The Triumphant Return of Lil Rev To The Festival Circuit

Hello Dear Friends,

This weekend marked a turning point for me as i headed out to teach and perform
at The Traverse City Ukulele Festival in Michigan.

https://mightyukefesttraversecity.com

2015 was the lowest point in my life...as my family and I suffered with the loss of
 our dear Carol to lung cancer.

We fought valiantly for 10 months and tried everything.
In the end, carol decided home hospice was the best option, so....

I cancelled the vast majority of my work (and it was a stellar year for bookings) and
it was only thru the good grace of my fans, family and local community that we kept
afloat all those months. God Bless all of you....Thank you! Thank you for all your
help. We will always be grateful to you.

While my 2016 show will recount some of these painful moments....mostly my daughter
and I will celebrate life as we always have. For we must go on, pick up the pieces of a
shattered life and begin to make it whole once again.

I am especially proud of my daughter Mariela, she has been defiant in keeping her mom's
memory burning brightly in our home each day. She has weathered a terrible turn
that no kid should have to live thru and somehow, with grace and strength come
out on the other side resolute in her conviction that momma is now in a better place.
This kid is tough, she is a deep souled little trouper whose love and affection knows
no end. She has been my inspiration thru this dark, forbidding period in our life.
She looks to me each day for guidance, but someday when she is grown i will remind
her how she got up each morning and found the strength to go to school even as
her mom was gasping for each breath and starving to get calories in her.

Grief is the oddest of bedfellows and i did more than my share of sleeping with it.

In the end, i decided that my dear Carol was right..." love is the highest vibration"

I had, had enough crying, mourning, and being depressed. It was time, for my daughter's
sake and my own health's sake to pull it together and start breathing in the nectar of life
once again.

For me, this means a full palate of play with my daughter, Hapkido, Skateboarding, gigs,
work on a new ukulele album and getting my waylaid lilrev.com biz rolling again.

To honor Carol we have planned a summer tour of the west coast titled: Scatter The
Ashes Tour. Carol expressed to me a few days before she passed, that "those were the
happiest days of her life, when all three of us where on the road together and Mariela was
but a wee beansprout and we'd make our south  by southwest...west coast run each
winter for 3 months.  We made alot of friends, saw some beautiful country and had
alot of great times together. So to honor her wishes, Mariela, Jenna Lynn and I will embark
on a whirlwind 6 week tour of WA, OR and CA before returning home.

Both prior to the summer tour and after, this year is shaping up nicely.

I am booked at the following ukulele festivals and Music Camps this year....and man am i looking forward to getting back out on the road....so i intend to be there!

Traverse City Ukulele Festival-April 16th in MI

Wheatland Traditional Arts Weekend -May 27th, 28th and 29th Remus, MI

Great MN Ukulele Gathering - June 3rd, 4th and 5th
http://www.bluegrassfun.com/2015-great-minnesota-uke-gathering.html 

Midwest Ukulele Camp- June 24th, 25th and 26th
http://www.midwestukecamp.com  Olivette, MI

Scatter The Ashes Summer Tour of The West Coast - July 8th thru August 4th
see: www.lilrev.com 

Strathmore Ukulele & Guitar Summit- August 13th thru the 17th
https://www.strathmore.org/events-and-tickets/uke-summit-16
North Bethesda, MD

Midwest Ukulele Festival-August 20th and 21st  Woodburn, IN

Milwaukee Ukulele Festival- Saturday October 1st -Milwaukee, WI


Uke-Fully,

Lil Rev
www.lilrev.com

silly faces circa 2015