notloB Music

Jeremy Kittel World Band. 12/4, Somerville

2009-12-03T15:09:00.004-05:00

National Award-Winning Performer of Scottish, Irish, Jazz, & American Music

Jeremy Kittel ~ fiddle
Tristan Clarridge ~ cello
Simon Chrisman ~ hammered dulcimer
Bodek Janke ~ drums/percussion

Friday, December 4, Doors 7:45, Concert 8:00

At the Unity Church of God, 6 William Street (corner of College Avenue)

3 blocks north of Davis Square, Somerville

http://www.jeremykittel.com

Minimum suggested donation $15 at the door, $12 advance.

Reserve seats by sending an email to notlobreservations @ comcast.net at least 24 hours before the concert.

I cannot find a video of all four together, but here are three videos with at least two of the members together in each

Darol Anger's Republic Of Strings performing at Club Passim, April 29, 2006. With Darol Anger, Scott Nygaard, Jeremy Kittel, and Tristan Clarridge

Jeremy Kittel World Band 1.18.09 The Ark, Ann Arbor, MI Jeremy Kittel, fiddle; Kyle Sanna, guitar; Tristan Clarridge, cello; Bodek Janke, drums

Jeremy Kittel, Simon Chrisman and Tristan Clarridge at Mount Shasta Concert 2008

Seats are limited, please get your reservations in asap by email to notlobreservations @ comcast.net

More concert info at http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com

WGBH appreciates your passion and feedback?

2009-12-01T19:03:00.002-05:00

WGBH appreciates your passion and feedback?

The following is a message from WGBH to members of its Facebook group.

http://www.facebook.com/WGBHBoston http://www.facebook.com/WGBHBoston

(if you have a Facebook account you can post your thoughts there).

WGBH appreciates your passion and feedback ...

Today at 1:23pm

Thank you all for your comments. In designing 89.7’s lineup, we were mindful that WGBH’s signal reaches portions of the six New England states, serving many areas without a public radio station. Without 89.7, many people would have no access to NPR news. So, for years, both WGBH and WBUR have carried Morning Edition and All Things Considered simultaneously. In that same spirit, the only programs added to the WGBH lineup simultaneously with WBUR are Morning Edition on Saturday and Sunday, and All Things Considered on Sunday. A select few other programs heard on WBUR are included in the lineup, but at different times of the day to give listeners additional choices. We also plan to complement our news shows The World and The Takeaway with two new, local daily programs hosted by Emily and Callie, as well as content from our TV programs Greater Boston, Basic Black and Nova. As of right now, there are no plans for a radio version of Frontline, but that could certainly change - we'll pass along this suggestion as well as others. Also, Celtic, jazz, Prairie Home Companion, and Sound and Spirit will remain on 89.7. For the full schedule for both 89.7 and 99.5 All Classical, click on this link: http://www.wgbh.org/listen/index.cfm.

Source - http://www.facebook.com/notes/wgbh/wgbh-appreciates-your-passion-and-feedback-/187592234554

(if you have a Facebook account you can post your thoughts there, too).

The invitation to comment on the programming changes could not have arrived at a more opportune time.

Over this past weekend, “Folk on WGBH” and “Blues on WGBH” were terminated.

For 31 years WGBH has made a home for blues and folk music programs that helped support and build the musical community throughout New England. Listeners could hear a wide variety of recorded music as well as performances by and interviews with scores of artists. After November 29th WGBH plans to cancel these programs as part of its "single format" change to news and talk. Concerned listeners want "Folk On WGBH" and "Blues On WGBH" (as well as Celtic and jazz programs) to remain on the air. Will you join us in taking action to show WGBH management that these programs matter to the community?

Their official spokesperson dismissed the folk and blues communities, with a "let them eat cake" attitude: ""...blues and folk fans have other ways to find their genres of choice in Boston..."
~ WGBH spokeswoman Jeanne Hopkins, in the Boston Globe, 11/6/09

Since the announcement on November 6 and the creation of “Supporters of Folk and Blues on WGBH”, anyone who contacted WGBH to register their thoughts received the same dismissive and insensitive “boilerplate” response.

Now is the time to take action. Come and express your thoughts directly to the board of directors. Seeing and hearing the folk and blues community in person could have a different affect.

"Meetings of the WGBH Board of Trustees, most of its committees, and the WGBH Community Advisory Board are open to the public. The open sessions of WGBH Board of Trustees meetings generally begin 15 to 30 minutes after the published meeting start time. For more precise start times, please call 617-300-2601 within the five days prior to a specific meeting. Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings are held in the Cahners Room at WGBH, One Guest Street, Boston, MA. Also, please note that meeting start times are approximate."

http://www.wgbh.org/about/meetings.cfm

Accept their invitation, come in person! Spread the word! Bring friends!

Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Time: 4:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: WGBH, Cahners Room

Street: One Guest Street

City/Town: Boston, MA

View Map

If you use Facebook you can spread invitations via “Supporters of folk and blues on WGBH @ WGBH board of directors' meeting.”

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174621907156&ref=ts

Thank you for supporting folk and blues on WGBH.

Jeff Boudreau

"Supporters of folk and blues on WGBH"

Information - http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com/2009/11/wgbh-drops-folk-and-blues-programs.html

Discussion group ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=201481030324&ref=ts

Cause ~ http://apps.facebook.com/causes/395481/34485837

RIP, "Folk on WGBH" & "Blues on WGBH"

2009-11-28T22:26:00.002-05:00

Rest in Peace, WGBH's canceled folk and blues programs.

Information ~
http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com/2009/11/wgbh-drops-folk-and-blues-programs.html

Discussion group ~
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=201481030324&ref=ts

Cause ~
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/395481/34485837

Attend the board of directors meeting December 2, 4pm ~
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=174621907156&ref=ts

notloB folk concerts presents the Jeremy Kittel World Band

2009-11-25T23:23:00.012-05:00

Jeremy Kittel World Band

National Award-Winning Performer of Scottish, Irish, Jazz, & American Music

Jeremy Kittel ~ fiddle
Tristan Clarridge ~ cello
Simon Chrisman ~ hammered dulcimer
Bodek Janke ~ drums/percussion

Unity Church, 6 Williams Street (Davis Square), Somerville

Doors 7:45, Concert 8:00

http://www.jeremykittel.com
http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=8535

Jeremy Kittel is rapidly earning a reputation as one of the nation’s most creative young musicians. Classically trained, he grew up in the Irish, folk and jazz music scenes of Ann Arbor and Detroit. As a youth he often traveled to Ireland and Scotland to further his studies of traditional music. In addition to performing with his own band and as a soloist with orchestras, Jeremy tours worldwide as the newest member of the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet.

The 24-year-old fiddler/violinist/composer has earned an impressive list of accolades including multiple U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Championships, Alternative Styles Awards from the American String Teachers Association, and six Detroit Music Awards for Outstanding Folk Artist, Jazz Recording, and Jazz Composer. Jeremy graduated at twenty from the University Of Michigan School Of Music and was awarded the Stanley Medal, their highest musical honor. He was the first recipient of the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin, and he recorded as a soloist on the multiple Grammy Award-winning CD “Songs of Innocence and Experience” by William Bolcom. At twenty-three he earned a masters degree in Jazz Violin from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music.

Jeremy has performed at over a thousand concerts and festivals including the Kennedy Center, “A Prairie Home Companion,” the Ryder Cup Opening Ceremony, and Carnegie Hall. He has been guest artist with the Vancouver Symphony, Detroit Symphony, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestras; Mark O’Connor, and Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings. Jeremy has taught at many camps and schools including the International Music Academy in the Czech Republic, Swannanoa Gathering and Mark O’Connor Fiddle Camps. He also works with school orchestras nationwide in workshops and performances, focusing on developing students’ fiddling, jazz, and improvisation skills.

Jeremy’s first CD, “Celtic Fiddle,” was named “one of the top 20 Celtic albums of 2000” by the radio show Celtic Connections. His second, “Roaming,” took second place for Best Celtic Instrumental Album in an international competition. His most recent recording, “Jazz Violin,” won the 2006 Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Recording. His fourth CD, soon to be released, features special guests including Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile.

As one reviewer said, “It’s a much over-used cliché, but I really believe this is what genius sounds like. Highly recommended!”

Minimum suggested donation $15 at the door, $12 in advance.

notloB Folk Concerts are volunteer run and not for profit.
Mailing list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38565709718&ref=ts

notfarG House Concerts ~ 100% of the donations go to the artists.
Mailing list ~ http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/431454
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147864099159&ref=ts

Folk News and Information
Blog ~ http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com
Yahoo ~ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthEastFolknRoots

Upcoming notloB Folk Concerts

Saturday, December 12: Folk ~ David Massengill @ the Jackson Homestead, Newton

Sunday, December 13: David Massengill @ notfarG House Concerts, Grafton

"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive." ~ Jack Hardy

Benefit For the Minuteman Music School

2009-11-24T09:57:00.002-05:00

Tim Rowell had a disastrous flood at his school, Minuteman Music in Lexington. He lost many many thousands of dollars in instruments, equipment and materials. Alan Kauffman has organized a benefit, for him and the school, with 4 hours of amazing entertainment booked.

Benefit For the Minuteman Music School
December 6th
1-5pm
The Skellig Pub
Waltham Massachusetts

Four Jam Packed Hours of Incredible Traditional Music Entertainment!

Performances by Geoff Bartley, Martin Grosswendt, Lorraine & Bennett Hammond, Rich Stillman, Dan Fram, Eric Levenson, Red Hot Black Top, Jubilee Mule, Davis Street, Jerry Dallal, Linda Henry, Tim Fitzpatrick, Cathy Mason & Steve Arkin, Marjo Cremieux, Alan Kaufman Trio, The Bluegrass Kidjammers, Minuteman Teacher Band, and other special guests.

$15 suggested donation. Age 15 and under free.

Help spread the word via facebook and by using this bolg's forwarding feature (at top).

Link back.

An open letter to WUMB - reinstate Jack Hardy to the play list

2009-11-23T14:01:00.006-05:00

No true folk radio station would have a play list, rather it would trust its hosts to be knowledgeable of their genre and artists and allow them to produce their own shows. AAA / "music mix" WUMB (the "community" radio station of UMass, Boston), and whose Google search page makes this outrageous claim

WUMB Radio

The only all folk music radio station in the USA

... takes a different approach.

The following was sent to its general manager and music director today, almost two years after a promise to investigate why a "playlist task force" had purged Jack Hardy. If an answer is given it will be appended here.

By the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACK!

I am sorry this lingering issue detracts from the celebration of your birthday, but WUMB's stupid and unresolved action has angered me for nearly two years. Perhaps the sharing of "adult beverages" in high camp next year will help.

==========

With the reissue of Jack's first 10 albums and the 2009 release of "Rye Grass" I urge you, your music director and the other members of your "playlist task force" (ref our Winter 2008 telephone conversation when I discovered the WUMB calendar changed my submitted "The Folk Brothers (Jack Hardy and David Massengill" had been edited to "The Folk Brothers, featuring David Massengill) reconsider its decision to purge Jack from the WUMB play list. At that time you promised to look into the matter and correct the purge, but I never received a follow-up report of your findings nor confirmation that Jack had been be reinstated.

For staff members with a AAA rather than a folk background, I suggest they read:
Jack Hardy -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hardy_%28singer-songwriter%29

Fast Folk -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Folk

"Fast Folk: A Community of Singers & Songwriters" -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Folk:_A_Community_of_Singers_%26_Songwriters

Perhaps this Boston Globe review will give you additional reason to reconsider:

"With the reissuing of Hardy's first 10 albums, the full range of his talents is showcased for the first time. [...] With his songs set firmly in the centuries-old tradition of Celtic balladry, Hardy shapes his metaphors in a vision that successfully blends history, mythology, romanticism, and politics."
- Boston Globe review of new boxed sets, The Collected Works of Jack Hardy

Claudia Nygaard, Newton & Grafton, 11/21-22

2009-11-17T00:00:00.002-05:00

notloB's Fall Newton "kitchen" and norfarG house concerts series continue

CLAUDIA NYGAARD

http://www.claudianygaard.com/

Saturday, November 21, 7:30pm (doors 7:15),

at the historic Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02458
$10 Suggested Donation, $5 well-behaved children w/ a $30 immediate family max.

Sunday, November 22, at a private residence in Grafton.

Noon potluck, 1pm concert, 3pm pickin' party.
$10 suggested donation, bring a covered dish or desert, BYOB. Coffee and tea provided.

email notlobreservations@comcast.net for reservations and directions to the house concert.

Claudia Nygaard's long legs hang over both sides of that same fence between country and folk music that Guy Clark and John Prine have straddled. Her sound is acoustic, and while her songs find their roots and rhythms in the Americana storytelling tradition, the melodies are passionate and emotional and the lyrics are vivid and descriptive.

A former staff songwriter for Greenwood Music on Nashville's Music Row, Nygaard found that writing formulaic "radio friendly" love songs for the country music industry was not for her. Instead she chose to buy back her contract and songs, and write what was in her heart. She writes about real people and real life. "J.C.," the song that won Claudia the 2004 Kerrville Music Festival "New Folk" songwriting competition, explores racisim through the eyes of a child. In "Edna" the listener feels a protective tenderness for the mentally challenged woman with "hugs that don't let go". The steamy lyric of "What Her Girlfriends Say" paints a picture of the sensual desire a young woman feels for a working class man her girlfriends don't approve of. The title cut of her CD, "Somewhere Else To Go", pulls the listener into that aching loneliness created by a love gone bad. Her music is also rampant with irreverent humor. In "I Don't Need A Man (I Just Want One)" and "Dumped By A Dweeb", Claudia delightfully pokes fun at the gender gap. She crafts songs that range from heartfelt to humorous, and she does so with a quick wit, and an articulate point of view.

"The real strength of the material lies in the lyrics. Each song is a distinct and individual story..." Paul Moser, Music Connection Magazine, Los Angeles, CA

"There is a womanly warmth in her tone that suggests some sentiments are based on experience... what comes over is a refreshing individuality..." Richard Kirk, Country Music Round-Up, UK

Thank you for supporting live music.

Website ~ http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com

notloB Folk Concerts are volunteer run and not for profit.
Mailing list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38565709718&ref=ts

notfarG House Concerts ~ 100% of the donations go to the artists.
Mailing list ~ http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/431454
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147864099159&ref=ts

Folk News and Information
Blog ~ http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com
Yahoo ~ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthEastFolknRoots

Concerts ~ see website for more information
Friday, December 04: National Award-Winning Performer of Scottish, Irish, Jazz, & American Music ~ Jeremy Kittel Band (featuring Tristan Clarridge, Simon Chrisman & Bodek Janke) @ UCG
Saturday, December 12: David Massengill @ Jackson Homestead
Sunday, December 13: David Massengill @ notfarG House Concerts

Kill Nashville Pop

2009-11-16T10:30:00.003-05:00

In Facebook I have come across an interesting organization named "Kill Nashville Pop". From what I can tell it is just one person, Larry Shell, a.k.a. "The Rev", of Brentwood, Tennessee. I feel for him and his effort. Another a kindred spirit who feels strongly about what I call the "popification" and commercialization of the music genres we loves (Larry, country, me American folk).

Billing himself "King of the Hillbilly Nation" Larry has a website , mostly filled with ads for "kill country pop" merchandise such as bumper stickers (with one pictured stuck to the inside of a toilet lid) and tee shirts.

I've become Facebook friends with Larry. I am grateful for his daily and prolific posts of scores of classic country videos such as

Willie Nelson - Touch Me (1962)
Johnny Bush - What A Way To Live
Johnny Rodriguez "You Always Come Back (To Hurting Me)"
Dolly Parton - Making Believe
Dolly Parton Song's of The 1960's
The New Lost City Ramblers - Man of Constant Sorrow
Them Old Love Songs (Waylon Jennings)
Ed Bruce - My First Taste of Texas
Brenda Lee - Always on my mind.
Hawkshaw Hawkins - Sunny Side Of The Mountain

Larry also posts videos of current country, bluegrass and traditional musicians

Bela Fleck & Jerry Douglas - Cincinnati Rag
Blackberry Blossom

These are just a few of the many which were posted within the past 24 hours.

Larry runs a Facebook cause, with 1676 members as of this writing.

"WE HOPE BY IGNORING AND NOT SUPPORTING THE NASHVILLE POP INDUSTRY WE ERADICATE FAUX POP OUT OF NASHVILLE "

Positions

We believe Nashville should be the home of Country Music
Our theme song is " Murder On Music Row"
We also believe if you can't sing in tune you should not be allowed to record

A Google search for "Kill Country Pop" turned up an article by Dr. Tom Bibey in is blog "Dr. Tom Bibey: Stories of the Bluegrass Music Road Physician Bluegrass Fiction".

Kill Nashville Pop/Mr. Larry Shell

I started a FaceBook page a couple months ago, and it has been a bunch of fun. I’ve found old friends I used to pick with that I haven’t seen in years.

There have been a number of new folks, too. One of them is a gentleman named Larry Shell. I knew of Mr. Shell before FaceBook; he has a list of songwriter credits longer than my leg, and I’m a right lanky fellow. I became his FaceBook friend through my young country music friend Megan Peeler. She’s a wonderful singer who won the National Colgate Country Showdown. Mr. Shell is introducing her to Nashville, and they have written some songs together.

Folks, Mr. Shell is the real McCoy, and might well know more about traditional country music than anyone on the planet. Just get on FaceBook and check out his video collection of country music performances. It’s more fun than going to the picture show on a summer day when it’s the only place in town with air-conditioning.

Mr. Shell started a movement called ‘Kill Nashville Pop.’ The tag line to it might well be ’and save real Country Music.’ He has bumper stickers with the ‘Kill Nashville Pop’ logo, and I ordered several. I put one on my work briefcase right next to the ‘I Love my Martin Guitar’ sticker. (Docs carry briefcases with a lot of important papers like band set lists, so it gets a lot of exposure) One went on my banjo case, and the third one is displayed on my Calton mandolin case I carry when I travel. It’s beside the one that says, “What if the hokey pokey is really what it’s all about?”

I want you to know I have no personal animosity towards the folks who sing pop country. It’s just to me it isn’t real country music. A record executive once told me, (paraphrased) “Doc, you’re too hung up on this art thing. You gotta realize the real purpose of a country song is to keep someone on the radio until the commercial comes on.” I am sure I am hopelessly old fashioned but to me the real purpose of of country song is to touch me and help me carry my burdens. When one of my favorite patients turns up with some God awful cancer no one in the Tobacco Triangle can fix, sometimes all that gets me by is my God and my music. Maybe I’m just old, but fluff doesn’t cut my gig, and a daily minefield of pain and suffering is a tough one at times.

I suppose one could say “Well, Doc. That’s all nice, but what do you know about the music business? You’re just a Doctor.” That is true. And I am not so naive that I don’t realize the bills have to be paid. I ran a small Doctor’s office for many years. Some months were tight, and I understand the phrase ’no margin no mission.’ I do know this though. To me the purpose of a country song is not to satisfy the quarterly earnings report of an executive, but to satisfy the souls of folks like me in the work a day world. To speak to me, it has to be honest words sung by honest people with real everyday human problems. To me if it ain’t that it ain’t country.

I’m the same way in the Doctor gig. I am what they call a ‘low end provider,’ ie in the 25th percentile as an earner. One time one of those hard bitten consultants said, “Doctor, your problem is you spend too much time talking to your patients. You need to spend more time ordering tests.” Privately he admitted if he got in jam he’d want me to try to help him out, though. I took it as a high compliment. Who’d want a Doc who saw his patient as a financial opportunity? I’m prouder of my good board scores and even more of the fact I care about my patients and most of them seem to like me O.K. Call me a Pollyanna if you want, but I say the definition of a good Doctor is one who tries to help his people, not one who wants a bonus and an award for being a ‘high end provider.’ And most of the Docs I know see it the same way.

And a good song is one that sells well because it touches people and is a good song, and is not a good song because of careful marketing and the commercial success it shows on the balance sheet for the last quarter. The good ones will stand the test of time and still are relevant years later, because they speak to human truths that have not changed. That is sure true for the material Mr. Shell posts every day on FaceBook.

One time I went to a song writer seminar and a fellow named Paul Craft was on the panel. Someone asked him how he knew when he’d written a good song. He said something like when he got to where he could sleep because he believed he had reached deep down inside and got the best out of himself he could do, then he felt it was a good song. I like that definition. For my money, I want someone to tell me a story about Clayton Delaney. There is a reason a legend like Tom T. Hall and his wife Dixie write bluegrass tunes these days, and I guarantee you it has nothing to do with money.

Oh, one last thing. Mr. Shell is working on a book. Mine is due out in 2010. Some old day me and Megan are gonna play a song at a book store gig and my wife and I are gonna take her out for a plate of chicken that reminds her of home. I hope Mr. Shell will join us. I’d love to trade books with him professional courtesy, and get him to sign his. I believe if country music is saved, Mr. Shell will go down in the history books as one of the folks who threw out the life preserver. I’d pass the book on down to my kids as a reminder that their people knew the cat who helped saved it.

Well enough preaching from old Doc. Y’all can get preached at from the pulpit on Sunday, so I better get off my high horse and go to work. Good luck Mr. Shell, and keep on pushing the real country music.

Dr. B

Keep up the good work, Larry, and stay true to your beliefs!

1000 supporters of folk and blues on WGBH can't be wrong!

2009-11-15T01:45:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, November 6, WGBH announced it was canceling "Folk on WGBH" and "Blues on WGBH", starting it down the road to being a "single format" news/talk station.

The Facebook group, "supporters of folk and blues on WGBH", on its seventh day, reached 1000 members.

It seems WGBH management and its media consultants, are out of touch with the "folk". Or in the words of Jim Kweskin,

I can only assume this has something to do with the almighty dollar. Isn't this supposed to be public radio and aren't we the public. Folk music has been a mainstay on WGBH for as long as I can remember. Acoustic artists are as popular as ever and in some ways even more popular then in days gone by. I don't get it. WGBH should be ashamed of itself. Well, as Ma Joad said, "We're the people and you can't stop us and you can't lick us. We just keep coming, 'cause we're the people"

Cause ~ http://apps.facebook.com/causes/395481/34485837

Discussion group ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=201481030324&ref=ts

Brian Quinn, WUMB program director, "laid off"

2009-11-12T14:45:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday we learned that WGBH was dropping its "Folk on WGBH" and "Blues on WGBH" programs.

This past Tuesday, Brian Quinn, WUMB program director for 20 years, posted to NortheastFolknRoots he had been "laid off".

I have extracted several press releases going back over the years relevant to Brian's work at WGBH, mostly before it turned from folk to "music mix". Read them here, in an unpublished area of the notloB Folk Music website. This area also contains biographies of Naomi Arenberg, Brad Paul and Brendan Hogan, all late of WGBH.
that he had been laid off.

Where's the outrage, people?

WGBH drops folk and blues programs

2009-11-07T13:21:00.023-05:00

"...blues and folk fans have other ways to find their genres of choice in Boston..."
~ WGBH spokeswoman Jeanne Hopkins, in the Boston Globe, 11/6/09

From Jim Kweskin, in Supporters of Folk and Blues on WGBH

I can only assume this has something to do with the almighty dollar. Isn't this supposed to be public radio and aren't we the public. Folk music has been a mainstay on WGBH for as long as I can remember. Acoustic artists are as popular as ever and in some ways even more popular then in days gone by. I don't get it. WGB...H should be ashamed of itself. Well, as Ma Joad said, "We're the people and you can't stop us and you can't lick us. We just keep coming, 'cause we're the people

Jim Kweskin, November 11, 2009.

Brad Paul (folk), Naomi Arenberg (folk) and Brendan Hogan (blues)

Over the past two years "Folk on WGBH" has been very good to notloB Folk Concerts, hosting its artists during the afternoon prior to their performances:

Saturday, August 18, 2007		Geoff Bartley
Saturday, June 28, 2008		Mike & Ruthy Merenda & Lyn Hardy
Saturday, August 09, 2008		Dave Carter Tribute - Chris Thompson, Beth DeSombre & Ryan FitzSimmons
Saturday, November 01, 2008		The Folk Brothers - Jack Hardy and David Massengill
Saturday, November 15, 2008		Mary McCaslin
Saturday, January 31, 2009		Sacred Shakers
Saturday, March 28, 2009		Bob Franke
Saturday, October 17, 2009		Jim Hurst

"Blues on WGBH" host Brendan Hogan has performed at two notloB concerts.

On Friday, November 6, the Boston Globe made mention in passing in an arts and entertainment article titled "WGBH changes tune about keeping folk and blues" that was posted to the NEFolknRoots group.

Blues and folk radio programs may be dropped

Blues fans may get the blues when they hear WGBH's plans for programming changes. 'GBH spokeswoman Jeanne Hopkins confirmed to us yesterday that if the FCC approves the station's purchase of WCRB-FM, a classical station based in Waltham, the station will cancel "Folk on WGBH'' and "Blues on WGBH,'' which air on Saturday afternoon and Saturday night, respectively. The blues show is hosted by Brendan Hogan, while folk is hosted by Naomi Arenberg and Brad Paul. Hopkins explained that WGBH wants to carry classical music on one station (WCRB's 99.5) and news and information on the other (WGBH's 89.7). She said that blues and folk fans have other ways to find their genres of choice in Boston, and that 'GBH wants to keep its programming unique. "We've carried both of these for many years and we've been proud do it. We're very proud of the contributions,'' she said. Hopkins said there will be no programming changes until the deal goes through.

Today WGBH has announced it is canceling "Folk on WGBH" and "Blues on WGBH" (this means bluegrass, old time, Cajun and zydeco, too).

now confirmed on the WGBH website:"

http://www.wgbh.org/listen/goodbyefolkandblues.cfm

Schedule changes on 89.7

In December, WGBH is bringing WCRB 99.5 into our family of noncommercial, listener-supported public broadcasting stations, a move that preserves full-time classical radio in Boston.

With the acquisition of 99.5, we are revising 89.7's schedule to develop a new service for our listeners that focuses on news, information, and analysis. And our classical music will move exclusively to 99.5, where we will continue the tradition of an all-classical format.

We are proud of the folk and blues programs we have offered and of the many contributions that WGBH and our hosts have made to these genres, so it was a difficult decision to discontinue Blues on WGBH and Folk on WGBH. As we refocus the 89.7 schedule on news and information, it became apparent that it would not be possible to retain all of the nonnews elements of our schedule. We have chosen to keep a select group of programs, like A Celtic Sojourn and A Prairie Home Companion, that serve our audiences well and attract support for WGBH’s work.

We are grateful to folk hosts Naomi Arenberg and Brad Paul, and blues host Brendan Hogan for sharing their passion, knowledge, and experience with listeners over the years.

Folk music fans can continue to find options on WUMB 91.9FM Boston, WNEF 91.7 FM Newburyport, WFPB 1170AM Orleans, WICN 90.5FM Worcester, WOMR 92.1FM Provincetown, or New Hampshire Public Radio. Blues fans can tune in to WUMB 91.9FM, WHRB 95.3FM, WZLX 100.7 FM, and WUML 91.5 FM.

We appreciate your support of our work and hope that you will enjoy the new offerings on 89.7 WGBH and 99.5 All Classical. For the latest information about what’s on our air, please visit wgbh.org/listen.

"Folk on WGBH" was broadcast Saturday afternoons, noon to 3pm.

"Blues on WGBH was broadcast Saturday nights, 9pm-1am.

Two Facebook groups have been created for blues and folk supporters to communicate and organize:

Cause ~ http://apps.facebook.com/causes/395481/34485837

Discussion group ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=201481030324&ref=ts

=======================

Source

In December, WGBH is bringing WCRB 99.5 into our family of noncommercial, listener-supported public broadcasting stations, a move that preserves full-time classical radio in Boston.

With the acquisition of 99.5, we are revising 89.7's schedule todevelop a new service for our listeners that focuses on news,information, and analysis. And our classical music will moveexclusively to 99.5, where we will continue the tradition of anall-classical format.

We are proud of the folk and blues programs we have offered and of themany contributions that WGBH and our hosts have made to these genres,so it was a difficult decision to discontinue Blues on WGBH and Folk on WGBH.As we refocus the 89.7 schedule on news and information, it becameapparent that it would not be possible to retain all of the nonnewselements of our schedule. We have chosen to keep a select group of programs, like A Celtic Sojourn and A Prairie Home Companion, that serve our audiences well and attract support for WGBH's work.

We are grateful to folk hosts Naomi Arenberg and Brad Paul, and blues host Brendan Hogan for sharing their passion, knowledge, and experience with listeners over the years.

Folk music fans can continue to find options on WUMB 91.9FM Boston, WNEF 91.7 FM Newburyport, WFPB 1170AM Orleans, WICN 90.5FM Worcester, WOMR 92.1FM Provincetown, or New Hampshire Public Radio. Blues fans can tune in to WUMB 91.9FM, WHRB 95.3FM, WZLX 100.7 FM, and WUML 91.5 FM.

We appreciate your support of our work and hope that you will enjoy the new offerings on 89.7 WGBH and 99.5 All Classical. For the latestinformation about what's on our air, please visit wgbh.org/listen.

===========

I am a loss for words. All I can do at this moment is create a Facebook "Folk and Blues on WGBH" supporters group.

Join

==========

http://wgbh.org/listen/arenberg_naomi.cfm

"Room for dancing is important!"

Background: At age 13, I discovered the power of radio while recovering from a car accident at home in rural southeastern Massachusetts. I was not allowed to read or watch television for a month, and pretty soon a small, portable radio — and the music it brought — seemed like my best friends. Forever grateful to Ellington for reminding us that there’s only “good music and bad music.” It’s a privilege to listen to lots of good folk and international music and to share some of it with listeners.

Nickname(s): Nao, Big Hair.

First album I ever owned: Peter, Paul & Mary’s 10 Years Together and Joan Baez’s David’s Album, both gifts for my 15th birthday.

Five desert island albums: Joan Baez, Vol. 1; the soundtrack to Ken Burns’s The Civil War; Sweet Honey in the Rock, Live at Carnegie Hall; the Beatles, The White Album; Beethoven: Trio for Piano and Strings No. 7 in B flat, Op. 97, "Archduke," with Pablo Casals (cello), Sándor Végh (violin), and Mieczyslaw Horszowski (piano) in a live performance.

Favorite podcast: PRI’s The World

Greatest place to see live music: Any comfortable living room or favorite outdoor festival, provided there’s a skilled engineer assisting. And room for dancing is important!

Most memorable concert: Pete Seeger at Town Hall in New York, April 1981. As he sang out, Pete gazed upward, seeming to find inspiration from above. After the show, mesmerized by the power of Pete’s songs, I looked up in the same direction and discovered that he’d been gazing at the second balcony.

Favorite movie about music/musician: Gumboots, a wonderful documentary about South African musicians and dancers

Favorite book about music/musician: Deep Community, by Scott Alarik, with terrific photos of musicians

When not listening to folk music, I listen to The World, the NPR news programs, BBC News, A Prairie Home Companion, Splendid Table

Finest moment on the air: Talking with Joseph Shabala, founder and director of Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Most embarassing moment on the air: That story might be a bit too racy for this website.

If I weren't a radio host, I'd be singing with a band (which I still sometimes do in public) or work in some area of international diplomacy.

The best part of my job is weaving together all kinds of music from many parts of the world to share with listeners. Hosting festivals and concerts, where I can see how deeply the music impacts all of us.

======================

http://wgbh.org/listen/hogan_brendan.cfm

"I listen to anything honest."

Background: I've been in radio since 2000. I worked at WERS before coming to WGBH 89.7. When not on air, I'm a Cambridge-based songwriter/performer.

Greatest place to see live music: Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts

When not listening to the blues, I listen to anything honest.

The best part of my job is that I actually get to do this.

=================

http://wgbh.org/listen/paul_brad.cfm

"The best part of my job is when someone calls me while I’m on the air and asks, 'What was that song you just played? I loved it!'"

Background: I am originally from Belmont, Massachusetts, where I started my radio career as a high school intern at WGBH FM in 1975. I graduated from Emerson College, where I started the popular program The Coffeehouse, in 1980. I have since produced and hosted folk shows on WUMB-Boston and WEVO, New Hampshire Public Radio, and now back to where it all began for me, WGBH 89.7.

Nickname(s): None that I can share.

First album I ever owned: Something New by the Beatles

Five desert island albums: I don’t think I would want to take five records on a desert Island for fear that I would soon get tired of my favorite albums.If I could take my iPod, I’d be all set with 10,000 songs!

Favorite podcast: I don’t do podcasts. I don’t Twitter or text, either. I know I should be doing these things, but I don’t have time to figure it all out. I recently tried to hire my teenage son to create and maintain a Facebook page for me, but he said he was too busy. Honestly, I don’t know where people find time for all this Internet activity. Between two jobs, two teenage boys, and a small farm to maintain, I’m lucky to still remember my name at the end of the day, never mind all those user names and passwords you have to keep track of!

Greatest place to see live music: Locally I would have to go with Johnny D’s in Davis Square, Somerville. It’s run by some really great people, and I prefer the intimacy of a small club vs. a theater or arena. That said, there’s nothing like a great festival location such as the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado or the Vancouver Folk Festival in British Columbia. They book great music, and the locations are stunning.

Most memorable concert: It’s a tie. I saw Mario Bauza at the Blue Note in NYC. Mario was the original Mambo King. Seeing him with his orchestra was like being transported back in time to Havana in prerevolutionary Cuba. I don’t recall the date, but it was only a year or two before he passed away. The other would have to be Charles Brown at a Public Radio Convention party, hosted by Felix Hernandez of the NPR program Blues Stage. Charles played with his trio in the Queen Anne Suite at the Westin Saint Francis Hotel in Union Square in San Francisco. It was the combination of the grand view of the San Francisco Bay and the intimacy of hearing one of the great R&B legends in a small setting, no sound system, just the musicians and their instruments up close and personal.

Favorite movie about music/musician: A tie again. It’s between Almost Famous and This Is Spinal Tap. Both films are based on fictitious bands, but there is more truth in them than anyone in the music business would care to admit.

Favorite book about music/musician: Mansion on the Hill. It’s an intriguing history of the music business from the early '60s through the mid '90s. A lot of the landscape covered is the early folk and rock scene in Cambridge and Boston and the radio, print publications, and concert promoters that drove them.

When not listening to folk music, I listen to: One of my favorite sayings is; “Life is too short to listen to one kind of music.” So I listen to almost everything. Jazz, salsa, classical, world music, all manner of rock 'n' roll, R&B, blues, you name it.

Finest moment on the air: I’d say my finest moment on air came when I was host of The Coffeehouse on WERS, Emerson’s FM radio station. It was early in the life of the program, probably 1981, and I had no idea if people were listening to the show or not. One day, I was musing on air that we had no thermometer at the studio to tell what the outside temperature was. I said, "If anyone is listening, send in a nickel or a dime, and we will see if we can raise enough money to buy a thermometer for the station." The next day, nickels and dimes and quarters and even dollar bills began flooding into the station. I realized then that I was onto something.

Most embarrassing moment on the air: I was interviewing Norman Blake, a guitarist and songwriter from Georgia. Norman had brought his band to the station for a live studio performance. When I asked him to introduce one of the band members, Norman said, “The gentleman to my right is a melon picker from southern Georgia.” I asked what kind of melons does he pick, at which point Norman and the rest of the band broke up laughing. It was hard for this Northerner to discern the Southerner’s accent. When Norman said, "mandolin picker," I heard "melon picker."

If I weren’t a radio host, I’d be an investment banker or a ski bum. More likely the latter because I don’t know the first thing about investment banking.

The best part of my job is when someone calls me while I’m on the air and asks; “What was that song you just played? I loved it!”

In memory of Dr. Hugh M. Hill

2009-11-05T17:29:00.004-05:00

I will hold a special place in my heart for "Brother Blue", the fondest memories being sharing many Club Passim campfires at table 9 with him and dear Sister Ruth. Indicative of their respect for performing artists, they would write notes to each other. I wonder what those notes said!

Source

Brother Blue dead at 88, was storyteller to generations in Harvard Square, beyond

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Kat Powers

Dr. Hill, known to most as the beret-clad storyteller Brother Blue, has died.

My remembrance of him was not at one of the many events I covered in Somerville and Cambridge where he was supporting another up-and-coming storyteller, but of Brother Blue out in Harvard Square.

Dr. Hill will be missed. ...

It was maybe 15, 20 years ago in Harvard Square, and Brother Blue had group of tiny kids and skate punks wrapped up in this story which was a retelling of Hamlet. He was covered in butterfly pins which kept the 1-year-olds enraptured. He was talking about this guy named Shakespeare in just a slightly off color way, describing him to the skate punks as a guy who â€œyou know, the man was important, he was shaking his spear. And the story was in part about this guy with the name of Yorick, who had enough going on that the 6-year-0lds and the parents were breathless. It could be that day that the sentences were punctuated by a harmonica, but I could be wrapping several of his appearances together, I've seen him tell so many stories.

============

Brother Blue dead at 88; Was storyteller to generations

Photos

Delia Marshall

Brother Blue, aided by West Somerville Neighborhood School third-grader Omar Drissi, tells a story at the school's Family Night in 2002.

More related photos

Related Links

On the Web

Wicked Local Cambridge

Posted Nov 05, 2009 @ 09:51 AM

Last update Nov 05, 2009 @ 10:50 AM

Cambridge

Dr.Hugh Hill, storyteller and Cambridge personality known to generations as Brother Blue, has died.

Hill, 88, died at his home Nov. 3.

Brother Blue was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 12, 1921. An exceptional student, he served in the US Military from 1943-1946 in both theaters during World War Two; he was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant. He obtained an AB from Harvard College, an MFA from Yale School of Drama and his PhD from Union Graduate School.

By the late-1960s Hill, always accompanied by his wife Ruth, was telling stories on the streets, in prisons, in classrooms and more. His stories always allowed the listener to imagine bigger worlds, see themselves in the heart of the tale and believe that they, too, were storytellers. Brother Blue said that he told stories, "from the middle of the middle of me to the middle of the middle of you," and that if you heard another person's story you could never harm them, so stories could save the world.

"I promise to live the story of unconditional love," said Brother Blue in a Cambridge Chronicle story six years ago. "I promise to sing a song from the middle of the middle of Brother Blue to the middle of the middle of all creation."

In 2003, "Ahhhh! A Tribute to Brother Blue and Ruth Edmonds Hill" was released The book, published by Somerville's Yellow Moon Press, is a compilation of stories, poems and photos submitted by area poets, writers, artists and just plain fans. A committee from LANES, the League for the Advancement of New England Storytellers, also based in Somerville, assisted in the project.

Brother Blue ran a storytelling series in Cambridge for over 20 years, where many storytellers found their own voices. Brother Blue and his wife Ruth always listened with uncritical and loving ears, encouraging everyone. He received multiple international awards for his art and was the official storyteller of both Cambridge and Boston.

Do you remember a Brother Blue story? See our blog

Brother Blue leaves his wife Ruth Edmonds Hill, his sister Beatrice Hill, his niece Lynda Hill, his nephew Thomas Hill and hundreds of storytellers. Visiting hours are on Sunday, November 8, 2009 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at Keefe Funeral Home, 2175 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge. Internment will be on Monday, Nov. 9, 2009 at 1 p.m. at the Pittsfield Cemetery, Pittsfield.

In lieu of flowers send donations to the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling and the National Association of Black Storytellers. For obituary, directions or to send a condolence visit www.keefefuneralhome.com

Joy Kills Sorrow signs with Signature Sounds

2009-11-04T19:19:00.001-05:00

notloB Folk Concerts presented Joy Kills Sorrow with the Boston Boys, May 9, 2009.

Congratulations, JKS!

Source

SIGNATURE SOUNDS ANNOUNCES THE SIGNING OF JOY KILLS SORROW

DEBUT ALBUM WITH NEW LINE-UP DARKNESS SURE BECOMES THIS CITY TO BE RELEASED FEBRUARY 23, 2010

With its bold new brand of acoustic music, Joy Kills Sorrow pushes right through the envelope and out the other side. The Boston-based string band brings a decidedly modern sensibility to an old-world sound, channeling the prodigious talents of its individual members into elegant arrangements and well-crafted songs. While the group pays due homage to its Bluegrass roots-its name refers to one of the first radio stations to broadcast the music of Bill Monroe-the band truly excels in its rich and textured treatment of more contemporary material. Boasting a full arsenal of original songs, Joy Kills Sorrow plumbs the entire spectrum of its spare instrumentation, effortlessly merging influences as diverse as folk, rock, pop, and jazz. The songs that emerge are dark and often funny, ruminating on modern life and love with eloquence and wit. The result is a radical new strain of folk music, one that bravely breaks with tradition even as it salutes the past. Welcome Joy Kills Sorrow!

Lissa Schneckenburger & Bethany Waickman @ St. James Hall

2009-11-01T13:24:00.002-05:00

Videos of Lissa and Bethany's recent concert at the St. James Hall in Kitsilano (Vancouver), produced by the Rogue Folk Club http://www.roguefolk.bc.ca/

Lissa Schneckenburger - New England Fiddler and Folk Singer
Bethany Waickman - Guitar

http://www.lissafiddle.com

Lamplighter's hornpipe (trad)
Suffer the Child (by Greg Boardman)
The Lady Walpole's Reel (trad)
The Mountain Ranger (trad)
Nancy King (by David Kaynor)
The Old Beggerman (trad)
The Ranch (by Lissa)
The Minstrel Show (by Bob Coltman)
The Lumberman in town (trad)
Go Ken Go (by Lissa)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GtqseMHmb8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WblV0ibhato
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GtqseMHmb8

Posted with permission from Lissa and Bethany.

Happy birthday, Tom Paxton!

2009-10-31T10:52:00.008-04:00

Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[1]^[2]

His songs have experienced enduring appeal, including modern standards such as "The Last Thing on My Mind", "Bottle of Wine", "Whose Garden Was This?", "The Marvelous Toy", and "Ramblin' Boy". Paxton's songs have been recorded by Pete Seeger and The Weavers, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Harry Belafonte, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, The Chad Mitchell Trio, John Denver, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, Willie Nelson, Flatt & Scruggs, The Fireballs, and many others (see covers). He has performed thousands of concerts around the world in such places as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and all over the United States; and his songs have been translated into various languages. Paxton enjoys a strong relationship with fans throughout the world.

Tom Paxton's songs can be emotionally affective and cover a wide range of topics, from the serious and profound to the lighthearted and comical. "What Did You Learn in School Today?" mocks the way children are often taught lies. "Jimmy Newman" is the story of a dying soldier, and "My Son John" is a moving song about a soldier who comes back home and can't even begin to describe what he's been through. "Beau John" is a civil rights era song about taking a stand against racial injustice. "A Thousand Years" tells the chilling tale of Neo-Nazi uprising, and "Train for Auschwitz" is about the Holocaust. "On the Road to Srebrenica" is about Bosnian Muslims who were killed in a 1995 massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The Bravest" is a song about the firefighters who gave their lives while trying to save others on September 11, 2001. Then there are Paxton's "short shelf life songs", which are topical songs about current events and things in the news. These songs can be lighthearted and comical, or serious depending on the situation, and they change all the time as new ones are written and old ones can reappear as things seem to have a way of cycling around in this world. They include: "In Florida", about the 2000 election scandal; "Without DeLay", a song about the former congressman; "Bobbitt", about John and Lorena Bobbitt; "Little Bitty Gun", which lampoons Nancy Reagan; "I'm Changing My Name to Chrysler", about the controversial federal loan guarantee to Chrysler in 1979 (which was rewritten in 2008 as "I Am Changing My Name to Fannie Mae"^[3] about the 700 billion dollar "bailout of the U.S. financial system"); "The Ballad of Spiro Agnew", and "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation" (which became "George W. Told the Nation"^[4] in 2007).

continued...

Originally written as "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation" during the Vietnam war, reworked into "George W. Told the Nation" in 2007.

Happy birthday, Tom, you're timeless!

Folk music or roots culture support organizations listed in NEFOLKnRoots

2009-10-29T17:51:00.003-04:00

Folk music or roots culture support organizations listed in the NEFOLKnRoots "links" area.

NEFolknRoots is a news and discussion group celebrating and supporting traditional folk, folk revival, folk rock, roots, blues, bluegrass, Cajun and zydeco music and dance in the northeast US and from beyond that affects our community.

Its DATABASE and FILES areas contain scores of community-based non-commercial radio and internet station other resources. This is but one. Share widely, but please cite the source.

Links > Folk music or roots culture support organizations


Boston Song Sessions Pub sings and chantey sings within hailing distance of Boston. Such sessions typically emphasize traditional songs with choruses everyone can join in on. http://www.bostonsongsessions.org/
Boston Zydeco Boston Zydeco, a non-profit organization, covers the Zydeco community in the general Boston area and is dedicated to enhancing access to Cajun and Zydeco dance, culture and music. http://www.bostonzydeco.com/
Canadian - American Club of Massachusetts Every Friday Night , the Canadian-American Club is the place to be! You never know who might drop in from 'down' home, and can't help but have a smile on your face listening to the masterful fiddle of Ludger Lefort . Independent Organizations that sponsor events at the Canadian-American Club facilities include: Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Eireann , with Larry Reynolds , Patio Records, The Gaelic Club, and St. Brendan's Society. http://www.canamclubofboston.com/
Canadian Society for Traditional Music The Canadian Society for Traditional Music is dedicated to the study and promotion of musical traditions of all communities and cultures, in all their aspects. The scope of the society's activities is intended to reflect the interests both of members who are ethnomusicologists and of members whose interests are mainly with traditional music and its contemporary counterparts, especially in Canada. Formed in 1956 as the Canadian Folk Music Society by the eminent folklorist Marius Barbeau, the Society has provided a national focus for lovers of the diverse traditions of music in Canada. Annual conferences have been held in all regions of the country, from St. John's, Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, British Columbia. From its initial focus upon First Nations and rural French and English cultures, in recent years the Society has broadened its horizon to include the musical expressions of the many cultures that now call Canada home. Contact Info Website: http://www.yorku.ca/cstm/ Office: http://www.yorku.ca/cstm/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=31038482683 http://www.yorku.ca/cstm/
Elysium Arts Folk Club (New Hampshire) Why a Folk Club? For the love of music without the distraction of a restaurant or bar is the short answer! We will be serving fine quality coffee and tea and snacks but our main focus is the music. We want to provide a comfortable, homey, family oriented atmosphere where the music can shine. We also want to provide a venue that is comfortable and accessible for the performers. http://www.elysiumarts.com/folkclub/
Field Recorders' Collective The Field Recorders' Collective, originally formed with five collectors, is now a growing group of collectors who have generously agreed to share their field recordings with the old time community. Both the collectors and the musicians they recorded have traveled parts of the same old time music road. Members of the collective, just as did the musicians they recorded, wish to share the tunes and creative individual styles that developed in isolated communities with others seeking their own right of way on the road. ttp://www.fieldrecorder.com
Folk Arts Center of New England The Folk Arts Center of New England is an incorporated nonprofit educational organization dedicated to promoting interest and participation in the traditional dance, music, and related folk arts of many cultures, and to supporting other groups and individuals with the same mission. Folk Arts Center of New England • 42 W. Foster Street • Melrose, MA 02176-3811 http://www.facone.org
Folk Music Society of New York, Inc. Traditional music is alive and well in New York City. http://www.folkmusicny.org
Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, The The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston is a non-profit organization of people interested in folk music: its traditional origins and sources and its current expressions. We are dedicated to providing opportunities for everyone to make, enjoy, and support this music. http://www.fssgb.org/
Folkstreams.net Folkstreams.net has two goals. One is to build a national preserve of hard-to-find documentary films about American folk or roots cultures. The other is to give them renewed life by streaming them on the internet. The films were produced by independent filmmakers in a golden age that began in the 1960s and was made possible by the development first of portable cameras and then capacity for synch sound. Their films focus on the culture, struggles, and arts of unnoticed Americans from many different regions and communities. http://www.folkstreams.net/
Heritage Folk Music Heritage Folk Music, Inc's mission is to collect, preserve, document, display and interpret the regional and historic folk music, folklore and oral history of New York State, including specifically the Catskill Mountains and Hudson River Valley. http://heritageconcerts.blogspot.com/
Institute of Musical Traditions (Md.) A non-profit dedicated to preserving and promoting American and international folk music traditions and nurturing new styles evolving from these cultural roots through concerts, workshops, & educational programs. http://www.imtfolk.org
Monadnock Folklore Society, The The Monadnock Folklore Society (MFS) was founded in 1980, and incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1982. The original purpose of the organization was to increase the visibility of folk dance and music events in southern New Hampshire, provide new venues for performers, and provide educational services in the folk arts to the community. MFS is governed by a Board of Directors, assisted by interested members of the community for help with special projects. From time to time “open” meetings are held, which any member of the community may attend. At these meetings, the directors seek ideas and feedback for both new and ongoing projects. Most concerts are presented in the Nelson Town Hall, which is a pleasing venue for acoustic or modestly amplified music. A wide range of musical and cultural traditions are represented. Recent concerts have included Irish, Cape Breton, Quebecois, Cajun, Balkan, Scottish, and Delta Blues. Historical presentations have included American Civil War era music and American songs collected in the Monadnock Region in the 18th-20th centuries. Two perennial favorites are the annual December performance by Nowell Sing We Clear and the Nelson Solstice Concert and Dance. http://www.monadnockfolk.org/
National Folk Organization - USA To advance and preserve folk arts representing national, local and ethnic customs as they exist throughout the United States of America; to promote and encourage the exchange of folk dance and dance related to folklore in the USA and abroad and to effectively network those who support these objectives. http://www.nfo-usa.org
New England Folk Music Archives (the) The New England Folk Music Archives preserves, promotes and documents the ongoing cultural legacy of folk music and its connections to New England through education, collaboration and entertainment. http://www.newenglandfolkmusic.org
New Hampshire Acoustic Music Association Listings for NH http://www.nhama.org/
New York Folklore Society The New York Folklore Society recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary in everyday life, bringing focus to traditions of our state’s diverse peoples. NYFS is a leading resource for folklore and folklife by disseminating research and information. http://www.nyfolklore.org/
New York State Traditional Folk Music Come all friends of George Edwards, "Yankee" John Galusha, Sara Cleveland, Vic Kibler, Alice Clemens, The Van Arsdale Family and the Stevens-Douglass Manuscript! A place to discuss, share information and resources and generally enthuse about the musical traditions of our ancestors here in New York State. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=56257937715&mid=1f1211G0G5bbfb6a6G40
Old Town School of Folk Music (The) The Old Town School of Folk Music teaches and celebrates music and cultural expressions rooted in the traditions of diverse American and global communities. http://www.oldtownschool.org/
Passim Folk Music and Cultural Center Passim Folk Music and Cultural Center is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the cultivation and preservation of folk music. Through its diverse programming - Club Passim, the Passim School of Music, the Passim Archives, and Culture for Kids - Passim Center reaches out to people of all ages, backgrounds, and communities. For more than 50 years in the heart of Harvard Square, Passim Center has been a cornerstone of the arts community of New England, fostering both performers and audiences alike. http://www.passimcenter.org/
Pinewods Folk Music Club The Folk Music Society of New York, Inc. / New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational corporation, an affiliate of the Country Dance and Song Society of America, a member of the Folk Alliance, and a member of the NY-NJ Trail Conference. It is run by a volunteer Board of Directors, elected by the membership. It runs concerts, weekends, classes, singing parties, and get-togethers, all with an emphasis on traditional folk music of all flavors. http://www.folkmusicny.org
Pioneer Valley Folklore Society Fostering folk music and storytelling in Western Massachusetts since 1960. http://www.filbert.com/pvfs
South Shore Folk Music Club Bringing traditional and contemporary, folk acoustic music to the South Shore over 25 years. http://www.ssfmc.org/
TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate NY) Songs from the lumberwoods, dance tunes from northern NY fiddlers, ballad singers and more, along with streaming audio concert features, downloadable sheet music, an entire section for educators, features on song collecting in the region, indigenous and ethnic musical traditions and much more. http://www.adirondackmusic.org/
Woods Hole Folk Music Society, The Bringing top traditional artists to Woods Hole since 1973. Come for the intimate waterside setting, great acoustics, yummy goodies (supplied by you), a chance to chat with performers, and above all great music hosted by an all-volunteer organization. All for $15 ($12 members, discounts for seniors, youth & kids.) http://arts-cape.com/whfolkmusic/	\

RIP, Barry Finn

2009-10-28T10:12:00.003-04:00

From Joe Stead

Obituary

Barry Finn

Barry was not feeling well a couple of weeks ago on a Friday evening so he was transported to the hospital on the following Monday for observation and tests. It was diagnosed that he had had a recent heart attack. By Thursday evening all seemed to be well and going in the right direction. He took a drink of water and all ended for him...his heart just stopped pumping and he died Friday October 16, 2009 at the Elliot Hospital, Manchester, NH. He was born on February 5, 1951 in Boston, MA a son of Elizabeth (Barry) Bent and the late Eugene Finn.

He formed a duo with Neil Downey whom he first met in the mid seventies while singing and playing at the Irish Music session in the ‘Village Coach House’ in Brookline, Ma. They performed primarily a cappella songs related to heavy work and hard labour, specializing in the performance of traditional sea songs, shanties and work songs originating in the southern prison system.

A gifted songwriter, together with Neil they performed at the Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival, New England Folk Festivals (NEFFA), New Hampshire’s Great Bay Festival, the Gloucester (US) Maritime Festival, Boston’s First Night, the San Francisco Maritime Festival, the Salem Maritime Festival, the Boston Antique & Classic Boat Festival, for Sea Revels in Boston, at Sail Boston Tall Ships Parades 88 and 92 and at the Massachusetts State House for the “Welcoming of the Captains” during Boston’s last Tall Ships Parade. They have also performed on board the USS Constitution, the USS Eagle, the USS Salem, the Unicorn, the Schooner Adventure, the Brig Carthaginian, the Polish schooner Zawisza Czarny, the Larinda, Canada’s schooner Empire Sandy, the Shenandoah & Nova Scotia’s Bluenose II. This very year he sang with Neil at the Scarborough Sea Festival and wrote to me afterwards thanking me for recommending the fish and chip shop on the main front just across from the performance area. Kimber’s Men were performing at Warwick.

My wife and I were fortunate enough to meet him when we toured America earlier this year; and I was able to film him after the concert I gave in South Portland, Maine. I recommend you look at it>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aitT45oZuT8

He is survived by his wife Justine Donovan of Derry; his daughter, Natalie Finn and his son, Gabriel Finn, both of Derry; his mother, Elizabeth Bent of W. Dennis, MA; two brothers, Daniel Bent of Walpole, MA and Earl Moore of N.H.; one sister, Cheryl Finn-Poole of Carlisle, MA. He also leaves behind countless friends in and out of the music community. I only met him for one evening, but he left a good unending impression.

“Forever Young: The Amazing Grace of Folk Music History

2009-10-27T14:01:00.004-04:00

Brendan Hogan, host/producer of "Blues on WGBH", will be the featured performer for the kick-off reception at Daedalus (original home of “Club 47” est. 1958).

This November Harvard Square will become “One Large Community Gallery” featuring Vintage Photographs, Folk Artworks, and Harvard Square Music History Ephemera displayed throughout in store and restaurant windows, walls, nooks and crannies!

Forever Young is a collaborative endeavor between the New England Folk Music Archives (NEFMA) and the Harvard Square Business Association (HSBA) and its members.

The month long focus on Folk Music and its Harvard Square roots will include a Walking-Tour Map of the visual imagery displays and historic locations and a calendar of “Special Events.” The Walking Tour Map will be available to pick up or download on www.harvardsquare.com - please check the website often as we add more “Forever Young” special menus, drinks, and ways to get in the spirit in Harvard Square.

About Community Gallery Show:

The visual images and ephemera in the show come from the New England Folk Music Archive collection and from the private collections of photographers and collectors who spent time in Harvard Square.

Artists and collectors include: Rowland Scherman, Steve Nelson, Don West, Byron Lord Linardos, Melissa Bugg, John Byrne Cooke, Robert Corwin, Eric Von Schmidt and several others.

Legendary musicians captured in photos and artwork include: Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Janis Joplin, Ellis Paul, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Peter Wolf, J. Geils, Odetta, Tom Rush, Jackie Washington, Taj Mahal, Patty Larkin, Geoff & Maria Muldaur, Shawn Colvin, and Suzanne Vega among many others.

A collection of early Club 47 calendars, posters, highlights, copies of Boston Broadsides, Programs, Letters, Album Covers and other Harvard Square vintage goodies!

Special “Forever Young – Folk History Month” Events in Harvard Square!

11/1/09 – Kick-off Reception at Daedalus (original home of “Club 47” est. 1958).
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location Daedalus Restaurant, 45 ½ Mount Auburn Street

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cash bar while listening to Brendan Hogan (blues musician and host of WGBH’s Blues Evening Show) and a short introduction to the New England Folk Music Archives…and other special guests and treats!

11/9/09 - The Christmas Revels: John Langstaff's Merry Vision
Time: 7:00 p.m to 9:00 pm
Location: Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub, 96 Winthrop Street
Admission is free. Appetizers and a full pub menu are available.

In 1971, renowned classical singer and educator John Langstaff, along with his daughter Carol, created the Christmas Revels. It has grown from a Cambridge holiday tradition into a global empire, helping people all over the country to keep traditions of music, ritual, and lore in their lives today. Revels artistic director Patrick Swanson, music director George Emlen, and singing star David Coffin discuss Langstaff's life, vision and legacy with Scott Alarik.

The “Forever Young” Conversations at Tommy Doyle’s are a casual, salon-style evening of conversation and music, recorded as part of the New England Folk Music Archives ongoing Oral History Project, to document the important chapters of New England's long and colorful folk music history.

Scott Alarik, Forever Young Salon Moderator, has been a principal folk music writer for the Boston Globe since 1986. He is also a frequent contributor to Sing Out! the Folk Music Magazine, and was folk critic for the public radio program "Here and Now" for seven years. From 1991-97, he was editor and chief writer for the New England Folk Almanac. Pete Seeger calls Alarik one of the best writers in America," and Dar Williams calls him "the finest folk writer in the country." www.scottalarik.com

11/15/09 - Harvard Coop Kids Event (10-12 years) with Janet Feld
“It Can Take a Village to Write a Song”
Time: 1-3 pm. (in the Children’s Department!)
Location: The Harvard Coop, 1400 Mass. Ave

Presented by the New England Folk Music Archives.

Please join us for “It Can Take a Village to Write a Song” a collaborative workshop with Janet Feld where the kids will have a chance to create a song from scratch. Age appropriate reading lists about Folk Music and Folk Artists as well as a display of books and photos will be available. Snacks provided and copies of the song will be given to each child.

11/15/09 – Brunch with the FOLKS!
Time: Check www.harvardsquare.com for specific times
Location: Restaurants, Coffee Houses and outdoor spaces throughout Harvard Square!

Join us for a Special Sunday of food, music, and comraderie as we celebrate the rich and vibrant community of folk music heard ‘round Harvard Square! Please check back for specific details on musicians and participating restaurants!

11/19/09 - Irish Music in Boston: Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann & the Celtic Movement
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub, 96 Winthrop Street

Admission is free. Appetizers and a full pub menu are available.

The Irish cultural organization Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann has played a crucial role in preserving and popularizing traditional Irish music. Few Bostonians know that its largest chapter outside Ireland is right here, the Hanafin-Cooley Branch. Local Comhaltas president Larry Reynolds and fiddler Seamus Connolly, a 10-time All-Ireland champion and educator, discuss Boston's historic importance to Irish music, from the Dudley Street ballrooms of the '50s to today's thriving Irish Session scene and Celtic concerts.

The “Forever Young” Conversations at Tommy Doyle’s are a casual, salon-style evening of conversation and music, recorded as part of the New England Folk Music Archives ongoing Oral History Project, to document the important chapters of New England's long and colorful folk music history.

Scott Alarik, Forever Young Salon Moderator, has been a principal folk music writer for the Boston Globe since 1986. He is also a frequent contributor to Sing Out! the Folk Music Magazine, and was folk critic for the public radio program "Here and Now" for seven years. From 1991-97, he was editor and chief writer for the New England Folk Almanac. Pete Seeger calls Alarik one of the best writers in America," and Dar Williams calls him "the finest folk writer in the country." www.scottalarik.com

11/22/09 – A Special Screening of the film “Festival!” directed by Murray Lerner. “Festival” is a documentary featuring rare performances from the Newport Folk Festival between 1963 and 1966. A “Q&A” with the Director and Reception will follow the screening.
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Brattle Theater, 40 Brattle Street.

For more information visit www.newenglandfolkmusic.org or call Tim Mason at 617-480-0388.

All events are presented by the New England Folk Music Archives in Collaboration with the
Harvard Square Business Association

For more information about the New England Folk Music Archives www.newenglandfolkmusic.org

www.harvardsquare.com

Is modern music torture?

2009-10-24T11:52:00.009-04:00

I became aware of the "torture music" a few days ago. Listen to the very end of Thursday's edition of "The World". The one band I remember the program playing was "Matchbox 20". If you are aware of specific artists/music used as part of the US torture program, please append here, or in NEFolknRoots or Facebook.

Excerpt: "...an assortment of rock stars and pop thingies announced Friday the filing of a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (in the U.S.) to force declassification of government documents with the playlist for music pumped during interrogation and whilst terrorism suspects sleep...."

October 24, 2009

Rosie DiManno

Is modern music torture?

Yes.

The thought crosses my mind every time I'm in an elevator and Norah Jones – the female Perry Como – invades my ear-space with her insufferable neo-jazz ballads. Ditto Sarah McLachlan's narcoleptic vocals on those late-night public service ads for sad-eyed canines. What is it with chanteuses who always sound like they're warbling dirges – music to slash your wrists by?

Neither of those ladies is, however, among the recording artists who are bitchin' outraged about their music being played as instrumentals of torture for detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

There's no copyright infringement here. But an assortment of rock stars and pop thingies announced Friday the filing of a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (in the U.S.) to force declassification of government documents with the playlist for music pumped during interrogation and whilst terrorism suspects sleep.

Included in the anti-melodic remix – lest this be perceived as exclusively an audile indictment of the hip and the famed – is the Meow-Mix cat food jingle and Sesame Street ditties.

So maybe Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – 9/11 architect and the biggest terrorist "get" in custody – rolled over on his Al Qaeda pals not because inquisitors subjected him to waterboarding or attached electrodes to his gonads but on account of not being able to take another refrain of ... Baby One More Time. And really, who can?

This is hardly a novel tactic. It was 20 years ago that an American Psyops team mounted five humongous speakers around the Vatican Embassy in Panama wherein fugitive Gen. Manuel Noriega had taken refuge. After only a few days of being blasted by heavy metal – Van Halen featured – the drug-trafficking despot surrendered. And really, who wouldn't?

I don't recall Eddie V.H. and his bandmates objecting. But we're into a whole new generation of conscience-elevated performers who apparently don't wish to be downloaded for the purpose of torture- lite accompaniment.

The thumpa thumpa as inflicted at Gitmo was first revealed in a report last November from the Senate Armed Services Committee, which mentioned that one Mohamedou Ould Slahi had been subjected to a looped soundtrack of Drowning Pool's Bodies in 2003. That disclosure caused not a ripple of protest.

A follow-up report by the Pentagon noted that the "futility technique" – as in resistance is futile? – leaned heavily on Metallica, Britney Spears and Eminem.

Now, I'm thinking that what most pop/rock stars know about global issues (with the exception of global warming, the cool cause du jour) wouldn't fill a shot glass. Green Day ain't no Pete Seeger and even bands that cluster around Bono for Live Aid seem more about the cachet than the humanitarianism.

But then the National Security Archives – a Washington-based independent research outfit (not to be confused with the other NSA, as in ultra-secret intelligence cryptologists) – got in on the act, rustling up a couple of retired generals for military brass oomph, and suddenly the rockers are all, like, how-dare-you? Though if I'm, say, Don McLean of one-hit-wonder American Pie trivia, I might be grateful for the career jolt.

Others who've had their hits-with-a-bullet (you should forgive the expression) "exploited" down Gitmo-way, include Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine and The Bee Gees(!).

"At Guantanamo, the United States government turned a jukebox into an instrument of tortures," harrumphed NSA executive director Thomas Blanton.

A jukebox? What century is this mook living in? iPod, maybe.

R.E.M., while not cited in the line-up, chimed in sanctimoniously on www.closegitmonow.org: "We have spent the past 30 years supporting causes related to peace and justice. To now learn that some of our friends' music may have been used as part of the torture tactics without their consent or knowledge is horrific. It's anti-American, period."

And, from Rosanne Cash: "Music should never be used as torture."

Tell it to, oh, Michael Bublé.

So, music to induce a confession is reprehensible. But regurgitated as income-fattening, credibility-gutting ad-tunes – everyone from Dylan to Smash Mouth selling out – that's okay.

Co-opting a seminal piece of music for political currency is understandably infuriating, especially if the original message is turned on its head – hence Bruce Springsteen's cease-and-desist order when Ronald Reagan chose Born in the U.S.A. as his re-election theme song during the 1984 presidential campaign.

I suggest a tit-for-tat shake-rattle-and-hum is appropriate with, say, Afghan music (you haven't suffered until you've spent 10 hours with it in the car) or Osama bin Laden jihad monologues played round-the-clock for accused Wall Street felons or rogue soldiers.

Also, while I'm on the subject, can we please can the deafening arena rock anthems at hockey games? Now that's torture.

One more fusillade of We Will Rock You and I'm gonna get a gun.

Rosie DiManno usually appears Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Lissa Schneckenburger returns to notloB

2009-10-23T11:36:00.006-04:00

Lissa's last appearance at notloB was her unofficial Boston-area "Song" CD release party at the Loring-Greenough House in JP, which sold out. This time she brings Bethany Waikman as accompanist. Ari and Mia Freidman open.

Lissa Schneckenburger returns to notloB

Date:	Friday, November 6, 2009
Time:	8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:	Unity Church
Street:	6 William Street
City/Town:	Somerville, MA

Suggested donation TBA
Series Website: http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com
Reservations recommended: notlobreservations @ comcast.net

LISSA SCHNECKENBURGER New England Fiddler and Folk Singer http://www.lissafiddle.com "World class fiddler... far from just offering one dance tune after another, simple settings allow the true beauty of the music to shine through" - Sing Out The traditional music of New England can be as warm and comforting as a winter fire or as potent and exhilarating as a summer thunderstorm. Fiddler and singer Lissa Schneckenburger is a master of both moods, a winsome, sweet-voiced singer who brings new life to old ballads and a skillful, dynamic fiddler who captures the driving rhythm and carefree joy of dance tunes old and new. Raised in a small town in Maine and now living in Vermont, Lissa grew up with music. She began playing fiddle at the age of six, inspired by her mother's interest in folk music and a family friend who was a professional violinist. Soon she was studying with influential Maine fiddler Greg Boardman and sitting in with the Maine Country Dance Orchestra.

By the time she was in high school she was playing concerts on her own, specializing in the sprightly New England dance tunes that combine influences from the British Isles and Quebec with homegrown twists that have been evolving since Colonial days. Another of her major influences was the diverse musical community that she found at fiddle camps, where she had a chance to play with and learn from a wide variety of musicians including noted Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser. In 2001 she graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with a degree in contemporary improvisation, and since then has been performing around the US and internationally for a growing audience of enthusiastic listeners. She has recorded seven CDs, (four solo and three with various groups). Lissa's fiddling is uplifting and lively, and her singing is gentle and evocative. Both in concert and in the studio she is regularly accompanied by some of New England's best musicians, including guitarists Keith Murphy and Matt Heaton and double bassist Corey DiMario.

Recently she has been closely studying the roots of the Downeast traditional music that she first heard as a young girl. Her latest project is a pair of CDs dedicated to reintroducing some wonderful but largely forgotten songs and tunes from New England that she uncovered through archival research at the University of Maine and elsewhere. "Song", to be released in April 2008, contains ten timeless ballads that go back as far as the eighteenth century that she set to carefully crafted modern arrangements, while "Dance", scheduled for 2009, will feature fiddle tunes. "There is currently a lot of focus on traditional American music from the South", she explains, "and many bands are exploring and recording that repertoire, but no one is getting to hear the amazing repertoire of traditional music from the North. This is my first attempt at getting some of that music out there for people to enjoy." Whether playing for a folk club audience or a hall full of dancers, Lissa brings to the stage enthusiasm, energy, and the bright future of New England?s musical traditions. http://www.lissafiddle.com

Accompanying Lissa: Bethany Waickman (guitar).

Opening: ARI & MIA FRIEDMAN http://www.ariandmiafriedman.com/

"...adventurous and lyrical... They have a unique style and approach, engaging original compositions... [Their CD] is a strong first impression for the Friedman sisters." - Dirty Linen Magazine Ari and Mia Friedman are members of a dynamic up-and-coming folk band. Their music is all at once driving, uplifting and moving.

Ari is a recent graduate of Northwestern University where she studied cello performance with Hans Jorgen Jensen. A winner of ASTA's 2009 Alternative Styles Award, she is an inventive folk cellist and, aside from gigging with Mia, she performs, tours, and records with Scottish National Fiddle champion Hanneke Cassel. She also is a member of the new Boston-based girl band, Long Time Courting, as well as New England's highly acclaimed fiddle band Childsplay. She teaches classical and folk music at a music school outside Boston (www.creativeartsforkids.org), at various fiddle camps during the summer, and has her own private studio.

Mia is a talented fiddler, singer and banjo player studying at New England Conservatory's Contemporary Improvisation program. She won first place at the New England Regional Scottish Fiddle Champion in 2006 and performs around New England with various musicians. Both girls live in Boston and are the founding members of Fireside, a four-piece band that mixes old-time Appalachian songs and Scandinavian fiddle tunes. Visit http://konesni.googlepages.com/music for more information on Fireside.

Ari and Mia perform mostly original and traditional music. Their main influences are Southern Appalachian, old-time, folk, celtic and bluegrass traditions. Their first CD, titled Lady and the Pants, was released in December 2006. This well received, eleven-track, self-released CD is based mainly in the folk/Celtic tradition. You can order copies on CDbaby or iTunes. Doors 7:45pm Suggested minimum donation amount tba soon.

Reservations to notlobreservations @ comcast.net at least 24 hours prior to the concerts.
More information at http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com

Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways

2009-10-22T18:47:00.002-04:00

Watch here -> Worlds of Sound: Sneak Peek

Smithsonian Folkways Documentary Premieres This Sunday

Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways is a new one-hour documentary about Moses Asch and the 60-year history of Smithsonian Folkways. Tune your TV to Smithsonian Channel this Sunday, October 25th, at 8 pm EST to watch the premiere.

From Smithsonian Channel:
"His name was Moses Asch, and he set out to catalog the sounds of the world. In the process, he changed the way people thought of folk music, and modern life in general. This is the story of his iconoclastic Folkways Records, America's most influential grassroots record label."

Save 20% with Code BALLAD09 through October 27th
Careful observers will see a short promotion at the end of the Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways documentary offering a 20% discount and a free sampler CD with the purchase of the recently published book Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways.

We are extending the same discount to email newsletter subscribers! Just enter the code BALLAD09 during checkout to receive 20% off your next order through October 27th and get a 26-track sampler CD free with the purchase of the book Worlds of Sound: The Story of Smithsonian Folkways.

Swamp Reed

2009-10-20T16:43:00.006-04:00

Thanks to the Real School of Music in Burlington, MA, who hosted and co-produced Jim Hurst this past Sunday, for the video below of Jim's "Swamp Reed", an instrumental tribute to Jerry Reed.

Jim, a two-time IBMA guitar player of the year, was in the area for two gigs, Saturday at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley (as a member of the Claire Lynch Band) and Sunday in a solo performance at the Real School of Music in Burlington, and looks forward to return gigs at both.

MARYLOU FERRANTE helps launch new house concert series

2009-10-19T16:00:00.005-04:00

Marylou is a notloB alumna, having opened for Dennis Brennan during the Spring '08 season at the Loring-Greenough House in Jamaica Plain. When we were considering artists to launch the new notfarG series, Marylou came to mind first and foremost.

notfarG House Concerts, a sister series to notloB Folk Concerts, produced in Somerville and Newton, is pleased to present

MARYLOU FERRANTE

Sunday, October 25
$10 suggested donation, all proceeds go to the artist.

Marylou Ferrante was described by music critic and writer, Daniel Gewertz, in the Boston Herald, as the Bay State's finest female acoustic blues interpreter.

Marylou is an artist who performs pre-war blues from the 1920's & 30's. She covers major artists from the delta to east coast piedmont style players such as Robert Johnson, Charlie Patton, Blind Boy Fuller and Memphis Minnie along with mandolin players such as Yank Rachell.

Her passionate expression of these old songs comes from a love of the music and the arrangements themselves, as well as what she says is an appreciation for "the history of these folks and the difficult circumstances they endured."

Marylou has honed her craft listening to the old recordings and learning from some of the great blues players today such as Paul Rishell, Guy Davis, Robert Jones and mandolin great Rich DelGrosso. Marylou has taught at The Cellar Studio, Salem MA

* "Marylou is a killer. I have watched her grow, and now she's taking over. Blues lovers look out!"... GUY DAVIS

* "Marylou has the soul of a blues Woman" Detroit's Blues Man... ROBERT JONES

Potluck lunch at noon
Concert 1pm
Pickin' party 3-4pm

Guests are welcome to bring a beverage of choice, Tea and Coffee available.

Recording is permitted and encouraged as long as we get a copy.

Seating is very limited so we ask that you RSVP ~ send email to notlobreservations @ comcast.net ~ RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED

Future notfarG house concerts:
Sunday, November 22, 2009 Claudia Nygaard
Sunday, December 13, 2009 David Massengill

More information about Somerville and Newton concerts at the notloB Folk Concerts' website ~ http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com

Join the notfarG House Concerts mailing list ~
http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/notfarghouseconcerts

Join the notfarG House Concerts' Facebook group ~
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147864099159

View this event in Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=157253028716

Young songwriter wins contest with 'haunting' piece

2009-10-08T01:13:00.004-04:00

Molly is a notloB alumna, having opened for Hungrytown during the Fall of 2008. She is a founding member of Jaded Mandolin, who will be co-featuring with Red Hot Black Top in Somerville before year end (date tba), and part of the hybrid "Jaded Tops" (members of both groups), who will be opening for the Claire Lynch Band at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley on October 17.

Young songwriter wins contest with 'haunting' piece

Jennesa Regios
Staff writer

October 07, 2009 11:21 pm

—

Molly Pinto Madigan, a 19-year-old from Peabody and freshman at Salem State College, recently won first place in the Boston Folk Festival songwriting contest. Her song "I'm Bound Away" was chosen out of five finalists in the youth division, and she performed the song last month on stage at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where the festival was held.

Click play to listen (Total time: 5:19)

Madigan is a multi-instrumentalist; she plays bodhran, banjo, guitar, pennywhistle and is classically trained in piano. She is also the lead singer of a bluegrass band called Jaded Mandolin.

When did you begin writing your own music?

I wrote a few little songs when I was younger, but I started seriously writing music a few years ago when I was 15. I saw other people writing songs and thought, well I can do that. And I really like poetry so I can include that in my songs. I write mostly folk, though this ["I'm Bound Away"] is the first one I wrote for piano. I wasn't sure how to go about that. I'd written classical pieces. And I've written lyrics, but not piano and voice together.

How would you describe your winning song?

When I played the piano part for my piano teacher he said it was haunting. When I brought in the lyrics, my English teacher said the lyrics were haunting. And when someone heard them together, they described it as haunting.

What is the song about?

It's not about anything. Just what I was feeling. It's more about the emotion, not the event. My thoughts and feelings mulling around inside. I wrote the song in June. I started it, then I had to go to orientation at Salem State, and I kept saying, "I have to get back to my piano. I need to keep writing it." I think the whole song was influenced by the ballad tradition.

How did it feel to win?

I got a phone call and found out I had to perform with four other finalists on Saturday at the festival. I was really nervous. Then I found out I won. I was kind of shocked. I was kind of worried about the audience reaction at first. When I recorded it, to send in, it's six minutes, I was worried they would get bored with it. But a lot of people told me, "Oh, you sound beautiful."

What are your musical influences?

I'm really interested in world music and traditional music. I really have a keen interest in folk music and folk lore. I listen to a lot of that stuff.

How did you come to play the bodhran (an Irish frame drum)?

I listen to a lot of Celtic music. I thought, "Oh, that would be cool to play." And my dad kept saying, "You should get one." I saw one in the shop and it was cheap, so I just bought it and taught myself.

And what's happening with Jaded Mandolin?

We just had a gig this past Tuesday. It was in Acton at an open-mike feature. We play a lot of Club Passim, in Cambridge. And this October we're teaming up with another bluegrass band and opening for Claire Lynch.

Have you thought of recording a solo CD?

I haven't thought too much about it yet, but it would be pretty cool.

Photos

Molly Pinto Madigan's "I'm Bound Away" took first place in the Boston Folk Festival songwriting contest youth division. Courtesy photo

Woody Guthrie Rediscovered

2009-10-07T21:03:00.000-04:00

Woody Guthrie “My Dusty Road” Rounder - Review

By Dan Evon
Reposted from CountryMusicPride.com

Woody Guthrie Rediscovered

It isn’t often that a legend gets the chance to be reborn, but listening to these four disks is like hearing Woody for the first time. His voice is clear on all of the tracks. The hiss and background noise that is so familiar to any Guthrie recording is virtually unnoticeable. My Dusty Road presents Woody Guthrie in an all new natural light that uncovers nuances never noticed before. But if the pristine recordings aren’t enough, the four disk box set unveils never released, and practically never before heard tracks, which for an artists as widely covered as Guthrie, is a very rare find.

In April of 1944 Woody Guthrie, along with Blind Sonny Terry and Cisco Houston recorded over 250 songs. These are the songs on these disks. These are the songs that lay buried for nearly 60 years. Some of the songs are informal, some are rehearsed, and all of them transport you to an earlier era.

The first disk is a collection of Woody’s greatest hits including “This Land is Your Land,” “Going Down the Road,” and “Hard Traveling.” And although some songs, like “This Land is Your Land,” is played traditionally with Guthrie accompanying himself on the guitar, he also picks up the mandolin, let’s Cisco take the lead, and is never afraid to let Sonny blow that harp.

The songs on this disk cover the dust bowl and the depression. They hit on legends like Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Reuben James. Guthrie also demonstrates his prowess at the talking blues, a technique that is musically sparse, and lyrically poignant.

The second disk concentrates on Woody’s ability to document folk songs. Woody was an encyclopedia of songs. He plays here, traditional songs that he heard on old 78’s. He plays songs from the Carter family. He plays songs that he learned from his mother Nora, and from George, the shoeshine in Pampa.

This disk demonstrates Woody’s vast knowledge of folk music and uncanny ability to tell stories through song. On “Buffalo Skinners,” a dramatic ballad that sings like a novel, Woody mournfully works his way through accompanied only by his guitar, to tell the sad tale of the American Indian and the lonesome great plain Cowboy.

Woody The Agitator, the third disc in the set concentrates on Woody’s ability to write protest songs. Woody rallied for workers rights, the equality of African Americans, and helped stage strikes and organize unions. He wrote songs like “I’m Gonna Join That One Big Union,” “Hangknot Slipknot,” and “Tear the Fascist Down.” The last of which is a virtually unheard song about the second world war.

Woody Guthrie is as influential as a singer can be. Without him there’d be no Cash, no Prine, no Dylan. He was a cowboy troubadour, and a poet balladeer. He represents an almanac of work, a library of songs that documents the past, and inspires the future. My Dusty Road presents a rich history of early America, that can, of course, be hummed along too.

notloB Music

Jeremy Kittel World Band. 12/4, Somerville

WGBH appreciates your passion and feedback?

RIP, "Folk on WGBH" & "Blues on WGBH"

notloB folk concerts presents the Jeremy Kittel World Band

Benefit For the Minuteman Music School

An open letter to WUMB - reinstate Jack Hardy to the play list

WUMB Radio

Claudia Nygaard, Newton & Grafton, 11/21-22

Kill Nashville Pop

Positions

Kill Nashville Pop/Mr. Larry Shell

1000 supporters of folk and blues on WGBH can't be wrong!

Brian Quinn, WUMB program director, "laid off"

WGBH drops folk and blues programs

Schedule changes on 89.7

Naomi Arenberg |

Folk on WGBH

Brendan Hogan |

Blues on WGBH

Brad Paul |

Folk on WGBH

In memory of Dr. Hugh M. Hill

Brother Blue dead at 88, was storyteller to generations in Harvard Square, beyond

Brother Blue dead at 88; Was storyteller to generations

Joy Kills Sorrow signs with Signature Sounds

Lissa Schneckenburger & Bethany Waickman @ St. James Hall

Happy birthday, Tom Paxton!

Folk music or roots culture support organizations listed in NEFOLKnRoots

Links > Folk music or roots culture support organizations

RIP, Barry Finn

“Forever Young: The Amazing Grace of Folk Music History

Is modern music torture?

Lissa Schneckenburger returns to notloB

Worlds of Sound: The Ballad of Folkways

Swamp Reed

Jim, a two-time IBMA guitar player of the year, was in the area for two gigs, Saturday at the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley (as a member of the Claire Lynch Band) and Sunday in a solo performance at the Real School of Music in Burlington, and looks forward to return gigs at both.

MARYLOU FERRANTE helps launch new house concert series

notfarG House Concerts, a sister series to notloB Folk Concerts, produced in Somerville and Newton, is pleased to present

MARYLOU FERRANTE

Young songwriter wins contest with 'haunting' piece

Young songwriter wins contest with 'haunting' piece

Woody Guthrie Rediscovered