Category: Teen Workshop

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Dan Navarro Visits Bemidji September 3 & 4

Headwaters Music & Arts welcomes nationally touring musician and songwriter, Dan Navarro, to Bemidji September 3 and 4 with a concert and a guitar workshop for ages 13-adult.

Dan Navarro’s long and eclectic resume includes “songwriter,” “recording artist,” “singer,” “voice actor,” “road warrior” and “arts advocate” in its range of credits. His music probes life at its most resonant. In his rich baritone, he sings songs of heart and insight, steeped in experience, soulful tales from a long road well-traveled.

Dan started his career writing songs for a diverse array of artists including Pat Benatar (the Grammy®-nominated “We Belong”) The Bangles, Jackson Browne, Dave Edmunds, The Temptations, Dionne Warwick, The Triplets, Dutch star Marco Borsato, and Austin outlaw legend Rusty Weir.

In the 1990’s and 2000’s, Dan worked with Eric Lowen as they recorded and toured as the acclaimed acoustic duo Lowen & Navarro until Eric’s retirement in 2009. Dan has transitioned smoothly into a busy solo career over the past decade, touring nationally almost constantly.

Dan's long awaited first true studio-recorded album, "Shed My Skin" was released in 2019 and was well worth the wait. Recorded and produced by Steve Postell it, of course, features Dan Navarro / vocals, guitar, percussion, Steve Postell / Guitars, Jon Ossman / upright bass, Brendan Buckley /drums, Peter Adams / piano, Phil Parlapiano / accordion, David Glaser / mandolin and Debra Dobkin / percussion.

He has a parallel career as a voice actor and singer, in films like The Playmobil Movie, Pirates of the Caribbean 5, The Book Of Life, Rio (on the Oscar®-nominated “Real In Rio”), Happy Feet, The Lorax, Ice Age (2 & 3) ; TV series Turbo Fast, Prison Break, Family Guy and American Dad; records with Neil Young, Andrea Bocelli, Luis Miguel, Jose Feliciano, Janiva Magness, and Jon Anderson of Yes; hit video games Fallout 4 and Uncharted 4; and hundreds of TV ads for Subaru, Shakey’s, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Honda, Nationwide and more. Most recently, Dan sang on six Lin-Manuel Miranda songs in the Disney Film ENCANTO and, in Feb 2022, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.

And now… Dan’s new album, "Horizon Line,” is finished and set for an August release. Produced by multiple Grammy®-winner Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco, Dixie Chicks, as well as the first five Lowen & Navarro albums) over a dozen sessions in mid-2021 and a dozen more in spring 2022. You can pre-orders your album now at DanNavarro.com

Dan has a 26-year-old son, thinks sleep is for babies and is a known abuser of acoustic guitars.

You can see Dan perform live in concert Saturday, September 3 at 7:30 pm and you can join him for his guitar workshop for all levels of songwriters (beginners to advanced are all welcome!) 1-4 pm Sunday, September 4. Both the concert and the workshop will be held at Headwaters Music & Arts Performance Hall (519 MN Ave NW, Bemidji). Concert tickets cost $25/person and the cost to register for the guitar workshop is $50. Register or find out more about Headwaters workshops and music events here.

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Chris Hudson visits Bemidji

Headwaters Music and Arts hosts Chris Hudson for a workshop and a couple of performances in May. Chris is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter based out of Kansas City, MO. He’ll be bringing his guitar with him when he stops in Bemidji May 19 and 20 as a part of his Minnesota tour.

Leader and founding member of Gullywasher and Gullywasher Collective, the public will have a chance to hear Chris’ guitar stylings on May 19, 7-9, pm as he performs an intimate house concert at the home of Tom and Elisha Barry of Bemidji; attendance is limited to 25 guests. The event supports Headwaters’ Music Scholarship Program, and will include appetizers and beverages to pair with Chris’ music. Those who are not able to attend the house concert can plan to watch Chris live, on May 20 at Headwaters Music and Arts (519 Minnesota Ave, Bemidji) for a free will donation community concert at 7:30 pm. The event will follow a finger-picking workshop held 5:30-7 pm Friday, May 20 for guitar players of all ages. Both May 20 events are at Headwaters Music and Arts.

May 19 House Concert tickets are $30 per person while registration for the finger picking workshop is $10 per participant. The 7:30 pm May 20 Community Concert is free will donation at the door. Headwaters Music & Arts is an independent non-profit multidisciplinary organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for creativity through instruction and to inspire community through music and the arts.

 

 

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Announcing Block 2 of Headwaters Jam Band

Headwaters Music and Arts is in the midst of it’s first block of Jam Band. The 8 week program, which is dedicated to exploring instrumental improvisation and composition in a group setting, started at the beginning of April with a group of talented and aspiring teen musicians. The group meets weekly on Thursday evenings, 5-7 pm, at Headwaters Music and Arts (519 MN Ave NW, Bemidji) and is for all instruments and genres – a fact the teens, who come from varying musical backgrounds, have been learning as they work together to create their own music in a format that they all enjoy. As the teens have been digging in and exploring beyond the basics of music theory they have found new skills and techniques while learning to play in a group and as a band. Each participant has been challenged to add their own parts to the mix, coming up with their own rhythm and melody lines on their preferred instrument. Block 1 of Jam Band ends at the end of May, but Headwaters is already taking registrations for Block 2 which runs June 3 through July 22. There will be a total of 4 Blocks of Jam Band this year so if you know a teen who is interested but can’t make it to Block 2 they have opportunities at Block 3 (August 5 – September 23) or Block 4 (October 7 – December 2).

Headwaters Jam Band is for teen musicians ages 13-18 with prior experience with their instrument. The group is led by Cassidy Jay, a professional musician, composer and audio engineer with 20 years of experience playing in bands and writing songs. Cassidy teaches the group how to use their senses and intuition to identify and apply patterns, rhythm, scales and phrasing to compose and improvise. Participants learn how to play in a group setting with a band and how to fit into the mix as an individual with their instrument.

Participants gather weekly to jam out and explore important aspects of song structure, song dynamics, song phrasing, band organization and the social dynamics of playing in a group. This, all while practicing how to be in the moment

when playing, and using the powers of intuition and personal expression. Headwaters Jam Band offers an open atmosphere and creative environment where musicians can collaborate, make new friends, grow together and forge a greater personal understanding of the musical world.

Cassidy has been a member of various bands as a multi instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. Through that and his solo work he has delved deep into the study and practice of creating and playing music with an emphasis on song composition, as well as the art of improvisation and using intuition as a guiding force for articulating musical expression. Of his work Cassidy says, “My goal as a musician is to distill everything I have learned from my experiences into writing and playing, in a pursuit to be a conduit for creativity and explore uncharted territory in the music realm.”

Participants are required to provide their own instruments and amps (if applicable) with the exception of the drum kit. The cost to attend is $75/ 8 week block. Advance registration is required – limited spots available. Register here.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.