Free Music in the Parks Travels to Moke Hill with Tour Guides

Mokelumne Hill’s Shutter Tree Park will be the site of the Calaveras Arts Council’s next free Music in the Parks. On Wednesday, July 28, starting at 6:30 pm, The Tour Guides and Cantamos will transport you to another destination with their renditions of numerous and timeless songs with an emphasis on Latin styles. Whether it is bossa nova, rock, country or jazz, their groove will move you.

Each band member comes to the Tour Guides with decades of experience in various musical styles and composition. Michela Macfarlane’s vocals add an international flavor with her ability to sing in Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French. Fred Treece is on lead guitar; Jay David on vocals, tres (Cuban 3 string guitar) and lead bass; Sam Nilsen on drums; and Ron Schaner on rhythm and bass guitars.

Michela Macfarlane stepped out of her world as an international baroque soprano into the land of jazz and folk in 2004 with guitarist Marc Bernasconi. Then she joined forces with renowned jazz pianist Bob Schlesinger. Since joining the Tour Guides in 2008, Macfarlane has exponentially increased her exploration of musical genres by singing current pop, rock, early jazz, and bossa nova. When outside of Calaveras County, Macfarlane spends her some of her time collaborating with guitarist Dennis Jaramillo and more of it chasing her toddler around the streets of San Francisco.

Ron Schaner has been on the local Calaveras music scene since the late 70's, playing rhythm guitar and also doing the sound for other live shows in the area. Back in 80's Ron played bass in the local, long standing rock band called Synergy with Jim Becker, Mike Jones, Marty DeAnda & Warren Wilkes. They played locally until 1991. In 1995 Schaner formed the Victims Of Variety, then he was part of The Space Heaters. In 2007, The Tour Guides emerged. Besides music, Schaner is a community outreach organizer and on the board of directors for the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway Association and the Calaveras Arts Council.

This is Jay David’s 40th year of working as a professional musician. He started out backing up go-go girls in 1969 in Phoenix, then moved to Los Angeles in 1970. He has worked doing recording sessions for TV, movies, and worked the amusement parks circuit; Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm. He studied Film Scoring, composition, orchestration and conducting at UCLA and continues writing and recording his pop, country, and jazz tunes.

Fred Treece has been active in the Country, Blues, and Rock music scene for the past 30 years as both a performer and a teacher. He began his professional career in the Bay Area as lead guitarist with country music favorites Katie Webb and McCarty & Company. For the past 12 years he has toured regularly with Joni Morris and The After Midnight Band, which features a tribute to Patsy Cline. Treece began playing guitar at age 13 and is almost entirely self-taught. In addition to performing, he teaches acoustic, electric and bass guitar to students of all ages at Mercer’s Acoustic Attic in Arnold. He’s played at numerous clubs, theaters and festivals including: Harrah’s in Lake Tahoe, The Luther Burbank Center for the Performing Arts in Santa Rosa, Garbeau’s Dinner Theater, Folsom, Gilroy Garlic Festival, and others.

For over 35 years, Sam Nilsen, has loved being loud. Sam picked up "the sticks" in junior high and hasn't put them down. He has been seen and heard playing with local musicians since 1992. From Irish rock in Germany to Electric Zowie in Bear Valley, playing original music or cover tunes, Nilsen’s musical path been long and winding. In 2007, he landed on his "throne" with the Tour Guides. When he’s not playing drums, he can be seen and heard as the owner of a local building company Nilscraft Construction.

The Moke Hill Lions Club will be offering delicious desserts for sale. The Arts Council table will offer dinner tidbits for sale. To reach the Shutter Tree Park, turn off Hwy 49 onto Main Street of Moke Hill. Go to the end of the street where the pocket park will be on the right. Park on the streets and enjoy the walk. The next Music in the Parks concert (August 4) will be in San Andreas at Turner Park featuring Music for Three which is comprised of Keith Evans, Kim Manuel, and Marilyn Shrouf . For more details visit www.calaverasarts.org or call (209)754-1774.