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09 Nov 99 - 01:08 PM (#133725) Subject: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Nancy-Jean Those of us who couldn't be there would be grateful for feed-back. What songs did you hear that tore you up or melted you down. Was the geriatric belly dancer there for a bumpy-grind around the cafeteria? |
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09 Nov 99 - 01:19 PM (#133733) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Rick Fielding Ha Ha, Nancy Jean. I was sorry to miss it this year for the first time in a while. Even though the little elderly lady doing the belly dancing evoked a few chuckles, I think she gets a hundred points for commitment. Man I wish I had that kind of energy and confidence NOW! Was the "Rosewood Kazoo" man there? Rick |
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09 Nov 99 - 02:45 PM (#133758) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Vixen Well, I didn't want to start this thread, because I could go on for hours. Tim and I arrived at about 10:15, left at 9:30, and the time went by so fast it felt like fifteen minutes.
High points for us: Lowest point: Too much to do at once. We had to cut into and out of sessions halfway through to see/hear anything of some of the ones we wanted. Also, there was no meal break, and no food allowed out of the cafeteria, so we missed things we wanted to attend because our blood sugar needed reinforcement. BUT WHAT FUN!!! Got home at 11:30 exhausted but wishing we could go back the next day. Can't wait for next year! V |
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09 Nov 99 - 04:12 PM (#133808) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Jeri All the workshops I went to were great, but I agree with Vixen that it was difficult to get to everything I wanted to. I sometimes went to half of one and half of another. Jamming was not very prevalent - there was some sort of fire-safety rule, and people weren't allowed to congregate in the hallways. Kendall did two songs at a Sun night party that were hilarious - "I Just Don't Look Good Naked Anymore," and "The Folkie," to the tune of "The Boxer." |
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09 Nov 99 - 05:25 PM (#133839) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Jacob Bloom My subjective impressions: Singing - I enjoyed the Songs For A Sunday Morning singaround. Several people told me how much they had enjoyed the Shanty Singing on Saturday night. And I always enjoy hearing The Beans. Dancing - I particularly enjoyed the klezmer dance sessions, and the beginner's contra session I led on Saturday night, of course. I was going to comment that I saw a young belly dancer dancing next to the jam in the hallway, but not an elderly one - but I just realized who you must be referring to. You'll find her name in the program book, in the section that commemorates friends of the festival who have died in the past year. I haven't seen Judy in a few years, but I never thought of her as "geriatric". I remember her dancing with a sword balanced on her head, whirling around, and having the sword keep turning when she stopped. And, having travelled together with her for three weeks as part of a tour of Belgium and France with the Green Mountain Volunteers, I can tell you that she was always a delight to be with. |
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09 Nov 99 - 05:33 PM (#133842) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Barbara Shaw We were there for the Saturday evening session, 4 to 10, and it flew by. It was great to see mudcats there. Kendall was the first person we saw outside when we walked up to the front door. Said he was taking a break from Caroline Paton's musical flower box! Nice to meet Vixen and Tim for the first time -- yes, we're gonna hafta get together sometime to play some tunes -- and Karen K, Kath Westra, Lamarca, Liam's brother, who else? Also good to see Sandy & Caroline and Dick & Susan again. High points: The Castle Band with Willow & Jim Sirch were wonderful, especially the woman who sang with them whose name I never heard. The Shape Note beginner's session. Now I'm all ready for the program we're having in Branford on Friday. The song "Will the water be chilly when I am called to die?" was a great one, and I'm looking for it if someone has the melody and words. Low points: By the time we got to the cafeteria, all the good food must have been eaten. What we had was only food-like. Not used to being a full-time spectator. We expected to have a bit of a jam, but that never happened, so it turned out that we just took our guitar and banjo for a good ride.
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09 Nov 99 - 05:53 PM (#133852) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Jeri Barbara - I heard the place to eat was the Scottish food booth. I ate at the other line by mistake the first time. Caroline's musical flower box...an electronic doohickey with flowers that danced to "In the Mood." You really have to see it to believe it. Jacob, yes, the "Chantey Blast" as it was called was great. The stage was packed with performers - Johnson Girls, New York Packet, Tatties and Herring, Dan Milner, Dave Diamond, Jerry Epstein, who am I forgetting, all taking turns leading, and the audience having one good old singing time. |
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09 Nov 99 - 06:00 PM (#133855) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Joan Great! As a former NOMAD program committee person, I still usually keep my oar in the grid, since Marc sends it to me to proofread each year. Your respective takes on the doings are terrific feedback, and I'll send the link to Marc to see, and maybe copy for the rest of the folks. Glad to see Sunday Morning Sing is still a favorite. I started that a long time ago, and remember how aghast the programming committee people were. Most were concerned with dance, not singing. "You want to take TWO HOURS for a singaround? Who will SIT there for that long?" I begged them to trust me...nobody would be unhappy. And I'm sure Judy did a fantastic job seeing that everyone that brought a song got to sing it. Tell more--I was sad to have missed the fun. Joan |
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09 Nov 99 - 06:45 PM (#133871) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: KathWestra (from my Board meeting in Chicago) Joan -- We missed you too!!!!! She (Joan)is too modest. Joan used to live near NOMAD, and was a KEY person in organizing this annual festival -- to the tune of hundreds of hours of volunteer work (along with Mark and other members of the organizing committee). I'd like to add that the organizers of this festival not only do great work, but are among the friendliest festival organizers I've ever run across. Highlight -- Dennis and Judy Cook singing the Berryman's "Double Yodel" in the "He Said, She Said" workshop on Sunday afternoon. It was hilarious and wonderful. Rick -- Yup, the kazoo guy was there -- and had run out of his wonderful kazoos before the end of Saturday. Durnit. I'd hoped to buy some for my nephews this year. Kath |
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09 Nov 99 - 09:45 PM (#133936) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Sandy Paton My highlights? There were two that come instantly to mind: Liam's brother singing "The Marble Bawn" in the "Irish Songs in America" workshop, and singing "Sleep On, Beloved" with George and Lamarca in the "Songs for a Sunday Morning" session. Thinking about it some more, let me add "getting to know Nathan Bean, the eleven-year-old gentleman we left in charge of our booth with complete confidence in his competence to handle the responsibility while we went off to fulfill our workshop duties." Nathan took Visa and Mastercard sales information, collected money from cash sales, made change, and charmed the hell out of our customers (and our eleven-year-old grandaughter). His only shortcoming was a constant urge to push the "start" button on Caroline's infernal "Dancing Flowers" to begin another round of "In the Mood." I'm pleased to note that he went home with a new (used) hammered dulcimer that his folks got for him at Mike Kachuba's dulcimer booth. Let me tell you, Nathan restores my faith in the future. Sandy |
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09 Nov 99 - 09:58 PM (#133939) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Jon Freeman It sounds like a good time was had by all, but for the ignorant (i.e. me) what is NOMAD - what do the letters stand for? Jon |
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09 Nov 99 - 10:37 PM (#133957) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Jeri NOrtheast Music, Art, and Dance (I checked my program.) |
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10 Nov 99 - 05:26 AM (#134026) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Jean I'm not a regular Mudcatter but I do look in from time to time. I was at NOMAD for the first time and had a great time. I think the thing that stood out for me the most was a song called "This Time Again" sung by Karen K. It's a great song and it was sung just beautifully. There was a lot of great music and I just couldn't get to everything. I also loved all the sea shanties. It was a great time and I will definitely go back next year. Jean |
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10 Nov 99 - 01:51 PM (#134189) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: lamarca We had a lot of trouble dividing our time between 2 events going on simultaneously, a good indication of a good program line-up. This year was particularly shanty-rich! Between Johnson Girls, New York Packet, Shipping News, etc, I had a good time belting out choruses from the audience. The food has definitely gone downhill since the high school started requiring the festival to use its "Culinary Arts" class as the main caterer. Gone are the days of interesting and/or scary ethnic food booths...but there's always "My Place" and the "Blue Colony Diner"! George and I were first given the opportunity to perform at NOMAD by Joan. We enjoy getting to "show off", but what keeps us coming back year after year (as long as the Committee will have us) is the chance to visit with friends. Having Jeri, Kendall, Vixen and other 'Catters there added to the fun (and our audience - thanks, guys!) The Sunday Singaround is one of the few places where folks can sit and swap songs during the program, and is a great part of the NOMAD tradition. Joan, we missed you... |
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10 Nov 99 - 07:31 PM (#134346) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Joan ...missed you all, too. Remember the time everybody used to stay at my house (wall-to-wall sleeping bags), brought food to share, and always thought we were going to stay up and party? Mostly after singing all day we sat around feigned alertness for an hour, then crashed. Considering that the venue had to be switched from High School to Middle School and back again during its formative years, we're lucky it kept going. Maybe next year I'll be there, and get a chance to see more Mudcatters in the flesh. Unless everybody goes to NEFFA in Natick, MA in April. Hmmmm? |
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10 Nov 99 - 09:53 PM (#134442) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Judy Cook Thanks, Nancy-Jean, for telling me to look at this thread. I loved NOMAD, as always. It was a chance to hear lots of good singing and visit with friends. One highlight was hearing Ellen Cohn in concert again. She finds really good songs which she sings well and is a skilled musician. Too bad we don't hear more of her. --Judy Cook |
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10 Nov 99 - 10:10 PM (#134451) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: John and Carol Just to eliminate any confusion - the "geriatric belly dancer" is not Judy Anscombe, who passed away last July. Our cafeteria belly dancer was a local person who performed at a number of previous NOMADs, but did not perform here this year. |
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11 Nov 99 - 08:42 AM (#134561) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Nancy-Jean Thanks and WHEW! I shall look forward to seeing her again one day. Her spirit and daring was one of the wonders of past NOMADs. |
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13 Nov 99 - 02:18 PM (#135555) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Willa NOMAD is a fun festival for me every year since I've had the chance to lead folk dancing for the last seven or eight years. Highlights for me this year: Serving on the NOMAD committee and being part of getting the festival up and running. Stacy Phillips, Ellen Cohn and the Bethwood Suzuki Fiddlers playing for Ted's Triplets with Ed Potter calling. The kids ranged in age from about 8 to 13 years old and they were terrific! Ellen Cohn sang the one song collected from the years that the Farmington canal was in service. My husband and I just moved to a house around the corner from the canal and had asked her to sing it a NOMAD. The International dance workshops and especially the abundance of dance parties. Including: ZIMA who played Debka Chamor; because several dancers there were able to do it with the spirited Israeli styling we once possessed as teenagers, The 2 hour dance party featuring a Different Village and my Klezmer dance workshop which was very well attended and the music was awesome! The Shanty Blast! So many great choices! So little time!
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14 Nov 99 - 12:26 PM (#135933) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Pelrad What, when and where is NEFFA?? Looks like I missed out on a good NOMAD. |
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14 Nov 99 - 12:32 PM (#135935) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Pete Peterson NEFFA is one week early next year thanks to a late Easter; I don't have my brochure with me but believe it to be around 15 April-- a week before Easter (with the morn, I hope, bright and clear) it is in Natick MA at the Natick HS and is the New England Folk Festival Association's festival and MUCH MUCH fun. Personally I am hoping to do our Carter Family workshop again & play in the "string weed & rind jam" that Drew Smith always hosts and sing chorus on many many songs and . . .and. . .worth a trip! |
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14 Nov 99 - 04:25 PM (#136027) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: kendall Is there a web site for NEFFA? want details |
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14 Nov 99 - 11:24 PM (#136186) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Charlie Baum The NEFFA website |
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30 Nov 99 - 06:52 PM (#142861) Subject: RE: Nomad: what were the high points? From: Barbara Ruth Folks, Thanks for the great comments on NOMAD. As one of the Organizing Committee members, (among many who put in a great many more hours than I do), I can say that the highest point of all is hearing how much people enjoyed the festival. That makes all the work worthwhile, and all of us eager to do it again next year, and make it even better. I'm sure there are lots of people reading this who have done their share of organizing events and know exactly what I mean. I would like to know if anyone would mind if I quoted from some of your comments in "the NOMAD Muse", our occasional newsletter (you can email me off-line at barbararuth@rocketmail.com - and if you've never gotten "the NOMAD Muse" and want to, email me for information on becoming a NOMAD member). Barbara Ruth New Haven, CT |