European Tour 2011

We have just returned from a wonderful tour in France and the UK. Unfortunately, we were not able to access this blog while we were there, but here is a recap of our experiences.

Our first gig was for our old friends at Montpellier's Le Country Rock.












Here is a video from one of our shows posted by Club Butel in Pezenas, France.

We also played shows in Montpellier, Lodeve, Montferrier-sur-Lez, and Dio et Valquieres in France, and Amersham (two shows), Chorleywood, and North Dean in the UK.
Here's a still from Club Butel in Pezenas. Playing on the stage of this private club under the vaulted ceilings of an ancient wine cellar was amazing!














We relax outside before our show at Le Miniscule, Lodeve, FR.












Truly an intimate venue, Le Miniscule allowed close proximity to the extremely appreciative audience. No PA was necessary!

And the food was fantastic.











We played a House Concert put on by the American Women's Club. Proceeds benefitted their cause of clean water in developing nations.












We played a farewell concert for our many friends in "the south of France." It was beautiful day. The audience was watching us, and we were enjoying an amazing view of the local countryside.












The audience relaxes with the ancient chateau and the hills of Lanquedoc in the background.











In the UK, Seasons Cafe in Old Amersham was a hit.













Naturally, we also did a bit of sight seeing. Here we are at Windsor Castle.









Final show of the tour at Piggott's Barn. Built in 1710 and now converted to a music venue, Piggott's hosts mostly classical music and is famous for their "Music Camps". A wonderful place, we felt that we were somewhere between Hogwart's and Bag End. The proprietor didn't mind that we weren't classical and said that he might be trying more similar events. Yes!

The next morning we bid a fond farewell to the UK and flew on back home hoping to return in the not too distant future to the many friends we'd made there and in the South of France.

We will Play for Peace at the Dogwood Center

September 30 - NCPP Present Max and Ruth Bloomquist at Dogwood Center ,

The Dogwood Center for Performing Arts

4734 S. Campus Court

Fremont, MI 49412

Newaygo County People for Peace are pleased to have Max and Ruth Bloomquist perform during Newaygo County's "30 Days of Peace"!

Ruth and Max Bloomquist's acoustic Americana is the stuff of rustic romantic dreams. Ruth's songwriting and rich alto voice combined with their blend of harmony, guitar and upright bass draw the listener straight to the heart of every song.

Ruth and Max have been making music together since they first met and discovered their common love for practically any music that features acoustic instruments and lyrics that touch the heart. Bluegrass, traditional country, folk ... the list goes on - Ruth and Max are excited by it all.

Tickets: $12.50. Black Box. 7:30 p.m.

Tickets available online, at the Dogwood Box Office, or at NCCA-Artsplace in downtown Fremont.

Box Office hours are Tuesday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and two hours prior to an event. For information, phone 231.924.8885.

NCCA-Artsplace hours are Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Thursdays 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m., and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. For information, phone 231.924.4022.

New Song: It's A Beautiful Day (Bicycle Bob)

Here's a video produced by our friend "Bicycle Bob" Scolnik. He described the video and asked Ruth to write the song. She did without ever having seen the video itself. We produced the song in our home studio with the help of John King and Dan Seabolt playing guitar and fiddle, respectively. Hope you enjoy.

Here's some music.

Amaryllis 35 Concert a Blast (from the past)

A good time was had by all at the Amaryllis 35 Year Anniversary Reunion Concert held on June 9 at Orchard View Community Auditorium. We were so happy to see so many of our friends and fans (both new and long-time) in the audience. Visiting with them during the intermission and after the show was wonderful.

The band was introduced by veteran area broadcaster and patron of the arts (especially music) Buck Matthews. By his account, during the nine year run of his groundbreaking local morning TV talk show he featured Ruth (both Tetzlaff and Bloomquist) eleven times. Several of those occassions were with Max Bloomquist and Steve Reeths as Amaryllis.

We were able to share some of that old video with the audience and they seemed to enjoy it a lot. We were much younger when it was shot and so were they.

Here are a few photos of the evening's proceedings:

Buck Matthews introduces the band and reminisces about our appearences on his show.

Classic Amaryllis!
Max Bloomquist, Ruth Bloomquist, Steve Reeths

"The String Section"
Sue Kittredge-violin, Peggy Smith-viola, and Max Bloomquist-bass
add that special something as Ruth sings Steve's song Lonely Lullabyes.

Encore!
A cappella number "Mister Moon"
Sue Kittredge (left) adds her vocal to the mix.
Photos by Tom Willi.

For the success of the show we owe a debt of thanks to Orchard View Community Education, Doug Wood, Bruce Haase, Mikael Narramore, and a host of others.

AMARYLLIS 35th Anniversary Concert

We're celebrating 35 years of friendship and musical collaboration. The band, AMARYLLIS, consisting of Ruth Tetzlaff, Steve Reeths, and Max Bloomquist played its first show in June of 1976 and played and toured together for nearly 20 years. The Reunion and Anniversary Concert is June 9, 2011 and Orchard View Community Auditorium, 16 North Quarterline, Muskegon MI. Call ahead 231-760-1350 Monday-Friday for tickets.


Here's a bit of history of the band:
Amaryllis was born in June of 1976 when Ruth Tetzlaff, Steve Reeths, and Max Bloomquist appeared together at the Grand Rapids (MI) Festival Of The Arts. That day began a 19 year string of appearances on club and festival stages that neither they nor their fans will ever forget. After honing their skills in local clubs, the trio hit the road in 1979 for a stint at a ski resort in the mountains of Wyoming, and before long had played stages in Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Kentucky as well. Yet, they always returned home to Michigan and their faithful early fans for extended periods of local performances while holding down various day jobs. The band released two recordings, the self-titled Amaryllis (now available on CD) and the live Raw Asparagus (now out of print).

The trio became a quartet when fiddler Sue Kittredge joined the band, broadening the sound with her fiddle and voice and brightening the stage with her infectious smile. This was the Amaryllis that showed its mettle in the bluegrass band competition at New York’s Winterhawk Festival in the 90’s, and continued to wow audiences all over western and northern Michigan.

In order to pursue various individual musical interests and career goals, the band eventually had to discontinue performing together on a regular basis. Ruth and Max Bloomquist have continued to perform as a duo and with other musicians as well, achieving regional success and even gaining international radio play in folk and bluegrass music. Steve and Sue, also happily married, have continued to play as a duo and in various successful bands and recording projects including “The Kittredge-Reeths Band” and “Square One” and their current project “Coconut Radio.”

The two couples have remained fast friends and occasional musical collaborators. Most notably, Amaryllis came back together for an appearance at the 2006 Bluegrass On The Bayou Festival in Baton Rouge, LA, and Steve and Sue were instrumental (in both senses of the word) in the recording of Ruth’s third CD, One Day Ain’t Enough (2006). That CD hit the folk radio chart in April 2007.


The Facebook Event for the 35th Anniversary Concert is posted, and the band will be doing radio promotion in Muskegon live on Friday June 3 at 4:30 pm on NewsTalk 1090 AM, and will also be featured on WGVU Radio's Shelley Irwin Show .

Here's a link to a video from our last little get together:

Amaryllis: Don't Let the Moon get In Your Eyes

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