New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society Calendar and Notes

November - December 2001 Volume 4, Issue 6

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

2002 FolkMADness Camp Talent Announced

FolkMADness Dance and Music Camp is celebrating its 10th anniversary next year with an exciting lineup of talent! Confirmed so far: Callers Dan Pearl (Massachusetts) and Dolores Heagy (Pennsylvania) and musicians The Canote Brothers (Greg and Jere from Washington). Camp will be held May 24-27 at New Mexico Tech in Socorro. More information will be available soon.

The election for the FolkMADS Board will be Saturday, November 17th, in Albuquerque. Please vote!

Keep FolkMADS up to date so you'll continue to receive the newsletter and we can contact you. Call John Arthur, 831-8096.

2001 Officers/Directors

Ongoing Events

Want to serve on the FolkMADS board? Contact Trish Woodall prior to November election.

Meeting Highlights

August meeting: There have been new dancers in our midst recently, many who learned about FolkMADS from our participation in the Albuquerque Folk Festival. The treasurer has submitted federal tax forms. The new website has been established.

September meeting: The Albuquerque Folk Festival has new leadership. The web mistress stated that the FolkMADS website had received 400 hits.

Albuquerque Dance Committee: Linda Starr has resigned as Chair. "Finding less time to do everything I wanted to, I decided it was time to pass over the chair to someone else to 'balance and swing' the committee down the line. It's been fun. I enjoyed helping New Mexico FolkMADS this past year and will continue to assist with decorations at special events and organize demonstration dances to keep the newcomers flowing." Bob Ford, Search Committee Chair, 28107837.

Santa Fe Dance Committee: Attendance has been good. Kelly Kelstedt, Chair, 471-2881 (N), 471-7077 (D).

Taos Dance Committee: Jim Buechler, Chair, 776-1580.

Concert Committee: Bruce Thomson, Chair, 268-6003.

Wanted: Albuquerque Dance Coordinator Description: This person should be willing to serve on the FolkMADS Board and is responsible for assembling a group (committee) or make regular reports to the Board to accomplish the following: 1. Develop a yearly program of dance revolving around the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. Plan additional dances in conjunction with holidays, special events, and other FolkMADS activities. 2. Schedule bands, callers, sound, and dance hall for each event. 3. Provide a schedule to the FolkMADS newsletter editor for publishing. 4. Promote and advertise in appropriate media. 5. Arrange for hall preparation at 7:00, refreshments, dance host, cash collection, basic instruction at 7:30, and cleanup at 11:00. Qualifications: 1. Leadership skills for recruiting, motivating, and coordinating volunteers to serve on the dance committee. 2. Interpersonal skills for dealing tactfully with dancers, musicians, callers, city officials, etc. 3. Attention to detail so that all aspects of dance preparations are accomplished in a timely fashion. 4. A vision for promoting traditional music and dance in the Albuquerque area that involves all age groups. Compensation: Incentives for increasing the attendance at dances are negotiable. For more information contact Bob Ford at 281-7837.

Folk Serendipity

"I'll go contra dancing when you finish your dissertation," Jack declared to Greg, his friend of over 20 years. Jack, who was also one of Greg's dissertation committee members, figured he was safe since Greg had been working on his dissertation for a long time.

Lo and behold, Greg successfully defended his dissertation on November 15, 1999. He turned to Jack and said, "Well, Jack, looks like you'll be going contra dancing with me now."

Jack kept his word and attended his first contra dance in the spring of 2000. On August 5, 2000, Jack attended a contra dance with Peggy Whitmore calling and the Virginia Creepers playing. A lovely lady dancer named Robyn also attended this particular dance. Jack liked her immediately, and Robyn helped him learn some dance moves.

I often tell dancers that they are "flirting without intent," but it doesn't always work out that way. Robyn and Jack spent a lot of time together the next 12 months, dancing and talking and laughing and learning about each other. Folk magic happened; they fell in love.

Robyn and Jack married on September 22, 2001. Greg and Karen and a lot of other friends and family members attended. In a bit of synchronicity, Greg and Karen also met at a contra dance in September 1996 and married on July 17, 1999.

I don't know what the moral of this story is (hot summer nights lead to hot romances?), but I thought it would be nice to share some good news for a change, given all the recent tragedies in the world.

Dance on and flirt on, with or without intent.

NM FolkMADS Elections Set

Come to the November 17th Albuquerque dance and volunteer to help out with the activity of your choice. Join a committee or serve on the board. Here are some frequently asked election questions:

Why does FolkMADS do this every November and muck up a good dance?

FolkMADS is a non-profit corporation registered with the state of NM and the IRS. This means that we do not pay sales tax for purchases and that contributions to FolkMADS (other than membership dues) are tax deductible. It also means that we have formal bylaws, hold an annual meeting of the membership, and elect a Board of Directors from whom corporate officers are chosen. As part of our bylaws we have chosen to have the meeting and election at the 1st or 3rd Saturday dance in November in Albuquerque.

So what happens at this meeting and election?

Near the check-in table will be an easel with information on the Board, the officer positions, and jobs the Board does. There will also be a sign up sheet on the easel. Anyone who wishes to "stand for the Board" can put their name on the sign up sheet. There are 11 slots on the Board but as many people as want to can sign up. Around 9:15, sign-ups for the Board will be closed and the General Meeting will be called. The current FolkMADS president will briefly review "the status of FolkMADS" and answer any questions from the floor. Then we will look at the total number of sign ups for Board membership. If fewer than 11 have signed up, they are automatically elected to the Board of Directors. If the number is more than 11, there will be a runoff election. Members will be asked to vote for the top 11 candidates they would like to have on the Board. The voting will close at 10:30 and the results will be announced by the end of the night.

What if I want to be on the Board and can't attend the dance?

If you want to stand for the Board but will be unable to attend the dance you must submit your name to the FolkMADS Secretary before November 17th. The current Secretary is Trish Woodall and her number is 897-2180. There can be no absentee nominations at the dance itself.

This sounds like a lot of trouble, why should I care about any of this?

The Board controls everything that FolkMADS spends money on during the year. This includes deciding which bands and callers are on the list to play and call at dances, how much these bands and callers get paid, booking special out of town callers and musicians to play at our dances, booking special concerts for musicians, running the annual FolkMADness Dance Camp, and a host of other things.

Meet the Bands

Street Legal String Band and Distilled Spirits

The Megabands of Albuquerque and Santa Fe are open to all musicians and give novice players an opportunity to play with seasoned musicians experiencing the pleasures of making music for dancing. From that hothouse of Old Time music known as the Albuquerque Megaband sprang the Street Legal String Band, whose tunes will enliven the November 3rd dance in Albuquerque.

"I'd never have gotten into Old-Time (Southern Appalachian style) music without the openness and inclusiveness of Megaband," said Beth Corwin, guitar player in the band. "A group of us get together every Monday in what originally was a slow jam. What's cool about this band is that it is democratic. There's no one charismatic leader. In a communal way we find try to make the music work as a group, everyone participates equally."

"This kind of music is back-porch music," said Jonathan Longcore, who plays banjo. "You can be a fair-to-middling musician and bring pleasure to people. This kind of music is not about flash, its like old church songs and its repetition is a kind of mantra."

Joining Beth and Jonathan are fiddlers Jane Phillips and Tim Shaffer. Rick Olcott, veteran of many bands and dances with a guitar, ventures into the melody realm on mandolin.

Core members of the Santa Fe Megaband will play December 22nd at the Odd Fellows Hall in a long-standing lineup known as Distilled Spirits. Celebrating 25 years together are the nucleus of fiddler Tom Juster, guitar player Peggy Frank, and Bill Donohue plucking various instruments. Haywood and Clarity Martin, along with Phil Vergamini (mandolin, fiddle, and bass), joined the band within its first few years.

Bill describes the style of the band as somewhere between Old-Time and Irish. "We approach the Irish tunes from an Appalachian base," he explained. Sometimes Bill plays the Irish tunes on the 5-string banjo which, with its open tunings and rolling rhythm, is most associated with Old-Time tunes. "I'm the switch hitter in the band and will pick up whatever instrument feels right at the moment." That may be the tenor banjo (4 strings), which is the traditional Irish banjo, or the tenor mandolin (an octave lower than a mandolin). "The main difference between Irish and Old-Time is the African influence on the Appalachian style. You can hear that in the rhythmic emphasis on off-beats that can make the simpler melodies exciting." About playing for dances, Bill said, "The fun thing is the way communication between the musicians and dancers lifts the music. When people are really listening, when they jump in on the balances all together and the hall shakes, it's great."

MegaBand Tune of the Month

Bruce Thomson

Musical Cross-Pollination A lot of traditional bluegrass fiddle tunes come from the old time genre, but not many tunes written by bluegrass fiddlers are played by old-timey fiddle players. Perhaps it's because bluegrass tunes are often more complicated and are a different style that doesn't suit the frailing banjo. I suspect it's also because many are not appropriate for dances. But some bluegrass tunes are great when played in an old-time style. Bruce Johnson (excellent first name!), a terrific California fiddler, wrote and recorded "Within Tradition" while playing in Ron Spears' band (headliners at the 2001 Santa Fe Banjo & Fiddle Contest). It sounds a bit like "Leather Britches," and can be played either in the bluegrass style with smooth bow strokes and three-finger banjo playing, or in the old-time style with more rhythmic bowing and a frailed banjo. It's a good option when the caller asks for a "flowing tune." ABC Notation X:14 T:Within Tradition R:Reel M:4/4 L:1/8 N:Bruce Johnson H:Chribob-Jacker Music, Ron Spears Within Tradition, Copper Creek CD 0192 K:G |z4z3>(3(D/2E/2F/2)||:G2BG AGBG|CGBG [c4G4]|BdBd AGEF|GDEG D3 (3(D/2E/2F/2)| |G2BG AGBG|DGBG [c4G4]|BdBd AGEF|1 GEDB, G,3(3(D/2E/2/F/2):|2 GEDB, G,3 (3(A/2B/2c/2)| |:d2 gg eggd|gabg aged|Bdeg edBc|dABd A3 (3(A/2B/2c/)|d2 gg eggd| |gabg aged|BcdA BdAF|1 EDB,A, G,3 (3(A/2B/2c/2):|2EDB,A, G,4|]

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**

Other Events

Square Dancers Take Cue From Contra A few months ago we had a contra dance at the Albuquerque Square Dance Center. The modern square dancers holding a dance in the next hall were very impressed with our event, especially the live music. Recently I visited with Bob Brundage at the Square Dance Center, and he mentioned that the modern square dancers are planning a dance using live music on Saturday, September 29, with the Buckaroo Parkways playing. There will be a chili cookoff/potluck beginning at 6 p.m., and the dance will be from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Albuquerque Square Dance Center is at 4915 Hawkins NE (one block west of I-25 at the Ellison/San Antonio exit, on the north side of Ellison). -Donna Bauer Patter Calling Workshop Friday, November 9 and Saturday, 10, 2001, at the Lloyd Shaw Dance Center. Leaders will be Doc Litchman and John Bradford, who have been calling traditional squares

since 1957 and 1946, respectively. Three workshops beginning Friday at 7 p.m. and two workshops Saturday, followed by an evening dance at 8 p.m. $35 for workshops and dance prior to October 1; $40 thereafter. Evening dance, $5. For information or to register, contact Donna Bauer, 461 Cordova NW, Albuquerque, NM 87107. Scottish Country Dance Workshop Never danced a reel before, but always intended to try a Scottish Country Dance class? Haven't danced for years but would like to get back into the set? The Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, New Mexico Branch, is sponsoring an Overview Workshop on Saturday, October 6, from 1 to 4:30 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall in Santa Fe. Taught by qualified instructors from the local classes, this workshop will provide an introduction to Scottish Country Dancing for those who have never tried it, and a chance to review figures and polish footwork for dancers of all experience levels. Information: Marilyn Thayer, (505) 662-9785.

Monday, December 31st New Year's Eve Dance in Albuquerque 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. $6 for members/$7 for non-members at the Lloyd Shaw Dance Center, 5506 Coal SE in Albuquerque, 2 blocks south of Central and 1* blocks east of San Mateo Dessert Potluck Bring Your Favorite Treat to Share During the Break   Ring in 2002 With FolkMADS!

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