New Release: Dinner In Tennessee

Hey all! I have a new album out on Bandcamp today. This twelve song collection features acoustic blues and roots music performed on guitar, and explores some fingerstyle and slide techniques.

The Devil’s Lullaby Video Single

Fingerpicking and Slide 101

A short tutorial on some of the guitar playing techniques used on “Dinner In Tennessee:”

New Release: Rondos Vol. 1

Hey all!
I am pleased to announce the release of my latest album, Rondos Vol. I, a collection of original tunes in rondo form. This first volume of music features demonstration recordings for fifteen tunes and a PDF booklet. (CD and print versions to come!) Check it out here:

https://jackdwyer.bandcamp.com/album/rondos-vol-i

Jack Dwyer On Mandolin Mondays

Here’s a video of Rondo No. 6, as featured on the YouTube series Mandolin Mondays:

Music Booklet

Included with the audio download is a 36 page PDF booklet with complete music notation for all fifteen tunes and an introductory chapter on the origins and structure of the rondo. Here is a look at the sheet music for Rondo No. 1 The Homecoming Rondo:

Great Jack, But What Is A Rondo?

Oh wait a minute… You don’t know what a rondo is? No worries! I didn’t either, but I went and found out. Now you can read all about it down below (nerd alert).

A Word From The Author: (From the Bandcamp liner notes)

These tunes are an exploration of the rondo form, which originated in European baroque and classical music and entered folk traditions around the world including Brazilian choro, and French musette. The rondo form is characterized by a primary refrain that alternates between two or more novel themes. As an example, the rondos in this volume generally follow an AA BB A CC A form.

This particular rondo form is also known as the “French waltz form” for its presence in French musette and is also a major feature of Brazilian choro music (of various time signatures). Choro developed in Rio de Janeiro during the early 1900s in parallel to American ragtime and is a similar amalgamation of African, Indigenous American, and European influences.

Both choro and ragtime feature syncopated rhythms, recurring melodic themes, complex harmony, and modulating tonalities. However, the two styles developed somewhat independently of one another, and this created notable differences between them. Whereas choro relies heavily on the rondo, ragtime’s main European formal forebearer was the march form popularized by John Philip Sousa. The march is a more recent development, and bears a stronger resemblance to the sonata.

That is all to say: the Northern American rondo is a rare thing. Some rags are rondos, like Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” but most are not. There are a handful of American fiddle tunes that come close. Bill Monroe’s “Big Mon” features an alternate A part: A B A1 B. The Texas contest tune “Lime Rock” or “Limerock Rag,” is sometimes played as a rondo. However, aside from a few exceptions, this form never flourished in the United States the way it did elsewhere even in the Americas. This was likely due to the popularity of ragtime, as well as the longstanding hegemony of the AABB form.

Which brings us to a question… what if this were not the case? What if there were rondos in America? What would they sound like? Well… no need to wonder! Just sit back and enjoy this alt-history musicological experiment. Partake in some parallel-universe folk music. In this spirit, I submit a first volume for your listening and playing pleasure.

Keep a look out for Volume II!

Thanks for listening,
Jack Dwyer
Port Townsend, WA
Spring 2023 

Horseshoe Music Launch

Hey all – happy spring!

Introducing: Horseshoe Music

Excited to announce that I’m launching a music publishing and licensing company, called Horseshoe Music. Our goal is to connect independent musicians with filmmakers and videographers and help place original music in films, T.V., commercials, promotional videos, and online marketing content. Check us out at HorseshoeMusic.com and help spread the word!

Spring Shows

Also, be sure and check the schedule page for info on my local Port Townsend and Peninsula-area shows this spring.

Winter Shows And More

Hey all! Hope you are staying warm and well this winter. Here’s what I’m up to:

December Shows:

I’ll be playing a few more shows this month to close out 2022, check the calendar page for more info.

Seasons Greetings:

If you’re looking for some Christmas cheer, check this out. Or maybe you celebrate the solstice, in which case, this is for you.

2023 Regulars

Starting in January, I’ll have some new regular shows in Port Townsend:

Every Third Saturday Dance
Honky Tonk at the Hilltop w/
Jack Dwyer & The All-Nighters
The Hilltop Tavern
Port Townsend, WA
8pm

Every Tuesday
Jack Dwyer & Bobby Winstead
acoustic old-time, country, and bluegrass on mandolin and guitar
The Anchor Pub
Port Townsend, WA
6-8pm

Stay Tuned

Also, stay tuned for some new music releases in 2023! Check back here or join my mailing list (by writing to jackdwyerlist@gmail.com) to hear all about it!

Fall Shows

Hey all – happy fall!

I’m sticking to the Peninsula this fall, so you’ll have some opportunities to catch me local.

I’m playing Second Sundays from 6 to 8pm in the Rook at the Castle in Port Townsend, and I’m playing Sunday afternoons with Bobby Winstead at the Anchor Pub on Water Street.

We’re doing another Honky Tonk on October 15th at the Hilltop Tavern, 8pm.

Keep an eye for other shows in and around Port Townsend, and check my schedule for all dates.

Spring 2022 Shows

Stream-Of-The-Week

Tune in here every Monday at 7pm for the Stream-Of-The-Week, a weekly live streaming show featuring original music and a variety of instruments and styles!

Live Shows

And I’ll be playing out a bit more again now that spring is on its way… see dates below!

Second Sundays at The Rook at Manresa Castle

Starting in February I’ll be performing every Second Sunday from 6 to 8pm at The Rook at Manresa Castle in Port Townsend, WA. Come by for a night of solo acoustic guitar music – originals and classics from flatpicking bluegrass, fingerpicking folk and blues, and points in between.

April 30th Honky Tonk At The Manresa Castle, 7-10pm

I’ll also be playing a honky tonk dance at Manresa Castle from 7 to 10pm on April 30th, with Cascade Country, featuring myself, Kian Dye on fiddle (Bellingham), Forrest Marowitz on bass (Seattle), Dave Meis on steel guitar, and Angie Tabor on drums. Yeehaw!

First and Third Wednesdays at the Keg and I Return in May

Starting in May, I’ll be performing once again, every first and third Wednesday of the month from 5 to 7pm at the Keg and I in Chimacum, WA, with a rotating cast of musical guests:

May 4th Jack Dwyer & Jonathan Doyle

May 18th Jack Dwyer & Sue Thompson

June 1st Jack Dwyer & Jere Canote

June 15th Jack Dwyer & Matt Sircely

Saturday April 16th at the Keg and I

In anticipation of my bi-monthly Wednesday return I’ll be playing a Saturday set at the Keg and I on April 16th from 4 to 6pm, with Bobby Winstead.

Check the calendar for more local 2022 dates, including Buskers On The Block, Port Townsend Farmers Market, PT Vineyards, Marrowstone Vineyards, with more dates coming!

Keg and I Schedule, Fall 2021

Live Music with Jack Dwyer & Friends, 1st & 3rd Wednesdays, 5-7pm at The Keg and I.

Special Guest Lineup:

Oct 6 Jack Dwyer (mandolin, vocals) & Bobby Winstead (guitar, vocals): Bluegrass, Country, Old-Time

Jack & Bobby have been performing and recording together in various bands since they met in Portland, OR in the early 2010s.  Their duo performances are inspired by the brother duet tradition and feature close vocal harmonies and precise picking over a range of traditional and original old-time, country, and bluegrass songs. 

www.jackdwyer.com/jack-dwyer-bobby-winstead

Oct 20 Jack Dwyer (hollowbody electric, vocals) & Jonathan Doyle (clarinet) (Country, Swing, Blues)

Before he arrived in Port Townsend, Jonathan Doyle made music in Austin, TX, New Orleans, and Chicago, with numerous regional and nationally acclaimed performers, including Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel, and the Jim Cullum Jazz Band, at venues like the Grand Old Opry, Austin City Limits, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

www.jonathandoylemusic.com

Nov 3 Jack Dwyer (mandolin, vocals) & Jere Canote (guitar, big banjo, ukulele): Old-Time, Bluegrass, Swing

Jere Canote is one half of the Canote Brothers. Jere and his twin brother Greg perform a variety of American styles from fiddle tunes and country songs to novelty numbers and swing. Together they have performed on Prairie Home Companion, Gurten Fest in Bern, Switzerland, Bumbershoot, Puget Sound Guitar Workshop, Festival of American Fiddle Tunes and more.

www.canote.com

Nov 17 Jack Dwyer (vocals, guitar) & Sue Thompson (vocals, guitar) (Bluegrass)

Sue Thompson is a noted bluegrass and roots-Americana vocalist, and a dedicated teacher whose Sing Harmony Now! method for learning to sing harmony by ear has won praise on three continents. She is also an accomplished flatpicker. Her recordings include the late Mike Seeger’s GRAMMY-nominated Third Annual Farewell Reunion and the Western Music extravaganza Tall Boots. Sue performs and teaches at festivals and workshops in Europe as well as in the US, Canada, and Japan.

Dec 1 Jack Dwyer (hollowbody electric, vocals) & Chris Miller (saxophone) (Country, Swing, Blues)

Saxophonist for The Revelers, Chris Miller has toured all over the U.S. and played as a bandleader and sideman with various other groups. He moved to the Peninsula last winter.

www.revelersband.com

Dec 15 Jack Dwyer (mandolin, vocals) & Bobby Winstead (guitar, vocals): Bluegrass, Country, Old-Time

Jack & Bobby have been performing and recording together in various bands since they met in Portland, OR in the early 2010s.  Their duo performances are inspired by the brother duet tradition and feature close vocal harmonies and precise picking over a range of traditional and original old-time, country, and bluegrass songs. 

www.jackdwyer.com/jack-dwyer-bobby-winstead