Hello, all!

Boise, Idaho, is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. And, (surprisingly enough to someone originally from Maine), it's actually a really nice place to live. Some of us, here, are interested in building a new Just Plain Folks chapter right here in potato land. So drop a line to say hello, and if you already have a chapter, send on any advice you may have for us in our infancy stage. Thank you very much, and have a pleasant summer!

Love,
Seth Asa

Seth,

I'm north of you an hour in Payette, Idaho. I'd like to have a chance to meet with other writers. There are a couple others up this direction as well. Know of anything happening we could be a part of? I'm thinking an open mic opportunity, or simply sitting down with other writers and sharing some of our stuff with each other and getting to know each other a bit for starters.

P.S. Feel free to give me a call. (208) 871-0727. Or email: SkipNLJ@hotmail.com

Seth and Skip:

I'm further west of y'all, in Union, Oregon, 15 miles east of La Grande. Without promising the distances might not be too daunting, I'd like to stay in touch. I write some, perform some, and haven't had much chance to do either since moving here in September. Edress is puddleglum@tillanet.com. (Oh, and I can do both kinds of music--country *and* western.)

Joe

www.soundclick.com/bands/7/joewrabekmusic.htm

Joe,

We are revamping the chapter system. I spoke with Seth Asa and he wants to turn the Boise chapter over to someone else as he doesn't have time to help us relaunch under the new guidelines. I am hoping Steve Brown, who posts on the boards, might be willing to help out a little to create an Idaho presence on the message boards and develop a chapter eventually. We had 3 Idaho nominees in the awards this year, so that's something to build on.

Brian

We're still looking in Boise! Anyone?

Brian

I have really been out of it lately Brian, Seth, Skip et al. I have been writing recording, and most importantly taking care of family. I recently changed jobs and haven't been able to be as active as I wanted to be. I have spoken with Skip about getting a monthly SITR set up here in Payette or Ontario. That has hit a slight snag as we are waiting for our venue to be remodeled. Greif's music is making more space in their Ontario store. My band partner has a contact with them and his contact says that they are definitely interested in hosting it.

Brian, I would like to help with a chapter here. I live about an hour from Boise and would not be able to get there much. However, if there is someone in Boise that can set something up there, I would be there and be able to participate on that kind of level. Also, for those members in the area that are in the surrounding areas I am amenable to meeting in between as well. Nampa, Caldwell, Emmett etc.

If there are any members with any ideas, contacts, or answers, lets get together and do something.

Thanks,

Steve

Steve,

What about an open mic event over at the Band Shell stage in the Payette park a few times this summer? Sorry I didn't get back to you after our first attempt to get Greif's music store as a location. I now live directly behind the Albertson's, which means I sometimes simply pick up my guitar and walk over to sit in the "sweet spot" center stage at the Band Shell before bed at night and sing a few for my own entertainment. Be glad to have some company for that.

I'm thinking in good weather especially a Saturday evening or Sunday evening--or Thursday evening once a month--might provide a place we could invite songwriters, lyricists, poets, and the like to. That would work especially well if we had a set time weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly for such an event. (Could be best to start with a single event just to get acquainted.) If the weather is not good, I think we could go over to the fellowship hall at my church behind Albertson's for a song circle. If it is religious music, our stage in the sanctuary was just remodeled to allow a place for a band to set up. No reason we couldn't use that until Grief's gets in shape. I've got a key to the sound system there, so we'd have two or three microphones to work with, plus plug ins for other equipment, if needed.

If there are others interested, call me directly. Skip Johnson (208) 871-0727. I didn't notice this message site until today, and I'm guessing you posted a while back.

Skip