Roscoe "Rocky" Maxim

I sang with Jim Donnelly at Rocky Maxim's funeral last night. Rocky was a great guy, he and his wife Margaret were our biggest fans. He loved Irish music and would go out of his way to hear it whenever he could. He especially liked the Jimmy Walsh band.
I played an evening of anti-war songs some years ago with Melissa Ortquist at the Canal House on Veteran's Day. Rocky, a Navy Vet of WWII came and although I'm sure his politics were very different than mine, sat and enjoyed the show.
He will be missed.

A Wonderful Story

There is a wonderful story at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html.  It is too long to post here.  Briefly it describes the classical violinist Joshua Bell's attempt at street performing in a Washington DC subway.  The story goes into incredible detail and is really a pleasure to read.

A wonderful day

Anything to avoid working on taxes! 

Slept late, reading a great book.  Then stood with Jay and the gang at King's Mall outside the Army Recruiters reading the names of the soldiers who have died in Iraq.

A little bit of grocery shopping, took a nap, then off to Ed Pells where I sang a few songs, met some local musicians including the Virginia Wolves.  Then went to the Hudson Valley Folk Guild Open Stage where I dropped off some flyers about the 4/28 Heritage Concert, then to the Contra Dance at the Woodstock Community Center to do the same.

The evening was capped off with a wonderful Veena concert at the Kleinart Gallery.

Everywhere I went today I saw a lot of old friends and made a few new ones.

Now it's time (11:30 pm) to put together the Easter basket for the kid and start preparing the food for tomorrow.

 

 

Vocal Toning class in June

On Tuesday evenings in June, I will be doing a Vocal Toning Class at Dutchess County Ccommunity College on tuesday evenings from 7-9:00 pm. The cost is $95 for 4 sessions. To register call 845-431-8910. If you have any questioons, call me at 338-8587.

These are participatory workshops and all participants will learn to create a variety of vocal tones including harmonic overtones. Vocal Toning is a non-verbal conscious elongation of sounds, using the breath and voice. It has applications for meditation, movement and musical performance. It is used for ceremonies and rituals in many traditional cultures including Mongolia and Tibet. Toning does not strain the voice. As with other forms of vocal production, it is healthy exercise and helps oxygenate the body and expand the lung capacity. Toning is more "free form" than singing and doesn't require previous vocal training, although many singers find that learning toning techniques has expanded their repertoire of techniques.

There will be 4 sessions

1. General principles – This session will introduce the history of toning, help group members make their first tones and introduce techniques for modifying vowel sounds and making harmonic overtones.

2. Expanded practice – We will discuss the concept of “intention” when making sounds, discuss and practice sending sound to the chakra centers in the body and the use of toning with meditation, movement and healing practices

3. Styles of toning. - Using demonstrations and recordings and this session will focus on accompaniment and solo styles used in Tibetian chant, Tuvan throat singing, American Gospel, and modern New Age performing groups.

4. Vocal toning performance – The final session will give an opportunity for participants to create their own vocal toning composition and to participate in a group toning experience.

This 'n That

I had a good time on Saturday playing for a benefit for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills at the Hurley Reformed Church in Hurley, NY. The theme was "Unity". Constance Rudd and Holly also performed. I played "Raag Bhoopaalee" on my Hindustani slide guitar and then channeled Pete Seeger, having everyone in the place make up verses for "Our Roots Go Down". It was wonderful seeing old friends there. I left my million dollar slide there along with some picks, but Constance saved them for me.

Starting next Wednesday, I plan to play instrumental guitar music lunch times at the Queens Galley at Washington Manor, Washington Ave, Kingston, NY. This is a free adult lunch program in Kingston. Anyone is welcome to come for lunch. I hope to do this weekly.

Indian Music Concert Apr 7th/ Om for Peace Apr 8th]

South Indian Music Concert
with eenai Jayanthi Kumaresh

"The best and most versatile Veena artist we have today." - The Statesman
"Fascinatingly profound ...clearly brought out the intricacies and radiance of Veena music". - The Hindu
Music Academy Chennai Voted as the 'Best Veena Artist' on four different occasions.
She will be accompanied by Shree Arjun Kumar on the Mridangam (drums) and Shree Pramath Kiran on the Morsing (jaw's harp) and special percussion.

Date: Saturday, April 7
Time: Doors at 7:30 pm. Show starts at 8 pm
Cost: $15 for Members. $20 for Non-Members
Reservations: 845-679-2079
Place: Kleinert/James Arts Center, 34 Tinker Street,
Woodstock, NY 12498
+++++++++++

Sunday April 8
6:00 pm till 7:00 pm
OM For Peace
Mountain View Studio
20 Mountainview Ave
Woodstock, NY 12498

Come sing with Baird & and Prana at this uplifting event or organize your own meeting to happen at the same time. Free
It's a simple idea: gather people together and sing a continuous OM as a meditation for peace. On Easter Sunday April 8th at 6:00 PM EDT, people, all over the world, who want to give expression to their wish
for peace will gather in groups to join in the sound of many voices singing as one in an extended OM.
Each person, as a meditation on peace, sings their own note at their own rate guided by their breath. Within the group this builds an exquisitely beautiful, rising and falling, subtly changing, continuos
chord. Many voices resonating together in one sound.

How to do this? Set a place to gather; yoga studio, mediation center, dance studio, theater, or living room. Spread the word and invite as many people as you can. Begin at 6:00 PM, Eastern Daylight Time, and
sing OM as long as the sound wants to go on, hopefully for at least an hour. Even if you can't get together with other people sing on your own knowing that people in other places are singing with you. People of all faiths and beliefs are welcome. No musical experience is necessary only the willingness to add your voice for peace to the sound of OM.
This is our fifth year. Last year I heard from people all over the country who had participated. Please forward this to anyone who might be interested or your mailing list. And PLEASE let us know how it goes.
Here in Woodstock we will be coming together at Mountain View Studio off of Rock City Road. www.pranasound.com

SAVE THE DATES: YOGA VEDANTA WEEKEND JUNE 1-3

April Meeting - Princeton Chapters of the ACM and IEEE Computer Society

One of the many things I would like to do that night.  If any one is going, please fill me in on the details. - Bob

 

Princeton Chapters of the ACM and IEEE Computer Society

April 2007 Meeting

 

The Geometry of Music

Dmitri Tymoszko

 

This talk will show how to use orbifolds to model the way listeners, composers, and performers abstract away from musical information.

 

The understanding of music involves ignoring, or abstracting away from, certain information. For example, we understand the violinist's middle C and the vocalist's middle C to be two instances of the same pitch, ignoring the differences in tone quality (timbre) and pitch variation (vibrato). If we were not able to ignore non-essential information, we would be trapped in a sea of unrelated particulars, unable to hear the general patterns that make music meaningful.

 

Orbifolds are a way to give a simple mathematical explanation of certain musical ideas. Orbifolds are geometrical quotient spaces formed when we identify or "glue together" points in a parent space. Orbifolds were first discussed in the 1950s, and play an important role in string theory. One example orbifold in music: the set of two-note chords. This set is a geometric space which is a Mobius strip whose boundary is a mirror. Analogous spaces exist in higher dimensions, containing chords with more notes. These spaces provide fundamentally new representations of musical structure, representations that are intrinsically beautiful and have a wide range of potential applications.

 

Dmitri Tymoczko is a composer and music theorist who is a member of the Music Composition faculty at Princeton University. He studied music and philosophy at Harvard, and in 1992 received a Rhodes Scholarship to do graduate work in philosophy at Oxford. In 2002, he received a Ph.D. in music composition from the University of California, Berkeley, and he was a 2005-6 Radcliffe Institute fellow. Dmitri's music has won numerous prizes and awards, and has been performed by the Brentano Quartet, the Pacifica Quartet, the Network for New Music, the Synergy Vocal Ensemble, and others. His recent article "The Geometry of Musical Chords" was the first music theory article published by Science in its 127-year history.

 

Date: Thursday, April 19, 2007, 8:00 pm  (Refreshments and networking at 7:30 pm.)

Place: Sarnoff Corp., Routes 1 and 571, Princeton, NJ

Information: Rebecca Mercuri (609) 587-1886, David Soll (215) 854-3491, Dennis Mancl (908) 582-7086

On-line info: http://www.acm.org/chapters/princetonacm

 

All ACM / IEEE-CS meetings are open to the public. Students and their parents are welcome. There is no admission charge, and refreshments are served.

A pre-meeting dinner with the speaker is held at 6:00 p.m. at Ruby Tuesday's Restaurant on Route 1. Please send email to princetonacm@acm.org in advance if you plan to attend the dinner.

New Photos

I have added a new photo from St. Patrick's Day 2007 at   http://bobluskphotos2.blogspot.com/   

 

Also have added a few more photos to my spiritual and musical autobiography site.

http://journeytokirtan.blogspot.com/

New Paul Kaplan song "Run, Al, Run"

New Paul Kaplan song "Run, Al, Run"

Dear Friends,

No matter who you're supporting for president, you might find Paul Kaplan's new song "Run, Al, Run" entertaining.  And, who knows, it may change your mind!

You can hear it at http://www.draftgore.com/ or on my website, http://www.paulkaplanmusic.com

Paul Kaplan

Gigs

A couple of small gigs I'll be doing - drop by if you can. 

 

3/31/07 Benifit for Unitarian Universalist Congregation at the Hurley Reformed Church in Hurley, NY. It will be early evening, probably 6:00. I reserve the right to change my mind, but I think I will be singing and playing some Mohan Veena and banjo.  Constance Rudd, Jean Boyce and others will also be performing. The theme is "Unity".

4/7/07 Songs and Music for a Better World - 5 to 7 pm, Hudson River Valley Art Gallery, 24 Spruce Street, Kingston, NY. There will be several performers including music and poetry with dinner. Contact Ed Pell <pellphd@yahoo.com>

Petition to Nominate Pete Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize

Eleanor Walden posted a petition on a site named petitionthem.com. The aim is to persuade the American Friends Service Committee to nominate Pete Seeger for the Nobel Peace Prize. I thought you would be interested in adding your support. I'm asking everyone to circulate the petition information to at least 5 other people asking them to notify 5 other people. Could you each do that?

To read about the petition and to sign it just visit

http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=3774 There is also a forum where you can talk about this petition and of course many other worthy petitions that need your support.

Overview of this petition: -Pete Seeger has been a crusader for Peace and Social Justice over the course of his 83 year lifetime. As a prominent musician his songs, messages and performance style have worked to engage other people, particularly the youth, in causes to end the Vietnam war, ban nuclear weapons, work for international solidarity, and ecological responsibility. It is time that a cultural worker receives the recognition that this work has great influence and global reach, that it is not only a medium of entertainment but of education, compassion and fraternity.

St. Patrick's Parade

2007 St. Patrick's season with Folkloric (Meself, Jim Donnelly and Ira McIntosh) was a huge success!

On Sunday 3/11/07, we played music on the Ulster county Highway Department's Float in the City of Kingston St. Patrick's Parade as we do each year . It's a yearly ritual. It starts out at 10 am, crawling around on top of a large truck, attaching speaker wires and microphones. It was between snowfalls, but it was still cold up there. There was snow on the ground. I was nursing a cold and didn't really want to be there. But there is excitement in the air. All the bagpipe and drum bands are rehearsing. People are in costume and there are brightly colored floats. The parade kicks off at Kingston Plaza, goes down Broadway and ends at the strand. Hanniford's bathrooms in the Plaza always breakdown, or more likely they just put the "out of order" sign up. The Mayfair Renaissance group was behind us while we were setting up, which gave a nice foreshadowing of the spring to come. There was the usual worries as the generator seemed not to be working, but it finally kicked in. Chicks' Restaurant sponsors us and the float won "Best Irish Spirit" in the parade. There was a great crowd of people all along the parade route and a very bumpy ride back to Chicks.

We started playing at Chicks at 4:30. There was not a great crowd at first, but the people there seemed to like the music. Owners Art and Bev Daley were very nice and accommodating. we finished our 4 hours and then a few people came in so we played an extra hour and someone at the bar payed us to play still another hour! That made it a total of 8 hours singing including the parade and a 14 hour day of work including set up and breakdown time. By then my body was wracked in arthritic pain and I had no voice, my hands were so sore I could barely hold a pick. We had Robin Carey, drummer with the AOH pipe band join us and she kept the energy up while we croaked out a few more St. Paddy's Day standards. All in all we had a great time and we knew that nothing to come the next week would be hard in comparison.

On Wednesday, we played at the Ulster County Health Related Facility on Golden Hill in Kingston. The staff led by Vinny Uvino was very energetic and did a wonderful job of hosting the party.

On Thursday, I did a solo performance at Wingate at Ulster in Highland, NY. A more relaxed experience - just what I needed!

On Friday, we started off at noon at the Hurley Mountain Inn in (where else), Hurley, NY, right off Route 209. Unfortunately the second Northeast Blizzard of the year came in and we packed up early and got to the Holiday Inn in time to be snowed in. I don't know where the people came from but mayor James Sottile and alderman Jim Noble were there. We played from 3:30 to 6:30 and then fiddler Lee Eaton drove me home in his 4 wheel drive. thanks to WKNY and Warren Lawrence for sponsoring us.

On Saturday, St. Patrick's Day itself, we went back to Chick's Restaurant at Kingston Plaza and played from 5 to 10 pm. This felt like the "real" St. Patrick's party. The usual Irish lasses leading "green alligators", the drunken college guys grunting along with the words to the songs. Baby's crying, elderly couples singing along, people dancing. All in all a very appreciative audience.

And yet another Obituary : Mark Spoelstra - wonderful '60's folksinger

From Mark Spoelstra's son Joshua:

Dear Friends,
Today my father passed away here in his lovely but modest home in the Sierra Foothills of California. There was snow on the ground and we could see the trees which surround the house like sentinels sway with the force of another approaching storm. We held him as he left us and I know he had no fear and felt no pain, and even though his life was cut short he found the strength to remind each of us that he loved us. I will miss him greatly.

Regretfully,
Joshua Spoelstra

Classes next week

Classes starting at OldSongs

 

Instrument Classes begin next week. Still time to sign up for:

Bodhran (one more opening), Fiddle, Accordion, Recorder, Irish Guitar, Jazz Guitar, Mandolin, Mountain Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, Pennywhistle, Banjo and African Rhythms (which is scheduled for May).

Full info at www.oldsongs.org/classes.html or call 518-765-2815 to register.

 

Medieval tech support

I try and keep this blog focused on musical items as much as possible, but this is just too much fun - sent by Marcus.

Subject: Medieval tech support 

Medieval tech support

The Book

 - Warning - It`s in foreign (but with subtitles) :)

http://www.devilducky.com/media/57946/

St. Patrick's Month

The Irish world of Folkloric (me, Jim and Ira) is heating up. St. Patrick's season looks to break all records. Our public gigs are at http://blschedule.blogspot.com/. In addition to the Kingston St. Patricks Parade, Chick's Restaurant, The Holiday Inn and the Hurley Mountain Inn, we seem to have a lot of nursing homes and private parties too! Come see us when you can, eat corned beef and cabbage and drink green beer!

A Real Folksinger

From friend Steve Suffet - You can see his blog at
http://www.soundclick.com/members/default.cfm?member=suffet&content=myBlogs

Thursday, February 15, 2007. Note: I wrote this piece in 2001 to console a friend whose application to perform at the Old Songs Festival in upstate New York had been rejected. When that same festival later rejected my own application, I read it again and found that it was still just as true. It has since been reprinted several times. The accompanying photo is of Pete Seeger. He was performing at the People's Music Network Winter Gathering at the Renaissance Charter School in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York, in January 2005.

A real folksinger...

A real folksinger doesn't worry about bookings. A real folkinger creates his/her own venue. On street corners In campgrounds. In parks. In schools. At parties. At family gatherings. Wherever and whenever the opportunity arises. A real folksinger plays in hospitals, and hospices, and old age homes. A real folksinger plays in prisons, and libraries, and bus stations, and at street fairs. And a real folksinger doesn't whine and bellyache and complain because such and such club or festival wouldn't have him/her.

A real folksinger understands that folk music is not a genre. A real folksinger understands that any song can be a folksong. A real folksonger knows there is no such thing as singing a folksong wrong. If a real folksinger forgets the words, he/she makes up new ones on the spot. If a real folksinger can't quite remember the melody, he/she invents one that fits his/her own vocal style, perhaps flatting a 7th here, jumping an octave there, or changing a major key into a mountain modal.

A real folksinger never calls him/herself as a singer-songwriter. And yet a real folksinger is always writing songs to sing and singing the songs he/she writes. And a real folksinger doesn't write self-centered contemplate-one's-navel type songs. A real folksinger writes songs that tell interesting stories. Yes, real folksingers have written songs about bad relationships, but those songs include Pretty Polly, Banks of the Ohio, and Rose Connolly!

Real folksingers have written some of the greatest lines in the whole English language. Three examples:

And all she said as she neared his bed,
Was, "Young man, I think you're dying."

Rise up, rise up, little Matty Groves,
And dress as quick as you can,
For never shall it be said in old England,
That I slew a naked man.

Dig the beets from your ground,
Cut the grapes from your vine,
To set on your table,
Your light sparkling wine.

A real folksinger borrows from others, and in turn expects that others will borrow from him/her. A real folksinger understands that all "anon" and "trad" songs had real live authors, and perhaps the greatest honor that can ever befall a real folksinger is to become the author of an anonymous/traditional song.

If a real folksinger wants to make money, he/she gets a job.

A real folksinger doesn't sing to an audience. A real folksinger gets the audience to sing. And if the audience whips out kazoos, tambourines, Jew's harps, and harmonicas and starts to play along, so much the better.

Feel free to add your own comments.

--- Steve

Airports

From Mark Rausher
Musicians Face Tougher Airport Security
NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2007(CBS) For four decades, wherever jazz trumpeter Valery Ponomarev flew, his rare 1961 Constellation trumpet flew with him...as carry-on luggage.

"This is the prized possession of Valery Pomonarev," says Pomonarev as he points to his trumpet.

So prized, reports CBS News correspondent Trish Regan, that when screeners at a Paris airport told him he needed to check his trumpet as cargo before boarding a plane home to New York City recently, he refused.

"For me or any musician to put an instrument under, it's the same like for a mother to put her baby into luggage compartment," says Ponomarev.

Unfortunately, for Valery, those feelings were not shared by the French police.

"They just smashed me against the wall like that and ripping away the horn from me," adds Ponomarev. "Imagine this, four big guys, one of them lines up my arm behind me like that and breaks it, just like that."

Musicians like Valery are getting caught in the cross hairs of increased security. They need to get to their concerts but they can't bear the idea of leaving their instruments, many of which are centuries old and often worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, at the mercy of baggage handlers.

"That's not how you take care of works of art and these are all works of art, useable works of art," says Krista Bennion Feeney.

Krista Feeney practices her art on a 230 year old, handmade Italian violin. Rather than risk checking instruments, she and her fellow musicians with St. Luke's Orchestra in New York cancelled a European tour this fall, amid a heightened security alert.

The Transportation Security Administration does say instruments are permitted as carry-ons, but the final decision on whether an instrument will wind up in the cargo hold or under a seat is up to the individual flight
crews.

As for Valery, a metal plate now holds the bones in his arm together and he's beginning to play again. But his travel nightmare was not over. When he finally boarded his flight to New York, French authorities insisted that his prized possession come home.as cargo.

One last sour note to end the worst gig of his life.

C MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

***Be a link in a larger chain--if you see something interesting, pass it
along and share the wealth!**

B Flat

Krulwich on Science

By Robert Krulwich

Have You Heard About B Flat?

Morning Edition, February 16, 2007 · For reasons that remain mostly mysterious, the note we call B flat does the oddest things. Here are a few of them.
B Flats and Alligators
During World War II, the New York Philharmonic was visiting the American Museum of Natural History. During rehearsal, somebody played a note that upset a resident live alligator named Oscar. Oscar, who'd been in the museum on 81st Street, suddenly began to bellow. Naturally, with so many scientists in residence, an experiment was quickly devised to see how to get Oscar to bellow again. Various musicians — string, percussive and brass — were brought to Oscar to play various notes. It turned out the culprit was B flat, one octave below middle C.
The experiment was described back in the 1940s.
I repeated the experiment on an ABC News broadcast in the 1990s, playing a B flat to a collection of gators in at a roadside attraction in Florida and recording their bellows.
Why B flat?
You'd have to ask an alligator.
B Flat and Glenway Fripp the Piano Tuner
Jay Alison (of "This I Believe" fame) and radio correspondent Viki Merrick live in Massachusetts and help run public radio stations on Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. In their capacities as managers-poets-reporters in residence, they regularly devise short promotional "moments" featuring local personalities.
One of their promos described a trip that Glenway Fripp took up a staircase.
Mr. Fripp, a piano tuner by trade, was humming in B flat while climbing the stairs at his dad's office building, when he noticed that his hum had somehow escaped him and was hanging, resonating without him, on the staircase landing. He couldn't quite explain what was happening; only that his hum (and it was definitely his hum, no one else's) had gone off without him.
If you listen to the broadcast, you can hear this for yourself. Viki Merrick recorded it. Glenway has no idea why B flat had this particular property on that particular staircase. He suspects that the walls were porous and may even contain cavities that are very B-flat friendly. That's all he knows. But the truth is, he doesn't have an explanation.
B Flat and Black Holes
This one's a bit of a stretch, but here's what happened.
In September, 2003, astronomers at NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory found what can be described as sound waves emanating from a supermassive black hole. The black hole can be seen in the Perseus cluster of galaxies located 250 million light years from Earth.
Andrew Fabian of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, England, analyzed the waves and announced, "We have detected their sound…." The sound he found (which is really the waves passing through gas near the black hole) translate to the note B flat.
But this is not a B flat you or I can hear. It is 57 octaves below middle C. A piano, by comparison, contains only seven octaves. So if a black hole hums, it hums at a frequency a million billion times lower than you can hear.
A Song in B Flat
While you may not be able to hear a black hole humming, this story is, to a considerable extent, sung.
The vocalist (who is also the lyricist, and a journalist) is Josh Kurz of Los Angeles. His partner this time out is Shane Winter, who composed the song "Have You Heard About B Flat?" — which wasn't easy, since he decided to hang with B flat for as long and as often as possible.
Josh Kurz's other work can be found at the Web site he shares with Adam Raitano of Brooklyn, N.Y.

"Detailed instructions destroy initiative"

Robert Henlein - Sixth Column

Donations needed for musicians

From: mooseherd@peoplepc.com

Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 11:29 PM
Subject: February Redwood Moose

My friends Redwood Moose (Mike Dmoch) and Reb (Rebekah Lowden) had a fire recently and can use a variety of donations including extra sound equipment you might have lying around. - Bob

Last Wednesday night at 4:45 PM Redwood Moose Manor burned down. We lost almost everything, MOST IMPORTANTLY our beloved Lilly Lowden, the queen of our feline neighborhood, celebrated in song by Reb's work Lilly the Tabby. Her brother Louie survived. I did manage to save our four most irreplaceable guitars, Reb's '72 Martin, the 2001 Alvarez, the '75 Guild twelve, and the Hilo Hawaiian steel. We lost Reb's brand new koa Little Martin, her 70's Gibson SG, a Johnson dobro, and Reb's banjo. Charlie Kniceley came down the same night and presented Reb with a banjo he bought at an auction, and my family chipped in for a second time to get Reb another Little Martin. We also lost the bulk of our sound and other musical equipment, all CD's, records, tapes, etc., a buffalo drum, harmonicas and holder. I also moved and thereby saved Reb's Hyundai, but my Subaru got somewhat melted. Still runs.

In addition, due to Reb's recent hospitalizations, I failed to complete the paperwork to raise the amount of insurance coverage, so we will get only $7,000 instead of the 70 grand the house is worth. The silver lining is our friends, neighbors, and even total strangers have been ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL to us. The street festival music committee has put together a benefit for February 25th at the Rosendale Rec Center, details at http://rosendalestreetfestival.com:80/fire/ which includes a Paypal account, a bank account has been started for a fund to help us either pay back the loan from the addition we built last year, and/or perhaps help us start re-building. It may be that some kind of community barn raising type event may be necessary and may take place. For donations, checks can be made out to and mailed to the fund as described at the end of the email.

We already have had enough clothes donated to last the rest of our lives, although Reb lost all of her jewelry, and in addition could use some grace notes like decorative scarves, etc--performing clothes. We have purchased a few absolutely necessary items like two gig bags, but we could use 4 or so guitar stands, mike stands, mike, guitar, and speaker cords, speaker stands, a music stand. Charlie Kniceley had borrowed our little 4 channel and a speaker, so we can manage the next gig, but we lost our Behringer 10 channel powered mixer, and some speakers and speaker stands, most of our mikes, cords, etc.

So we are grateful for each other, our dear cat Louie, our families, neighbors, and friends, and recognize a challenge when we seen one, but know that we are surrounded by love and light. We are staying at my mother's, with a two room upstairs suite, that a group of neighbors and friends helped us work on all day Saturday to get ready for us so we're not just camping out. We can be reached at 845 658 8811, and hope to re establish Reb's phone soon. Reb's mailing address is POB 25, Rosendale, NY 12472. My family is POB 209. We do hope to see all of you soon to celebrate our love and friendship

Rebekah Lowden and Mike Dmoch Fire Account
PO Box 441 Rosendale, NY 12472-0441
Peace and Love, and deepest appreciation
the Moose and the Redwood

Fiddler's Tour

I've just added Fiddler's Tour to my links page -
http://boblusklinks.blogspot.com/
They are a wonderful group of people in the Albany area who do participatory jam sessions with a different location each month. A traveling drop in fiddle band! Very welcoming. They meet on Tuesdays at 7:30. Go to their site at
http://www.fiddlerstour.com/ft_home.html
This month they are at Carney's Restaurant 17 Main St (Rte 146A) Ballston Lake, NY(Across from Stewart's).

Seeger Family Tribute (American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress)

So if you're not going to see me and Folkloric play St. Patrick's Day Weekend, you might want to go to this -

How Can I Keep From Singing? A Seeger Family Tribute
March 15-16, 2007 Library of Congress, Washington, DC

Preliminary Program
Please note that panel presentations and the film screening will take place in the Mumford Room, 6th floor, Madison Building and that advance registration is required to attend

PLEASE NOTE: Due to very high demand, tickets to the Seeger Family concert have already sold out. We will have overflow rooms equipped with closed-circuit televisions to broadcast the event. We are also exploring other avenues to see that symposium registrants who were unable to obtain tickets for the concert will be able to hear the Seegers perform. Please understand that we cannot guarantee symposium registrants without tickets a seat in the auditorium or the overflow room. We very much hope that you will still plan to attend the symposium.

* Indicates that the participant is still to be confirmed

MARCH 15, 2007 -- THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 pm -- THE PETE AND TOSHI SEEGER FILM COLLECTION
Screening of film clips from the documentary film footage collection of world musical traditions recorded by Pete and Toshi Seeger and their children during their travels around the world in the 1960's. The screening will be followed by a discussion period.


PLEASE NOTE THAT THE TIME FOR THE SCREENING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

MARCH 16, 2007 -- FRIDAY

9:00-10:00 am -- WELCOME and INTRODUCTION: Library Officials and Peggy Bulger (Director, American Folklife Center)

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Neil Rosenberg (Professor, Memorial University of Newfoundland)

10:00-11:30 am -- CHARLES SEEGER AND RUTH CRAWFORD SEEGER

Moderator: Peggy Seeger
Betty Auman (Music Division) will describe Charles and Ruth Seeger collection materials.
Judith Tick (Northeastern University) will discuss Ruth Crawford Seeger's accomplishments.
Taylor Aitken Greer (Pennsylvania State University) will discuss Charles Seeger.

11:30-1:00 pm-- ANOTHER GENERATION OF SEEGERS: PETE, MIKE & PEGGY SEEGER

Moderator: Michael Taft (American Folklife Center)
Todd Harvey (American Folklife Center) will discuss LC collections featuring material concerning Pete, Mike and Peggy Seeger.
Jeff Place (Smithsonian Folkways Records) will discuss Smithsonian Folkways' efforts to maintain their Seeger materials.
David Dunaway (University of New Mexico) will discuss the legacy of Pete Seeger.

1:00-2:30 LUNCH

2:30-4:00 pm -- PERFORMING THE SEEGERS

Moderator: Ray Allen (Brooklyn College, CUNY)
Anthony Seeger (UCLA) will discuss his use of American folksongs as an ethnomusicologist in the field.
Mike Seeger will discuss his overlapping roles as a fieldworker and performer
James Durst of the singing group "Work O' the Weavers" will discuss his group, and what it means to perform Pete Seeger.

4:00-5:30 pm --POLITICS, THEORY AND THE FOLK REVIVAL

Moderator: Joe Hickerson (Folklorist, Performer)
Bill Ivey (Vanderbilt University) will discuss the different ways "folk" and "country" music are theorized
Robert Cantwell (University of North Carolina) will discuss the origin and development of the folk revival
Millie Rahn (Independent Folklorist) will discuss the Seegers and the American folk scene

5:30-5:45 pm -- CLOSING REMARKS & SING ALONG WITH PETE SEEGER*

8:00-9:30 pm -- CONCERT (COOLIDGE AUDITORIUM, JEFFERSON BUILDING)
Pete, Mike and Peggy Seeger with family and special friends

The Seeger Family concert will begin at 8 pm on March 16 in the Coolidge Auditorium, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 101 First Street, S.E.

Eric Von Schmidt

From: Suffet@worldnet.att.net
To: peoplesmusic@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, 2 Feb 2007 5:30 PM
Subject: [peoplesmusic] RIP: Eric Von Schmidt

Greetings:

More sad news: Eric Von Schmidt, the great blues and folk singer and guitarist from Cambridge, Massachusetts, died in his sleep last night, February 1, 2007. I have no further details at this time. It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of the role Eric Von Schmidt played in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. Brother Eric sits among us in our souls. May he rest in peace.

--- Steve

Piping Weekend

The Saugerties Piping Weekend is scheduled this year for April 20-23, 2007 and will once again be held at St. Joseph's Villa/Falling Waters in Friendly Saugerties. 

We always have a huge variety of bagpipes show up at this event: Northumbrian Smallpipes, Scottish Smallpipes, Uilleann Pipes, Border Pipes, Cornish Pipes, Spanish Gaitas, Breton Binous, etc.  In addition to pipes any other acoustic musical instruments are welcome.  In the past we've had harp, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, tin whistle, ukulele, bodhran, didgeridoo and more!  Also feel free to bring your audio/video recorders and cameras.

Costs

The cost for the entire weekend is $210 for Friday through Monday room and board.  That includes dinner on Friday, three meals on Saturday and Sunday and a continental breakfast and brunch on Monday.  If you can't stay until Monday, then the cost from Friday through Sunday afternoon is $140.  Please send a $25.00 non-refundable deposit before April 15, 2007 to:Ernie Shultis, 4055 Rt. 32, Saugerties, NY 12477.

For local people who wish to stay elsewhere and would like to have their meals with us the costs are:

Breakfast $3, Lunch $4 and Dinner $8 per person.  If you are coming for a meal, I need the full amount for each meal before April 15, 2007.  Please send a non-refundable check to: Ernie Shultis, 4055 Rt. 32, Saugerties, NY 12477.

For questions about the weekend I can be reached at (518) 678-3375 or cmcpiper@gmail.com

For the rest who would just like to come to listen, or possibly join in and play along on your own musical instruments the cost is, as always, FREE.

Directions to Falling Waters.

If coming from the south: Take NY State Thruway (I-87) to exit 20 (Saugerties), turning right after toll booth onto NY Route 212 East/32.    If coming from the north: Take NY State Thruway (I-87) to exit 20 (Saugerties), turning left after toll booth onto NY Route 32.     Follow  Route 32 through the village of Saugerties for 1.08 miles.  Turn Right onto Rt. 9W South/32 at Partition Street, the "Inquiring Mind" bookstore will be in front of you at the corner of Main Street and Partition Street.  Continue following signs for 9W South. (You will make several turns: just keep following signs.) Cross the steel bridge and continue up the hill one more mile to Spaulding Lane on your left. "Cups and Cones" Restaurant is at Spaulding Lane. Take Spaulding Lane to the end where you will see the entrance to Falling Waters.  43 Spaulding Lane, Saugerties, NY 12477

---

Search for grocery stores. Find gratitude. Turn a simple search into something more.

The Healing Power of Music

From: Maryellen Healy

To: mhealy@frontiernet.net

Sent: Thursday, February 01, 2007 11:09 PM

Subject: The Healing Power of Music

2/1/07

The Healing Power of Music

 

Do you have an unused instrument sitting in your attic, basement or closet?  You could send it down to kids in the areas hardest hit by Katrina, Rita and the tornados.  We're taking the minivan down to the Gulf Coast.

 

We leave early on Sunday February 11^th  Bring donations to us at the February Beacon sloop club meeting tomorrow night, to our home in Pine Bush or call or email to work out another way to get it to us.

 

We know Bill Hudson www.bill-hudson.com through the sloop Clearwater community.  Bill has been working on us to join him and Al Coffey on the Feel Good tour www.feelgoodtour.blogspot.com from the start.  Bill came through the valley last week and asked again.  Short notice but perfect timing.

 

There is also a need for kid's jackets and sweaters.  They asked for easy to play instruments for the special needs classes, like tambourines, drums, sticks and shakers.

 

Mel's webpage is www.homepage.mac.com/maryellenhealy . 

We'll send notes from the road to www.melandvinnie.blogspot.com

And www.myspace.com/melandvin

 

Hudson Valley Happenings

I get most of my information about local folk music events from several volunteer e-mail lists. The two I rely on most are sent by John Rogers jrogers@hvc.rr.com and Deborah Osherow deborah@fiddlehawk.com. Theoretically they are intended for Irish music, but do a good job of covering the rest of the folk field. If you write them, I’m sure they will add you to their list.

Sam Boyce

My father-in-law, Sam Boyce just passed away.  He was a wonderful person, a person that anyone would be proud to emulate. - Bob Lusk

Ernest E."Sam" Boyce, 86, a resident of  Woodstock and World War II veteran,died at his home on  Saturday, January 27, 2007.  Born May 15, 1920  in  Wyoming  Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan, he was  the youngest of  seven children of the late Ernest E. and Flora  Lanfear  Boyce.

A U.S. Army Staff Sargeant in the ETO during World War II, he received the  Silver Star for gallantry in action near Sterkrade, Germany, March 29, 1945. During the  Vietnam era, he  volunteered as a draft  counselor, and  during recent years marched  with the Veterans  for Peace.  His descriptive letters from the  ETO will  be preserved in the Library of Congress, Washington  D.C.

A graduate of Wyoming  Park High School  in Grand Rapids, he joined his lifelong  friends in class  reunions, the last in 1990.   He attended Michigan State University, majoring in horticulture,and received his B.S.in  1942.

He retired as a food chemist  after  a  career with Gerbers, Red Wing,  Mitchell Foods, and American Foods. He spent two years before entering  the army as  an inspector of U.S. Army food for the U.S.D.A.

He moved to Woodstock  in 1973, where he hand  built his dream house on the West Saugerties/Woodstock Road.   A lover of nature,swimming  and the outdoors,  he donated to  Sierra Club,and  enjoyed his pond and woods on Band  Camp Road.  A longtime volunteer for Family of Woodstock  and board  member of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, he was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills.   He was  known for his  love of family, as a doting grandparent,and his willingness to help others, acting as a Migrant chairman, church Elder,  sponsoring children through World Vision.

He  married Jean Garcia Boyce on May 28,1943.  They  celebrated  their 60th  anniversary with family and friends in May 2003.   In  addition to  his wife,  survivors include his sister, Flora Buckhout of  Grand Rapids;  his children, Barbara Boyce and son in law BruceAckerman  of  West Saugerties, Penelope Lusk,  son in  law Robert Lusk and grandson Roberto Lusk of Kingston, Rebecca S.Boyce of Miami Beach, Florida and children Daphne Gomez-Mena of NYC and Niccolo  Gomez-Mena of Coral Gables,  Steven E.  Boyce and wife Miriam Boyce and children Michael and Naomi of  New York City, and Robin Boyce and Richard Bixby and children  Taylor, Eli, and  Chunmei of Portland, Oregon.   In addition, he leaves six nieces, two nephews, and several grand and great  grandneices and  nephews.

A  memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, February 3, 2007 at the Unitarian Universalist  Congregation  on  Sawkill Road,Kingston,  the Reverend Dr. Linda Anderson officiating.  In lieu of flowers, he  family asks  that donations  be  made to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation  of the Catskills (UUCC) 320  Sawkill Road, Kingston, NY 12401.

Join the Hudson Valley Folk Guild

In case you didn't know- I'm a member of The Hudson Valley Folk Guild -
They've been around for a good 30+ years, run several coffeehouses, concert venues, etc.
Membership is $10 a year, you can send a check to Hudson Valley Folk Guild - Membership, P.O. Box F, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12602 or drop it off at one of their events - look on their website for a schedule. http://www.hudsonvalleyfolkguild.org/,

Lusk Family Music Party 2007

The Lusk Family Music Party 2007 was a blast! Check out details at http://bobluskmusicparty.blogspot.com/

The Robert Burns celebration next week at Vincents was cancelled. Boo Hoo.

Cabin Fever Concert Series

If you are looking for something slightly more sedate on 1/27, but still very good music, check out the Cabin Fever Concert Series in Pine Hill.

The Cabin Fever Concert Series takes place at 7:00 pm at the Pine Hill Community Center on January 27th.
Join four sets of performers for an evening of great acoustic music. Warm up with friends and neighbors,
good song, coffee and snacks.

Featuring: Dennis Havel (with Bruce Hildebrand); Kimberly; James Krueger; and Jeanne Weiss and Ernie
Mortuzans (with Wayne Nord).

The cost is $6; $4 for Community Center members; 7-9 PM.

Take Rt. 28 west from Kingston to Pine HilL, take fork left onto Main St. The center is at 287 Main St.

"Follow the Drinking Gourd" history

Here is a wonderful compilation of history by Joel Bresler related to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd".
www.followthedrinkinggourd.org
He will be presenting on Saturday, February 24th at 1:30 pm at a conference: "The Underground Railroad: Uncovering the Voices of Women"Organized by: The Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc. Site: The College of St. Rose, Albany, New YorkDates: February 23, 24, 25, 2007
http://www.ugrworkshop.com/conference/index.html

Bob

Chord Changer

From Pat Lamma

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bexIdm0awwo

 

Can someone please give me one for my birthday?! - Bob

 

Robert Burns' Celebration

Sat, Feb 3rd. Robert Burns' Scottish Celebration at Vincents in Saugerties. With Ernie Shultis, Bagpiper's, songs, instrumental music, reading of the Haggis.....more! Call 338-8587 for more information.

The Winds of Forgiveness

A wonderful story from my music teacher, Anjali Nandedkar.

The Winds of Forgiveness
When someone does something to harm you, write your hurts in the sand. A parable for today.

Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything wrote in the sand:

Today my best friend slapped me in the face.

They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning—but the friend saved him.

After he recovered from the near-drowning, he wrote on a stone:

Today my best friend saved my life.

The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone. Why?"

The other friend replied: "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.

Learn to write your hurts in the sand and to carve your benefits in stone.

My Songs Back on Line!!

I finally got my audio files going again and you can listen to some of my old songs at http://boblusksongs.blogspot.com/

Pete Seeger's Prophetic Words

From: John Pietaro

To: leftmus@earthlink.net

Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 3:50 PM

Subject: Pete Seeger's Prophetic Words

Friends,

 

Always interested in any posting concerning either Pete Seeger or the prophetic words of the Left, I was pleased to see this one by Matthew Weinstein, who generates an intersting political list-serve of his own. The more we look back on the works of artists such as Pete, Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, Bertolt Brecht, Joe Hill, Phil Ochs, Sis Cunningham, or the hordes of others who've used their music for social change, we can best understand our own surroundings and times.

 

Please do read over the following anti-war song lyric by Pete as you think over the false modesty of George Bush's speech last night. Other than the calculated decision to finally stand up and admit to wrong, it was simply more of the same old thing. Left to his own devices, this man would have US troops committed for decades this war. Surely, a civil war that his intervention has caused.

 

And the big fool says to push on...

 

In Solidarity,

John Pietaro

www.flamesofdiscontent.org

-----Forwarded Message-----
From: Matthew Weinstein
Sent: Jan 11, 2007 9:57 AM
To:
Subject: Pete Seeger's Prophetic Words

Jan 11, 2007

 

Friends,

 

Apropos of my previous post, I thought you'd enjoy reading the words to Seeger's 1963 song (and the notes that precede it).

 

Matt 

Waist Deep In The Big Muddy

by Pete Seeger 1963, planned for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967 but CBS objected to the blacklisted Seeger making obvious references to the"big fool" in the White House, finally sung by Seeger on the Comedy Hour in 1968 as the finale in a medley of anti-war songs

It was back in nineteen forty-two,
I was a member of a good platoon.
We were on maneuvers in-a Loozianna,
One night by the light of the moon.
The captain told us to ford a river,
That's how it all begun.
We were -- knee deep in the Big Muddy,
But the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, are you sure,
This is the best way back to the base?"
"Sergeant, go on! I forded this river
'Bout a mile above this place.
It'll be a little soggy but just keep slogging.
We'll soon be on dry ground."
We were -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment
No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nellie,"
The Captain said to him.
"All we need is a little determination;
Men, follow me, I'll lead on."
We were -- neck deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool said to push on.

All at once, the moon clouded over,
We heard a gurgling cry.
A few seconds later, the captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around men!
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy
With the captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Than the place he'd once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy
'Bout a half mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy
When the big fool said to push on.

Well, I'm not going to point any moral;
I'll leave that for yourself
Maybe you're still walking, you're still talking
You'd like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers
That old feeling comes on;
We're -- waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.

Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy
And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep! Neck deep! Soon even a
Tall man'll be over his head, we're
Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
And the big fool says to push on!

Words and music by Pete Seeger (1967)
TRO (c) 1967 Melody Trails, Inc. New York, NY

Lusk Annual Music Party

I've made a site for the Lusk Family Annual Music Party at http://bobluskmusicparty.blogspot.com/

John St. Jam - This Saturday

From: Steve Massardo

Subject: John St. Jam - This Saturday

Hey everybody!

The John St. Jam starts its 4th season this Saturday with these terrific musicians:

Helen Avakian
Terry Seeley
Anne Loeb
RV Henninger
Erin Hobson
Doc Howells
Valerie Turner
James Krueger


Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime combination!!

The Jam is located at 16 John St., Saugerties:

Doors open at 7:00, music starts at 7:30
Admission is still only $3 and refreshments are available.

Frame Drumming Intensive: 6 Month Program

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Layne Redmond

To: Layne@layneredmond.com

Sent: Saturday, January 06, 2007 7:06 PM

Subject: Frame Drumming Intensive: 6 Month Program

Hi, I wanted those of you in the NE to know that my wonderful students Deb Reed and Hollie Marron will be teaching the 6 month frame drumming intensive that Tommy Brunjes and I developed back in 98.  I don't teach that program anymore but my advanced students do.  Deb and Hollie completed the very first 6 month program I taught back in 98 I think!  They have taken many advanced workshop since and studied with many other teachers.  This is a great opportunity!  And you will be using the material I recorded and created for the program.

Very soon I will be launching a new website that will have podcast and video clip long distance training available.  I have bought my apartment in Brazil and my new recording/music video studio there is half built.   I hope to move to Salvador sometime this summer.  I will have to leave every three months for awhile because I only have a tourist visa at this time, so I'll be teaching in the US on a regular basis!

Happy new year, and many blessings, Layne

Frame Drumming Intensive: 6 Month Program

Learn to play the frame drum, the ancient instrument of ritual, trance, community building and healing in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern world. Originally played by women, the small, hand-held tambourine and tar inspire meditative, energizing, and joyous rhythm making when played together in circle. Playing the frame drum can compliment meditative or movement practices, music, dance and percussion jams, and rituals and celebrations or simply add to your personal enjoyment and wellness. 

The program's core techniques and concepts will be derived from the GBTO (Giving Birth To Ourselves) curriculum as taught by Layne Redmond, master percussionist, author, educator and frame drum historian. We will explore and practice the sacred technologies and historical context of this style of drumming as handed down from Layne Redmond, including:

o     entrainment through rhythm, movement, breath, and voice
o        invoking the elemental energies of fire, water, air, and earth
o shifting states of consciousness for meditation and healing
o    slideshow presentation of documented frame drum history  

Deb and Hollie will infuse the curriculum with their unique professional experiences sharing rhythm and drumming with youth and adults in education, recreation, and mental health recovery settings.  Upon completion of this program, participants will have the skills to:

o maintain a personal drumming practice for health and wellness
o  teach basic frame drumming classes in the community
o    facilitate rhythm circles for educational, healing, or workplace settings

Prior drumming experience is not necessary, though it is suggested that participants attend an introductory class prior to attending the program. A commitment of a daily one hour practice at home to maximize and accelerate your learning and playing potential is expected from all participants. Practice CDs and worksheets will be provided (included in cost)

Deb Reed and Hollie Marron began studying the frame drum in 1996 and have been teaching and performing frame since 1998.  They are senior students of Layne Redmond, author of When the Drummers were Women, and bring a light, joyful approach to playing this ecstatic drum! Hollie is an occupational therapist, authorized Rhythmic Entrainment Intervention (REI) provider, and outdoor educator. Deb has a background in rehabilitation counseling and massage therapy; currently she is a doctoral student in audiology at UMass Amherst.


Location:  Institute for the Musical Arts, Goshen, MA    www.ima.org
Dates: May 18-20, June 15-17, *July 13-15, Aug. 24-26, Sept. 28-30, Oct. 19-21
*July's weekend: advanced drummers workshop with Layne Redmond in Portland, ME
Cost: includes 2 nights housing and 6 meals $1200, exclusive of July weekend

Registration:  a non-refundable deposit of $50 due by March 1, 2007
             50% of program cost due by April 1, 2007
                Register on-line at www.ima.org or call 413-268-3074

Questions: contact Deb Reed at 413-268-8313 or deebed@earthlink.net

(please put drumming in subject text to get through spam filter)

-

--  

Layne Redmond

Golden Seed Productions

PO Box 2210

Chiefland, FL 32644-2210

Layne@layneredmond.com

www.layneredmond.com

 

Martin Luther King Celebration

On 1/14/07 I'll be singing at the Martin Luther King Celebration at the Woodstock Community Center. 2-4 PM With Deborah Burger, many speakers, poets, etc.

LUSK ANNUAL MUSIC PARTY

LUSK ANNUAL MUSIC PARTY

On Saturday, January 27, 2007 the Lusk family will have our Annual Mid-Winter Folk Music Party at 61 Wurts Street, Kingston, New York. It starts at 6:00 p.m. and runs until people leave, which is usually pretty late.

All kinds of music and musicians are welcome, but no amplifiers please. Usually there is a healthy mix between folk singing, fiddle music, blues and bluegrass, with several different jamming spaces available, so people can find their niche, or float from one to the other. It's not a big food party, (it's a music party!) but we have the basics - you won't go hungry - and you can bring a dish to share if you wish. Also, this is an open party, so feel free to spread the word.

No illegal drugs please, although moderate alcohol use is fine. All smoking must take place outside, (preferably down the block, over the river and through the woods.)

Directions are at the end of this e-mail. Any questions please call (845) 338-8587, but no rsvp is necessary. If you call the night of the party we may have trouble hearing the phone!

Thanks,

Bob, Penny and Roberto Lusk
61 Wurts Street
Kingston, NY 12401
(914)338-8587
boblusk@hvc.rr.com

Party Directions
From the South: Take 9W north past the Poughkeepsie bridge. Keep on going. You will go through Highland, a turnoff for 299, Esopus, then Port Ewan. At the end of Port Ewan there is Laundromat on your left at the rear of a large parking lot. There will be a turnoff after this to the left that goes into Kingston. You will go over a small bridge. Go straight and you will be on Wurts Street. Go to the top of the hill and park opposite the park near the corner of Spring St. The house will be lit up. If you miss the turnoff in Port Ewan, you wind up going over a larger bridge on a more major highway. Make your first left turn and go straight 2 blocks up the hill. This will put you at the corner of Wurts and Spring St. (Be careful driving across Wurts Street if you come this way). Look for parking. The house will be lit up with lights and spirit.

From the NYS Thruway: Get off at the Kingston exit. Go around the traffic Circle to the 3rd exit (it is the 2nd exit that says "Kingston"). This is Chandler Drive. Follow it to the end (about 1/4 mile) At the light cross over and bear left. You will be on Broadway. Take Broadway all the way through Kingston. You will pass the High School, Kingston Hospital. Shortly after you pass Burger King and the road bears around and down to the right. At the bottom there is a light. Broadway makes a sharp 90 degree left turn. Don't make that turn. Go straight one more block and make a left. You will be on Wurts Street. Go about 2 blocks to the corner of Spring street and look for parking. The house will be all lit up.

Steve Suffet: Shameless Self-Promotion!

I don't promote very many people's CD's especially if I haven't heard them myself, but Steve and I go way back and he is, in fact, as he says, an "old fashioned folk singer". Worth checking out, I'm sure. - Bob

Greetings,

As the subject line warns, this message is an act completely shameless self-promotion. If you find that to be a problem, read no further. Just hit the delete button.

If you are still with me, then here's what it's all about. My new CD, "I've Been Up On the Mountain," is now available for purchase on-line through CD Baby. Here's a link:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/stevesuffet2

Of the eighteen songs, four are ones that I wrote by myself in traditional style, one I wrote in collaboration with Joel Landy, and another I wrote with some help from Anne Price. One is a little known Woody Guthrie song , and another is by Utah Phillips. The remaining ten songs are all my arrangements of traditional folk songs. You will find among them quite a variety of genres, styles, themes, and moods.

I was blessed to have some truly fine musicians work with me on this CD. They are Jody Kolodzey, Ray Korona, Joel Landy, Chris Lang, Heather Lev, Eric Levine, Bruce Markow, Anne Price, Gina Tlamsa. I hesitate to call these folks "back-up musicians," for "I've Been Up On the Mountain" is truly a collaborative product. You are welcome to listen to sound clips from any or all of the songs. But if that is not enough to convince you, you can download five complete songs from the CD for free from my music site, or you can listen to them on-line as streaming audio. They are the first five songs at the top of this page:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/stevesuffet_music.htm

I know some folks will tell me that giving away so many freebies means I have lousy business sense, but you can prove me wrong by buying the CD.

Oh, one more thing. Just in case you missed it, CD Baby also carries my first CD, "Now the Wheel Has Turned." Here's a link:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/stevesuffet

If you would rather buy either or both of my CDs directly from me, you will have to do so in person. Otherwise, I'm very happy to let CD Baby deal with the order taking, billing, shipping, and tracking while I concentrate on making music. I will, nevertheless, make these two exceptions:

1. If you are a member of People's Music Network, the Peoples' Voice Cafe, or AFM Local 1000, you can order either CD from me for just $13 each or both for $25, postpaid to anywhere in the USA. You don't even have to pay me in advance. Just submit your order to my by e-mail, include your postal mailing address, and send me a check when the package arrives.

2. If you would like to buy 5 or more CDs at one time, please contact me and we will work out a discount based upon how many you want. My phone number is 718-786-1533.

Kindest regards for a healthy holiday season and a happy New Year.

--- Steve Suffet

Old Fashioned Folksinger
Website: http://suffet.home.att.net
Music website: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/stevesuffet_music.htm
E-mail link: mailto:suffet@att.net

Phil Ochs lyric: 'No Christmas in Kentucky', etc

Here is a note from John Pietaro of "Flames of Discontent"

Friends,

Though we are taught differently, the holiday season usually finds us doing very little reflecting on loved ones or spiritual concerns. We may think of the poor, but we usually move on quckly enough to thoughts of our hurting check-books. Few of us remember to sign up to work in a soup kitchen or to help with gift-wrapping at local charitable organizations. God knows, I always mean to. I envy those among you who insist on ONLY celebrating the Winter Solstice,for the holidays really have become deeply commercial. Yeah.

I guess being a full-time activist also implies working overtime around this time of year, but its just so hard to get it all in. So, we run around and buy the gifts we need--those we meant to get weeks before. The presents for the folks we'll be seeing at Christmas or Chanukah or Kwanzaa or New Year's Day. Then don't forget to buy the bottle of wine or the holiday cake. But--wait--you almost forgot to hang the twinkly lights around the doorway! I squeeked by and actually did so only a week ago). There's so much to do. So what was this holiday time really all about?

One of the things that keeps it all in perspective for me is a song by Phil Ochs. Each year when we perform for a Phil Ochs birthday tribute (as we did this Dec 16 in Woodstock), the following song is a must. It is a little-known piece that never actually appeared on any of his regularly released albums. He wrote it long ago, while traveling throughout Harlan County, Kentucky during one of the harshest labor struggles of the past
fifty years. Though the miners in "Bloody Harlan" had actually become organized years prior, there were always renewed fights as well as terrible oppression. The early 1960s saw a resurgence among the miners who were fighting for safe working conditions, decent pay, and benefits. Strikes and other labor actions saw many of the workers being locked out and as the months wore on, Kentucky became a battleground.

The life-long Labor activist and member of the IWW, Phil Ochs, traveled to Harlan County during the holiday season of 1962. He met with the miners, sang with them on picket lines, sat with them in cold makeshift union halls, joined them in pot-luck dinners and stood with them as they braved corrupt deputy sheriffs with dogs and loaded rifles. Ochs proved his worth as not only a topical singer, but a die-hard radical. He became one with the miners and they offered him the chance to write some of his great early works including "Harlan, Kentucky" and the lyric which follows - "No Christmas in Kentucky". The latter offers us a lesson not only of history, but of all time. Please read this over as you contemplate the next holiday party or gift purchase. It is not intended to sadden you during the holidays, as far as i can see. But it will make you think and consider the issues in your life that actually DO matter.

Please enjoy and pass this on to others.

In Solidarity...and Peace,
John Pietaro
www.flamesofdiscontent.org

________________________
"No Christmas in Kentucky"
By Phil Ochs

G C
Christmas shoppers shopping on a neon city street
D C G
Another Christmas dollar for another Christmas treat
G C
There's satin on the pretty dolls that make the children glow
D C G
While a boy walking ragged in the cold Kentucky snow

G C G
No, they don't have Christmas in Kentucky
C D
There's no holly on a West Virginia door
G C G
For the trees don't twinkle when you're hungry
C D G
And the Jingle Bells don't jingle when you're poor

There's lots of toys for children when then Christmas time is near
But the present for the miners is a stocking full of beer
In the dark hills of Kentucky there's one gift that may be found
The coal dust of forgotten days that's lying on the ground

No, they don't have Christmas in Kentucky
There's no holly on a West Virginia door
For the trees don't twinkle when you're hungry
And the Jingle Bells don't jingle when you're poor

Let's drink a toast to Congress and a toast to Santa Claus
and a toast to all the speeches that bring the loud applause
There's not enough to give, no, there's not enough to share
So let's drown the sounds of sorrow with a hearty Christmas cheer

No, they don't have Christmas in Kentucky
There's no holly on a West Virginia door
For the trees don't twinkle when you're hungry
And the Jingle Bells don't jingle when you're poor

Have a merry, merry Christmas and a happy new year's day
For now's a time of plenty, and plenty's here to stay
But if you knew what Christmas was, I think that you would find
That Christ is spending Christmas in the cold Kentucky mine

No, they don't have Christmas in Kentucky
There's no holly on a West Virginia door
For the trees don't twinkle when you're hungry
And the Jingle Bells don't jingle when you're poor

Notes:
From the Remembering Phil Ochs website
Chords supplied by James Barnett

Happy Blessed Holidays - THE TRADITIONAL MUSICIAN'S PRAYER

THE TRADITIONAL MUSICIAN'S PRAYER
(with apologies to St Francis)

Lord, keep always before me
The appreciation of music as one of Your greatest gifts.
Never let me stray far from the tune;
Help me to remain faithful to the spirits
Of those musicians who have gone before
Leaving this lovely legacy in my care.

Lord, let me always remember
What Your Golden Rule instructs
So that I treat other musicians
As I would wish to be treated myself.

Lord, let me always remember
That You give Irish musicians a special gift:
The opportunity to praise and glorify You
While sitting around playing jigs and reels
In dark pubs, on cruise ships,
In kitchens, on concert stages.

Lord, give me patience always
And help me to remember
That the word "tradition"
Implies sharing.

Lord, give me tolerance always
And help me to appreciate
The Great Mystery:
Not everybody likes what I like.
Never let me slip too far into self-importance
And help me use as necessary
Whatever sense of humor
You may have imparted to me.

Lord, let me never forget
That I don't have all the answers
And that there's nobody
That I can't learn from
(Even bodhrán and banjo players)

And finally, Lord - if it's not too much to ask -
Make me competent first
Then respected
And eventually brilliant.
(But Your will always be done.)
Amen.

- Bill Black

Anti-House Concert Blog

Here's a great blog about political repression of folk music house concerts! http://livingroommusic.blogspot.com/atom.xml

"C"Tuning blog

I've added a blog for "C" Tuning at http://ctuning.blogspot.com/.

Caroling in the Neighborhood

Had a wonderful time caroling with the neighbors again this year. It's called "Cocktails and Carols". Starting with "snuggles" (hot chocolate and snapps) at pianist Liz Tolinos's House on Ravine Street at 4:30, we made the rounds of the neighborhood singing in front of houses that looked as if they might be occupied. There were a lot of good singers including a High Falls contingent, people from NYC, midtown Kingston, Abeel St, etc. We had some wonderful cider at Dimitri & Linda's House on President's Place, caroled for Azara Farell and other neighbors, then went to the church on the corner of Spring & Wurts Street to 3 seperate apartments.

First was Herman & Andy's, who had fancy drinks and tequila meatballs. Then upstairs to Amanda & Amy's Church Penthouse for "White Christmases". Peter came in playing the accordian, so we wound our way around the corner to His and Julies wonderful space where we had more to drink and Peter sat down at his grand piano and led us through some more carols.

Then it was home sweet home at 61 Wurts street where Penny made Irish Coffees in the kitchen and I played with Peter in the diningn room while drinking egg nog that Penny had made from my mother's old recipe. Then it was roll down the block to Paul and Ingrid's church where, Peter played the organ, I played fiddle and several great singers sang with us.
On our way out we each got to pull the rope and ring out the church bells across the valley. Penny and I abandoned the group as they continued down to The Bridgewater Bar on Abeel Street.

All in all a wonderful evening of Christmas song and cheer!