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Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen

Steve and Cindy and their partnership Compass Rose Music represent the very best in contemporary and traditional folk music. These pages offer descriptions of their recordings and books, biographies of Steve and Cindy, reviews, streamed audio, and tour schedule. There's information on their most recent CDs, Home By Dark (new January 2012), The Man, and  Cat Tales; and a press release for Steve's book, Songwriting and the Creative Process;  even a few jokes!

·         Cruise with us to Norway in 2012!           

Steve, Cindy, and Anne Hills are planning a 7-day Holland America cruise to the fjords of Norway from August 10th through 17th, 2012. We'll sail from (and return to) Amsterdam, and during the voyage, Steve, Cindy, and Anne will give two concerts solely for the members of our group. We'll also have two receptions as well as a workshop session or two, and as many song circles as we can fit in! Please feel free to contact Lynette through the above link or by phone, (540) 887-8491 or (800) 584-6724. Consider joining us for this wonderful trip!

·         Home By Dark           

A stellar new duet album from Steve & Cindy, for release in January 2012. With help from our usual compadres, Peter Davis (tenor banjo, sax), Will Patton (double bass, mandolin), Scott Petito (double bass), Pete Sutherland (piano, fiddle), Jennifer Weeks (oboe), and Jack Williams (guitar), we've assembled a mix of old favorites and new songs ranging from Child ballads to classic rags to original songs. The songs: Holy Smoke, Some Boats, California Zephyr, Sur la Route de Dijon, The Two Sisters, Blue, Birdsong, Rosmini's Rag, Seal Harbor, Manoment Waltz/The Mathematician, The Gnu, Home By Dark.

·         The Man           

A true labor of love, this 2010 CD by Steve Gillette tells the story through narrative and song of Danny Murrow, coming of age in the early days of the jazz era. Mixing fact and fiction, Steve follows Danny in his journey from battered street-waif to celebrated guitar savant. Assisted by a group of masterful musicians (including Peter Davis, Peter Ecklund, George Gillette, Jack Williams, and Randy Wolchek) on some newly-roasted chestnuts and a handful of inspired originals, the CD draws from the realms of roots-jazz, folk blues, romance and boogie woogie in a time of prohibition. Read more at the web site dedicated to the project: Steve Gillette, The Man.

·         Credit Card Sales of All Our Titles On-Line           

You may now purchase any of our CDs or books by credit card over the Internet. We've created an on-line store with all of our titles. Take a look!

Some of our titles are also available as downloads from Itunes and other services. As CDs go out-of-print, we'll continue to make them available as downloads. All of the information on each title is available on our Catalog page.

·         Being There          

Our next-to-newest duet album, containing a dozen songs from many of our heroes and several of our own. We had lots of help from Nat Parke, Pete Sutherland, Mark Schatz, Scott Petito, Jennifer Weeks and Jack Williams. The Songs: Hurricane, The Road Through the Woods, Concertina Garden Medley, The Kid With the Comic Book, Odd Man Out, High Cotton, Mr. O'Reilly, Nola , J'Entends le Moulin / 2-Step d'Armand, The Vermont Waltz, Homelessness, Sometimes a Darkness Comes

·         Cat Tales - Cindy's "All Cat Songs" CD        

Imagine! Ten wonderful songs about cats! Besides Cindy's own most requested, "Rudy's Big Adventure," based on the true story of the cat who got his head stuck in the garbage disposal and lived to bask in fame and glory, there are songs from Cheryl Wheeler, Buddy Mondlock, Les Barker, Nancy White, Grant Livingston, The Berrymans and others. No cats were injured in the production of this fine recording. Songs include; Meow, Open That Can, The Cats of the Coliseum, Rudy's Big Adventure, The Familiar, Our Cats, Guide Cats for the Blind, My Pretty Kitty, Le Chat Gris, and The Dog of Time. This CD of cat songs would make a wonderful cat lovers gift; click on the links in this sentence for clips of the songs, and a video of Cindy singing Rudy's Big Adventure.

·         Steve was featured in August 2007 issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine           

Steve was featured in the August 2007 issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine (you must be a subscriber or have a recent issue to read the article on line). Audio samples are included, or you may wish to order Steve's How to Play the Guitar Like I Do CD right here at this web site for his complete lessons.

·         Publicity materials for Steve & Cindy

Biographies, reviews, downloadable photos and a list of artists who have recorded Steve Gillette's songs.

·         Concert Dates for Steve & Cindy

Our Calendar with phone numbers and links to venues’ websites

·         Big Sur Songwriter's Weekend     

The weekend of March 24th and 25th, 2012, Steve and Cindy will host the Eighth Annual Big Sur Songwriter's Retreat on the California Coast. Attendance is limited to 15 participants, but friends and family are invited to come along to explore the coast and to enjoy the evening concerts. We'll be holding the workshop in Santa Cruz, in the new home of the Resource Center for Nonviolence.

·         Our Alaska Adventure           

In July of 2004 Cindy and Steve and Jack Williams took a group of 63 intrepid folks on a thrilling journey to the far North. We boarded the Holland-American Lines, ms Statendam, sailing on Sunday, July 18th for a thirteen day cruise and tour of Alaska. Here are some photos our friend Cathey Roberts has provided of some of the scenery.

·         Fourtold      

The long awaited and quite astounding quartet album Steve and Cindy have made with Anne Hills and Michael Smith. Released on Appleseed Records and available at this web site, the album features strong harmonies and energetic performances of twelve classic story songs including Darcy Farrow, Panther In Michigan, Springhill Mine Disaster, Four Rode By, Joshua Gone Barbados, Molly and Tenbrooks, Run, Come See Jerusalem, and many others.

·         A Sense of Place            

Steve & Cindy's 2001 duet album. A musical glimpse of New England with Pete Sutherland, Mark Schatz, Scott Petito, Jennifer Weeks and Jack Williams.

·         Songwriting and the Creative Process

Steve's manual for songwriters. The most respected and widely used book of its type.

·         Free Internet Tutorial

Based on the book Songwriting and the Creative Process

·         “The Code,” the new book by Steve Gillette

Read excerpts from the work in progress, surviving and thriving as an independent artist.

·         Herdman, Hills & Mangsen

Information on the trio, Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills and Cindy Mangsen

·         Concert Dates for Herdman, Hills & Mangsen

Calendar with phone numbers and links to venues’ websites for trio dates

·         Folk Music Resources on the Internet  

Links to artists, venues, organizations and lots of other useful folk music resources on the web 

·         Some of Our Favorite Jokes

A collection of sixty or so of the best jokes we could find.