Tom Sauber news

Holiday greetings to everyone,

I know it's been a long time since my last message. I had hip replacement surgery in August; a bit of a bump in the road but the hospital stay was short and I'm well on the way to being completely recovered and am pretty much back in the swing of things as far as teaching and playing out and about are concerned.

Here's a rundown of things that Patrick and I have coming up around town:

Wed, 12/9 - Patrick and I have our own night at the Viva Fresh Cantina in Burbank, 900 Riverside Dr. Burbank 91506. This is the same place Patrick plays with the Brombies on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays. It's a very friendly Mexican restaurant with a full bar right at the entrance to
the L.A. Equestrian Center, right across the street from the Pickwick Center (lots of extra parking). We expect some of our wonderfulest musician friends to be joining us. Hope you can, too. 8-11 pm, no cover.

Sat, 12/12 - Patrick will be filling in on banjo with the Grateful Dudes at Vincenzo's Pizza in Newhall. 24500 Lyons Ave. 7:30 to 10:30. ( I think Herb P. will be playing guitar)

Wed, 12/16 - The Brombies (George & Jo Ellen Doering, Bill Bryson, and Patrick) play at Viva Fresh (see above).

Fri, 12/18 - The Screaming Earwigs ( Tom, Patrick, Mike Sauber & Steve Lewis) play the 3rd Friday Contra Dance at the War Memorial Hall in South Pasadena. Dance is from 8:30-11:30 with instruction at 8:00. $10 admission with a potluck before the dance. 435 Fair Oaks
Ave., South Pasadena, 91030 (just north of the 110 fwy.).

Sat, 12/26 - The Screaming Earwigs again. Great old-time dance music on the West Side of L.A. This is the 4th Saturday Contra Dance at the Brentwood Youth Hut, 731 S. Bundy Drive (just south of San Vincente). Instruction at 7:30, dancing from 8:00 to 11:00. $10. Info for these Contra Dances: steve@urbanoldtime.com

Thur - Sunday, 12/31-Jan 3 - Patrick and I will be playing and giving workshops at the California Traditional Music Society's annual New Year's Camp. This event, if you haven't been to it, is held at Camp Hess Kramer, a conference center located up the coast from Malibu in one of the Sycamore filled canyons about 100 yards from the beach on the migratory path of the Monarch butterfly. It's a wonderful place for a holiday getaway filled with music, dance, good food, etc., etc. Visit www.ctmsfolkmusic.org for all the info.

Before I forget - preceding both of the contra dances this month (see above), Ruth Alpert will be giving a free workshop in Appalachian free-style dancing (lots of names here - buck dance, flatfooting, clogging). Whatever you call it, it's a great accompaniment to old-time music. Ruth is a great dancer and this is a great opportunity to pick up some steps which go "hand in glove" with the fiddle

Holiday cheers,

Thomas Sauber