FolkMADS May - June 2004 Newsletter

New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society

FolkMADS Calendar and Notes

May - June 2004 Volume 7, Issue 3

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.

Megaband Practices All musicians welcome.

ABQ Megaband Practices 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 jphill@NOSPAMunm.edu (remove "NOSPAM" when emailing) for more info or 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.

2004 Officers/Directors Ongoing Events

Quilt Donated for Raffle

Dee Peters has donated a beautiful traditional quilt that her grandmother pieced to help FolkMADS raise funds. Dee especially selected the quilt for this raffle. Buy lots of tickets at a dance so you can win this heirloom. And thank Dee the next time you see her for her generous donation.

Quilt Raffle
Would you like to win this beautiful traditional queen-sized quilt?

Only two hundred tickets at $5 each are being sold. That means you have a 1 in 200 chance of winning. Now those are great odds!

Tickets will be available at all dances and at FolkMADness Camp in Socorro.

Thanks to Dee Peters for donating the quilt that her grandmother made.

QUILT PATTERN:
Traditional "Ducks on a Pond"

QUILT TOP PIECED BY:
Neita Monroe (1912-1998)

QUILTED BY:
Linda Robinson (Santa Fe)

MATERIAL:
Cotton and Cotton/Polyester blends

MACHINE WASHABLE:
Line dry, or dry on lowest heat

This quilt represents one of over 150 quilt tops pieced by my grandmother, Neita Monroe, in the last 10 years of her life. Prior to making quilts, she crocheted and created other handiwork. Before that, while working as a farm wife and LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse), she sewed clothing for her family. When I was a child she designed and produced clothes for my Barbie dolls.

She loved to garden and was well known for her green thumb&emdash;and her skill as a cook. Her sense of color and pattern showed up in her flower beds and in her handiwork. Her earlier quilts were filled with bold, improbable. juxtapositions of color and pattern reflecting seasonal variations of the Iowa landscape around her. As her eyesight failed and her health began to wane, she preferred the more traditional pastel pallet and patterns of the quilts she knew as a child. This quilt is one of those.

Dee Peters, April 3, 2004

2004 FolkMADness Music and Dance Camp

Memorial Day Weekend, May 28 - 31, in Socorro, New Mexico

Sign up now!

Full Camp available until May 15, $190 (for all events, lodging, and meals)

This camp will be fabulous!

Now Available

Day Passes for Saturday or Sunday ($55/day for all events and meals)

Evening Concert/Dance Tickets for Friday, Saturday, or Sunday ($15 each)

To see a schedule of events click here or look on the admission table at a dance.

Pied-a-Terre plays folk-roots dance music, specializing in music of Ireland, British Isles, Quebec, and Brittany. Featuring Dan Compton on fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and button accordion; Fran Slefer on button accordion, piano, and fiddle; and Rob Barrick on Scottish smallpipes, fretless bass, and African percussion.

We'll also have:

Kerry Elkin (Master Fiddle Player) &

Mark Roberts (Red Clay Ramblers) on flute and five-string banjo

Caller: Woody Lane (from Portland)

Singers: Peter and Mary Alice Amidon. Traditional song, harmony singing, dance, storytelling. They are well known for their children's programs and their community spirit. Peter will call as well.

Camp Will Feature:
Workshops: dancing; singing, storytelling; and instrumental sessions.

Concerts by our multi-talented guest artists

Thrift Store Prom

All-Campers' Talent Show

Jam Sessions (bring your instruments!)

...and Dances, Dances, Dances!

Flyers with complete information are available here and at the dances.

For registration, day passes, and concert/dance tickets: Melissa Wilson, Registrar, (505) 247-2032, melissawilson@NOSPAMworldnet.att.net

If you are available to chauffeur a musician to or from camp please contact: Lisa Bertelli, Camp Chair, (505) 995-2301, lisabertelli@NOSPAMaol.com

remove NOSPAM when emailing

click these links for PDF brochure and registration form:

Brochure

Registration Form

Albuquerque Folk Festival

Saturday, June 19

Mark your calendars for the next Albuquerque Folk Festival. Now in its sixth year, the Albuquerque Folk Festival celebrates community spirit with song, dance, acoustic music, and storytelling. It's at the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. The schedule begins at 11 a.m. and extends to 11 p.m.

The Folk Festival will be the site of the Albuquerque Contra Dance with Kris Jensen calling and award-winning Albuquerque MegaBand playing.

If you thought 2003 was fun, wait until you see what is planned for 2004!

Hammer Dulcimer player extraordinaire Walt Michael will headline on our main stage with his special blend of Celtic and Michael Chapdelaine will be back for a return performance and will also accompany Walt for an extra special treat. Also returning for 2004 will be Elliott's Ramblers with Elliott Roger's original vocals and the incredible banjo and mandolin of Wayne Shrubsall and Claude Stephenson. Atomic Grass will also be back with more bluegrass. New to our main stage, Rockin' W Wranglers will get things rolling at 11 AM followed by Jeanne Page and the Next Chapter. Look for some great old time fiddlin' and clawhammer banjo from the Fast Peso String Band. You'll also get a chance to jam with Fast Peso playing for a Contra Dance workshop later in the afternoon. Listen in to KUNM on their Saturday morning Folk Routes program as the show gets going.

Adults: $8, Seniors: $6, Kids ages 6-12: $3. For those arriving after 6:00 p.m. the evening dance only, admission is $5. More information at www.abqfolkfest.org

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

Help Wanted

Sound technician for Albuquerque dances. Must be able to store and transport sound equipment. Set up takes one hour before dances, and break down takes half an hour after. $40/dance. Will train. Call Bob at 281-7837.

MegaBand Tune of the Month: Pike County Breakdown

Bruce Thomson

bthomson@NOSPAMunm.edu (remove NOSPAM when emailing)

Rafe Stefanini

Rafe Stefanini is a superb banjo and fiddle player who came to the U.S. from Italy in large part because of his love for old time music. He's been in some of the hottest old time bands and has recorded and toured with some of the best known old time musicians including Dirk Powell, Bruce Molsky and John Hermann. He recorded a CD for County Records, "Glory on the Big String" that has a wonderful rendition of the Pike County Breakdown with John Hermann on frailing banjo. Pike County Breakdown is a bluegrass warhorse written by Bill Monroe & Rupert Jones that is probably the second tune every blue grass banjo player learns after Foggy Mountain Breakdown. Dr. Wayne Shrubsall who knows everything there is to know about banjos (really!) says it's related to "Sweet Betsy from Pike." It's a great bluegrass tune that just might be better played as an old time banjo-fiddle duet.

X: 35

T:Pike County Breakdown

M:C

L:1/8

C:Monroe, Jones

R:Reel

N:from Rafe Stefanini, Glory in the Big String, CO-CD-2730

N:transcribed by Bruce Thomson

K:G

FolkMADS thanks The Blue Dragon Coffeehouse, 1517 Girard NE, Albuquerque, for generously hosting the Albuquerque Megaband practices.

For more information about Megaband, contact Bruce Thomson, 277-4729, or Jane Phillips.
Email Jane to be added to the Megaband listserv (automatic e-mail reminders).

The Albuquerque Megaband plays for free each month at the 3rd Saturday dances in ABQ, helping to keep FolkMADS going. A big thank you to all the Megaband musicians!!

Other Events

GODDESS OF ARNO, the southwest's premier Balkan dance band, announces a BALKAN DANCE PARTY!!

It's happening on Saturday, May 22nd: 7:30 PM beginner's dance session - 8 PM the party begins.

Be there at R.B. Winning Coffee Company, 111 Harvard SE (just south of Central Avenue) in ABQ.

Admission is $5.00 at the door - kids under 12 are free.

The Kitchen will be open for drinks and snacks.

Information:

(505) 243-6276 ('Goddess of Arno')

(505) 266-0000 (R.B. Winning's)

Party the Balkan way with Goddess of Arno! This premier Balkan-Roma (Gypsy) dance band has been performing exotic traditional music from Albania, Macedonia, Greece and Bulgaria for over 20 years: singing and playing traditional ethnic string and percussion instruments in addition to accordion, violin, guitar and electric bass. Once you hear Goddess of Arno, you won't stop dancing. Dance your own dance or learn simple ethnic line dances with ABQ veteran folk dancer & teacher, Patsy Gregory.

This is the last party until the fall - don't miss out!

Pick up a copy of Goddess of Arno's award-winning CD:

"Balkan Dance Party!!" at Natural Sound in ABQ - so you can dance to them at home.

GODDESS OF ARNO C/o Beth Cohen, 707 Arno St. SE, ABQ, NM 87102 (505) 243-6276 cohenedmunds@NOSPAMnetzero.net (remove the 'NOSPAM' from your "to" field when emailing)

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Looking for a road trip? Check out this Square Dance Callers Workshop in North Carolina!

Dare to be Square: A Weekend Workshop for Square Dance Callers

Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, NC

May 21-23

Join us for a weekend of square dance calling workshops, square dances, and old-time music in the mountains of western North Carolina. Music will be provided by Ralph Blizard and the New Southern Ramblers and others.

For more information: contact Phil Jamison pjamison@NOSPAMwarren-wilson.edu or Nancy Mamlin mamlinnl@NOSPAMappstate.edu

(remove the 'NOSPAM' from your "to" field when emailing)

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3rd ANNUAL MANCOS OLD TIME FIDDLERS' CONTEST & FESTIVAL

JUNE 4 - 6, 2004 -- Echo Basin Guest Ranch

Join us for a musical weekend! Amazing fiddle competitions, camping, jamming, artisan and food vendors, art activities for children, fiddle, guitar and mandolin workshops; something for everyone.

·June 4, 7pm: Fiddle Kick Off at the Mancos Opera House