rest of the year as of today. Hope to see many of you at a show or workshop. 

Much Love, 

John 

Sept 30th Winona, MN Winona Art Center w Dan Sebranek 7pm. For more info visit http://winonaarts.org  located at 228 E 5th St Winona MN ph 507-454-2819 

Oct 7th Harrisburg, PA Mansion Concerts. 7:30pm visit https://www.mansionconcert.com/ 

Oct 14th Newburg Corners, WI Leo & Leona’s 7:30pm w Dan Sebranek and Larry Dalton. 

Oct 21st Whidbey Island, WA Chicken Barn concerts 7pm For tickets email chickenbarnconcerthall@gmail.com or call Carol 425-791-1192 more info at https://www.facebook.com/chickenbarnconcerthall/ 

Oct 22nd Tumwater, WA house concert 4pm music 3pm potluck. For info email jmille2788@aol.com or call JD at 253-905-6681 

Nov 6-10 Big Sur, CA Esalen Institute - Songwriting From the Heart workshop https://www.esalen.org/workshops/songwriting-from-the-heart-opening-the-creative-channel-110623 

Nov 11 Aptos CA ‘Not in my House’ concert series. Details TBA 

Nov 18 Gold Hill CO Gold Hill Inn 7:30pm w Dan Sebranek $15 tickets at door https://www.goldhillinn.com 

Nov 19 Fort Collins CO 5pm Comedy Fort w Dan Sebranek - for reservations contact Steve at steve@quantumarts.net or call 970-412-6731 

Nov 25 Fort Atkinson WI Café Carpe 8:30pm solo https://cafecarpe.com 

Dec 2 Onalaska WI 7pm Journey Lutheran Concert Series w Dan Sebranek. For more info, contact Barry @ 608-865-1715 

Jan 12 & 13 2024 LaCrosse WI 7:30pm w Dan Sebranek, Larry Dalton, and Elisi Smith-Waller https://www.thepumphouse.org/  608-785-1434