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western swing & cowtown! - tcu extended education course 2019

4/30/2019

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What a wonderful month full of Western Swing music!

I enjoyed teaching and talking about all things Western Swing with an appreciative group of students. Thanks to TCU for the opportunity!

If you would like to check out what we covered, here is a link to my educational webpage: Western Swing and Cowtown

Many thanks to my guest lecturers and musicians:

Justin "Hushpuppy" Robertson - a Fort Worth native discussing his personal Western Swing experiences, as well as bringing in great records and 78s for us to hear

J.D. Barham - sharing his family's long history and association with Western Swing music, as well as bringing in artifacts, and playing fiddle music for us!

Robert Willis - Al Stricklin's grandson, sharing his personal recollections growing up around wonderful musicians, learning from them, and time with his legendary grandfather

William L. Williams and Trinity River Music - an online archival project documenting North Texas music. William shared over 100 photos with us for our viewing pleasure featuring Western Swing musicians and venues dating back to the 1930's

Glenn McLaughlin - demonstrating classic Eldon Shamblin style Western Swing guitar and discussing his experience as a Western Swing music camp director in Truscott, TX

Nathan Phelps, Glenn McLaughlin and myself - performing a fifteen minute mini-concert on the last day to show the students some live Western Swing stylings!


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Summer reflections

7/26/2017

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Welp. We are in the thick of it here in Texas.

​Heat. Sweat. One hundred thirteen degrees in your car. Panting dogs. Birds with gaping beaks. Astronomical electric bills. Making friends who have a pool. Ha. Oh Texas, I love you.

​Fortunately, I was able to sneak out of town and head to New Orleans for my birthday. What an amazing city. I feel like there will be a future post one of these days once I've actually played there, since I plan on making that happen. More later.

​It was a pleasure to be invited back to perform for the Rough Riders of the Rockies in Silverthorne, CO, as a special guest with my ol' friend Syd Masters & The Swing Riders. This is a trail ride group, comprised of men from all over the country who get together for a week in the summer and ride 18-25 miles every day into pre-determined camp locations. Imagine driving up a mountain, and arriving at a camp full of two hundred men and being the only woman. Ha. They are all such gentlemen and waiting on me hand and foot. Believe me, it's not too shabby ;-)

​And now, for the end of July and into August, I will enjoy a few California gig adventures. This has been a beautiful summer for so many reasons.

​By the way, I'm planning a European tour next summer. Ideas? Thoughts? Recommendations? Please reach out.

Cheers,
​GM


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huddle up for Harlan benefit concert!

5/20/2016

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The Huddle Up For Harlan benefit was a huge success that rainy Sunday, May 15th at the Track Shack in Spring, TX!!!

At least 1,000 or so folks showed up to support beloved bassist and quirky human, Harlan Kubos. We raised $30,000 toward his hospital bills! Here's the story:

Harlan was diagnosed with a very serious blood infection last year, and spent months in the hospital. Many times, we weren't sure if he would make it out alive. His friends and the music community kept the good thoughts flowing. Like the trooper he is, Harlan pulled through and is recovering, still quick-witted, hilarious, and playing the bass solid as ever!

Now let me tell you about one of the sweetest souls I know. Harlan was my very first friend in the Western Swing community. I was a young and green girl of fifteen, hardly knew anyone, and I had been invited to perform a little at the Snyder Western Swing Festival. Imagine a gawky kid walking around in a cowboy hat and a giant accordion on her back. Ha! Well I passed by Harlan and he said "Hey kid, whatcha got on your back?" I told him it was an accordion, and in true Harlan fashion he said "Well s**t. Can you play it?" I told him 'absolutely.' He said "Well s**t. Let's go jam on a tune!!" He took me backstage, as he was about to play a set with The River Road Boys, and he asked if I knew "Route 66." Well, as soon as he pulled out his bass, I knew we were going to become great friends - it was covered in stickers of bands I loved, like Hot Club of Cowtown and Asleep At The Wheel! The friendship was sealed, and he has been a supportive friend, musical mentor, jam partner, and all around fun compadre to me, my brother, and my whole family. I'm so glad he's recovering well!


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Despite the rain, everyone hung out, danced, drank, and stuck around until the end. I jammed with beautiful Leslie Ann Sloan (pictured right), joined Brian Marshall and Mark Halata onstage, and enjoyed catching great bands all day long. The crowd was so supportive of the cause and everyone genuinely seemed to be having a wonderful time.

If you'd like to contribute, check out Harlan's GoFundMe page here:

https://www.gofundme.com/2vpektks

Thanks for reading!!

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the ginny mac explosion @ fw fringe fest!

3/15/2016

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FRIDAY MARCH 18TH!!!

So....once your St. Patty's Day hangover has worn off...you should come have a fun-filled evening with us at the beautiful Scott Theatre in Fort Worth's Cultural District!

There will be music. There will be dancing. There will be ginnanigans! Check out www.texastheatres.org for information about the festival and how to purchase tickets for our event! We are so excited!

The Ginny Mac Explosion!
Friday, March 18th, 7:30 PM
Scott Theater
3505 West Lancaster Ave
Fort Worth, TX 76107
$15.00


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winter happenin's

2/4/2016

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The weather has been beautiful and mild so far this Texas winter! I've enjoyed playing some wonderful events and collaborating with dear friends!

Here is a pic at Fred's Texas Café, where I had the pleasure of playing with my friend, Bruce Salmon, an excellent singer/songwriter out of Alpine, TX. I love when he visits, and we always try to book a show or two!

(photo cred: Martha Santos)

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Another winter highlight was playing for Wichita Falls ISD!

Glenn McLaughlin, Coleman Smith, David Holcomb, Drew Phelps (not pictured) and I prepared a musical 'edutainment' program for the young eager minds in Wichita Falls, TX, and sure had a blast. So many great kids with intelligent questions! Many thanks to the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra for sponsoring these kinds of programs for the schools - music education is very important! It was a pleasure to be part of it, especially since this is EXACTLY how I got started in music!

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Cotati accordion fest 2015

8/24/2015

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Cotati Fest was a blast this year!

We played an energetic set on Saturday, and it was so wonderful to be back with this amazing crowd. Familiar faces, friendly folks, friends old and new!

(Pictured here with Skyler Fell, a fellow accordion gal out of San Francisco)

On Sunday, I played a set with two of my longtime accordion friends, Cory Pesaturo and Patrick Harison, and we were joined by a new friend of ours, Matthias Matzke who came all the way from Trossingen, Germany to play Cotati Fest!

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Pictured here is Patrick, Cory, and Matthias. We took some time behind the hospitality tent to come up with a half hour set for the folks. It was so much fun! We'd love to do a tour, so HEY! If you wanna book us, CALL ME! Hahaha. All four of us accordion world youngsters come from completely different musical backgrounds, and yet our styles work so well together. A lovely, colorful hodge-podge of musicality and creativity. Minnesota, Rhode Island, Germany, and Texas all represented well!

Cotati, it was a pleasure. See you again soon :-)

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mini end-of-summer tour 2015

8/19/2015

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This weekend, we'll head back to the 25th Annual Cotati Accordion Festival in Cotati, CA!! Hello, sunny California! I'm thrilled to have my brother, Glenn McLaughlin, and bassist Niko Red Star joining me on this adventure. We'll keep you posted about any road fun and wild mishaps. Ha!

I'll have copies of my newest release "On The Street Where You Live" on tour, as well as making it available on iTunes very soon. In addition, I plan to make my first recording " Sweet Sentimental Dream" available on iTunes.


Here's a rundown of the end-of-August happenin's:

8/22 - Cotati Fest (Ginny Mac & The Gypsy Playboys)
8/23 - Cotati Fest (Ginny Mac/Cory Pesaturo/Patrick Harison/Matthias Matzke)
8/24 - House Concert, Los Banos, CA
8/25 - Espana's, Los Banos, CA
8/27 - Harvest House, Denton, TX
8/28 - World of Beer, Fort Worth, TX (w/ Glenn McLaughlin)

Check out the "Shows" page, as it is continuously updated. This fall is looking pretty booked up, so come on out if we play in your town! It would be a pleasure to shake your hand and see you smile.

Cheers,
GM

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spring and summer plans!!!

3/25/2015

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I'm very excited to announce that I'll be spending some time this spring in my second home - Nashville! I've missed that wonderful city and I'm returning to visit friends, perform, jam, record, play hard and go home happy :-) 

The last weekend of April is dedicated entirely to the Bob Wills Days Festival in Turkey, TX! My brother, Glenn, our fiddling friend Coleman Smith, and our guitarist friend Roy Williams visiting from NYC will all be there. (Swing by my house on Alexander Street for a cold beer and a burger if you happen to get out there). We're going to tear it up this year so just look for a motley crew of young folks resembling a pack of wolves with instruments in hand, beers or moonshine in the other, and with a western swing spirit. We will for sure play an evening at the Church of Western Swing venue, so check them out here: www.churchofwesternswing.net

Ciao, au revoir!

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Django reinhardt fest @ arts fifth avenue

1/23/2015

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Tonight's the night!
Come on out for a wonderful evening exploring the life and music of Django Reinhardt. My friends Leoncarlo (violin) and Alex Browne (bass) will join me. French cuisine dinner, a documentary about Django, and a gypsy jazz & swing concert at 8 PM. We are so excited to be headlining this evening! 

Visit www.artsfifthavenue.org for more information.

Arts Fifth Avenue
1628 5th Ave.
Fort Worth, TX
$25 - 8 PM, doors at 7:30

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NEw year's eve ~ ben wheeler, tx!

1/7/2015

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What an amazing time we had! My brother Glenn, Niko Red Star, and I played an energetic show at the beautiful Forge Bistro in quaint Ben Wheeler, TX. If you haven't had the chance to see this charming artist's town, please venture over that way! It was a wild time had by all - music, dancing, great food, a full house with two dinner seatings, and champagne at midnight. The party raged on afterward and 2015 was upon us in full swing. The next morning, we headed to the Athens Country Club in Athens, TX for New Year's Day brunch. More music, fun, and good times. We'll be back in Ben Wheeler for Valentine's Day at The Forge Bistro! Make your reservations now for a romantic day trip! xoxoxoxo

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