Folk Festivals This Summer!

So, I just recently finished a sucessfull set at the DC Folk Festival last week. The whole event was tons of fun. If you live in the mid-atlantic, you're lucky. There's some folk music festivals going on this summer, and looks like they're FREE:

Sat June 16th - Maryland Folklife Festival - http://www.marylandtraditions.org/festival  Never been this this one, but it looks promising, and it's free

June 27nd to July 1st - Smithsonian Folklife Festival - http://www.festival.si.edu/ Been to this in the past, this is more like an "outdoor interactive museum" with lectures, demonstrations, displays, than an actual music festival. However, it's FREE, informative, and you can always learn something new.

July 20th to 22nd - Artscape - http://www.artscape.org/ Been to this multiple times in the past. The largest free arts festival in the nation. This isn't really a "folk" festival, but they've got all sorts of top-notch national performing acts and performances. In the past, they've had Cake, Los Lonley Boys, Robert Randolph, Al Green, Issac Hayes, The Chinese Acrobats, and it's FREE!

Sat Sept 1st - DC Blues Festival - http://www.dcblues.org/index.php?pageRequest=Festival Been to this once in the past, had some solid local blues acts peform. I was lucky enough to catch touring Mississippi funk-bluesman Lil Dave Thompson at this before he unfortuantly passed away, what a talent! It's also FREE!

Sunday Sept 9th- Takoma Park Folk Festival - http://www.tpff.org/about-tpff/how-we-do-it/ Never been to this before, but looks like it's worth checking out.

Do you know of a festival you recommend that I missed? Let me know in the comments sections below.............

Video Tutorial: How to Make Fingerstyle Arrangements of Songs

Ever wanted to know how to create your own fingerstyle arrangement of a song? I just recorded a begineer's video tutorial on how to make a basic solo instrumental fingerstyle arrangement of a song and breaks it down step by step. The song I use as an example in the video is the Titanic theme song "My Heart Will Go On." Hope you enjoy it:

http://youtu.be/EshOlJRNiXY

D.C. Folk Festival, Sat June 2nd, FREE

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Hi, hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend. Anyways, I'm playing Sat June 2nd at the Washington DC Folk Festival in Glen Echo Park. I'll be playing from 1-1:30pm at the Yurt Village Stage and admission is FREE! Come check out the other great performers and showcases on multiple stages as well. Fore more info:

http://www.washingtonfolkfestival.org
http://www.facebook.com/washingtonfolkfestival

Happy St. Patrick's Day

In honor of St. Patrick's day approaching, I'd like to share my original Irish fingerstyle instrumental, "The Irish Fiddler"

http://youtu.be/QJMPYcs7ZyE

Have brunch with me every other week!

Hi, just wanted to let you know that I recently picked up a bi-weekly residency playing @ Java Mama's in Resiterstown, MD during brunch from 11am-2pm. My residency begins this sunday March 4th, 2012. Check my website gig calendar www.stevehungmusic.com or FB page: Steve Hung for updates. Hope to have brunch with you soon!

Happy New Year 2012!

Hi, hope everyone had a great holiday! I know I certainly did. All my holiday shows in Dec 2011 were a sucess, and it's great to spread the holiday cheer through music. In support of my holiday album "Fireplace Christmas Tunes," I played holiday shows anywhere between DC and Philly, with the tour finally ending with a highly sucessfully Church Benefit Christmas show in which we were able to raise about $800 for Cambodians living in poverty! Tis the season for giving.

I'm also glad that my album "Fireplace Christmas Tunes" sold well during my shows. I released that album partly because due to the gradually commercialization of the holiday season; there's been a lot of annoying crappy holiday music, mainly from pop artists, all over the radio and shopping malls. I wanted to record a genuine holiday album that evokes the true feeling of Christmas-time, not just going through Christmas tunes by the number.

Coincidentally, my friend Josh Urban also recorded a holiday EP. He's an electric guitar instructor from Southern Maryland. Check out his groovy rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen inspired by his native DC funk/go-go, and his hysterically wacky original Santa is a Communist.

Check out my youtube page if you haven't recently. I've got some live footage from these holiday shows:

Silver Bells @ Carney Assembly of God Church Benefit Show (12-19-11)

Noel/Silent Night Steve Hung live on Arlington Channel 69 (2006)

So, what does 2012 bring? I'm currently working on my next all original album titled "Gutiar Gumbo," which should be ready in several months. This soulful album features acoustic and semihollow guitars, and although it's rooted in blues and jazz music, the album will be a "gumbo" of various vintage guitar styles ranging from Irish jigs, latin/jazz fusion, mellow and upbeat jazz, and gritty southern Americana music. Preview a few finished tunes here:

Irish Fiddler (Irish jig)
New Orleans Blues- (mellow jazz)
Little Duster- (Chet Atkins inspired country)

Xmas Album Available and Holiday Shows 2011!

Hi, hope everyone had a wonderfull Thanksgiving holiday. I'm proud to announce that my holiday album "Fireplace Christmas Tunes" is finally finished! You can purchase a copy at: http://www.stevehungmusic.com/Store.html.
They make GREAT stocking stuffers.....wink wink ;)

You can preview my album here: http://youtu.be/ssd-Hwfv0XU

Also, I have some holiday shows lined up in Dec 2011, where I play a special holiday set. Come celebrate the holidays with me at the following upcomming holiday shows:

Sat Dec 3rd @ Fairfax Festival of Lights
Sun Dec 4th @ Philadelphia Christmas Village
Fri Dec 9th @ Baltimore Folk Music Society Open Mic Featured Artist
Sat Dec 10th @ DC Holiday Market
Sun Dec 18th @ Philadelphia Christmas Village
Mon Dec 19th @ Carney Assembly Church Benefit Show
"Fireplace Christmas Tunes" consists of arrangement of 14 holiday classics rearranged for instrumental classical guitar, folk guitar, and jazz guitar (Joe Pass style) format with light accompaniment from violins and cellos for the acoustic tracks, and upright bass and drums for the jazz tracks.

Track Listing
1. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
2. White Christmas
3. Chestnuts
4. Sleigh Ride
5. I'll Be Home For Christmas
6. Little Town of Bethlehem
7. Silver Bells
8. Noel / Silent Night
9. Oh Holy Night
10. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
11. Gloria
12. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
13. We Three Kings
14. What Child Is This?