2008 Writing D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
September
2008
Pickamania
Page: 2Egge reports, "I just finished mixing my new record in New York, that'll be coming out in January 2009. So that's my big news." This latest album will be her sixth.
When Egge was 15 years old, she began a one-year apprenticeship with Silver City luthier Don Musser, in order to build her own guitar. She still plays that instrument exclusively.
She also sings, plays mandolin, bottleneck slide guitar and piano during her live performances, and currently tours the US and the UK.
Fresh off her recording project, Egge is barely taking a breath before hitting the road again — bouncing like the proverbial ping-pong ball between New Mexico, New York, Boston and Ontario from now into the fall. But she says she's happy to be coming home to Silver City for Pickamania.
"It's gonna be a lot of fun," she enthuses. "I'm looking forward to being a part of it."
Pickamania's well-rounded slate also includes, on Saturday, Hill Billy Voodoo playing their own brand of hillbilly-influenced Louisiana-loving folk; Bayou Seco, playing "traditional" southwestern tunes; a "Band Scramble," in which audience pickers can join with other musicians on stage to form impromptu groups; and the Boulder Acoustic Society, a group that describes its style as "American Roots music with the edge of punk rock and the grace of chamber music." The day's music wraps up with "fun-loving bluegrass" by Chatham County Line.
On Sunday, local group Gypsy Feet Band will kick off the day, followed by Ana Egge. Then come Steve Smith and Hard Road, who have performed in the past in the MRAC's folk series, and the edgy New York-based female trio Red Molly, playing acoustic folk, roots and Americana. Robin and Linda Williams, who have performed around the US and beyond, will close the event with their blend of bluegrass, folk, old-time and acoustic country.
But while the grass may be blue — get it? — Pickamania will be the MRAC's "greenest" festival so far. The arts council is working with the mayor's Recycling Advisory Committee to make the event earth-friendly, the event's organizers say, a trend the MRAC will integrate into its Blues Fest next May, as well.
So unfurl that picnic blanket with a clean conscience and settle in for a new Silver City outdoor music tradition — this one celebrating America's musical roots amid the cooler breezes of autumn.
Donna Clayton Lawder is senior editor of Desert Exposure.
Mimbres Region Arts Council, 1201 Pope St., Silver City.
538-2505, 888-758-7289. www.mimbresarts.org