88 Strings/ Copper Country

May 9, 2007

88 strings make beautiful music
When he’s not performing around Northern Michigan with The Neptune Quartet or Rusty Blaides, chances are you’ll find ace musician Don Julin teaching the fine art of the mandolin.
Julin has made a name for himself internationally with his style of performing, which combines everything from jazz, folk, avant garde and funk to the strains of cartoon music. The pint-sized mandolin has grown in popularity through the years with the renewed interest in bluegrass music. The mandolin is also increasingly found in jazz and new age circles, and has been used as a rock instrument, most notably by Led Zeppelin.
As such, Julin has a steady stream of students with a yearning to perform. To satisfy that yen, he’s created the 88 Strings Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra, which will be showcasing a recital this month at several venues.
“The  27-piece plucked string ensemble will play music by Italian film composer Nino Rota (of ‘The Godfather’ fame) along with other selections,” Julin says.
Those dates include:
May 11 at the InsideOut Gallery in TC with the Neptune Quartet.
May 12 at Horizon Books, TC.
May 22 at Milliken Auditorium.


The Sounds of Copper Country
Five of Northern Michigan’s most popular folk players are combining their talents to form the Copper Country Quintet, with a show at the Traverse City Opera Houses this Friday, May 11.
The players include Daisy May and Seth Bernard, who’ve toured and performed together for the past two years. The duo has released their first album, recorded at the historic Calumet Theatre, and featuring all-original songs.
They’ll be joined onstage with members of the Breathe Owl Breathe band, including Dominic Suchyta on bass, Drew Howard on pedal steel guitar and Andrea Moreno-Beals on cello for an evening of folk sounds with a spritz.
Tickets are $15 advance and $20 at the door for this Grassroots Productions event. Tickets are available at East Shore Market in Beulah, Cedar City Market in Cedar, and Oryana Food Co-op in Traverse City. See www.grassrootsproductions.net for details.