Dear Friends--

I just got this message today. If you're a wannabe Irish percussion player or
just
thoroughly enjoy a great rhythmic musical experience (Albert Alfonso is
amazing!),
check out what's happening this weekend.

Please direct all inquiries to the emails/sites in this announcement (I know no
more 8-))

Keeping the music alive,

Annie

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It's bodhran day in Pittsburgh this Sunday with two afternoon workshops and
a FREE evening concert.

MASTER BODHRAN WORKSHOPS SUNDAY, JULY 22, 1:30 + 3 PM North America's foremost
bodhran maker and one of its great bodhran players, Albert Alfonso of Dallas,
Texas
will be holding bodhran workshops this Sunday, July 22, at The Celtic Collection
in Bellevue.

The advanced workshop runs from 1:30 to 3 PM and the beginner's workshop from
3:30 to 5 PM. Each workshop is $20; drums available for use or purchase. For
workshop
details and enrollment, see www.hooley.info/drumworkshop.html and
www.thecelticcollection.com.

FREE SPOT/ALBERT CONCERT SUNDAY, JULY 22, 8-10 PM The Irish-based duo
Spot/Albert,
on their first east coast tour, will perform at the Backstage Bar at Theater
Square
in Pittsburgh on Sunday, July 22 from 8 to 10 PM. Admission is free; limited
seating.

About the duo:

Spot/Albert has mostly played at festivals the past few years but they have
lately
been taking their unique "bend the rules" approach to bars, nightclubs
and coffeehouses with great success. They are equally adept at performing for
quiet
listening audiences as they are at shaking the sensibilities of rowdy beer
drinkers
in rock environments. No small feat.

Spot is a solo guitarist and tenor-banjoist, from Austin, Texas.
Equally at home on acoustic and electric instruments, he does not fit into the
usual
singer-songwriter genre. In his own words: "I play both kinds of music -- good
and bad!" His style is best described as "two-fisted picking" a
la Richard Thompson, Chet Atkins, Leo Kottke, Seamus Egan and seasoned with the
sensibilities of Monk, Beefheart and Waits. Most importantly, he backs it up
with
outstanding composition and writing. He has toured and shared stages with such
indie
rock legends as Mike Watt, Sonic Youth, Bob Mould, Guitar Wolf, Cherry Valence,
Rasputina, Drive-by Truckers, The Sadies, Eugene Chadbourne, DeVotchka, Fugazi,
and with folk and traditional artists such as Alejandro Escovedo, Jen Hamel,
Jean-Michel
Veillon & Yvon Rio, Michael Hurley, Ed Miller and Michael Fracasso.

Albert Alfonso, well known in the Irish-music community as a master drum maker
and
bodhran player, hails from Dallas, Texas and is the man that the legendary Irish
performer and folklorist Mick Moloney calls "The Celtic-Cuban Connection."
Albert has performed or recorded with Celtic-music artists Solas, Altan, Liz
Carroll,
Roger Landes, Greenfields of America, Brian McNeill, John Doyle, Jerry Holland,
JP Cormier, Mike Dugger and Tim Britton. In addition, he has conducted drum
workshops
across North America as well as with the Royal Academy of Music in Glasgow and
London.

Their new album is entitled In the Bag.

For more information about the duo, see www.spotbooking.com and
www.albertalfonso.com.

About the venue:

Located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh's cultural district at
655 Penn Avenue, between the O'Reilly Theater and Katz Plaza, the Pittsburgh
Cultural Trust's Backstage Bar at Theater Square is a first-rate 70-seat bar
and restaurant often featuring free weekend entertainment, with Guiness on tap
and
other craft beers and drinks, and great food. While normally closed Sunday
evening,
the Backstage Bar is extending its hours this Sunday only to accommodate the
theater
crowd for the 6:30 show of the musical "Chicago." Arrive early to be assured
of seats.

For details about the venue, including directions and menu, see www.backstage
bar.com.

About the bodhran:

For those who may not know, the bodhran is the Irish-frame drum that is played
uniquely
with a double-end stick in one hand and tonal control by the other. It is
pronounced
BOW-rawn in the south of Ireland or BOR-on in the north; the letter D is silent.