Minneapolis MN

The frigid north country. Minus 15 fahrenheit and—what to say about it? A Minnesotan’s favorite subject: the Weather! Usually with a capital W. Its serious here!

I’ve been here since around December 1st. Doing 3-5 gigs a week, spending time with my people, doing some teaching, staying in-doors a lot, not surprisingly.

My tango band, Rogue Tango, is playing really well. I always look forward to Sundays because we have a long standing date at the Loring Pasta Bar in Minneapolis. A good number of tango dancers come out and they are a wonderful community full of aficion. Last evening, despite super-freezing temps, we had a large crowd and a great time.

Sunday mornings I teach a flamenco-guitar technique class. Its a small group of dedicated players and I drill them for 2 hours. The Sacred Seven, I call it: arpegios, tremelos, picados, horquillas, alza puas, rasgueos, and abanico. Lots of fun and very gratifying to see everyone make such progress in achieving their guitar goals. Really, I mostly just share the near-ritualistic exercises and falsetas I use to work on my own technique. As the cliche goes: its a process; the journey more important than the destination.

And now, an election year, here in the USA. A pair of diametrically opposed outsiders making big news. Any doubts I’m Feelin the Bern? After being in Guatemala during their recent election, seeing the enthusiasm and activism—now this! I trust that we’re not too jaded, as a nation, to actively participate, as did the brave Guatemalans.