Jon Eric Music

Though the bookings are STILL coming in and we are gearing up for a wonderful festival season. There will be many more shows added as they come in.

A lot of these shows are booked enough in advance that you will be able to see the updates as they occur.

Thank you to the good friends and fans that are following the dreams and goals for 2010. Understanding 1st and foremost that YOU are the reason I am so grateful to do music for a living. THANK YOU!

Also feel free to share away on your blog or site by pressing the upper right hand “share” button.

Way to go Dixie Chicks! It’s about time for another tour!

A selection was used for the couples skating routine.

With USA’s own Samuelson/Bates. Awesome job in

choosing a piece of music that bends the ear!

Your fans here in America LOVED it and are so proud of you.

Check out the you tube videos circulating the web.

I always knew the world would LOVE the banjo!

Here is my BAND page for Facebook

And here is where you can find some NEW tunes (just added)-

Also the gig schedule can be found there as it was updated this week. Festival season is about to gear up!

Please feel free to share, comment, or rate with those kindred spirits you think may enjoy! Again I can not thank you enough for the whirlwind of a year this has been for me. Living the dream of a lifetime.

Banjo… who would have thought-
Darn it! My father was RIGHT! (grin)

Here’s a thought that has been in my head today:

Patience = working your whole like for that one shot in life!
Wisdom = knowing when to take that shot!
And yes you may quote me on that.

Banjositically yours,

Jon Eric

Http://www.jonericmusic.com

It seems to me that even a month going by, so much work can be packed in!

Weather is terrible for most this year making travel and music making a HUGE challenge for those who continue to work through the icky weather.

I wanted to thank  SOUTHWEST AIRLINES for taking such good care of me and my banjo while flying this past 2 weeks. They allowed me to bring my banjo aboard and keeping it safe. They sure love their job as much as I love mine! Going that extra mile to ensure that the individual service is taken care of.

MUCH More to add later-

also if you are interested in SKYPE lessons on 5 string banjo,

feel free to reach me!

If you could have one wish come true for 2010-

What would it be?

As New Years resolutions are made, most seem to be hopeful for a brand new year- Many of my fans and friends are so GLAD to be done with 2009! Stating the challenges of the year were more than most years they have encountered.

Overall my year was a positive one- with many challenges but also times that the music really bubbled to the surface and sometimes pickin’ “hotter than a cat on a hot tin roof!”

January 4th was my birthday- and I was totally in awe of the emails and messages left for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your heartfelt wishes! Had the chance to play a very special “birthday set” at The Mill in Iowa City for the last 1/2 hour of my birthday- with it being so cold here lately, I needed something to do so that cabin fever does not settle into my 5-string!

With a brand new year and unlimited possibilities- We forge ahead with no signs of slowing down! Happy 2010 everyone- I sure hope your ever wish comes TRUE!

Banjoistically yours,

Jon Eric

What a whirlwind of a year! 2009 = blood, sweat & tears with many memories to last a lifetime!

Thank you to all my musical friends and family who have come together for a common cause in sharing their talents the best way we know how.

I truly hope each and every one of you has a wonderful holiday season. And may 2010 be the best year ever!

HERE is a link for The Insider Iowa Sessions with Ericka Iverson who did in interview from last Wednesday’s  show in Des Moines, Iowa. Thank you Erika for putting up with the cold temps! Would have to say it was one of the coldest and icy nights just before Christmas!

Thank you to Bob Black and Mary Palmberg for allowing me to play for the Iowa City Free Lunch Program again (year #2) for this WAS my Christmas once again. If you can donate- PLEASE do as there are many in need- especially when the cold comes!

Enclosed are some pics from the most recent shows.

Thought since most have been keeping me busy on the road out and about- some of you can not make it so far. But rest assured we are trying to get EVERYTHING on video- or great pictures are being taken and forwarded on!

Also I wish to thank each and every one of you who voted for me during the last banjo standing contest- though I did not “win” any slot to play, I did manage to score 2 performances for next year that are great opportunities as well! It taught me so much about who my die hard fans are as well! For that I am SO VERY Grateful!

This weekend will be filled with much musical bliss as well- performing Saturday (11/21/09) with the Des Moines bluegrass super-group Mr. Baber’s Neighbors the Solar String Band once again filling in for their banjo player Paul Perkins. We will be playing at Little Big Fest @ People’s on Court along with more bands than you can count on 2 separate stages!

Then SUNDAY (11/22/09) SlewGrass will be debuting at El Bait Shop for another night of great tunes and fun! That particular show starts @ 9pm!

Here are some photos that were taken recently by great friends who forwarded them!

Jon Eric—Sitting in with both Mr. Baber’s Neighbors AND Hot Buttered Rum

@ The Iowa City Yacht Club

The bottom 5 pictures were taken this past Saturday in Pomeroy, Iowa (which is a 4 hour drive away) at a wonderful place called Byron’s! I got to sit in on a delightful show with Molly & Darren Matthews of the band Thankful Dirt! It makes me so “Thankful” to share the stage with such kindred spirits! special thank you to Darren Matthews for the use of his guitar that night during the set break “tweener”!

Hello everyone! Looks like they have extended the voting

until November 15th, 2009! These daily votes will be counted and

the top 5 winners will be notified on the 17th of Nov.

If you need the link to the vote page- click HERE

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With other news I will be playing this

Friday 11/6/09 @ Agave in Coralville, IA with SlewGrass Trio who will be opening for:

Scott Cochran and Flannel- 9pm is the start time for this show!

THEN

Saturday November 7th,2009

@ Bent River Brewery in M0line, IL for a solo show.

Spread the word on this and I would be delighted if you came out to share in some great food, drinks, dancing and FUN!

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This past 2 weeks I have played 4 shows with Mr. Baber’s Neighbors the Solar String Band from Des Moines (filling in for their banjo player Paul Perkins)

Opening for Greensky Bluegrass band- as well as opening twice for HOT BUTTERED RUM! Thanks to those boys for allowing me to share the stage while playing Erik Yates’ banjo (while Erik was on Dobro!) during 2 tunes of their 2nd set @ The Iowa City Yacht Club! What a TREAT (even before Halloween!)

Then my friend Joe called for a fill in last Thursday night at the Iowa City Yacht Club- and friends came out in droves at the last min. to play for the band that canceled. I got to do a “solo set” which was VERY well received!

Thanks to ALL the fans and friends who support the music I do my best to make. I feel so very humbled to be a part of the intertwining music scenes especially now!

Tonight IS the night of the full moon!

To vote for Jon Eric- Click HERE

Be sure to stop by daily and vote.

Thank you in advance!!!

~JE

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Article below:

The Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, a one-day music fest to be held this December 12th, 2009 at the legendary Congress Theatre, is bringing the Battle of the Banjos to the Windy City. Organizers have announced the kickoff of “Last Banjo Standing,” an online contest that will scour the Chicagoland area to find the top bluegrass or blues inspired artist.

The winner, as voted on by fans, family, friends and music lovers around the city, will join a slew of national headliners – including Béla Fleck & the Flecktones and the Emmitt-Nershi Band – on stage this fall. 25 bands for a mere $35 bucks just got a whole lot sweeter, as one local band will get the chance to bring down the house, alongside: Béla Fleck & the Flecktones, Emmitt-Nershi Band, Dr. Dog, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, The Giving Tree Band, Van Ghost, Majors Junction, Chicago Farmer, Jaik Willis, Josh Phillips Folk Festival, Mike Mangione & The Band, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Tangleweed, Environmental Encroachment, Squeeze-bot, GreenSugar, How Far to Austin, Liberty Bluegrass Band, The Right Now, Cobalt & the Hired Guns, The Shams Band, Goodbyehome, and the Junior League Band

Online voting:
The online voting period begins on October 15th, and concludes on October 31st, 2009. Each e-mail address will be allotted one vote per day, and as is the tradition in Chicago, encourage your supporters to vote early and often!

Winner will be announced:
After October 31st the votes will be tallied and Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival organizers will choose the winning artist amongst the top 5 vote-getters. The winner will be announced at 12:00 a.m. on October 16th, at www.cbbfestival.com.

“As we kick off the inaugural Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival, we launched the Last Banjo Standing contest to give every musician a shot at taking the stage. Chicago boasts a non-elitist reputation for recognizing good music, and we’re excited to give an up-and-coming, still-to-be-discovered musician the exposure they need to break through to the next level,” says Michael Raspatello, founder/organizer of the Chicago Bluegrass & Blues Festival.

A portion of each $35 ticket will also be donated to the Saving Tiny Hearts Society, a non-profit organization that raises money for life-saving research of congenital heart defects (CHD), and Prevent Child Abuse America.

For more information about the contest and for full lineup and ticket purchasing information, please visit: www.cbbfestival.com.

10/09/09-Tonight SlewGrass is playing a FREE show @ The Eagles Lodge (across from Paul’s) in Iowa City.

10/10/09- Saturday- was going to try and make the Eden Valley Bluegrass Festival.  I remember such a good time there with all the folks who came out to this event a couple of years ago when I sat in with another bluegrass band who needed a banjo to fill in.

10/11/09- Sunday is THIS event (below) and have been gearing up for it.

THIS SUNDAY!

I am very thankful for the opportunity to share in an afternoon of music and fun doing several different styles of music that few have heard me perform.

This show is open to the public and FREE!

Hope to see you there!

~JE

After getting back to Iowa from taking a flight down to the Washington DC area. I was in for the time of my life seeing old friends and meeting some VERY talented new ones. With a flight being MUCH faster than a 1000 mile one way car trip.

I want to thank my buddy Mark Newton for the opportunity of sharing his “Homecoming Pickin’ Party” in Fredericksburg, VA. Raising money for the James Monroe High School Athletics Dept. on September 19th, 2009,  it was a bluegrass fund raising event that we all hope will continue for YEARS to come! The weather held- and everyone I chatted with had such a delightful time! The amazing volunteers and planning of this event was over12 months in the making and recording artists that came together for such a worthy cause made this such a huge success!

Also special thanks to Larry Jett (Sonrise) who invited me down to Wally Clever’s recording studio in Fredericksburg on Thursday 9/17/09. They are in the middle of recording cd #4 and tore it up in the studio! Sonrise is a southern style bluegrass/gospel band that is rock solid! Kind of ironic how I talked to the bass player Eddie Haynes about his son Justin Haynes (fiddler for 3rd Tyme Out). Saturday playing with Mark Newton on the main stage- Justin was sawin that fiddle to my “stage-left”! What an treat!

Pictures will be added soon so check back here and bookmark to your favorites!

Also a special thanks to all of the great folks at the Iowa City Fiddler’s Picnic! After just getting off the plane in Moline, IL. I zipped out to the fairgrounds and picked with some friends on Sunday afternoon. What a FUN time!

The Iowa band I have been sitting in with SLEWGRASS will be doing a concert Friday September 25th, 2009– Opening for Scott Cochran & Flannel. This will be a FREE show this Friday at Agave Tequila Bar and Grill in Coralville- show starts at 0830 pm. Bring a friend and let’s pack this place!