Growing a Folk Community from Seed

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Blues=Life
Date: 12 Jul 16 - 11:15 AM

Wow, Susan, sorry I missed your response! Sounds like a great place to hang out and play music!
The Noise are still playing every Sunday, still amazingly supportive of one another, and continue to grow in size and ability.
It's always a good time!

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Aug 15 - 08:16 PM

PS the house layout was great and minimal prep was simple. I took pix of the space as set up and will use that setup for classes and support groups that also meet here. Taking down the card table we use as a dining table tripled our seating space. This was all indoors due to yard issues and extreme heat/humidity. 10 people and instruments etc fit well in one room. A 2nd room was set for overflow if needed but since people came and went we did not need that space. The yard and patio though can easily handle a house concert in future, as well as bigger jams. And there is a danceable clean lawn, should dancing break out!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Aug 15 - 08:10 PM

What fun!!! People really did take (and not pass) their turns. A first-grader found out what a song circle is instead of running off to toys or video games. We met some new folks and saw a few people we knew. And everyone tuned their own instruments. I took a turn singing unaccompanied, and that went well. We had enough copies of books used locally, and did one from our own songbook too.

Shared tonight.....

FIRST SONGS:
Wade in the water
Waltzing matilda
The times they are a changing
Angel band
You are my sunshine
On top of spaghetti
Louis Collins
Blowing in the wind
The housewife's lament
Beans in my ears
Sloop John b
This little light of mine
The water is wide
Goodnight Irene
Don't you weep after me
Four strong winds

FIRST STORIES:
The Brahmadatta's Noble Horse and the 7 Kings;
The Discovery of Fire

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Aug 15 - 01:17 PM

What a great story, Blues. What's happening now?

In the smallish Ohio town where we'll retire in a few years (which I visit quarterly to work on the little house we bought), I have been enjoying two good monthly song circles held here. They are very different from each other and very well attended by two distinctly different groups. There's enough people in the surrounding multicultural area for even more folk music. And our house not only offers an opportunity to fill a gap I spotted-- the property is perfectly suited for hosting multiple, simultaneous activities. Tonight is our small beginning. (How I'm missing Rick!!!)

The planned Celebration Circle draws from experience gained as described above, and adds storytelling . Basic operational rules have been developed that will help folks avoid misunderstandings around whether totally different "usual" expectations are in force: is it a campfire sing... or an open mic... or a tune session... or a contradance... or a..... Gosh, each of those are so different! It can and will be possible to do all of the above, with a few simple agreements.

One thing we will NOT be doing is teaching, unless invited to do so.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: Blues=Life
Date: 28 Sep 09 - 11:35 PM

Ok, this thread needed to be dredged up. I contributed the story of my attempts to start a folk fellowship in the first part of this thread many years ago. Well, it didn't work, and these things happen.
4 or 5 years went by, my family moved to a new town, and I became active in a new church. I played a little guitar here and there, but didn't really have a place to play. Then a friend at church asked me to run a summer class on simple praise guitar, based on a book that her father-in-law had given her. 12 weeks, 12 chords, 3 strum patterns, 20 simple praise songs and hymns. I figured 4 or 5 people would show up. We had 20. Now, there was the normal attrition, (mostly, in my opinion, caused by people trying to learn guitar on just bad instruments. I would have had problems playing on some of these guitars… but I digress!) but a fair number hung on until the end.
Great. Now what do you do? Well, we did it again. Fewer students, but some repeat customers, who wanted to work on what they had learned. And it also turns out that while I was teaching those two classes, a few "real" guitarists showed up to play along, and to help out. They took turns teaching when I was on vacation, and they were a great resource with classes that big. So just for the heck of it, we kept meeting after the second class was over. And some of the students kept coming. People kept bringing in songs they wanted to play and learn. Most of it is that old -time Americana and gospel music. But there are blues songs, and bluegrass, and Clapton, and …Well, you get the idea. And a couple members of the choir started coming in early, sitting in, and singing those great harmonies. And one day I looked around, and we had a revolving cast of 10 guitarists, a mandolin/banjo player with a great voice, a 80 year old with a dulcimer and a ukulele (ya just gotta love the sound of a uke on I'll Fly Away) a bass player, a percussionist, 4 or 5 vocalists, and a monthly rotation in church services. And, mostly as a joke, because the classes in the adjoining rooms would kid us about how loud we were, we got ourselves a name. We've got room for everyone, we have a lot of fun, it doesn't matter how good you are because there is safety in numbers, and we are The Joyful Noise Acoustic Ensemble.
Who would have thunk it seven years ago?

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 02:49 PM

Hmmmmmmm, well I guess you're right Susan. Grudgingly I'll admit that the person in question was NOT a jerk, merely someone acting in a fiscally astute way.

My problem is that I've NEVER acted fiscally astute (with individuals). The first time Heather pointed this out to me was when she noticed that many of my lessons seemed to far exceed the (paid for) hour. "Boy, you DON'T do this for the money, do you" she said. Too late though, she'd already married me!!

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 24 Nov 02 - 12:14 PM

We seem to have two camps gathering around us, with some overlap but not a lot-- oldtimey/bluegrass in one, and a mix of folk music, old pop stuff, blues, and a bit of C&W the other. Makes jam night pretty interesting. I think a tune/instrument jam for the first group and a song circle for the second group will emerge. We think a monthly workshop, somewhat like a group lesson, also will emerge, in
addition most likely to the monthly free jam. Or maybe the workshop part will replace the beginner's jam....

My husband and I are in the self-taught tradition ourselves, and what we seem to be best able to share is the encouragement and freedom for people to explore music and their instrument as self-directed learners, and a willingness to play together which, in my opinion, is the best place for skills to grow. This can happen both as people swap techniques or as people push themselves to play with others. There is a magic about how that has been happening in our efforts, and I am beginning to suspect that if we organized it any more formally into lessons, we'd kill something very special. Not to say we are not wanting to charge for the time it takes to prep songs that will work for the people who come, or for our leadership in helping people find a variety of resources, or our experience with a variety
of genres..... But it feels to us more like a process of mentoring than like the transmission of techniques.

So, our PR is shifting.... we now say that we are inviting people to take the plunge and come to the next jam... "Discover that you play better than you think you can, when someone else is leading a tune you want to try, and take a chance on leading one yourself in some easy key, so we can all play along with you."

BTW, it turns out that skill is not the necessary ingredient to lead a
song-- no one really cares how well you play it or sing it. The key
ingredient is just a willingness to risk a little embarrassment to start a song or tune everyone else can try out THEIR skills on! No one is listening to the LEADER-- we're all too busy having fun hitting the groove, or worrying how well WE are playing along!

I love doing all this while also in rehab mode myself... I just don't have the time or the energy to organize or plan it any more than it ought to be... it's a constant work in progress and a surprise, and all we seem to need to do is throw open the door when jam night rolls around and let it happen right before our eyes.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Nov 02 - 04:39 PM

Well, Rick, the instructor was not a jerk, just someone who's paid his dues long since and is very good at mkaing connections out of opportunities... he's been a good ally in a number of ways, but he was watching his bottom line closer than I was watching mine.

My PERSONAL opinion is that a thank-you gift (that embarassing word, CASH) for the leads I generated would not have been inappropriate, especially if he would like me to keep the pipeline open on other leads. If it's going to be a case of ass-kissing, he sure didn't kiss mine any too good.... but I didn't negotiate it in up front, either. Let that be a lesson to someone else reading all this, I guess.

Perhaps more importantly, though, I have to keep dealing with the fact that I am in a rehab mode, and I'm not just as quick as I once was. It used to be you could not get the jump on me. But I am much nicer now, and although it feels odd to miss a trick, it's actually better to keep my focus straight and not have to do it ALL. So, I'm just pleased that I looked deeper than the feelings and found the vision again. It feels like a close call, like I dodged a bullet, and you know, it will turn out to be a big benchmark for me, how I handled this. And it will leave me energy to do... what I oughtta be doing.

I hate growing up though! *G* It's partly YOUR evil influence, Rick!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 05 Nov 02 - 04:02 PM

Sorry to hear that Susan. Yep, I'm afraid there are jerks in our profession. For twenty years I competed at a pretty high level in the "professional music biz" biz. Earned a good living, had agents and Managers, and rarely got taken advantage of.(hmmmm, good grammar eh?)

Did a lot of "surrupticious" ass kissing as well. (That's when you do it but try to convince yourself it's just 'networking")

Got very sick of a LOT of things about 14 years ago, and decided that I might never change the world, but I'd make damned sure it didn't change me. So now I just smile at the "ambitious ones" who play "dog eat dog", EVEN at FOLK FESTIVALS, WORKSHOPS and COFFEE HOUSES!

Frig 'em (so to speak)

As I said before....valuable thread, this.

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Nov 02 - 02:29 PM

Well, we organized an October workshop and brought in an instructor who promptly signed up people WE had found, for lessons... cost me a month of effort, some seed money, and for no return other than a learning lesson I didn't really need... we had discussed lessons being held at our house but now we were being passed by... I was not quick enough on the uptake to convert the workshop to lesson bookings. (This time.)

But once I thought it over I was glad it happened that way.

It amounted to a close encounter with the bluegrass kind-- not a folk workshop-- and we never set out to compete with them or enlarge what they are doing, although we welcomed their participation if they desired it. So we are refocusing on song circles and bringing good folk talent into the area, which is still lacking. ANd looking for a more broad-background type intructor.

But for a long, painful minute there I felt all the awful feelings you feel when someone scoops you, and cuts you out of the opportunities YOU generated-- and I could have competed as a reaction. Then I realized, wait minute-- this is NOT even what I set out to do, at ALL!!! I am sure the wider folk biz can be pretty cut-throat, too, but by golly, if I am going to give my house over to music, it's going to have to be ALL music, and the bluegrass people can be there or not....

The main thing I learned was-- when someone tells you they teach beginner ANYTHING, ask more questions-- if their view of music is narrowed to any one genre, they are not the right person for a beginner to work with, or for me to promote in this learning community. People are going to have have tunnel vision like that-- but that's not MY vision.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Sep 02 - 09:37 AM

Hey Mmario,

Yeah, a few fiddles. *G* You know what THAT means.

Remember Brion, with the hat and the lap dulcimer? He came back. We need to get you guys hooked up to do Mary Had a Little Lamb parodies. Next time, wear hat. *G*

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Sep 02 - 09:35 AM

UPDATE:

Things have progressed now to the point where we have:

>> a constant influx of newcomers, from continuing PR, who range from new learners to experienced players, plus people who want to listen and sing

>> new folkies being formed from among people who did not know what folk was or that they liked it

>> a steady stream of excited e-mails about participating

>> more and more relationships with leaders of genre-specific music clusters in the immediate and surrounding areas

>> people wanting lessons and instruments

>> people who participate in the decisions and work of the monthly jam and other things that flow from it

>> a certain body of songs and tunes that are becoming "our" usual beginners' material, with a songbook potentially in the making

>> a house that was an empty nest with occasional Mudcatter visits, becoming a houseful of homemade music that visting Mudcatters can just enjoy and perform in

>> an amazing number of people who want to fiddle, and to fiddle pretty much whatever can be fiddled, regardless of previous musical experience or genre of interest!

>> hosts (me and Hardi) who have gained enough confidence to start busking and working up tunes for a performance set, who had been songleaders exclusively till recently... which means that when we gig, we already know how to get the audience involved and have music they will want to sing with...

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: MMario
Date: 23 Sep 02 - 09:34 AM

guess you had some fiddles! (still moping because I coulsn't get down this month)

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 23 Sep 02 - 09:23 AM

The following is pasted in from another thread where I was asking about leading an oldtime jam with little experience, and how to toss the leads around between singers and instruments. There was lots of other good advice and info in it, too, on oldtime jamming. These posts reflect how the community was affected by what we did.

I am including this to show how even without expert knowledge, the music itself builds the community if we are just willing to give it a shot.

~S~

================================================================

Subject: RE: Oldtime Jamming Question (duh)
From: Les B - PM
Date: 21 Sep 02 - 01:24 AM

WYSIWYG - glad it worked out for you. It's all kind of made up on the fly, unless you're a real band, and that's what rehearsals are for - to work out just how you're gonna do it every time.

You referenced the old time music on Honkingduck. My sense is that in the early days of recording the musicians adjusted their songs to "fit" the two or three minutes of recording time available, and that the record producer might be signaling them to extend or cut the song/tune. I wouldn't judge any of their patterns (AABB or AB, etc.) to be a standard - they might not do them the same way at all in a live performance.

================================================================


Subject: RE: Oldtime Jamming Question (duh)
From: WYSIWYG - PM
Date: 21 Sep 02 - 01:43 AM

Yeah, we were talking about that very aspect (radio play) tonight after the jam. My husband is a wonderful partner in looking at what has just occurred in any situation, and seeing what was going on underneath and why a thing worked. This lets us learn every time, and lets us be more intentional about things the next time around. We just keep wondering about a thing, till we see what there is to see.

What I ended up doing was asking my husband to sing on the song I wanted to work on, so I could shuffle the pieces around between him and a fiddler who had never payed lead before-- it was stunning, since the fiddlers he's used to leaning on were not here tonight. So he really grabbed hold and did a job for us all tonight. He felt like a million bucks and I banged out the time on my very loud autoharp, and I would let my husband know whether to take the verse or chorus to sing, and when. It was "Two Dollar Bill," and it worked great.

The other conclusion we drew is that it is not, in the final analysis, important at all how well someone plays or sings when leading-- because the most important thing is just that someone with good rhythm and half a clue about the tune LEADS it so everyone else present can have a great time screwing around on backup, trying different things. If the one on lead does a stellar job, we concluded, THAT will be noticed, but if they do LESS than a stellar job, no one will care because most people in the jam are listening to themselves! *G* And I learned a hard but key lesson-- the Jam Leader outranks any Oldtime Police present! (Any police in attendance can just lead it their way next time-- we always bow, after the Beginner Jam, to anyone present who is more skilled than we, if s/he wants to take over leading the songcircle.)

Anyway it was great being right between these two guys, my husband and the fidddler, as they tossed it back and forth, and I was unobtrusive enough that they will do it more seamlessly, on their own, next time.

We also got a brand-new lap dulcimer player lead out "Mary Had a Little Lamb." It's the one piece he has learned, because he just started playing.) He finally GOT it that you do not pause before starting the tune over-- a lady sang with him quietly at his elbow so he could know to keep going-- and he was thrilled to be given a chance to play for so long, and we all joined in with enough variation, verse to verse, but very quietly, that we made that thing sound pretty damn good!

It's wonderful, getting a chance to draw people into the fun. Makes me mad no one has been working with folks here till now. What a waste!

Thanks again, all, for the hope and encouragement. About a dozen new players, and a couple of old fogies, benefited. I will never forget that fiddler finding out he could really PLAY, while his wife and two very little girls watched daddy shine, and the younger girl droned along with me, watching my fingers on the chord buttons to see where daddy was taking us all. BIG eyes! Super!

"Folk Music and the Meaning of Life"???? We got that, too!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Sep 02 - 03:06 PM

Vision? Music being heard, sung and played by ALL, pre-cradle to grave.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Sep 02 - 11:29 AM

Rick, I believe this can be done in ANY community. I can't count the number of mean-looking old folks I've run into around here who, once I start playing, brighten up and confess their love for old music! They leave, all right, but all sweetened up, laughing. I KNOW it ain't ME-- believe me I ain't that good! It's the MUSIC, and if we don't believe in the music, we can't grow a damn thing. So that's Concept One.

We were at a jam last night-- been going to as many different ones as possible to catch all the vision I can-- and WOW. One key to it was that the core players have long since given up any confusion whatsoever about how they are going to spend their free time. If it's the second Friday, or two of the Thursdays in the month, they are PLAYING MUSIC in places where other people might hear it and get a tickle out of it. So here is the second key concept-- do you think of yourself as a musician, and conduct your life accordingly, or do you never make time to BE yourSELF, because you honestly (admit it!) prefer the hope to the reality? I am going to start asking that at the jams, at the end of them, when I make announcments about the next ones and other events.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 14 Sep 02 - 11:10 AM

In my opinion this (part one) thread has been one of the most valuable on the cat.

As you know I'm a HUGE believer in Music being a wonderful therapy for folks who are having a rough time of it, as well as those who are happy as clams. For fifteen years I've tried to hook up my students with other folks at a similar stage of musical developement (I often LOSE students that way...but if I had any head for business, I wouldn't be a musician anyway!)

Feeling isolated? Like to sing (a bit), or play (a bit)?

Put up the SIGNS. They will come! There ain't nuthin' like bein' around people! (And unlike relatives...eventually they LEAVE!)

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Sep 02 - 10:52 AM

Well, the people who have had long success with the bluegrass here (and its iterations as a party-hearty affair and more recently a somewhat substance-controlled effort) have apparently seen the future coming, because suddenly their website looks a lot like ours in content, and suddenly (surprise!) they are planning a monthly jam as well as an e-mailed events newsletter (they just got my first "issue" last week). I have successfully resisted the urge to send nukes, and have established ladylike and folkie-appropriate contact to be in cooperation. I said I would of course be promoting their events and that I hoped for the same cooperation in return. And the mail to do that began to fly. Because we really have gotten something going here, and they have faced that reality. *G*

What an odd business it is, the folk music business. And how quickly we become known for who we really are, in a small-town setting.

IMO the standard is that that more music is always good, and that competition is not only unnecessary but, in this kind of community, likely to do more harm than good in terms of splitting audiences and thereby reducing gig opportunities. One can and should be an opportunitst, but I believe it is possible to be a Principled Opportunist and to get farther. At least all my other careers have demonstrated that clearly. I think Red Cross said it best-- one needs a for-profit head and a non-profit heart.

Unless these other people can top a Mudcat Gathering, though, I think what we are doing will continue to hold a lot of participants. This is because our vision includes the reality that ALL people need and want music, both to hear it and to make it. Our vision is not limited by genre or divided between audiences and professionals. So we see 41,000 potential audience members, not the relatively small subset who have gone to the bluegrass concerts and annual festival. In fact all you Mudcatters could theoretically move here and be paid giggers, with the right approach to marketing it all. *G*

With the speed of our response, these nice, hardworking people have already learned, I believe, an important concept in dealing with me-- NEVER piss me off on a Friday.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 09 Sep 02 - 12:50 PM

I have FOUND the CONTRADANCERS. They badly need some PR. PR-R-Us.

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed, II
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Sep 02 - 11:20 AM

UPDATES

A local coffeehouse was started here about 6 years ago to bring good espresso to the people here, to the transplants from the flatlands who missed or had only heard about Real City Coffee. They started in a tiny little shop and soon expanded into a space that allows some seating for music and poetry readings, and they have been working toward a sustaining audience for that. Attendance and events there have been so spotty that we just went ahead with our own plans, which had been in place well before they opened. We figured eventually it would all join up, and now it seems to be.

They had a VERY succesful Celtic evening there last week and I have made contact with the organizers, who say they have just gotten some funding together for forming a local arts organization as a nonprofit. My own plans are rather more business-oriented, and I am thrilled that they want to work together. I have offered to do scheduling cooperatively and to cross-promote, and additional discussions are planned. I also have some good grant leads that will augment the whole picture for all concerned. Some can only be pursued by a nonprofit, and some are designed for presenters to aid them in funding artist fees to keep ticket prices low.

Some other good news is that our own audience-building activities are going really well-- and a band I had hoped to book eventually has gotten themselves booked at the nearby university. (SIMPLE GIFTS) We have been invited to help promote, and also to plan a musician's workshop with this band. Their being booked here will give a little bit of a push, also, to the other arts organizations in the county I had approached about booking them-- and hopefully encourage those venues to book one of the other bands I brought to their attention, now that we can demonstrate interest and a potential audience.

We are continuing to get weekly calls or e-mails from the PR that's out now about the jams, and a friend has put up our flyers all over the place. And I have used the flyer to get a couple of paying gigs for us, by using it like a business card. We went out one evening to run through some new material at a nearby roadside restaurant that had offered jam space in the past when I was worried that a Mudcat Gathering here would overrun our living room (and it nearly did). We'll be dropping in there on a regular basis to "rehearse." No kidding-- the area is so music-starved that even when we are only working up new stuff, and rejecting the tunes that don't come off well-- people come up to us and offer us chances to play for money at their events! It's not that we are that good-- just that the time for all this is really here, and people DO want more music as long as it's presented in a way that feels right in this mountain community: the just-folks way.

That restaurant, as well, looks to be a good potential venue for some of the music we want to increase around here-- family-oriented singalongs. The place and the staff and the food are great, and it is WAY under-utilized as a dining spot.

Gee, if you have been wanting to try this in your area, I think I can safely say that there is no reason to hold back. Go for it!

Take a fresh look at our website (LOCAL FOLKS)if you have not seen it lately!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 05 Sep 02 - 10:59 AM

I see. It sounds wonderful! A folk community is forming there as a byproduct of people wanting to just get together and play. Over here I think the vision and planning are different (not saying it's a better one).

In our case we see a whole community with all the elements present that are not now fully present-- players, audiences, music shops, venues, a place to stay for out of towners, lessons and workshops.... publicity streams.... and we are working intentionally and in an organized fashion toward that.

Which I will continue in PART TWO.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Amos
Date: 02 Sep 02 - 11:36 AM

Well, I did not "collect" anyone -- there were a number of people who hung around enjoying the music, and then when it was over we all went away, I think. If I had collected them it would have been hard to explain to BBW when I brought them home! And since we were not a band or looking for gigs it didn't occur to me I should be propmoting something. The one guy who had said last month he wanted to start a bluegrass band didn't make it, cuz he was too busy sleeping off a long gig in another band the night before!

A

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Sep 02 - 01:41 AM

Amos-- Didja collect up any people from wanderers-by? Players or potential audience members or gig sources?

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Amos
Date: 02 Sep 02 - 01:38 AM

Well, I dunno exackly -- me and Banjoest agreed to get together one time and bet was there and Banjoest brought his buddies. And we were all veterans, pretty much, and played together well -- everyone knew enough to pariticpate in most of hte osngs. Noone was driving the event, it self organized as anet effect of a lot of self-designed choiced by each of th epariticpants. Then we set up a couplemore because Genie knew me and she was interested int he next one. And the core enabling device, of course was the Mudcat.

At the second one, word of mouth brought one other musician, a fiddler I had played with once before (that was today). Banjoest and his friends were there and we had a jolly good time playing and isnging for about three hours, I guess. Until our fingers got too sore, anyway!

So I would say the successful formulation was the common-interest comms system and the word of mouth, and the free decisions of those involved. Dunno much moah then thayut!

Regards,

A

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Sep 02 - 03:22 PM

Hear tell ol' buddeh Amos and Banjoest doin' a lil planting theyselves, I think they has BULBS tho, not SEEDS.

What's the haps, Amos? How did it come about? WHY is it working?

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 25 Aug 02 - 04:15 PM

Blues, what do you think is happening here? What needs to happen?

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Blues=Life
Date: 24 Aug 02 - 11:05 PM

I know I said "Keep your fingers crossed, we may get this sucker off the ground yet." Well, folks, you can uncross them, because this particular sucker crashed and burned. Got lots of interest, lots of "I'm going to try to be there next week." One little problem. Nobody actually showed up, except for one week. I'm going to fade back 20 yards and punt. But for the time being, this particular attempt at growing a folk community from seed has been hit by Round-Up, and is dead, dead, dead.

Like the Cubbies always say, "Next Year!"

Blues

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: MMario
Date: 24 Aug 02 - 07:48 PM

About 28 people there last night - including several families -(some very talented kids!) guitar, accordian, mountain dulcimer, autoharps, singers, listeners, violins, mandolins.

wow!

More later when I can put some thoughts together.

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 11 Aug 02 - 07:04 PM

We have been attending others' jams while on vacay in Chicagoland, and picking up tips om leadiong ours even better. Our housesitter reports that calls and e-mail are still coming in from the last round of PR, and she is set to do another round while we are gone.

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 28 Jul 02 - 07:49 PM

I was wondering! Thanks for the update! If I can be a further sounding board when we get back from vacation the third week of August, jes' holler.

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Blues=Life
Date: 28 Jul 02 - 07:05 PM

A quick update:

For the first time, it wasn't just me at our new Folk Fellowship. (One other guy showed up, but we had a blast.) And next week, our church is having a Music Fair to encourage participation in the various programs availible, and they've given me a table. Everyone else is going to just have signup sheets. We're going to be playing music.

Keep your fingers crossed, we may get this sucker off the ground yet!

Blues

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 22 Jul 02 - 03:54 PM

N E W S

Through a mail list, I learned about a writer who is working on an article about people's experiences starting a song circle. I invited her to check in here, so please continue to share your own experiences.

Through the website, I *met* a Texan who doesn't have asong circle in his area (that he knows of). I referred him here and to the Mudcat Filter search to learn more about other potential jammers, and maybe how to start up something in his area.

So I would amend the earlier statement-- "if you build it they will come," and "people will take note and be heartened to make their own start."

Yeah! Mo' MUSIC!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: GUEST,Hippie Chick
Date: 20 Jul 02 - 11:44 AM

Susan,

I have read about as far as June 12, so I don't know what you have planned :) but anyway, I thought that a potluck picnic/jam would work out well. Everyone likes to eat, and so get folks to bring veggies, salads, meat&potatoes, and whatever instrument they enjoy plunking upon. Start small, build big. All the advice I read above sounds on the mark. C U soon!

HC

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Jul 02 - 10:31 AM

And......... it only took a month and a half, with more efforts underway to grow it even bigger as time goes on.

Start yours today!

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Jul 02 - 10:21 AM

FURTHER DESCRIPTION
(Copied in from posts at Local Folks)

We had a full porch as a result of all the local publicity, and only quit on account of the skeeters. Next time we will move inside at the break, once everyone who had wanted to come has arrived and things are cookin'. We went until 10 and it would not surprise me if we went till 11 next time.

New players outnumbered regulars! In all, we added four guitars, and standup bass, an autoharp, and someone who will bring that guitar next time. We had people bring chairs and come just to listen, too.

The jam was very informal, with Greg and I leading and coordinating for the first half till people were comfortable. Then it took off on its own with people throwing out song ideas, and it really clicked from there.

It was GREAT!!!!!!!

Can't wait for next time!

......... the music mix. EVERYTHING. Bluegrass, blues, gospel, Goodnight Irene, Hank Williams, Five-Foot-Two, a fiddle tune.......... I just KNOW I am leaving stuff out...... totally a mixed bag, with no one and no style dominating.

It was a folkie free-for-all! *G*

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 20 Jul 02 - 09:59 AM

Thanks, Rick.

ALL the PR tricks made it happen-- some had seen the flyer at a store or restaurant, some at the bluegrass festival, and some had seen the annoucement-TV blurb.

It was SO COOL.

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 20 Jul 02 - 09:29 AM

Fun, ain't it?

"I would sure appreciate your comments on the website, Rick."

Looked at yer website and it looks great. I'm not a very good person to ask about websites though.....now I'll be happy to look at yer "F" chord though.

cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 19 Jul 02 - 09:47 PM

WOW!!!!!!!!!

They ALL CAME!!!!!!!!

STRANGERS!!!!!!!!!

A stand up bass player!!!!!

Four new guitar players!

Buncha singer/listeners!

Oh the HAPPY FACES!!!!!!!

Jam-o-RAMA!

~Susan

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Jul 02 - 04:03 PM

Semi, as discussed. A theme and a theatrical set piece are not the same thing. We want a mood, not limits, see?

Me and Hardi will NOT be dressing up, nor will participants.

For the performer, I think, it's all in the hats.

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: MMario
Date: 18 Jul 02 - 03:48 PM

hmmmm--- guess this kinda means that the performer will be "in character".

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 18 Jul 02 - 03:42 PM

Yup!

House concert-- one person attending has insisted I let her wear a period dress and work the door! Yay! I think I know someone else who will react similarly, to direct people to parking out back, and directing them to the line of luminaries leading up to the front door!

People here LOVE anything theatrical and sedately daring.

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: hesperis
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 11:00 PM

Great that this all is doing well!!! *HUGE HUG*

I got internet again today, will write tomorrow.

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 06:09 PM

Awww! \\\ blush///

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Amos
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 10:22 AM

Sooze:

You are one amazing human being.

Keep rolling on, honey!!

Love,

Amos

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 10:21 AM

I would sure appreciate your comments on the website, Rick.

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 10:06 AM

Glad my suggestion was helpful Susan. After my rather unpleasant little enforced hospital stay, I'm glad to see this project kicking ass big time.

Boy I wish more folks would do this kind of thing. Especially the ones who are TRULY isolated. (I don't just mean rural folk, 'cause you can be isolated in the biggest city as well)

What I know from long experience is 'IF YOU BUILD IT,(the infrastructure that is) THEY WILL COME!'

Then you have to find a way to get 'em to LEAVE!

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Jul 02 - 09:30 AM

Our little gospel band has just been booked to lead a gospel sing, to kick off the "Old Home Days" parade for a little town in our county! We can use that to do PR for all this other stuff! Yay!

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: harpgirl
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 02:35 PM

...hey gargoyle...I see you're not the LBH3 Song Meister anymore!!! What happened, did they vote you out or did you run out of dirty songs????!!! love, harpgirl

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 02:35 PM

Candlelight House Concerts. (Great to hide the damn dirt!) (Do you know how many too-short, leftover beeswax candles we accumulate at church?????) Hahahahhh!

Smell of mulled cider.... and oatmeal muffins with honey.... and GREAT coffee with real cream from down the road.... and CHOCOLATE.....

The performer's dressing room is UPSTAIRS, DUH!!!!!!! He comes waltzing down the stairs, through the crowd, singing (or teasing the crowd) as he comes....... oh MAN!

Sigh.... even I wanna be there! *G*

~S~

Subject: RE: Growing a Folk Community from Seed
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jul 02 - 02:28 PM

Oh, I wish I could tell you, it's too hot to mention... let's just say word is now on its way out around the town's circles of influence..... This is GREAT. It's all falling right in our laps!

As well it should!

Also I just re-counted the house, for house concerts-- for a solo performer we can seat 40 with good sightlines, and another dozen at least who come late and may not be able to see (but acoustics here are GREAT and there are corners to hang out and schmooze). I see myself in the kitchen, behind the island (oh look! it's really a serving counter!) ... selling drinks and snacks....

Gee, our performer is going to have to duplicate some tapes to sell.....

~Susan