A Fat Tuesday party to raise funds for Tipitina's

U.S. Pipe is pleased to headline a very special Fat Tuesday-themed celebration at Herman's Hideaway on Friday, February 8 at 8 p.m. to raise funds for Tipitina's Foundation.

Tipitina's is one of New Orleans' most historic music venues and is recognized internationally as a sacred musical and cultural institution. E! Entertainment Television recently named Tipitina's one of the world's coolest clubs. National magazines including Esquire, Rolling Stone, Bride and many others regularly include Tipitina's in their lists of "must see" Crescent City attractions.

The mission of Tipitina's Foundation is to restore Louisiana's irreplaceable music community and preserve the state's unique musical cultures. There are four core programs that the Foundation has to meet their mission: Instruments A Comin', which provides instruments to schools in New Orleans; Tipitina's Internship Program (T.I.P.), which is a program designed to teach youth about the music business industry in all aspects; Tipitina's Music Office Co-Op, which provides business development and skills training for musicians, film makers, and other digital media professionals; and Sunday Music Workshops that are given by professional New Orleans-based musicians to students free of charge.

U.S. Pipe, in cooperation with Herman's Hideaway and the other bands, will be taking cash donations for the Foundation during this celebratory show. All these donations will be collected and sent to the Foundation for their use in meeting their greatest needs.

"I've played at Tipitina's before, and New Orleans many times, a beautiful place with beautiful people, and to see it after Katrina was devastating. I know they need help so it's really special for me to give back to them so the kids can continue to make great music," says Citrus, lead guitarist/vocalist for U.S. Pipe.

The full music lineup for the evening will be U.S. Pipe and their unique blend of funk/hip hop/rock, Furious George and the Monster Groove, a ska-flavored big-sound band, Double Parked, which features Leftover Salmon's Bill McKay, and Zonky Tonk Zydeco, an up-and-coming Ft. Collins-based zydeco party band. Discount tickets for the event are available at www.us-pipe.com. You can learn more about Tipitina's Foundation at www.tipitinasfoundation.org.

Catch Citrus on sitar

U.S. Pipe founder, lead guitarist and vocalist Citrus is not just a talented funkman... he is also well-versed in classical Hindustani music on sitar, having traveled to India twice to study under his guru, D.N. Shukla from Ghorakhpur.

He will be performing a special solo concert for one evening at the revered Swallow Hill Music Association, located off Broadway on Yale in Denver (71 East Yale, between the Gothic Theater to the South and Herman's Hideaway to the North). We hope you will come join us for a serene time this Thursday, January 31 at 7:30 p.m.!

Funk Class at Swallow Hill!!!! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

Are you ready to get down? Learn the chords, syncopated rhythm patterns,
and melodies that give James Brown, The Meters, and Parliament their
signature "funk" sound. Citrus (Chris Sauthoff) is a master of the music
having toured with Parliament Funkadelic for 12 years and is now playing in
the region's premier funk band: U.S. Pipe.
All instruments welcome and encouraged- the banjo is a funk
instrument people!!
Saturday, 1/26, 1-4pm
to register for the class
Call us at (303) 777-1003 to register over the phone or:
Visit us in person at 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver OR;
copy and paste this link into your browser and register online!

http://www.swallowhillmusic.org/music_school/regforms/RegForm3967.html

There is NO walk up registration for this class! Please sign up so that we can have it! we need one more person at least to make this work!
Thanks

Within You Without YOU by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

We were talking-about the space between us all
And the people-who hide themselves behind a wall of illusion
Never glimpse the truth-then it's far too late-when they pass away.


We were talking-about the love we all could share-when we find it
To try our best to hold it there-with our love
With our love-we could save the world-if they only knew.


Try to realise it's all within yourself
No-one else can make you change
And to see you're really only very small,
And life flows ON within you and without you.


We were talking-about the love that's gone so cold and the people,
Who gain the world and lose their soul-
They don't know-they can't see-are you one of them?


When you've seen beyond yourself-then you may find, peace of mind,
Is waiting there-
And the time will come when you see
we're all one, and life flows on within you and without you.



I have been learning this piece on the Sitar for Clay Kirkland's Beat the Reaper show on Feb the 8th at Swallow Hill....what a piece of music! I realized last night as I was working on it that it most likely came from Ravi Shankar or Ali Akbar Khan and that George Harrison probably put lyrics to a much older composition. I also realized that a direct student of Ali Akbar Khan wrote out the parts for me...and is playing the sarod in the performance by the way....so this is a very deep lesson for me personally and I am learning it with much gusto

Then I looked at the words...Boom Shankar!


If you have a chance...puleeeze come and see this concert...then make the mad dash with me over to Herman's! It would be so much fun to make the trip with some friends and walk into Herman's with a posse of people!

Teaching is SO fun!!! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

I had this fella in a guitar 1a class..the ultimate beginner class... He took the information that I gave him and figured out how to read music notation on the spot and started playing a melody line for me from the music! This was his second week of playing guitar!

I had some folks in the II a class as well...that never knew how to play a scale but can now play them in 5 keys up and down the neck...they started moving chord shapes and adding their own styles into the music that they had "learned" to play in earlier classes..

Seeing the lightbulb go off over their heads and the spark of knowledge light up their faces was a feeling that could get addictive! LOL.

I really can't wait for my IIIb class tonight...cuz these folks are getting tailored instruction...Blues scales...triad inversions and general fretboard logic!

I am getting into this whole teacher thang....

and to be real....I am relearning a lot of stuff and my guitar playing is getting better as well!

Endorsement in the Werks! by Citrus

From Citrus' myspace blog

So I went and asked for what I wanted and got it! I just got newz a couple of days ago that I will be a fully endorsed artist for Madison Amps & Speakers!!!! They are a great company out of Colorado that I have been seeing and hearing all around lately! They have great gear and from all accounts are equally cool people! I am really excited to meet them after they get back from NAMM!! IF you happen to go out to NAMM check them out and say HI for me...cuz we haven't even officially met yet. I have loved working with Mesa Boogie thru P-Funk, but this is my first endorsement that I went out and got on my own and I can't wait to have MADITONE! I am stoked to start a new relationship with a great LOCAL company!! These amps look incredible and sound better! The Pipe opened for Fishbone recently and their guitar sounds were off the chain! The clean was so clear and the heavy was METAL.