New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society Calendar and Notes
September-October 2001 Volume 4, Issue 5
P.O. Box 40421, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196-0421
2001 Boo! Camp Promises More Chills and Thrills
New Mexico Folk Music & Dance Society Calendar and Notes
September-October 2001 Volume 4, Issue 5
P.O. Box 40421, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87196-0421
2001 Boo! Camp Promises More Chills and Thrills
Sign up now for the 3rd Annual FolkMADS Boo! Camp at Camp Stoney near Santa Fe. The flyer and registration form are in this mailing. Larry Edelman, who graced and charged the dance floor of FolkMADness at Hummingbird a few years back, will be the featured caller at Boo! Camp. The Sandia Hots (Scott Mathis, Linda Askew, Liz Stevens, and Mike Gallagher) is our featured Boo! band. Our fine local callers, musicians, and singers will round out the weekend of fun and good times with the FolkMADS community.
Mountain Dawn Dance in Flagstaff
The Mountain Dawn Dance on Saturday, September 1, will feature our own Cloud 9, playing for an English country dance from 4 to 6 p.m. The dawn dance is 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., and callers include Suzanne Girardot, Brenda Cole, John Quinley, and Susan Michaels. Other band include The Privy Tippers, Frank Hoppe, and The Frayed Knots. For information call (520) 774-5936, e-mail azwedanc@infomagic.net, or visit www.azwedance.com. Cloud 9 will also play in Albuquerque at O'Niell's Pub in Nob Hill on Sunday, September 16, 5 to 8 p.m. For information call (505) 344-6779.
Meet the Band
Adobe Brothers and Cloud 9
(Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of profiles on the bands that play for FolkMADS events, written by Santa Fe caller/dancer/musician Will McDonald.)
Show up at a FolkMADS contra dance and you will hear one of about 15 different bands. Each band expresses a style and sound that comes from the mix of the instruments, the talents and musical tastes of the players, and the fun that they have playing together.
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The Adobe Brothers have been playing for contra dances about 20 years and will once again be in Santa Fe for the October 13 dance. In settings other than contra dances they play tunes from Mexico, Brazil, and Italy besides their staple of bluegrass and old-time tunes. For the dances you can expect to hear mostly old-time (aka Appalachian-style) tunes with a smattering of Celtic and New England styles. Bruce Thomson plays fiddle and describes his musical background as the Texas-fiddle-contest style, where you take a basic tune and improvise. Elliot Rogers plays guitar and Bruce says to notice how he will move from the standard boom-chuck rhythm with ordinary chords to a much broader palette of chords and rhythms. "Recently Elliot got into a tango rhythm and Lance [bass player Lance Quadri] jumped right in with him and it changed the whole flavor of the tune," says Bruce. Then listen for Wayne Shrubsall's banjo. "He has incredible stylings," notes Bruce. "He can frail the old-time tunes and then finger pick the Celtic tunes in a bluegrass style, playing the melodies note for note." |
You'll find an interesting contrast to The Adobe Brothers when Cloud 9 plays September 8 and 9 and October 6 and 14 in Albuquerque. Both Michael Blackwell, who plays flute and bodhran, and fiddler Gemma DeRagon have backgrounds in jazz and classical music along with their love for traditional folk music. Gemma says, "I want the tempo to be perfect for effortless dancing, not too fast or too slow. The music should make you want to dance." The music of Cloud 9 comes from many traditions. "I don't have much of a focus on what kind of music it is," (i.e. Celtic, French Canadian, or old-time) Gemma explains. "I like music with a slight unexpected twist." Adds Michael, "We have a similar vision of how to be in the music, improvising while staying true to the style and tune." This is set amidst Mark Sardella's guitar chords, which often create counter melodies to the tune. "I feel grateful," Gemma says, "for the experience of being a part of this sound and playing with these good friends." -Will McDonald |
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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 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. Guadalupe Sports & Recreation Center, Don Fernando at Manzanares (one block west of Taos Plaza).
Megaband Practices
All musicians welcome.
Albuquerque: Albuquerque Megaband practice is held at the Blue
Dragon Coffee House, 1517 Girard NE,Albuquerque, the Tuesday before
the 3rd Saturday dance. Bruce Thomson, 268-6003.
Santa Fe: For details contact Robin Brown, 474-7751, or e-mail robin440@earthlink.net.
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.
Keep FolkMADS up to date so you'll continue to receive the newsletter and we can contact you. Call John Arthur, 831-8096.
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Contact Trish Woodall prior to November election. |
Mark Your Calendar
Fiddle 'n' Feet Coming to Land of Enchantment
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Jamie will teach a |
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MegaBand Tune of the Month
Bruce Thomson
Jamie Gans
Jamie Gans is a terrific fiddler from the midwest (Minnesota and Indiana) who was brought to New Mexico years ago by Merri Rudd to help celebrate an important birthday. He's since been back several times to play for dances, most recently with his dancer/caller wife Tamara Lowenthal. They'll return this Fall to play another dance, which will almost certainly be outstanding.
Jamie plays a wide variety of styles--including Celtic, French Canadian, New England, and old-timey--and can play an entire dance of tunes I've never heard of. He plays a lot with Sam Bartlett, a great tenor banjo and guitar player, and one of the most creative accompanists in the genre. Together they recorded a really nice CD a couple of years ago entitled City of Rocks (Yodel-Ay-Hee 021) that showcases their virtuosity and creativity.
ABC Notation
X:13
T:Hughie Travers'
R:Reel
M:4/4
L:1/8
N:from Jamie Gans, City of Rocks, YAH CD 021
K:Am
|:AAcA eAcA|AAcA GA E2|AAcA eAe^f|
gggg edcB|AAcA eAcA|
AAcA GA E2|c2AcB2GB|dBGB cAA2::cde^f geee|
G2G^F GAE2|cde^f geee|
ea2gaged|cde^f geee|G2G^F GAEA|c2AcB2GB|
dBGB cAA2:|
Hughie Travers'
Family Dance September 29 in Santa Fe, Led by Bayou Seco
On Saturday, September 29, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Bayou Seco (of Silver City, New Mexico) will host an evening of dance for the whole family in a large array of styles. The dance will be held at the Odd Fellows Hall in Santa Fe. All dances will be swiftly taught, and children who want to learn the dances are very welcome. There will be Spanish Colonial Dances like the Broom Dance, la Valse de los Paños, La Varsovianne, the Chotis and la Cuna (cradle dance); Cajun two-steps, polkas, rancheras, lots of waltzes, and Here Comes Zodiac (a southeastern play party dance). Many of these dances have been danced in New Mexico and the Southwest for more than 100 years. They are easy to learn and fun to do. Bayou Seco has been playing as a band for 20 years, and is led by Ken Keppeler on 1- and 3-row diatonic accordians and fiddle, and Jeanie McLerie on 5-string fiddles and guitar. This Southern version of the band includes M. Mueller on guitar and fiddle, and Miguel Combs on string bass. Entry: $6 at the door, children (5-12), $3. Information: (505) 534-0298.
Other Events
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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. |
From the FolkMADS Scrapbook
Men of Worth (Donnie
Macdonald and James Keigher)
performed at a FolkMADS-sponsored intimate garden concert on June
23.
The FolkMADS bulk-mail crew (whom you never see, but surely appreciate) "do it in the dark." In keeping with the international blackout from 7 to 10 p.m. on the Solstice (June 21), the crew agreed to collate, fold, staple, label, and sort your newsletter mailing without lights, a swamp cooler, or other power-driven items-except the highly important electric stapler. Lew Suber, Nancy Ford, Merri Rudd, Linda Starr, and Melissa Wilson (left to right) join the fun. Mascot LuckyDog keeps watch under the table. (Bob Cornish, Ray Patrick, Meg Adams-Cameron, Tim Shaffer, and Bob Ford also pitch in during other mailings.) Ice cream sundaes followed.