Two fabulous folks are featured at a barn dance this Saturday, May 3, 2008 at Folklore Village. Chirps Smith is one of the best old time fiddlers around and Dot Kent is a terrific dance caller. (Not to mention a fabulous Appalachian clogger).

The night begins with a potluck supper at 6:30 pm followed by music and moves that will get your feet moving and hearts groovin’. Chirps will be bringing some of his musical buddies for the band so get ready for a night filled with fantastic tunes and smiles!

Folklore Village (608-924-4000) is about 40 miles west of Madison and a few miles east of Dodgeville, 1/2 mile south of Hwy 18/151 on County Hwy BB. Google Map

There’s a new Old-Time Jam starting up in Madison at The Alchemy Cafe (formerly Wonder’s Pub). The Jam will be every other Sunday at 5pm, with the first one beginning on March 30th. For more information, contact Lori Nitzel, 608-442-7270.

The Midwest Banjo Camp offers banjoists the opportunity to study old-time or bluegrass banjo with some of today’s best players and teachers in both styles. Their program features hands-on classes, demonstrations and two faculty concerts, and still leaves lots of time for jamming with your fellow banjo enthusiasts. With four levels in both bluegrass and old-time — Novice, lower intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced — it should be relatively easy to find the level that’s right for you.

There are now six class options per session for bluegrass and six more for old-time, one each in the novice and lower intermediate tracks, and two each in the upper intermediate and advanced tracks. In addition there is a special events track (fiddle lessons, guitar lessons, etc.) and a jamming track (see below). With a total of 14 classes per period, this represents more choice at MBC than ever before.

The Jamming Track. On Saturday and Sunday, will offer a jamming option during some class-sessions. These jams will be run by the accompanists. Jams led by the banjo faculty take place after the concerts on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Instructors this year are as follows:
Old-time: Bob Carlin, Cathy Fink, Adam Hurt, Brad Leftwich, Reed Martin, Joe Newberry, Michael Miles and Ken Perlman. Chris Coole heads up our old-time Novice program.

Bluegrass: Janet Beazley, Greg Cahill, Pat Cloud, Bill Evans, Bill Keith, Jens Kruger, James McKinney, and Alan Munde. Mike Sumner heads up our old-time Novice program.

Accompanists: Peter Knupfer (bluegrass fiddle), Ron McKeever (bluegrass guitar) Chirps” Smith (old-time fiddle) and Mark Sahlgren (old-time guitar).

Another Item of Note: This year we have a Pre-Camp Program on Thursday Evening and Friday Morning (at no Extra Charge for Registrants). We’re planning to run a few events on Thursday evening and Friday morning prior to the official start of camp for the benefit of students who want to jump start their weekend of banjo immersion. On Thursday evening, we figure to have a social “mixer” followed by a few faculty-led jam sessions. Among the ideas we’re tossing around for Friday morning are round-robin demonstrations, clinics on banjo technique and set-up, teachers offering advice on class-choices, and an Introduction to the Banjo sessions for total beginners.

• Dates: June 6-8, 2008
• Place: Olivet College, Olivet, Michigan (about 30 miles southwest of Lansing)
• Times: Registration opens 12 noon on Friday; Camp ends 3:30PM on Sunday

Email the camp or see www.midwestbanjocamp.com for more information.

This weekend, some friends and I headed south for Trad Fest at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Trad Fest is an annual event with old time string band music from all over the country. We were too late for the potluck on Friday night so we decided to stuff our faces with world-renowned Chicago pizza! We did arrive just in time to square dance off a little bit of our food-induced lethargy to the Portland-based Foghorn String Band. Once the dancing was over, old time jams began all over the school, and I had the wonderful opportunity to play fiddle tunes with “Chirps” Smith, one of the Midwest’s finest fiddlers.

The next day, I took a Ballads singing workshop with Rhiannon Giddens from the Carolina Chocolate Drops. This was the most powerful workshop I have ever taken. Although Rhiannon is a classically trained musician (she has performed in several operas), her greatest strength as a singer is not necessarily her singing technique (which is excellent), but instead the rhythm and emotion that she brings into her songs. This was apparent in her body and in her voice. She brought in the syncopated rhythm of the chain gang while she sang; she poured her heart out as she sang about a woman whose man had gone missing or about the death of Poor Lazarus. The insight that she shared with us about how to sing was as powerful as sitting next to her as she sang, which sent chills up my spine.

Saturday evening there was a concert with Garry Harrison and the New Mules, the Chocolate Drops, and Foghorn String Band. Each band performed a different flavor of old time music, and it was great to have the variety of great fiddle tunes and great singing numbers.

Don’t miss the Carolina Chocolate Drops at the High Noon Saloon next week, January 24th. The Chocolate Drops are an African-American stringband with fiddle, banjo and singing tunes that are guaranteed to impress. They are from North Carolina and play old time tunes rooted in the Piedmont Tradition of stringband music where the banjo, rather than the fiddle, serves as the lead instrument.The talent and high energy of this trio is certain to make you want to get up and dance. Or at least sway in your chair to Rhiannon Giddens’ soulful singing, like when she sings Black Eyed Blues, the story of a wife threatening her cheatening husband that sooner or later she’s gonna catch him “with your britches down.” (Listen to them here).

This year the Chocolate Drops released a new album, Dona Got a Ramblin’ Mind. It is packed full of great singing and instrumentation and includes some great old favorites such as Starry Crown, Georgie Buck and Short Life of Trouble.

This show should not be missed. And if you are as into old time music as much as some of us are, head on down to The Old Town School of Folk in Chicago the next day to check out Trad Fest, where the Chocolate Drops will be joined by Foghorn Stringband and Garry Harrison and the New Mules for an entire weekend of incredible old-time music.

This past Saturday, over 300 folks gathered together in Brooklyn, WI for a potluck dinner and old-time barn dance. Held in the O’Brien family’s refurbished barn, the event was the brainchild of Connie O’Brien and Paul Kienitz. The barn has been used mostly for private functions and weddings but this event was open to the public. Folks and families, near and far showed up to have a bite and scoot a boot!

Click image to play a high quality QuickTime video from the dance! Or see it on YouTube if that’s your thing…

Music was provided by the Ambrosia Dance Band, featuring Paul Kienitz, Chuck Hornemann, Peter Gorman, Dave Batson and caller Mike Mossman. A full night of square and contra dancing from just after 7pm to 11pm. Refreshment was provided by attendees and a feast it was! Two areas in the huge loft space it helped to expedite dishing up the delicious foods. Financial donations helped to defray the expenses for the event.

The property itself was beautifully decorated, parking was ample, a huge bonfire in the back of the barn and straw-bale seating everywhere. Upstairs and down, it was just like you dream about when you think of a barn dance. All ages were well represented. Children of all ages, adults, grandparents and great-grandparents. I overheard many folks talking about how they hoped this would become an annual event!

If you are interested in seeing this wonderful site, it is located at 552 Glenway Rd. in Brooklyn, WI. If you would like to find out more, call Connie O’Brien at 608-455-1860.

Ed: The Ambrosia Dance Band and caller Mike Mossman will be at the SWBMAI Holiday Party on Dec. 8.

If you like old time music, the Dear Old Illinois - Traditional Music of Downstate Illinois book and CD set by Garry Harrison and Jo Burgess is a must. This collection of over 750 songs gives notes, chords and lyrics to many of Midwestern fiddle tunes that define the unique sound of old time music found in our region. Granted, we’re not in Illinois, but you get the idea.

Garry Harrison is a spectacular Midwestern fiddler who played with the Indian Creek Delta Boys in the 1970’s. He will be leading the Illinois Fiddle Tune Repertoire Workshop in Chicago on October 20th and 21st. Even if you can’t make it down to the workshop, the Dear Old Illinois book and CD’s are highly recommended. They are a wonderful collection of music that offer insight into the vast musical heritage of old time music in the Midwest.

Come join in the fun of an Old-time Barn Dance out on the farm at The O’Brien beautifully refurbished barn, 552 Glenway Rd, Brooklyn, WI (about 20 minutes from Madison), Saturday, October 20th. This event is in the spirit of family fun so Come One, Come All! FREE and open to all Ages!

The evening will start off with a Potluck Dinner @ 5:30pm. Come meet some friends and neighbors and bring your favorite dish to share and your beverage of choice. An Old-Time Barn Dance will kick off @ 7pm and will feature fantastic live music performed by the Ambrosia Dance Band. The band includes Chuck Hornemann, Paul Kienitz, Peter Gorman, Dave Batson with dance caller Mike Mossman.

Donations for expenses appreciated

If you would like to help, please print and post a few posters at your work and/or local haunts!

The Folk School of St. Louis is offering a Midwest Fiddle Tunes Workshop on Saturday, September 22nd. The workshop will be taught by Lynn “Chirps” Smith and Paul Tyler, who are two of today’s finest old-time fiddlers and have a wealth of knowledge about regional fiddle tunes and their heritage. The workshop is open to all stringband instruments and is certain to be fun and informative.

Don’t miss a weekend of great traditional music at the Sugar Maple Fest right here in Madison! The festivities start Friay at 4pm and run through Saturday evening, featuring everything from bluegrass and old-time to cajun and celtic performances.

If you can skip out of work early enought to catch the New Bad Habits, they are guaranteed to get you groovin’ with their oldtime fiddling tunes. And the Mark Newton Band is sure to impress with their excellent harmony vocals and excellent musicianship on Friday as well. Jazz mandolinist Don Steinberg will be pairing with folk/country/bluegrass guitar and vocalist Robbie Fulks on Saturday afternoon. Bluegrass and country musician Jim Lauderdale will be headlining Saturday night, and he’ll likely be performing many of the songs off of his new album that will be released next month (and it’s real good!).

While you’re at it, swing by the SWBMAI table to meet the SWBMAI board members, get info on upcoming bluegrass events, and check out our new t-shirts (they’re hot so get your size before they’re gone!) And don’t forget to visit the workshop tent, where SWBMAI will be hosting a question and answer session with bass player Beth Lawrence at 6:30pm Friday. See you there!