4 15 121 http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/272/newsletter-45-01-2019-01.pdf aa5b445639f1ccdfb24c805161bc0a17 PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music Vol. 45, Number 05, Winter 2019 The Hardanger Fiddle in Austin �Table of Contents Mira Dickey - Hardanger Fiddler Page 3 2019 Midwinter Festival Page 5 Instrument Swap Page 6 AFTM Barn Dance Page 7 Central Texas 5 String Forum Page 8 4th Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling Page 10 Batch - New AFTM Meeting & Jam Venue Page 11 About the AFTM Page 12 Page 2 �Mira Dickey, Austin's Hardanger Fiddler Austin fiddler Mira Dickey remembers the first time she heard the sound of the Hardanger fiddle. It was an online audio track that she stumbled upon, and she was transfixed. “I fell completely in love with the sound of it, it was enchanting to me!”, she remembers. The sound Mira heard, Hardanger fiddle, is a traditional Norwegian music, played on an instrument with significant differences from a conventional violin. The Hardanger fiddle has four main strings, like a fiddle, but also has an additional five strings which are not fingered, but run under the fingerboard and vibrate sympathetically with the other strings. The name Hardanger comes from a district in western Norway, where the music is believed to have originated. Page 3 �Mira was no stranger to violin music, having been born and raised in Austin in a musical family; her mother is a classical violinist and her father plays Mexican and South American folk music. Mira started violin lessons at age four but never had the passion for classical music and stopped playing the violin at age seventeen. A few years later, she became intrigued by old time music, initially playing the mandolin before switching to fiddle, and using the skills she had developed as a child. Mira prefers learning music by ear rather than by reading music, and felt right at home absorbing the old time styles and techniques. Her exposure to Hardanger fiddle, though, encouraged her to start attending monthly Scandinavian dances in Austin, where a friend told her of an actual Hardanger fiddle in Austin. Mira was able to borrow the instrument and begin the process of learning to play in the traditional Norwegian style. Her interest in Hardanger fiddle has led to her study Swedish fiddle tunes, as well. Mira has learned the Norwegian music primarily by ear, but has taken Skype lessons with an instructor in the Washington, D.C. area, and attended Scandinavial music camps, as well. Mira is a very active Austin musician, with her Scandinavian fiddling, playing in a rock band, and exploring Irish music, while remaining active in the old time scene. At last year’s AFTM Midwinter Festival, Mira played a set of Hardanger tunes, to the great delight of the appreciative audience! Happily, she will perform again at the upcoming Midwinter Festival, to be held for the second year at Life in the City, 205 E Monroe St, in Austin on February 9, 2019. Page 4 �AFTM Midwinter Festival February 9, 2019 Click on the photo to see volunteer opportunities! As it was last year, the annual AFTM Midwinter Festival will be held at Life in the City, 205 E Monroe St, in Austin. The date for this coming year's MWF is February 9,2019. The MWF features performances by Austin area traditional music performers, with an emphasis on the diverse cultures represented in our area. Workshops on various instruments, dancing, and singing go on all day long, and jamming is encouraged! Volunteers for this year's festival are needed - click on the photo above to get to the volunteer page! Check the AFTM website, aftm.us, for specifics about the performers and workshops offered this year. This year's Midwinter Festival is sponsored in part by a Core II Grant from the City of Austin! Page 5 �Instrument Swap!!! This year's Midwinter Festival will feature something we've never done before: an Instrument Swap! Local banjo player and instructor, Jerry Hagins, came up with the idea of an instrument swap for the Austin String Band Festival last October, but the iffy weather prevented us from trying it at that time. Here's how it will work: Each seller will be responsible for tagging the instrument with sale price and contact info, and also will provide an instrument stand for each instrument. The sellers will also need to pick up the instruments when the table closes, probably around 8:00 pm. Each seller will be required to staff the table for one hour minimum, and would be responsible for making sure no instruments "walk". The number of participating sellers will determine for how long the Instrument Swap is open. Sales would be negotiated directly between buyer and seller, so the person staffing the table won't have to deal with the transaction or keep track of money. The person staffing the table will call or text the seller, and they will meet up and do the deed. Pretty much all musical instruments will be elibible for the Instrument Swap, and musical accessories such as preamps and D. I. boxes will be accepted, as well. The AFTM is requesting that each seller would donate 5% of their sales to the AFTM. If you're interrested in contributing an item to the Instrument Swap, we ask that you contact Jerry Hagins in advance, so we know how much space to allot. He can be reached by email at: jwhagins@sbcglobal.net Page 6 �The AFTM Barn Dance! Click photo to see more photos from the November 16 AFTM Barn Dance! The November 16 AFTM Barn Dance at Life in the City was a great success! Check the AFTM website, aftm.us, for the date and location of the next Barn Dance. Page 7 �The Central Texas 5-string Forum Chuck Middleton welcomes the group at the October, 2018 gathering The Central Texas 5-String Forum was started in October 2017 and has held four meetings since then. It grew from an idea that the great Alan Munde discussed with Chuck Middleton in early 2017. The last meeting was in October 2018. The group aims to meet quarterly, and the next meeting will be held on February 24, 2019. The mission of the CT5SF is simple. The CT5SF encourages its members to give presentations on anything related to the 5string banjo. Then the members jam afterwards and welcome players of other instruments to join us. Meetings are held at members’ homes in the Central Texas area (up until now Austin and Wimberley, but they would love someone to host in the San Antonio area the in future). Page 8 �Alan Munde demonstrates how he develops ideas on the banjo The most recent gathering of the CT5SF took place in October at a member’s residence in Austin. Chuck Middleton welcomed the group, Al Morgan gave a presentation on the banjo styles of Tony Ellis, Alan Munde demonstrated how he develops new ideas on the banjo, and Eddie Collins spoke about his participation in the induction ceremonies at the American Banjo Museum and Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. The CT5SF welcome all types of 5-string players, including bluegrass, clawhammer, melodic, newgrass, single- string and classical. They especially want to reach out to folks who play clawhammer banjo in the AFTM old-time scene! For information about the upcoming February 24 meeting or to get on the CT5SF mailing list, email Chuck Middleton at clydemiddleton68@gmail.com. Page 9 �4th Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling The AFTM was proud tp be a sponsor of the 4th Annual Festival of Texas Fiddling, held at the Twin Sisters dance hall in Blanco, TX on December 1. It was a wellattended and highly successful event with dance sets, showcase concerts, and workshops held throughout the day by master fiddlers playing Old Time, Western Swing, Contest Style, Texas Polish, Huapango Arribeño, Creole, Neo-Traditional, Texas-Argentine, Cajun, and TexasMexican (Tejano). Bobby Flores and the Yellow Rose Band capped off the Festival with a Western Swing dance on Saturday night. Page 10 �Batch Starting January 13, the AFTM Monthly Meeting and Jam will take place at a new venue, Batch, located at 3220 Manor Road in Austin! Batch Craft Beer and Kolaches is an Austin, family-owned and operated kolache bakery, taproom, and retail craft beer shop. The pastry chefs at Batch elevate the classic Central Texas Czech pastry to gourmet status by teaming up with Micklethwait Craft Meats and local fruit vendors. Additionally, Batch offers a full espresso and coffee program through a partnership with Greater Goods Roasting. As always, the AFTM Monthly Meeting and Jam happens on the second Sunday of each month – the meeting commences at 12:30 PM and the jam starts around 2:00 PM. In January, 2019 that means Sunday, January 13. See you there! Page 11 �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 Angie Wooten, Vice President Cheryl Dehut, Treasurer James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne DeFriese, Events Coordinator Brit Irick, Outreach Coordinator Mike Savercool, Membership Coordinator Joanna Saucedo, Social Media Coordinator Terry SoRelle, Webmaster Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor Dan Foster, At Large Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 Austin, TX 78765 Click here for Click here for AFTM website https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664 Membership info � 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 45 Number 1 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 2019-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 45, Number 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/271/newsletter-44-04-2018-10.pdf 23086f3e7e85a054d4f5cddfd9c0bb05 PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music Vol. 44, Number 04, Fall 2018 Wood & Wire The Onlies, with Vivian Leva Performing at the thirteenth annual Austin String Band Festival Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, TX October 19 - 21 �Many Volunteer Spots Still Available! The Austin String Band Festival is almost upon us! This year the festival takes place on October 19 - 21, and the sign-up for volunteer slots has begun. Regular volunteers get a one day pass to the festival, for either festival day! Just click on the above photo of Jenn and the Corn Ponies playing at the ASBF and you'll be transported to our sign-up page! Page 2 �Some thoughts about the ASBF So, why do so many acoustic music fans love the Austin String Band Festival? Because the ASBF has so much going for it! If your idea of a fun festival experience is sitting in a comfortable setting listening to great string music performances, the ASBF is for you. But, if you’re more inclined to hang at your campsite and make your own music with friends, you’ll have a lot of company and meet new pickers at the ASBF. Perhaps dancing is your thing - the ASBF has dancing every night, with great live bands providing the music and fun dance callers. Are you an RV or tent camper? Camp Ben is a truly beautiful setting, and the October weather is sublime. There are plenty of shaded campsites with electricity and all kinds of tent camping along the creek. Trees are everywhere and Onion Creek should be at its bubbling best. If you don’t have time to shop for groceries or for preparing meals at your campsite, you can eat delicious, healthy food all weekend long at The Café, run by Sara Weber. Maybe you’d like to learn more about playing your instrument or about traditional music itself? There’ll be a great variety of workshops held on Saturday afternoon. If your mobility is limited, you’ll be pleased to note that the performance venue is just a few steps from the parking area. For Austin area residents, Camp Ben is just minutes away, though some ASBF regulars drive hundreds of miles each year to enjoy the festival. And, if you’re on a budget, ASBF tickets and camping fees are very, very reasonable. Page 3 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Wood & Wire It's been five years now since Wood & Wire sprouted out of the rich musical soil of Austin, Texas. In that time, they've written music, recorded albums, and performed at some of the most notable festivals and venues across the country. In the often tightly defined genre of bluegrass music, Wood & Wire's "band-style" ethos is not unheard of. Nor are the elements of song crafting, so often associated with their Texas home, that permeate their sound. That said, what comes out of the Wood & Wire blender is something entirely its own. Page 4 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Click on the photo for a great video of this band! The Onlies with Vivian Leva The Onlies began as a trio of lifelong friends and musical collaborators who realized early on that they shared a fascination with traditional fiddle music. Leo Shannon, Samantha Braman, and Riley Calcagno started making music together at age seven (2005), and quickly became immersed in fiddle music and tradition in their home of Seattle, down the West Coast, and across the world. In recent years, they have developed their sound with the addition of Vivian Leva, an acclaimed talent of old-time, country, and Americana. The Onlies have developed an individual sound, with original songs that “demonstrate an enviable ability to move beyond the immediacy of their lives to touch at deeper truths, and...covers of traditional songs and tunes that harken back to the original but are unleashed with the kind of wild, free abandon that only youth provides!” Page 5 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Felipe Perez with Rudy Calderon and Virginio Castillo Felipe Perez, Rudy Calderon and Virginio Castillo are legendary musicians as well as some of the most versatile players to come out of the conjunto homeland of South Texas. They have forged a sound that combines old school traditional conjunto with a progressive sensibility. Page 6 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Clara and the Broken Barrel Stringband Click on the photo for a great video of this band! Clara and the Broken Barrel Stringband is an oldtime/classic country band lead by Clara Delfina, that is made up of Jake Blount, Haakon Oyen, and Landon George. These young folkies came together over a love of the culturally diverse musical tradition that comes from early America. They love nothing more than singing dark old ballads, heartbreaking country songs, and fiddle tunes that'll force you out of your chair and on to the dance floor! Page 7 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Cory McCauley and His Evangeline Aces, with Peter Schwarz Cory McCauley plays traditional Cajun music going back to an era when musicians would gather together for house dances or just to play. The name "Evangeline Aces" is a combination of the names of two of McCauley's favorite bands, Austin Pitre's Evangeline Playboys and Lawrence Walker's Wandering Aces. The vocal and musical styles of The Evangeline Aces evoke an earlier era, but the sense of commitment and feeling the group brings to their music makes the songs come alive for listeners today! Page 8 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview The Frauleins The Frauleins are Austin’s newest roots trio, playing old-time, bluegrass and country with sisterlike harmony, a two-stepping beat and banjo to boot! This collaboration of longtime friends features: Jenn Miori Hodges - guitar, Beth Chrisman - fiddle & banjo, Amanda Jo Chisholm - bass Page 9 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview The Double Eagle String Band The Double Eagle String Band plays old-time music from Texas to Appalachia. With guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, harmonica and mandolin, they’re handing down the tunes and songs they inherited from their musical elders. Page 10 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview The Barn Owls The Barn Owls play Old-Time music from the Appalachian region of the US, circa late 1800's and early 1900's. These fiddlebased tunes were heavy influences on the bluegrass, folk and acoustic scene of the mid-1900's. The tunes were often the backbone of a community square dance, where a 'stringband' would provide the music for a dance caller to coach the to and fro. Additionally, the tunes lived and breathed in the remote areas of the Eastern United States and were passed down through generations by ear, before recording technology existed. The instrumentation includes all acoustic instruments: Trent Shepherd on fiddle, Jerry Hagins on 5-string banjo, Joe Dobbs on guitar, and Brink Melton on standup bass. Page 11 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Ryan Gould and the Little Kings Over the last fifteen+ years, JD Pendley, Lauryn Gould, Erik Hokkanen, and Ryan Gould have collaborated numerous times to create some of the most endearing and exciting danceable art. Each draws from a wide variety of musical explorations; each deeply devoted to serving and cultivating the great spirit of music; each honoring the others and all those who participate in the exchange. Page 12 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Rollfast Ramblers The Rollfast Ramblers dial it back to a time when people came out to dance to music. Describing their music as Western Swing isn’t descriptive enough for the Ramblers. They get back to the roots of Western Swing, pre-1940’s. The whole idea is to take the same approach those as those country folks in the early 20th century trying to play Jazz, Blues, Conjunto, Swing mixed with Appalachian Folk and Pioneer Fiddle Tunes. But, Rollfast Ramblers is not music that you have to study to enjoy. Let’s all hum a tune, clap, tap our feet and most of all let’s all dance! Page 13 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Square dance callers T-Claw from Louisville, KY Sharon Isaac from Austin, TX Page 14 �2018 ASBF Schedule Friday October 19 Dance 'til You Drop Night 7pm Clara and the Broken Barrel Stringband with T-Claw, caller Southern square dance with fun old time music 8:30pm Roll Fast Ramblers Vintage western swing, Lockhart favorites 9:45pm The Onlies with T-Claw, caller Killer Square Dance with hard driving Young Old Time Saturday, October 20 2pm Ryan Gould and the Little Kings Exciting dance music of 1920s- 30s jazz and swing 3pm Double Eagle String Band CD Release Celebration of old-time, old country/western, ballads and breakdowns 4pm Cory McCauley and His Evangeline Aces, with Peter Schwarz The best of traditional Cajun dance music of SW Louisiana 5pm Clara & The Broken Barrel Stringband Tight-knit old time and country music from a well traveled young band 6pm The Frauleins Old time, bluegrass, & country, with tight sister harmonies 7pm The Barn Owls with Sharon Isaac, caller Austin’s beloved old time square dance band and caller 8pm Felipe Perez with Rudy Calderon, Virginio Castillo Legendary traditional conjunto accordion, bajo sexto, & tololoche artists from San Antonio 9pm Wood & Wire Outstanding Austin hard driving bluegrass with country flair 10pm The Onlies Expert traditional old time songs and tunes unleashed with wild, free abandon that only youth provides! 11:15ish Crazy Late Night Square Dance with The Onlies and Clara’s Broken Barrel buddies, with T-Claw calling Stay up late for this super fun thing, and dance like crazy! Chaos Rules! Music - Dancing - Good Eats Mini-Sets between all acts both days Workshops, Big Jams, Little Jams, Slow Jams Lots of picking late into the night Page 15 �Something new at this year's String Band Festival Instrument Swap Shop! Do you have an acoustic instrument that you'd like to sell or trade? There will be an area set up on Saturday at the Austin String Band Festival to do just that. Sellers will be responsible for tagging the instrument with a price and contact information so that potential buyers can get in touch with you at the festival or afterwards. Bring an instrument stand to display it -there may be some table space but it will be limited. You'll also need to pick up your instrument when the Swap Shop closes Saturday evening -- we can't be responsible for your instrument overnight. 5% of the sale will go to AFTM for hosting the event, and all transactions will be between the buyer and seller. To participate, each seller must take a one-hour shift staffing the shop to make sure the instruments are secure -- you won't have to be involved in any sales. Contact Jerry Hagins at 512-632-7926 or jwhagins@sbcglobal.net and he'll coordinate details and schedules. Hours of the Swap Shop will be determined by how many sellers are participating. Page 16 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Sara Weber If you’ve attended any of the Austin String Band Festivals over the past eleven years, you’ve likely enjoyed the delicious food available in the “Café” at Camp Ben. The person responsible for these tasty offerings is Sara Weber, who has run the food service from the beginning and was instrumental in making the String Band Festival a reality back in 2005. Sara’s interest in traditional music is through contra dancing. Although she enjoyed the performance-based activities the AFTM had been presenting, she and others felt a festival event would encourage a more diverse and younger audience. As the inaugural String Band Festival was being planned in 2005, Sara’s culinary skills prompted her to volunteer to take on the food service responsibility - and she’s been running the Café at the String Band Festival ever since! From the beginning, Sara wanted to provide a complete meal service so that people could attend the festival and eat all their meals at the Café. The menus show an emphasis on quality and fresh ingredients with some concessions to high quality “comfort food” as well. The menus accommodate as many dietary restrictions as possible. Like all the tasks involved in putting on the String Band Festival, Sara’s work is 100% a volunteer effort and she depends on a volunteer staff to help with food preparation, order taking, and all the tasks involved with running the food service. Sara feels that many festival attendees may not be aware that the food service is not a for-profit venture, but is strictly a volunteer effort and that all the proceeds go to the AFTM. Often, she needs more volunteers than are available, which can create an unnecessarily stressful situation. Hopefully, the 2018 Austin String Band Festival will see an increase in the number of volunteers. Sara welcomes volunteers with no food service experience. Many volunteers have commented that working at the Café is a great way to see old friends and meet Page 17 �Page 18 �The Barn Starting in August 2018, the AFTM Monthly Meeting and Jam has taken place at a new venue, The Barn, located at 6218 Brodie Lane. The Barn is a soulful south Austin music venue with highly regarded food trailers, cold beer, and a friendly staff! Many Austin area musicians made their first visit to The Barn in July when the Central Texas Bluegrass Association held their annual Band Scramble and Jam there. Also, a monthly Celtic Song Circle happens at The Barn on the first Sunday of each month at 2:00 PM. As always, the AFTM Monthly Meeting and Jam happens on the second Sunday of each month – the meeting commences at 12:30 PM and the jam starts around 2:00 PM. In October, that means Sunday, October 14. See you there! Page 19 �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 Angie Wooten, Vice President Cheryl Dehut, Treasurer James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne DeFriese, Events Coordinator Brit Irick, Outreach Coordinator Mike Savercool, Membership Coordinator Joanna Saucedo, Social Media Coordinator Terry SoRelle, Webmaster Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor Dan Foster, At Large Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 Austin, TX 78765 Click here for Click here for AFTM website https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664 Membership info � 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 44 Number 4 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 2018-10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 44, Number 4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/270/newsletter-44-03-2018-08.pdf 08b432d6014c9b1adffcffa5b71459fc PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music Vol. 44, Number 03, Summer 2018 Dave Seeman - Life With a Banjo �Table of Contents Page 3 Dave Seeman, Life With a Banjo Page 5 ASBF prime volunteer slots available Page 6 ASBR Artist - Wood and Wire Page 7 ASBF Artist - Clara and the Broken Barrel Band Page 8 ASBF Artist - Felipe Perez Page 0 ASBF Artist - The Onlies Page 10 ASBF Artist - The Frauleins Page 11 ASBF Artist - The Double Eagle String Band Page 12 ASBF Artist - The Barn Owls Page 13 Music we've heard - Rios de Norte y Sur Page 14 Music we've heard - Albanie Faletta Page 15 The Barn - new AFTM meeting and jam venue Page 16 About the AFTM Page 2 �Dave Seeman - Texas Banjo Player! For nearly forty years, the Austin bluegrass scene has been enhanced by the fine banjo playing of Dave Seeman. Dave’s musicianship, tasteful playing and great attitude have made him one of Austin’s most popular bluegrassers. Reel Times spent some time with Dave recently and learned the story behind his life with the banjo. A Houston native, Dave’s first exposure to playing music came in seventh grade. The braces on his teeth prevented him from taking up the trumpet, and Dave was “assigned” to play the upright bass in the school orchestra. It was not a good fit; Dave has unpleasant memories of hours spent playing scales on the upright bass in a sweltering junior high practice room, and soon left the orchestra. Meanwhile, the early 1960’s gave birth to a folk music revival in the United States, and Dave remembers a specific hit song that infected him with desire to learn to play the banjo. That song was “Washington Square” by the Village Stompers, which reached #2 on the national charts in late 1963. Around the same time, Dave was watching the weekly ABC TV show, Hootenanny, which exposed many young people to bluegrass, among other folk genres. Dave promptly acquired a banjo and fooled around with it for a year or so. A neighbor, John May, played some banjo and gave Dave lessons, as did a musician named Bill Palmer. By this time, Dave was listening to all the bluegrass he could, and remembers being particularly taken with the playing of Rual Yarbrough and Don Stover, two fine southern players who Dave feels haven’t received the acclaim they deserve over the years. Like most American cities in the 60’s, Houston had a burgeoning folk scene, and Dave spent considerable time at the Sand Mountain Coffeeshop, which no longer exists, and Anderson Fair, which is still a very active music venue in Houston. Dave was a serious visual artist in high school and, after graduating, he enrolled at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville to study art. Page 3 �He played in a jug band there but still spent a lot of time at the clubs in Houston, at one time living next door to Anderson Fair. At one point, Dave met a guitarist named Tony Tichenor, who liked Dave’s playing so much that he talked Dave into moving to California to start a band. Not one to pass up a good opportunity, Dave took Tony up on the offer and they moved to La Honda, California, where they formed a band called the Low Rent Boys. A third member of that band was Richard Somers, a fine bluegrass mandolinist who lives in Austin today. Making a living as a musician is challenging, of course, and Dave relocated to Houston to find a way to earn a living using his artistic skills. He found a position as an apprentice to the stained glass artist, Ludwig Schermer, and also worked for Texas Art Glass for a while. Dave was an active musician in Houston, and he started a band with Becky and Malcom Smith, Pat Fowler and Zeke Zuelke called the Cypress Swamp Stompers, who were well known in the Houston area. They played monthly at Anderson Fair, and Dave remembers that their band set attendance and beer sales records for that venue! Another Houston memory is playing a street concert with Country Joe McDonald, a folk legend after his legendary Woodstock performance. One more Houston band Dave played with was Paul Langston and the Big Sandy River Boys. The lure of Austin was irresistible, though, and Dave relocated there around 1980. He took a day job at Renaissance Glass, still working in the stained glass field. Since his move to Austin, Dave has played with many bands from the area - he played with Buck and Ben Buchanan in Manchaca for fifteen years and, more recently, Dave played with No Strings Attached, with Aubrey Skeen, Steven Crow and Gene Carson. Looking back over his life in music, one crazy memory sticks with Dave: One year he was hired to play for the American Dental Association National Convention where he took center stage and played Foggy Mountain Breakdown while two “cowboys” strolled down the aisle having a gunfight! Apparently the organizers wanted to give the visiting dentists a rich Texas experience! Health issues have recently limited Dave’s participation in the Austin bluegrass scene but if you’re ever at a jam and see a tall, distinguished gentleman with a bushy mustache and a banjo, be sure to pick some tunes with him. Dave’s a great musician and a great guy! Page 4 �Prime Volunteer Spots Now Available! The Austin String Band Festival isn't that far away. This year it happens on October 19 - 21, and the sign-up for the coveted Prime Volunteer Spots has begun. Volunteers filling any of these Prime Spots receive a weekend pass to what many consider the most fun festival in Texas! Just click on the above photo of Jenn and the Corn Ponies playing at the ASBF and you'll be transported to our sign-up page! Page 5 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Wood and Wire It's been five years now since Wood & Wire sprouted out of the rich musical soil of Austin, Texas. In that time, they've written music, recorded albums, and performed at some of the most notable festivals and venues across the country. In the often tightly defined genre of bluegrass music, Wood & Wire's "band-style" ethos are not unheard of. Nor are the elements of song crafting, so often associated with their Texas home, that permeate their sound. That said, what comes out of the Wood & Wire blender is something entirely its own. Page 6 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Clara and the Broken Barrel Band Click on the photo for a great video of this band! Clara and the Broken Barrel Stringband is an old-time/ classic country band lead by Clara Delfina, that is made up of Jake Blount, Haakon Oyen, and Landon George. These young folkies came together over a love of the culturally diverse musical tradition that comes from early America. They love nothing more than singing dark old ballads, heartbreaking country songs, and fiddle tunes that'll force you out of your chair and on to the dance floor! Page 7 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Felipe Perez and Rabbit Sanchez Ramon “Rabbit” Sanchez (bajo sexto) and Felipe Perez (accordion) are legendary musicians as well as some of the most versatile to come out of the conjunto homeland of South Texas. Together they have forged a sound that combines old school traditional conjunto with a progressive sensibility. Page 8 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview Click on the photo for a great video of this band! The Onlies with Vivian Leva The Onlies began as a trio of lifelong friends and musical collaborators who realized early on that they shared a fascination with traditional fiddle music. Leo Shannon, Samantha Braman, and Riley Calcagno started making music together at age seven (2005), and quickly became immersed in fiddle music and tradition in their home of Seattle, down the West Coast, and across the world. In recent years, they have developed their sound with the addition of Vivian Leva, an acclaimed talent of oldtime, country, and Americana. The Onlies have developed an individual sound, with original songs that “demonstrate an enviable ability to move beyond the immediacy of their lives to touch at deeper truths, and...covers of traditional songs and tunes (that) harken to the original but are unleashed with the kind of wild, free abandon that only youth provides!” Page 9 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview The Frauleins The Frauleins are Austin’s newest roots trio, playing old-time, bluegrass and country with sisterlike harmony, a two-stepping beat and banjo to boot. This collaboration from longtime friends features: Jenn Miori Hodges - guitar, Beth Chrisman - fiddle & banjo, Amanda Jo Chisholm - bass Page 10 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview The Double Eagle String Band The Double Eagle String Band plays old-time music from Texas to Appalachia. With guitar, bass, fiddle, banjo, harmonica and mandolin, they’re handing down the tunes and songs they inherited from their musical elders. Page 11 �2018 Austin String Band Festival Preview The Barn Owls The Barn Owls play Old-Time music from the Appalachian region of the US, circa late 1800's and early 1900's. These fiddle-based tunes were heavy influences on the bluegrass, folk and acoustic scene of the mid-1900's. The tunes were often the backbone of a community square dance, where a 'stringband' would provide the music for a dance caller to coach the to and fro. Additionally, the tunes lived and breathed in the remote areas of the Eastern United States and were passed down through generations by ear, before recording technology existed. The instrumentation includes all acoustic instruments: Trent Shepherd on fiddle, Jerry Hagins on 5-string banjo, Joe Dobbs on guitar, and Brink Melton on standup bass. Page 12 �Music we've heard... Zenen sings and plays the jarana while Victor Murillo looks on Julia Del Palacio dances as Zenen and Victor accompany her The exciting son jarocho music of Veracruz, Mexico came to Austin in July when the group Radio Jarocho from New York City teamed up with highly-regarded son jarocho musician Zenén Zeferino of Veracruz, who comes from a legendary son jarocho family.The musicians played a concert and workshop at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin. Page 13 �Music we've heard... New Orleans based singer and guitarist, Albanie Falleta, came through Austin in early June, and played a show with Austin musicians, Lauren and Ryan Gould at The Little Darlin' in South Austin. Albanie plays and sings jazz music of the early 20th century, and writes tunes in that style. Page 14 �The Barn Starting in August 2018, the AFTM Monthly Meeting and Jam will take place at a new venue, The Barn, located at 6218 Brodie Lane. The Barn is a soulful south Austin music venue with highly regarded food trailers, cold beer, and a friendly staff! Many Austin area musicians made their first visit to The Barn in July when the Central Texas Bluegrass Association held their annual Band Scramble and Jam there. Also, a monthly Celtic Song Circle happens at The Barn on the first Sunday of each month at 2:00 PM. As always, the AFTM Monthly Meeting and Jam happens on the second Sunday of each month – the meeting commences at 12:30 PM and the jam starts around 2:00 PM. In August, that means Sunday, August 12. See you there! Page 15 �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 Angie Wooten, Vice President Cheryl Dehut, Treasurer James Seppi, Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne DeFriese, Events Coordinator Brit Irick, Outreach Coordinator Mike Savercool, Membership Coordinator Joanna Saucedo, Social Media Coordinator Terry SoRelle, Webmaster Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor Dan Foster, At Large Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 Austin, TX 78765 Click here for Click here for AFTM website https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664 Membership info � 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 44 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 2018-08 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 44, Number 3 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/269/newsletter-44-02-2018-04.pdf 3d452368abd86e6b789f5bda1e15223a PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music Vol. 44, Number 02, Spring 2018 Different generations share the joy of bluegrass music at the Pearl Bluegrass 1st Saturday Jam and Stage Show! �Table of Contents Page 3 Pearl Bluegrass Page 4 Midwinter Festival in review Page 5 The Carper Family in Lockhart Page 6 The Double Eagle String Band in Smithville Page 8 Black Fiddlers and Texas Fiddle Music Page 19 About the AFTM Page 2 �Pearl Bluegrass Jam and Stage Show Roger Starnes & Friends entertain at the February 2018 Pearl Stage Show Click on the photo for more sights from Pearl! The Pearl Bluegrass Jam & Stage Show has been held on the first Saturday of every month for the past 18 years at the Pearl Community Center and its surrounding 5 acre property. The Pearl Community Center is a historic building that was formerly the Pearl school, which was built in 1917 after the previous schoolhouse burned down. The last graduating class at the current location was in 1956 after which the Pearl school consolidated with Evant and finally closed in 1958. Page 3 �Once the building was no longer used as a school the structure started to deteriorate. When local bluegrass musicians came up with the idea to start holding bluegrass jams at the old school they began to collaborate with community volunteers to restore the building. Musicians from all over began to gather at Pearl to jam together and listeners from many surrounding areas were drawn to hear the music. Local volunteers prepared and sold food to raise funds to help purchase materials needed to restore the school. The Pearl Community Center incorporated as a non-profit in 1997 and made and maintained many restorations and improvements since that time. Community volunteers have donated their time and skills to add a new roof, replace the windows, pour new floors, add air conditioning and heat, update the sound system in the auditorium, paint and decorate the building with all kinds of historical pictures and memorabilia, and also create RV-camping and parking areas. Music has always been a big part of the Pearl Community. We're told that throughout the years there have always been regular music jamborees, concerts and musicals held at Pearl and the principal and music teacher even led all-school sing-alongs in the auditorium each Monday morning that some of the former students still remember fondly. Thanks to the collaboration of the many Pearl Community volunteers and board members led by president, Ronald Medart, with all the musicians who come from far and wide - the Community Center has been able to be restored and maintained so that the tradition of music at Pearl can be preserved to bring free fun and happiness to hundreds who meet at this pretty place in the country each month. Page 4 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival Tim Auld and Joanna Saucedo dance to the music of the Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour Click on the photo to see more of the 2018 Mid-Winter Festival! After an absence of one year, the AFTM Mid-Winter Festival was resurrected at a new location in 2018, and was considered a rousing success. This year’s edition of the festival took place at Life In The City in Austin on February 10, and featured a very eclectic performance schedule, as well as workshops, jamming, a silent auction and good food! The new venue provided an excellent performance space, with smaller rooms for workshops and jamming. Its location, just two blocks off Congress on Monroe St. So, look for the 2019 Mid-Winter Festival early next year, hopefully back at Life in the City! Page 5 �The Carper Family in Lockhart Beth, Jenn and Melissa performing in Lockhart Click on the photo to see more of this concert! Austin area fans of traditional music were sad to see the Carper Family break up when Melissa Carper relocated back to her home area in Arkansas a few years ago. Their modern take on old country sounds had made them a favorite since they first played together in 2010. Well, Melissa came back to Texas in February and joined bandmates Beth Chrisman and Jenn Miori for a couple of shows, and Reel Times was able to catch them in performance at the beautiful Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart. The women put on a brilliant show and there was absolutely no evidence of their not having played together for some time. Let’s hope there’s another “reunion” gig for the Carper Family in the not too distant future, they’re not to be missed! Page 6 �The Double Eagle String Band in Smithville Smithville, TX is the location of one of the newest and finest acoustic music listening rooms in all of Texas and, on Saint Patrick’s Day, the Double Eagle String Band played to a packed house at the Above Mosaic House Concert as they released their new CD, Monkey on a String. The Double Eagle String Band played the very first Above Mosaic House Concert four years ago and, since then, the Smithville venue has hosted numerous performances of consistently high quality. The series is called the Above Mosiac House Concerts because is takes place on the second floor, above Mosaic Art and Home, a wonderful shop featuring truly unique furniture and home furnishings on Main Street in Smithville. The Double Eagle String Band consists of Tim Wooten, Elizabeth Pittman, Angie Wooten, Walter Winslett, Robert Griffith and Nancy McClintock, The new recording contains plenty of traditional old time selections, as well as originals and a few tunes Tim learned from his fiddler grandfather. The house was packed and a wonderful time was had by all! Page 7 �The article that begins on the following page, Black Fiddlers and Texas Fiddle Music, was written by Dan Foster, well known Austin fiddler, scholar and AFTM board member. Page 8 �Black Fiddlers and Texas Fiddle Music Dan Foster, Austin TX “The State Fair grounds are illuminated by over 1,000 torches, and the grounds are lighted from the north inclosure to the race track. Five hundred ladies and gentlemen are attending the dancing going on in the State Fair Pavilion, and three hundred are at the dance in the main exhibition hall, where two negro fiddlers and one prompter are officiating.” --Galveston Daily News 5 May, 1874. You’ve got to wonder how the video clips we take of our friends and ourselves these days will appear in the distant future to those who may chance to look at them. Old snapshots of ourselves from the 50s and 60s (excuse us, kids) appear strange today even if they are only faded a little by time. Falling away, the experience lost, memory and imagination take over where they are allowed. The personal recollections inspired by the captured image must certainly be real, yet the picture itself seems strangely rigid and foreign. The effect is similar for both the subject and the stranger but it is not the same. Even those who share a common experience of a single event, take away different memories from the picture. Though it may sponsor true delights to both memory and imagination, nothing really lives in the image itself. The same might be said about music. The lifeless utility of a score does convey an enormous amount of information to the musically literate. But without an unbroken chain of instruction through personal human contact only a part of its intrinsic value can be sustained in performance beyond a single generation. Just imagine if all that some distant future civilization knew of human music was a collection of musical notation or even a few backed-up MIDI files of J.S. Bach compositions that survived from our time. Impressive, but a little dry wouldn’t they think? We could only hope that there might also be some MP3 files washed ashore inside that media-in-a-bottle - to sort of fill the thing out, give some life to the sound, you know. But what about all the music that happened before the advent of recording? Since we really can’t capture anything like the “high lonesome sound” on staff-paper or a MIDI file, we really have to wonder about the countless universes of our own music that are lost to us. Suppose that there once was a widely-shared memory of black music, the fiddle music of American slaves and freedmen, a shared sense of the deeper bonds of African tradition bourne over generations to which we all owe so much but have been obliged by time and forced by circumstance to Page 9 �forget. The voracious requirement of a dominant culture, which still refers to itself as white, necessarily entails a catalog of atrocities against black people, past and present. The exclusion of historically significant achievement is necessary for the mechanics of subjugation to forestall claims on the present. Asserting ownership of key cultural resources is foundational to further claims on real property, at least among those whose primary concern is property. Musicians are rarely noted for their extensive holdings. Among many of the classic old-time, country and early Bluegrass fiddlers there is an oftentold, special veneration for lessons learned from unnamed black musicians. The actual music of these legendary mentors has been lost for the most part. Only the faintest echoes of what came before survives and where memory fails, imagination takes over. As the romance of the fiddle is to the current popular image of white Texas music, so black fiddlers were once to the creation of the music itself. Anyone who has spent some time looking into the influences on famous early fiddlers knows well the familiar refrain concerning “an old negro fiddler” who gave the music. Accounts of the early days of Louisville, Kentucky from the family papers of Alfred Pirtle (18371926) include the story of a Christmas Eve party on the night of December 24, 1778 when a young “Negro fiddler” saved the day after the revelers decided in favor of his music over the official but stolid offering from an old French dancing master. At an earlier date and further to the South, on what was then the Georgia - South Carolina border, Gideon Lincecum was born in 1793. A cousin of the famous Texan, Jim Bowie, he served briefly in the Georgia militia during the War of 1812, though his primary occupation was exploring the uncharted wilderness, hunting and witnessing first-hand the glories of the natural world in its unspoiled condition. In 1817 he moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama., which was then known as the Falls of the Warrior. Lincecum was a remarkably gifted individual, a “rough-hewn polymath” with notable accomplishments in hunting, tracking, history, language, medicine, botany, the theory of evolution, history and politics. A free-thinker and lover of the natural world, he grew up in the company Muskogee Indians in Georgia, and eventually came to author some of the earliest accounts of Choctaw religion and the first dictionary of the Choctaw language. In 1835 he went with a party of Mississippians to explore Texas with the intent to possibly emigrate there. Among other things, Gid was indeed a fiddler. In the wonderful book Between the Cracks of History (1997), Francis Abernathy references the story first published as "Personal Reminiscences of an Octogenarian” in the American Sportsman 1874-75. In the Reminiscences, Gid describes “a serendipitous picnic” in 1835 near Eagle Lake, Texas and mentions that: Page 10 �“...One of the younger men told the Negro to bring his violin - which was as much as to invite the neighborhood to come.” Capt. M.J. Bonner, who came to Texas as a boy in 1854 and settled in the Dallas area reportedly learned to play the fiddle from “an old black man”. J.D. Dillingham, a fiddler and banjo player from Austin, learned the old-time repertoire from Wash Hubbard, a man of African descent. The list is long from Uncle Homer Walker, of West Virginia, who used to play a lot with white fiddlers Henry Reed, Buddy Thompson to Stuff Smith who influenced many Western Swing players in Texas and beyond. Bob Wills often spoke of the music he learned as a youngster from black musicians with whom he worked the cotton fields of West Texas. Bluegrass music owes much of its distinctive sound to Bill Monroe who was deeply influenced by the black fiddler and guitarist, Arnold Shultz, who was born in 1886. What little we know of the amusements and pastimes common among Texans in the early 19th century we owe to recounted biographies like that of Noah Smithwick, whose early travels in Texas are commemorated in the oft-cited book The Evolution of a State, (1900) Nanna Smithwick Donaldson. In one passage he fondly remembers a fiddler identified only as “Jesse Thompson’s man Mose”, manipulating a violin for a wedding in Fort Bend County back in 1827 much to the enjoyment of the party gathered there for the dance. Page 11 �Pat Earhart was a noted white fiddler who lived "Ten miles as the crow files from McDade” east of Austin Texas. According to an account published in Vol. 16, No. 7 of The Frontier Times, dated May 1939, under the pen of renowned Texas Fiddler and famous structural engineer, T.U. Taylor (after whom Taylor Hall at the University of Texas is named) in an article entitled “In and Around Old McDade”: The Blue Branch Guards were in hot pursuit of some lawbreakers and caught up with the suspects at a dance there outside McDade back in June, 1877. Taylor states that “Pat Earhart wielded his fiddle bow part of the time, but most of the time a negro, named Steve Hawkins, did the fiddling and called the figures” until the guards broke up the party to capture their man. This priceless and thrilling little vignette provides more evidence that even after the Civil War, black and white musicians together were no strangers to music making and other entertainments. Fiddling on the Open Range Like the fiddle itself, the icon of the white Texas cowboy is emblematic and the cowboy fiddler an idyllic stereotype. But the bedrock of that romance has come to be considered by many to have been a little thinner and closer to the surface than portrayed on stage and screen. Often, instead of a lanky Anglo, it was probably a freed slave who actually occupied the saddle during the short, stirring, and vividly-remembered regnum of the open range. During the Civil War, Texas Governor Francis Lubbock regarded the employment of whites in cattle driving as counter-productive to the war effort. He actively encouraged the replacement of white cowboys with slaves and freedmen. Significant numbers of African Americans went out on the great cattle drives of the late 1800s, freeing up whites to serve in the war while gaining skills and incentive for themselves to work the cowboy trade. Studies show that large numbers of black men were herding cattle in Texas by 1890 and many more by 1910. One of these was Willis Miller. Miller had ridden some of the earliest trail rides in 1870-71. He was born a slave in Milam County in 1850, he worked on the Morris Ranch near Bartlett, Texas after emancipation. There must have been countless other black cowboy fiddlers of whom we will sadly know nothing. One among those whose memory has come down to us is Jim Perry, a cowboy and top hand, the highest-ranked cowboy, on the Jim Perry – Cowboy Fiddler Page 12 �three million-acre XIT Ranch near Dalhart, Texas. Perry established himself as an expert roper, rider, bronc buster, cook and musician. “Some trail bosses didn’t like to hire a fellow who couldn’t sing,” wrote Wayne Gard in “The Chisholm Trail” (University of Oklahoma Press, 1954). “We boys would consider it a dull day’s drive if we didn’t add at least one verse. On bad, dark nights the cowboy who could keep up the most racket was the pet of the bunch.” Willis returned to Texas, singing trail songs, especially the oldest traceable version of the song “Goodbye Old Paint.” Family tradition suggests that he wrote the song. It’s possible. Sometime around 1885, Willis taught the song to Bartlett ranch hand Jesse Morris. Jess Morris was born in 1878. In 1942, folk music collector John Lomax recorded Morris’ performance for the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Song. Later released on the Archive of Folk Culture album “Cowboy Songs, Ballads, and Cattle Calls from Texas”. As Patricia Benoit noted in an article for the Milam County Historical Commission: Others copied, revised and rearranged “Old Paint” over the years, few aware of its origins. Morris throughout his life gave unwavering credit to Willis Miller for the song. Coley Jones, Texas Alexander, and Saturday Suppers We will never know what the fiddling of Jess Morris, Arnold Schulz or any of the countless black fiddlers, to whom early white fiddlers were often proud to give credit, actually sounded like. It is music lost to us. Despite the profound influence of black fiddlers in Texas, their music has gone almost entirely undocumented. There are the wonderful commercial recordings of the fiddler and mandolinist Coley Jones with his Dallas Stringband, but little else to which we can turn for a chance to hear the music of that storied past. Mance Lipscomb, the venerable songster, musician and wise man from Navasota, Texas was raised in the home of his father Charles Lipscomb, who was a fiddler. Living under the cruelest oppression long past the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction, freed families like the Lipscomb’s faced unimaginable challenges and yet managed to produce music of such beauty that its effects shaped the rest of the 20th century. That so little of the actual sound of their fiddle music has survived is sadly comprehensible. The resilience of black musicians and their creative imagination is due in part to a Page 13 �sense of community that has been largely obscured by popular culture, the educational system and the effective instruments of oppression and brutality that continue up to the present day. "I could play this all night long… you know, I love that tune" -- unknown member of Coley Jones' Dallas String Band Alger "Texas" Alexander was born in Jewett, Texas, about half-way between Dallas and Houston, in 1900. He performed at picnics and parties while in his 20s, occasionally working with the famous Blind Lemon Jefferson, also from east Texas. Like many black musicians of the day, he played “Saturday Suppers”. Denied access to restaurants, dance-halls and theaters, black people living in or near small towns often organized their own country entertainments, perhaps on a tract of land someone owned. Tickets were sold for 25-cents and the Supper was organized. Beyond the edge of town, in wooded groves, bed-sheets were hung for shade, table-cloths spread for makeshift buffets where delicious foods were set out. A band played music while families gathered, some (men) retired to the woods to enjoy an afternoon of sport and stronger refreshments available in the glade. In the evening there would be a dance. "Saturday night Country Suppers. Sometimes they were called “country balls.” Often times, just to get to the country ball, some packed their dress-up clothes in a waterproof slicker and swam the Yegua or Brushy creeks or the San Gabriel River. When the fiddler, the guitarist, banjo and piano players struck up a sad blues tune, or jazz number, those who wanted to dance did the “barrelhouse”, Charleston, tap dance, buck dance, two-step or wopsy were popular. Music was more or less a natural for many of these musicians were self-trained and played by ear, or according to their feelings, cares and woes." --Miss Susie Piper Rockdale, Texas (Milam County Historical Commission) Ms. Suzie Sansom Piper, former Principal of old Aycock School in Rockdale, Texas, recounted to me that often people would come from miles away to get to the Country Suppers near the unincorporated communities of Coxes Providence and Liberty Hill (not the same place as the current city of Liberty Hill). These were the kinds of affairs Texas Alexander might have played. He went on to make blues records with Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang, Clarence Williams, and King Oliver while still in his 20s. On one of his most famous recordings, the Frost Texas Tornado Blues he is accompanied by the Mississippi Sheiks’-Lonnie Chatmon, with Sam Chatmon on guitar, and Armenter Chatmon aka Bo Carter Page 14 �on fiddle. As much as I like Bo Carter’s fiddling on those records, I always wanted to know what the music actually played at one of those “Country Suppers” in Texas might have sounded like. Little did I know, that I was to get that chance after all. Music from the Rural: Teodar Jackson, Tommy Wright, the Nelson Brothers Oscar "Preacher" Nelson was born near Cameron, Texas, Milam County, in 1901. He was an oldtime fiddler. His younger brother, Newton "Hoss" Nelson played guitar and also fiddle. Their father, Oscar Nelson was a fiddler and taught the music to his sons. Preacher said that he also learned from an older man, Richard Bailey who came from around Milano, Texas. There were many other black musicians around Cameron playing the old music in those days. Among those Preacher Nelson remembered hearing were the Craytons, a family band who played around Liberty Hill. Their music survived only in Preacher's memory, even though one family member, Connie Curtis Crayton, went on to enjoy fame and a long career as an R&B and blues musician under the name Pee Wee Crayton. Tommy D. Wright was born in Luling, Texas, south of Austin in 1903. He was raised into the music. The youngest member of the Wright family band, he grew up playing music around Luling. The band, which at one time had nine members, included clarinet, guitar, mandolin, and of course the fiddle. Juneteenth 1900 – at Eastwoods Park, Austin Texas. Grace Murray, Austin History Center They were very popular from the 1920s to the 1950s. Tommy recalls learning some from his uncle. Tommy's style featured an insistent head-strong beat, a trait in common with other musicians from Central Texas, like the late Mance Lipscomb of Navasota. It may have been the kind of music known among its practitioners as "West Texas style", according to Dr. Gary Smith of Austin. Tommy, like Preacher and Page 15 �Hoss were recorded by the late Tary Owens in 1965-66. The sound of their music is priceless – affording us perhaps the only reliable chance to actually hear echoes of the fiddle music of black rural communities in Texas. Being called upon to play music for any occasion from his childhood on, the youngest member of the Wright family band was the last of them to play requests here on Earth. Tommy died in 1984. "Ah, those memories, how they throng around me." -- Noah Smithwick In March of 1965 the legendary barrel-house piano player Robert Shaw, then living in Austin, led Tary Owens to record the fiddler, Teodar Jackson. Teodar was accompanied by his son T. J. Jackson on guitar. Born in Gonzales County in 1901, Teodar Jackson played a variety of styles. But it is the old-time dance tunes he played on that day in March, some 50 years ago that stir the imagination. In his playing we have among the best chances ever afforded to listen back across time to the music of distant generations, to hear some of the signal concepts at the core of country fiddling, black and white. In a delightfully driving piece he called “Old Aunt Jesse, Get Up In the Cool”, Teodar gouges out the rhythm with a perfectly ragged syncopation and a relentless beat. Under the constant stream of improvisation, there is a sweet, harsh, primitive vitality that echoes back across time as surely as its incidental lyric might have bounded off the rattling clapboard walls of more than lamp-lit cabin, in more than one isolated grove in the thick of a Saturday night: "…old sow'd whistle and the little pig’d dance; I'm gonna whup me an' ol tin pan; yellow-gal-yellow-gal, git up in the cool." Thanks to Owens’ recordings, the echo of their music has been saved for us, and now present for perhaps the first time an opportunity to listen back to the actual refrain of an occurrence about which much has been conjectured but almost nothing known. Whether or not the importation of slaves to North America began with an ill-fated vessel involved in a still controversial Virginia ship-wreck in 1619, there can be little doubt that as the Page 16 �population of enslaved Africans increased, so did the interaction between black and white musicians from the earliest times. Misshapen by political design and obscured by selective education, our common knowledge of social interaction during the period demonstrates a stunted recognition of the necessary complexity of roles and relations under the duress of the era. In his book, A Renegade History of the United States (2010), Thaddeus Russell offers research based on criminal court records from the 18th century to demonstrate the high degree of social interaction between races in the lower rungs of post-colonial society, in which the overwhelming majority of the whole population was to be found. Music was most likely part of that shared experience. How many of the music-themed paintings by the renowned American landscape artist, William Sidney Mount depict both black and white subjects in their settings? Paintings like “The Power of Music” (1847), “Dance of the Haymakers” (1845) and the now iconic “The Banjo Player” (1856). The last was used by Rounder Records for the cover of the record album “Altamont: Black Stringband Music From The Library Of Congress” (#RR-0238). This LP featured the music of Nathan Frazier, Frank Patterson, Albert York, and John Lusk originally recorded in Tennessee in 1942. Right and Left – William Sidney Mount (1850) Mount’s work offers compelling evidence. The character of these paintings further attest to a rich and long-standing interchange between black and white musicians over the centuries. Now, whether “Turkey in the Straw” or “The Arkansas Traveler” themselves represent the grounds for hope of further creative synthesis or instead function as the centerpieces of arguments about cultural appropriation, I’m not sure. Those are important questions no doubt, but are perhaps of less interest to fiddlers than the more familiar one: “..how does that tune go…?”. Newton “Hoss” Nelson was born in 1907 and played some fiddle, like his older brother Oscar who was better known as “Preacher” in the area south of Cameron, Texas. In an interview Hoss recalled that their father had taught both of them as youngsters in the 1920s, and that he had learned guitar near the freedman’s community of Griffin Chapel. Among his first tunes were “Out and Down” and Page 17 �“West Texas Blues”. He also remembered how he and his brother played “all around the country, all over…country balls, Jones Prairie, Rockdale…” house dances for black folks and white folks. When asked what kind of music was played for those different occasions he answered without hesitation: “…about the same thing.” The recordings of the Newton brothers, Teodar Jackson and Tommy Wright will be made available in an upcoming releases in association with the Briscoe Center for American History Music Archives and the Field Recorders Collective, for distribution sometime in 2018. Page 18 �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 Angie Wooten, Vice President Cheryl Dehut, Treasurer Ken Tweedy, Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne DeFriese, Events Coordinator Brit Irick, Outreach Coordinator Mike Savercool, Membership Coordinator Joanna Saucedo, Social Media Coordinator Terry SoRelle, Webmaster Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor Dan Foster, At Large Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 Austin, TX 78765 Click here for Click here for AFTM website https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664 Membership info � 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 44 Number 2 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 2018-04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 44, Number 2 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/268/newsletter-44-01-2018-01.pdf 5bc677be00b9d62b16b2c6c7afc4b0f0 PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music Vol. 44, Number 01, Winter 2018 The AFTM Midwinter Festival has a new home! The 2018 Midwinter Festival will be held on Saturday, February 10, at Life In The City. 205 E Monroe St, Austin TX 78704 �Table of Contents The Midwinter Festival is back! Ley Line The Barn Owls Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour Wilkinson's Quartet Bereket Middle Eastern Ensemble Wache AFTM board member, Joanna Saucedo Cajun Jam at St. Roch's Austin String Band Festival Review Recent musical events About the AFTM Page 2 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival In 2017 for the first time in memory, the AFTM was unable to hold its annual Midwinter Festival. This was sad news for the traditional music community of Austin because, since 1974, the Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM) has held annual music festivals. Originally called "Traditional Music Conventions", these festivals have featured performances, jamming, contests, and workshops, and have become a beloved feature of the Austin music scene. Around 1990, these music conventions morphed into the annual Midwinter Festival which functions as a fundraiser for AFTM and features performances by local bands, as well as music and dance related workshops. The Midwinter Festival is usually very eclectic in its choice of performers and workshops, featuring such traditional world genres as Celtic music, Balkan singing, South American dance music, Russian balalaika, African drumming, Chinese zither, along with the North American sound of bluegrass, blues, and old-time Appalachian music. The Midwinter Festival relies exclusively on local talent, and up-and-coming musicians are often featured. For example, as a pre-teen, Sarah Jarosz, performed to the delight of the audience and came back several times before moving on to greener pastures and national fame as a Grammy award winner. After scheduling conflicts prevented the AFTM from holding its Midwinter Festival in 2017, the AFTM board searched for a new venue for the festival for 2018. Joanna Saucedo, AFTM’s Social Media Coordinator, learned about south Austin’s Life In The City through former board member Elise Bright, and was able to secure the date of Saturday, February 10 for the 2018 Midwinter Festival! So, save the date of February 10, 2018! The following pages describe some of the performers we'll be featuring at the Midwinter Festival. There'll be various workshops offered and, hopefully, some jamming will be happening. Stay up to date on the specifics of the festival at the easy to remember AFTM website: aftm.us. Life in the City is located at 205 E. Monroe St, just two blocks east of Congress. Page 3 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival Ley Line Ley Line is the musical merging of two duos. Austinites Kate Robberson and Emilie Basez met twin sisters Madeleine and Lydia Froncek at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2013. Since reuniting in Austin, Texas in 2015, Ley Line has been weaving together their individual journeys into a collective vision. Through intimate live performances and multilingual lyrics, Ley Line’s music inspires connection across the peaks and valleys of the human experience. Ley Line partners with schools and grassroots organizations, offering workshops and interactive performances to promote cultural appreciation amongst diverse youth populations. They have partnered to support non-profits including Girls Impact the World, The Amala Foundation, Fuel our Fire, GirlForward, Casa Marianela, Creative Action and Livroteca Brincante do Pina. Page 4 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival The Barn Owls The Barn Owls are an oldtime string band specializing in having a good time. Fiddler Trent Shepherd grew up in Austin but his family roots are in West Virginia. He and bassist Brink Melton are alumni of the Onion Creek Crawdaddies, a beergrass band that had a large and loyal following for several years. Guitarist Joe Dobbs is a librarian by day and tune collector all the time. Some of the band's more unusual tunes were unearthed by Joe. Banjoist Jerry Hagins has been on the Austin scene for quite a while, teaching banjo and playing in any band that will have him. Square dances are a Barn Owls specialty, and they often team up with Kentuckyraised dance caller Sharon Issac. Page 5 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour is a traditional Jewish music project, started in 2007 by Samantha Goldberg. Dylan M. Blackthorn, & Kronk (Sick). The band has traveled the world in many formations, learning many different tunes and the history and context of the development of klezmer music and Yiddish folksongs. From Texas to Manhattan, Mexico, Poland, Cleveland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ireland, and Greece, Mazel Tov Kocktail Hour has played at sold out venues, busked for a living on the street, and shared Jewish music with many people. Page 6 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival Wilkinson's Quartet Wilkinson's Quartet Wilkinson's Quartet is an ensemble of up to 6 musicians who play jazz, swing and traditional country music! The core members: Candler A. Wilkinson IV : band leader/ vocals/ electric guitar Curtis Sigurd : upright bass / vocals Matt Thomas : electric guitar / steel guitar / vocals Page 7 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival Bereket Middle Eastern Ensemble The University of Texas Middle Eastern Ensemble “Bereket” is a group comprised of UT students, faculty, staff and community members. “Bereket” is a word with cognates in Turkish, Arabic and Persian that translates as “abundance”, “fruitfulness”, and “divine gift”. About half of our members are from the Middle East, and all are interested in learning about the culture, history, religions and languages from these areas. The ensemble has several goals: to gain experiential understanding of the music and cultures of the Near, Middle East, North Africa, and former Ottoman territories; to foster community outreach; to work with UT language and other classes; and to create a sense of community around musical performance. Ensemble members learn to play basic melodic and rhythmic modes; to structure free-meter improvisations and semiimprovised heterophonic styles; vocal and instrumental compositions; how to organize repertoire into suite-like performance formats such as fasil, waslah and nawba. Members meet once a week for general rehearsals with occasional sectionals and/or individual coaching. Page 8 �AFTM 2018 Midwinter Festival Wache The Caribbean coast of Colombia has a musical richness that goes far beyond cumbia and vallenato. The regional variety of rhythms--porro, puya, gaita, merengue, chalupa, bullerengue, tambora--tells stories that are unknown even to many Colombians. Wache is a new musical group where the members explore and share these stories with you. Page 9 �Meet Joanna Saucedo, AFTM Board Member The AFTM’s Social Media Coordinator, Joanna Saucedo is a truly busy woman! In addition to her work with the organization’s various social media, she’s an active Austin musician, a festival coordinator, and a graduate student at UT’s School of Public Health (she’s getting her Master’s degree this semester!). Joanna is a true Texan, the fourth generation born in the state, and is of Irish and Mexican descent. Joanna plays fiddle, among other instruments, and it was while taking lessons from Howard Rains a few years ago that she learned about the AFTM. Howard booked the band she was playing with at the time to play at the AFTM Midwinter Festival, and she’s been involved with the organization ever since! She currently plays with Wache, a band playing exciting Afro-Columbian music. This year, she and fellow AFTM board member, Britt Irick, are coordinating the 2018 Midwinter Festival, which will be held on February 10 at a new venue, Life in the City, at 205 E Monroe St. in Austin. Joanna plays Cajun triangle! Page 10 �Cajun jam at St. Roch's bar in Austin Pictured above are Olivia Mori, guitar - Mike Perron, fiddle - Joanna Saucedo, triangle - Bryan Blanton, drums - Patrick Calvert, bass - Matt B, fiddle Debra Peters, piano accordion, Kirk Walker, Cajun accordion In December, Reel Times visited St. Roch’s bar in east Austin, and experienced the Cajun jam, which takes place each Saturday, starting around 5:00 PM. By that time, Mike Perron and a few others had gathered at the bar at 515 Pedernales, and the music promptly commenced. For the next few hours, the group of musicians grew in size and the tunes kept coming! Accordion, fiddle, and triangle were represented, of course, but guitars, electric bass, and drums joined in. There was even a 5-string banjo! The non-musicians at the bar truly appreciated the music, and apparently came to St. Roch’s just to listen. All in all, it’s a great jam, not to be missed whether you’re a diehard Cajun music fan, or not! Click on the photo above to see more of the jam! Page 11 �2017 Austin String Band Festival sights October’s Austin String Band Festival at Camp Ben McCulloch may have been the best ever! The weather cooperated right up until Sunday morning, and the stage shows, workshops and jamming were very well attended and received. Attendance was quite good, the weather was excellent and a good time was had by all. Click on any of the photos to view the AFTM Flickr Photostream! Page 12 �Recent events of interest The Hillisde House Concert series hosted a performance by Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin on October 7. Chris and Pete drew an enthusiastic crowd, and their picking and singing was a treat for all to behold! On a beautiful Saturday in early December, the third Festival of Texas Fiddling took place at the Twin Sisters dance hall in Blanco. The festival program included a symposium, presentations and showcase concerts by master fiddlers from styles across Texas. Page 13 �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 Angie Wooten, Vice President Cheryl Dehut, Treasurer Ken Tweedy, Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne DeFriese, Events Coordinator Brit Irick, Outreach Coordinator Mike Savercool, Membership Coordinator Joanna Saucedo, Social Media Coordinator Dan Foster, At Large Volunteers Terry SoRelle, Webmaster Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 Austin, TX 78765 Click here for Click here for AFTM website https://www.flickr.com/photos/aftm/albums/72157680161933664 Membership info � 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 44 Number 1 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 2018-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 44, Number 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/267/newsletter-43-03-2017-10.pdf 3647f00296bcca54e7f88a849f70d41f PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music Vol. 43, Number 03, Fall 2017 The 2017 Austin String Band Festival October 20 - 22, Camp Ben McCulloch Jenny and the Corn Ponies at last year's Austin String Band Festival �Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin in Austin, October 7! Austin area fans of bluegrass and traditional string band music are in for a rare treat on Saturday, October 7 when The Hillside House Concerts hosts the brilliant acoustic duo, Chris Brashear and Peter McLaughlin. Chris and Peter are first-rate pickers and singers, and have been touring nationally as a duo for twenty years. They’ve released two duo CD’s: “Canyoneers” and “So Long Arizona”. In the early 2000’s they both played in the fine bluegrass band, The Perfect Strangers. Chris Brashear plays guitar, fiddle and mandolin and sings with a gorgeous tenor voice. He toured with Robin and Linda Williams and Their Fine Group for six years, and presently plays with the fine string band, the Piedmont Melody Makers. Peter is a uniquely gifted guitarist who has won the National Flatpick Guitar Championship at Winfield, Kansas as well as the Telluride Bluegrass Guitar Championship. He toured for six years with the Laurie Lewis Band. Seeing Peter and Chris at a festival is always a treat and to see them up close in the intimate setting of the Hillside House Concert is an opportunity not to be missed! The Austin Friends of Traditional Music is proud to sponsor this house concert at 7:30 PM on Saturday, October 7! The Hillside House Concerts are held in an elegant north Austin location, and reservations can be made at: musicgirl3205@gmail.com Page 2 �Campground picking at its finest! Doc Hamilton, Tim Wilson, Jeff Large and Robert Griffith picking in the shade at the Austin String Band Festival! Come discover the Austin String Band Festival out at Camp Ben McCulloch (right by the Salt Lick) in Driftwood, TX. Dance all night on Friday, then attend hands-on music and dance workshops under the trees early on Saturday, then kick back for a day and night of nonstop fiddles, banjos and guitars as more than two dozen bands take the stage. Sunday wraps it up with a gospel jam. Camping at its finest along Onion Creek. Presented by the Austin Friends of Traditional Music, this festival celebrates all kinds of "string band" music with lots of live performances, workshops, jams, old time square dancing, contra dancing and great food. Camping is available on a first come, first served basis. Electricity is available at most locations in the campground. Camping permits, with or without electricity, are sold in the festival ticket booth beginning at noon on Friday. October is beautiful in the Texas hill country. Not too hot, not too cold. Just right. Tickets will be available at the festival admissions gate beginning at 12:00 noon on Friday, October 20th, 2017. When online ticket sales have ended, you can still purchase tickets at the festival. For more information, and to see the festival lineup, visit the Austin Friends of Traditional Music website at http://aftm.us/ To support us and enjoy membership benefits, visit http://aftm.us/index.php/join-aftm Page 3 �Austin String Band Festival 2017 Molsky's Mountain Drifters Bruce Molsky, “one of America’s premier fiddling talents” (Mother Jones) and Grammy-nominated artist on fiddle, banjo, guitar and song is delighted to bring his new group to the 2017 Austin String Band Festival! Bruce’s previous collaborations, with Anonymous 4, 1865 – Songs of Hope and Home from the American Civil War, was released to rave reviews and was on the top 10 Billboard charts for weeks. He is also a special guest on legendary guitarist Mark Knopfler’s latest CD, Tracker and is working on his 3rd album with Andy Irvine & Donal Lunny’s supergroup Mozaik. Allison de Groot combines wide-ranging virtuosity and passion for old-time music. With her own bands The Goodbye Girls and Oh My Darling, she has played Trafalgar Square in London, Newport Folk Festival, Stockholm Folk Festival the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and Tønder Festival in Denmark. Boston-based Stash Wyslouch is one of bluegrass’ great young genre-bending pioneers. He got his start as a guitarist in metal bands before immersing himself in roots music as a member of The Deadly Gentlemen. Stash is a veteran festival performer, having played at Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, Rockygrass, Merlefest, Savannah Music Festival and others. Page 4 �Austin String Band Festival 2017 Austin area favorites Spencer and Rains Together, Spencer & Rains have performed and taught nationally and internationally, preserving and building upon the traditions of their region. The husband and wife duo are known for their twin fiddle harmony, which is a product of the influence of midwestern Scandinavian fiddlers Tricia heard as a child. At the same time, Howard’s distinct repertoire reintroduces listeners to the pre-contest styles of Texas fiddling. That same sense of harmony is in their vocals, as well, which they pull from all manner of American folk music. Both multiinstrumentalists, they are steeped in tradition and are dedicated to the preservation, performance, and teaching of old time music. Page 5 �Austin String Band Festival 2017 Missy Beth and The Morning Afters Beth Chrisman steps away from her usual role as side player, picks up the guitar and sings center stage, mixing in her original songs with gems from her favorite songwriters and heroes (Hazel Dickens, Loretta Lynn, Wanda Jackson, Ola Belle Reed). The Morning Afters - a rotating crew of Austin's finest country pickers, will lay down a collection of lonesome honkytonk and rockin oldtime tunes sure to get your feet on the dance floor. Page 6 �Austin String Band Festival 2017 "Rabbit" Sanchez and Lorenzo Martinez Ramon “Rabbit” Sanchez (bajo sexto) and Lorenzo Martinez (accordion) are legendary musicians as well as some of the most versatile to come out of the conjunto homeland of South Texas. Together they have forged a sound that combines old school traditional conjunto with a progressive sensibility. Rodney Clay Sutton is a dance performer and teacher of Appalachian step dance – both flatfoot and clogging. He calls square dances and contra dances, and is a storyteller and ballad singer. Rodney offers workshops, lectures, and demonstrations catered for a range of age groups, including youth, seniors, and corporate gatherings. He is also a concert and festival producer, emcee, and stage manager. Rodney Sutton Page 7 �Austin String Band Festival 2017 The Barn Owls, with Sharon Isaac, Caller The Barn Owls are an oldtime string band specializing in having a good time. Fiddler Trent Shepherd grew up in Austin but his family roots are in West Virginia. He and bassist Brink Melton are alumni of the Onion Creek Crawdaddies, a beergrass band that had a large and loyal following for several years. Guitarist Joe Dobbs is a librarian by day and tune collector all the time. Some of the band's more unusual tunes were unearthed by Joe. Banjoist Jerry Hagins has been on the Austin scene for quite a while, teaching banjo and playing in any band that will have him. Square dances are a Barn Owls specialty, and they'll be teaming up with Kentucky-raised dance caller Sharon Issac. Page 8 �Austin String Band Festival 2017 Up Around the Sun Austin legends Tim Kerr and Jerry Hagins’ new project of old time music is called Up Around the Sun. Take old time tunes played on a banjo, claw hammer style …. add an open tuned guitar… playing a loose Irish style ….. sprinkle in some harmonica and fiddle , and you get Up Around The Sun. Also performing at this years' Austin String Band Festival The Mar-A-Lago Stragglers The Mar-A-Lago Stragglers are Dom Fisher (Wood and Wire) on guitar and lead vocals, Amanda Jo Chisholm (Frauleins) on upright bass, Matt Downing (Matt Downing) on banjo and sweet, buttery harmonies, and Silas Lowe (Silas Lowe) on mandolin. MALS play a mix of early trad grass all the way up to more modern compositions by folks like Larry Sparks. A favorite featured act at highbrow south Austin celebrations of Easter and Mother's Day, MALS is sure to provide as close an approximation of bluegrass music as they can muster! Jesse Lege, Peter Schwarz & Cajun Ramble Cajun Ramble is the new project of accordionist Jesse Lege, a member of the Cajun Music Hall of Fame and Peter Schwarz, a protégé of master fiddler Dewey Balfa. Catching Up the Slack Catching up the Slack is a new Texas band, with Britt Irick from Austin, and Margaret, April and Lloyd Wright from Kennard. Their caller is Rodney Sutton. Page 9 �Austin String Band Festival 2017 The Coffee Man returns to the Austin String Band Festival! "The Morning Dew" at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival June, 2016 After an evening of dancing, picking, and other indulgences, many campers at the ASBF wake up needing a cup of coffee more than anything else. Fortunately, Richard Moore has a “passion for filling the need”. Richard is “The Coffee Man” who offers gallons and gallons of free coffee to campers at the ASBF, as well as six other acoustic music festivals throughout the year! This all started back in ’06 or ’07 when Richard was camping at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and realized one morning that his neighbor in the campsite had no coffee. Richard was happy to share, and enjoyed that experience so much that he expanded on the idea and created the Meadow Park Coffee Cooperative, a one-man operation that runs the Morning Dew community supported coffee shop at various festivals around the country. Richard admits to enjoying being “the center of attention” and has found that “it’s more fun being generous than being selfish”. So, Richard gets up early and makes twenty to twenty-five gallons of coffee each morning and makes it available to campers on a selfserve basis from 7:00 AM until 9:00 AM or so. The coffee is absolutely free, but coffee drinkers need to supply their own cups. Real coffee cups are the best, of course, but recyclable paper cups are OK, also. Richard does put out a tip jar, but all the proceeds go to the festival organizers, Richard doesn’t collect a cent! Tent campers are usually in greater need of coffee than campers in RV’s, so Richard prefers to set up his operation near the tenters. At ASBF this year, he plans to set up near the playground area, convenient to the tent campers along Onion Creek. In addition to providing coffee to all comers, Richard works a volunteer shift at the front gate and has been particularly successful in selling AFTM memberships to festival attendees! So, at the Austin String Band Festival in October, be sure to stop by the Morning Dew Coffee Shop and thank Richard for his generosity. While you’re there, pour yourself a cup of coffee, it’s on the house! Page 10 �A Panoply of Pickers at Sam's Town Point Sam’s Town Point is the new location for the AFTM Monthly Meeting & Jam, and the August and September meetings have already taken place there! This monthly meeting and jam take place outdoors, weather permitting, and there’s plenty of room inside when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Sam’s Town Point is a wonderful neighborhood bar and music venue, located at 2115 Allred Drive in Austin, just off Slaughter Lane near Manchaca. Singer/songwriter Ramsey Midwood is a coowner of Sam's, and live music is featured most nights. The monthly AFTM meeting and jam takes place on the second Sunday of each month; the meeting starts at 12:30 PM and the jam gets going around 2:00. October 8 will the next date! Page 11 �A New Home for the AFTM Midwinter Festival! The beloved AFTM Midwinter Festival, which sadly didn’t happen in 2017, has found a new home for 2018 - Life In The City UMC at 205 E Monroe St in Austin! The fact that the AFTM was unable to present its annual Midwinter Festival in 2017 was very sad news for Austin's traditional music community, and the AFTM board set to work to find a new venue, to insure that the Midwinter Festival would resume in 2018. Joanna Saucedo, the AFTM Social Media Coordinator, discovered the Life In The City UMC, and was able to secure the date of Saturday, February 10 for the 2018 Midwinter Festival. So, save the date, mark your calendars, cancel travel plans, etc., the AFTM Midwinter Festival is back! 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 Angie Wooten, Vice President Cheryl Dehut, Treasurer Ken Tweedy, Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne DeFriese, Events Coordinator Brit Irick, Outreach Coordinator Barbara Deane, Sponsorships Coordinator Mike Savercool, Membership Coordinator Joanna Saucedo, Social Media Coordinator Dan Foster, At Large Volunteers Terry SoRelle, Webmaster Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 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 43 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 2017-10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 43, Number 3 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/266/newsletter-43-02-2017-07.pdf 1ae661971f8dac1b84b0aacae911c97b PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of The Austin Friends of Traditional Music Summer 2017 Reel Times visits the Stone Soup Jam! Dave Polacheck and family celebrate his 70th Birthday at the Stone Soup Jam in April �Christy Foster sings and plays a tune at the Stone Soup Jam The Austin, Texas area is blessed with several ongoing acoustic jams, many of them held every week. The AFTM website lists weekly jams for Cajun, old time, bluegrass, Scandinavian, Irish and other traditional music forms. On the third Sunday of the month, however, there’s a jam that welcomes all these genres, as well as any form of traditional music. It’s the Stone Soup Jam at the Texas Music Museum, organized by Dave Polacheck. Dave grew up in a family where folk music was played regularly, and he took up the banjo at an early age. His childhood was split between New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, so Dave’s been around! Dave moved to Texas in the early 1970’s, and has fond memories of the early days of the Austin music scene, listening to Janis Joplin, John Clay and the Lost Austin Band, and many others. It’s Dave’s intention to keep the spirit of those days alive with a diverse, allinclusive jam. At the March, 2017 Stone Soup Jam, one could hear fiddle tunes, unaccompanied ballad singing, blues music, old country songs, and other traditional genres. The March gathering was a particularly special event; Dave Polacheck celebrated his 70th birthday, surround by family and friends! This fine jam takes place on the third Sunday of the month at the Texas Music Museum, 1009 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702; things get rolling around 2:00 PM! Page 2 Click here to see more photos of The Stone Soup Jam! �2017 Austin String Band Festival Preview The Austin String Band Festival is one of the best-kept secrets in Texas, a music festival with small crowds, a lovely natural setting and close-in parking. Come discover the Austin String Band Festival out at Camp Ben McCulloch (right by the Salt Lick) in Driftwood.TX. Dance all night on Friday, then attend hands-on music and dance workshops under the trees early on Saturday, then kick back for a day and night of nonstop fiddles, banjos and guitars as more than two dozen bands take the stage. Sunday wraps it up with a gospel jam. Camping at its finest along Onion Creek. October 20 - 22. The campground jamming at the ASBF is some of the best to be found anywhere, as demonstrated by these four AFTM stalwarts! Go to the next page to see this year's featured performers. Page 3 �Molsky's Mountain Drifters Introducing Bruce Molsky’s brand new trio with Allison de Groot and Stash Wyslouch - Tradition steeped in possibility. Molsky's Mountain Drifters packs a punch with three of the most captivating performers in the most recent generation of Old-Time and American Roots music. The band features Bruce Molsky, (Grammy nominated, revered Old-Time music ambassador and Berklee College of Music Visiting Scholar) along with guitar genre bender Stash Wyslouch (of the Deadly Gentlemen) on guitar and vocals and master of the clawhammer banjo, Allison de Groot (of The Goodbye Girls). These striking musicians have come together for a new sound within the traditional music genre through their audacious approach. “I was looking for a new voice,” says Molsky, “a new avenue of expression using old time mountain music as the jumping-off point, but not being constrained by hard core traditionalism. Allison and Stash are showing me the way, just where the music is headed, in directions I never would have imagined when I started my own journey into the mountains a long time ago.” Page 4 �Austin area favorites Spencer and Rains Tricia Spencer is a Kansas fiddler who grew up learning the tradition of old time music from her Grandparents. Howard Rains is a native Texas artist and a fourth generation fiddler. Together, Spencer & Rains have performed and taught nationally and internationally, preserving and building upon the traditions of their region. The husband and wife duo are known for their twin fiddle harmony, which is a product of the influence of midwestern Scandinavian fiddlers Tricia heard as a child. At the same time, Howard’s distinct repertoire reintroduces listeners to the precontest styles of Texas fiddling. That same sense of harmony is in their vocals, as well, which they pull from all manner of American folk music. Both multiinstrumentalists, they are steeped in tradition and are dedicated to the preservation, performance, and teaching of old time music. Page 5 �"Rabbit" Sanchez and Lorenzo Martinez Ramon “Rabbit” Sanchez (bajo sexto) and Lorenzo Martinez (accordion) are legendary musicians as well as some of the most versatile to come out of the conjunto homeland of South Texas. Together they have forged a sound that combines old school traditional conjunto with a progressive sensibility. Rodney Clay Sutton is a dance performer and teacher of Appalachian step dance – both flatfoot and clogging. He calls square dances and contra dances, and is a storyteller and ballad singer. Rodney offers workshops, lectures, and demonstrations catered for a range of age groups, including youth, seniors, and corporate gatherings. He is also a concert and festival producer, emcee, and stage manager. Rodney Sutton Page 6 �Missy Beth and The Morning Afters Beth Chrisman steps away from her usual role as side player, picks up the guitar and sings center stage, mixing in her original songs with gems from her favorite songwriters and heroes (Hazel Dickens, Loretta Lynn, Wanda Jackson, Ola Belle Reed). The Morning Afters are a rotating crew of Austin's finest country pickers, will lay down a collection of lonesome honkytonk and rockin oldtime tunes sure to get your feet on the dance floor. The Barn Owls, with Sharon Isaac, Caller The Barn Owls are an oldtime string band specializing in having a good time. Fiddler Trent Shepherd grew up in Austin but his family roots are in West Virginia. He and bassist Brink Melton are alumni of the Onion Creek Crawdaddies, a beergrass band that had a large and loyal following for several years. Guitarist Joe Dobbs is a librarian by day and tune collector all the time. Some of the band's more unusual tunes were unearthed by Joe. Banjoist Jerry Hagins has been on the Austin scene for quite a while, teaching banjo and playing in any band that will have him. Square dances are a Barn Owls specialty, and they'll be teaming up with Kentucky-raised dance caller Sharon Issac. Page 7 �How many strings on Dave's banjo? Clawhammer Picking on a Seven String Banjo by David Polacheck I’ve been playing clawhammer style banjo for more than fifty years, and over that time, I have often been frustrated by the fact that many tunes require notes that are below the customary low note on the fourth string of D or C. Of course, there are tunings that tak section an octave higher was unsatisfying to me because I liked the low pitch sound. Last year, I was offered a chance to “banjo sit” a six string banjo by Mike Ramsey. Now this was not a guitar banjo, but basically a five string banjo with an extra bass string e the fourth string down to a lower between the standard fourth and note, but this is often inconvenient fifth. Gold Tone has made some and can make difficulties in left hand instruments like this under the fingering for some tunes. The option model name “LoJo”. of playing the whole piece or low Page 8 �I tuned the extra bass string initially to a G an octave below the third string in standard G tuning and tried it out. Since I now had a string an octave below the fiddlers’ fourth string in standard tuning, it gave me the option of playing the low notes for pieces like “Wild Rose of the Mountain”, “Frosty Morning” and “Loftus Jones”. It also gave me a nice low pitched sound on chords. This got me to thinking about what a seven string banjo could provide in picking possibilities, since an extra bass string below the low G I was now playing, pitched an octave below the standard fourth string would allow me to play many tunes an octave lower than the standard way of playing them. This creates the possibility of playing tunes in the cello banjo range, like a Gold Tone CEB-5, but also having the standard banjo range and way of approaching the tune. The extra low bass string would also enhance the sounds of chords used for emphasis during the rendition. requested that they switch out the rim for their version of the Whyte Laydie style tone ring from the MM-150 model.) They also modified the bridge and I doubled up on two of the posts on the tailpiece. The YouTube videos I subsequently made show how well the repurposing worked out. One unusual feature of this design is the drone or thumb string which has the same scale length as the other strings instead of the traditional shorter length terminating in a “fifth string peg”. To bring the pitch of the drone string to its normal note, I used detachable fifth string capos of various designs, ultimately settling on having model railroad spikes installed. Now I don’t have to worry about sticking my thumb on the short end of the thumb string. Two other aftermarket changes included a seven string tailpiece from Thomas Saffell’s Infinity banjos and a custom made bridge by Bart Veerman allowing for the radiused fingerboard of the neck. I also chose to use a Shubb twelve string guitar capo, which works well. I am very happy I really like playing a banjo with a with the results, especially at the Whyte Laydie tone ring, and since I price, considerably lower than a “from knew that Gold Tone made a version scratch” instrument from a small shop of this design, I consulted with Wayne banjo maker would have been. Rogers about modifying one of their 12 string guitar banjos (the GT 1200) There are at least two other makers by regrooving the nut to accept seven of this type of instrument that I know strings. Only seven of the twelve of*, and it is also being used for tuning machines were used although classical style (Michael Nix has a all twelve remain in place. (I nylon string seven string instrument, Page 9 �which you can view on YouTube) as well as bluegrass style picking. The additional sounds and ways of playing the traditional songs and tunes I love has made me a enthusiastic fan of the modern seven string banjo! (Tunings I have used include gDGDGBD, gDGDGBbD, gDGDGCD, aDADF#AD, aDADFAD, gCGCGBD and gCGCGCD.) *Henning Von Ploetz of Germany and Thomas Saffell’s Infinity Banjos from Tennessee. These instruments both feature a traditional short drone string design. Page 10 7 string banjo bridge made by Bart Veerman �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 Angie Wooten, Vice President Cheryl Dehut, Treasurer Ken Tweedy, Secretary and Volunteer Coordinator Jeanne DeFriese, Events Coordinator Brit Irick, Outreach Coordinator Barbara Deane, Sponsorships Coordinator Mike Savercool, Membership Coordinator Joanna Saucedo, Social Media Coordinator Dan Foster, At Large Volunteers Terry SoRelle, Webmaster Gary Mortensen, Reel Times Editor Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 Click here to volunteer at the String Band Festival Click here for the AFTM website � 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 43 Number 2 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 2017-07 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 43, Number 2 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/265/newsletter-43-01-2017-04.pdf 1aa9c5be7777be85fe3ab716dd1d4bcd PDF Text Text Reel Times Newsletter of the Austin Friends of Traditional Music Spring 2017 Britt Irick’s fiddling leads the Rio Rita Old Time Jam! Welcome to Our New Reel Times! �We haven’t published Reel Times in a long while and are excited to bring you news about what’s going on in traditional music around Austin. We intend to publish this newsletter quarterly in an on-line edition. Please send articles, upcoming events and ideas to our editor; Gary Mortensen, gary.hipster@gmail.com. This is your newsletter and we need you to help decide what to put in it. For starters, we will introduce you to the board members in this and future editions by printing a brief interview with each of them. Your board members are: Elise Bright, Barbara Deane, Jeanne DeFriese, Cheryl DeHut, Dan Foster, Britt Irick, Joanne Saucedo, Mike Savercool, Kenny Tweedy, Angie Wooten, Tim Wooten. Your webmaster is Terry SoRelle, and your Reel Times editor is Gary Mortensen. Join AFTM, click here! Austin String Band Festival: October 20–22, 2017 – Save the Date The Austin Friends of Traditional Music present their annual Austin String Band Festival on October 20-22, 2017, at beautiful Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, Texas. This annual camping festival features the very best of local and national performers of old-time, bluegrass, blues, vintage country, and ethnic American music. 2 �Whether you come for the day or camp out for the weekend, there will be music everywhere - on the stage, at the workshops, in the picnic areas, in the campgrounds, all day and well into the night. Delicious local and organic food will be available for sale at the festival. Great string band music, workshops, and lots of family fun provide something for everyone. Friday, October 20 starts off this full weekend with Dance ‘Til You Drop Night featuring great live music and several kinds of dancing. Come out and dance or just listen and watch. Saturday, October 21 will be a full day of great music and music related activities. Music workshops are offered in the morning and early afternoon (free with admission). Stage performances begin in the early afternoon and continue until 10pm; mini-sets are held in a nearby performance area during stage set changes to keep the music rolling continuously. Sunday October 22 is the Gospel Jam, an open morning gospel sing that wraps up a fun and music-filled weekend! We’ll occasionally ask AFTM members to share their current musical listening choices. This issue, we’ve asked Fiddlin’ Dan Foster for his current favorites, and here they are: The Goodbye Waltz - Front Porch Fiddling: Matt Wyatt and Justin Branum, Fiddlesong Records Sandy River - Gordon Freeman, Silver Circle Productions Solomon Family - Three Generations of Champion Texas Fiddlers 1929-1969 : Old Blue Records Art of the Texas Breakdown: Orville Burns, Hodgson Records 50 Old-time Fiddle Gems: Pete McMahan, Voyager Records 3 �MAMMIE’S BANJO by sharon isaac The Old Banjo Was in its’ place In the front room Behind Mammie’s threadbare couch Safe from where we little children would never ever Dare to touch the precious thing But the temptation was extraordinary We knew while Mammie cooked in the kitchen She couldn’t see us We laid on the hard, cold, bare floor beside the couch And beheld and admired And yearned to touch Arms and fingers stretching Imagining the feel, the sensation, the vibration But never ever, ever Did we children cross that forbidden line. Time happens and people pass Mammie took the bus to another world The Old Banjo moved to Uncle Basil’s house. I grew older and I found a banjo muse “Let me take that old banjo” “No” was all he ever said I often visited The Old Banjo and I let it ring and I let it sing Time happens and people pass Uncle Basil took the bus to another world Then a strange thing happened Aunt Hilda cut down all his treasured trees in the front yard And gave away his little black dog Then she put that Old Banjo on my knee The Old Banjo moved to my house and I let it ring and I let it sing. 4 �The Tuesday Night Rio Rita Old Time Jam Rio Rita, on Austin’s east side, calls itself a “Mild mannered coffee shop by day, swanky lounge by night.” True enough but, on Tuesday nights, a transformation of sorts occurs and Rio Rita becomes the home of a weekly Old Time music jam! Britt Irick has been attending for years and is the de facto leader of the jam, arriving early each Tuesday and staying late. Britt, whose day job is teaching art at a middle school in Kyle, has learned to play fiddle by attending this jam for the past five years. He’s particularly pleased with Rio Rita’s new location at 1203 Chicon Street, after spending many years on East Sixth Street. The Old Time Jam has been at the Chicon Street location since the start of this year and, weather permitting, takes place on the roomy outdoor patio. Though Britt arrives early every Tuesday, the official start time is 7:30 and the jam runs as late as needed, nearly ‘til midnight some evenings. Typically, eight to ten pickers participate sometimes more, sometimes less. The Rio Rita Old Time Jam is open to players at all levels, and the musicians make a point of making newcomers feel welcome! More Rio Rita jam photos 5 �Sara Weber, AFTM Volunteer If you’ve attended any of the Austin String Band Festivals over the past eleven years, you’ve likely enjoyed the delicious food available in the “Café” at Camp Ben. The person responsible for these tasty offerings is Sara Weber, who has run the food service from the beginning and was instrumental in making the String Band Festival a reality back in 2005. Sara’s interest in traditional music is through contra dancing. Although she enjoyed the performance-based activities the AFTM had been presenting, she and others felt a festival event would encourage a more diverse and younger audience. As the inaugural String Band Festival was being planned in 2005, Sara’s culinary skills prompted her to volunteer to take on the food service responsibility. She’s been running the Café at the String Band Festival ever since! From the beginning, Sara wanted to provide a complete meal service so that people could attend the festival and eat all their meals at the Café. The menus show an emphasis on quality and fresh ingredients with some concessions to high quality “comfort food” as well. The menus accommodate as many dietary restrictions as possible. Like all the tasks involved in putting on the String Band Festival, Sara’s work is 100% a volunteer effort and she depends on a volunteer staff to help with food preparation, order taking, and all the tasks involved with running the food service. Sara feels that many festival attendees may not be aware that the food service is not a for-profit venture, but is strictly a volunteer effort and that all the proceeds go to the AFTM. Often, she needs more volunteers than are available, which creates an unnecessarily stressful situation. Hopefully, the 2017 Austin String Band Festival will see an increase in the number of volunteers. Sara welcomes volunteers with no food service experience. Many volunteers have commented that working at the Café is a great way to see old friends and meet new AFTM members. 6 �Dan Foster at his home in Austin The Hornpipe in Southern Fiddling Dan Foster Among hobbyists of the violin there is a certain bunch noted for its relatively harmless predilection to regard the obscurity of a fiddle tune as a serious mark of distinction in itself. The tendency toward this little personal excess is not without benefit in general. Indeed it has secured the rescue of more than a few charming and wonderful melodies from oblivion and helped to foster the survival of many a good tune that might otherwise have been lost. But among that cadre is a distinct faction exhibiting a more extreme form of this tendency: The hornpipe fiddler. To this odd sort not only the origin, but the melody and the very title of the tune itself must exhibit a certain affinity for the peculiar. Tunes with names like The Hiawatha Hornpipe, The Dominion Hornpipe or Good For the Tongue find a favored place in the hornpipe fancier’s tune-list, and each lives up to its name. Sometimes charming, often obtuse and ever pursuing novelty in all aspects, the hornpipe is at home among the inscrutable. As Pennsylvania fiddler, Jehile Kirkhuff is heard to have chuckled before launching off into The All American Hornpipe: “Here’s a baffler…” Now, reels and breakdowns predominate any regular gathering of fiddle players. A polka, the waltz, or even an occasional jig is admitted. But the appearance of a hornpipe on the scene, at 7 �least one in its full plumage, is apt to bring the groove of a good jam to a dead halt. Good breeding and a moderate sense of discretion generally serve to keep this from happening too often and the fiddler with a bad case of the hornpipes may be welcome or at least tolerated while the symptoms are under control. Forbearance is an essential if difficult virtue for the hornpipe fiddler, at least for the one who cares to maintain both reputation and friendships in the community at large. Fisher’s Hornpipe is usually a safe bet, Durang’s, Rickett’s or even Harvest Home, but the looks to be expected after finishing even a commendable execution of The Acrobat or The Bee’s Wing in Bb will almost certainly be quizzical at best So what is a hornpipe? The description typically offered (not infrequently with a trace of disdain) involves likening the sound of it to that of an oddly constructed form of musical calisthenics, notey with interminable arpeggios, a somewhat stilted meter, melodic accidentals, and a propensity for quaintness. A recommendation may also be offered that the form is best executed in solitude. Still, for that plucky segment of the fiddling community with an ear for such business, the form is magical fun. Most fiddling is centered around dance rhythms. Breakdowns, polkas, and waltzes are common across the South and account for the main part of the fiddler's repertoire. Among the many now largely extinct dance forms for which tunes once filled the floor there were the quadrille, lancers, the redova, cotillion, mazurka, galop, clog, walk-around, essence, strathspey, Schottische, and others. The hornpipe might have been counted among these, at least in the earliest days. There is considerable disagreement about the origin and nature of the hornpipe, at least among those who enjoy disagreeing about such things. Like the Schottische, which Alan Jabbour has described as "the Continent's idea about the way that the English thought the Scottish people danced like", the origin of hornpipe is fittingly conjectural. Most often associated in origin with northern England, the earliest references to the form come from 17th century compositions with various settings of the word “hornpipe” in the title. Some older varieties were in 3/2 time signature and were perhaps related to an earlier and unfortunately named English dance form, the “maggot”. There are 17th and 18th century references, even tune books from the period such as Thomas Marsden's Original Lancashire Hornpipes, Old and New, published by Henry Playford in 1705. The familiar Fisher's Hornpipe was first published in 1780 and attributed to one James A. Fishar, a dancer, musical director and ballet master at Covent Garden during the 1770's. It is included as Hornpipe #1 in Fishar’s Sixteen Cotillons Sixteen Minuets Twelve Allemands and Twelve Hornpipes, 1773. Another well-known title is the Sailor's Hornpipe, first printed as the College Hornpipe in 1797 or 1798 by J. Dale of London, but now days more often associated with vintage Pop-Eye the Sailor TV cartoons. There appears to be little truth to the commonly held idea that the dance was made popular by virtue of having been performed on board 17th century sailing vessels by the crews of same. Whatever its origin, the hornpipe has persisted as a common tune form in Great Britain and among American fiddlers both North and South since time out of mind. Highly regarded versions of Durang’s Hornpipe are still popular among old-time, Bluegrass and Texas Style fiddlers alike. It is the namesake of John Durang who lived 1768 to 1822, a native-born American widely known as a dancer. Said to have been George Washington's favorite performer, he was noted particularly for his nimble execution of the hornpipe. During the 19th century, the hornpipe was popular among fiddlers of all types, but particularly favored by the “gentleman fiddlers” of both genders capable of extracting challenging specimens from tunebooks like Elias Howe’s Ryan’s Mamouth Collection and later Cole’s 1000 Fiddle Tunes. The first recorded musical rendition of Durang’s Hornpipe is from Don Richardson made for 8 �Columbia Records, 1916. Jasper Bisbee recorded The College Hornpipe for Edison Records in 1923 Nowadays, the old-time music scene ungrudgingly concedes Rickett’s Hornpipe, The Cincinnati, and others like John Sharp’s or The Grand Hornpipe which are typically played more like break-downs anyway. One common aspect of almost all state-side renditions of the hornpipe is avoidance of the “dotted-rhythm” that is perhaps its most identifiable characteristic in Great Britain, Canada, sometimes the American northeast and at Irish sessions everywhere. In musical notation the sound of the breakdown style is represented predominately by measures of evenly played eighth-notes, while the old-school hornpipe rhythm is cast by measures of dotted eighth notes followed by sixteenth-notes. British style American style It may be possible that this was a conscious result of the need for cultural differentiation sometime after the effects of the War of 1812 (a conflict with deeper and more significant impact than is typically understood). You can hear the difference between the head-strong, hard-charging four-square American style and the more lilting nature of the older form by comparing the sound of two recordings of The Liverpool Hornpipe. The British“dotted-rhytm” version by the fiddler Tom Anderson from the distant Shetland Islands followed by the American style by Willaim B. Houtchens who was recorded fiddling the tune in 1924 in Indiana for Gennett Records. Examples (audio links): Liverpool Hornpipe – Tom Anderson (Shetland Islands – 1970s?) www.fostersplace.com/sounds/LiverpoolHornpipe-TomAnderson.mp3 Liverpool Hornpipe –Wm Houtchens (Indiana 1924) www.fostersplace.com/sounds/LiverpoolHornpipe-WBHoutchens.mp3 Although, Emmet Lundy’s version of Fisher’s Hornpipe features a degree of the older rhythmic style, the virtual absence of the dotted-rhythm across most available historic recordings from the U.S. is compelling evidence that this was a practice most likely adopted early in our history, though the evidence of audio examples essential to posing such a guess is lacking for any period before the early 1920s. This American style of rendering the hornpipe is echoed in many strong, traditionally sourced White fiddlers such as Emmet Lundy, Henry Reed, Luther Strong, Marcus Martin and John Salyer up to more “modern” artists from Clayton McMichen to Howdy Forrester. Considering the foundational influence of Black fiddlers on the American tradition, it should be noted that from the few early recordings in existence we might infer the same approach to the hornpipe rhythm, perhaps even the origin of that approach. In the 1940s Fisher’s Hornpipe was recorded from the playing of Black fiddler Frank Patterson and banjoist Nathan Frazier by John Work in Tennessee. That version is characteristically “un-dotted” in its rhythm. The same can be said 9 �for a version of Wagoner’s played by fiddler John Lusk and banjoist Murphy Gribble. Lusk, Gribble, and guitarist Albert York from Campaign Tennessee, were recorded by Robert "Stu" Jamieson for the Library of Congress in 1946. Jamieson noted that the three were "The most popular dance band for black and white dances in six counties". A relatively few number of hornpipes show up in most of the known repertoires for Southern fiddlers, over and over. But in the case of our hornpipe fiddler, his repertoire might include a goodly number of choice and well-developed representatives of the species under consideration. Ernie Hodges was a fiddler born in 1907 near Banner Elk, N.C. He learned to read music before he started attending school. His father, who was an old-time singer and music teacher, inspired in him an early love of music. By the time he was 12, Hodges, with the help of his grandfather, had built his first banjo out of a gourd with horse hair strings. He went on to become a much admired fiddler across the region. His actual tune-list may have included any number of hornpipes, but among the handful that happen to have survived in recorded form there are Deer Walk and Hanna’s Hornpipe. Hanna’s Hornpipe Ernie Hodges (Transcribed by Frank Maloy, The Devils Box – Vol. 2 No. 4 Dec 1, 1978. Used by permission.) This tune comes from the Davis Unlimited LP entitled North Carolina Fiddling" (DU 33031) 1976 Hodges entered fiddle contests and picked up classical tunes and traditional melodies while traveling throughout the Southeast with bands. At the peak of his playing, he was heard on 72 radio stations across the South. Other Appalachian fiddlers were also known for their hornpipes. Roscoe Parrish (1897-1984) of Galax, Virginia played tunes like The Oyster River Hornpipe, Colberth’s, and the Portsmouth Hornpipe. George Hawkins (1904-1991) from Bath County, Kentucky is known for the many hornpipes in his repertoire including Big Indian, Holmes Hornpipe, The High Level, Randall’s, The Rocky Mountain, The Thunder Hornpipe, Good For the Tongue and others. 10 �The fiddling tradition in the Midwest is particularly hornpipe heavy. There appear to have once been a great number and diversity of unique hornpipes common among fiddlers in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Indiana. Known as the “Missouri Valley” fiddle style, the tradition is characterized by clean, notey playing of complex hornpipes and reels, many of which can be traced to Cole's 1000 Fiddle Tunes or Ryan's Mammoth Collection and other 19th century fiddle tune books. The legendary fiddler William Anderson “Bill” Driver (1881-1985) of Pleasant Hill Missouri is noted for his version of Marmaduke’s Hornpipe. Left handed fiddler Cyril Stinnett (1912 – 1986) from the northwest corner of Missouri played Hooker’s Hornpipe and the Dubuque Hornpipe, a tune which he performed more like a standard breakdown and as such may have entered the modern old-time repertoire where it is now known simply as Dubuque. The tune appears first in Elias Howe's collection as The Village Hornpipe. It was also played by Missouri Valley fiddlers Casey Jones, Art Galbraith, and Ron Hughey. Lonnie Robertson (1908-1981) from Springfield, Missouri is known for his renditions of The Champion and Adrian’s Hornpipe. The succeeding generation of Missouri fiddlers include those like Vesta Johnson who was born in 1922 in North-central Missouri and has been an important influence on young musicians in the region. Vesta, Charlie Walden and Chirps Smith among others are helping to ensure that the Missouri Valley tradition continues for yet a while. Another important Midwest fiddler known for his hornpipes was Bob Walters (1889-1960) of Nebraska who reportedly won practically every contest he entered in the region. His version of The Thunderbolt is to this day unequaled. Walters was recorded in the 1940s by fiddler and tune-collector R. P. Christeson and by Iowa fiddler Dwight Lamb throughout the 1950s. Among the many remarkable tunes associated with “Uncle Bob” Walters are The High Level Hornpipe, St. Joe, Woodchopper’s Hornpipe and The Constitution. Other notable hornpipe recordings from the R. P. Christeson collection are The Hunter’s Hornpipe from George Morris, Aunt Mary’s Hornpipe from Vee Latty, and Effie’s Hornpipe performed by Christeson himself. Another noted Midwest fiddler was Lotus Dickey (1911-1989) from Southern Indiana whose repertoire included The New Century Hornpipe, the truly charming Peck O’Mant Hornpipe and others. Among Bluegrass fiddlers, the old chestnuts are strongly favored with many innovative versions of Fisher’s, Sailor’s Hornpipe, Durang’s, and Rickett’s. Several notable new hornpipes have been written by Bluegrass musicians, including Byron Berline’s Huckleberry Hornpipe and Bill’s Monroe Hornpipe. Kenny Baker is known for Doc Harris’Hornpipe, Bobby Vann’s and the Ball and Chain Hornpipe. Most Bluegrass renditions are almost indistinguishable from breakdowns and played at a pretty good clip. While not favored much by 5-string banjo pickers of the classic era, more contemporary banjoists like Bob Black, Bill Keith and Alan Munde have all featured noteworthy hornpipes in their performances and recordings. Here in Texas, I remember listening to the late Bill Northcutt, a much loved old-time Texas fiddler from Houston, play The Cottage Hornpipe and The Lamplighter’s. Bill was widely known not only for his solid breakdown fiddling, but for the choice, out-of-the-ordinary tunes he played with such good-natured talent. His version of The Hiawatha Hornpipe, along with any number of other unnamed gems were a pure delight to hear. Many folks around the Austin area can still recall the inventive precision (and accompanying high-pitched chuckle) of the late Gordon Starrett as he ran through any number of often outlandish and unnamed hornpipes. Bill and Gordon were both among the inheritors of that venerable part of the fiddling tradition that favored the thrill of measured expertise if not outright acrobatics best practiced in the confines of the hornpipe. Favoring single-note playing, precision and clarity, they took delight in closed flat-keys, and the keys of C and F which are common for the form. Though less often heard 11 �these days in old-time circles, hornpipe playing was once the mark of an accomplished fiddler. Lowe Stokes is reputed to have said of Alabama Fiddler, Joe Lee – “He could just set and play pretty all day and all night. Play all them ol’ hornpipes, and he could really play ‘em too.” Texas Style fiddlers have a special place for hornpipes in their repertoire. While some of the more common tunes like Uncle Herman’s Hornpipe, Wagoner’s, or Randall’s Hornpipe are played in the contest setting, in the context of the informal jam many others like The Oriole, The Butterfly, Dew Drop or Dominion Hornpipe may be heard. Texans render the hornpipe not in the dotted rhythm but according to the steady Texas pace made so popular by fiddlers like Major Franklin, Red Steeley and Howard “Bus” Westmorland and their stalwart guitar players. Norman Solomon’s setting of General Lee’s Hornpipe is marked by a relentless freight-train rhythm that has all the drive of the breakdown but maintains the unique aspect of the hornpipe done up Texas Style. So, I hope I have piqued some interest in learning more about hornpipe fiddling. It is true that spending time learning this rather demanding form will not in itself guarantee your continued popularity at the local jam. But if you are the type that enjoys untangling musical puzzles and can derive sufficient joy from fiddling for its own sake, then you might be just the kind of artist cut out to encounter the hornpipe on its own terms on a regular basis. There are added benefits, though. Making the effort to learn these weird tunes does have a salubrious effect on fiddling technique in general. You may find that the skills you develop in hornpipe fiddling do serve in some measure to transfer better clarity, control and precision to anything you play. It may well be that a significant portion of what sets the modern Texas Style of fiddling apart is attributable to concentration on the bowing necessary to execute the hornpipe form. This is purely conjecture on my part, but taking into account the sheer number and extensive variety of hornpipes associated with the playing of Benny Thomasson and his singular effect on modern fiddle technique, it does not seem unreasonable to suspect that his time spent working through hornpipes like Forrester’s, Blanchard’s and Tooly’s had something to do with it all. The unique and fascinating musical requirements involved in learning how to play a good hornpipe are after all a satisfying and special kind of fun - and good for you, too!. Sources: The Devil's Box, periodical Vol 29 No. 3 Fall 1995 The Traditional Tune Archive (http://tunearch.org) The Country Dance Book - Beth Tolman, & Ralph Page,. Countryman Press; 1937 With Fiddle and Well-Rosined Bow: Old-Time Alabama Fiddling – Joyce H. Cauthen, University of Alabama Press, 1989 Southern Fiddlers and Fiddle Contests – Chris Goertzen, Universtiy Press of Mississippi, 2008 Play Me Something Quick and Devlish: Old Time Fiddler’s in Missouri – Howard Wright Marshall, Univ. of Missouri Press, 2012 Old-time Kentucky Fiddle Tunes --Jeff Todd Titon, University Press of Kentucky, 2001 The Beautiful Music all Around Us – Stephen Wade, University of Illinois Press. 2012 The Devil’s Box-Masters of Southern Fiddling – Charles Wolfe, Vanderbilt University Press. 1997 The Old-Time Fiddler's Repertory: 245 Traditional Tunes - R.P. Christeson, University of Missouri 1973 David Allen Gary Lee Moore Dan Stewart Charlie Walden Olaf Riewe 12 � 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 43 Number 1 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 2017-04 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 43, Number 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/264/newsletter-40-01-2014-01.pdf 6ff6e3e0576ef888609bee1a550500ee PDF Text Text Volume 40 #1 JANUARY 2014 Reel Times AFTM TURNS 40! Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM) has its origins in the autumn of 1974 when a group of musicians gathered in an Austin living room with a special purpose in mind: to produce a traditional music convention with competition for pickers and singers. By November of that year, the first convention was held. It was financed on a shoestring budget and the only publicity was free publicity. And its producers wondered if there would be enough interest for the convention to last until noon. But by midnight, their fears had dissolved. Living room pickers from all over the area attended, competed, and got to know each other and AFTM was on its way. AFTM is a 501(c)3 organization, founded in 1974 and dedicated to the promotion of traditional music. We present 2 yearly music festivals highlighting the central Texas music community and featuring local, national, and international folk musicians. Our Mid-Winter Festival is held in early February and features local and nationally known traditional bands. The Austin String Band Festival held in the Fall, combines old-time, bluegrass, conjunto, cajun and other ethnic performances. One of our main goals is to pass along traditional music to the next generation of enthusiastic musicians. We also host house concerts, jam sessions, and dances. AFTM serves as an educational and informative resource through its newsletter, web page, and local musician's registry. Midwinter Traditional Music Festival Saturday, February 8, 2014 What is the Midwinter Festival? The Midwinter Festival is Austin Friends of Traditional Music’s main fund raiser. The funds go to support showcases, house concerts, our Austin String band Festival and other traditional music and dance events in the Austin area. Great traditional music in one of the best listening spaces in town! We have a top-notch variety of bands offering an assortment of music from the U.S. and around the world. Dougherty Arts Center 1110 Barton Springs Rd., Austin, TX 512.974.4000 1 �PARKING: Parking lot at the High Road on Dawson (formerly the Elks Lodge), 700 Dawson Road, Austin, TX 78704 will be available to Mid Winter festival attendees at $5.00 for the day. DOORS OPEN AT 12:30PM / ON STAGE PERFORMANCES: 1PM – 9PM TICKETS: GENERAL ADMISSION: $25 AFTM MEMBERS: $20 12 YRS AND UNDER: FREE Make Your Own Music: Festival Workshops ROOM "A” 1:30 pm – OPEN ROOM “B” 1:30 pm - 2:15 pm - Fingerstyle and Clawhammer Ukulele, Tim Keough 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm - Sing, Dance and Play! Malissa Mollberg 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm - Survey of Old Time Guitar Backup Styles, Jon Polacheck 4:30 pm - 5:15 pm - Clawhammer Banjo overview, Jerry Hagins 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm - Acoustic Instrument Tinkering, Dr. Pat Nolan ROOM “C” 1:30 pm - 2:15 pm - Jaw Harp - Hand to Mouth Basics, Bernard Mollberg 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm - Clogging with Erica Braverman 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm - Fiddle tune origins, Mark Seale 4:30 pm - 5:15 pm - Gospel Singing with The Rudiments 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm - Flat pick Guitar, Jeff Robertson PERFORMANCES 1-1:45 Mark Gilston and friends 2-2:45 Annoying Instruments Orch. 3-3:45 David Hamburger Trio 4-4:45 Double Eagle String Band 5-5:45 Peter Keane 6-6:45 The Rudiments with T Jarrod Bonta 7-7:45 Ayan Hall dancing to Irish flute of Jonathan Milton 8-8:45 Los Jankies/Silas Lowe, Ben Hodges, et. al. 2 �*please check our website (aftm.us) or look for their Facebook pages for more information on these wonderful musicians and dancers. Austin Friends of Traditional Music Young Musician's Grant for the 2014 Swannanoa Old Time Gathering To do this, you got to know how... Whether it's Round Peak banjo, flat pick guitar, Piedmont fiddle, ukulele, shape note singing or Old-time mandolin, the best way to learn traditional music is from someone who knows how. The music has come down to us in an unbroken chain from one generation to the next, by hand and in person. That is still the best way to learn. The Austin Friends of Traditional Music is dedicated to helping keep the chain unbroken and preserving musical traditions as they evolve among those who still do know how! In cooperation with Warren Wilson Warren College of North Carolina, the AFTM is proud to announce its Young Musician's Grant program for 2014. Anyone in the Austin area under the age of 26 may apply. Two musicians will be selected from the entries to attend master classes at the annual Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina. Swannanoa offers a rich variety of hands-on classes with masters of various acoustic instruments, playing styles, singing, story-telling, and traditional dance. The grant will cover the cost of tuition ($500) and board ($395) for classes offered during OLD TIME WEEK. July 20-26, 2014 (here’s a description from last year): Old-Time Music & Dance Week at the Swannanoa Gathering explores the rich music, dance, and singing traditions of the southern Appalachian region through a wide variety of classes taught by an experienced and supportive staff. The many diverse offerings enable students to explore new areas; fiddlers sing, singers dance, and dancers learn to play instruments. New this year, the Teen Gathering is a class specifically for teenagers. Students enroll in as many as three regular classes during the week, and each afternoon a variety of short workshop topics are offered during the Potluck Sessions. The daily Communal Gathering features master musicians, singers, and dancers from across the Appalachian region. Evening activities include jam sessions, singing, square dances, clogging, concerts, and the popular Late-Night Honky-Tonk Dance! For those students bringing their families, we also offer a program for kids, but space is limited. Our Children's Program for ages 6-12 features kids' activities scheduled during all the daytime class sessions, and evening childcare for ages 3-12 is provided at no additional cost. Although the 2014 course catalog won't be available until open registration in March, and classes fill quickly, scholarship students will be given the old time classes of their choice. 3 �NOTE: Students under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult chaperone to attend camp. For more information on Warren Wilson College's Swannanoa Gathering, visit www.swangathering.com To apply for the grant, please submit the following:   A brief written explanation of the applicant’s interest in traditional music, current musical skill level, and why you think he or she should be chosen for a chance to learn from the masters. . Proof that the applicant is under 26 years of age. Travel expenses, and any other costs associated with attendance are the sole responsibility of the selected applicant. With the exception of proof of age, this information may be e-mailed. Please send a scanned copy of a birth certificate, a drivers license or other appropriate I.D. as proof of age via U.S. mail. Submit your entry for the AFTM grant by April 1, 2014, to: Austin Friends of Traditional Music, P.O. Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. email to AFTMTexas@gmail.com Helping the next generation to learn the music, not so much as a way to make a living as to make life itself worth living. CONTACT: Jeanne DeFriese, AFTMTexas@gmail.com, www.aftm.us ********************************** Do you want to become a member of AFTM? Check our website for more information http://www.aftm.us/join-aftm/ or see below the benefits of becoming a member. Join AFTM Membership is open to everyone. In order to carry out its goals, AFTM needs the support of interested persons, organizations, and businesses through tax-deductible donations. But donations are not all that maintain the vitality of AFTM. New and involved members, volunteers, and willing helpers are the lifeblood of the organization. AFTM festivals, dances and house concerts are the main driver of spreading the word of traditional music. Members contribute to this end by performing, playing in jams, attending local events, etc. Our membership also provides the funding for one of our greatest assets, providing scholarships to our youth. These scholarships send very talented and grateful kids to a traditional music camp at the annual Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, NC. For more information on how to apply, please see below. We invite you to join us, to participate, and to give of your time, energy, and resources in the important task of bringing and supporting traditional / folk music and dance in the Austin community. Benefits include:  Subscription to Reel Times newsletter  Discounts at AFTM-sponsored concerts, dances, and events 4 � Free classified ads on our website  Eligibility to serve on the Board and help shape the future of AFTM MEMBERSHIP LEVELS $15 - Student 1-year $20 - Individual 1-year $25 - Family 1-year $25 - Band or Dance Group 1-year $50 - Business 1-year $80 - Individual 5-year $100 - Family 5-year $300 (or more) - Lifetime Membership AFTM Board Elections Coming in April The Deadline for nominations is February 10th. The list of nominees will be emailed to the membership via the Yahoo group, and also will be published on the web-site. The election will take place this year on March 10th. Every current member is eligible to vote, and must be present at the meeting to cast a vote. AFTM monthly meetings and jams (2nd Sunday of the month) have moved to El Mercado 1302 S 1st St. Jam begins at 2pm. Show up early and enjoy great Tex Mex food and the finest service in Austin. Next meeting: February 9, 2014. NO MORE OPEN MIKES At this time, we have suspended the open mikes. Ongoing clubs you can join! The Austin Banjo Club: meets on Mondays, 7 - 9 pm at the Senior Activity Center, 29th and Lamar. Traditional American pop and jazz from late 1800s to the 1930s. All varieties of "banjo" are welcome (tenor, 5-string, banjouke, banjolins, etc) Please join us! www.austinbanjoclub.org for more info. The Austin Balkan Singers: A singing group comprised of women interested in preserving traditional folk songs of Eastern Europe. The group has been together over 30 years, gather once a week (most of the time) and welcomes 5 �new members interested in harmony, polyphonic vocalizations and group yells! Perform occasionally. Look for us on Facebook! Upcoming Dance Events Austin Barn Dancers Community-style contradancing for young and old alike, with the feeling of a town hall social dance. Contras, squares, and circle mixers to live traditional music provided by LOCO (Local On-Call Orchestra). Meets at Hancock Recreation Center on Wednesdays at 7:30-9:45 PM. 811 E 41st (corner of Red River). Contact Dale Rempert at drempert@ix.netcom.com or phone 512/453-4225. Austin Contra Dancing Contra Dance Schedule is the following. Every Wednesday Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd First Friday’s Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd Third Saturday’s Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd Directions and schedule or location changes can be found at taada.us (Traditional Austin Area Dance Association). Also check out the Facebook page Austin Contra Dancers. Third Saturday Contra The 3rd Saturday contra dances are held at the Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd in a business park, which is on the other side of Hwy 290W from the Westgate Shopping Center. Beginners session at 7:30 PM, regular dance from 8 to 11 PM. $9 admission with discounts for AFTM members. Students $5. First-time dancers receive a "dance for free" coupon. No experience or partners are necessary, and all dances are taught. Call Chuck Roth at (512) 453-8936 or e-mail info@austincontradance.org for more information. First Friday Contra Dances Dances taught, no experience needed, bring all your friends. Holds dances from 8:00 - 11:00 pm (beginners' session from 7:30 - 8), on the first Friday of each month, featuring local callers and musicians. $9 admission to the dance (discounts for AFTM members -- newcomers are free) with everyone welcome. No experience or partners necessary, all dances taught. Questions? Send an e-mail to John Kulas or call 512-296-1029. English Country Dancing Held on the 2nd Friday of each month, from 7:30pm-10:30, at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 6800 Woodrow Ave (one block South of Justin Lane). The cost is $8 when we have live music, $6 otherwise, and $5 for students all the time. All dances are taught and called. Beginners are welcome. Please note this dance is fragrance free. For more information contact Ann McCracken at ann@mccr.org or 266-9949. Or check the Austin English Country Dance Facebook page. 6 �Fire Ant Frolic Austin's 17th Annual Fire Ant Frolic Contradance weekend will be held November 1-3, 2013, at the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Grand Ballroom. Music will be by Contrajazz and Ladies at Play with callers Diane Silver and Keith Tuxhorn . Full information about the event is available through our website, www.fireantfrolic.com. Clickety Cloggers of Austin Is a 30-year-old nonprofit dance clogging heritage and promoting the help keep a slice of Americana alive. We 9:00 p.m. at the D'ette Dance Studio, 1807 78748. For information about dancing Virginia Pohlmeier virginiadale@att.net group dedicated to preserving the art of clog dancing--has a mission to dance every Thursday night from 6:30 to Slaughter Lane, Suite #325, Austin, TX with the club or taking lessons, Contact or (512) 441-7422. International Folk Dancing International Folk Dancing meets almost every Saturday night at Hancock Recreation Center on 41st Street (between Red River and Duval). Or visit the AIFD Facebook Page. Austin Scottish Country Dance Society Features weekly socials and classes. For information call or email Sarah Harriman at 327-2869 sarah@austinscd.org. REEL TIMES is published by Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM), a nonprofit organization (est. 1974) dedicated to encouraging the performance and appreciation of all genres of traditional music and dance. Copyright 2014 by Editor, Robin Butter Contributers, Christy and Dan Foster Austin Friends of Traditional Music PO Box 49608, Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM email: AFTMTexas@gmail.com Web: www.aftm.us 7 �Austin Friends of Traditional Music P.O. Box 49608 Austin, TX 78765 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED 8 � 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 40 Number 1 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 2014-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 40, Number 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/263/newsletter-38-02-2013-10.pdf 7ec656e6a90efea5995b13a0fc8fc0f5 PDF Text Text REEL TIMES OCTOBER 2013 VOL 38 • NO. 2 Austin String Band Festival Is Rapidly Approaching! Austin Friends of Traditional Music is hosting our eight annual string band festival October 18, 19, and 20 at Camp Ben McCulloch across from the Salt Lick (directions below). As usual we'll have impressive bands, fun jams, good food, vendors and first-rate workshops at this beautiful campground with shade trees, a creek, and all the facilities for a delightful time. Gates open at noon on Friday, October 18th. A bit of History: The term "old-time" With its origins in traditional music of Europe and Africa, old-time music represents perhaps the oldest form of North American traditional music other than Native American music, and thus the term "old-time" is an appropriate one. As a label, however, it dates back only to 1923. Fiddlin' John Carson made some of the first commercial recordings of traditional American country music for the Okeh label. These recordings became hits. Okeh, which had previously coined the terms "hillbilly music" to describe Appalachian and Southern fiddle-based and religious music and "race recording" to describe the music of black recording artists, began using "old-time music" as a term to describe the music made by artists of Carson's style. The term, thus, originated as a euphemism, but proved a suitable replacement for other terms that were considered disparaging by many inhabitants of these regions. It remains the term preferred by performers and listeners of the music. It is sometimes referred to as "old-timey" or "mountain music" by long-time practitioners. By the early 19th century, the banjo (an instrument of West African origin originally played only by people of African descent, both enslaved and free had become an essential partner to the fiddle, particularly in the southern United States. The banjo, originally a fretless instrument and frequently made from a gourd, played the same melody as the fiddle (though in a lower register), while simultaneously providing a rhythmic accompaniment incorporating a high drone provided by the instrument's short "drone string." The banjo used in oldtime music is typically a 5-string model with an open back (i.e., without the resonator found on most bluegrass banjos). Today old-time banjo players most commonly utilize the clawhammer style, but there were originally several other styles, most of which are still in use, loosely grouped by region. The major styles were clawhammer (which also went by a number of regional names), two-finger index lead (also called "North Carolina picking"), two-finger thumb lead (Kentucky and East Tennessee), and a three-finger "fiddle style" that seems to have been influenced in part by late-19th century urban classical style. Generally, a young player would learn whatever style a parent or older sibling favored. This style of having a fiddle play the lead melody and a banjo play a rhythmic accompaniment is the most basic form of Appalachian old-time music, and is the instrumentation most Appalachian old-time musicians consider to be "classic." FESTIVAL TICKET PRICES 3-Day F/S/S Friday Saturday Non-AFTM Members $45 $25 $35 AFTM members ($5 discount) $40 $20 $30 Students with ID ($10 disc) $35 $15 $25 Children under 16 are free (must be accompanied by an adult) �Camping fees are separate from the ticket price: Camping Fees are per night and will be collected at the ticket table. Fees for camping are: $15 per night for a tent or camper without electricity and $20 per night for a unit WITH electricity. Campers who arrive before the festival starts should come by the ticket table after it opens at noon on Friday to pay their camping fees and get their wristbands. The festival officially ends at noon Sunday after the Gospel Sing. Anyone purchasing a Saturday (or weekend) ticket and paying their camping fee can stay over for the Sunday Gospel Sing and breakfast in the food area. There is no separate ticket for Sunday. DOG OWNERS PLEASE READ - OUR POLICY HAS CHANGED Dogs are strictly prohibited from the Austin String Band Festival. If you are traveling with your dog, please get in touch with one of the kennels in the area. Stay and Play Pet Ranch: (512) 894-7387 Hallmark Kennel: (512) 288-0515 Driftwood Kennels: (512) 894-0003 NOTE: Trained assistance dogs are welcome Directions: Camp Ben McCulloch is within a few minutes of Austin, located 11 miles south of Highway 290 West on Farm Road 1826. From I-35, take Loop 4 to downtown Buda. Head west on Farm Road 967 for 11 miles, then turn left on Farm Road 1826 for 1/2 mile -- Camp Ben McCulloch is on the left. The Entertainment Line Up • Hoppin' Jenny • Brad Leftwich and Linda Higginbotham • Carper Family • Charles Thibodeaux& Austin Cajun Aces • Conjunto Los Pinkys • The Barn Owls • Christy & the Plowboys • Sawmill Vagrants • Spencer & Rains • The Prime Time Ramblers • Jenny & The Corn Ponies • Forked Deers AFTM Officers/Board 2013 President • Tim Wooten Vice-President • Angie Wooten Secretary • Christy Foster Treasurer • Cheryl Dehut Newsletter Editor • Robin Butterr Dance Liaison • open Events Coordinator• Jeanne DeFriese Volunteers • Ken Tweedy Sponsorships • Barbara Dean Membership • Mike Savercool 2 October 2013 REEL TIMES is published by Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM), a nonprofit organization (est. 1974) dedicated to encouraging the performance and appreciation of all genres of traditional music and dance. Copyright 2013 by AFTM. PO Box 49608, Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM email: aftm@yahoogroups.com Web: www.aftm.us �Hoppin' Jenny Hopping Jenny brings together current and former members of the Macrae Sisters and Foghorn Stringband. Fiddler and banjo player Sophie Vitells Enloe and Gabrielle Macrae, have been playing music together for over ten years. Their long history of shared musicianship is reflected in their tightly locked playing and effortless harmony singing. Sophie and Gabrielle are joined in Hopping Jenny by the driving rhythmic force of Kevin Sandri on guitar and Brian Bagdonas on bass. Brad Leftwich and Linda Higginbotham Brad Leftwich is a prominent American old-time fiddle and banjo player and teacher. He is originally from Oklahoma. Leftwich was a founding member of the Plank Road String Band in the mid-1970s. He has recorded for the Rounder, County, Copper Creek, and Marimac labels. He has written a book on the Round Peak clawhammer banjo style that is published by Mel Bay, and has released two old-time fiddle instructional videos. Leftwich is joined by his wife Linda Higginbotham on banjo-uke, guitar and vocals. Carper Family The Carper Family is a family band like no other, spinning out the effortless harmonies of a bornfamily with the range and diversity of a madefamily... Whatever the bloodline, the music hits the ear with both depth and simplicity, capturing the essence of true country music. The Austinbased trio of Melissa Carper [upright bass], Beth Chrisman [fiddle], and Jenn Miori [guitar] applies their signature, stunning three-part harmonies to bluegrass, old-time, country and swing tunes of the standard and original variety, pushing and honoring American musical traditions at every step. Charles Thibodeaux and Austin Cajun Aces Authentic Cajun French Music Charles Ray Thibodeaux - Accordion and Vocals Peter Schwarz -Fiddle and Vocals Steve Doerr - Rythym Guitar and Vocals Dale Dougay - Drums http://www.austincajunaces.com Conjunto Los Pinkys Conjunto Los Pinkys play traditional, TexasMexican style dance music known as "conjunto music".The instrumentation features the button accordion and bajo sexto. Many international and regional musical styles are represented in conjunto music, including the influence of the Spanish, German, Polish and Czech, American popular music, Mexican-Norteño ranchera, Colombian cumbia, waltz, redova, shottishe, huapango, bolero, mambo and country two-step. The Barn Owls The Barn Owls play Old-Time music from the Appalachian region of the US, circa late 1800's and early 1900's. These fiddle-based tunes were heavy influences on the bluegrass, folk and acoustic scene of the mid-1900's. The tunes were often the backbone of a community square dance, where a 'stringband' would provide the music for a dance caller to coach the to and fro. Additionally, the tunes lived and breathed in the remote areas of the Eastern United States and were passed down through generations by ear, before recording technology existed. Christy and the Plowboys Christy and the Plowboys play old-time, country, bluegrass and hillbilly music for your enjoyment here in our home town of Austin, Texas - and wherever music lovers enjoy old sentimental songs, new sentimental songs, snappy rags, crooked breakdowns, or more claw-hammered dancetunes. Christy Palumbo Foster, guitar, banjulele, vocals, Dan Foster, fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin, vocals, Jerry Hagins, banjo and fiddle and Katie Morrison, cello. We will feature some of our favorite songs of local legendary songwriter, John Clay. Sawmill Vagrants Ol' Time Music - from Kennard, Texas Lloyd Vagrant-fiddle Bobby Vagrant-banjo Hollis Vagrant-banjo uke, mandolin James Vagrant-guitar Marc Vagrant-stumph fiddle, washboard, other odds and ends Porkchop Vagrant-washtub bass Race Vagrant-promotion, sound, and all around go to guy, our official stunt driver, builder of the stumphs, and owner of the cool car Check them out on FaceBook! October 2013 3 �Spencer and Raines Tricia Spencer and Howard Rains hail from Kansas and Texas respectively and play old time fiddle tunes and sing songs in the style of their home while also exploring other American regional styles of fiddling including Appalachian, lower south and all the way up the east. Both multiinstrumentalists deeply absorbed in traditional music, Howard and Tricia preserve and present old time music while at the same time making it their own. The Prime Time Ramblers Deeply rooted in southern fiddle stylings, Ben Sanders and the band will take you on a refreshing musical tour of early American country music. From the early commercial fiddling of Doc Roberts and Arthur Smith, to Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys, to the sophisticated country music of Nashville in the 40?s and 50?s, Ben's performances bring the authentic excitement of the early Grand Ole' Opry Jenny and the Corn Ponies Country, Honky Tonk, Rockabilly, Western Swing Jenn Miori - Singin and Strummin Mark Smoot - Drums James Logan - Upright Bass Joe Jerkins - Telecaster Beth Chrisman - Fiddle. Check them out on Face Book Forked Deers Old-time String Band Will Webster, banjo, fiddle, guitar Jerry Hagins, banjo, fiddle Joe Dobbs, guitar, banjo J.T. Harechmak, washtub bass SCHEDULE OF ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY NIGHT - DANCE 'TIL YOU DROP 7-8PM Forked Deer. Old-Time String Band with square dance caller Sharon Isaac 8:15-9:15PM Charles Thibodeaux & Austin Cajun Aces. Cajun dancing. 9:30pm- ?? Hopping Jenny. Old-Time String Band with square dance caller Michael Ismerio SATURDAY 1PM Christy & The Plowboys 2PM The Primetime Ramblers 3PM The Carper Family 4PM The Sawmill Vagrants 5PM Spencer& Rains 6PM The Barn Owls with square dance caller Sharon Isaac 7PM Conjunto Los Pinkys for conjunto dancing 8PM Brad Leftwich & Linda Higginbotham 9PM Jenny & The Corn Ponies for country dancing 10PM Hopping Jenny SUNDAY 10:30AM-12PM Gospel Sing led by The Rudiments 4 October 2013 �WORKSHOPS 11 am - 12 pm 12:15 - 1:15 pm Area A Demystifying the Claw Hammer Banjo, O.J. Laier and D.Lee Thomas Basic right hand and left hand tips, tricks, licks, and "secrets" on how to get good....fast. Also, where to find quality input for free, and...learn a tune or two. Area A Old-Time Fiddle, with Brad Leftwich Simple old-time tunes and techniques, taught by ear, for beginning-and intermediate fiddlers. B How to Play in a Stringband, Hopping Jenny A "stringband" workshop, for fiddle, guitar, banjo and bass players. All workshop attendees split up by instrument and are taught the same tune, then all come back together and play the tune as one band. B How to Play in a Stringband, Hopping Jenny (continued) C Fundamentals of Country Dancing, Jenn MioriGreg Kohler We'll start at the beginning... with the song! Country music songs are specifically built for dancing and based on simple Twos and Threes... Our major focus will end up being partner Two-steps [Texas and Cajun] and Country [Cajun] waltzing, but we'll paint those forms into a bigger picture that help our dancers cut loose and enjoy everything from flatfooting and square dancing to swing and blues. C. no workshop D Old-time Country Rags, Dan Foster and Will Webster A gentle introduction to the joy of playing rags on fiddle, mandolin, banjo and guitar. Will share some tips to help you get started playing them funny tunes in those other keys. We'll talk a little about style, technique and repertoire - and learn a rag to play together (at least one) before we go. D. Mountain Dulcimer, Lloyd Wright Teaching old time tunes on the Mountain dulcimer. This will be an intermediate to advanced class. E Exploring Clawhammer Ukulele - Tim Keough Discover the old timey style of clawhammer banjo on the ukulele! Take your ukulele playing to the next level with this unique and enjoyable way to play. If you play banjo, this workshop will open doors on the ukulele that you didn't think possible. We'll also try out some favorite old time tunes arranged especially for clawhammer ukulele. E Beginning Square Dance Class with Sharon Isaac (Michael Ismerio on fiddle, Joe Dobbs, banjo) In this workshop we will learn the basics of Old-Time Appalachian square dancing. You will also learn one or two square dances that will be called on Saturday night. Learn to do-si-do, see-saw, right and left grand, ball of yarn, turkey wing turn and many more cool square dance moves to impress your friends! No experience or partner needed and school-aged kids are welcome. October 2013 5 �11 am - 12 pm 12:15 - 1:15 pm F Clogging, Erica Braverman Clogging is a form of Appalachian percussive dancing that is fun to do and a great workout! In this workshop, you will learn the basic clogging step and how to vary this step to make your own rhythms. Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes with a smooth, flat, hard sole. Tap shoes and tennis shoes are fine but no flip-flops or boots please. Also, you may want to bring a water bottle and a smartphone/video recorder so that you can tape what we learn. F Singing is Fun! Kids Workshop, The Carper Family In this fun-filled workshop for kids K-5, The Carper Family will share the joy of singing by teaching folk and country songs that have been passed down through generations of singers. We will explore some simple stretching and posture exercises, harmony basics, tips for better stage presence, and will introduce beginner vocal technique for young singers. Come ready to sing and have fun! G Bluegrass and Old-Time Guitar, -Eddie Collins Eddie Collins, author of numerous instruction courses on the art of flatpicking guitar, will present a guitar workshop along with some special guests. Many elements of bluegrass and old-time guitar will be presented from playing Carter Style solos to picking fiddle tunes and playing solid back-up in the style of Doc Watson. G Jarana Jarocha: A Mexican Folk Experience, Son Armado Centered around the tarima and sustained by the strum of the jarana Jarocha, Son Jarocho fandango is a grass roots cultural form from Veracruz, Mexico, often used in the context of political organizing and social justice causes in Mexico and the US. It draws on the traditions of the converging cultures in Veracruz: African, Spanish, and Indigenous. We will move through the basic chords and rhythms of the 2 major instruments of the Son Jarocho fandango, the jarana (strings) and the tarima (percussion). H. Oldtime fiddle chording and bow rhythms, Tricia Spencer and Howard Rains Kansas fiddler Tricia Spencer will teach advanced old-time fiddle techniques including pulses, bow rhythms, and chording. Old-time fiddle tunes will be taught according to interest. Howard Rains will make wise cracks, accompany on guitar, and try to learn something from Tricia, too. H Bluegrass jam (beginner-intermediate), Eddie Collins All are welcome to participate in this open jam led by Eddie Collins. Area A - Acorn Hill Area Area B - Fiddle Area Area C - Pavilion Area D - Old-Time Area Area E - Shady Grove Area Area F - Prison Yard Area Area G - Guitar, Etc. Area Area H - Big Tree Area 6 October 2013 �Do you want to become a member of AFTM? Check our website for more information http://www.aftm.us/join-aftm/ or see below the benefits of becoming a member. Join AFTM Membership is open to everyone. In order to carry out its goals, AFTM needs the support of interested persons, organizations, and businesses through taxdeductible donations. But donations are not all that maintain the vitality of AFTM. New and involved members, volunteers, and willing helpers are the lifeblood of the organization. We invite you to join us, to participate, and to give of your time, energy, and resources in the important task of bringing and supporting traditional / folk music and dance in the Austin community. Benefits include: • Subscription to Reel Times newsletter • Discounts at AFTM-sponsored concerts, dances, and events • Free classified ads on our website • Eligibility to serve on the Board and help shape the future of AFTM MEMBERSHIP LEVELS $15 - Student 1-year $20 - Individual 1-year $25 - Family 1-year $25 - Band or Dance Group 1year $50 - Business 1-year $80 - Individual 5-year $100 - Family 5-year $300 (or more) - Lifetime Membership Special Thanks to our Sponsors and Friends: Blackerby Violin shop, Central Tx Bluegrass Assoc., Coldshower Design, Don's Automotive, Fiddler's Green Music Shop, KOOP 91.7 FM, Lakeview Hearing Center, Mollberg Piano Restoration, Quiet Austin Yoga and Massage, Reilly Realtors, Tom's Tabooley, and Violins Etc. The Austin Banjo Club: meets on Mondays, 7 - 9 pm at the Senior Activity Center, 29th and Lamar. Traditional American pop and jazz from late 1800s to the 1930s. All varieties of "banjo" are welcome (tenor, 5-string, banjouke, banjolins, etc) Please join us! www.austinbanjoclub.org for more info. The Austin Balkan Singers: A singing group comprised of women interested in preserving traditional folk songs of Eastern Europe. The group has been together over 30 years, gather once a week (most of the time) and welcomes new members interested in harmony, polyphonic vocalizations and group yells! Perform occasionally. Look for us on Facebook! Phil McDonald, old time fiddler known and admired by many in this area, passed away October 2, 2013. He was in his early 60's and is survived by his wife Annie McDonald of Dripping Springs. Phil loved all the roots and branches of traditional music, was at home playing old time style, bluegrass, western swing, playing in fiddle contests. For years he played with his many friends around Wimberley, and the monthly music jam at Pearl, TX. He brought a fine focus of energy and joy as he spun out the old time tunes, and made them his own. Phil played like he meant it, he will be missed. October 2013 7 �HERE IS WHERE WE MAKE FUN OF OURSELVES!!! FROM THE PUBLICATION BLUEGRASS NATION. The Music Old Time and Celtic songs are about whiskey, food and struggle. Bluegrass songs are about God, mother and the girl who did me wrong. If the girl isn't dead by the third verse, it ain't Bluegrass. If everyone dies, it's Celtic. Old Time and Celtic bands have nonsense names like "Flogging Molly', "Fruit Jar Drinkers' and "Skillet Lickers" while Bluegrass bands have serious gender-specific name like "Bluegrass Boys,' "Clinch Mountain Boys' and "Backwoods Babes." The most common Old Time keys are major and minor with only 5 notes (modal). Bluegrass uses these, plus Mixolydian and Dorian modes, and a Celtic band adds Lydian and Phrygian modes. A Bluegrass band has between 1 and 3 singers who are all singing about an octave above their natural vocal range. Some Old Time and Celtic bands have no singers at all. If a Celtic band has a singer, it is usually either a bewhiskered ex-sailor, or a petite soprano. A Bluegrass band has a vocal arranger who arranges three-part harmonies. In an Old Time band, anyone who feels like it can sing or make comments during the performance. In a Celtic band, anyone who speaks during a performance gets "the look', and songs are preceded by a call for silence and a detailed explanation of their cultural significance. Bluegrass tunes & songs last 3 minutes. Old Time and Celtic tunes & songs can be any length, and sometimes last all night. 8 October 2013 The Instruments Banjo A Celtic banjo is small and quiet. An Old Time banjo is openbacked, with an old towel (probably never washed) stuffed in the back to dampen sound. A Bluegrass banjo has bell bronze mastertone ring and a resonator to make it louder. A Celtic banjo weighs 4 pounds, an Old Time banjo weighs 5 pounds, towel included and a Bluegrass banjo weighs 40 pounds. A Celtic banjo has only 4 strings. A Bluegrass banjo has five strings and needs 24 frets. An Old Time banjo needs no more than 5 frets, and some don't need any. A Bluegrass banjo player has had spinal fusion surgery on all his vertebrae, and therefore stands very straight. If an Old Time banjo player stands, he slouches. A Celtic banjo player has a brace to relieve his carpal tunnel syndrome and remains seated to maintain stability while cross-picking as fast as possible after several pints. An Old Time banjo player can lose 3 right-hand fingers and 2 left-hand fingers in an industrial accident without affecting his performance. A Celtic banjo player flat picks everything. A Bluegrass banjo player puts jewelry on his fingertips to play. An Old Time banjo player puts super glue on his fingernails to strengthen them. Never shake hands with an Old Time banjo player while he's fussing with his nails. Fiddle The Bluegrass fiddler paid $10,000 for his fiddle at the Violin Shop in Nashville. The Celtic fiddler inherited his fiddle from his mothers 2nd cousin in County Clare. The Old Time fiddler got theirs for $15 at a yard sale. Celtic and Bluegrass fiddles are tuned GDAE. An Old Time fiddle can be in a hundred different tunings. Old Time fiddlers seldom use more than two fingers of their left hand, and use tunings that maximize the number of open strings played. Celtic and Bluegrass fiddlers study 7th position fingering patterns with Isaac Stern, and take pride in never playing an open string. An Old Time fiddle player can make dogs howl & incapacitate people suffering from sciatic nerve damage. An Old Time fiddle player only uses 1/8 of his bow. The rest is just there for show. Guitar An Old Time guitarist knows the major chords in G and C, and owns a capo for A and D. A Bluegrass guitarist can play in Eflat without a capo. The fanciest chord an Old Time guitarist needs is an A to insert between the G and the D7 chord. A Bluegrass or Celtic guitarist needs to know C#aug+7-4. A Celtic guitarist keeps his picks in his pocket. Old Time guitarists stash extra picks under a rubber band around the top of the peg head. Bluegrass guitarists would never cover any part of the peg head that might obscure the gilded label of their $3,000 guitar. Mandolin It's possible to have an Old Time or Celtic band without a mandolin. However, it is impossible to have a true Bluegrass band without one. Mandolin players spend half their time tuning their mandolin and the other half of their time playing �their mandolin out of tune. Old Time and Celtic mandolin players use "A' model instruments (pearshaped) by obscure makers. Bluegrass mandolin players use "F' model Gibson that cost $100 per decibel. Bass A Celtic band never has a bass, while a Bluegrass band always has a bass. An old, Old Time band doesn't have a bass, but new time Old Time bands seem to need one for reasons that are unclear. A Bluegrass bass starts playing with the band on the first note. An Old Time bass, if present, starts sometime after the rest of the band has run through the tune once depending on the player's blood alcohol content. A Bluegrass bass is polished and shiny. An Old Time bass is often used as yard furniture. Other Instruments It is not possible to have a Celtic band without a tin whistle or Bodhran (hand drum) if not several, usually too many of each. Old Time and Bluegrass bands never have either. A Bluegrass band might have a Dobro. An Old Time band might have anything that makes noise including: a tambourine, jaw harp, didgeridoo, harmonica, conga, wash tub bass, miscellaneous rattles &shakers, a 1-gallon jug (empty), or a lap (mountain) dulcimer or a hammered dulcimer. In a Celtic band, it's the musicians that are hammered. Instrumentation Except for the guitar, all the instruments in a Celtic band play the melody all the time. In an Old Time band, anyone can play either melody or accompaniment at any time. In Bluegrass bands, one instrument at a time solos, and every else plays accompaniment. Bluegrass bands have carefully mapped-out choreography due to the need for solo breaks. If Old Time and Celtic band members move around, they tend to run into each other. Because of this problem (and whiskey) Old Time and Celtic often sit down when performing, while a Bluegrass band always stands. Because they're sitting, Old Time and Celtic bands have the stamina to play the same tune for 20 minutes for a square or contra dance. The audience claps after each Bluegrass solo break. If anyone talks or claps near an Old Time or Celtic band, it confuses them, even after the tune is over. Personalities and Stage Presence Bluegrass band members wear uniforms, such as blue polyester suits with gray Stetson hats. Old Time bands wear jeans, sandals, work shirts and caps from seed companies. Celtic bands wear tour tee-shirts with plaid touring caps. All this head wear covers bald spots. Women in Bluegrass bands have big hair and Kevlar undergarments. Women in Old Time bands jiggle nicely under their overalls. There are no Women in Celtic bands, only Lassies with long skirts and lacy, high collars and Wenches in apple-dumplings-on-a-shelf bodices and leather mini-skirts. A Bluegrass band tells terrible jokes while tuning. An Old Time band tells terrible jokes without bothering to tune. Bluegrass band members never smile. Old Time band members will smile if you give them a drink. A Celtic band is too busy drinking to smile, tune or tell jokes. Celtic musicians eat fish and chips, Bluegrass musi- cians eat barbecue ribs, and Old Time musicians eat tofu and miso soup. Bluegrass musicians have mild high frequency hearing loss from standing near the banjo player. Old Time musicians have moderate high frequency hearing loss from sitting near the fiddler. Celtic musicians have advanced hearing loss from playing in small pubs with all those fiddles, banjos, tin whistles and bodhrans. Festivals and Transportation A Celtic band travels in an actual Greyhound bus with marginal air conditioning and then catches a ride from the bus stop to the festival any way they can. A Bluegrass band travels in an old converted Greyhound bus that idles in the parking lot all weekend with the air conditioner running full blast, fumigating the county with diesel exhaust. An Old Time band travels in a rustedout 1965 VW microbus that blows an engine in North Nowhere, Nebraska. They don't have an Easy-Up, and it's pretty evident that their vehicles don't have air conditioning. Bluegrass players stay on the bus and Celtic musicians stay at the nearest Motel 6, while Old Time musicians camp in the parking lot. The Celtic Band has their name on their instrument cases and a banner for their Easy-Up. The bluegrass band's name and Inspirational Statement are painted on both the side and front of the bus in script lettering. Bluegrass bumper stickers are in red, white and blue and have stars and/or stripes on them. Celtic bumper stickers display fancy knotwork borders, banners, and slogans from the old country. Old Time bumper stickers don't make any sense ("Gid is My Co-Pilot'). October 2013 9 �Dance News Austin Barn Dancers Community-style contradancing for young and old alike, with the feeling of a town hall social dance. Contras, squares, and circle mixers to live traditional music provided by LOCO (Local On-Call Orchestra). Meets at Hancock Recreation Center on Wednesdays at 7:30-9:45 PM. 811 E 41st (corner of Red River). Contact Dale Rempert at drempert@ix.netcom.com or phone 512/453-4225. Austin Contra Dancing Contra Dance Schedule is the following. Every Wednesday Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd First Friday's Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd Third Saturday's Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd Directions and schedule or location changes can be found at taada.us (Traditional Austin Area Dance Association). Also check out the Facebook page Austin Contra Dancers. Third Saturday Contra The 3rd Saturday contra dances are held at the Balance Dance Studios, located near 4544 South Lamar Blvd in a business park, which is on the other side of Hwy 290W from the Westgate Shopping Center. Beginners session at 7:30 PM, regular dance from 8 to 11 PM. $9 admission with discounts for AFTM members. Students $5. First-time dancers 10 October 2013 Or check the Austin English Country Dance Facebook page. receive a "dance for free" coupon. No experience or partners are necessary, and all dances are taught. Call Chuck Roth at (512) 453-8936 or e-mail info@austincontradance.org for more information. Fire Ant Frolic Austin's 17th Annual Fire Ant Frolic Contradance weekend will be held November 1-3, 2013, at the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Grand Ballroom. Music will be by Contrajazz and Ladies at Play with callers Diane Silver and Keith Tuxhorn . Full information about the event is available through our website, www.fireantfrolic.com. First Friday Contra Dances Dances taught, no experience needed, bring all your friends. Holds dances from 8:00 - 11:00 pm (beginners' session from 7:30 - 8), on the first Friday of each month, featuring local callers and musicians. $9 admission to the dance (discounts for AFTM members -- newcomers are free) with everyone welcome. No experience or partners necessary, all dances taught. Questions? Send an e-mail to John Kulas or call 512-296-1029. Clickety Cloggers of Austin Is a 30-year-old nonprofit dance group dedicated to preserving the clogging heritage and promoting the art of clog dancing--has a mission to help keep a slice of Americana alive. We dance every Thursday night from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the D'ette Dance Studio, 1807 Slaughter Lane, Suite #325, Austin, TX 78748. For information about dancing with the club or taking lessons, Contact Virginia Pohlmeier virginiadale@att.net or (512) 441-7422. English Country Dancing Is held on the 2nd Friday of each month, from 7:30pm-10:30, at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 6800 Woodrow Ave (one block South of Justin Lane). The cost is $8 when we have live music, $6 otherwise, and $5 for students all the time. All dances are taught and called. Beginners are welcome. Please note this dance is fragrance free. For more information contact Ann McCracken at ann@mccr.org or 266-9949. International Folk Dancing International Folk Dancing meets almost every Saturday night at Hancock Recreation Center on 41st Street (between Red River and Duval). Or visit the IFD Facebook Page. Austin Scottish Country Dance Society Features weekly socials and classes. For information call or email Sarah Harriman at 327-2869 sarah@austinscd.org. �Tuesday, October 8th at 8 p.m. AFTM to host a very special musical experience featuring author, musician, and 2013-Grammy nominee Stephen Wade For one night only Stephen Wade will explore through live music-making, projected images, and his wonderful narrative the stories behind The Beautiful Music All Around Us: Field Recordings and the American Experience (University of Illinois Press, 2012). Wade's landmark book explores thirteen iconic folksong performances captured on Library of Congress field recordings between 1934 and 1942. In this compellingly narrated, multimedia, musical performance, Wade threads the music with its largely unknown yet surprisingly influential creators. A book signing follows the performance. Stephen Wade grew up in Chicago, where, as a youngster exposed to a number of musicians who hailed from the Mississippi Delta and the Southern Appalachians, he developed a passion for traditional music and American folklore. In the early 1970s, inspired by the legendary Library of Congress series of folk music field recordings, Wade began travelling to the communities where these recordings originated, seeking out surviving musicians and immersing himself in their surroundings. That contact led to his first stage show, Banjo Dancing, which opened in Chicago in May 1979. It ran sold-out for thirteen months, and merited national attention, including an invited performance at the White House. In January 1981, he came to Washington, D.C.'s Arena Stage, where his engagement, initially booked for three weeks, extended into a ten-year run. In 1989, On the Way Home, Wade's second critically acclaimed production, opened at Arena. Following those runs, he toured both shows nationally including repeat engagements in Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Austin. In 1994 he also launched in Texas his work on the book, a research process that extended over the next eighteen years. In the wake of its publication in September 2012, he has been named 2013-2014 Resident Artist/Scholar at George Washington University, as well as 2013 George A. Miller Visiting Scholar, Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois. Wade's essays, reviews, and articles have appeared in numerous publications. He also edited and annotated the Rounder CD collection that gave rise to this book, A Tr easur y of Libr ar y of Congr ess Field Recor dings. Since 1996 his occasional commentaries on folksongs and traditional tunes have appeared on National Public Radio's All Things Considered and Morning Edition. He has recorded and/or produced over a dozen albums, the most recent of which is the 2013 Grammy-nominated Banjo Diary: Lessons from Tradition. More information on The Beautiful Music All Around Us can be found at: http://www.press.uillinois.edu/ books/catalog/55qpr7zm9780252036880.html Who: Stephen Wade When: Tuesday, October, 8, 2013, Doors open at 7 pm, show starts at 8 pm Why: Concert presentation/book-signing Where: Violins Etc, 6013 Burnet Road, Austin, TX Cost: $20, $15 for AFTM members (advanced reservations at www.aftm.us) October 2013 11 �Austin Friends of Traditional Music PO Box 49608 Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM Jam Session: Every Second Sunday, 2 pm • Tom’s Tabooley on Guadalupe AFTM Open Mic: Every Third Sunday, 2 pm • Bring Instruments & Voices! AUSTIN FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name ____________________________________ Phone ________________ Date_________ Address______________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________ Email________________________________________________________________________ I’d like to receive the Reel Times newsletter by US mail $15 Student $20 Individual $80 5-year/Individual Donation $___________ $25 Family I’d like to volunteer $50 Business $100 5-year/Family $300 Lifetime $25 Band/Dance Group Renewal Your donation is tax deductible as AFTM is a 501(c)(3) organization Total enclosed: $___________. Please make check payable to Austin Friends of Traditional Music and mail to: PO Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. Paypal accepted on our website at www.aftm.us 12 October 2013 � 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 38 Number 2 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 2013-10 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 38, Number 2 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/262/newsletter-37-02-2013-01.pdf 3882ee9112bf1099afcd351f02967256 PDF Text Text REEL TIMES JANUARY 2013 VOL. 37 NO.2 Midwinter Traditional Music Festival 2013 The winter wind may be blowing outside, but inside at the Midwinter fest there will be plenty of warmth and music. Come to listen, dance and play traditional music. Learn how to pick and sing come out to our Midwinter Festival on Saturday afternoon and evening February 2, 2013 at Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas. The doors will open at 11:45 a.m. and the last band will finish at 9 p.m. The bands, workshop leaders and many volunteers are donating their time and talent to support the Austin Friends of Traditional Music. Please come out and give us your support! 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm Gumbo Ce Soir Austin Balkan Singers Tayebeh & Ali Reza Mundi Jitterbug Vipers Big Jug Band Gray Sky Boys Aidan Djembabes Barn Owls The first act begins at 1pm. Check our website at www.aftm.us for more details and schedule updates. What is the Midwinter Festival? The Midwinter Festival is Austin Friends of Traditional Music’s main fund raiser. The funds go to support showcases, house concerts, our Austin String band Festival and other traditional music and dance events in the Austin area. Great traditional music in one of the best listening spaces in town! We have a fine quality of bands offering an assortment of music from the U.S. and around the world. A Great Place to Get Started or Improve Your Playing Workshops. Choose from several workshops at no additional charge. See below for details. Delicious Healthy food and drink choices served fresh and priced right. A chance to see old friends, make new friends and find a vacant spot to jam. A silent auction. You may find a hand made craft, a CD, an instrument or a service you would like to make a bid. Music from Great Bands All Day Long Young Cajun musicians from the Texas side. Eastern European harmonies. Persian singing and setar World Music for a new world. Everybody's favorite Jitterbug Swing band Sweet Novelties and Jug Band Music from a cast of thousands. Bluegrass as it is meant to be. Irish music, up to tempo and up for the crack. African Drumming and Singing, dedicated to pure joy. Old Time String Band music from the Violet Crown of the Hills. �Make Your Own Music: Festival Workshops Old-Time Banjo, Molly Johnson Molly will help beginner oldtime banjo players to improve their basic rightclawhammer technique. hand Intermediate players can benefit from Alexander technique-based ideas about how to sit, support their instrument, and use their arms to improve accuracy, tone, and physical comfort. We will also discuss how to learn and progress as a banjo player at any skill level. Old-Time Fiddle, Trent Shepherd Begin with the basics of old-time Appalachian fiddle -- emphasis on beginner bow strokes and simple crosstuning in the key of A. CloggingWorkshop, Steve Wiswell Focusing on the basics steps of Appalachian clogging and how these steps are used to dance to old time and bluegrass music. Everyone is welcome. Starting with easy step-rock-steps, you will be dancing to live music by the end of the workshop. Concertina, Dave Polacheck Members of the Austin Concertina Gathering will present the story of this unique instrument along with descriptions and demonstrations of theEnglish, Anglo German and Duet systems. Rag Fiddle, Dan Foster The origins and history of string rag music. Tips on learning tunes played by the Georgia Yellow Hammers, Stripling Brothers, Lowe Stokes, East Texas Serenaders, and others. Rag chord progressions, bowing, the "scary" keys, getting up the neck (and back down again) before learning a tune of choice. How to play the JUG! Craig High Craig High and other members of the local jug band scene will offer a history and instructional session on the art of musical jug blowing for all ages. Jugs will be provided! Autoharp, Lindsay Haisley An introduction to the autoharp, covering maintenance, tuning and traditional and modern techniques and styles. Information on autoharp festivals, sources for parts and tools, and online resources for people interested in the instrument. Learn to Play the Bones, Rich McMath Learn how to hold the bones and play bone basics, the tap and the triplet, and maybe more. If you have some already, please bring along. Guitar -Irish Music Accompaniment, Jeff Moore Jeff's workshop will demonstrate the fundamentals of accompanying Irish tunes, the musical structure of jigs, reels and hornpipes as well as strumming techniques and their relationship to texture. Chords for Dropped-D and DADGAD tuning will be demonstrated. Jeff will also discuss the importance of Irish Tune Session etiquette. Singing with Poise, Molly Johnson Using principles of the Alexander Technique, Molly will teach participants how to be more conscious of the way head and body poise impacts their voice and how doing less instead of more is the key to singing with ease. International Folk Dancing, Genevieve Kent Learn international folk dances with live music by Kolorash. Dance to traditional music from Bulgaria, Moldavia, Russia, and Croatia, and compare and contrast with Old-Time American music and styles of movement as we make our way across Europe. No experience or partner necessary. �Austin Friends of Traditional Music: Young Musician's Grant Whether it's Roundpeak banjo, Swing guitar, Piedmont blues, Bluegrass fiddle, or Old-time mandolin, the best way to learn traditional music is from someone who knows how. The music has come down to us in an unbroken chain from one generation to the next, by hand and in person. That is still the best way to learn. The Austin Friends of Traditional Music is dedicated to helping keep the chain unbroken and preserving musical traditions as they evolve among those who still do know how! In cooperation with Warren Wilson College of North Carolina, the AFTM is proud to announce its Young Musician's Grant program for 2013. Anyone in the Austin area under the age of 26 may apply. Musicians will be selected from the entries to attend master classes at the annual Swannanoa Gathering in Asheville, North Carolina, tuition and lodging-free. Swannanoa offers a rich variety of hands-on classes with masters of several different instruments and styles. The grant will cover the cost of tuition and board for classes offered during one of several weeks during the year. For more information on Warren Wilson College's Swannanoa Gathering, visit www.swangathering.com. To apply for the grant, please submit a description of your interest in traditional music, background, and why you think you ought to be chosen for a chance to learn from the masters. The deadline for registration is February 8, 2013. Austin Friends of Traditional Music, P.O. Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. For complete information, visit www.aftm.us Join Us! Become A Member of AFTM Membership is open to everyone. In order to carry out its goals, AFTM needs the support of interested persons, organizations, and businesses through taxdeductible donations. But donations are not all that maintain the vitality of AFTM. New and involved members, volunteers, and willing helpers are the lifeblood of the organization. We invite you to join us, to participate, and to give of your time, energy, and resources in the important task of bringing and supporting traditional / folk music and dance in the Austin community. Your membership helps support the presence and preservation of traditional music in Austin. Benefits include: • Subscription to Reel Times Newsletter • Discounts at AFTM events • Free classified ads on our website • Eligibility to serve on the Board MEMBERSHIP LEVELS $15 - Student 1-year $20 - Individual 1-year $25 - Family 1-year $25 - Band or Dance Group 1-year $50 - Business 1-year $80 - Individual 5-year $100 - Family 5-year $300+ Lifetime Membership Helping the next generation to learn the music, not so much as a way to make a living as to make life itself worth living. �AFTM Board Elections Coming in April … How would YOU like to serve on the Board? The current Board members listed below are willing to serve in their current positions for another year, unless you'd rather have the job! Sharon Isaac continues to manage the website and membership. Thanks Sharon!! In addition to the positions noted above, the board may have additional members, who may be asked to take on specific tasks before or after being elected to the board. Please let us know if you would like to be on our board or otherwise be more involved! The Board meetings are on the 2nd Sunday each month at 12:30 pm, and currently the meeting location is the “snug” room at Tom’s Tabooley. Board members are expected to attend at least 10 of the 12 meetings, and to appoint a proxy for any meeting they cannot attend. . Board members are expected to help to put on AFTM events. Any AFTM member of six month’s duration or more who is willing to work is qualified to serve on the board The Deadline for nominations is February 10th. The list of nominees will be emailed to the membership via the Yahoo group, and also will be published on the web-site. The election will take place this year on March 10th. Every current member is eligible to vote, and must be present at the meeting to cast a vote. President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Events Volunteers Sponsorships Newsletter Editor Publicity/PR REEL TIMES is published by Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM), a nonprofit organization (est. 1974) dedicated to encouraging the performance and appreciation of all genres of traditional music and dance. Copyright 2012 by AFTM. PO Box 49608, Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM email: aftm@yahoogroups.com Web: www.aftm.us Tim Wooten Angie Wooten Christy Foster Cheryl Dehut Jeanne DeFriese Barbara Deane Robin Butter Ongoing Events AFTM Jam Session 2nd Sunday of each month at 2pm at Tom’s Tabooley. AFTM Open Mic 3rd Sunday of each month at 2pm at Tom’s Tabooley (get there early to sign up). The Austin Banjo Club meets on Mondays, 7 - 9 pm at the Senior Activity Center, 29th and Lamar. Traditional American pop and jazz from late 1800s to the 1930s. All varieties of "banjo" welcome! Visit: www.austinbanjoclub.org The Austin Balkan Singers is a singing group interested in preserving traditional folk songs of Eastern Europe. The group, which has been together over 30 years, gathers once a week (most of the time) and welcomes new members interested in harmony, polyphonic vocalizations and group yells! Performs occasionally. Look for us on Facebook or contact christyfoster@earthlink.net �UPCOMING DANCE EVENTS Austin Barn Dancers Community-style contradancing for young and old alike, with the feeling of a town hall social dance. Contras, squares, and circle mixers to live traditional music provided by LOCO (Local On-Call Orchestra). Meets at Hancock Recreation Center on Wednesdays at 7:30-10 PM. 811 E 41st (corner of Red River). Contact Dale Rempert at drempert@ix.netcom.com or phone 512/453-4225. Austin Contra Dancing Wednesdays: Hancock Rec Center 811 East 41st St. FirstFridays: Carpenters Hall 400 Josephine St. 3rd Saturdays: St Paul’s Lutheran Church 3501 Red River Third Saturday Contra 3rd Saturday: St. Paul Lutheran School (3501 Red River). Beginners at 7:30 regular dance from 8 to 11 PM. $8 admission with discounts for AFTM members. Students $5. First-time dancers receive a "dance for free" coupon No experience or partners necessary. Call Chuck Roth at (512)453-8936 or e-mail info@austincontradance.org for more information. First Friday Contra Dances 8:00 - 11:00 pm (beginners' session from 7:30 - 8), on the first Friday of each month, featuring local callers and musicians. $8 admission to the dance (discounts for AFTM members -- newcomers are free) with everyone welcome. No experience or partners necessary, all dances taught. The dances will be held at Carpenters Hall at 400 Josephine St., just west of Lamar, between Barton Springs Road and Riverside Drive in south Austin. Contact: Nana Lopez at 512/970-4919, email sealantsby5@aol.com. Or see the 1st Friday Contra Dance Facebook page. English Country Dancing Is held on the 2nd Friday of each month, from 7:30pm-10:30, at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, 6800 Woodrow Ave (one block South of Justin Lane). The cost is $8 when we have live music, $6 otherwise, and $5 for students all the time. All dances are taught and called. Beginners are welcome. Please note this dance is fragrance free. For more information contact Ann McCracken at ann@mccr.org or 266-9949. Or check the Austin English Country Dance Facebook page. Clickety Cloggers of Austin Is a 30-year-old nonprofit dance group dedicated to preserving the clogging heritage and promoting the art of clog dancing--has a mission to help keep a slice of Americana alive. We dance every Thursday night from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the D'ette Dance Studio, 1807 Slaughter Lane, Suite #325, Austin, TX 78748. For information about dancing with the club or taking lessons, Contact Virginia Pohlmeier at virginiadale@att.net or (512) 441-7422. International Folk Dancing International Folk Dancing meets almost every Saturday night at Hancock Recreation Center on 41st Street (between Red River and Duval). Or visit the AIFD Facebook Page. Austin Scottish Country Dance Society Features weekly socials and classes. For information call or email Sarah Harriman at 3272869 sarah@austinscd.org. �Austin Friends of Traditional Music PO Box 49608 Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM Jam Session: Every Second Sunday, 2 pm • Tom’s Tabooley on Guadalupe St. Next Jam Sessions: Sunday February 10, 2013 • Bring Instruments & Voices! Member Meetings before the session • All Welcome! AUSTIN FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name ____________________________________ Phone ________________ Date_________ Address______________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________ Email________________________________________________________________________ ⃝ I’d like to receive the Reel Times newsletter by US mail ⃝ I’d like to volunteer ⃝ $15 Student ⃝ $20 Individual ⃝ $25 Family ⃝ $50 Business ⃝ $25 Band/Dance Group ⃝ $80 5-year/Individual ⃝ $100 5-year/Family ⃝ $300 Lifetime ⃝ Renewal Donation $___________ Your donation is tax deductible as AFTM is a 501(c)(3) organization Total enclosed: $___________. Please make check payable to Austin Friends of Traditional Music and mail to: PO Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. Paypal accepted on our website at www.aftm.us � 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 37 Number 2 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 2013-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 37, Number 2 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/261/newsletter-37-01-2012-01.pdf 698b6327fe43a590de42df72a8b42287 PDF Text Text REEL TIMES JANUARY 2012 VOL 37 • NO. 1 AFTM Midwinter Festival Sat. Jan. 28! To hear some mighty-fine traditional music, and learn how to pick and sing – come out to our Midwinter Festival on Saturday afternoon and evening January 28, 2012 at Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas. The doors will open at 11:45 a.m. and the last band will be done at 10:00 p.m. What is the AFTM Midwinter Festival? • Great traditional music from talented local bands. We've got a topnotch lineup of bands offering a smorgasbord of music from the U.S. and around the world in one of the best listening spaces in town! (See tentative line-up below). • Workshops. Choose from several workshops at no additional charge including a kid's workshop, singing, dance, fiddle, banjo and mandolin. 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm 9 pm • Delicious food. Great, healthy food and drink choices served hot and priced right. • A chance to see old friends, make new friends and find a vacant spot to jam. • A silent auction. Find an item you like and make your bid. You may find a real gem of a CD, instrument or service. • An opportunity to support traditional music and dance. The Midwinter Festival is Austin Friends of Traditional Music's main fund raiser. The funds go to support showcases, house concerts, our Austin Stringband Festival and other traditional music and dance events in the Austin area. The bands, workshop leaders and many volunteers are donating their time and talent to support the Austin Friends of Traditional Music. Please come out and give us your support! Austin Mandolin Orchestra Blue Buckskin Whinchers (traditional folk) Yuan Li Chang (Guzheng/Ancient Chinese Harp) Agbadza Sogo (African drummers) Hem & Haw (vintage honky tonk/bluegrass) Fiddlisa (International and American) Third Rail (bluegrass) Square Dance! to the Good Old Timers & caller Rich McMath Hays County Gals & Pals (old time country and cowboy) Reed Island Rounders (Appalachian old time) The first band kicks off at noon. Check our website at www.aftm.us for more details and schedule updates. Here's a description of the stage bands: Austin Mandolin Orchestra is a community orchestra directed by Joel Hobbs (see story about his CD release in this issue). The orchestra includes over 20 members playing mandolin family instruments mandolin, mandola, and mandocello. Blue Buckskin Whinchers are musicians who specialize in traditional music, songs & folk tales from the USA, British Isle, around the world and across the centuries. The music played is traditional and represents styles from Medieval, Renaissance,15th-16th centuries and contemporary periods. Yuanli Chang is from Taiwan and plays the Chinese Harp/Zither or Guzheng, as it is called in China. The Guzheng is the ancestor of several Asian zither instruments, it is a 26-stringed instrument with movable bridges. It has a very soft and beautiful sound. Yunali specializes in ancient Chinese instruments - she also plays the Yanggin (Chinese piano) and the Erhu (Chinese violin). Yuanli has been playing these ancient Chinese classical instruments – Festival lineup continued on page 2 �Upcoming AFTM Board Elections AFTM Board Elections Coming in April - would YOU like to serve on the Board? The following Board members are willing to serve in their current positions for another year: President: Tim Wooten (also Newsletter Editor) Vice President: Angie Wooten Secretary: Christy Foster Treasurer: Cheryl Dehut Events: Jeanne DeFriese Volunteers: Maggie Valenti Sponsorships: Barbara Dean Sharon Isaac is resigning from the board but will continue to manage the website and membership. In addition to the positions noted above, the board may have additional members, who may be asked to take on specific tasks before or after being elected to the board. Please let us know if you would like to be on our board or otherwise be more involved! The board meetings are on the 2nd Sunday each month at 12:30 pm, and currently the meeting location is the back room at Artz Ribhouse. Board members are expected to attend at least 10 of the 12 meetings, and to appoint a proxy for any meeting they cannot attend. Board members are expected to help to put on AFTM events. Any AFTM member of six month's duration or more who is willing to work is qualified to serve on the board. Nominations from the board and the floor will be made and closed at the meeting on March 11. The list of nominees will be emailed to the membership via the Yahoo group, and also will be published on the web-site. The election will take place this year on April 8. Every current member is eligible to vote, and must be present at the meeting to cast a vote. New CD from Joel Hobbs Longstanding AFTM supporter Joel Hobbs released a new CD! Good Dogs Always Eat is a delightful instrumental journey of North and South American influenced original music. Joel wrote and arranged all twelve 12 tunes including swing tunes, waltzes, a bossa, a bolero, a blues, a lament, a kwela and other genre-bending tunes. He plays all the instruments (including mandolin, mandola and mandocello) on some tunes but for most of the record is joined by Bret Boyer on guitar and Sean Kelly on upright bass. Joel will be performing with the Austin Mandolin Orchestra at the AFTM Midwinter Festival (see story this issue). Come out and hear Joel and pick up a CD. AFTM Officers/Board 2011/2012 President • Tim Wooten Vice-President • Angie Wooten Secretary • Christy Foster Treasurer • Cheryl Dehut Newsletter Editor • Tim Wooten Dance Liaison • Keith Tuxhorn Events Coordinator• Jeanne DeFriese Membership • Sharon Isaac Volunteers • Margaret Valenti Sponsorships • Barbara Dean 2 January 2012 – Festival lineup continued from page 1 since she was 12 years old. She has played in the Chinese Symphony and placed in Chinese Chamber Orchestra competitions in her home town of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Agbadza Sogo – Agbadza is a very popular recreational dance. The name itself means something like "for everybody". If you ever get a chance to attend a traditional Ewe event, even you, a foreign visitor, will be expected to dance It entertains people at funerals, weddings and any other get-together or party. The drummers like to go on for hours! But don't think that's boring or monotonous. When Africans play drum, more is going on than we think. In almost all West African drumming ensembles, there is a lead drum or master drum which leads the group. To keep the excitement up, a skillful Master Drummer will introduce a new beat and song at just the right moment. He can even blend in other rhythms (like Agbekor or Ageshe) that sound very similar. The master drummer tells the ensemble when to play and when to stop. He also plays signals telling the other players to change the tempo or the drumming pattern. In Ewe drumming, the term master drum is not limited to one REEL TIMES is published by Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM), a nonprofit organization (est. 1974) dedicated to encouraging the performance and appreciation of all genres of traditional music and dance. Copyright 2012 by AFTM. PO Box 49608, Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM email: aftm@yahoogroups.com Web: www.aftm.us �particular type of drum. A master drum can be an atsimevu, sogo, kroboto, totodzi, or an agboba. Different master drums are used in different pieces. For example, if a group is playing "Agbadza", the master drummer will be playing the sogo. Hem & Haw is Austin's newest acoustic duo of Jenn Miori and Ben Hodges. With their mandolin and guitar and singing true-to-form harmony, they give tasteful re-workings of the South's most beautiful music. Ben Hodges grew up playing blues guitar in Memphis, and as a youth traveled the country, finally settling in Texas. His high tenor falsetto is known to melt hearts! Jenn Miori developed her angelic voice and sense of harmony in her family's Houston church, and learned guitar from her pastor father. Miori now co-fronts Austin country trio The Carper Family, and is quickly becoming known as one of Austin's finest country vocalists. With soul and style that enraptures the audience, Hem and Haw transports the listener to a place where country, bluegrass and old time meet their modern makers at their best. Fiddlisa & Friends features local Austin fiddler, Lisa Schneider, performing a variety of American and International folk tunes with a stellar line-up of "friends" including the ubiquitous Jerry Hagins, the fabulous Theo Bick (hurdy-gurdy), Celtic whistle-player extraordinaire, Jim Carpetas, Eric Vormelker, Genevieve Kent (drum) & a lot of her wonderful fiddle students! They will be performing both traditional and original pieces including some from Lisa's debut solo CD, "Milkwood Thistle Promenade." Third Rail was founded in July of 2010, when mandolinist JP Shafer (Youngest Texas State Mandolin Champion) and bassist Susannah Armstrong met at Camp Bluegrass. Their repertoire includes bluegrass, classic country duets, and swing/ jazz standards, among other things. Susannah and J.P. are both 16years old. "If you're after some fast paced hot licks, check out the kids from Third Rail. They blend traditional bluegrass with a new wave infusion that is all grown up. Hot on the coat-tails of the great Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, these young musicians have seen fit to bring a fresh ring to their sound courtesy of the likes of Chris Thile and the science project sounds of Ricky Skaggs. It's bluegrass with hints of the blues, folk, and gypsy jazz." - Judd Strom The Good Old Timers play old time music the old time way, nothing too fancy, just a fiddle, banjo, guitar and a bass. They play rare traditional tunes that have been passed down from friends, family, and old recordings. The type of music the Good Old Timers play is always lead by the fiddle playing the melody and supported by the other instruments. It creates a driving rhythm that is fun for listening and great for dancing. Hays County Gals and Pals formed in 1986 to help celebrate the Texas Sesquicentennial. After playing old cowboy songs locally for a few years, the band recorded a CD in 1992 and started performing at cowboy gatherings around the country. A latter version of the group, including Jill Jones (rhythm guitar and award winning yodeler), Ginger Evans (upright bass) and Greg Lowry (instrumentalist extraordinaire) recorded another CD and performed till the late 1990s. They are now doing a rare reunion set for the AFTM Mid-Win- ter festival with old traditional cowboy songs, hits from the silver screen era, and contemporary songs about cowboys. Reed Island Rounders are known for their variety of music. From the foot-stomping dance tunes of the Blue Ridge to romantic waltzes, and beyond to dark and lonesome mountain tunes or a chilling ballad, they evoke the soul of Appalachian life. Workshops (subject to change – check latest schedule at the festival) 1:30 pm - 2:15 pm: Room A. J.P. Fraley - Tall Tales and Tunes of a Mountain Fiddler Billy Cornette and Betty Vornbrock shared a long friendship with Kentucky musicians J.P & Annadeene Fraley. Come listen to their legacy of fiddle tunes and songs, with a good J.P. story (-- or is it a lie?) or two thrown in. Room B. Clawhammer Banjo Basics, Jerry Hagins Jerry will demonstrate basic clawhammer techniques and tunings, and discuss tips for learning tunes and playing with others. 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm: Room A. Old Time Fiddling of the Appalachian Mountains, Betty Vornbrock Betty will discuss & play the styles of her Kentucky, West Virginia, and Blue Ridge favorite fiddlers. Enjoy tunes from Melvin Wine, Wilson Douglas, Clyde Davenport, Emmet Lundy, Paul Smith, and J.P. Fraley. Billy Cornette will join her on guitar. January 2012 3 �Room B. Pentatonic Mandolin, Joel Hobbs Whether you want to learn to pick simple tunes by ear or you want to better improvise and play up the neck, pentatonic scales are essential. In this workshop for all mandolin players, you will learn a closed position pentatonic scale that you can use to easily play familiar melodies like Amazing Grace by ear in any key. You'll also learn how to use this scale for improvising your own solos. Room C. Dances, Play Parties & Singing Games, Malissa Mollberg Malissa introduces five musical activities that can be enjoyed by children in party, school and camp settings, as well as family gatherings. Each activity involves singing and movement. The context is simple. They are traditional games that children and young people have enjoyed for generations. This is an interactive workshop, come prepared to play! A handout will be available for you to take home. A few pairs of bones will be available (and for sale) for this workshop. If you have some already, please bring them along. 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm: 4:30 pm - 5:15 pm: Room B. New Dimensions in Clawhammer Banjo - Dave Polacheck New Dimensions in Clawhammer Banjo will cover a range of songs and tunes from various sources, not usually played on the five string banjo in clawhammer style. We will also explore a recent innovation in the design of the instrument. Room B. Back-up Guitar, Ethan Azarian Ethan will demonstrate and talk about some of the bass runs that can be used and how to keep the rhythm steady for the fiddlers and banjo players. Room C. Bones workshop, Rich MacMath Rich learned to play the bones from Percy Danforth and the class will be learning with a pair of Danforth Bones. We will learn how to hold the bones and play bone basics, the tap and the triplet, and maybe more. Room C. Square Dancing for Beginners, Rich MacMath No dance experience and no partner required. Come and have fun learning do si do, allemande left and big ball of yarn. There will be a square dance on stage later in the evening where you will get the opportunity to try out what you learned in class. Dance News Community Dance Feb eb.. 25th! AFTM is pleased to announce a community dance at Carpenter's Union Hall, 400 Josephine Street (near the intersection of Lamar Blvd. and Barton Springs Road, behind P. Terry's Burger Stand) on February 25th, 2012 from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. Two callers, two bands, unlimited fun! The dance will focus on square dances and include circles, a waltz or two and whatever the callers throw in. Great local caller Rich MacMath will call first backed by Double Eagle String Band and then Michael Ismerio will call backed by Steelhead Stringband. Prices will be low and all are welcome! Michael 4 January 2012 is a popular square dance caller, fiddler and community organizer from the Portland area who has called dances across the USA. He will also be teaching fiddle workshops and a square dance calling workshop.Check our website (www.aftm.us) for further details. First Friday Contra Dances Come join us to contra dance each first Friday of the month at Carpenter's Union Hall, 400 Josephine Street (near the intersection of Lamar Blvd. and Barton Springs Road, behind P. Terry's Burger Stand). The hall opens at 7pm, and the dance begins at 7:30 pm with a walk-through of the ba- sic moves. There is a break after 9pm, and the dance continues until 11:00 pm. Regular admission $9, TAADA members $8, Students $5 Please note that this is a fragrancefree dance. There is ample parking, reserved for the dance, in the unpaved parking lot directly behind Carpenter's Union Hall, where you'll see the silver trailer for Flip Happy Crepes. From the parking lot, the dance hall is in the larger building on the left side, and you can enter the building through the side door on the right side of that building. Questions? Send an e-mail to John Kulas or call 512-296-1029. Our dance events are also listed on �MeetUp.com: www.meetup.com/ Austin-Contra-Dancers/ English Country Dance It's fun, it's elegant, it's easy to learn – it's English Country dancing! If you've enjoyed contra dancing, you should have a lot of fun with this style. It's not as vigorous as a contra dance, but some of the dances can move quite quickly. The music and the dances emphasize a playful yet elegant dance style. All dances are fragrance-free. We usually dance on the 2nd Friday at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Admission is $6 (students and TAADA members pay $5), $9 and $8 when we have live music. In addition, we often have a 4th Friday English dance (with free admission) in the back room at Hancock Rec Center. Upcoming English Country Dances: Jan. 27, 7:30 - 9:45 pm Hancock Feb. 10, 7:30 - 10:30 pm Cumberland ($6/$5 admission) Feb. 24, 7:30 - 9:45 pm Hancock First Cumberland Presbyterian Church is at 6800 Woodrow Ave. Hancock Rec Center is at 811 E. 41st St. Third Saturday Contra Dances Come join us each month at: St. Paul Lutheran School 3501 Red River, in Austin. The dance begins at 7:30 pm with a walk-through of the basic moves, and continues until 11:00 pm. Regular admission $9, TAADA members $8, Students $5. Please note that this is a fragrancefree dance. For more info call Chuck Roth at (512) 453-8936. Our dance events are also listed on MeetUp.com: www.meetup.com/ Austin-Contra-Dancers/ Wednesday Night Contra Dance The Austin Barn Dancers originated when AFTM started a jam session at Hancock Recreation Center over 30 years ago. Somebody (the name was lost in time) said "Hey, this is a good dance floor so let's dance!" and thus the dancing started. The dancing went through several variations and around 1990 became predominately contra dance. To this day the Wednesday night dance at HRC is still a community dance with around 40-60 dancers dancing to the music of LOCO (Local On-Call Orchestra) – an open band of 3-10+ members with many excellent musicians, where anyone is welcome to come and play. The callers call a variety of dances, whether it be contras, squares, circles, or whatever. This is a free dance courtesy of the City of Austin and Austin Parks and Recreation Department. The Austin Barn Dancers meet every Wednesday night at Hancock Recreation Center from 7:30 until 9:45 pm. For more information call contact Dale Rempert at 512/4534225, drempert@ix.netcom.com Special Dance Events • Bayou Bedlam Feb. 17-19 Contra dance weekend in Houston. David Kaynor calling to the Retrospectacles. • Set for Spring March 23-25 English Country Dance weekend at the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Grand Ballroom in Austin. Scott Higgs calling with music by Foxfire. • When in Doubt, Swing! April 20-22. Contra dance weekend in Dallas. Nils Fredland calling to Elixir. What Are You Listening To? In every issue board member Jeanne Defriese ambushes one of our members with this question. This time she was ambushed! We love finding out what folks are listening to! Jeanne says that in the car she's listening to Tom, Brad, & Alice "We'll Die in the Pigpen Fighting" ; Allison's Sacred Harp Singers "Heaven's My Home, 1927-1928"; John Langstaff's Christmas Revels : "Wassail Wassail- Early American Christmas Music" (has the Chicken Chokers and Jean Ritchie), "Allons Boire un Coup, A Collection of Cajun & Creole Drinking Songs" (various artists Ann Savoy, Steve Riley, Feufollet, Pine Leaf Ramblers, Linzay Young, etc); LinzayYoung & Joel Savoy a 2009 Valcour release. In the house, "Oh, Yaille!" Mamou Prairie Band (her dishwashing/housecleaning music); "A Winter's Night- Christmas in the Great Hall" Ensemble Galilei; "Ancient Noels" Ensemble Galilei; "Weathers - The Boggy Creek Farm Sessions" Bucolics Anonymous. (Yes, she's still listening to Christmas music). She looks/listens to a lot of oldtime music on YouTube from festivals, house concerts, individuals or groups just picking, also sacred harp and square dancing. Radio: at home and work, she listens to KMFA, occasionally KUT Sunday Folkways and KOOP Strictly Bluegrass Fudge factor - if she hadn't loaned it out, she'd be listening to "All These Other Fine Things" by Sheila Kay Adams - in the car, every day (old time, sacred harp, ballads). January 2012 5 �Austin Friends of Traditional Music PO Box 49608 Austin, Texas 78765 Away With Funeral Music AWAY with funeral music - set The pipe to powerful lips The cup of life's for him that drinks And not for him that sips. – Robert Louis Stevenson AFTM Jam Session: Every Second Sunday, 2 pm • Artz Ribhouse on South Lamar Next Jam Sessions: Sunday Feb. 12, 2012 & Sunday March 11, 2012 • Bring Instruments & Voices! Member Meetings before the session • All Welcome! AUSTIN FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name ____________________________________ Phone ________________ Date_________ Address______________________________________________________________________ City_________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________ Email________________________________________________________________________ I’d like to receive the Reel Times newsletter by US mail $15 Student $20 Individual $80 5-year/Individual Donation $___________ $25 Family I’d like to volunteer $50 Business $100 5-year/Family $300 Lifetime $25 Band/Dance Group Renewal Your donation is tax deductible as AFTM is a 501(c)(3) organization Total enclosed: $___________. Please make check payable to Austin Friends of Traditional Music and mail to: PO Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. Paypal accepted on our website at www.aftm.us 6 January 2012 � 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 37 Number 1 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 2012-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 37, Number 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/260/newsletter-36-02-2011-09.pdf 0509fccdd148c68c312aee2132ccacc2 PDF Text Text REEL TIMES SEPTEMBER 2011 VOL 36 • NO. 2 Austin String Band Festival Approaching! AFTM is hosting our sixth string band festival October 14, 15, and 16 at Camp Ben McCulloch across from the Salt Lick (directions below). Because of its wild success last year we again feature a Friday night Dance Till You Drop with polkas, waltzes, two steps and oldtime barn dancing. As usual we'll have great bands, fun jams, good food and top-notch workshops at this beautiful campground with shade trees, a creek, and all the facilities for a magical time. Gates open at noon on Friday, October 14. Although this is its sixth year this festival is still small enough that everyone can get right up close to the musicians. And the musicians are worth a close listen. The lineup features Bluegrass, old-time Appalachian, Cajun, Mariachi, old Texas fiddle tunes, Polish fiddle music and Blues delivered by the best local string bands and out of state headliners. If you want to hear some great music that's not in the mainstream, rarely covered by mass media, but is the blood of this country, pulsing now as it ever has, bringing life to our lives and stirring our bones – dance music, ballads, and breakdowns – this is the festival for you. Friday night, dance 'till you drop to The Pickled Beats, Cajun Country Revival, Brian Marshall and Foghorn Trio. The Pickled Beats are a hard-driving old-time string band from the Carolinas. Fiddler Rich Hartness and banjo picker Brett Riggs evoke the powerhouse handand-glove banjo/fiddle style native to NW North Carolina and SW Virginia, where they each spent many formative years with musicianers of previous generations. Cajun Country Revival belts out a fresh blend of Cajun music with classic Honky Tonk, highlighting the lyrical and instrumental spirit shared by the two genres. Comprised of multi-talented musicians from across North America, the Cajun Country Revival is a powerhouse group that plays their music with such a joyful spirit the audience can't help but have fun. Brian Marshall brings back a unique nineteenth century, Polish/ Texas fiddle style that almost died out decades ago. "A Houston native with Bremond roots, Marshall has a fiddle style redolent of the Old Country while containing elements of Western swing. The tunes are nearly all traditional, but they're more for dancers than folklorists; these guys are to Texas polka what Beausoleil is to Cajun music." (John Morthland, Texas Monthly). Foghorn Trio features Stephen "Sammy" Lind's blazing fiddling and rough-and-tumble singing interlaced with Caleb Klauder's hard-driving mandolin picking and dry, dusty voice and adds French Acadian Nadine Landry on vocals, upright bass and guitar with intertwining harmonies throughout. The Foghorn Trio draws from the same repertoire that has always inspired their work: the tunes and songs of the American South, from the hollers of Appalachia to the bling of 1950s Nashville. Saturday features The Carper Family with Melissa "Daddy" Carper (vocals, bass), Beth "Mama" Chrisman (vocals, fiddle), and Jenn "Little Sister" Miori (vocals, guitar) who each grew up singing and playing music with their families. By the time they created their new "family band", each had already led her own band and sat in with some of Austin's finest musicians. But this particular collaboration has blended stunning three part harmonies into the finest old country, old-time, bluegrass, and swing tunes. Their boiled-down and intimate presentation highlights the quality of their united and solo voices, as well as drawing out each player's abilities with her accompanying instrument. Also featured is Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz & Peter Schwarz. In concert, they will cover everything from the beautiful unaccompanied ballads of the south to early bluegrass duets – Continued on page 2 �An Evening of Love Songs With Ojalá Join us for a magical night of world music performed in three languages (Persian, Spanish and Arabic). Back by popular demand, in a rare performance after their last sold-out show, the Latin-Middle Eastern group Ojalá presents another unforgettable night of dance and songs of love and longing from the Middle East and Latin America. The band, co-founded and directed by Javier Palacios of Monterey, Mexico (guitar, vocals), and Kamran Hooshmand of Tehran, Iran (oud, cumbus, guitar, vocals), will be backed by a stellar ensemble of world music virtuosos from around the globe performing an amazing array of instruments and genres from Persian 6/8 dances and Arab-Iberian ballads to Venezuelan horopos and Mexican boleros all performed bilingually or trilingually in a romantic setting. The group is proud to have invited as its guest, the wonderful Arab singer Julie Slim-Nassif who will elevate the night with her gorgeous ornamented voice. The ensemble includes: Anne Alexander - Middle Eastern percussion Theodore Bick - Hurdy gurdy Victor Eijkhout - Bass, recorder Mike Maddux - Piano, accordion, bandonéon Ken Maranian - Clarinet Lisa Schneider - Violin Don Weeda - Accordion Jay Whitley - Latin & Middle Eastern percussion Victor Villegas - Venezuelan cuatro Hector Chang - Venezuelan maracas, guitar Momo's cozy space is a perfect place for this romantic and fun evening with their full bar and wonderful vibe. Come ready to dance, listen or otherwise be swept off your feet! Saturday, September 24, 9 p.m. – 11:30 p.m., Momo's Club, 618 W 6th Street Doors: 8:30 pm, Show: 9 pm. Cover: $10 General Admission at the door AFTM/Central Market Showcase, Nov. 19th AFTM and Central Market feature another great showcase of Austin bands at Central Market on November 19th at 5 p.m. Great flatpicker Max Zimmet and band open the show, followed by the wonderful vocal and instrumental wizards The Carper Family, and ending with The Lost Pines' fresh, driving bluegrass. AFTM Officers/Board 2011 President • Tim Wooten Vice-President • Angie Wooten Secretary • Christy Foster Treasurer • Cheryl Dehut Newsletter Editor • Tim Wooten Events Coordinator• Jeanne DeFriese Membership & Web • Sharon Isaac Volunteers • Margaret Valenti Sponsorships • Barbara Deane 2 September 2011 – String Band Festival from page 1 to the songs of The Carter Family. You'll hear fiddle tunes, gospel songs as done in rural families, even some classic country songs. Every song they do means something special to them and invites you to join them in the celebration of your heritage. Another featured performer, Steve James, is well-known among devotees of contemporary acoustic folk and blues; this notoriety is based on numerous critically acclaimed recordings, a tireless international tour schedule and a sheaf of published work including articles, instruction books and videos. His vocals and instrumental versatility (on guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, guitar-banjo) also makes him a favorite at music camps and workshop programs. He's been heard on A Prairie Home Companion, The House Of Blues Network and many other syndicated programs worldwide. Unfortunately we don't have the space to tell you about all the bands. See below for the complete lineup. But the stage bands are not the whole story. Camp Ben's grounds are lovely, with plenty of big old shade trees and lots of room for camping and jamming. Some of the best music is off-stage in sessions lasting till the wee hours. Bring your banjos, guitars, fiddles, man- REEL TIMES is published by Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM), a nonprofit organization (est. 1974) dedicated to encouraging the performance and appreciation of all genres of traditional music and dance. Copyright 2011 by AFTM. PO Box 49608, Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM email: AFTMTexas@gmail.com Web: www.aftm.us �dolins and other instruments – sit under the trees and jam, sing, dance, eat, and make merry! The admission price gets you into a huge variety of workshops such as banjo, fiddle, singing and dancing (see below for more details). There is also a playground and a ukulele workshop for the youngsters. Admission fees are a reasonable $45 for weekend general admission with discounts for online registration, partial weekends, students and Austin Friends of Traditional Music members. Youth 16 and under and volunteers get in free! See detailed prices below. Volunteer! For a free day's admission, volunteer by reviewing the volunteer spreadsheet: http:// aftm.us/events/fall-stringband-festival/2010-volunteer-sign-up/. Then email margaretevalenti@gmail.com with the shift of your choice. We really need your help! Directions: Camp Ben McCulloch is within a few minutes of Austin, located 11 miles south of Highway 290 West on Farm Road 1826. From I-35, take Loop 4 to downtown Buda. Head west on Farm Road 967 for 11 miles, then turn left on Farm Road 1826 for 1/ 2 mile – Camp Ben McCulloch is on the left . Admission Fees If you take advantage of our online registration you will save another $5 on every ticket price! See our website, www.aftm.us for online registration. General Admission Friday only ................... $25 ($20 for AFTM Member) Saturday only ................... $35 ($30 for AFTM Member) Weekend .......................... $45 ($40 for AFTM Member) Youth (16 and under) ... FREE Student w/ID Friday only ....................... $15 ($10 for AFTM Member) Student Saturday only ...... $25 ($20 for AFTM Member) Student Weekend ............. $30 ($25 for AFTM Member) Camping is an additional fee: Primitive Site ........... $15/night Site with electric ..... $20/night Note: Camping space is available on first come first served basis. ASBF Event Listing Friday Evening, October 14th, “Dance 'Til You Drop” 7 p.m. – Rich Hartness & the Pickled Beats (Old-time barn dancing) 8 p.m. – Cajun Country Revival (Cajun of course) 9 p.m. – Brian Marshall (Texas Polish Music - polkas, waltzes and twosteps) 10 p.m. – Foghorn Trio - (More old-time barn dancing) Saturday, October 15th 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Workshops 2 p.m. Rains & Keane 3 p.m. Double Eagle String Band 4 p.m. The Lost Pines 5 p.m. Mariachi Corbetas 6:30 p.m. The Carper Family 7:30 p.m. Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz & Peter Schwarz 8:30 p.m. Steve James 9:30 p.m. Rich Hartness & The Pickled Beats Sunday, October 16th 10:30am - Gospel Sing Along led by Ginny Hawker ASBF 2011 Saturday Workshops The workshop topics are subject to change. When the times are set they will be posted on our website, www.aftm.us. This is the current lineup: Intermediate banjo - Brett Riggs and Rich Hartness (fiddle), Round Peak style Beginning Ukulele For Ukesters of All Ages - Jessica Leigh Graves - how to tune your ukulele, how to hold your ukulele when seated and standing, basic strumming patterns, 3 to 5 chords and how to read a chord chart, and a whole song! Bring your own uke. Fiddle (lead and 2nd fiddle, cajun duets) - Tracy and Peter Schwarz Singing from the Heart - Ginny Hawker Mandolin-guitar, rags and more Brian Schmiel (mandolin) and Rich Hartness (guitar) Dobro - Gary Mortenson Texas Fiddle tunes - Howard Rains and Peter Keane Bluegrass jam - Talia Brice Mountain dulcimer - Mark Gilston Fiddle Tunes for Banjo - Chuck Middleton and Dan Foster. Fairly basic level. Celtic Jam - Leader to be announced Old Time Jam - Jerry Hagins and Dan Foster The following workshops are still tentative: Blues guitar - Steve James Shape note singing Clogging dance workshop Mance Lipscomb style guitar and stories - Gary Smith Jamming anytime! September 2011 3 �Dance News Contra Dance Events Regular dances on First Fridays, Second Saturdays and every Wednesday. See the website www.taada.us for details. Special Events: Sept. 30: Special Contra Dance featuring the Noteboys (formerly the Wiretappers) from the Midwest 8 pm at Carpenter's Hall. Oct. 28-30: Fire Ant Frolic contra dance weekend at the Federation of Women's Clubs Grand Ballroom in Austin . Beth Molaro calling with Giant Robot Dance. http:// www.fireantfrolic.com English Country Dance Events Spring 2012 Save the date - March 23-25, 2012. Austin will be hosting the next Set for Spring English dance weekend at the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs, Grand Ballroom. We will have calling by Scott Higgs and music by Foxfire (Daron Douglas and Karen Axelrod). Watch for more information on this event as we get closer, including requests for help. If you know you will want to help with this event, contact Chuck Roth, or one of the other English Dance Committee members. Also, check the website www.setforspring.org as more information will be posted as it becomes available. English Dancing in Austin The Austin English Country Dance group typically dances 7:30 to 10:30 pm on the second Friday of the month at the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, which is at 6800 Woodrow Ave (one block South of Justin Lane). Note: The entrance into the Fellowship Hall is from the parking 4 September 2011 lot in the back of the complex. • All dances will be taught and called by our local Austin English callers. • The cost is $6 when we have recorded music and $9 when we have a live band. Discounts are offered for TAADA members and students. For more information contact Ann McCracken at ann@mccr.org. • There will be an English Country Dance in the back dance room at Hancock Recreation Center on September 23. This is a free dance. Note: There will not be 4th Friday English dances October - December, due to the holidays and other conflicts, but these dances will resume after the first of the year. • Please do not wear fragrances to our dances to be considerate of dancers with allergies. Clickety Cloggers www.clicketycloggers.com Up-coming exhibition team performances: Saturday, October 15, 2011 – State Fair (Dallas) 12 - 2 p.m. Saturday, November 12, 2011– Brazos Valley Worldfest (College Station) – time TBA Beginning Clogging Lessons: Let us introduce you to a style of dance that is a unique American tradition! • You do not need a partner or any previous dancing experience. • You'll learn the eight basic clogging movements that form the foundation for most clogging steps. • You'll learn several clogging line dances and get cue sheets and a music CD. • You will receive information about the history of clogging and work- shop information for Austin,Texas, and the U.S. • Come and visit us to see if this form of dance, which is also great aerobic exercise, is for you. Cost is $60 for a set of 10 to 12 lessons. (What a deal!) Family discounts are available. Thursdays, 6:3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fall lessons will run from September 15th to December 8th, 2011. We dance at the D'Ette Dance Studio, 1807 Slaughter Lane, Suite 325, Austin, TX. 78748. Lone Star Swing Band Brings All-Star Lineup to San Marcos The Supple Folk Music series hosts the Lone Star Swing band playing in the LBJ Ballroom on Sept 30th from 7:30-10 p.m. at the Texas State University-San Marcos campus. Lone Star Swing, from Austin, Texas, plays an energetic blend of western swing, jazz, and traditional country music that will have you tapping your toes and twirling around the dance floor. The band includes an all-star lineup of musicians who have performed throughout North America and Europe with some of the biggest names in music. Johnny Gimble (fiddle and mandolin) was a regular member of the legendary Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Gimble has also performed and recorded with Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, George Strait, and numerous other country stars. Rick McRae (guitar and vocals) and Terry Hale (bass) are regular members of country superstar George Strait's Ace in the Hole �Band, and they have performed and recorded with numerous other prominent artists. Paul Glasse (mandolin and vocals) has performed with Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Asleep at the Wheel, Kelly Willis, Joe Ely, Ray Price, Hank Thompson, and others. Billy Curtis (fiddle, saxophone, and vocals) has played with Houston's popular Wild River Band, as well as with western swing legends Johnny Gimble and Herb Remington. Gary Hartman (rhythm guitar and vocals) has performed throughout the United States and Europe, sharing the stage with such popular artists as Johnny Rodriguez, Stoney LaRue, Herb Remington, and Johnny Gimble. Herb Remington (steel guitar) was a regular member of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and has performed with many other prominent artists. Ramona Reed (vocalist) was a regular member of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and also has had a very successful solo career. Floyd Domino (keyboards) is a multiple Grammy Award winner who has performed with George Strait, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, and Asleep at the Wheel. Cindy Cashdollar (steel guitar) is also a multiple Grammy Award winner who has worked with Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Asleep at the Wheel, and others. Wes Starr (drums) has performed with Chuck Berry, Delbert McClinton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Marcia Ball, and Asleep at the Wheel. For more information contact Liz McDonald at (512) 245-3501 or on the web at http:// www.encoreseries.txstate.edu/ fall_events.html Swannanoa Gathering Too Good to be True (Almost) Picture this: a week of old time music and dancing set in the lush rolling mountains of Appalachia, where there's a jam around every corner and everybody knows your name. Sounds too good to be true, right? I got to experience this state of bliss for the first time in July, when I joined fellow AFTM members Sharon Isaac, Jeannie DeFriese, Barbara Deane, and Howard Rains for the Old Time Week of the Swannanoa Gathering of Friends. The Old Time Gathering is part of a four-week summer series of music workshops held at Warren Wilson College, a small liberal arts college just outside of Asheville, NC. For the last twenty summers, like-minded old time enthusiasts have made the pilgrimage from around the world to immerse themselves in the culture and arts of Appalachia. The week is structured so that there is literally something going on every hour of the day. Students have the option of selecting up to three daily workshops taught by amazing musicians including Dirk Powell, Rayna Gellert, John Herrmann, Paul Brown, and Alice Gerard, just to name a few. The time between these classes is spent at onsite concerts and dining on scrumptious food from the college's organic farm. Once you factor into this timeframe the non-stop jamming taking place all over the college campus, you can pretty much forget about sleeping for the week. Needless to say, my first time at Swannanoa was overwhelmingly positive. From the minute I stepped off the plane, I saw more banjos at the Asheville airport alone than I had ever seen before in one place! The 300 other participants were among some of the nicest people I have ever met, and it was truly inspiring to meet such kindred spirits – all of whom were just as excited to be there as I was – united by a shared passion for music. While my main reason for attending Swannanoa was to study banjo, I left with a full course in the old time tradition. Spending a week immersed day and night in the tunes had a real impact on my understanding and relationship to the music. I found the real beauty of old time music lies in its down-to-earth nature that never takes itself too seriously. This message really hit home when John Herrmann, banjo player extraordinaire and my teacher for the week, shared with our class the secret to playing old time music. "If all else fails and you don't know the tune," he said, "just play CottonEyed Joe! And then when the song ends, ask yourself how that tune was different from Cotton-Eyed Joe…" After a week in North Carolina, coming home to Austin was rough. I suffered from bouts of fiddle withdrawal and had to come up with answers every time my well-meaning coworkers asked, "How was band camp?" I've resigned myself to the fact that few things in life will be as fun as Swannanoa. Guess that means I'll have to go to Clifftop next summer, too! – Sara Cottingham September 2011 5 �Austin Friends of Traditional Music PO Box 49608 Austin, Texas 78765 Jam Sessions! Celtic Jam Session First Saturday of each month Canyon Grill Restaurant/Icehouse 3799 E. Hwy. 290 West Dripping Springs, TX canyongrillicehouse.com Old Time Jam Second Sunday of each month, Austin Friends of Traditional Music 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Artz Ribhouse (South Lamar) - upper room, www.aftm.us RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED AFTM Jam Session: Every Second Sunday, 2 pm • Artz Ribhouse on South Lamar Next Jam Sessions: Sunday Oct. 9, 2011 & Sunday Nov. 13, 2011 • Bring Instruments & Voices! Member Meetings before the session • All Welcome! AUSTIN FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name _____________________________________________ Phone ________________ Date____________ Address__________________________________________________________________________________ City____________________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________ Email____________________________________________________________________________________ ___$15 Student ___$20 Individual ___$25 Family ___$50 Business ___ $25 Band/Dance Group ___$80 5-year/Individual ___$100 5-year/Family ___$300 Lifetime ___Renewal Total enclosed: $________. Please make check payable to Austin Friends of Traditional Music and mail to: PO Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. Paypal accepted on our website at www.aftm.us For more information email AFTM at AFTMTexas@gmail.com or visit us on the web at: www.aftm.us 6 September 2011 � 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 36 Number 2 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 2011-09 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 36, Number 2 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/259/newsletter-36-01-2011-01.pdf 67ec804a9603513c325a1cf6b92ed3ef PDF Text Text REEL TIMES JANUARY 2011 VOL 36 • NO. 1 Midwinter Traditional Music Festival! To hear some mighty-fine traditional music, and learn how to pick and sing - come out to our Midwinter Festival on Saturday afternoon and evening February 5, 2011 at Dougherty Arts Center, 1110 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas. The doors will open at 11:45 a.m. What is the Midwinter Festival? AFTM’s Midwinter Festival is the perfect chance to shake the winter doldrums and see old friends, make new friends and find a vacant spot to jam. And there’s a lot more: Great traditional music from talented local bands. We've got a topnotch lineup of bands offering a smorgasbord of music from the U.S. and around the world in one of the best listening spaces in town! (See tentative line-up below). Workshops. Choose from a dozen workshops at no additional charge including jam sessions, kid's workshops, singing, dance, fiddle, banjo and harmonica. See below for details. Delicious food. Great, healthy food and drink choices served hot and priced right. Silent auction. Find an item you like and make your bid. You may find a real gem of a CD, instrument or service. An opportunity to support traditional music and dance. The Midwinter Festival is Austin Friends of Traditional Music's main fund raiser. The funds go to support showcases, house concerts, our Austin Stringband Festival and other traditional music and dance events in the Austin area. The bands, workshop leaders and many volunteers are donating their time and talent to support the Austin Friends of Traditional Music. Please come out and give us your support! The first band kicks off at noon. Check our website at www.aftm.us for more details and schedule updates. Here's the stage line up (subject to change): 12:00 noon 1pm -1:50 2pm - 2:50 3pm - 3:50 4pm - 4:50 5pm - 5:50 6pm - 6:50 7pm - 7:50 8pm - 8:50 9pm - 9:50 Lost and Nameless Orchestra Larry Kirbo AIO (Annoying Instrument Orchestra) Gospel Jam David Hamburger Bourree Texane Ragged Union Jeff Moore & Chris Buckley Son Armado Carper Family Lost and Nameless Orchestra "Foot stomping, heart racing, exciting music..." As this fan attests, there's something about dueling fiddles, vigorous guitar playing, and an air-tight rhythm section that compels your body to move. Tastefully pairing a wide dynamic range and an intimate connection with the listeners, the Austin-based fiddledriven folk rock quintet Lost and Nameless Orchestra gets you out of your chair and onto the dance floor. The band's unique chemistry on stage creates an intimate atmosphere in the room and draws listeners into the music. As the intensity builds, it is not uncommon to catch band members dancing on chairs and fueling the fire of excitement in the room. After a standing residency at Flipnotics, a calendar full of shows all over Texas and Arkansas, and their first tour under their belt, The Lost and Nameless Orchestra is currently in the studio recording their debut full-length album. The band's collective goal is to "put on an insanely great live show," and anyone who has seen the band will agree that the Lost and Nameless Orchestra delivers just that. – Continued on page 3 �AFTM Board Elections Coming in April – would YOU like to serve on the Board? The following Board members are willing to serve in their current positions for another year: President: Tim Wooten (also Newsletter Editor) Vice President: Angie Wooten Secretary: Christy Foster Dance Liaison: Keith Tuxhorn Events: Jeanne DeFriese At Large: Maggie Valenti Website Manager: Sharon Isaac (also Membership Manager) The board desperately needs a Treasurer and a publicity person. Our heartfelt thanks to Elizabeth Pittman and Howard Rains for their wonderful service in these positions. In addition to the positions noted above, the board may have additional members, who may be asked to take on specific tasks before or after being elected to the board. The board meetings occur on the 2nd Sunday each month at 12:30 pm, and currently the meeting location is the back room at Artz Ribhouse. Board members are expected to attend at least 10 of the 12 meetings, and to appoint a proxy for any meeting they cannot attend. Board members are expected to help to put on AFTM events. Any AFTM member of six month's duration or more who is willing to work is qualified to serve on the board. Nominations from the board and the floor will be made and closed at the meeting on March 13. The list of nominees will be emailed to the membership via the Yahoo group, and also will be published on the web-site. The election will take place this year on April 10. Every current member is eligible to vote, and must be present at the meeting to cast a vote. What's On Your CD Player? In every issue board member Jeanne Defriese ambushes one of our members with this question. We love finding out what folks are listening to! Here's what Howard Rains has been listening to: Varise Conner, Dennis McGee & Sadie Courville, James Whatley, Library of Congress recordings of Texas fiddle music, Faren Serrette. AFTM Officers/Board 2010/2011 President • Tim Wooten Vice-President • Angie Wooten Secretary • Christy Foster Treasurer • Elizabeth Pittman Newsletter Editor • Tim Wooten Dance Liaison • Keith Tuxhorn Events Coordinator• Jeanne DeFriese Membership • Sharon Isaac General • Howard Raines, Margaret Valenti 2 January 2011 Double Eagle String Band performances 2/19 Saturday opening for the Austin Lounge Lizards, Cactus Café at Texas Union Theater 3/6 Sunday 11:00 - 1:00 Threadgills North Bluegrass Brunch 3/18 Friday not SXSW Opal Divine at Penn Field E-Reel Times! Reel Times is available by e-mail. Save a fast-growth pine by going to our web site (www.aftm.us) and signing up for e-mail delivery! REEL TIMES is published by Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM), a nonprofit organization (est. 1974) dedicated to encouraging the performance and appreciation of all genres of traditional music and dance. Copyright 2011 by AFTM. PO Box 49608, Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM email: aftm@yahoogroups.com Web: www.aftm.us �– Continued on page 1 Larry Kirbo Larry was born in Wilson, Oklahoma in 1949. His earliest childhood influences were his father, Les Paul, and Merle Travis. The family moved to Texas when Larry was 9. He got his first guitar when he was 11. Since he played by ear, his folks would buy him records to learn. If the record had a skip, he played the skip. After moving to Austin in 1968, he met Bill Neely where he worked. Bill invited Larry to play with him at Threadgill's along with Mance Lipscomb and Kenneth Threadgill and others that wandered in. Mance called him "little Larry". Bill and Larry played folk festivals in several large cities including two Smithsonian festivals in Washington DC. Their 2- piece band played for 12 years. A memorial is in place at the Long Center for the Performing Arts for Bill. Larry says they never made any money playing, but they had lots of fun. Larry is an Austin treasure - a finger style guitar player who can weave a spell with his fingers and amaze you with his repertoire of great old tunes. Remember Chet Atkins? If you like Chet's music you'll love Larry. AIO - Annoying Instrument Orchestra Several years ago NPR broadcast a segment polling people about which musical instruments they thought were the most annoying. Among the instruments highest on the list were bagpipes, accordion and banjo, and others included were drum, fiddle and whistle. As she listened, Yoshimi Masuo thought to herself, "I know people who play a lot of those instruments ... and I don't think they are so annoying." And so AIO, The Annoying Instrument Orchestra, was formed to make pleasant and engaging music on annoying instruments. AIO plays world music from all over. They specialize mostly in roots music from the Balkans, Scandinavia, and continental Europe, with the occasional foray into the Orient and North America played on fiddle, hurdy-gurdy, recorder, ukulele, vocals, saz, doumbek, recorder, riqq, zils, hurdygurdy, harmonica, bombarde, clarinet, didgeridoo, harmonium, bassoon, guitar, mandolin, and accordion. Gospel Jam Every third Sunday for the last several years a group of friends has met at Artz Rib House to share and sing rare old gospel, sacred and popular religious songs of late 19th and early 20th century America. From Alfred Reed's "Walking in the Way with Jesus" to Lemon Jefferson's "Where Shall I Be", the songs your Grandfather or GreatGrandmother may have cherished will live again when the Gospel Jam takes the stage at this year's festival. "Some to the Church-house do repair not for the sermon but the music there." --R.E. Clements David Hamburger Growing up outside of Boston, multi-instrumentalist David Hamburger first picked up a guitar at the age of 12. Through his teens, Hamburger became interested in blues and jazz, incorporating the various styles into his playing. His interest in blues was further stoked while attending Wesleyan University when a friend taught him to play slide. A stint at Manhattan's School of Music where he was studying jazz composition didn't last, as Hamburger left the graduate program to play with a then-unknown Freedy Johnston. Hamburger was also playing with an R&B band as well as performing solo, finally gathering some of his favorite local musicians to help him record King of the Brooklyn Delta in 1995. Extensive touring helped him to build a live following around New York and New England, while he continued to contribute guitar, dobro, and pedal steel to the recordings of others. Indigo Rose, recorded in a little more than a week, arrived in 1999. Bourrée Texane Bourrée Texane plays lively French folk dances and songs from Brittany, and also southern and central France, Québec and Louisiana. Some of the songs date back to the Renaissance and the Middle Ages. Bourrée is the name of an old French folk dance. The band, featuring the talented Serge Laîné, Lisa Whatley and Heather Gilmer will take you to older times and distant places with their beautiful music. Heather, returning from Wisconsin especially for the festival, will also do a workshop on hurdy-gurdy, cabrette, diaJanuary 2011 3 �tonic accordeon and other French folk instruments. Ragged Union "Ragged Union" (bluegrass) is a brand new project featuring the flatpicking, singing and songwriting of Geoff Union (Two High String Band). Joined by Chojo Jacques (fiddle and mandolin), Josh Hoag (bass) and Christina Mills (backing vocal), "Ragged Union" is all about driving guitar-centered original bluegrass kinda like the picking of Brian Sutton, with the songwriting and singing of Norman Blake and John Hartford. On the web at w w w. r e v e r b n a t i o n . c o m / raggedunion. Jeff Moore and Chris Buckley Jeff and Chris are two of the finest proponents of the Celtic sound anywhere. Jeff Moore specializes in sensitive and beautiful guitar playing in "DADGAD" tuning while Chris Buckley plays Irish and other Celtic tunes in his own rampaging style. Both of these guys are impeccable musicians individually but together they are out of this world! You'll want to dance, you'll want to shed a tear and you won't want it to end. Son Armado Son Armado is a grassroots Son Jarocho group in Austin working with the community while supporting local struggles for justice and the worldwide movimiento Jaranero. Son Jarocho, a tradition from the coastal state of Veracruz, Mexico, is the melding of African, Spanish & Indigenous cultures during the process of colonization and the practice of slavery in the Americas. During this time, Son Jarocho emerged as a form of survival & a resistance to colonial control. Son Jarocho is a popular education4 January 2011 based art form centered around community gatherings & celebrations known as Fandangos. The Fandango involves music, dancing, & poetry in the context of a communally created and shared space, with the tarima (a wooden dance platform) as the gathering point. The Carper Family The Carper Family brings together three of Austin's most talented young country and bluegrass singers and pickers. Melissa "Daddy" Carper [vocals, bass], Beth "Mama" Chrisman [vocals, fiddle], and Jenn "Little Sister" Miori [vocals, guitar] each grew up singing and playing music with their families. This collaboration blends stunning three part harmonies into the finest old country, old-time, bluegrass, and swing tunes. Their boiled-down and intimate renderings of old standards and original material highlights the quality of their united and solo voices, as well as drawing out each player's abilities with her accompanying instrument. Already cheered on stages and street corners from Anchorage to New Orleans, the Carper Family looks forward to showing off their singing and playing for our festival. Workshops (subject to change - check latest schedule at the festival) Beginner Old-time Jam with Dan Foster, Jerry Hagins & Mark Schruben. This jam is open to pickers of all levels, from the newest newbies to the crankiest old curmudgeons. We'll go around the circle when it's your turn, you can call an Old Time (Appalachian) tune you play and set the tempo, or if you like you can pass. Don't be shy, come and play! A Cappella Balkan singing with Austin Balkan Singers In this workshop you will learn two traditional songs from Croatia and Bulgaria with bone-shaking harmonies and catchy uneven rhythms (9/8 anyone?). No prerequisites, we will teach pronunciation and music by ear. Austin Balkan Singers is a 6 to 10 member women's folk choir that has been learning and teaching traditional music from eastern Europe since 1975. We sing often and with as many harmonies as possible, and perform occasionally. Harmonica with Tim Wooten How to learn an old timey tune on the harmonica. Bring along your harmonica in the key of D so we can all be in the same key. We'll mainly work on straight-key styles - playing fiddle tunes on a harmonica in the same key as the tune. We'll talk about using our tongues, mouths and lungs. Beginners and more advanced players are welcome. Tuvan Throat Singing with Eliot Stone Eliot Stone has mastered the vocal art of throat singing and has developed a strong interest in the musical cultures of southern Siberian republics. Throat singing is the ability for a single singer to produce multiple pitches simultaneously by skillfully manipulating harmonic frequencies naturally present in the fundamental pitch of the voice. The practice of throat singing comprises multiple styles and functions as a symbolic interface with the natural surroundings of the south Siberian landscape as well as a unique and beautiful expressive form. �Introduction to Old Time Fiddling: The rhythm of the bow is where it's at - with Damon O'Gan. We'll focus on one or two tunes, looking at how the bowing can make dancers get off their seats. It'll be casual, we'll have some fun, and we won't care about what brand of strings anyone's using! I hope you'll join us if you have some interest in the old time fiddling. Damon O'Gan hails from northern Wyoming, home of the obscure, yet fanatic, Big Horn Mountain style of fiddling. He's a doctor of horses, and destroyer of fiddle tunes. Damon's been playing the fiddle for a few years, but now and then he fools someone into thinking he actually knows what he's doing. Like so many admirers of fine music, Damon loves the playing of Tommy Jarrell, probably more than is considered healthy. Intermediate Clawhammer Banjo with Bernard Mollberg, Jerry Hagins and Angie Wooten Among the three workshop leaders, Jerry, Bernard & Angie have wasted over 100 perfectly good years playing old time clawhammer style banjo. Primarily for players who have learned the basics of right hand technique, an array of styles and ideas to bring along your playing. Bring your banjo for some hands-on playing! Traditional instruments from France with Serge Laine, Lisa Whatley and Heather Gilmer The musicians of Bourrée Texane and Faux Paws would like to introduce the instruments they use to play traditional music and explain briefly how they work: ola vielle à roue (French Hurdygurdy) ol'accordéon diatonique (2-row French diatonic Accordion) ole cromorne (Crumhorn, 15th c. capped double reed) ola cabrette (Central France bellows-blown bagpipe from Auvergne) ole dulcitare (A hybrid combining guitar body and mountain dulcimer stringing) ole violon (Fiddle) Combinations of these instruments will be illustrated by the musicians playing traditional French dance tunes and dance songs. Guitar Workshop with Geoff Union Geoff Union's guitar workshop will focus on strategies for developing licks you can use over basic changes; making use of the major, major pentatonic, and blues variations to play over I IV V changes in the key of…..G!! Some scale knowledge will be helpful but not necessary. Originally from North Carolina, Geoff has lived in Austin for about 18 years. He started out on the bass, and then the electric guitar, and made his way around to bluegrass and flatpicking about 15 years ago. He was drawn in by the sounds of Doc Watson, and enjoys that old style as much if not more than the space grass. Geoff has been with the Two High String Band since 2002, and is just now am putting together a brand new project called "Ragged Union" featuring a bunch of original material and lots of guitar! Archaic Texas Fiddle Styles by Howard Rains (with Tim Wooten & Dan Foster) Texas is well known for its fiddle music, and when Texas fiddling is mentioned, most folks think of Texas Swing or the Texas Contest style. However, there was a long and extremely diverse history of Texas fiddling before those styles were even conceived. Howard Rains has been investigating these styles and their regional aspects and will be teaching about their similarities and differences to other styles of Southern fiddling and how some were, over time, transformed into swing and contest style while others became virtually extinct. Howard will present several pieces in several different styles from across the state and teach one tune if time allows. Howard Rains is a native Texas artist and fiddler living in Austin. He has been painting, drawing and playing music since his earliest memory. Tim Kerr January 2011 5 �Dance News Bruce Molsky and Other Delights: AFTM members who love to dance will be treated to a new dance series and special events to welcome in the spring. On February 19, internationallyknown fiddler Bruce Molsky will be leading the band for the Third Saturday contra dance, at Carpenters' Hall, 500 Joesphine St., from 8-11 pm. Molsky will be joined by local luminaries Howard Rains on guitar, Jerry Hagins and Angie Wooten on banjo and maybe others. They'll play for a dance program taught and called by popular Austin caller Rich McMath. A beginners session will be held at 7:40, and no costume, partner, or experience is required. Admission is $8 for AFTM members. Molsky played for an Austin contra weekend over a decade ago, and we've very excited to have him back. For those who just don't have enough regular dances and for musicians who'd like to do more dance performances--there's a new opportunity in San Marcos. A contra dance will be held every 4th Sunday at the United Campus Ministry Wesley Building, 501 N. Guadalupe St., near campus from 2-5 pm. If you need more information, or would like your band to play please contact Mary Lynn at maylynnellingson@yahoo.com. Just in time for spring, the annual Dance in the Park will be held on the Zilker Park Theater stage from 1-5 pm, 6 January 2011 tentatively planned for Sunday, March 27. Music will be by two of Austin's best contra bands, with calling shared by the Austin contra callers corps. The dance is free but please consider a donation to support the bands. And English Country dancers will have additional chances to dance in the next few months, as Fourth Friday English dances will be added to the schedule. They will be held from 7:30 to 9:45 pm in the back hall at Hancock Recreation Center, upstairs. All dances are taught and called. We may not have this dance every month, so check its status at austincontradance.org. English dance is also held every second Friday at First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 6800 Woodrow, from 7:30-10:30 pm. Free English Country Dance Friday, January 28, in the back dance room at Hancock Recreation Center at 811 East 41st Street. The dance will go from 7:30-9:40. Second Friday English Country Dance February 11, from 7:3010:30 at the first Cumberland Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall, which is at 6800 Woodrow Ave. All dances will be taught and called. The cost is $6, students $5. For more information contact Ann McCracken at ann@mccr.org. This dance is fragrance free. Free English Country Dance Friday, February 25 in the back dance room at Hancock Recreation Center, from 7:30-9:40. A new contra dance will occur for the first time on Sunday Jan 23 from 1:30pm til 5pm in San Marcos at the United Campus Ministry Wesley Bldg, 510 N. Guadalupe St. Music by Fluorescense featuring Max Cappleman, Stewart Rose, and other wonderful musicians. For more info, contact Mary Lynn Ellingson at: marylynnellingson@yahoo.com. �AFTM/Pittman Spring 2011 House Concerts Seating by reservation only, audience limited to 40; downtown Austin location. For information/reservations: ebpittman@austin.rr.com or 512.476.3991 Orrin Star 2/12 Saturday 8:00 pm, plus workshops, private lessons same weekend. Orrin Star is an award-winning guitarist and mandolin player who combines hot picking, cool singing and good humor. Once described as 'Arlo Guthrie-meets-Doc Watson', he was the 1976 National Flatpicking Champion, has appeared on A Prairie Home Companion, and boasts a repertoire ranging from bluegrass standards to little-known folk gems, Celtic fiddle tunes to finger style blues. He is also known for his skill as a music teacher, with two instructional DVDs, a book, and a column in Flatpicking Guitar magazine to his credit. He has led guitar & mandolin workshops throughout the United States and in Europe. www.orrinstar.com. Bruce Molsky 2/18 Friday, 8:00 pm, plus workshops, same weekend, and a dance on 2/19. See stories in this issue of Reel Times Evie Ladin 3/25 Friday, 8:00 pm, plus workshops, same weekend. Evie is a fabulous banjo player, singer and buck dancer who performs with the Stairwell Sisters, here in Austin for in a solo show. Fiddle Wizard Bruce Molsky To Play and Teach in Austin AFTM is hosting Bruce Molsky to play at a house concert on February 18 and for a contra dance on February 19 (read more about these events and get contact information for the house concert in this issue of Reel Times). He'll also be holding workshops during the day on the 19th. Bruce Molsky stands today as the premier old-time fiddler in the world, the defining virtuoso of Appalachia's timeless folk music traditions. That must feel odd for a former engineer from the Bronx, who didn't begin a music career until he was forty. But folded into those strange facts is the secret to his unique genius. In addition to a prolific solo career, performing on fiddle, guitar, and banjo, Molsky frequently joins genre-busting supergroups, like the Grammy-nominated Fiddlers Four, and Mozaik, with Hungarian Nikola Parov, and Celtic giant Donal Lunny. He was on Nickel Creek's farewell tour, and performs in a trio with Scottish fiddler Aly Bain and Sweden's great Ale Moller. "Playing in these kinds of groups is an important part of what I do," Molsky says. "The more cultures I discover, the more I realize that folk music performs the same function for everybody; and therefore is the same thing everywhere - just spoken with different accents." Great fiddlers ask him to teach at their fiddle camps, including Alasdair Fraser, Jay Ungar, and Mark O'Connor, who says Molsky has "a mystical awareness of how to bring out the new in something that is old." "Young people realize this is a guy who's tapped into the real deep emotional wellsprings of this music," says Matt Glaser, director of Berklee's American Roots Program. "He has a way of removing everything that's unnecessary; and young people are very hungry for something real. Bruce has that in spades." That personal authenticity deeply informs his music. Whether performing an ancient reel from Virginia, a Swedish waltz, or a loping cowboy ballad, Molsky presents himself as exactly who he is. Rob Simons, executive director of the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis, says that's the key to Molsky's enormous appeal as a live performer: "He's that unique blend of virtuoso and humble, nice guy that is irresistible to audiences." "I'm still a social musician," he says, "in the sense that I talk to an audience the way I talk to people in my house; and I play for them just like we're all in the living room together. I want to present myself as who I am; and this music as what it is. The biggest lesson from changing careers at mid-life is that you discover the strength is not in what you do; it's in who you are." "America's reigning old time fiddler." - Matt Glaser, fiddler-educator "The Rembrandt of Appalachian fiddle." - Darol Anger, fiddler "There's an incredible power of history and tradition in his vocals." Linda Ronstadt, singer January 2011 7 �Austin Friends of Traditional Music PO Box 49608 Austin, Texas 78765 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED AFTM Jam Session: Every Second Sunday, 2 pm • Artz Ribhouse on South Lamar Next Jam Sessions: Sunday Feb. 13, 2011 & Sunday March 13, 2011 • Bring Instruments & Voices! Member Meetings before the session • All Welcome! AUSTIN FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name _____________________________________________ Phone ________________ Date____________ Address__________________________________________________________________________________ City____________________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________ Email____________________________________________________________________________________ ___$15 Individual ___$20 Family ___$30 Patron ___$50 Business/Sustaining ___Renewal Total enclosed: $________. Please make check payable to Austin Friends of Traditional Music and mail to: PO Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. Thank you! For more information email AFTM at aftm@yahoogroups.com or visit us on the web at: www.aftm.us 8 January 2011 � 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 36 Number 1 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 2011-01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 36, Number 1 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson http://archive.aftm.us/files/original/10/258/newsletter-35-03-2010-09.pdf 1576a263ffa3915914c8e7c97b5c02ee PDF Text Text REEL TIMES SEPTEMBER 2010 VOL 35 • NO. 3 Dance Till You Drop at Austin String Band Festival! AFTM is hosting our fifth string band festival October 15, 16, and 17 at Camp Ben McCulloch across from the Salt Lick (directions below). The festival is supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts. This year we feature a Friday night Dance Till You Drop with Cajun, C&W, and old-time dancing called by Rich MacMath. As usual we'll have great bands, fun jams, good food and topnotch workshops at this beautiful campground with shade trees, a creek, and all the facilities for a magical time. Gates open at noon on Friday, October 15. Although this is its fifth year this festival is still small enough that everyone can get right up close to the musicians. And the musicians are worth a close listen. The line up features bluegrass, old-time Appalachian, cowboy ballads, Cajun, and Americana delivered by the best local string bands and out of state headliners. Festival booking agent Jeanne DeFriese, who booked the music for Old Settlers when it was a small bluegrass festival, makes this comparison: "I have a freer hand booking for ASBF. Our audience is very open-minded and eclectic in their tastes; they seem quite delighted with our diverse selections on stage and in the mini-sets. We book old time and bluegrass acts but you might also hear Gospel, traditional Mexican, Cajun, or retro jazz - anything that hews to regional stringband music. There are more spur of the moment jam sessions at ASBF - everywhere!" Huntsville fiddle maven Marynell Young says ASBF has the "most eclectic stage show East of Los Angeles and the best jam sessions West of North Carolina - finger pickin' good!" This year the Friday night headliner is Foghorn Trio and the Saturday night headliners are the Haints and Kweskin & Muldaur. Foghorn Trio is a heralded oldtime string band playing music deeply rooted in the American folk tradition. It's a pre-copyright, postbluegrass style, but the Foghorns put their own stamp on it. Stephen "Sammy" Lind and Caleb Klauder draw on their rich history of more than ten years playing fiddle tunes and old time country together. They trade vocals, guitar, fiddle, banjo and mandolin. Nadine Landry switches between upright bass and guitar, bringing in elements of Cajun by drawing on her French Acadian roots. It's a sound that could be coming to you from a big console radio in a 1930s living room, or an Appalachian front porch; instead it's being delivered by a group of players from the thriving old time music scene of Portland, Oregon. They crank out an amazing wave of great old time dance music for just three people! Hot local old-time dance caller Rich MacMath will get everyone up and dancing. The Haints is a young trio that favors tunes old, quirky and twisted, notably the great archaic songs that have almost been forgotten. With Erynn Marshall's highly regarded old-time fiddling leading the pulse, Jason Romero changes effortlessly between clawhammer and threefinger banjo, Pharis Romero keeps the deep groove on the flat-top guitar, and all three sing, from tender duets to the boisterous call and response songs of early string bands. Singer and multi-instrumentalist Carl Jones is also appearing with the Haints. Erynn, who won first place in fiddle at the 2008 Clifftop Appalachian Stringband Festival in West Virginia, is a fine talent who plays with power and control. Continued on page 4 �Fire Ant Frolic Coming Soon! Austin's 14th Annual Fire Ant Frolic will be held October 29-31, 2010, at the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. This will be a great event called by Nils Fredland with Elixir - a high energy dance band that blends superb calling, driving fiddle and guitar playing, and the rich texture and rhythmic excitement of a full horn section. We will be dancing in the Grand Ballroom, the largest of its kind in central Texas. The polished oak floor spans over four thousand square feet (two average houses could fit inside!) and the ceiling soars to thirty feet. The room is dramatically illuminated with vintage bronze and crystal wall sconces, for a total of seventy candlelight bulbs and a thousand sparkling crystal drops! Full information about the event is available through our website, www.fireantfrolic.com or you can pick up a flyer at one of the many dances in Austin. You'll see details about all of our wonderful talent, see our preliminary schedule of dance sessions, workshops, special events throughout the weekend and register online via PayPal. The deadline for early registration is October 1, so make sure your registration is postmarked on or before that date for a $10 discount. We'd love to have your help! If you can help with food, hospitality, setup, decorations, wrangling water, front desk, or cleanup, please volunteer through the website shown above. The Austin Banjo Club Needs You! The Austin Banjo Club has been very active this fall. In addition to our regular Monday night practice sessions at the Lamar Senior Activity Center (29th and North Lamar, Austin, Texas) we have played four gigs in September and have three more lined up for October, so far. We have been having a great deal of fun. If you play anything that poses as a banjo (tenor banjo, plectrum, banjolin, banjo-uke, banjoguitar...even a 5-string!) and love the great American popular tunes from the early 1900s to the 1930s, please join us on a Monday night, 7 - 9 pm! For more information: www.austinbanjoclub.org AFTM Officers/Board 2010/2011 President • Tim Wooten Vice-President • Angie Wooten Secretary • Christy Foster Treasurer • Elizabeth Pittman Newsletter Editor • Tim Wooten Dance Liaison • Keith Tuxhorn Events Coordinator• Jeanne DeFriese Membership • Sharon Isaac General • Howard Raines, Margaret Valenti 2 September 2010 “Come join me Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 15th, 16th, and 17th. Bring your fiddle and your dancing shoes.” AFTM/Central Market Showcase Save Friday evening November 5th on your calendar for a showcase of Austin bands at Central Market sponsored by Austin Friends of Traditional Music and Central Market. Bands and other details will be announced by e-mail. E-Reel Times! Reel Times is available by e-mail. Save a fast-growth pine by going to our web site (www.aftm.us) and signing up for e-mail delivery! REEL TIMES is published by Austin Friends of Traditional Music (AFTM), a nonprofit organization (est. 1974) dedicated to encouraging the performance and appreciation of all genres of traditional music and dance. Copyright 2010 by AFTM. PO Box 49608, Austin, Texas 78765 AFTM email: aftm@yahoogroups.com Web: www.aftm.us �Dance News Austin 3rd Saturday Contra Dance, October 16th We'll be dancing at St. Paul Lutheran, 3501 Red River, band to be announced. Newcomers are encouraged to arrive at 7:30 for special instruction, and the regular dance goes from 8 to 11 p.m. Regulars are encouraged to arrive early to greet and help our newcomers experience the joys of contra dancing. Please come fragrance-free to protect our dancers with allergies. Regular admission to the dance is $9, $8 for AFTM members, and $5 for students. New dancers will receive a coupon good for free admission to the next dance. For further information, contact Chuck Roth 512-453-8936 or send e-mail to croth@austin.rr.com. You can find more info about Austin contra dancing at www.austincontradance.org Austin contra dancers now have a group on Facebook: http:// www.facebook.com/ group.php?gid=10253242826 or search for "Austin contra dancers." You'll need a Facebook account (free) to join. First Friday Contra Dance, October 1st 8:00 - 11:00 pm (newcomers session at 7:30) at Carpenter's Hall, 400 Josephine, one block North and one block West of the corner of Barton Springs and South Lamar. The caller will be Luke Donev from Dallas and the band will be Mockingbird. Admission $8, discounts for AFTM & newcomers. Contact: Paul Hawkins first-fridaycontra@googlegroups.co Second Friday English Country Dance, Oct. 8th 7:30 - 10:30 pm, Carpenter's Hall, 400 Josephine St. All dances will be taught and called. This dance is fragrance free. Admission $6, students $5. Contact: Ann McCracken ann@mccr.org (512) 266-9949 The Austin Barn Dancers Every Wednesday, 7:30 - 10:00 pm Hancock Recreation Center, 811 E 41st St. Music by LOCO (local oncall orchestra). For more information contact: Dale Rempert drempert@ix.netcom.com (512) 453-4225 Clickety Cloggers Meet Local Musician John Arthur Martinez It was a surprise to the Clickety Cloggers Exhibition Team members when they realized that singer John Arthur Martinez was in the audience as they danced three routines to his music. Club member Roxie McCoy had recently choreographed three of his songs: "Road Trip", about traveling on Texas Highway 281, "Frijoles Con Arroz", and "A Girl Named Texas" and all three were on the program as the group danced at Horseshoe Bay in Marble Falls on July 3rd. "While we didn't get him up dancing, he did give us an open invitation to come dance to his live music some time." said dancer Jon Durbin. The team also danced several patriotic numbers from their repertoire. Nancy Benner, Ruth Ann Warren, Hildy Slocum, Jon Durbin, John Arthur Martinez, Pat Waden, Roxie McCoy, Mary Fran Lumis, and Judy Varga Austin CLICKETY CLOGGERS: Upcoming Performances: Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010 - Fredericksburg Oktoberfest - 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. - Main Street Tent Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010 - Dallas State Fair - 12:00 noon-2:00 pm Saturday, Nov. 13, 2010 - Brazos Valley Worldfest - College Station - TBA Saturday, Nov. 27, 2010 - Johnson City, TX. " Lights Spectacular" 5:30- 6:00 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010 - Georgetown Holiday Stroll - TBA Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 - Wimberley Trail of Lights - 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. September 2010 3 �continued from page 1 Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur are founding members of the hugely popular 1960s group, Jim Kweskin's Jug Band (also with Maria Muldaur, Fritz Richmond, and Mel Lyman) which is credited with setting the stage for Jerry Garcia's first band, Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, and subsequently The Grateful Dead. Geoff and Jim share a rare chemistry that was instantly renewed when they reunited as a duo in Tokyo in 2006. The distinctive qualities they brought to the Jug Band - Kweskin's clean, rhythmic finger picking and Muldaur's emotional, quavering voice remain their signature. When it comes to acoustic folk, blues, and ragtime, Kweskin and Muldaur are unparalleled exponents of the best American music. Unfortunately we don't have the space to tell you about all the bands. See below for the complete lineup. The full workshop scheducle with descriptions is on page 5. But the stage bands are not the whole story. Camp Ben's grounds are lovely, with plenty of big old shade trees, a gurgling creek and plenty of room for camping and jamming. Some of the best music is off-stage in sessions lasting till the wee hours. Bring your banjos, guitars, fiddles, mandolins and other instruments - sit under the trees and jam, sing, dance, eat, and make merry! The admission price gets you into a huge variety of workshops such as banjo, fiddle, singing and dancing (see below for more details). There is also a playground and a workshop for the youngsters. Admission fees are a reasonable $40 for weekend general admission with discounts for partial weekends, students and Austin Friends of Traditional Music members. Youth 16 and under and volunteers get in free! Volunteer! For a free day's admission, volunteer by e-mailing AFTM.Volunteers@gmail.com. We'll send you a link to a spreadsheet showing the volunteer slots and you can e-mail us back with your first and second choices. We really need your help! Directions: Camp Ben McCulloch is within a few minutes of Austin, located 11 miles south of Highway 290 West on Farm Road 1826. From I-35, take Loop 4 to downtown Buda. Head west on Farm Road 967 for 11 miles, then turn left on Farm Road 1826 for 1/ 2 mile -- Camp Ben McCulloch is on the left Friday October 15th Dance Till You Drop! 7:00 Jenny and the Corn Ponies 8:00 Cory McCauley and his Evangeline Aces 9:00 Foghorn Trio, with caller Rich MacMath Admission Fees General Admission Friday only .................................$20 Saturday only .............................$30 Weekend ....................................$40 Saturday, October 16th 2:00 The Victor Mourning 3:00 Atomic Duo 4:00 Shotgun Party 5:00 The Carper Family 6:00 The Gillette Brothers 7:00 Ben Hodges Band 8:00 The Haints with Carl Jones 9:00 Jim Kweskin and Geoff Muldaur Youth (16 and under) .................FREE Sunday, October 17th Gospel Sing about 10 a.m. until noon. Discounts (excludes additional camping fee) $5 off any price for AFTM members $5 off any price for early ticket purchase 4 September 2010 Student w/ID (Friday only) ........$10 Student w/ID (Saturday only) ....$20 Student w/ID (Weekend) ...........$25 Camping (Additional Fee) .......... Primitive, per tent per night ........$10 w/electricity, per tent per night ...$15 �ASBF 2010 Saturday Workshop Schedule The workshop times and topics are subject to change. This is the current lineup: 11:00 a.m. Country Duets with Teri Joyce & Roger Wallace 11:00 a.m. Celtic Jam with Vanessa Gordon 11:00 a.m. Old Time Survey with the Haints 11:00 a.m. Big Circle and Square Dance with Sharon Isaac. Learn a big circle and a square dance. 11:00 a.m. Eight Fiddlers from Kentucky with Gene and Marynelle Young Eastern Kentucky fiddlers 1985 - 1992. Photos, tunes and anecdotes. Hear tunes of Estill Bingam, Clyde Davenport, Hiram Stamper and J.P. Fraley. 11:00 a.m. Getting Started Playing Bluegrass Solos on Mandolin with Ben Hodges Learn a simplified approach to the basic patterns. Q&A 12:00 noon Early Roots Gospel Songs with Pharis Romero. Learn the base melodies and harmonies for several early gospel songs. Come ready to sing! 12:00 noon Two Strings are the Thing - Mandolin with Carl Jones. Two note chord shapes and how they "fall" or connect on the neck which leads to "six magic shapes plus one." Basic scale and chord theory as well as octaves, unisons a tune and a song. 12:00 noon Beginner Old Time Jam with Elizabeth Pittman; Tim and Angie Wooten 12:00 noon The Role of the Folk Musician in Contemporary Society with Silas Lowe. What is in fact the job description of a folk singer in our modern age? Are the politics of courtly love and relationships his or her only bailiwick? Lively conversation with current examples. 12:00 noon Kids Singalong with Laura Freeman. Learn songs from family car trips, girl scouts and church groups back when people used tosing together. No instruments required. 12:00 noon Bluegrass Slow Jam with Jami Hampton and Steve Mangold. You will be given a list of songs that every picker should know, a list of rhythm chords and the order in which you should learn them and you will learn basic jamming techniques. Then we'll all pick a tune or two. 1:00 p.m. Old Time Harmony Singing with the Carper Family. Learn how to build different types of chords, root notes, scales, intervals, phrasing and timing. Then learn a song. 1:00 p.m. How to Play Dobro with Gary Mortensen. Practice techniques and ideas. Working up tunes and backing up singers. 1:00 p.m. Intermediate/Advanced Banjo with Jason Romero, Bernard Mollberg and Jerry Hagins 1:00 p.m. How to Call a Square Dance with Rich MacMath 1:00 p.m. Bones Workshop with the Gillette Brothers. Bones history, playing instruction, techniques and styles for one pair, two pairs and four pairs of bones with musical accompaniment. Bones available for sale. 1:00 p.m. The Wonderful World of Fiddle Tunings with Erynn Marshall. Learn about traditional fiddle tunings and hear them played. Learn an intermediate level tune in a beautiful open tuning. Jamming anytime! September 2010 5 �Austin Friends of Traditional Music PO Box 49608 Austin, Texas 78765 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED AFTM Jam Session: Every Second Sunday, 2 pm • Artz Ribhouse on South Lamar Next Jam Sessions: Sunday October 10, 2010 & Sunday November 14, 2010 • Bring Instruments & Voices! Member Meetings before the session • All Welcome! AUSTIN FRIENDS OF TRADITIONAL MUSIC MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Name _____________________________________________ Phone ________________ Date____________ Address__________________________________________________________________________________ City____________________________________________________ State_______ Zip___________________ Email____________________________________________________________________________________ ___$15 Individual ___$20 Family ___$30 Patron ___$50 Business/Sustaining ___Renewal Total enclosed: $________. Please make check payable to Austin Friends of Traditional Music and mail to: PO Box 49608, Austin, TX 78765. Thank you! For more information email AFTM at aftm@yahoogroups.com or visit us on the web at: www.aftm.us 6 September 2010 � 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 35 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 2010-09 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gary Mortenson Title A name given to the resource Reel Times - Volume 35, Number 3 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Gary Mortenson