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2/1/08 Rod started playing at Ti Amo on Friday and Saturday nights in September. In January of '08 he launched his MySpace page and in February he launched his YouTube page. 7/1/07 Rod provided the entertainment for the Haldor-Topsoe corporation at their April vendors' convention. Also during the spring he played for two weddings, two coffee houses, OU Tulsa's De-Stress Fest, the 2007 Tulsa Enviro Expo, the OK Mozart festival in Bartlesville, and hosted the Tulsa Guitar Society's 2 hours of entertainment at the 2007 Tulsa Guitar Show. 3/16/07 Rod is currently working with other artists in forming a consortium for instrumental recording artists and performers. This organization will work closely with the Tulsa Guitar Society which he is currently directing for the purpose of promoting the art of the guitar in the Tulsa area. Rod is also recording two CDs. The first is a collection of hymns that should be available in the summer of 2007. The second is a mix of classical pieces and original material that should be available in the fall of 2007. He is also working with other guitarists on a couple of CDs for the Tulsa Guitar Society. The first is a sampler comprised of original tunes submitted by the participants and the second is an instrumental Christmas collection. Rod, Joesf Glaude, and J.T. Gentry from the TGS started providing the entertainment for the Tiffany Rose Lounge in the Crowne Plaza hotel in downtown Tulsa at the beginning of February. As of now they're playing Wed-Fri evenings but may eventually cover Sat & Sun as well. Rod plays Thursday nights from 6-8. The Tulsa Guitar Society conducted its third Fingerstyle Showcase concert at ORU on Tuesday March 6. The music was incredible. On the evening's lineup were flamenco guitarists Lon Bartlett and Johnny Beard (with dancer Lexi Beard and percussionist Dylan Allen), fifteen year old Brandon Vaverka from Enid, Oklahoma, harp guitarist Joesf Glaude, guitar duo Shoot the Breeze with J.T. Gentry and Elias Yamine, Marcus Curtis, John Hamlin from Independence, Kansas, Travis Fite, Randy Wimer (with vocalist Janet Rutland), Jeffrey Hiatt-Frink, Elliot Butay, Darren Armentrout, Chris Brown, and ORU guitar students Dustin Wright, David King, Justen Reddick, and Amy Williams. Many thanks to Chris Brown and the music department at ORU for their assistance in putting these concerts together. To view photos and video from this and other concerts go to www.tulsaguitar.org/fs0307.html.
In April Rod was invited to perform Spanish guitar for the two day celebration of the 500th birthday of St. Francis Xavier for the employees of St. Francis hospital in Tulsa. In May Rod began playing Friday and Saturday nights at Benali's Italian Ristorante in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. His repertoire for this venue includes classical, flamenco, new age, and pop tunes played on nylon and steel string acoustic guitars. Over the spring and summer Rod played four weddings, a corporate dinner at Indian Lakes Country Club in Broken Arrow, a benefit concert for the Oklahoma Blood Institute at the Promenade Mall, and an awards dinner for the local arts center. Septermber was a busy month. The TGS presented its second semi-annual Fingerstyle Showcase at ORU. Edgar Cruz did a concert at the Agora Auditorium, and the TGS celebrated its first anniversary with a pot luck dinner and some great music. Over the past year the organization has gone from a total of 5 to 25 regular attendees. Rod was also invited to perform in a benefit concert for Catholic Charities at Church of the Resurrection. He was thrilled to pull out his banjo and electric violin along with acoustic and classical guitars for this occasion.
Rod founded the Tulsa Guitar Society and conducted the first meeting with four other Tulsa guitarists at the Brookside Library in September of 2005. The purpose of the society is to promote the art of the guitar in the Tulsa area. For more information visit www.tulsaguitar.org. In February the TGS conducted its first Fingerstyle Showcase concert on the campus of ORU as part of their student concert series. Rod played Erik Satie's Gymnopedie 1 on classical guitar accompanying flutist Melinda Acevedo, and Sevillanas with J.T. Gentry and Phillip Ansteth. In March Rod and the TGS were the subject of an article in the entertainment section of the Tulsa Front Page newspaper. You can view the article at www.tulsaguitar.org/article.html.
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