Greetings:

From what I understand, Don describes the style of hootenannies that Terry Petus organized in Seattle. In other words, they were musical parties that may have had leaders who kept things going smootly, as well as some invited musicians so there would be a certain level of competence. In many ways, the picnic at Kytrad's house on Long Island this past August was a modern example of that kind of hootenanny.

By contrast, the hootenannies that I organize are modeled after the kind the Almanac Singers started in New York around 1941. They are essentially multi-performer mini-concerts, in which the performers provide vocal and instrumental accompaniment for one another, and in which the audience is encouraged to sing along. I often call upon people I know from the audience to join performers on-stage for a particular song, and I have sometimes even handed a guitar to someone and asked him or her to play along on a familiar song, such as This Train Is Bound for Glory. Nevertheless, in spite of their informality, the hootenannies that I produce are concerts, not sing arounds. That's why I am using the title New York Hootenanny to describe the one I am presenting on February 23. I may be wrong, but as far as I know, no one else is currently producing this kind of hoot in the USA.

--- Steve