Submitted photos
Jean Mann, who will be returning this year, performs on stage at the Astor Street Opry Company during the 2014
gathering. Mann performs original songs on her four-stringed tenor guitar.
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Story by CATE GABLE
Bring your four-strings to the
sixth annual Tenor Guitar Gath-
ering (TGG6) — May 28 to 31 in
Astoria — including more than 10
workshops, over 20 musicians and
four evenings of live performance.
But who’s counting?
Michael K. Ward, author of “Ghost Riders In The Sky: The Life of Stan Jones, The Singing Ranger,” will speak about
Stan Jones during the Tenor Guitar Hall of Fame ceremony May 28.
12 | May 28, 2015 | coastweekend.com
luncheon and live per-
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What’s New
to the top four strings of a regular guitar
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“I’ve decided to organize the event a little dif-
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amazing event and now president of the Tenor Gui- or guitar — following the tunings of other four- or troduction to music from the Balkans, classic rock,
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ple are calling us,” he says, in his typically sunny
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sephs mentioned the idea of a tenor guitar gathering
to Gordon Styler, then-owner of the Astoria Guitar
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ering created traditions that have lasted — the
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Concerts
For a complete schedule and ticketing information
for this year’s Tenor Guitar Gathering, visit www.
tenorguitarfoundation.org
Chicago Tuning / Ukulele Concert
7 p.m. Thursday, May 28
Pier 39 Banquet Room
$40
Backstage Pass
From left, Gerry Carthy, John Lawlor, Tom Molyneaux, Mark Jo-
sephs, Stephen Schauer and Tim May take a photo at the Rogue
Ales Public House Banquet Room during last year’s Tenor Guitar
Gathering. All but Molyneaux and Schauer will be returning this
year.
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the works for a Lawlor CD
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Jones, writer of the song “Ghost Riders in the Sky,”
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Because the gathering is attracting such a co-
lossal group of accomplished musicians, Josephs
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Another change is that the traditional Sunday
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also wander into the Astoria Sunday Market food
court for free and hear some hot tenor guitar per-
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Community Participation
Community support has also development over
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how much the community of Astoria really makes
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man has continued to follow the TGG experience
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7 p.m. Friday, May 29
RiverSea Gallery
1160 Commercial St., Astoria
$40
Afternoon & Evening of Tenor Guitars
3 p.m. Saturday, May 30
Pier 39 Banquet Room
$40
Former National Park Ranger Stan Jones, who wrote the song “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” will be
inducted into the Tenor Guitar Hall of Fame this year. The ceremony will take place at the May 28
concert at Rogue Ales Public House Banquet Room, which starts at 7 p.m. Keeter Stuart, Jones’
relative, will accept the award and perform some of Jones’ songs on tenor guitar.
Ending concert
6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 31
ASOC Playhouse
129 W. Bond St., Astoria
$15
Catch a glimpse of John
Lawlor’s slick licks here:
“Exactly Like You” – www.youtube.com/
watch?v=aTjm60tm2WY
“Wives and Lovers” – www.youtube.com/
watch?v=AcI8GU8ftOQ
Tim May, of Nashville, Tennessee, performs during last year’s Tenor Guitar Gathering at the Astor
Street Opry Company Playhouse on a $3,500 Collings tenor guitar, sent by luthier Bill Collings for
May to play at the event. May crafted the tenor guitar on the stand, right, himself.
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schmooze with the musicians in an intimate setting,
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Every aspect of the gathering uses local talent
and expertise from Dave McMacken’s new post-
er design, to the delicious food at the Bridgewater
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On May 4, Mayor Arline LaMear proposed, and
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If you’d like to join others who’ve donated to support
this event, become a Tenor Guitar Angel by visiting
www.tenorguitarfoundation.org/tenor-angels.htm
Astoria Sunday Market vendor Alan Matta brought his cigar-box-guitar-making skills to last year’s
Tenor Guitar Gathering with a Build Your Own Electric Cigar Box Guitar Workshop. Due to popular
demand, the workshop is back at this year’s gathering, taking place from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Satur-
day at the Pier 39 Banquet Room. Participants walk away with a three-string slide cigar box guitar.
May 28, 2015 | coastweekend.com | 13