FolkMADS July - August 2003 Newsletter

New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society

FolkMADS Calendar and Notes

July - August 2003 Volume 6, Issue 4

P.O. Box 40421, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196-0421

The FolkMADS Calendar and Notes are published bimonthly by the
New Mexico Folk Music and Dance Society, a nonprofit organization.

FolkMADS sponsors Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos contra dances, concerts, camps, and other special events. "Contra" dances include contras, squares, mixers, and couple dances. Unless noted on the calendar otherwise, admission is $5 for members, $6 for nonmembers, $3 for children. You need not come with a partner. Free instruction for beginners starts at 7:30 p.m. Most dances begin at 8 p.m. and are smoke-free and alcohol-free. Children and teens are encouraged to participate if supervised by an adult.

Albuquerque Dances 1st and 3rd Saturdays. Heights Community Center, 823 Buena Vista SE, Albuquerque.

Occasionally dances are held at the Lloyd Shaw Dance Center; watch the calendar for details.
The Lloyd Shaw Dance Center is located at 5506 Coal SE in Albuquerque (2 blocks south of Central and 2 blocks east of San Mateo).

Santa Fe Dances 2nd and 4th Saturdays. Odd Fellows Hall, 1125 Cerrillos Road (south of Cordova Drive on the western side of Cerrillos).

Taos Dances 3rd Saturdays, Holy Trinity Parish Hall, Arroyo Seco.

ABQ Megaband Practices All musicians welcome. Albuquerque Megaband practice is held at the Blue Dragon Coffee House, 1517 Girard NE,Albuquerque, the Tuesday before the 3rd Saturday dance. Bruce Thomson, 277-4729, or email Jane Phillips to be added to the listserv.

Santa Fe Megaband Practices Second Tuesday of even months, 7:30 p.m. Call Anna Richards for information, 983-8363.

Acoustic Jam 7 p.m. before the Albuquerque dances. All acoustic musicians are welcome and all types of music are played. Call Jay Cutts for more information, 281-0684.

2003 Officers/Directors Ongoing Events

Wednesday, July 16

Irish Set Dance Workshop

Set dance instructor Yutaka Usui and the Donncha Lynch band will be at the German American Club on Menaul, 3 blocks west of San Mateo in Albuquerque at 7 p.m. Yutaka will be doing a 'battering step' workshop, followed by set dances from Cork and Kerry. He'll call the set dances for those who are not familiar with this kind of Irish dancing. After the dancing, he will offer a button accordion workshop for anyone interested in trying this instrument. He will provide the accordions. If no one is interested in a button accordion workshop, the band will be happy to play music from Cork and Kerry. $10 donation at the door.

Saturday, July 26

Green Tara Foundation Hosts 1st Annual Benefit for Tibetan Refugees

June 30, 2003 (Albuquerque, NM) The Green Tara Foundation presents An Evening of original Folk and Bluegrass with John Coinman and Peter McLaughlin on Saturday, July 26 at OPM in Albuquerque. If ever there was a soundtrack for New Mexico's high plains and simmering sunsets, then surely John Coinman would write the score. He has already served as Music Supervisor on the Academy Award winning film Dances With Wolves and written songs for Kevin Costner's film The Postman. Peter McLaughlin is a recording artist and National Flat picking Champion who performs at concerts and Bluegrass festivals. Together, John Coinman and Peter McLaughlin with Blair Forward, promise an evening of plaintive southwest ballads, haunting tales of love and High Plains Bluegrass, all with a shot of twang.

Green Tara Foundation presents

An Evening of Folk and Bluegrass

With John Coinman and Peter McLaughlin

Saturday, July 26, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

OPM Nightclub &endash; 211 Gold Ave. SW in Albuquerque, 243-0955

$10 advance/$12 door

Advance tickets at Natural Sound, 3422 Central Ave. SE or at 255-8295

Click here for more info or call 878-9225

All proceeds benefit the Green Tara Foundation

Santa Fe Traditional & Bluegrass Music Festival

August 22-24 at the Santa Fe Rodeo Grounds

Boasting a terrific lineup of performers including:

Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen

Kathy Kallick band

with Sally van Meter

and a historic reunion of the

New Lost City Ramblers

Local featured bands will include:

Fast Pesos

and yearly favorites Elliot's Ramblers

As usual, the Festival also will have workshops, contests, a children's showcase,
Gospel Music, and plenty of parking lot picking. For further information
contact Carl or Lynne Seager at (505) 244-0097.

Have you moved?
Changed phone numbers? Changed your e-mail address?
Keep FolkMADS up to date so you'll continue to receive the newsletter and we can contact you. Call John Arthur, 831-8096.

MegaBand Tune of the Month: Shady Grove

by Bruce Thomson

Shady Grove

One of the popular folk songs of the folk revival of 40 years ago was a pretty yet mournful song about a fellow missing his girl friend named Shady Grove, which is a strange name for a girl if you ask me. There are about a hundred verses to this song, and many of them have little to do with old Shady, which makes it more confusing. The song is often requested and we usually respond with "this one's exactly like it but different," then play the rip snortin' fiddle tune below. Recently I've been listening to the fiddling of Bruce Molsky and Big Hoedown, and they have a nice version that's the compromise that would result if Gid Tanner backed up Joan Baez. It sounds like an A modal tune, but is really in D major which creates a neat musical tension.

X:27

T:Shady Grove

R:Reel

M:C|

L:1/8

N:Transcribed by Bruce Thomson

H:From the playing of the Adobe Brothers

K:A

[f3A3][fA][f2A2](3efg|a2ag abaf|efed cBA2|[c2E2][c2E2][eE][c3E3]|[1[B3E3][BE][B2E2](3efg:|[2[B3E3][BE][B4E4]||

X:28

T:Shady Grove

R:Reel

M:C|

L:1/8

N:Transcribed by Bruce Thomson

H:From Bruce Molsky & Big Hoedown (Rounder CD-0421)

K:D

FolkMADS thanks The Blue Dragon Coffeehouse, 1517 Girard NE, Albuquerque, for generously hosting the Albuquerque Megaband practices.
For more information, contact Bruce Thomson, 277-4729, or Jane Phillips, to sign up for the Megaband listserv (automatic e-mail reminders).

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