Here we are, in the depth of winter, preparing to travel across state to enjoy and perform at one of the most prestigious contra dance gatherings in the United States. In all irony, the dance is called Snow Ball. Sound Traveler will be performing at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom near St. Petersburg, Florida. Oh, we are not the main band for the gathering – or even the second band. But we are scheduled to play the waltz break on Saturday night with hundreds of superb dancers gliding across the floor to our music. The ballroom is located on an arm of the magnificent Tampa Bay. Through large windows we will watch Florida sunshine sparkling off the rippling waters as we alternately sing and dance. Dancers will be there from all over the United States – some even from foreign countries. [...]

Sound Traveler had a very nice time last night at Tropical Haven in Melbourne as we played the waltz break for the contra dance. Bo Frazer and his band were so generous as to let us use their equipment and share their space. As usual, Patty surprised some by introducing trumpet, xylophone, and melodica to a venue not accustomed to such instrumentation. But the dancers glided around the floor like angels to tunes such as “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Bella Note,” “Ashokan Farewell,” and “Moon River.” After the break and as we returned to the dance floor ourselves, the dancers were very kind and complimentary. One of the nicest compliments anyone can give to a dance band is to dance beautifully while the music plays. Our dance friends showed once again why we value them so much. Sound Traveler will be heading [...]

The New Year is a time when people look back in order to look forward with greater clarity. 2011 was quite a year for Sound Traveler. We traveled 9136 miles on business, played (formally or informally) over 100 performances in four states. We recorded our first official CD of original songs and have already sold enough to cover costs. Our original Christmas song “Can You Remember” led off the Christmas in the Mountains CD Volume V. We added xylophone, melodica, additional foot percussion, and video to our performances. In short, we tried to create and/or take advantage of every possible opportunity to perform and develop our music. Yet we look ahead! In the coming year we hope to expand our business into new geographical areas. We already have performances lined up in Brevard, Orlando, St. Pete, and North Carolina. In [...]

It might sound vain, but I like our Sound Traveler Band website. I sometimes like to pull down the list of venues we’ve played and recall memorable incidents at each of them. I remember the owners and managers who take such pride in their establishments. I remember audiences, even individual audience members, who shared something of themselves when they responded to certain songs and talked with us after a gig. I like to pull down the list of songs we play, thinking about how each of those songs carries such meaning for us and how that list is growing daily as we prepare for new performances. I like the picture of the front of our CD, prominently displayed on the Home page. I enjoy occasionally clicking on the embedded CD player, listening to some of the songs that we have [...]

What do Doc Watson, the Kingston Trio, The Kruger Brothers, Amantha Mill, Melissa Reaves, The Todd Wright Trio, Joe Shannon, and Jeff Little all have in common? Each of these acts have been involved with the Christmas in the Mountains CD project. And for the past three years we have had original songs included in the collection. This year Sound Traveler’s original song “Can You Remember” is the first track! We are thrilled! TheChristmas in the Mountains CDs are products of the Watauga Hunger and Health Coalition. Each CD is sold for ten dollars, and for that sum a needy family can be fed for a week. To this point many people have reaped benefits and many more will be helped by the sale of this year’s product. We are so honored to be involved with Christmas in the Mountains [...]

They call us Sound Traveler, and the events of the past couple of weeks provide ample evidence why. We just returned last night from a trip to St. Pete and Sarasota on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast, this following a very busy weekend in DeLand, Rockledge, and Orlando. We’re a little tired, but happy. After all, this is why we chose this business – to have the privilege of performing music and sharing musical experiences with appreciative audiences in diverse locations. We taught several classes at the Sunshine State Acoustic Music Camp in St. Pete, and that was delightful. The camp completed its 22nd year under the direction of local legend, Charley Groth. The camp lived up to its name – the weather was fabulous, the music eclectic and stimulating, and the experience memorable. The instructors’ concert is one valued tradition [...]

For more than thirty years I taught in a public school environment. The closest we ever got to prayer was “a moment of silence.” Oh, I could answer a question relating to religion – from a factual standpoint. For example, I could discuss what peoples practice Islam. I could talk about the causes and results of the Crusades. But I could never lead children in a prayer, at least not during a school day. But it wasn’t always that way. I began my formal education at Saint James Catholic School in Savannah, Georgia. There was a crucifix in every room. There were prayers in the morning, prayers before meals, and church services for special occasions. One of our subjects was religion. We discussed God as our creator. We studied the Ten Commandments as a guiding influence on behavior. We learned [...]

The land glowed misty green, golden in some lights. A unique blend of climate, terrain, and culture led many of the young people there to become poets and singers. Some composed for profit, most just experienced life in poetic terms. But in the 1840s and for a number of years thereafter, Ireland became like a mother whose breasts had gone dry. A terrible famine took hold and led many people in Ireland to look in another direction – west to America. I don’t have a great deal of direct information about my great-great-great-grandfather, John Michael Doyle. I know he arrived in Ohio from Wexford, Ireland in the middle 1800s, near the time of the Civil War. During that most terrible war, he drummed his way through Georgia with General Sherman and later settled in the beautiful town of Savannah – [...]

Sound Traveler had the great good fortune this weekend to play at the Melbourne Main Street Fall Festival in Melbourne, FL. We were there on both Saturday and Sunday courtesy of Vapor! Hookah Lounge and Social Club. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I found the lounge to be charming and the staff to be very friendly. In fact, we will be back at Vapor! on October 6 for a Sixties night. That will be a lot of fun for us because we can travel back in time and focus on some songs that we really get into. The festival was lively, and everyone seemed to be wearing a smile. As we were playing, I couldn’t help thinking of some fall festivals that I’ve performed at in the mountains. At times the temperatures were so cold I [...]

Seems there is a movement to preserve “Old Florida.” I guess that’s a good idea. Florida has a long and rich history. Who knows when the Native Americans first travelled down the sandy peninsula stretching hundreds of miles into warm ocean waters? And who can forget the Spanish who “discovered” a land that someone else was living on? And what about those early farmers scattered about the swamps and the coastlines, ones who battled malarial mosquitoes, rogue hurricanes, and searing sun to make a living in a land far removed from the center of a young America? “Old Florida” is a worthy subject for historical ballads and songs that romanticize times long ago. But it’s not the only way to look at the Sunshine State. There is another Florida – a modern landscape that people come from everywhere to experience. [...]