Rick's Music voted in Top 100 Music Dealers in the Country!

We just got a call from NAMM, (our industry trade organization) who announced to us that we've been voted one of the Top 100 Music Dealers in the Country and that we'll be receiving an award at the Summer Music NAMM Show.  How cool is that??!!!

Announcing the WINNER of the BIG BREAK CONTEST!

CONGRATULATIONS!! to "THE GHILLIES" , winners of The Rhode Show's BIG BREAK CONTEST. You can catch them when they perform live at Twin Rivers on May 26 or on FOX during the broadcast of the American Idol Finale. 

Watch their TV Interview & first ever Live performance:


http://www.foxprovidence.com/dpp/rhode_show/the-ghillies-win-rhode-shows-big-break

Guitar Class in the Style of Hendrix and Clapton!

 Class now starts May 15th!

Kick it up a notch! This guitar lab is a great way to improve and refine skills important for musical collaborations, like Jam Camp!

Expand your guitar knowledge with this NEW course offering. Teacher, Nic Estrela, will zero in on two guitar greats, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. You’ll get a hands-on tour of their unique sound, especially their signature chord styles and solo licks. This class is not for beginners, but all ages welcome.

Class Meets:    Sundays, from 1-2pm for 6 wks

Class Dates:     May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12, 19, 26

Cost:    $120     $50 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a spot.  The balance is due on the first day of class.

Beginner's Guitar Class for Ages 8-12

Class will now start on May 15th!

Explore the world of guitar!   Instructor Mark Carvalho will teach you the fundamentals of guitar playing and help you develop good techniques to build upon. You'll enjoy learning tips to help you play your favorite music faster. You'll learn be learning with a small group of kids in your age group who, like you, want to play guitar even though some aren't sure if they can do it. You can! Mark will keep it fun and get you all started on your musical journey together.

You'll need an acoustic guitar for the class and to practice at home. If you need one, we have inexpensive beginner 3/4 size guitars, perfect for kids, starting at $89.99 that are teacher-approved. Or, you can rent a guitar for the 6 weeks for $29.99 and we'll apply the rental fee toward its purchase any time before June 12.

TIP: Inadequate guitars or even great guitars not properly adjusted can be a critical roadblock to your success. If you've already got a guitar, bring it in for a free check up a couple days before class starts so we can make sure it's good to go.

Wanna Play?  Call 508-977-0200 today to reserve* your spot!

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: May 14th  

INTRO TO GUITAR  (Ages 8-12)
COST:   $115 (includes all class materials) *Non-refundable Tuition deposit of $50 is required to reserve a spot. Balance is due before the first class.

CLASS MEETS:    Sundays from noon to 1pm for 6 weeks
CLASS DATES:    May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12, 19, 26

Susie Burke & David Surette Concert & Workshops

Please join us with this talented couple as we start our new House Concert series here at Rick’s. Susie & David will each conduct an afternoon workshop followed by a Sunday night house concert. 

SUNDAY - MAY 1, 2011

Concert 7pm - 9:30pm  - $15

Workshops 3pm - 5pm

$25 each workshop or $37 for both

A house concert is an up-close and personal way to share music with friends and talented musicians in a relaxed and casual way. It fills the ears and the soul, and you head home remembering a special moment in your music memories!

Susie Burke owns the sweet, yet powerful voice of an angel. She’ll pull you into each song as she cap- tures the full meaning of every song she sings. Her guitar skills are a perfect complement to her voice. David is a master musician... if it has strings and frets, David can make it soar! Listen as he plays different instru- ments through the night. His warm voice is a perfect compliment to Susie’s, and together they make some of our very favorite music. Join us for this special night to make it your favorite as well!

WORKSHOP OFFERINGS—We will offer two choices from each artist. The top choice will be the Workshop offered this time. All the more reason to have them back again!

DAVID’S WORKSHOP OFFERINGS

Learn great guitar techniques and tunes from one of the best in New England in these participatory workshop for acoustic guitar. David Surette has long been known as a musician's musician, as well as an experienced and gifted teacher. 

Traditional Acoustic Guitar Workshop
     This workshop for intermediate and advanced-level players will focus on American roots repertoire and technique, and will cover topics ranging from blues and ragtime to old-time songs and tunes.

Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop
    This workshop for intermediate and advanced-level players will focus on fingerstyle technique, and will present a “Travis-picking” arrangement as well as a Celtic tune in the DADGAD open-tuning.

SUSIE’S WORKSHOP OFFERINGS

SING IT ‘ROUND AND ‘ROUND
“A Round is a Circle, a Circle of Sound”!
So the song says, and so it is.
There is a whole world of rounds to be discovered. They are a fun and satisfying way to sing in a group, with instant harmonies arising from different groups singing the same part with stacked entrances. (Remember singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat at camp or school or in the car?)  Come join Susie in singing rounds from the simple to the sublime.

COME FOR TO SING
Few things feel better in life than singing together!
Let’s sing some great chorus songs together and then
we will learn harmony parts to a slow shanty, “Bold Riley”, and a more hopping, “Wait ‘Til I Put on my Robe”. And then we’ll take it on the road, or at least home to our friends and families.

Pre-registration is required for us to determine which workshop will be held. Be sure to notify Rick’s staff or Contact Tom Irving at 508-823-4477 or tom468strings@yahoo.com.

Don’t miss this chance to learn from the best!!!  For more info about Susie & David go to: http://www.burkesurette.com

Join Earth Day Actions at Rick's

Happy Earth Day!

Here's 3 things green things to do at Rick's today & Saturday to be earth friendly:

1-Recycle your used instrument by either trading it in, putting it on consignment or donate it to our scholarship program.
2-Get a free cup of coffee if you bring in your own reusable mug or a free refill if you reuse our cups.
3-Use our Sheetmusic download & print service to buy your next sheet music to eliminate transportation fuel usage.

PS.  We'd love to hear your suggestions for more green ideas. 

Ken Porter & Mike Delaney -Open Mic Feature April 21, 2011

Open Mic Starts at 7

Performer sign-up is at 6:30

Admission $3 per person

This acoustic duo, Ken Porter and Mike Delaney are 40% of the folk ensemble New England Weather (“wait a minute and the music will change”, www.neweather.com). 

Ken Porter has been playing drums and singing for over forty years, including most recently in the music group New England Weather. He's played in marching bands, rock-and-roll bands, jazz bands, folk bands. He's opened for Dave Loggins and performed numerous times with Pete Seeger in various venues and with the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus. He's performed with the likes of Tom Chapin, Kim and Reggie Harris, Josh White Jr., and Ruth Wyand. He also appears locally with Julia Kelly, Carolyn Waters, Chris Wilhelm and, prior to her 'big band' era, appeared regularly in the Boston area with Patty Keough. He's provided percussion on several record albums and CDs including Dan Hart's well received "The Life of Dan", David Rovic's "We Just Want The World" and Kathy Danielson’s "Walkin'", on both of Mike Delaney’s CDs and of course on the New England Weather CD.

Mike Delaney is a Boston-area singer-songwriter and part New England Weather. His humorous original songs and parodies cover a wide range of topics from himself ("The Hunk") to the entire country ("If We Only Had a Brain"). In between are excursions into the world of natural science ("Tofu, the Vegan Killer Whale"), literature ("Daddy, Who's Mark Twain?"), automated phone systems ("1-800-CONFESS"), women's health ("Mammogram, M'am?"), sports ("Red Sox Dream"), the oxymoronic business of folk music ("I'm changing my name to DOT.COM"), parts of the human anatomy ("Colonoscopy"), and, of course, his raging ego ("It Is, In Fact, Always About Me"). He has been deemed an "accomplished amateur" by Marilyn Rae Beyer, former music director of WUMB, and Tom Paxton commented that at least one of his songs was "not bad". Anne Hills called the song 1-800-CONFESS "brilliant"! Mike has released three solo CDs, one with New England Weather, and has played mandolin on several others.