Didgeridoo Customer Plays at California Symphony

California Symphony
Saturday September 20th
6:30 PM
Todos Santo Plaza
Downtown - Concord, California

This isn't necessarily just a didgeridoo event, but one of our customers is participating and wanted to help support them. Looks like it should be a fun outing so bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the afternoon listening to music including didgeridoo playing.

For more information visit www.californiasymphony.org



For didgeridooo and didgeridoo gear visit www.laoutback.com

LA Outback at Didgeridoo Jam at the Neighborhood Cup in Orange County, California

LA Outback was proud to join in with Karen Greeley to co-host the latest didgeridoo jam at The Neighborhood Cup coffee house in Aliso Viejo, California.

The didjeridu jam session was the third event of a monthly meeting of didj players at every skill level, getting together to play, visit and share pointers on playing the didgeridoo. The session was held on July 26th, 2008 and will hopefully be an ongoing monthly event there as long as The Neighborhood Cup coffee house is willing to have it there.

Karen was kind enough to invite LA Outback down to help out with some beginner players that were going to be attending. Both Barry and I were very excited to participate and see some familiar faces.

We've set up a gallery of his images in Flickr to share with those interested in checking out the afternoon of good coffee and didgeridoo vibes.

Check out the Didgeridoo Jam gallery in Flicker
Visit www.laoutback.com to see our selection of Australian Aboriginal didgeridoos

100,000 Catholics Gather for Youth Event in Sydney

News from the Associated Press for July 15, 2008

Okay, I know this on the surface doesn't appear to have anything to do with didgeridoo, and I'm in no way endorsing the Catholic relegion, but when I read into the article I noticed a quote from Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Rudd addressed the crowd by acknowledged the Aborigines as Australia's original owners and read welcomes to pilgrims in various languages, including Italian, French, Korean, the Philippines' Tagalog and Bahasa Indonesia. This is a continuing extension of good will after his "Sorry Day" speach earlier this year in which he acknowledged the wrong doings of the Australian government in their handling of the countries indigenous people.

Aborigines in traditional clothing and white body paint danced and chanted to the strains of a didgeridoo. I'm trying to find out who the didj player was just out of curiosity so if any one knows pass the word on.

DidgHead Radio Festival - Instow, Devon in the UK

DidgHead Radio Festival 2008

1st - 3rd August 2008
Tapeley Park, Instow, Devon
United Kingdom

Just ran across this didgeridoo festival site online and wanted to make a post about it. For those of you over in the UK or Europe there's still time to pick up your favorite didgeridoo and make the trek.

Here's a brief excerpt from their site:

"The aim of the festival, past and present, is to bring to the public the best of new UK and World didgeridoo music in all its forms.

The festival seeks to display didgeridoo music and didgeridoo playing styles ranging from its origins as a ceremonial instrument in Northern Australia, to its inclusion into almost every musical genre and context."

Looks like they are going to have some pretty cool players this year including Frank Heinkel, Mike Edwards, Kev Howard, Dubravko Lapaine and many more.

Visit the official DidjHead Radio Festival site for more information at www.anticfestivals.co.uk

Didgeridoo Player Ron Crose, From Austin Texas

As a resource for didgeridoo sales here in the US, we always get customers asking how they can connect with other players, or find didgeridoo instructors in their area. I've begin to seek out players online with websites to collect them here on this blog to make it easy for people to one another. Here's my first entry.

Ron Crose from Austin Texas

Ron has earned respect among both the didgeridoo and world music communities. He has a true gift of playing the didj and has a tremendious passion for sharing the traditions of the didjeridu.

He has performed in numerous music festivals, taught at elementary schools, shared the stage or studio with many musicians, and loves to share his knowledge by holding workshops, classes.

He offers group classes, workshops, and private lessons which are offered throughout the year in the Austin, Texas area and are to be announced.

To visit Ron Crose's website click here

Ryka Demonstrates Didgeridoo Animal Sounds

For those of you out there wishing to learn how to create those unique animal sounds on your didgeridoo we just posted this great video on Youtube to give you some ideas. Ryka demonstrates Bookaburra, Dingo, Kangaroo, Crocodile, Boomerang and more. This is should give you some basic ideas that you can apply to your didgeridoo to accent your basic drone. Remember it's all about your own unique ideas and playing style so just have fun and let your mind and mouth create some great new sounds.

Happy didjin'
www.laoutback.com

Didgeridoo Playing Could Improve Sleep Apnea

Sleep Study featuring apnea sufferers the didgeridoo.
Courtesy of radiologist "Not Totally Rad's" Blog

This clinical trial by Puhan et al was conducted in Switzerland, far from this ancient instrument's origin in Australia. Somehow the authors were able to convince 25 Swiss patients with sleep apnea to play the didgeridoo. Fourteen of these 25 played the instrument for 4 months, while the 11 controls were placed on a waiting list. The bottom line:

Regular playing of a didgeridoo reduces daytime sleepiness and snoring in people with moderate obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and also improves the sleep quality of partners

Severity of disease, expressed by the apnoea-hypopnoea index, is also substantially reduced after four months of didgeridoo playing

As a radiologist, I spend most of my work days up to my clavicles in high-tech equipment. I therefore relish all the more avocations, such as folk music and hiking, that I can enjoy with low tech gear far from the power grid. Therefore, it's a pleasing thought that a $94 plastic didgeridoo might replace a $1500 CPAP machine in some patients.

On another note, perhaps Switzerland is not such an unlikely place for this particular clinical trial at all. If anything, people who have already been playing alphorns for the past 1,800 years should be naturals at the didgeridoo.

For more information on didgeridoos contact www.laoutback.com