2
15
121
-
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Title
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Audio
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The Grassy Knoll Boys Live on KUT 12-December-1993
Description
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The grassy Knoll Boys live on KUT radio, Folkways with Dan Foster, Austin, TX.
Bob Grant - mandolin, guitar, vocals
Keith Harrison- banjo
Will Walden - guitar, vocals
Jimbo Young - fiddle, guitar, vocals
Adam Brodkin - bass
Source
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Bluegrass
Dan Foster
Grassy Knoll Boys
KUT
-
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Shows
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Lost Patterns and Up Around The Sun - 2024-10-17
Description
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<p>Lost Patterns and Up Around The Sun, Cloud Tree Art Gallery and Studio, Austin, TX, 2024-10-17 20:00-22:00 CST.</p>
<br /><a href="https://www.lostpatternsmusic.com">Lost Patterns</a>: <br /><a href="http://www.bethchrismanmusic.com">Beth Chrisman</a> - Guitar, Fiddle, Banjo <br /><a href="https://www.silaslowe.com">Silas Lowe</a> - Guitar, Mandolin <br /><br /><a href="https://dongiovannirecords.com/pages/up-around-the-sun">Up Around The Sun</a>:<br />Jerry Haggins - Banjo <br />Tim Kerr - Guitar, Harmonica <br />w/ Bosco * - Fiddle <br />w/ Jane Gillman ** - Octave Mandolin, Harmonica <br />w/ Beth Chrisman *** - Fiddle <br /><br />01 Introduction <br />02 Lost Indian * <br />03 Crow Creek * <br />04 Talking <br />05 John Henry * <br />06 Tuning-Talking <br />07 Johnson Boys * <br />08 Talking <br />09 Sally Ann * <br />10 Talking <br />11 Glory At The Meeting House * <br />12 Talking -Tuning <br />13 Groundhog * <br />14 Talking <strong>(recording is missing)</strong> <br />15 Lester McCumber's Ida Red * ** <strong>(recording is missing)</strong> <br />16 Talking <br />17 Thirty Four Counts to the Jailhouse * ** <br />18 Talking <br />19 Pretty Little Girl * ** <br />20 Talking <br />21 Shove The Pigs Foot * ** ***
Date
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2024-10-17
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Bosco
Cloud Tree
Show
Up Around The Sun
-
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Title
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Posters, Fliers, and Other Art.
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Austin Traditional Music Convention
Description
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AUSTIN
TRADITIONAL
MUSIC
CONVENTION
JUNE 11 &12
ZILKER HILLSIDE THEATRE
Free admission; No entry fee
registration begins at 10am; contests start at 11 am
Prizes will be ribbons 6& baked goods
NO ELECTRIC PICK-UPS; TRADITIONAL PERFORMANCES EXPECTED.
01977
maggie Cook
SATURDAY
OLD TIME BANJO
UNACCOMPANIED SINGING FINGER-STYLE GUITAR
HOLLERING
ENSEMBLE SINGING
HARMONICA
TRADITIONAL BAND
SUNDAY
ACCOMPANIED SINGING
FOLKDANCE DEMONSTRATION
BLUEGRASS BANJO
DIT CTMER
MANDOLIN
FLATPICK GUITAR
FIDDLE
BLUEGRASS BAND
BRING LAWN CHAIRS, PICNIC LUNCHES, SUN SHADES, ETC.
Workshops throughout the Day
SPONSORED BY THE AUSTIN FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC
Austin Parks and Recreation
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL 454-1125, 474-1074
WILL BE HELD RAIN OR SHINE; IN CASE OF RAIN, CALI 454-1125 FOR LOCATION
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Earl Hunt
Austin Traditional Music Convention
-
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Posters, Fliers, and Other Art.
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Austin Friends of Traditional Music Meetings
Description
An account of the resource
Austin Friends of
TRADITIONAL
MUSIC
MEETINGS
* All pickers, singers, and listeners invited
2nd &4th SUNDAYS 2-6 PM
* Do you sing ballads, blues, bluegrass or old-time country?
* Do you play banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, dobro, dulcimer, autoharp, harmonica?
* Do you pick bluegrass, blues, ragtime, or old-time string band music, Irish or other ethnic music?
* No electric pickups
Can You Sing or Play Old-Time Music?
traditional performance expected
HIGH-CLASS
ENTERTAINMENT
* Co-sponsored by City of Austin
HOEAD AUSIRERS
525½ Barton Springs Road
Austin, Texas 78704
PUBLIC WELCOME!
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Earl Hunt
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1978
AFTM
AFTM Events
-
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Dublin Core
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Posters, Fliers, and Other Art.
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Title
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A Week of Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Description
An account of the resource
A WEEK OF
Austin Friends of
MONDAY, FEB. 21
ED MILLER
ST. KILDA 'S CEILI BAND
TUESDAY, FEB. 22
RON ROGERS
BLUE EAGLE STRING BAND
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23
MARIA LARSON
BROWN'S MULE ! STRING BAND
MUSIC
FEB. 21-27 9 PM
THURSDAY, FEB. 24
CHRISTIE SAUNDERS
JUBILEE
Tonry Sarrel and kily Seor
circa 1917
FRIDAY, FEB. 25
BILL
NEELY
AND
LARRY KIRBO
SATURDAY, FEB. 26
BACKYARD BLUEGRASS
SUNDAY, FEB. 27
KATHY DAVIS
ALL PERSON BAND
drawing ©1977 Maggie Cook
NO COVER SPELLMAN'S 1401 W. 5 th
Publisher
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Earl Hunt
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1977-02-21,22,23,24,25,26,27
AFTM Events
Spellman's
-
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PDF Text
Text
�
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Title
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Posters, Fliers, and Other Art.
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Title
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The Austin Traditional Music Festival
Description
An account of the resource
THE AUSTIN TRADITIONAL MUSIC
FESTIVAL
featuring
SARA CLEVELAND &traditional musicians from Houston & Austin
Zilker Hillside Theatre September 11 & 12
Saturday Saturday Sunday 3-5:30
7:30-10
3-5:30
Free to the Public
sponsored by The Austin Friends of Traditional Music &PARD
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Earl Hunt
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1976-09-11-12
The Austin Traditional Music Festival
-
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Posters, Fliers, and Other Art.
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Title
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Đẻ Danann From Ireland
Description
An account of the resource
Đẻ Danann
from Ireland -
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 8:00 P.M.
PARAMOUNT THEATRE 713 CONGRESS
$5.00 GENERAL ADMISSION
"A most highspirited and rhythmically rousing band,"
JOHN WILSON, THE NEW YORK TIMES
"A whirling maelstrom of blistering, mindboggling reels, jigs, and polkas!
The effect of Maura O'Connell's soaring, soulful voice was bone-chilling." P. J. CURTIS, HOT PRESS
Publisher
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Earl Hunt
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1980-09-27
Paramount Theatre
-
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Posters, Fliers, and Other Art.
Still Image
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Title
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Austin Traditional Music Convention
Description
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<p>AUSTIN<br /><br />TRADITIONAL.</p>
<p>MUSIC CONVENTION</p>
<p>SUNDAY APRIL 20</p>
<p>U.T. Freshman Field San Jacinto & 21st registration begins at 9am; contests start at 10am Prizes will be ribbons & baked goods</p>
<p>Free admission; No entry fee<br />AM dobro harmonica guitar unaccompaniedsinging</p>
<p>five string banjo old time</p>
<p>PM dulcimer autoharp dance mandolin</p>
<p>accompanied singing</p>
<p>five string banjo bluegrass fiddle ensemble singing band</p>
<p>No electric pickups - traditional performances expected.</p>
<p>Traditional Music Workshops throughout the Day</p>
<p>Bring lawn chairs, lunches, etc.</p>
<p>FREE CONCERT at 8 PM</p>
<p>Sponsored by</p>
<p>Texas Union Musical Events Commitee in conjunction with The Austin Friends of Traditional Music For more information: 454-1125, 474-1074</p>
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1975-04-20
Publisher
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Earl Hunt
AFTM
AFTM Events
Austin Traditional Music Convention
Festival
-
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Things That Happen at Genuine Joe's - Austin Old Time Jam
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Title
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Bosco at Genuine Joe's Austin Old Time Jam - 2024-10-15
Description
An account of the resource
"<span>Jerry Hagins and Tim Kerr (not pictured) aka the old guard/originators of this jam brought Bosco, a fiddler visiting from Japan, to play with us tonight. Fun was had. Their band Up Around the Sun will be playing a set and a dance at the string band festival this weekend but also Thursday night at Cloud Tree Art Gallery with openers Beth Chrisman and Silas Lowe starting at 8pm. It will be special."<br /><br />FaceBook <a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/p/TW1yRAwi97hLV7We/?mibextid=K35XfP">post</a> by Tim Keough<br /><br /><a href="https://uparoundthesuntimkerrjerryhagins.bandcamp.com/album/up-around-the-sun-plus-bosco">Up Around the Sun with Bosco</a></span>
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Tim Keough
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2024-10-15
Bosco
Genuine Joe's
Jerry Hagins
-
http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/293/newsletter-50-04-2024-10.pdf
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PDF Text
Text
Reel Times
Newsletter of
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Vol. 50, Number 4, October 2024
�Table of Contents
Page 3
Austin String Band Festival!
Page 4
ASBF Performance Schedule
Page 5
Jerron Paxton
Page 6
Steamboat
Page 7
Skillet Licorice
Page 8
The Western Flyers
Page 9
The Joymakers
Page 10
Guy Forsyth & 78 Special
Page 11
Lloyd & April
Page 12
Hot Pickin 57s
Page 13
So & So and the Swamp Sizzle
Page 14
Up Around the Sun, with Bosco
Page 15
Funyan Creek
Page 16
ASBF Organized Jam Schedule
Page 17
ASBF Merchandise
Page 19
Silent Auction
Page 20
ASBF Policies
Page 21
AFTM 50th Anniversary Square Dance
Page 24
AFTM Monthly Jam
Page 25
The AFTM Needs You!
Page 26
AFTM Texas String Band Showcase
Page 27
Festival of Texas Fiddling
Page 31
About the AFTM
Page 2
�October 18 & 19, 2024
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, TX
Believe it or not, the Austin String Band Festival is only a
few weeks away!
Musical performances are the heart of our festival and
we'll be featuring performers in several genres: two fine
Old Time bands, a hot Bluegrass band, a killer Western
Swing trio, a traditional blues artist, an excellent Cajun
band, as well as a 1920’s Jazz band!
This issue of Reel Times contains photos and listings of
many of the performers - do check them out!
To make this festival a success, we need volunteers to
manage several important areas and, if you’re willing to
devote a few hours to helping make the ASBF a success,
we would love to hear from you!
Send an email to gary@aftm.us for more details!
Page 3
�2024 Austin String Band Festival Performance Schedule
Main stage performers in bold type
Mini-set performers in italics
Friday, October 18
6:00 pm
6:45 pm
7:00 pm
7:45 pm
8:00 pm
8:45 pm
9:00 pm
9:45 pm
10:00 pm
Funyun Creek w/ dance caller
Silver Alert Ramblers
Hot Pickin 57s
Preston Satchwell & Friends
So & So and the Swamp Sizzle
Cast Iron Shoes
Steamboat
The Everett Wren Band
Skillet Licorice, with Robin Fischer, caller
Saturday, October 19
2:00 pm
2:45 pm
3:00 pm
3:45 pm
4:00 pm
4:45 pm
5:00 pm
5:45 pm
6:00 pm
6:45 pm
7:00 pm
7:45 pm
8:00 pm
8:45 pm
9:00 pm
9:45 pm
10:00 pm
Lloyd & April
Shinbone Alley 3
The Western Flyers
Caroline Sears
Guy Forsyth Presents 78 Special
Ayleen Pérez Cordeiro & Family
Up Around the Sun, with Bosco
The Austin Balkan Singers
Skillet Licorice
Founders Duo: David and Bernard
Jerron Paxton
Out of the Blue
Steamboat, with dance caller
Tallwood
The Joymakers
Mortensen & Duplissey
Grand Dance Finale
Page 4
�Jerron Paxton
Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton has earned a reputation for transporting audiences
back to the 1920's and making them wish they could stay there for good. Jerron
Paxton may be one of the greatest multi-instrumentalists that you have not
heard of. Yet. And time is getting short, fast.
This young musician sings and plays banjo, guitar, piano, fiddle, harmonica,
Cajun accordion, and the bones (percussion). Paxton has an eerie ability to
transform traditional jazz, blues, folk, and country into the here and now, and
make it real. In addition, he mesmerizes audiences with his humor and
storytelling. He's a world-class talent and a uniquely colorful character that has
been on the cover of Living Blues Magazine and the Village Voice, and has
been interviewed on FOX News. Paxton's sound is influenced by the likes of
Fats Waller and Blind Lemon Jefferson. According to Will Friedwald in the Wall
Street Journal, Paxton is "virtually the only music-maker of his generation—
playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin, among other implements—to fully
assimilate the blues idiom of the 1920s and '30s."
Page 5
�Steamboat
Libby Weitnauer, Sami Braman, and Emily Mann
are Steamboat, a new old-time stringband based
in Nashville, TN. Their driving music breathes new
life into old tunes and songs, mostly collected from
recordings of unheralded female fiddlers, singers,
and banjo players.
Page 6
�Skillet Licorice
Skillet Licorice is the latest project from San Francisco Bay Area roots-music
luminaries Elise Engelberg and Matt Knoth. Essentially a musical consortium, Matt &
Elise are the core of an All-Star lineup featuring many of California's hottest old-time
musicians. The result is a full fledged proto-swing orchestra capable of expert
musicianship in a dizzying array of folk genres. Whether they’re playing hot fiddle
breakdowns, slinky blues, sparkling banjo breaks, ragtime or dreamy waltzes, Skillet
Licorice displays an impressive command of styles and techniques that comes from
deep study and loving dedication to America’s folk traditions. With the help of their
talented friends they’ve put together an incredible repertoire that is essentially
traditional, yet with a modern approach that is anything but stale. Skillet Licorice is
hot, sweet, and just a bit greasy!
Page 7
�Western Flyers
Powerhouse Western Swing band The Western Flyers serve
up an irresistibly hot, unmistakably Texas-style sound
popularized by Bob Wills in the 1940s with an electrifying
energy all their own. Featuring a fresh, all-star lineup led by
guitar slinger Joey McKenzie on archtop guitar & vocal,
2024 National Grand Champion fiddler Ridge Roberts on
fiddle & vocal, and upright bassist Matthew Mefford, the
award winning Flyers are guaranteed to have even the
shyest of wallflowers tappin' their toes or swinging on the
dance floor.
Page 8
�Joymakers
Texas jazz, blues, ragtime and old time roots will be on full display
when this powerhouse of traditional musicians arrives on the String
Band Festival stage.
The aptly-named Joymakers came together two years ago when two
groups - Hancock’s Jazz Serenaders, and The
Revelators - joined forces. With an album already underway for New
York label Turtle Bay Records, and talk of a post-release midwestern
tour, the Joymakers are off to a roaring start to their career. “Texas
style jazz, or jazz from the territories (i.e. not NYC, Chicago, or New
Orleans),” is bandleader Colin Hancock’s favorite description of their
sound. They are not to be missed!
Page 9
�Guy Forsyth & 78 Special
Guy Forsyth photo edited
Guy Forsyth grew up in KC but has been a denizen of Austin, TX
for the past couple of decades. He’s a true renaissance man
musically, and is very difficult to pigeon-hole. He was a cofounder of the Asylum Street Spankers, has released adrenalinefueled rock ‘n’ roll records, and is probably best classified as a
performer with very deep rootsy/bluesy musical roots. Guy’s
music is eclectic – in the best sense of the word. He’s also a
multi-instrumentalist, being a fantastic slide guitar and harmonica
player, and also playing guitar, baritone guitar, ukulele, and saw
(yes, musical saw!) There are messages in the lyrics of most of
Guy’s songs, or if not outright messages, then deeper meanings
of life as he sees it playing out around him.
Page 10
�Lloyd & April
“Foot stomping, caterwauling, family fun!” is how the Wrights describe their
music. April grew up singing shaped-note songs from “The Heavenly
Highway” in a backwoods East Texas church. Lloyd shared April’s interest
in shaped note music, along with a curiosity about stringband music from
western North Carolina. Together they blend family harmony, country
gospel, raucous fiddle tunes, and sweet renditions of old country ballads.
They even started their own festival - the flourishing Old Mill Music
Festival in their East Texas home town of Kennard - a highlight of their
careers!
Old Mill Festival
Page 11
�Hot Pickin 57s
The Hot Pickin 57s offer an energetic and thoroughly enjoyable mix of
Bluegrass, Classic Country, and Americana music.
The band members have deep roots in the Austin music scene,
reuniting in 2016 after their musical educations at Berklee, South Plains
College, and Texas State. They’ve played in well-known bands like the
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Whit Smith's Hot Jazz Caravan, and
Rosie and the Ramblers and have had the privilege of performing
alongside notable artists like Sierra Hull, Kym Warner, Alun Munde,
Billy Bright (Wood & Wire), and Mark Cosgrove (David Bromberg).
Page 12
�So & So and the Swamp Sizzle
Austin Cajun music stalwart Michael Perron has formed a great
new Cajun band, including members of Gumbo Ce Soir, The Red
Stick Ramblers, Chansons et Soûlards, featuring Josh Huval on
accordion!
Page 13
�Up Around the Sun
with Bosco!
Austin old time music innovators, Tim Kerr and Jerry Hagins, are joined by Bosco
Takaki, the Japanese fiddler they met and performed with on their recent tour of
Japan. Bosco is well-steeped in the old time tradition, having learned directly from
Tommy Jarrell and the Hammons family back in the day. They'll have their new
record, recorded in Osaka in 2023, available on CD and vinyl.
Page 14
�Funyun Creek
This powerhouse old time dance band will kick off the Friday
stage shows. The band is named afer a small tributary that runs
from Alaska to Austin, by way of Terlingua!
Members are Jerry Hagins-banjo, Beth Chrisman-guitar, Joe
Dobbs-Guitar, Amanda Chisholm-bass and, all the way from
Japan, the legendary Bosco on fiddle!
Page 15
�We be jammin'!
Just about anywhere you go in the campground night or day, you'll hear the sounds of
live music being spontaneously performed.
Well, this year at the the String Band Festival, we've scheduled some organized jams
for those interested in specific genres of traditional music. These jams are open to all,
so join right in!
At press time, specific locations have yet to be determined. The AFTM Info booth will
have the lastest information!
Saturday, October 19
10:00 am Old Time Slow Jam, led by Tim Keogh
1:00 pm
Bluegrass jam, led by Simon Waxman and Chelsea Burns
2:00 pm
Cajun jam, led by the Ramsey Park Rounders
3:00 pm
Old Time jam, led by Tim Wooten
Sunday, October 20
10:00 am Gospel Jam, led by Georgia Canfield & Sharon Sandomirsky
Page 16
�Festival Merchandise
Of course, no one attends the Austin String Band Festival just to acquire
merchandise, but we're quite proud of our new t-shirt design by Howard
Rains, which is available in a unisex and a women's version!
Also, we'll have a new batch of the very popular ASBF caps, which sold out
the first day last year!
The quantity of t-shirts and caps we'll have for sale will be limited, so as to
ensure that we don't have leftover inventory. So, If you'd like the prestige of
owning the new t-shirt or cap, better head to the Merch Booth as early as you
can; it opens at 10:00 am on Friday, October 18!
Page 17
�Page 18
�ASBF Silent Auction
Our Silent Auction proved to be quite a success last year, and we're
planning on doing it again!
If you'd like to donate a musical item to the Silent Auction, bring it to the
String Band Festival and items will be collected and displayed on
Saturday!
The two guitars below have been donated to the ASBF by our friends at
Strait Music and Fiddlers' Green, and will be part of the Silent Auction!
Page 19
�Complaints, we've had a few...
It's always gratifying to hear the nice things festival-goers
have to say about the String Band Festival and our Camp
Jam, but we've received a couple of complaints recently and
we'll be addressing them at this year's ASBF.
By far, the most complained about issue at the festival is that
of children cavorting on the dance floor during performances.
This behavior is a major distraction to those who have come
to listen to the music, and our performers have let us know
that they don't care for it one bit either.
This year, kids will not be allowed on the dance floor unless
they're participating in organized dancing and accompanied
by an adult.
The other problem behavior that has generated many
complaints is the playing of electric instruments in the
campground. We've come to the conclusion that electric and
acoustic instruments just don't mix well, and the String Band
Festival and the Camp Jam are acoustic music events!
So, please, don't bring your electric guitars, pedal steel
guitars, or other amplified instruments. Your campground
neighbors will appreciate it!
Page 20
�AFTM 50th Anniversary Square Dance
AFTM 50TH ANNIVERSARY SQUARE DANCE
A Caller’s Observations
On Saturday, September 28, about 90 folks packed a picnic and picked a
partner for the AFTM 50Th Anniversary Square Dance at the French Legation
State Historic Site in east Austin. The venue was beautiful, the program included
a variety of dances, and the people were Austin-friendly. Two oldtime string
bands – Rusty Nail and Two Goat - played on the grand old front porch of the
historic 1841 home and diplomatic outpost for France’s ambassador to the
Republic of Texas. The level green grass lawn in front of the home with
generous shade provided by several majestic live oak trees made a cool and
comfortable outdoor dance floor. To that setting add four enthusiastic dance
callers and dozens of smiling dancers and you have socializing, exercising, and
maximizing fun all at the same time. The photographs tell the story. See you
again next year at the Second Annual 50th Anniversary Square Dance!
Page 21
�Page 22
�Page 23
�AFTM Monthly Old Time Jam
The Monthly AFTM Old Time Jam will not take place in
October, so as not to detract from the Austin String
Band Festival, which happens on October 18 &
October 19!
Our website, AFTM.US will have information about the
November Jam!
Page 24
�We need you!
In this year of 2024, it’s both exciting and gratifying to realize that our
small organization, the Austin Friends of Traditional Music, has been in
existence for fifty years! We owe a sincere debt of gratitude to those
individuals who had the initiative and energy to create this organization
and who have kept it going through the decades!
But those AFTM founders back in 1974 were mostly in their twenties then;
they’re now in their seventies. In fact, the average age of our current
AFTM board members is about seventy, and that’s not by design. Many
of us are ready and willing to transfer the leadership of the AFTM to a
younger generation.
The board’s efforts to recruit younger members to its ranks has so far not
been successful. The last Reel Times newsletter contained a message
specifically aimed at recruiting new board members, and the response
was minimal.
I know that we all have time-consuming responsibilites that make it
difficult to commit to volunteering for a small non-profit like ours but, if the
AFTM and the String Band Festival are to continue, a younger generation
of traditional music enthusiasts needs to step up, get involved, and
provide the energy and leadership we need to keep this organization
growing and thriving.
If you'd like to learn about joining our board or volunteering for the
String Band Festival, email me at:
gary@aftm.us
Gary Mortensen
Reel Times Editor
ASBF Director
Page 25
�Texas String Band Showcase
Review by Darrel Mayers, photo by James Seppi
A packed house greeted four stellar acts at the Texas String Band Showcase at Batch Craft Beer &
Kolaches in Austin last month. The Slaughter Creek Droughtbusters opened— with Aaron Zischkale
initially plucking a Japanese sanshin (ancestor of the shamisen) next to Adam Brodkin on the banjo.
It was a cool East-meets-West moment. There is deep chemistry between these two fine players,
and it soon felt like we were all on a slow train to deepest Appalachia.
The Bright Leaf Warblers blends old time fiddle music with American primitive guitar, in the tradition
of John Fahey, Jack Rose and North Carolina’s Magic Tuber Stringband. And within this framework,
the duo creates enchanting original tunes such as "Goldust," and "Salt Maiden's Hornpipe."
Somehow gifted guitarist Cody Campbell and Aaron Z sounded old and new at the same time, with
some parts reminiscent of the circular trance melodies of north Africa’s Gnawa tribes. Touchingly,
Aaron’s dad Robert sat in on harmonica for a couple of tunes.
The old-time power trio of Boyer, Yellman & Keough (better known to many as Joslyn, Zephyr and
Tim) showcased the sparkling talent of ace fiddler Zephyr on tunes tried-and-true, and what a joy to
hear Joslyn sing lead on one of the songs of their set.
The Dog Day String Band rounded out the evening with a selection of classics such as “Cluck Old
Hen,” and "Singing Waterfall,” featuring the plaintive lead vocals of Rose Griffith, with Britt Irick in
support. Thanks to Aaron and Cody for creating this showcase, and to all at Batch for making us so
welcome in their cozy venue.
Page 26
�10th Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling
Article by Dan Foster
Fiddling from the Big State is a big deal. Drawing from the unique and ever-changing character
of our state, where the sound of the fiddle & bow encompasses an exciting array of musical
styles and historic traditions, it all comes together in the annual Festival of Texas Fiddling. Treat
yourself to three days of the best there is when it comes to real Texas music.
The fun is definitely big at the historic old Twin Sisters Dancehall near beautiful Blanco, Texas,
and the fiddling seriously good. Whether it's out on the dance floor, out under the shade of
majestic oaks, or under the starry Texas sky the gift of music will be traded back and forth among
musicians, dancers, and fiddle fans from all over.
Now in its 10th year, the Festival of Texas Fiddling celebrates a shared heritage that includes not
only the iconic and independently joyful sound of Western Swing dance music, traditional polkas,
waltzes and huapangos inherited from Polish, Czech, Tejano, and Ranchera traditions, but
brilliant breakdowns and tunes-of-choice in the true Texas Style, the irresistible groove of Gulf
Coast Acadian sound, and much more.
Page 27
�There will be music on three stages simultaneously all day Saturday. All day dancing on the well worn wooden
floor of Twin Sisters dance hall, including workshops on Texas 2-step, waltz, polka, swing, and huapango, and
more. All workshops are free for festival goers.
For musicians there will be instrument workshops on different Texas fiddle styles, along with interesting talks
and demonstrations about the history and ever-changing nature of Texas fiddling. Performances by legends of
Texas Style fiddling including Wes Westmoreland, Carl Hopkins, Larry Franklin, Jason Andrews, Dennis
Ludiker and Luke Bulla, along with renowned swing fiddler Paul Anastasio and others. No Fiddle Fest would
be complete without the indestructible Texas-Polish impresario from Tomball – Brian Marshall. Mark Halata,
along with the Josh Baca Duo will be there bringing the sounds of Czech Texas to the fiddle and bow along
with festival favorite, Mark Rubin.
Of course, the one and only Belen Escobado and the true Tejas sound of her band Panfilo's Güera will be a
delight to see and hear again, bringing to life the music of the South Texas ranchlands. The deep tradition of
Trio Hupangueros Elegidos, Felipe Perez y Sus Polkeros, and Epi Cruz Martinez and featuring son huasteco
musicians from Texas and from Veracruz in a cross cultural exchange. You won't be able to sit still when the
real Creole sound of Ed Poullard's fiddle and accordion bring the sounds of old Beaumont to the Hill Country.
Saturday night in the main hall, you can look forward to a big dance with the legendary flatland sound of Jody
Nix and his band. We'll will see the return of an old time square dance for the first time in 8 years - sponsored
by the Austin Friends of Traditional Music. Dan Foster (that’s me!) will be telling more tales of Texas fiddling,
with the help of Christy Palumbo and the great Will "Ragtime Willie" Webster, concerning the story of fiddling
in and around Austin, Texas since about 1870. I also have it on good authority there will also be a talk from
one of the greats of Texas fiddling, Wes Westmorland, about the rise of the modern Texas Style. Not to be
missed.
On Sunday the Festival is hosting the Texas Old Time Fiddle Association (TOTFA) as they bring a genuine and
official Texas fiddle contest for the first time at the Festival. Not only that, but there will be a bajo sexto contest
sponsored by H. Jimenez with Mac Baca. All that and endless chances to jam, meet new friends and enjoy
the best Texas has to offer.
For more information, visit http://texasfiddle.org
Page 28
�Trio Paseador
Ridge Roberts
Jason Andrew
Page 29
�Christy Palumbo Foster
Brian Marshall
Belen Escobedo
Page 30
�The Reel Times is published quarterly by the Austin Friends of
Traditional Music, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Texas nonprofit corporation.
Contributions are deductible as charitable and educational donations.
AFTM Board of Directors
Tim Wooten, President
Lee Thomas, Vice President
Angie Wooten, Secretary
Rich MacMath, Treasurer
James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator
Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor, Festival Director
Jeanne DeFriese, At Large
Dan Foster, At Large
Darrel Mayers, At Large
David Polacheck, At Large
Austin Friends of Traditional Music
P.O. Box 49608
Austin, TX 78765
Click here for
Membership info
Click
here for AFTM
website
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664
�
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Gary Mortenson
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Volume
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Reel Times - Volume 50, Number 4
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Gary Mortenson
-
http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/292/newsletter-50-03-2024-07.pdf
b1fc8420cffd72a31ed72e3a0048ff33
PDF Text
Text
Reel Times
Newsletter of
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Vol. 50, Number 3, July 2024
Jerron Paxton
One of our featured performers at
The Austin String Band Festival
October 18 & 19, 2024
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, TX
�Table of Contents
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Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 22
Page 23
Upcoming Events
Austin String Band Festival
Jerron Paxton
Steamboat
Skillet Licorice
Western Flyers
Lloyd & April
Joymakers
Guy Forsyth
Hot Pickin 57s
So & So and the Swamp Sizzle
Up Around the Sun with Bosco
Funyun Creek
Mini-Stage Performers
Issues we're addressing
AFTM Old Time Jam at Lazarus Brewing
Austin Balkan Singers
Review of World Music Night at Batch
Upcoming World Music Night at Batch
Page 2
�Upcoming AFTM Events
Saturday, July 20
AFTM Monthly Old Time Jam - 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lazarus Brewing, 4803 Airport Blvd, Austin, TX
Friday, August 2
AFTM World Music Night - 8:00 pm
Batch, 3220 Manor Road, Austin, TX
September 19
AFTM Night at Batch - 7:30 pm featuring:
Slaughter Creek Drought Busters
Dog Day String Band
Bright Leaf Warblers
Boyer, Yellman, & Keough
All day, October 18 & 19
Austin String Band Festival
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, TX
Page 3
�October 18 & 19, 2024
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, TX
Though the Austin String Band Festival is more than three
months away, planning has been underway for some time,
and things are coming together!
Musical performances are the heart of our festival and we'll
be featuring performers in several genres: two fine Old Time
bands, a hot Bluegrass band, a killer Western Swing trio, a
traditional blues artist, an excellent Cajun band, as well as a
1920’s Jazz band!
Here's the full performance schedule
This issue of Reel Times contains photos and listings of all of
our performers - do check them out!
To make this festival a success, we need volunteers to
manage several important areas and, if you’re willing to
devote a few hours to helping make the ASBF a success, we
would love to hear from you!
Send an email to gary@aftm.us for more details!
Page 4
�Jerron Paxton
Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton has earned a reputation for transporting audiences
back to the 1920's and making them wish they could stay there for good. Jerron
Paxton may be one of the greatest multi-instrumentalists that you have not
heard of. Yet. And time is getting short, fast.
This young musician sings and plays banjo, guitar, piano, fiddle, harmonica,
Cajun accordion, and the bones (percussion). Paxton has an eerie ability to
transform traditional jazz, blues, folk, and country into the here and now, and
make it real. In addition, he mesmerizes audiences with his humor and
storytelling. He's a world-class talent and a uniquely colorful character that has
been on the cover of Living Blues Magazine and the Village Voice, and has
been interviewed on FOX News. Paxton's sound is influenced by the likes of
Fats Waller and Blind Lemon Jefferson. According to Will Friedwald in the Wall
Street Journal, Paxton is "virtually the only music-maker of his generation—
playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin, among other implements—to fully
assimilate the blues idiom of the 1920s and '30s."
Page 5
�Steamboat
Libby Weitnauer, Sami Braman, and Emily Mann
are Steamboat, a new old-time stringband based
in Nashville, TN. Their driving music breathes new
life into old tunes and songs, mostly collected from
recordings of unheralded female fiddlers, singers,
and banjo players.
Page 6
�Skillet Licorice
Skillet Licorice is the latest project from San Francisco Bay Area roots-music luminaries
Elise Engelberg and Matt Knoth. Essentially a musical consortium, Matt & Elise are the core
of an All-Star lineup featuring many of California's hottest old-time musicians. The result is a
full fledged proto-swing orchestra capable of expert musicianship in a dizzying array of folk
genres. Whether they’re playing hot fiddle breakdowns, slinky blues, sparkling banjo breaks,
ragtime or dreamy waltzes, Skillet Licorice displays an impressive command of styles and
techniques that comes from deep study and loving dedication to America’s folk traditions.
With the help of their talented friends they’ve put together an incredible repertoire that is
essentially traditional, yet with a modern approach that is anything but stale. Skillet Licorice
is hot, sweet, and just a bit greasy!
Page 7
�Western Flyers
Powerhouse Western Swing band The Western Flyers
serve up an irresistibly hot, unmistakably Texas-style
sound popularized by Bob Wills in the 1940s with an
electrifying energy all their own. Featuring a fresh, all-star
lineup led by guitar slinger Joey McKenzie on archtop
guitar & vocal, 2024 National Grand Champion fiddler
Ridge Roberts on fiddle & vocal, and upright bassist
Matthew Mefford, the award winning Flyers are
guaranteed to have even the shyest of wallflowers tappin'
their toes or swinging on the dance floor.
Page 8
�Lloyd & April
Lloyd and April Wright hail from Kennard, TX, in the heart of the Davy
Crockett National Forest. Their duet singing of traditional music is stunningly
beautiful, and their gospel music performances are among the finest
anywhere! April plays guitar and Lloyd is an award winning multiinstrumentalist.
In addition to their performing schedule, they produce the Old Mill Music
Festival every year in November!
https://oldmillmusicfestival.com/
Page 9
�Joymakers
Texas jazz, blues, ragtime and old time roots will be on full display
when this powerhouse of traditional musicians arrives on the String
Band Festival stage. The aptly-named Joymakers came together two years ago
when two groups - Hancock’s Jazz Serenaders, and The
Revelators - joined forces. With an album already underway for New
York label Turtle Bay Records, and talk of a post-release midwestern
tour, the Joymakers are off to a roaring start to their career. “Texas
style jazz, or jazz from the territories (i.e. not NYC, Chicago, or New
Orleans),” is bandleader Colin Hancock’s favorite description of their
sound. They are not to be missed!
Page 10
�Guy Forsyth
Guy Forsyth photo edited
Guy Forsyth grew up in KC but has been a denizen of Austin, TX
for the past couple of decades. He’s a true renaissance man
musically, and is very difficult to pigeon-hole. He was a cofounder of the Asylum Street Spankers, has released adrenalinefueled rock ‘n’ roll records, and is probably best classified as a
performer with very deep rootsy/bluesy musical roots. Guy’s
music is eclectic – in the best sense of the word. He’s also a
multi-instrumentalist, being a fantastic slide guitar and harmonica
player, and also playing guitar, baritone guitar, ukulele, and saw
(yes, musical saw!) There are messages in the lyrics of most of
Guy’s songs, or if not outright messages, then deeper meanings
of life as he sees it playing out around him.
Page 11
�Hot Pickin 57s
The Hot Pickin 57s offer an energetic and thoroughly enjoyable mix of
Bluegrass, Classic Country, and Americana music.
The band members have deep roots in the Austin music scene,
reuniting in 2016 after their musical educations at Berklee, South Plains
College, and Texas State. They’ve played in well-known bands like the
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, Whit Smith's Hot Jazz Caravan, and
Rosie and the Ramblers and have had the privilege of performing
alongside notable artists like Sierra Hull, Kym Warner, Alun Munde,
Billy Bright (Wood & Wire), and Mark Cosgrove (David Bromberg).
Page 12
�So & So and the Swamp Sizzle
Austin Cajun music stalwart Michael Perron has formed a great
new Cajun band, including members of Gumbo Ce Soir, The Red
Stick Ramblers, Chansons et Soûlards, featuring Josh Huval on
accordion!
Page 13
�Up Around the Sun
with Bosco!
Austin old time music innovators, Tim Kerr and Jerry Hagins, are
joined by the talented old time fiddler from Kyoto, Japan - Bosco!
Page 14
�Funyun Creek
This powerhouse old time dance band will kick off the Friday
stage shows. The band is named afer a small tributary that runs
from Alaska to Austin, by way of Terlingua!
Members are Jerry Hagins-banjo, Beth Chrisman-fiddle, Joe
Dobbs-Guitar, Amanda Chisholm-bass and, all the way from
Japan, the legendary Bosco on fiddle!
Page 15
�Mini-Stage Performers
It's a tradition at the String Band Festival to feature short sets of music at
our Mini-Stage, while the Main Stage is being prepared for the next
performance. This year's slate of perfomers looks to be most excellent!
The Mini-Stage is located next to the Merchandise Booth.
FRIDAY
6:45
7:45
8:45
9:45
Silver Alert Ramblers
Preston Satchwell & Friends
Cast Iron Shoes
The Everett Wren Band
________________________________
SATURDAY
2:45 Shinbone Trio
3:45 Caroline Sears
4:45 Ayleen Pérez Cordero & Family
5:45 The Austin Balkan Singers
6;45 Founders Duo: David & Bernard
7:45 Out of the Blue
8:45 Zephyr & Friends
9:45 Mortensen & Duplissey
____________________________________
Page 16
�Complaints, we've had a few...
It's always gratifying to hear the nice things festival-goers
have to say about the String Band Festival and our Camp
Jam, but we've received a couple of complaints recently and
we'll be addressing them at this year's ASBF.
By far, the most complained about issue at the festival is that
of children cavorting on the dance floor during performances.
This behavior is a major distraction to those who have come
to listen to the music, and our performers have let us know
that they don't care for it one bit either.
This year, kids will not be allowed on the dance floor unless
they're participating in organized dancing and accompanied
by an adult.
The other problem behavior that has generated many
complaints is the playing of electric instruments in the
campground. We've come to the conclusion that electric and
acoustic instruments just don't mix well, and the String Band
Festival and the Camp Jam are acoustic music events!
So, please, don't bring your electric guitars, pedal steel
guitars, or other amplified instruments. Your campground
neighbors will appreciate it!
Page 17
�AFTM Monthly Old Time Jam
Again in July, the AFTM Monthly Old Time Jam will be held at the
Lazarus Brewing Company, 4803 Airport Blvd, in Austin.
The July Old Time Jam will take place on Saturday, July 20,
from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.
The monthly Old Time Jam at Lazarus Brewing has proven to be very
popular, with a consistently strong turnout at a wonderful venue!
Don't forget, Lazarus Brewing has full coffee service and serves delicious
breakfasts and lunches!
Page 18
�The Austin Balkan Singers
The Austin Balkan Singers in 1995:
Back row l - r: Gilda Ginsel, Cynthia Mull, Shirley Middleton, CB Stephenson.
Front row l - r: Susan Hovorka, Jane Lindsey, Harriet Dinerstein, Olga Popova.
THE AUSTIN BALKAN SINGERS CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF HARMONY
It seems that 1974 was a seminal year for folk music in Austin, Texas. Joining AFTM in celebrating its
golden anniversary is this extraordinarily beautiful eastern-European choir. An interview with founder/
director Susan D. Hovorka.
— by Darrel Mayers
________________________________________________
Hi Susan. Can you take Reel Times readers back to 1974, and the formation of the Austin Balkan
Singers?
In the sixties and seventies, when folk music became very popular, some of us were enjoying
dancing to music from around the world at international folk dancing, and we started craving to learn
music from the Balkans, with those exotic rhythms and killer harmonies.
Our group started at the University of Texas under sponsorship of Dr. John Kolsti, and then became a
community group after we graduated. We started swapping lyrics and hunting in bins for remnant
records written in Cyrillic letters. It used to be hard to find a recording and the lyrics for the same
tune; they were like rare treasures from afar washed up on our shores.
Now we can just Google and get a dozen or more historic and modern versions of a song, run the
text through Google translate, and refine the tune with a Zoom call to a distant expert. But we keep
recruiting new people who want to sing.
________________________________________________
Page 19
�So let’s talk about the geography of this region. “The Balkans'' iare a dozen
countries that jostle against each other on the Balkan Peninsula in eastern
Europe. There’s Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo,
Montenegro, Macedonia, part of Turkey, Serbia, Croatia and Romania. Do
you choose your material evenly between all the countries… or do you favor
one country over another?
Each region or even each district has its own musical tradition, and we love
the diversity. Christy Foster does a great oom-pah version to a Czech tune,
and we know some obscure table songs from Albania where we take turns
singing aaaj-ooo against each.
Some of our favorites are Bulgarian tunes with single note “drone” harmonies.
But we also love the 3 and 4-part close harmonies from Croatia and the funto-sing parallel thirds harmonies in pop tunes (from 1910) from Macedonia.
________________________________________________
What is your personal connection to the Balkans? Did you grow up in one of
the dozen countries?
Most of us have only visited via music and have never been there in person.
Just like here, Balkan folk music is not nearly as popular now as it was in the
past, so you have to find the equivalent of AFTM there to hear this music
now.
________________________________________________
How do you go about learning a song? There’s such complex polyphony
going on!
We love the harmony. However it is not so complex, just a bit exotic. We
know many songs that are a melody against a single or two-note lower part.
Of course some of those archaic scales like hijaz make some intense
harmonies against a single note. You can feel the harmonies vibrating inside
you when you sing them.
________________________________________________
What is the strangest time signature that you’ve ever played? And, for people
who rarely stray from those good ol’ workhorse signatures of’ 4/4 and 3/4,
what advice can you offer on how to count, say, 11/16?
Here is one in 11/16: 12-12-123-12-12, called kopanica. Fun. Macedonians
call tunes in 7/16 lesnoto which means easy rhythm, because it is easier
than 12/16 I guess.
I like pajduško, in 5/8, which you can synchronize with your heart, lub-dubb
lub-dubb . To make crazy long meters you just string the basics together.
Balkan music enthusiasts compete to get the biggest collection of specialty
rhythms, each one with nuances that merit a special name and have a
regional significance.
Page 20
�________________________________________________
There is something thrilling and primal about the “open throat” singing that you
practice - offering such a wondrous array of overtones. Can you give readers a quick
primer on how to sing in this style? I read somewhere that it begins with a yawn. . .
I think it starts with howling! To do some styles you energize your whole body from
your ribs to the top of your head. We don’t do those precise pitches that break glass,
more like loud enough to . . . rattle windows? Suitable for singing at traditional settings
like harvesting in the fields, but also useful at bars.
________________________________________________
During your 50 years together, there must have been countless highlights. Can you
share a few? Have you toured, and visited the Balkans as a group?
We would consider south Austin being on tour! Many good times. We did one of our
first performances at AFTM’s open mic at the old Armadillo World Headquarters.
And there was a memorable time when we were sort of misplaced at Pioneer Farms,
and our main and enthusiastic audience was several sows and piglets. We have our
best times every week just doing those harmonies at someone’s house. So if anyone
wants to come over and try it, we like visitors.
________________________________________________
Have there been difficult times too?
COVID-19 was hard for choirs because group singing was on the high hazard list. We
kept going via Zoom by arranging ourselves in a complex scheme of taking turns
singing different parts and muting ourselves, so you could at least sing duets with all
the parts. But it sure was good to get back together vibrating the same air again.
________________________________________________
In AFTM we face some challenges with succession — passing the torch to younger,
upcoming generations. For your choir, do you have a junior choir, or some younger
members ready to join?
We have multi-age women, even some singing girls sometimes. Folk traditions are not
having as high popularity just now, but AFTM’s work in making traditions live is
valuable. People don’t know how much pleasure making music yourself gives you,
even without an audience.
________________________________________________
Thank you very much Susan. . . and hearty congratulations from AFTM to you, and to
the rest of the choir: Christy Foster, Harriet Dinerstein, Robin Butter, Jane Lindsey,
Mary Fero, and Irina Marinova.
Page 21
�REVIEW OF WORLD MUSIC NIGHT AT BATCH
By Darrel Mayers
The first AFTM World Music Night at Batch early in May brought together a rich diversity of
talent from our international city! The evening began with Kis Kis Maca, a trio led by Neri
Osmanovic from Serbia. They focussed tightly on the rich melodies of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, featuring the fleet-fingered accordion legend Don Weeda, and trumpeter David
Gilden (Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour), while Neri filled in tastefully on electric guitar. Half way
through their 11-tune set, the dancing began, much to the delight and surprise of the
musicians!
Set list: Maca Hora (Kitty Hora) - Kis Kis Maca original, Hora Veche, Hora ca la Caval,
Corman's Bulgar, Boogich Bulgar, Odessa Bulgar, Kishinever Bulgar, Heisser Zib,
Geamparala, Serb. Cocek, and Bosansko Kolo.
The May 2nd String Band brought together many talented musicians well-known in the
AFTM community: Tim Keough, Britt Irick, Cody Campbell and Adam Brodkin. Together they
crafted a beautiful, blended sound that was a treat for all at Batch.
Setlist: Chadwell’s Station; Redican's Trip to Appalachia; Billy in the Lowground; Kash
Kersey; Creek's all Muddy and the Pond's all Dry; Gunboat; and Sweet Marie.
Indrajit Banerjee transported us to his home country of India with incredible displays of
virtuosity on his sitar. He was on fire, as was his accompanying tabla player Sai Kiran.
Setlist: Jhinjhoti Raga set to a Teen Tala (a rhythmic cycle of 16 beats): Happy Shakti; (based
on Raga Bhopali)
The Austin Balkan Singers completed the circle, taking us back to the lands of Kis Kis Maca.
This group, founded 50 years ago (see Reel Times article in this issue) took us on a thrilling
trip through Croatian, Dalmatian, Macedonian and Bulgarian choral music. Deep gratitude to
all in this talented choir.
The setlist: Pusta mladost; Aj Lipo tilo; Cresnica; Junak Jodi; Sto si goro; Prsten mi padna;
Vrlicko; and Od granka
Many thanks to all at Batch for making this happen, and for being so welcoming of this new
venture!
__________________________________________________________________________
____
Page 22
�Coming soon: August 2nd at 7:30 p.m.
AFTM’s Second World Music Night.
At Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches: 3220 Manor Road, Austin, TX
Suggested donation: $7.00
7:30 p.m. Kiko Villamizar plays the folk music of Colombia
8:00 p.m. Mortensen & Duplissey; our AFTM friends perform big band numbers,
western swing and early jazz in a bluesy, rootsy style on guitar and dobro.
8:30 p.m. Go Yotai Klezmer Trio features Gabriel Lit (clarinet) Wen Chang Lit
(violin); and Constantine Caramanis (accordion)
9:00 p.m. Ibrahim Aminou will cast a magical spell with this 21-stringed African
Kora (harp)
9:30 p.m. Open Mike
______________________________________________________________________________
Page 23
�We need you!
In this year of 2024, it’s both exciting and gratifying to realize that our
small organization, the Austin Friends of Traditional Music, has been in
existence for fifty years! We owe a sincere debt of gratitude to those
individuals who had the initiative and energy to create this organization
and who have kept it going through the decades!
But those AFTM founders back in 1974 were mostly in their twenties then;
they’re now in their seventies. In fact, the average age of our current
AFTM board members is about seventy, and that’s not by design. Many
of us are ready and willing to transfer the leadership of the AFTM to a
younger generation.
The board’s efforts to recruit younger members to its ranks has so far not
been successful. The last Reel Times newsletter contained a message
specifically aimed at recruiting new board members, and the response
was minimal.
I know that we all have time-consuming responsibilites that make it
difficult to commit to volunteering for a small non-profit like ours but, if the
AFTM and the String Band Festival are to continue, a younger generation
of traditional music enthusiasts needs to step up, get involved, and
provide the energy and leadership we need to keep this organization
growing and thriving.
If you'd like to learn about joining our board or volunteering for the
String Band Festival, email me at:
gary@aftm.us
Gary Mortensen
Reel Times Editor
ASBF Director
Page 24
�The Reel Times is published quarterly by the Austin Friends of
Traditional Music, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Texas nonprofit corporation.
Contributions are deductible as charitable and educational donations.
AFTM Board of Directors
Tim Wooten, President
Lee Thomas, Vice President
Angie Wooten, Secretary
Rich MacMath, Treasurer
James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator
Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor, Festival Director
Jeanne DeFriese, At Large
Dan Foster, At Large
Darrel Mayers, At Large
David Polacheck, At Large
Austin Friends of Traditional Music
P.O. Box 49608
Austin, TX 78765
Click here for
Membership info
Click
here for AFTM
website
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664
�
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Reel Times
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Gary Mortenson
Text
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Volume
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Number
3
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2024-07
Creator
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Gary Mortenson
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Reel Times - Volume 50, Number 3
Publisher
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Gary Mortenson
-
http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/291/newsletter-50-02-2024-04.pdf
800771c898ecca7d40d155edd224dbeb
PDF Text
Text
Reel Times
Newsletter of
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Vol. 50, Number 2, April 2024
Tim Wooten's fiddling grandfather
Thomas Jefferson Wootan (1882-1964)
�Table of Contents
Page 3
Upcoming Events
Page 4
Steven Dao interview
Page 5
AFTM Camp Jam 2024
Page 6
AFTM Monthly Old Time Jam
Page 7
Join the AFTM Board!
Page 8
Nokosee Fields Trio House Concert
Page 9
ASBF Update
Page 10
Alasdair Fraser / Natalie Haas Concert
Page 11
Tim Wooten's AFTM Memories
Page 13
About the AFTM
Cover painting by Tim Kerr
Page 2
�Upcoming AFTM Events
Saturday, April 20
The monthly AFTM Old Time Jam takes place at the
wonderful Lazarus Brewing Company at 4803 Airport
Boulevard in Austin from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm!
April 26 through 28
This year's edition of the very popular AFTM Camp Jam will
be held at Camp Ben McCulloch, as usual. There's no
admission fee whatsoever, the only cost is the camping fees
that Camp Ben charges.
Thursday, May 2
World music night at Batch, 3220 Manor Rd, Austin
featuring the Austin Balkan Singers,
Kis Kis Maca (Serbian folk), Indrajit Banerjee (sitar),
Tim Keough and Britt Irick
October 18 through 20
The seventeenth Austin String Band Festival!
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftrwood, TX
Page 3
�Steven Dao, 2024 AFTM Scholarship recipient!
The AFTM is excited to announce that the recipient of its 2024
Scholarship is Austin area fiddler, Steven Dao! Steven has a background
in classical music, and has been attending the AFTM Old-Time jam for
some time. Steven will use the scholarship to attend the Old-Time Week
of the Swannanoa Gathering, in Asheville, NC this summer.
Learn more about Steven in this video interview, conducted before the
March AFTM Old-Time Jam at the Lazarus Brewing Company on Airport
Boulevard in Austin.
Steven Dao interview
Page 4
�AFTM Camp Jam 2024
“This is the best thing the AFTM has ever done!”, a direct quote from a seasoned
Austin area musician. What’s he talking about, you ask?
Well, he’s talking about the AFTM Camp Jam, the fourth edition of which will take
place on April 26 – April 28 at Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, TX.
The Camp Jam was conceived back in 2021, when the pandemic was still creating
uncertainty about public events everywhere, and it didn’t seem responsible for the
AFTM to proceed with our beloved October event, the Austin String Band Festival.
So, the AFTM rented Camp Ben McCulloch for the entire weekend as usual, but we
didn’t produce much of a festival stage show, or anything else. The Camp Jam was
simply an opportunity to get together with musical friends, camp for the weekend, if
desired, and spend a few days with no schedule and no duties.
The admission charge for the Camp Jam is the same as always – it’s free! That’s
correct, there’s no charge for participating in the Camp Jam, other than Camp Ben’s
usual camping fees, if you choose to camp overnight.
We will have a message center (writeboard, corkboard) in a central area where you
can check for notices of organized jams or other community events.
So, mark your calendars for the last weekend in April, and make plans to join us at
Camp Ben for a relaxed and joyful weekend!
Page 5
�AFTM Old Time Jam
For April's jam, we'll again be at Lazarus Brewing at 4803 Airport Boulevard.
They've got an inside space for us ("the casita") if needed.
Bring a jam chair just in case. Lazarus has wonderful breakfast and lunch food,
coffee, tea, and -- of course -- beer.
The jam will take place on Saturday, April 20, 2024,
from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm!
Page 6
�Join the AFTM Board!
We are excited to announce that there are currently three openings on
our board of directors, and we are looking for passionate and committed
individuals to join us in shaping the future of the AFTM. As active
members of our traditional music community, we believe that your unique
perspective and experience would be a valuable addition to our
leadership team.
Joining the AFTM board is a wonderful opportunity to contribute your
ideas and energy towards furthering our mission of encouraging
performance and appreciation of traditional music in our community.
Board members play a crucial role in setting the direction of the
organization, making important decisions, and ensuring the success of
our programs and initiatives.
We are seeking individuals who are dedicated to our cause, have
excellent communication and leadership skills, and are willing to actively
participate in board meetings and committee work. If you have a strong
passion for traditional music and a desire to make a difference, we
encourage you to consider applying to join our board of directors.
Together, we can work towards a more vibrant and thriving music
community. If you are interested in joining our board, please submit your
application as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you and
welcoming new members to our leadership team.
Gary Mortensen
Gary is our Festival Director and Newsletter Editor and is a fine example
of the kind of person that serves AFTM. But don’t worry, you don’t have
to do near as much as he does to really help us out!
Tim Wooten, President
Page 7
�Nokosee Fields Trio performing at the Hillside House Concert
Photo by John C. Kelly, review by Tim Wooten
The Hillside House Concert audience was thrilled with the silken,
slippery fiddle of Nokosee Fields and the other members of his trio Ryan Nickerson on guitar and Reed Stutz on banjo. The trio played
old-time tunes, and Carter family favorites along with some original
tunes. Nokosee occasionally switched to autoharp on some songs
for a different and very fitting accompaniment. The trio only recently
came together as a band, but the interplay of finger style banjo,
guitar and fiddle was a charm to hear! This trio performed to an
enthusiastic audience at the Austin String Band Festival last
October, and the Hillside House Concert venue provided a very
personal and intimate unamplified listening experience.
Page 8
�October 18 & 19, 2024
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, TX
Though the Austin String Band Festival is more than six
months away, planning has been underway for some
time, and things are slowly but surely coming together!
Musical performances are the heart of our festival and,
so far, we have commitments from performers in several
genres: two fine Old Time bands, a hot Bluegrass band,
a killer Western Swing trio, an excellent Cajun band, as
well as a traditional 1920’s Jazz band!
Over the next weeks and months, we’ll be releasing
more information about this year’s performers so check
in with our website at www.aftm.org for the latest
updates!
To make this festival a success, we need volunteers to
manage several important areas and, if you’re willing to
devote a few hours to helping make the ASBF a
success, we would love to hear from you!
Send an email to gary@aftm.us for more details!
Page 9
�Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas performing at the Austin Acoustical Café
Photo by James Seppi, review by Tim Wooten
The Austin Acoustical Cafe at the Lamar Senior Activity Center was a
perfect venue for the Scottish music duo of Alasdair Fraser and Natalie
Haas. Alasdair is one of the premier Scottish fiddlers of his generation
and Natalie is a fantastic cellist. The duo reprises an old Scottish
fiddle/cello tradition with virtuosic aplomb. The first set consisted
mainly of traditional jigs, reels, airs and the like while the second set
added some more modern pieces written by Alasdair and Natalie
loosely in the Scottish tradition. The fiddle soared while the cello
alternately played rhythmic accompaniment and transporting harmony.
The cello occasionally took the lead while the fiddle played harmony.
This was really a great show and a treat for the ears!
Page 10
�My history with the Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Tim Wooten, AFTM president
This organization was founded 50 years ago, and I became a member in the mid 1980s,
having moved to Austin in the fall of 1979.
I have always had a great interest in traditional music, because I was exposed to the fiddling
of my grandfather, Thomas Jefferson Wootan (1882-1964) , when I was a little boy, and
really loved it.
Whenever we visited my grandparents he played the fiddle, and my cousins and I danced. At
home my father would occasionally play a tape of my grandfather for us to enjoy.
We called him Papa Wootan, but his long-time friends called him Duck. He got that name
when he was little, by competing with the family ducks to eat their food at feeding time.
When I was 21 my father pulled Papa Wootan’s old fiddle down from the high shelf in the coat
closet. It was broken into a bunch of pieces. He had traded a horse for it around the turn of
the last century and called it “Old Squealer.”
My dad said, “I’ll pay to get this fiddle repaired if you’ll learn to play it.” Of course I eagerly
accepted and my fiddle-playing avocation began. I already knew how to play harmonica and
began learning fiddle tunes on it also.
Page 11
�It was around 1995 when Chris Kelly, a dancer at the Hancock Recreation Center that I
played for, asked if I would consider joining the AFTM board.
AFTM had become just a shell. It had no money, was hosting no events, and the board was
made up of dancers who were using our non-profit status to obtain group insurance at a
reasonable price.
I soon became president of the board and Angie, my beloved wife, joined me on the board.
We knew we needed to raise some money if we wanted to do anything, so we revived the
Midwinter Festival at the Dougherty Arts Center as a fundraiser.
The bands volunteered to play for free to support AFTM. We were usually able to book them
an appreciation gig at Central Market or Cactus Café. We charged admission, sold food and
started putting money in the bank. We also sold memberships and promoted our
organization.
We started holding jam sessions, having occasional events and workshops, and resurrected
this newsletter, Reel Times, to provide value for our members.
At that time, there were only four board members. Elizabeth Pittman suggested that we
expand the board to twelve members, which we accomplished by revising our bylaws.
The AFTM board is a working board. We have no staff, so all the work is done by board
members and whatever volunteers we can round up. Our thinking was that a larger board
could get more done, and provide more ideas, and better ideas.
One of our good ideas was to create an annual Austin String Band Festival, because we now
had the money to hire bands, rent a venue, and pay for all the necessary items to put on a
good festival.
We hosted our first festival in 2006, and have held it every year since, except for the two
years of COVID. We decided to set a reasonable admission price to try to just break even
and make the festival accessible to as many people as possible.
We have actually lost money on the festival more often than not, but with sponsorships, gifts
and member dues we have been able to keep the festival going, and still host other special
events, dances, workshops, jam sessions and concerts from time to time throughout the
years.
We are always looking for new board members and volunteers with fresh ideas and a
willingness to work. We have a lot of fun and the satisfaction of ensuring that traditional music
and dance stays alive in central Texas. I hope you will join us!
Page 12
�The Reel Times is published quarterly by the Austin Friends of
Traditional Music, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Texas nonprofit corporation.
Contributions are deductible as charitable and educational donations.
AFTM Board of Directors
Tim Wooten, President
Lee Thomas, Vice President
Angie Wooten, Secretary
Rich MacMath, Treasurer
James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator
Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor, Festival Director
Jeanne DeFriese, At Large
Dan Foster, At Large
Darrel Mayers, At Large
Austin Friends of Traditional Music
P.O. Box 49608
Austin, TX 78765
Click here for
Membership info
Click
here for AFTM
website
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664
�
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Title
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Reel Times
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gary Mortenson
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Volume
50
Number
2
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2024-04
Creator
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Gary Mortenson
Title
A name given to the resource
Reel Times - Volume 50, Number 2
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Gary Mortenson
-
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Text
Reel Times
Newsletter of
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Vol. 50, Number 1, January 2024
The 2023 Austin String Band Festival was a great success!
�Table of Contents
Page 3
Upcoming AFTM events
Page 4
The 2023 Austin String Band Festival
Page 15
Aaron Zischcale, interviewed by Darrel Mayers
Page 19
The AFTM at Lonesome Nights at the Sahara Lounge
Page 21
Lost Patterns CD, reviewed by Tim Wooten
Page 23
2024 AFTM Camp Jam
Page 24
Another Way to Create Songs, by David Polacheck
Page 26
AFTM Old Time Jam at Lazarus Brewing
Page 27
2023 Festival of Texas Fiddling
Page 31
About the AFTM
Page 2
�Upcoming AFTM Events
January 20, 2024
The monthly AFTM Old Time Jam will be held at a new location
in January,
Lazarus Brewing, 4803 Airport Blvd in Austin, TX
from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm
January 31, 2024
Lonesome NIghts at the Sahara, founded by our friends at KOOP
radio, will feature an AFTM band in January,
Everett Wren and the Bird Calls!
Doors open at 7:00 pm, music starts at 8:00 pm
The Sahara Lounge 1413 Webberville Road Austin, TX
April 26 - 28, 2024
This year's edition of the very popular AFTM Camp Jam will
be held at Camp Ben McCulloch. There's no admission fee
whatsoever, the only cost is the camping fees that Camp Ben
Charges.
Page 3
�2023
The Joymakers cutting loose on Saturday night!
AFTM members and others enjoyed a beautiful, warm weekend for the 16th Austin String
Band Festival, and the event was a great success!
Festival campers started arriving as early as Wednesday, and the sound of picking in the
campground continued throughout the weekend.
Page 4
�Starting Friday night, two fine food vendors, Texas Street Crepes and Big Frank’s Tacos, offered
their delicious fare to the assembled festival-goers!
Friday’s main stage activities included two square dances called by Rich MacMath, and great old
time music from Last Shot Got Him, the Two Goat String Band, and the Nokosee Fields trio. In
between sets, we were entertained by Two Fosters; One Price, and the Slaughter Creek Draught
Busters!
For the first time ever, Saturday morning at the ASBF featured a yoga class from Lucy
Weberling, who brings her Festival Yoga to events across the country! Our musical workshops
followed the yoga class, and twelve different workshops were offered, featuring several types of
fiddle music, Cajun dance, accordion, banjo, singing, and guitar to name just a few.
Young festival attendees were delighted on Saturday afternoon by the Texas Juggling Society,
crafts with Natasha La Gitana, and face painting by Doodle Bug!
Saturday’s main stage performances included the Old Time duo of Lloyd and April Wright, the
phenomenal bluegrass fiddling of Luke Bulla, and the traditional Tejano fiddling of Belen
Escobedo.
Alley Grass from Lockhart, TX played, you guessed it, hot bluegrass tunes and were followed by
the brilliant Austin area duo, Lost Patterns - Beth Chrisman and Silas Lowe.
The Lost Pines bluegrass band, who last played at the ASBF in 2008, played a fantastic set of
original and traditional bluegrass, and “The Most Laughable Band in Show Business”, the Austin
Lounge Lizards, played original material from their over thirty years of performing together.
The Nokosee Fields Trio, from Lafayette, LA, played an exquisite set of Old Time tunes, and The
Joymakers blew the roof off the stage with their traditional jazz from the 1920’s.
The festival’s headliners, the Dacquiri Queens, finished the evening with a powerful set of Cajun
tunes, which captivated the assembled crowd!
In between the main stage performances, we were treated to great mini-sets from Stubble In
Mind, Creekbed Carter Hogan, Don’t Messa With Vanessa, Rusty Nut and the Wheel Ruts, the
Dog Days String Band, George Rios and Friends, and Everett Wren and Bird Calls!
The 2023 Austin String Band Festival was, as always, a wonderful experience for all who
attended. Mark your calendars now for the 2024 ASBF which will take place on October 18 & 19,
at beautiful Camp Ben McCulloch!
On the following pages, John Stansell's photographs capture the spirit of the Austin String Band
Festival, 2023!
Page 5
�The Lost Pines band played a hot bluegrass set on Saturday night!
Rich MacMath called a dance on Saturday afternoon!
Page 6
�Belen Escobedo played beautiful Tejano fiddle music with her husband, Ramón Gutiérrez
Lloyd and April Wright, from Kennard, TX, got Saturday's program off to a great start
Page 7
�Saturday we heard mini-sets from The Dog Days String Band, and...
Creekbed Carter Hogan, like many others, played a fine mini-set!
Page 8
�The Nokosee Fields Trio gave an excellent workshop on Saturday, as did...
Belen Escobedo and Ramón Gutierrez
Page 9
�Luke Bulla's set on Saturday was a master class in Bluegrass fiddling
On Saturday night, the Lost Pines Bluegrass band cut loose!
Page 10
�The Texas Juggling Society entertained on Saturday afternoon
Todd Sloan from the Westbank String Shop was on hand all weekend for repairs and setup
Page 11
�A fine mini-set was performed by Rusty Nut and the Wheel Ruts
Adam Brodkin and Aaron Zischkale accompanied Sharon Sandomirsky in her workshop
Page 12
�The Silent Auction found new homes for some lovely instruments, boots, records, etc.
Working at the Merchandise Booth was non-stop fun!
Page 13
�The Green Room was a magical place after dark
Georgia, Sharon, and Angie led the Sunday morning Gospel Jam
Page 14
�Local musician Aaron Zischkale recently published a heartfelt and beautiful ‘zine celebrating
the life and work of Sharon Sandomirsky. She was the driving guitar force behind The
Fuzzy Mountain String Band back in the day — early 70s to be more precise — and has
lived in Austin since the early 90s.
Sharon is also one of the hosts of the excellent "Strictly Bluegrass" show on KOOP radio
(91.7 FM) that brightens Austin’s airwaves on Sunday mornings at ten.
I got a copy of the ‘zine, “Six Strings and a Nagra,” at our recent String Band Festival at
Camp Ben, and was immediately charmed by the warmth and dedication of the project.
Evocative illustrations by Britt Irick, and the detailed notes for guitarists on Sharon’s unique
walking bass style made this a publication that deserves readership and lots of attention. —
Darrel Mayers
______________________________________________________
Can you tell readers about your musical background, Aaron. Where are you from, and how
did old-time music arrive in your life?
I can trace my love of music back to my nine-fingered dad. When I was a kid he lost his left
ring-finger climbing the ladder of a power plant boiler (he was an engineer at the Dallas
utility company that became TXU), but that didn't deter him from picking acoustic guitar at
home.
Mostly it'd be the melody from "Needle and the Damage Done," or a little rock shuffle in A,
but he also wrote a couple instrumental lullabies he'd play for me, picked in a simple twofinger style. He's the reason I'd eventually pick up the instrument, and passed down an
appreciation for the guitar-driven music from his time: Creedence Clearwater Revival,
Zeppelin, a little Frank Zappa.
I grew up in a pretty insular Southern Baptist culture in Sherman, TX, so my musical tastes
didn't really get to blossom until I was a college student with a high-speed
internetconnection.
Page 15
�Some time in grad school I bought a dirt-cheap resonator banjo from a maintenance guy at UNT
Denton (inspired by hearing a three-finger part in a Raging Slab song). When my uncle found out
he admonished me for it, saying everybody plays Scruggs. I should be playing something called
"clawhammer"!
So I picked up an arrangement of "Under the Double Eagle'' to play for my grandmother (a relative
used to flat-pick it on guitar for her), and went down the rabbit hole from there. Started taking the
banjo to the Dallas Heritage Village (big thanks to Dean Barber and Eric Clum), and after moving
to Austin met all my great musician buddies at the Sixth Street Rio Rita jam that Britt Irick was
keeping alive in 2015.
______________________________________________________
When did you first hear the Fuzzy Mountain String Band? And when did you notice Sharon’s
unique style of playing?
BanjoHangout was full of lovable cranks and a ton of fantastic music recommendations. I'm sure
that's how I wound up buying that Rounder reissue of the Fuzzies. One of the resident experts was
Tony Spadaro (aka the Old Woodchuck), who had this great detailed post delineating the "Old
Dead Guys" from the second generation of counter-culture academics like the Hollow Rocks,
Highwoods, Indian Creek Delta Boys.
As I relay in the zine, it was JT Harechmak who switched me onto Sharon's driving guitar work on
that second Rounder LP. His taste in music is pretty impeccable. You tend to listen when he points
out a detail like that.
______________________________________________________
It must have been quite a surprise when you learned that Sharon was living in a house just off
MoPac!
Yeah, I remember being very impressed by the connection. But it wasn't shocking in a place where
there is such a rich legacy of old-time music.
We've been really blessed getting to spend time and hear stories from folks like Tim and Angie
Wooten, Gene and Marynell Young (Marynell's always been such an inclusive presence in a jam,
and she's got a great story about Clyde Davenport choosing to watch wrestling on TV instead of
play, when she was all geared up to record him), Nancy and Robert Griffith, Dan and Christy
Foster, and Jeanne DeFriese.
There's all this opportunity to learn from folks who have lived this music. I just hadn't gotten the
chance to meet Sharon yet. It's been a huge honor to pick her brain about her life, and a delight
getting to know her.
______________________________________________________
Apart from being with “the Fuzzies,” Sharon has been in many other groups since, such as the
Decibelles with Elizabeth Pittman and Christie Foster, and Friends of Big Ernie with Jerry Hagins.
Do you have a favorite?
I mean, that Herald Angels tape really does need a reissue. Hearing her sing with Alice Gerrard
and backup that fantastic banjo song "Drunkard's Dream" is really wonderful.
Page 16
�My favorite has to be Friends of Big Ernie, having gotten to watch them play a reunion
show a few weeks back under the big purple stage lights at Sagebrush.
She really made us proud. Despite all the trouble with that picking hand she just dove
headfirst into those killer backup runs, and did some great harmonizing along with Wolf's
rendition of "Ragged But Right." String Band Heaven. Let's see her link up again with
Elizabeth and Christy some time soon!
At the end of the zine you go into some detail about Sharon’s playing style. Can you talk
about that for Reel TImes’s guitar playing readers out there? What is the key to being an
effective guitarist in an old-time music setting? You describe Sharon as being “in-thepocket but unpredictable.”
If you find a good fiddler like our buddy Tim Keough, who can call out chord changes while
he plays, you're in great hands! A budding guitar player needs a tasteful fiddler who can
give feedback while letting them develop their own style.
You can tell Sharon did a ton of listening in those early days, but once she was comfortable
she took off. “Peter Francisco” really is the hallmark for me. Listen to how much character
her part lends to that tune!
What's fun about old-time is so many of the rules are unwritten. But there's a balance. Start
with what supports the tune (be "in-the-pocket") and once you've got that, get wild with it
(be "unpredictable").
If the kid from Carter Brothers and Son can do it, you can too. If all else fails just play those
angry grinding runs on the Lewis Brothers "Sally Johnson" and hope you aren't kicked out
the back door.
Also, go read "Guitars Have Feelings Too" by Cameron Knowler
______________________________________________________
What musical projects are you working on right now? Also, are you working with Britt on
any other ‘zines?
Looking forward to making a lot of music in '24. Britt, Rose Griffith, Adam Brodkin and I
have been working up a repertoire as the Dog Day String Band (very glad I'm not the only
one obsessed with cicadas), I've got my duo with Adam as the Slaughter Creek Drought
Busters (I'm always overly proud of elaborate names, would love to see this on a t-shirt at
some point), and got a couple other projects in the back of my head that I'd love to see the
light of day.
Can't stress this enough, there's no “Six Strings and a Nagra” without Britt's fantastic
watercolor art throughout. I also had a great time figuring out the cover layout with him.
We went pretty over the top on this zine (both on color artwork and content), so my next
project would probably be a little lower-key and smaller in scope, but we'll see. Exhibiting
our work at Austin's Lone Star Zine Fest was a lot of fun though.
As an aside, go buy a copy (or several) of San Antonio-resident Shelby Criswell's Lazy Mr.
Poole Had the pleasure of meeting them at Zine Fest, and their minicomic tribute to
Charlie Poole is a wonderful bit of old-time memorabilia that you need in your collection.
Page 17
�______________________________________________________
Where can readers of Reel Times get a copy of "Six Strings and a Nagra" for themselves?
Eventually I'd like to have copies for sale online. But for now, please feel free to reach me at
zischkale@gmail.com and I'll get ya taken care of. We're planning on printing another run soon.
Thanks for the time, y’all!
Thank you very much Aaron! I can’t wait to see, and hear, what you come up with next!
Aaron Zischkale and Sharon Sandomirsky give a workshop at the 2023 ASBF
Page 18
�"Bird Calls" at the Sahara Lounge Lounge
As the latest edition of the AFTM's ongoing joint venture with KOOP Radio, the
AFTM is proud to present Bird Calls: Everett Wren on fiddle, David Rabinowicz
on guitar, & Taylor Turner on upright bass at Lonesome Nights at the Sahara
on January 31, 2024.
We had the opportunity to hear the Bird Calls at the Austin String Band Festival
in October, where the band closed out the mini-set program on Saturday night.
KOOP Radio created the monthly Lonesome Nights at the Sahara event, and
offered to the AFTM the opportunity to "curate" two programs each year.
In past months at Lonesome Nights at the Sahara, the AFTM has presented
such local artists as Lost Patterns, Two Fosters, One Price, the Joymakers, and
the Two Goat String Band.
The Sahara Lounge, "Austin's East Side Gem", is located at
1413 Webberville Rd, Austin, TX
Page 19
�More Info about "Bird Calls"
Photo by Chris de la Rosa, at the 04 Center
Bird Calls hail from Austin, Texas, with Everett Wren on fiddle, mandolin,
percussion, and vocals, David Rabinowicz on guitars and vocals, and
Taylor Turner on bass and vocals. They play high energy bluegrass and
fiddle tunes, with a bit of jazz and vocal harmonies.
Everett began performing at age four in his family's band, took home an
Arkansas state fiddling championship in his teens, toured the USA with an
Americana band, and co-founded the Austin bands Lost & Nameless and
Chalkboard Poets, before focusing on releasing his own solo record called
Porchlight in 2022.
David was born into a multi-cultural family, and the different languages and
traditions that surrounded him helped shape his guitar-playing, singing,
and writing.
Taylor is a native Austinite and has been playing professionally for 15
years, touring internationally with rock, folk, and bluegrass bands. He
graduated from UT Austin with a degree in Jazz Performance and since
then has continued to explore every kind of music. They love the Sahara
Lounge and have performed there several times over the years. Bring
your dancing feet and join the fun 8 pm Wed. Jan. 31st, 2024!
instagram.com/wearebirdcalls
Page 20
�Lost Patterns
A CD Review by Tim Wooten, AFTM President
Beth Chrisman and Silas Lowe are a twosome that has been been
described as playing roots music, which is true but doesn’t begin to
describe the variety of songs on their album with the same name as their
duo - Lost Patterns. Classic country, folk, bluegrass, blues, and traditional
mountain music are all represented. Silas and Beth wrote some of the
songs, while others are from great songwriters hailing from Texas and
parts beyond.
Anyone wanting a tutorial on duet singing should listen to this album. Silas
and Beth have been singing together off and on since 1976 and you can
hear and feel it in the tightness of the harmonies. Silas plays mandolin and
guitar, while Beth plays fiddle, banjo and guitar. Jerry Hagins on banjo and
Lindsay Greene on bass join them on certain tracks.
Page 21
�Dry My Eyes, written by Silas, has a pure classic country sound and feel –
“if you’re saying that you’re leaving, don’t try to dry my eyes”. This is
contrasted by Fall on My Knees, a traditional mountain appeal to a girl that
has told so many lies that she’ll never get to heaven, and by the sad and
haunting Sorrow Bound waltz, written by Beth and Silas.
They cover the iconic John Deere Tractor Song by Austin favorite Don
Walser, and the traditional Rabbit in a Log, a fast bluegrass tune with great
fiddling and picking. Butch Hancock fans will love When Nights Are Cold
with its stirring lyrics and visual imagery. Beth’s smooth fiddle and Silas’
liquid mandolin are perfect on this one.
Beth and Silas offer one of the best examples of duet singing you’ll ever
hear on Only the Lonely by the revered Hazel Dickens played with only an
elegant guitar accompaniment that ends before the last line of the song to
showcase the singing.
These are just some of the highlights of Lost Patterns, an album well worth
listening to!
Lost Patterns, Silas Lowe and Beth Chrisman, performing at Lonesome Nights at
the Sahara, at the Sahara Lounge in East Austin
Page 22
�AFTM Camp Jam 2024
A few years ago, the AFTM came up with a new kind of event, and
called it the Camp Jam.
It's much like a festival, but there are no stage shows, no schedule,
and no admission charge!
The whole purpose of the Camp Jam is to give acoustic music fans a
chance to get together and play the old tunes, meet up with old
friends and make new ones, set up their tents and RVs, cook meals,
stay up late, and have a great time! The only cost will be the camping
fees that Camp Ben charges.
This year's Camp Jam will be held on April 26 - 28, 2024 As usual, the site is beautiful Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, TX.
Page 23
�Another Way to Create Songs
by David Polacheck
I have been a singer of folk songs for more years than I care to remember. During that time, I
have loved and learned hundreds of folk songs.
There is much disagreement over the question of what is or is not a folk song. The definition I
have arrived at over the years is simple: folk music and folk song can be performed well by
people who are in no way professional musicians and who don't need a professional to direct
them. I think you will find that this definition includes everything that we would want to include and
excludes everything that we would want to exclude, which, I feel is the point of a definition of
anything.
Now, the reason I don't call myself a folksinger as such, is that I grew up an urban, middle class
intellectual and the origin of the songs and tunes I love is quite different from the environment I
was raised in. One thing that resulted from this is that I always felt a certain exotic flavor in the
pieces I loved and learned. Since they arose in a setting where they were part of the daily life of
the original performers, it is clear to me that this aura of the exotic was more about my
perceptions and less about the songs themselves. This is one example of how the difference
between a folksinger from a tradition matrix and a singer of folk songs can be profound.
After so many years of learning traditional music and learning about tradition, I felt the urge to
create new songs that worked within the context of the music I had immersed myself in. There
are several approaches to this goal that have been put into play. The first, very frequently used,
is to write new lyrics to traditional tunes. Many songwriters, known and unknown, have taken this
route. Many traditional tunes have three, four or more sets of texts associated with them. For
example, the Scottish tune for the song "Come All Ye Tramps and Hawkers" has been used for at
least two other texts: "The Ballad of Peter Amberley" and Bob Dylan's "I Pity the Poor Immigrant".
Woody Guthrie was well known for writing new lyrics to traditional tunes: "Union Maid" used the
tune to "Pretty Redwing" and "The Ruben James" used the tune to "Wildwood Flower" to mention
just two examples of his work.
Page 24
�The second approach is to compose new words and music in the folk style. This approach started to
be widely used from the 1920's on, expanded greatly starting in the 1960's and continues today. One
reason for the popularity of this is undoubtedly economic, as such compositions qualify for writer and
composer royalty payments, should they become commercially popular. Noteworthy songwriters in this
mode are numerous, among them Joe Hill, Hank Williams, Willie Dixon, Cindy Walker, Carol King, Joni
Mitchell, Phil Ochs, Janis Ian, Leonard Cohen, and John Prine.
The third approach is to compose music for previously "stand alone" poetry. This way overlaps with the
province of the classical composer and has been done many times. A modern "folk music like"
example is "The Golden Apples of the Sun" aka "The Song of Wandering Aengus" by William Butler
Yeats, which was set to original music by Bud Dashiell and Travis Edmonson. Another is "The
Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service, set to music by Kirk Kempter.
For various reasons, I have largely taken a fourth approach, which is to match "stand alone" poems,
mostly old, by known poets, with traditional tunes of the European American tradition. I have also used
tunes from the Early Music repertoire, since I find many of them to be close in style to the traditional
folk music I love. This has been done much less often, but it is not unprecedented. Yeats' poem "Down
by the Salley Gardens" was set to an Irish traditional tune "The Mourne Shore" by Herbert Hughes,
after the poem's original publication. It is still sung this way today.
The reasons I liked this method of song creation over the others are: first, because it allows me to sing
the poems I love to tunes I love, second, because I didn't think I could come up with lyrics any better
than those of Shakespeare, Yeats. John Keats, Emily Dickenson, William Blake or John Masefield,
among others and third, because matching this great poetry with a great tune that makes the poem
singable is a very satisfying endeavor to me. Having played this music for as long as I have, I have
accumulated a large number of tunes I can choose from for this process. For instance, for "The Song of
Wandering Aengus" (Yeats' original title for his poem), in place of the Dashiell/Edmonson melody, I
used Carolan's great harp tune "Colonel John Irwin", which I like much better for this poetry. One of the
factors that helps me decide on the tune matches, is that the poetry itself has its own music when read
aloud. The cadences, the rhythms, and the intonation of the words suggest melodies, and the tune I
choose must work with, and not against, these. Of course, the notes of the tune have to fit the syllables
of the lines of verse, and sometimes a part of the tune can be used to match part of the verse that may
have fewer lines. For example, when I did some of Shakespeare's sonnets, I had to use the last two
lines of the tune to go with the final couplet of the poem, since the sonnets consist of three quatrains
followed by a couplet.
Another example is Robert Frost's "Acquainted with the Night", which has mostly three-line stanzas. I
discovered it went perfectly with the tune for "Pretty Polly" which also has three-line stanzas. The final
couplet of the poem was accommodated by the last two lines of the tune. In addition to the "serious"
poems, I have also made singable poems by Ogden Nash, Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear, Christopher
Morley and Eugene Field. Try Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" to the tune of "Reynardine".
My hope is that at least some of my creations will be sung by others and maybe pass into the folk
music tradition. Why not, after all?
You can view some more of my poem/tune pairings on YouTube under my channel
"David Polacheck".
Page 25
�AFTM Old Time Jam
For January's jam, we'll be trying out a new location: Lazarus
Brewing at 4803 Airport Boulevard. They've got an inside
space for us ("the casita") if needed.
Bring a jam chair just in case. Lazarus has breakfast and
lunch food, coffee, tea, and -- of course -- beer.
The jam will take place on January 20, 2024,
from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm
Page 26
�The 9th Annual
Festival of Texas Fiddling
Felipe Perez and his band performed on the main stage at the Twin Sistes Dance Hall
On the first weekend of December, many AFTM members made the trek to
Blanco,TX to enjoy and participate in the 9th Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling.
This great yearly event brings fiddlers from all over Texas and beyond to the
beautiful Twin Sisters Dance Hall.
The Festival features all day and night dancing to bands playing a variety of styles
of Texas fiddle music inside the hall, as well as showcase concerts, instrument
and dance workshops, jamming, and a symposium on Texas fiddling.
The following pages display photos of this year's event - somehow, he weather is
always great!
Page 27
�Fiddles galore in the Hill Country!
Howard Rains, Tricia Spencer, Brian Marshall, and Frank Motley give a workshop
Page 28
�Heidi Labensart and her son, Mason, perform
Britt Irick, Tim Keough, and Dan Thompson make beautiful music!
Page 29
�Bird's eye view of a hot jam!
Notice this isn't a Louisiana license plate!
Page 30
�The Reel Times is published quarterly by the Austin Friends of
Traditional Music, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Texas nonprofit corporation.
Contributions are deductible as charitable and educational donations.
AFTM Board of Directors
Tim Wooten, President
Lee Thomas, Vice President
Angie Wooten, Secretary
Rich MacMath, Treasurer
James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator
Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor, Festival Director
Nana Lopez, Dance Liaison
Jeanne DeFriese, At Large
Dan Foster, At Large
Matt Welch, At Large
Tom Duplissey, At Large
Darrel Mayers, At Large
Austin Friends of Traditional Music
P.O. Box 49608
Austin, TX 78765
Click here for
Membership info
Click
here for AFTM
website
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664
�
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Gary Mortenson
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Reel Times - Volume 50, Number 1
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-
http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/289/newsletter-49-04-2023-10.pdf
7d914067fdd2f9aa35247ef55810187f
PDF Text
Text
Reel Times
Newsletter of
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Vol. 49, Number 4, October 2023
�Table of Contents
Page 3
Austin String Band Festval
Page 5
Festival Schedule
Page 6
Workshop schedule
Page 7
The Daiquiri Queens
Page 8
The Nokosee Fields Trio
Page 9
The Joymakers
Page 10
Belen Escobedo
Page 11
Luke Bulla
Page 12
The Austin Lounge Lizards
Page 13
The Lost Pines
Page 14
Lloyd & April
Page 15
Lost Patterns
Page 16
Last Shot Got Him
Page 17
Alley Grass
Page 18
Festival yoga
Page 20
Westbank String Shop
Page 21
Food at the String Band Festival
Page 22
Our new hats!
Page 23
About the Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Page 2
�Austin, TX. (Sept. 21, 2023) — The hamlet of Driftwood, Texas
(population: 106) will be alive with the sounds of fiddles, banjos and
mandolins on the weekend of October 20th and 21st, when hundreds
of traditional musicians and fans gather for a weekend of pickin’ and
partyin’ at Camp Ben McCulloch, 24 miles southwest of Austin (across
the road from the Salt Lick).
“It’s like our own little ACL Fest, except it’s for old-time, bluegrass, and
other traditional musicians. . . and at a fraction of the cost!” jokes Tim
Wooten, president of host organization Austin Friends of Traditional
Music. Tickets on Friday: $30; Saturday: $45; Weekend pass: $55.
(By comparison, an ACL Festival day pass is $170.)
So, the price may be right, but does the festival have the stars?
The award-winning Daiquiri Queens from Lafayette, Louisiana will be
rocking the main stage with their Cajun grooves on Friday night.
Headlining on Saturday, comedy bluegrass act the Austin Lounge
Lizards, known for such goofball hits as “Jesus Loves Me (But He
Can’t Stand You),” and “Shallow End of the Gene Pool.”
Page 3
�Other dynamic performers include expert fiddlers Luke Bulla (formerly of
Lyle Lovett’s Large Band) and gifted Cherokee musician Nokosee
Fields. The Joymakers will undoubtedly live up to their name as they
delve into the early history of jazz, and Belen Escobedo will present a
rare example of Tejano conjunto music played on the fiddle.
So, yes. . . this family-friendly festival has the stars. But it also has
workshops, food trucks, jugglers, face painting, yoga, and a host of other
activities. Campsites are available - $20 a night. Festival-goers can
bring food and drink with them. No glass containers, and all dogs and
animals of any kind must be left at home (except for service animals).
There is a burn-ban in effect in Hays County - so campfires are not
allowed.
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM) is an all-volunteer nonprofit that has been hard at work promoting and nurturing music and
talent in the central Texas area for almost 50 years. Wimberley’s Sarah
Jarosz - now a major Americana artist on Rounder Records - is among
the many musicians who have benefited from AFTM’s support.
Camp Ben McCulloch is located at 18301 FM 1826 in Driftwood, 24
miles southwest of Austin.
https://aftm.us/events/festivals/2023-austin-string-band-festival
Page 4
�2023 Austin String Band Festival Schedule
Main stage performers in bold type
Mini-set performers in italics
Friday, October 20
6:45 PM
Silver Alert Ramblers (Mini-Set)
7:00 PM
Last Shot Got Him - Square Dance, caller Sharon Isaac
7:45 PM
Two Fosters; One Price (Mini-Set)
8:00 PM
Nokosee Fields Trio
8:45 PM
The Slaughter Creek Drought Busters (Mini-Set)
9:00 PM
Daiquiri Queens
10:00 PM
Two Goat String Band - Square Dance, caller Sharon Isaac
Saturday, October 21
2:00 PM
Lloyd & April
2:45 PM
Stubble in Mind (Mini-Set)
3:00 PM
Luke Bulla
3:45 PM
Creekbed Carter Hogan (Mini-Set)
4:00 PM
Belen Escobedo
4:45 PM
Gordon & Hagins (Mini-Set)
5:00 PM
Alley Grass
5:45 PM
Rusty Nut and the Wheel Ruts (Mini-Set)
6:00 PM
Lost Patterns
6:45 PM
Dog Days String Band (Mini-Set)
7:00 PM
Lost Pines
7:45 PM
George Rios & Friends (Mini-Set)
8:00 PM
Austin Lounge Lizards
8:45 PM
Everett Wren and Bird Calls (Mini-Set)
9:00 PM
Nokosee Fields Trio
10:00 PM
The Joymakers
11:00 PM
Daiquiri Queens
Page 5
�Austin String Band Festival Workshop Schedule
All workshops take place on Saturday, October 21, at 11:00am, 12:00pm, and 1:00pm
For various reasons, workshop times may change so check the website for up to date info
11:00am
Rich MacMath - square-dance workshop - Square dance rule number one is to have fun! Reel, allemande, dosi-do, swing and promenade - learn five figures and you’re ready to dance. We’ll have a caller and live music.
All ages invited and no partner needed.
Lloyd Wright - beginning clawhammer banjo - learn the basics of everyone's favorite instrument from a master
picker
Lindsay Haisley - Autoharp - Lindsay Haisley has been playing autoharp for audiences for about 40
years and was inducted into the Autoharp Hall of Fame in 2004. The subjects covered in this
workshop will largely depend on what the workshop attendees would like to learn, so questions and
feedback will be welcome. Please bring your autoharp, tuned as well as you can get it tuned. A
handout will be provided.
Daiquiri Queens - Louisiana twin fiddling/seconding - learn the techniques and principles behind the great twin
fiddle sound of the Daiquiri Queens
12:00pm
Jacqui Woolley - Cajun dance - waltz, two-step, and jitterbug taught with live Cajun backup music
Nokosee Fields Trio - the art of playing and singing together in a string band
Belen Escobedo - Tejano fiddle traditions, taught by a master fiddler
Daiquiri Queens - Cajun French singing - you don't need to be a native French speaker to sing in French!
1:00pm
Luke Bulla - bluegrass fiddle - Luke will talk about and demonstrate melody and harmony fiddle parts to the
classic Bluegrass tunes, such as Wheelhoss and Roanoke, as taught to him by the great Bobby Hicks during
Luke’s time playing in Ricky Skaggs’ band, Kentucky Thunder.
Sharon Sandomirsky - with Aaron Zischkale and Adam Brodkin
Oldtime backup guitar, with stories about Sharon's history, including her work with the Fuzzy Mountain String
Band
Daiquiri Queens - How to play proper Cajun rhythm, with triangles, guitar
Blake Miller of the Daiquiri Queens - Cajun accordion techniques
10:00 am Sunday
Sunday morning gospel jam - led by Sharon Sandomirsky and Georgia Canfield, in the pavilion
Page 6
�The Daiquiri Queens
Expect a crowded dance floor the minute this lively Cajun quintet
takes the stage on Friday night. Over pumping accordion, bass and
drums float the Cajun French harmonies of Jamie Lynn Fontenot
and Miriam McCracken lamenting the heartbreak and the joy of
everyday life. The ‘Queens won Offbeat Magazine’s 2022 Best
Cajun Artist Award, and are regulars on the festival circuit.
https://thedaiquiriqueens.com/bio
https://www.facebook.com/OldtoneMusicFestival/
videos/925480084466329/
Page 7
�The Nokosee Fields Trio
After a childhood of classical violin in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Nokosee
Fields shifted his focus towards the old-time musical sounds of his great
uncle, the celebrated Cherokee fiddler Sam O’Field. Nokosee is now
himself a celebrated young, old-time fiddler, known for his precision,
tone and extensive repertoire. All of this impressed the 2019 Clifftop
Fiddle Contest judges. . . who awarded him first place.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PznS-9p7XQ
Page 8
�The Joymakers
Texas jazz, blues, ragtime and old time roots will be on full display
when this powerhouse of traditional musicians arrives on the String
Band stage. The aptly-named Joymakers came together earlier this
year when two groups - Hancock’s Jazz Serenaders, and The
Revelators - joined forces. With an album already underway for New
York label Turtle Bay Records, and talk of a post-release midwestern
tour, the Joymakers are off to a roaring start to their career. “Texas
style jazz, or jazz from the territories (i.e. not NYC, Chicago, or New
Orleans),” is bandleader Colin Hancock’s favorite description of their
sound. And not to be missed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak0su5OOTnA
Page 9
�Belen Escobedo
Belen Escobedo plays traditional Tejano conjunto music on a fiddle
(rather than an accordion), and might be the only living person doing
that. Early on, during her childhood in San Antonio’s south side,
Belen was given a fiddle by her school, and it quickly became the
center of her life. For 30 years she lit the spark of music in the
children of her city, running school band and orchestra programs.
Belen’s musical achievements were officially recognized in 2017
when she received theTexas Master Fiddler award.
https://youtu.be/nl2b10ckiDg
Page 10
�Luke Bulla
Luke Bulla
Luke grew up performing in his family’s band, and by the time he
reached 16 he had become something of a hotshot fiddling prodigy,
and proved it by winning the “Grand Champion” title at the National
Fiddle Championship! Since then, Luke has shared stages and
studios with Earl Scruggs, Alison Krauss, Lyle Lovett and Bela Fleck
and a host of other luminaries - as well as having a career as a solo
artist - which is how he will perform at the festival.
https://lukebulla.bandcamp.com/track/temperance-reel
https://lukebulla.com/music/
Page 11
�The Austin Lounge Lizards
For 43 years "the most laughable band in show business" has
been serving up its wondrous blend of hot bluegrass and
stinging parody, in songs such as “Jesus Loves Me (But He
Can’t Stand You.)” and “Shallow End of the Gene Pool.”
Commented critic Ned Raggett, “As a band, they're able to take
in everything from Bob WIlls style western swing to straight
country. . . from start to finish, a perfect delight.”
https://youtu.be/NucVQO0t92o
Page 12
�The Lost Pines
Formed in 2007 as a partnership between Talia Bryce and Christian
Ward, this charming bluegrass/Texas country treasure has been
delighting audiences ever since. “Great singing, great musicianship, and
great songwriting,” was the assessment of one Bluegrass Unlimited
critic. More simply, Lloyd Maines (producer of their album “Sweet
Honey”) put it this way: “Lost Pines music is the good stuff.”
https://www.reverbnation.com/thelostpines
Page 13
�Lloyd and April
“Foot stomping, caterwauling, family fun!” is how the Wrights
describe their music. April grew up singing shaped-note songs from
“The Heavenly Highway” in a backwoods East Texas church. Lloyd
shared April’s interest in shaped note music, along with a curiosity
about stringband music from western North Carolina. Together they
blend family harmony, country gospel, raucous fiddle tunes, and
sweet renditions of old country ballads. They even started their own
festival - the flourishing Old Mill Music Festival in their East Texas
home town of Kennard - a highlight of their careers.
https://youtu.be/o2WBnLr4OLE
Page 14
�Lost Patterns
Over fiddles, banjos, mandolins, and guitars, Beth Chrisman and
Silas Lowe’s voices bring earthy grit to the lonesome, lowdown
backroads of acoustic Americana. 2023 has been a busy one for
the duo.They took their show on the road to Norway this summer,
and upon their return, released their debut album in August. “Laidback, front porch picking perfect for a summer night,” was Austin
Chronicle critic Doug Freeman’s assessment of the Patterns
sound.
https://www.lostpatternsmusic.com/bio
https://lostpatterns.bandcamp.com/album/lost-patterns
Page 15
�Last Shot Got Him
Jerry Hagins, banjo master
This string band of locals think of themselves as “old friends playing new
tunes in an old way.” Many were written by celebrated fiddler Garry
Harrison (1954 - 2012). This instrumental quartet took its name from a
1920s fiddle tune, written as a humorous response to Mississippi John
Hurt’s “First Shot Missed Him.” Featuring Tim Keough on fiddle; Jerry
Hagins, banjo; Ethan Azarian, guitar; and Brink Melton on bass.
Page 16
�Alley Grass
Alley Grass
This family band describes itself as “a celebration of bluegrass and old
country.” From their home in Lockhart, Texas, Ben and Jenn Hodges
(of Fiddler’s Green Music Shop) and Amanda Jo Chisholm decided
one day to combine their musical passions and talents, and created
the band Alley Grass. Since then they have played far and wide “for
audiences from west of the Frio River to downtown Austin and back
home again.“ Fiddler Ian Stewart will join them on-stage at the festival,
along with French banjo player Theo Lawrence.
Page 17
�Two Goat String Band
The Two Goat String Band is Austin's newest old time ensemble they made their debut at the Sahara Lounge in east Austin last
December, as part of the KOOP-FM ongoing series, Lonesome
NIghts at the Sahara!
Page 18
�Festival Yoga at the String Band Festival!
Lucy's Yoga Class this summer at the Grey Fox Festival in New York State!
A new highlight at this year’s Austin String Band Festival will be a Saturday
morning yoga class with Lucy Weberling, whose Festival Yoga is a valued part
of music festivals around the country. Lucy regularly leads yoga classes at the
MBOTMA festival in Minnesota and the Grey Fox Festival in New York State,
and in past years, she has lead yoga classes at the Old Settlers Music Festival,
when it was held right here at Camp Ben.
Two great loves in Lucy’s live are acoustic music and yoga, and she has found
a way to express them both through Festival Yoga!
Lucy welcomes everyone to her Festival Yoga sessions, from beginners to
seasoned practitioners of yoga. If you have a yoga mat, bring it. If not, a nice
thick blanket will do. Wear comfortable clothing and be prepared for a
wonderful experience!
Festival Yoga will take place at the ASBF on Saturday morning, October 21, at
10:00 am in the main pavilion if front of the stage. See you there!
Page 19
�Lucy Weberling, Yoga instructor and dedicated picker!
Lucy in Action at the MBOTMA festival in Minnesota!
Page 20
�Westbank String Shop at the String Band Festival!
Again this year, the Austin String Band Festival is proud to announce that
Todd Sloan from the Westbank String Shop will set up his fiddle repair
facility at the festival! He'll be there both Friday and Saturday to do setup
and minor repair work to fiddles in need of his experienced touch. He'll
have a selection of musical accessories avallable for sale, also.
The Westbank String Shop is a great friend of the String Band Festival,
and having Todd's presence on the campground is a real plus!
Page 21
�Food at the Austin String Band Festival
Texas Street Crepes will return to the String Band Festival this year, with
their delicious sweet and savory crepes, and more!
We're pleased to welcome Big Frank's Tacos to the String Band Festival,
really delicious Mexican fare!
Page 22
�There Will Be Hats!
For the first time ever, the Austin String Band Festival will have an official
hat, available for purchase at the Merchandise Booth in four colors!
Since this is our first attempt at a festival hat, we didn't order too many so,
if you want one (and of course you do) you better make your selection
early in the weekend!
Of course, we'll have a new ASBF t-shirt this year, and some really
dynamic t-shirts for the younger set!
Page 23
�The Reel Times is published quarterly by the Austin Friends of
Traditional Music, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Texas nonprofit corporation.
Contributions are deductible as charitable and educational donations.
AFTM Board of Directors
Tim Wooten, President
Lee Thomas, Vice President
Angie Wooten, Secretary
Rich MacMath, Treasurer
James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator
Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor, Festival Director
Nana Lopez, Dance Liaison
Jeanne DeFriese, At Large
Dan Foster, At Large
Matt Welch, At Large
Tom Duplissey, At Large
Darrel Mayers, At Large
Austin Friends of Traditional Music
P.O. Box 49608
Austin, TX 78765
Click here for
Membership info
Click
here for AFTM
website
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664
�
Dublin Core
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Reel Times
Creator
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Gary Mortenson
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Volume
49
Number
4
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2023-10
Creator
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Gary Mortenson
Title
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Reel Times - Volume 49, Number 4
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Gary Mortenson
-
http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/288/newsletter-49-03-2023-07.pdf
5ca1def2f759e948596ed145a29a7977
PDF Text
Text
Reel Times
Newsletter of
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music
Vol. 49, Number 3, July 2023
The Daiquiri Queens from Lafayette, Louisiana
are coming to the Austin String Band Festival!
October 20 & 21, 2023
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, Texas
�Table of Contents
Page 3
Save the date(s)!
Page 4
16th Annual Austin String Band Festival
Page 5
The Ken Waldman and Jerry Hagins Banjo Show
Page 8
"Banjo Builder" - a poem by Ken Waldman
Page 9
Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Then and Now
Page 13 The AFTM at Lonesome Nights at the Sahara
Page 14 Swedish MidSummer Festival in Austin
Page 15 Mark Lewis - a remembrance, by Jerry Hagins
Page 16 AFTM Scholarchip
Page 17 About the AFTM
Page 2
�Save the date(s)!
The AFTM has three (can't miss 'em) events
coming up in the next several months, so mark your
calendars now!
July 26, 2023
Lonesome Nights at the Sahara - see page 13
October 20 - 22, 2023
The Austin String Band Festival - see page 4
April 26 - 28, 2024
The AFTM Camp Jam at Camp Ben McCulloch
Page 3
�16th Annual Austin String Band Festival!
October 20 - 22, 2023
Mark you calendars!
The 16th Annual Austin String Band Festival is coming up on the
weekend of October 20 - 22, 2023, at Camp Ben McCulloch in nearby
Driftwood, TX. Join us for a weekend of music, camping, jamming,
dancing, and friends!
This family-friendly festival brings together musicians and roots music
enthusiasts from Central Texas and beyond. In addition to two stages of
live string band performances, there'll be dances, workshops, kids'
activities, tons of campsite jamming and, for the first time, Festival Yoga!
This year, we're excited to welcome the Daiquiri Queens from Lafayette,
LA to the String Band Festival!
The Daiquiri Queens are fronted by guitarists Jamie Lynn Fontenot and
Miriam McCracken, and they bring a fresh new take and style to
traditional Louisiana French music! Their sibling-like harmonies, paired
with the seasoned playing of accordionist John Dowden and fiddler
Tysman Charpentier, infuse their music with a homespun and energizing
feel. Chelsea Moosekian provides the drums in the rhythm section.
If you've never attended the Austin String Band Festival, you're missing a
real treat! The String Band Festival is a truly relaxed, uncrowded and
joyful affair; the campground is bucolic, the stage shows are riveting, the
workshops are fascinating, and campground picking is sublime!
It's no wonder that many Austin area acoustic music fans and musicians
consider the String Band Festival their favorite festival!
Stay up to date on festival developments at our website:
aftm.us
Page 4
�Ken Waldman and Jerry Hagins Banjo Show
Ken Waldman, Alaska’s Fiddling Poet, and local banjo guy Jerry Hagins put on a special show
in April at Camp EZ in South Austin. It was a little different from most of their shows because
Jerry arrived with a bunch of banjo parts but no playable banjo; this was on purpose! During
Ken’s presentation of stories and poems about Alaska and beyond, Jerry put a neck on a banjo
rim, added a bridge, tuned it up, and joined Ken on a couple of fiddle tunes. Ken wrote a special
poem about the event, “Banjo Builder”; read it on page 7.
Jerry then took the head off the banjo and put a different kind on, while Ken played fiddle and
recited some of his string band poems. Jerry tuned up the second banjo incarnation and they
concluded with a couple more tunes.
Ken and Jerry have been performing and recording together for close to a quarter century now.
They met after the poetry magazine Jerry co-edited, Nerve Cowboy, published some of Ken’s
poems. You can see what they normally do here: https://youtu.be/Ew9okH59Ue8
A good overview of Ken’s music and writing activities can be found at www.kenwaldman.com
Page 5
�Jerry Hagins, Austin's Favorite Banjo Player
Page 6
�Ken Waldman, Alaska'a Fiddling Poet
Page 7
�Banjo Builder
for Jerry Hagins
I
Begin, but not with bench, tools, parts, uninterrupted time, a willingness to make something
new, something so many others won't understand.
Begin with gravity, yes, somewhere on earth, preferably a dry, level spot.
Begin, and be ready to explore.
II
A short (and incomplete) list: screwdriver, wrench, capo, long ruler, brackets, rim, skin head
(plastic?), bridge, tailpiece, strings, neck, curiosity, patience, obsession.
Are we forgetting something? No matter, we'll figure it out as we go.
III
No joke, this is solo, but not lonely, work.
Some days we'll be listening to string-band music made by a friend, or by a master, or by
someone who has passed away (all those can be the same person).
Some days we'll prefer silence, a steady rippling of notes from within.
There are choices within choices within choices.
There may be a deadline, but there is no rush.
IV
We recall experience, memory, our first teacher, others who have come along with a helpful
word, an idea, a question.
We recall places: a closet, a room, a shop, a tent, a shady place, a stage. Then we recall faces:
dancers, listeners, the very old, the very young.
We recall eating and not eating, drinking and not drinking, illness and health.
We recall where this pot came from. That head. With every part, a story. Every finished
instrument, we understand, is a book.
V
Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We've got work to do. We might first take one apart, loosening
strings, brackets, careful as we go. Screwdriver. Wrench. Or maybe we're already set to
go, a box or sack of parts. Every instrument is the same and different. Decisions. Don't
misplace anything. If you do, don't fret.
VI
A reminder of an African heritage. Giraffe, elephant, lion. Rhino, hippo, cheetah, hyena, gorilla,
chimpanzee. Ardvaark, zebra.
VII
Skin head? (Plastic?) Bridge? New strings? Such shininess! Modern. Ancient. Tighten strings.
Play a few notes. Drop thumb. Tighten. Loosen. Adjust. Play a few more notes. Yes. Find
a fiddler. Play.
Page 8
�Ramblin' Jack Elliott, at the wheel of a Peterbilt!
Minneapolis, 1974
see Ramblin’ Jack Elliott himself playing tunes
“Ramblin’ Jack Elliott is coming to Austin!”
in the normally staid museum registrar’s office!
A local appearance from the folk music legend It seems that Jack was friends with a fellow
is big news for all of us who have followed his who was designing installations in our museum
music over the years but, for me, the news
and Jack was in Minneapolis for a gig later that
brought back special memories from nearly fifty night.
years ago.
I shot some photos during that impromptu
In 1974 I was the photographer for a major art performance and had a chance to chat with the
museum in Minnesota, and my days were
very personable Mr. Elliott. He mentioned that
normally spent photographing artworks of all
another interest of his was trucks, especially
kinds – paintings, sculpture, etc.
the big semis travelled the highways of the
One morning, though, a colleague suggested
country.
that I stick my head in the office next to mine;
Well, it just so happened that on that day an art
someone was playing the guitar!
shipment was arriving at the Walker Art Center,
I checked out this rumor and was stunned to
the other museum across Minneapolis.
Page 9
�Craig and Ellen listen attentively!
Those of us who had gathered to hear Jack
perform decided that a field trip was in order,
and we happily abandoned our usual
responsibilities and made the short trip across
town!
When we arrived, the big Peterbilt truck was
already outside the loading dock, and the truck
driver was happy to entertain an audience of
interested museum workers. Jack asked if he
could sit in the driver’s seat, and the truck
driver gladly opened the door. I got in the other
side of the cab and took a photo of the very
happy Jack Elliott at the wheel.
After a few minutes, though, we concluded that
we all had played hooky long enough and that
we ought to return to the less exciting reality of
our daily tasks.
Back to 2023, I decided I needed to ask
Ramblin’ Jack to autograph an 8x10 print of the
photograph I took of him in the cab of the
Peterbilt back in 1974. The challenge would be
finding the print! I spent a few evenings going
through boxes and boxes of 8x10 photographs
that I’ve accumulated in my decades as a
photographer. It took three evenings to finally
come across the photo I was looking for, but I
found it, with a few others from that day!
I hadn’t seen Jack Elliott since that day in 1974
and, when I heard that he would be appearing
in Austin, I promptly ordered tickets for the
event, a screening of the multiple awardwinning film, The Ballad Of Ramblin’ Jack, at
the Austin Film Society. The film was directed
by Jack’s daughter, Aiyana, and is a truly
wonderful documentary film!
The screening was most enjoyable and was
followed with a Q & A session featuring Jack
himself and his daughter, Aiyana. I decided to
wait to show Jack the photo until he took his
position at the merchandise table. I got in line
and waited my turn.
Now, Jack Elliott is in his early nineties and has
had countless gigs and road trips since the
photo was taken; I didn’t have high
expectations that he would remember anything
about that day in Minneapolis. But the instant
Page 10
�he saw the photo of himself at the wheel of the
truck, he recounted more details or that
moment that I could remember myself!
Jack remembered that the truck was a Peterbilt,
and that the driver of the truck was making his
last run due to a deteriorating back condition.
Jack also remembered the name of the
exhibition designer who brought him to the
museum in the first place (a name I had
completely forgotten) and even remembered
the eccentric details of the that fellow’s beard
(he had braided it into a watch fob!).
We chatted for a few minutes about the events
of a day almost fifty years ago, and Jack’s
recall was as if it had been yesterday. I gave
Jack a print of the photo of him in the truck and
he was kind enough to sign the print that I kept.
People were waiting in line to visit with Jack, so
I didn’t keep him long, I was satisfied to get his
autograph and to share memories from long
ago!
Gary Mortensen
Jack sings a tune, to the delight of the museum registrar!
Page 11
�The author and Ramblin' Jack, with the photo from 1974
Page 12
�The Two Goat String Band
Our good friends at KOOP-FM have once again invited us to
participate in their performance series,
Lonesome Nights at the Sahara!
Last December, the AFTM "curated" the show and featured the duo
Lost Patterns (Beth Chrisman and Silas Lowe) and the talented trio,
Two Fosters, One Price.
A great time was had by all and we'll do it again on July 26, 2023 at
the beautiful Sahara Lounge!
The July show will feature the debut performance of the Two Goat
String Band at 7:00pm, followed by The Joymakers at 8:30pm.
The Sahara Lounge is located at 1413 Webberville Road in East
Austin.
Page 13
�Swedish MidSummer Festival in Austin!
Swedish American heritage in Austin was celebrated in June, with a MidSummer Festival at
the historic Old Bakery & Emporium near the state capitol.
Mira Dickey and Ian Files played exquisite fiddle duets, and The Norrsken Three (Kim
Simpson, Paul Klemperer, and Chris Jones) performed lively Swedish songs!
Page 14
�Mark Lewis - a Rememberance
by Jerry Hagins
I met Mark Lewis at the Austin String Band Festival back in 2008 or 2009. For several years
that was the only place I saw him; it was always a treat to see him there. Mark was always up
for tunes. He loved the old ones and jumped in on the new ones. He was happy to switch to
guitar when one was needed.
He was a good singer too. At Camp Ben last year our group took a break from fiddle tunes and
Mark and Beth Chrisman took turns singing sweet old country rock songs from our formative
days.
We put a little band together for the Friday night square dance at the festival. Mark came up
with the band name, Funion Creek. It’s one of my favorite band names ever. It was a great
dance.
My friend Rick and I went to visit him in Terlingua last December. This was about six months
after his near-death cardiac arrest in the summer 2022. He was living life every day, L-I-V-I-N.
We played a lot of tunes, drank beers, watched stars, and told stories. He said he had one
obligation while we were there – to sing Ripple at a memorial service for a friend who had
passed. All of old Terlingua was there in that funky cemetery on the hill. Everyone joined in. It
was incredibly moving. I mentioned to Mark that it could easily have been his ashes in the jar.
He smiled and said he was all right with that. Beth sang Ripple at Mark’s memorial pick at
Sagebrush in Austin.
Mark loved all kinds of music, he loved building yurts, he loved the rivers (all of them), he loved
the desert. He was a quiet expert in all of those areas, and a fine guide for enjoying every day.
The next time we get together to pick, let’s play a tune for Mark.
Page 15
�2023 AFTM Scholarships
AFTM Scholarships
Each year the Austin Friends of Traditional Music makes available a scholarship to promising musicians
and dancers who wish to further their studies of old time music and dance.
2023 Scholarships
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM) is now offering to pay tuition, housing, and meals for
attendance at the Swannanoa Gathering Old Time Week, This is a one-week training opportunity for
traditional musicians.
Alternatively, an applicant may select on-line musical training from the recommended list of providers on
our website, or may propose an alternative training opportunity for board approval. The musical training
may be for any instrument (or voice) but must be traditional in nature.
Scholarship amount
The amount of financial assistance is limited to $1,070 for the Swannanoa Gathering Old Time Week, or
$200 per scholarship for on-line training. The board may decide to provide less than the maximum
assistance. The scholarship will consist of a one-time tuition payment on behalf of the selected applicant
(s). If the scholarship amount is insufficient to pay the total required tuition, any remainder of the tuition
cost and any other costs associated with the training are the sole responsibility of the selected
applicant.
Scolarship requirements
To be considered for a scholarship the applicant must be an AFTM member and provide:
the name and address of the applicant,
the training entity’s name and contact information,
the amount of tuition requested,
a brief written explanation of the applicant’s current musical skill level, why the applicant wants to take
the on-line musical training, and how the training would benefit the applicant.
AFTM memberships can be initiated or renewed online at the AFTM JoinIt page.
Application information may be e-mailed to AFTMTexas@gmail.com.
Page 16
�The Reel Times is published quarterly by the Austin Friends of
Traditional Music, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt Texas nonprofit corporation.
Contributions are deductible as charitable and educational donations.
AFTM Board of Directors
Tim Wooten, President
Lee Thomas, Vice President
Angie Wooten, Secretary
Rich MacMath, Treasurer
James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator
Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor, Festival Director
Nana Lopez, Dance Liaison
Jeanne DeFriese, At Large
Dan Foster, At Large
Matt Welch, At Large
Tom Duplissey, At Large
Austin Friends of Traditional Music
P.O. Box 49608
Austin, TX 78765
Click here for
Membership info
Click
here for AFTM
website
https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Reel Times
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gary Mortenson
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Volume
49
Number
3
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2023-07
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Gary Mortenson
Title
A name given to the resource
Reel Times - Volume 49, Number 3
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Gary Mortenson