John Reischman stepped out to the shore of Lake Michigan as we were leaving Great Lakes Music Camp last October, took out his historic 1924 Gibson F5 mandolin, and played, appropriately, “The Waves on the Sea.” It was a windy day in West Olive, Michigan, but a beautiful (if loud) setting to play a nice water tune. John makes it sound great no matter where he is!

You can see another performance of John’s from the instructor concert that weekend, with fellow Peghead Bill Evans, along with Ethan Setiawan on mandolin, Jeremy Kittel on fiddle, Hayes Griffin on guitar, and Todd Phillips on bass. They played a lovely version of John’s tune, “Suzanne’s Journey.”

Great Lakes Music Camp is held every October on the shore of Lake Michigan, in West Olive, Michigan. Each year the organizers gather a talented group of instructors to lead three days of intensive teaching, jamming, and performances, and in its five-year history, this weekend has become a destination for bluegrass, old-time, and roots players from around the world. Last October, Peghead Nation instructors included Emerald Rae, Bill Evans, Evie Ladin, Zoe Guigueno, Stash Wyslouch, and John Reischman. Make plans to attend next year!

To learn mandolin from John, enroll in his Melodic Mandolin Tunes and Old-Time Mandolin courses, and use promo code JohnLand at checkout and get your first month free!

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