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The fourth annual Melodies for Munificence will be held on Saturday, July 12 at Avenue A Park, from 7:00pm to 10:30pm. Melodies for Munificence (MFM) is an annual concert and art extravaganza that utilizes local talent to build community and raise funds for Hutchinson service agencies. My years as a performing musician in Hutchinson brought me into contact with a number extraordinarily talented young musicians who, much to my dismay, never shared their music with anybody but their closest friends and family. Not being satisfied with this, I began the Melodies concert series in August of 2005 as an attempt to give aspiring musicians an opportunity to show their music to the world and, at the same time, give back to our community. Since then, MFM has grown to include poetry readings and booklets, art demonstrations and galleries, and musical performances of all proficiency levels. Admission to the Melodies concert is free, and MFM will have a table of items available for purchase and donation. On this table will be: live CDs from last year's concert; booklets of poetry written by people from Hutchinson and the surrounding areas; and prints of original artwork by Hutchinson-area artists. Additionally, there will be a silent auction of prints and original pieces of local art. The list of contributing artists includes: Jennifer Randall, www.jenniferrandall.net Kathie Moore Skylar Marshall Ian Ayala, www.IanAyala.DeviantArt.com Nathan Guy Mikaela Trim Kim Troyer Robert Stout Anna Koehn Because MFM is operated sponsored entirely donations and ran by volunteers, 100% of all monies raised go to the charity. Also, because admission is free and nearly every item on the MFM table is available for an unspecified donation, Melodies relies entirely on the generosity of its attendees to make it profitable for those causes it aims to support. This year's beneficiary is Central Kansas Tenants' Association. Members of the Tenants' Association will make a presentation about the work that they do. Previous beneficiaries include New Beginnings, First Call for Help, and the Sexual Assault / Domestic Violence Center. This year's line up features an impressive line up musicians, including: Deadman Flats Members Matt Stambaugh, Hank Osterhout, Pat Watt, and Alex Law, all from Hutchinson, relocated to Lawrence in the Fall of 2004 in order to go to the University. While there, they found themselves at the center of a thriving bluegrass scene. A self-described as "traditional Cowpunk trashgrass" and "bluegrass at its most inbred," Deadman Flats has played extensively throughout Colorado, as well as in Kansas and Missouri. They are currently preparing for a five-state tour which will begin at the end of July on which they will record a live album. Their current LP, Antlers (2006), is available on their website, myspace.com/DeadmanFlats. After their performance at Hutchinson's Dowtown Art Walk last June, Melodies is have proud to have Deadman Flats back to Hutchinson to headline this year's concert. Tuvan-style Throat Singer Morgan Olson During his year studying martial arts in a Chinese monastery, Morgan was approached a Buddhist Lama who told him, with very broken English, to sing "from here," pointing to his throat. Without any formal study, Morgan began to undertake the enormously difficult task of learning an art form whose most basic forms take years to develop and which is scarcely even heard of in the western world. Morgan specializes in a particular style of throat singing that developed in the land-locked region of Tuva, the small region in Russia along its border with Mongolia. Having also performed at MFM as a bass soloist, we welcome Morgan back for his third year. New Age Guitarist Jon Dennis Jon began giving solo guitar performances in December 2002 after studying under the internationally acclaimed fingerstyle guru Andy McKee. Since then, Jon has been featured on the Radio Kansas program "Nightcrossings" and has gigged throughout Kansas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. Jon has been the resident guitar instructor at both Sparks Music and Johnson's Music in Hutchinson and is an aspiring didgeridoo blower, beatboxer, and tabla player. Jon, the chief organizer of MFM and the outgoing president of the tenants' association, will be moving to Las Vegas to work for a nuclear disarmament organization and this year's MFM will be the last chance to hear him before he leaves. Singer-Songwriter John Depew John began learning the mandolin at the early age of 6, started performing in grade school, and had performed original music by the time he finished middle school. John has a knack for songwriting that is prodigious and unparalleled in the Hutchinson music scene. You can hear John's 2007 Debut LP "Eyes" frequently played at Hastings, Metropolitan Coffee, and Brooks on Main. He is the most recent addition to the John Eberly Band. Next week, John will also be moving--to Bellingham, Washington via bicycle. This year's MFM, his second, will be the last chance to catch him before he leaves. Trance Guitarist Ryan Coon Recently returned from his musical foray in New Jersey, Ryan joins us for his third year at the MFM concert. Ryan has been doing instrumental guitar performances since Summer of 2006, when he began exploring the electric guitar as an ambient "trance" instrument. Since then, Ryan's music has taken the unlikely form of combining more traditional "new age" music with shred guitar techniques in the vein of Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson. He is the guitar instructor at Sparks Music in Hutchinson. Bass and Guitar soloist Josh Stoughton After studying music at HCC and playing guitar in the jazz combo, Josh began playing bass in the Red Lion Jazz Band and the jam band Prophets of Getdown. More recently, Josh has also assumed the bass duties for the local death metal band Acrid Memory. With a list of influences including Les Claypool, Buckethead, and Alex Webster of Cannibal Corpse, this promises to be a killer performance that you won't soon forget! "Hard Blues" Band Throwin' Shapes One day, bassist Tim Stone received a phone call from drummer Philip Hoefer, asking him to come over and play bass with him and guitarist / singer Phil Mailloux. Three hours later, the group had written three new songs and Throwin' Shapes was born. Throwin' Shapes describes their music as "bluesy sounding but loud and with distortion." Tim previously played in the punk rock band Novis and was "Tim" in "Tim and Emilio." Philip Hoefer played with Tim in Novis and also played in "The I Love You’s." Phil Mailloux played in Smolder. Having formed only three weeks ago, this year's MFM is Throwin' Shapes' first time on stage together. Nikckelharpist and Guitarist Davin Olson From Lindsborg, Davin has toured through Sweden performing on the traditional Swedish nickelharp with Smokey Valley's Swedish Dancers. In addition to nickelharp, Davin has recently ventured into the world of instrumental guitar performance. In addition to traditional Swedish music, Davin counts among his influences bassist Victor Wooten, and guitarists Andy McKee and Stanley Jordan. Davin will perform on both the nickelharp and the guitar at his debut MFM appearance. Bohemian Singer-Songwriter Josh Price Citing influences ranging from Muse and the Flaming Lips, to the Beatles, to Garth Brooks, and to his middle school choir, this will be Josh's first performance as a guitar player and frontman. Singer-Guitarist Tucker Beck Tucker grew up listening to his uncle play in rock bands and, after studying guitar for two years under Bruce Boyd, Tucker is ready to enter into the world of music performance. At fifteen, Tuck set the record for being the youngest (and most smart aleckey) performer to grace the Melodies stage. The Rhapsody String Quartet and Friends Unfortunately, due to unforeseeable circumstances, The Rhapsody Quartet has had to cancel their performance and will not be at MFM this year. Standard Deal However, at the Quartet's recommendation, we are proud to announce that Standard Deal will be filling their spot. Composed of Adam Alexander on guitar and vox, Jerry Kinser on bass, and Wes DeWitt on lead vocals, Standard Deal has been performing under various names and incarnations for four years. Playing original music and cover tunes by John Mayer, James Taylor, Maroon 5, Tracy Chapman, and others, Standard Deal performs each Tuesday night at Grand Slam Sport's Bar and each Friday night at Marcella's Red Lion. The fourth annual Melodies for Munificence concert promises to be an unforgettable night. Attendees should expect an evening of good music, small-town community togetherness, and a few surprises! See you there, and don't forget your lawn chair! Jon
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