Hawks and Owls string band

Hi Folks,
For those of you that have been emailing me, thank you for your kind words!
Making a living off of music and art is a trying task, and comments like yours let me know that what I'm doing is touching the souls of folks, which is the most important thing in my opinion.

For those of you that asked, my music can be purchased here at CD Baby.
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I just added a new song on Number One Music, High River Blues. I set the perimeters to streaming/download, so if you'd like to load it on your iPod go ahead. This song was featured here in Grand Rapids Michigan as an entry in a large Art contest called ArtPrize. There's a musical division as well. ArtPrize is the largest Art contest of it's kind on the planet! (expired link)

I also produce and host a large environmentally themed music festival, free to the public, called the Grand River Water Festival. This year was my 6th year. It's a festival designed to educate the public about water quality and environmental issues, all while entertaining them with some of the best folk, old time, blues, bluegrass, singer/songwriter music to be found in Michigan. The City of Grand Rapids sponsors this event, as does a number of private donors, and this year we attracted about 3,000 folks. Food, earth friendly goods, large Kid's Creative Area, etc. check it out! (expired link)
Have a fine winter!

Bruce Ling
616.299.8843
Hawks and Owls string band
the acoustic evolution of rural American music
show schedule: (expired link)
social media: (expired link)
email sign-up: (expired link)!/brucelinghawksandowls

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​Otters at our house: (expired link)​

Hi Folks,

February is upon us, like an ungentle hand, and we woke to a -2F degree morning. The small bit of open water, in front of our home here on the Grand River, is misting heavily from the cold on much warmer water. It's beautiful!

Being of Swedish descent though, gives me a genetic proclivity towards such temps and weather. I like to go for long hikes along the wild rivers that are near to my home in western Michigan. I find February to be my favorite month. For me, there's a feeling of purification that happens with the extreme cold, as if it freezes out all the sludge that has gathered in my head, opening me up to more creative ventures. I guess it indeed has, as I just started making Copper bracelets in mid January, and have made enough to have signed on to an Art Sale to be held at a local Pub here in Grand Rapids MI, the Pyramid Scheme, on March 1st.

I've been investigating Skyping Mandolin, Guitar, and Fiddle lessons from my desk here, and hope to launch that endeavor soon. I've been teaching music since I was 13, so that would make it 45 years of experience. I'm an award winning musician, having won many contests on those three instruments when I was younger and very competitive. I have a number of regular students at present, teach group lessons, and have been on Staff at the Wheatland Music Festival as a Workshop leader for over a decade. I charge $50 an hour, and encourage those learning to have a video device handy, as I like to send folks home with things to work on. I know that once someone leaves a session of learning they generally forget 70% of what they just learned. A video or audio recording helps keep the highlights and exercises of the lesson intact. I generally teach folks how to play fiddle tunes, the way that they were taught me. That's a process called Oral Tradition. But, I'll also show how to play someones favorite song or lead riff, if they provide me with a recording. I'm pretty quick on hearing and playing what I hear. Email me at bruce@(expired link) if you are interested.

I'll leave you with a cool video that I shot out of my front window this Winter, of this Otter couple having a great time on the river bank. My wife and I watched them for about 2.5 hours before they swam upriver. I have a number of Nature videos that I shoot on my ramblings. I usually add original music to them. What I've been doing this Winter, at the music sessions and parties that we have here at our home, is putting a selected video on the "loop" setting in Quicktime Player, turning the volume off, and letting it run on this 27" Mac. Our guests love it, the videos are great eye candy, and they are educational as well. Download this Otter video and give it a try.

Thank you for subscribing to my site here. If you are enjoying the tunes please Share this with your friends.

Until later... be kind, pick up litter, support your local animal/human shelter.

Press Release
Bruce Ling, one of Michigan's finest musical treasures, is a River-side mystic, eloquent story teller, and passionate caretaker of America's collection of traditional music. Raised in a multi-faceted musical family, Bruce found his calling at the ripe age of eight, the first time he was paid for a performance in a garage near his home on Chicago's South Side. At a young age he started becoming the recipient of a vast amount of oral tradition: songs and stories passed on from older folk to younger generations.  He has since honed an extraordinary repertoire of traditional string-band tunes and songs from near and far. He plays with equal flair and skill on fiddle, mandolin and flat-picked guitar, and has won awards for his expertise. 

With stage performances that combine the expressive style of Garrison Keillor or Will Rogers, he paints musical portraits celebrating the colorful history of rural America with a broad repertoire of both original and time-savored traditional folk songs.

As a collector of tunes, and songs, Bruce understands the importance of keeping the history of this timeless musical genre alive and well. He shares his keen knowledge with caring and passion, and his inspiration has propelled a legion of young musicians to continue playing these songs...a true testament to Ling's talents as a teacher and mentor.
     "Bruce is an all around musical genius. He plays mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and sings as a great bass vocalist. He is one of the best around." ...  Glynn Russell, Wheatland Music Festival, Remus, MI
 
Whether performing solo, joined by his wife Becca, a world class old-time rhythm guitarist, or combining forces with additional string band members in Hawks and Owls String Band, his dynamic versatility is unmatched.  Bruce's original songs showcase both his eclectic life and the unique characters that he's met along the way, and are inspired in great measure by his experiences spent living alongside Michigan's wild and scenic Rivers and the denizens and creatures who inhabit them. 
 
Bruce Ling solo, or with Hawks and Owls String Band, offer audiences an engaging and memorable live performance experience. For more information on bookings for concerts, Contra Dances, recording sessions, and instructional workshops for fiddle, mandolin and flat-picked guitar, please contact:
Becca Ling
616.802.7502
becca@(expired link)