Pickin’ & grinnin’ in Ionia, MI
For those that live within driving distance of west Michigan, there is a great Michigan tradition in bluegrass and country music that occurs throughout the winter. I’m talking about the bluegrass and country jam/open mic that occurs at the historic Ionia Theater in Ionia, MI. This jam session and stage show is very well known in our area and has become the regular haunt of several acoustic pickers and singers.
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Hosted by Polly Misner
Tony, Ken & Sid (click to enlarge)
Polly Misner is the driving force behind this Michigan institution, and she is a name and a face that is well recognized around these parts. Polly pulled together this jam session back in 1999 and found the Ionia Theater as a home for the jam. The Ionia Theater is a historic theater in the heart of Ionia, Mi., and it’s full of history and charm. It’s quite an experience to see the huge concert area and the art-decco styling and architecture in this historic place. There is a preservation society that works to maintain and run the theater, and Polly takes donations from all the jam session attendees, which goes towards the preservation fund.
Polly has been a big fan of bluegrass and country music all her life, learning an appreciation for the acoustic arts from her dad, Sy Misner. Sy himself is well known amongst acoustic musicians for many a mile, and he is a pleasure to get to pick and sing with. The love of music is certainly in the family, and it even filtered down to Polly’s son Brad. “Bradley”, as I call him, just graduated high school this year but is already a powerhouse mandolin player. Many of us “old timer’s” have been jamming with Brad since he was waist high, and it’s been fun watching him learn and progress…and then sadly turn into a better picker than me. *Editor’s note: all in good fun Bradley!!* You can catch Brad as the mandolin player for the great group Out Of The Blue Bluegrass.
Visit the MySpace page of the Ionia Country & Bluegrass Show
Polly has taken the popular route for getting a web presence…so important in this day and age…by setting up a fairly extensive MySpace presence. There you can see pictures from various jam session and learn more about her and her events. If you’d like to visit Polly on MySpace, here’s her address:
http://www.myspace.com/ioniabluegrass
It’s been a lot of fun getting to attend the jam session over the years, and I look forward to going for many more. Polly’s love for the arts shows through in her dedication to running this event, and even in her past efforts to bring some of the top names in bluegrass, like Doyle Lawson, to the theater for a concert. All in all she does a good job promoting and preserving this great art form.
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If you are within driving distance of Ionia, MI, come on over one of these times. The jam session takes place the first Sunday of every month, starting in October and ending in April. There are plenty of areas to jam in, and Polly runs an open mic concert on stage all throughout the afternoon. Sign up for a half hour slot and play to a very appreciative crowd of regular attendees who are in the audience month in and month out. You’ll be glad you came to this event once you do.
Banjo Paul
“Wunse, I coodn’t even spel bango pikker…now I are one!”
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