Spring/Summer 2010

Greetings friends,

This has been a busy and productive time for me. Without tooting my horn too much (maybe I would if I had a horn to toot), I want to catch you all up on what’s been going on.

On February 4th, a special Thursday night broadcast of A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION was filmed and simulcast live from our Fitzgerald Theater into dozens of movie theaters across the country. The “cinecast” featured special guests Elvis Costello, Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele, Heather Masse, Robin and Linda Williams and dueling sound effects wizards Tom Keith and Fred Newman. Plus lots of footage of the Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band, and I even got to play my own song “Too Gone.”

My fourth roots and blues show at the Fitzgerald on March 6th was a rousing success. I want to thank Kathy Mattea, Howard Levy, Butch Thompson, Gary Raynor, Peter Johnson and all of you who were there for making it the special evening I had hoped it would be. Click here for a couple photos of that fun event.

On March 20th the cast, crew and a host of Prairie Home Companion fans boarded the specially chartered MS Ryndam and cruised around the Western Caribbean for a week of food, fun and music with GK, Connie Evingson, BeauSoleil, Heather Masse, Andra Suchy, Jearlyn Steele, Robin and Linda Williams, Sue Scott, Tim Russell and Fred Newman. It was a blast playing all over the boat at crazy hours with some of my favorite musicians and the amazingly appreciative Minnesotans Of The Caribbean. With sisters, cousins and a daughter on board, I felt right at home. Click here for a few cruise photos.

It looks like I will be logging more destination miles this summer than George Clooney in UP IN THE AIR. The tour includes stops at the Honky Tonk Café in River Falls, Wisconsin, Swallow Hill in Denver and Avagodros Number in Fort Collins, Colorado (with my long-time friend, the great singer, guitarist and dobro player Mary Flower), the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia, the Coffee Gallery in Pasadena, California, the Mountain Spirit Coffeehouse in Asheville, North Carolina, the Wildlife West Music Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico and a few other musical hot spots I am still working on finalizing. I will also be returning to the Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville for Guitar Week July 25th -30th to conduct master classes and summer workshops. On the second and third Mondays of the month, Joe Fingers plays at Dunn Brothers Coffee House at 1569 Grand Ave. in St. Paul

Solid Air Records has just released A GUITAR FOR ELVIS, offering a fresh instrumental look at the songs that made Elvis the King of rock and roll. My version of All Shook Up is the first cut on the album and the liner notes say it’s guaranteed to make you smile or they’ll eat a bug. Doug Smith, Laurence Juber, Mike Dowling, Al Petteway and eight other great roots, blues and folk pickers fill out the rest of the CD. For more information or to order a copy, please click here.

Butch Thompson and I are still having a great time assembling our duet album of vocal and instrumental blues, early jazz, ragtime and standards. We have already laid down a number of tracks and are hopeful of having a release date later this year. And I have not forgotten about my solo album, which I know will include Too Gone and The Irish Blues and a number of other previously unreleased Pat Donohue songs.

Positive reviews for the Martin OM-30 Deep Body Pat Donohue guitar keep coming in. One guitar reviewer called it “stellar,” another called it “exciting,” a third called it “lovely” and a fourth called it “absolutely gorgeous.” C’mon, guys, make up your mind – www.gryphonstrings.com/instpix/30379/30379.php.

Wishing you all happy days and cool nights from the other end of the Mississippi River. I hope to see you soon. Thanks always for your encouragement and support.

—Pat