Page 1
Membership Renewal/App 16
In the spotlight…Ken Glasser
From the President 2
Open Mics 2
Songwriters’ SONGFEST 3
Songwriters’ SHOWCASE 4
Traditional Folk Song Circle 4
Gear of the Month 6
The Songs We Sing 7
Inside this issue:
F.A.M.E. Goals 16
Board of Directors 16
Comfortable Concert Series 8
Hill Chapel Concert Series 9
Pull up a chair 10
Scholarship Info 11
Ken Glasser In the Spotlight 12
Panhandle Earth Day 13
Other Acoustically Sound Orgs 13
Panhandle Earth Day Celebration photos on pages 13 and 14. May 2014
He played in a band
named The Jug
Pownders; he has
performed the
National Anthem at
Nationals Park
stadium and, he has
mastered the
Weissenborn. Ken
Glasser is not your
average musician.
See story on page 12.
Page 2
Open Mics
Page 2
Frederick Coffee Company & Café, 100 N. East Street, Frederick: Every
Tuesday night 7-10 PM, Todd C Walker hosts. This open mic welcomes
all “family-friendly” talent. Generally, performers receive the equivalent of
time for two songs each. Enjoy good food from the enhanced menu in a
welcoming and warm, inclusive atmosphere. The sign-up list fills quickly, so
come early if you can.
Staff photo
From the President
Peace,
Rick Hill
Michael Schirf Kim Perseghin Jim Rose Dave Koronet Tom Bockoven
Photos courtesy of Todd C Walker
Ony Maybe Left and center photos by Tomy Wright; above photo by Karen Fetters
A lot of musicians get asked to play for benefits. I receive requests fairly regularly. There
are several questions one should ask before accepting. First, do you believe in this cause?
There are lots of great causes around, but I cannot support them all. I choose causes that I
can really get behind and those I am willing to put time, energy and money into. There
are only a few. I do give my time and talent to those causes. I hope that there are others
who will support the causes I cannot support. Second, if the benefit is not something near
and dear to your heart, do you need the exposure? There are times when the exposure to
a larger, more varied audience will be more helpful in the long run than a small amount
of money. If the answer to both of the previous questions is “no” then either I will not
play or I expect to get paid. All of this comes from two foundational beliefs: 1. Musicians ought to be paid. 2.
Musicians ought to donate their time and talent to those organizations they support.
Page 3
The Epicure Cafe, 11213 A Lee Highway (route 29) Fairfax, VA. Music
Variety Showcase: Second and fourth Wednesdays at 8 PM, hosted by Ron
Goad. Open Mic: Show up, sign up, perform one to three songs. Epicure is an
independently-owned and family-run cafe with tasty food, including appetizers,
Greek specialties, salads, sandwiches, subs, pasta, desserts, coffee drinks, wine
and beer. Epicure features various creative events that fill every night of the week,
including wonderful musical acts, local art exhibitions, open mics, poetry readings,
comedy, and now—storytelling! All this and an outdoor hookah!
Sunday Songwriters’ Songfest Frederick Coffee Company and Café
100 N. East Street, Frederick, MD
Every other Sunday at 4 p.m. Todd C Walker puts together an afternoon of local,
regional, and sometimes national talent. Songwriters perform 30-40 minute sets.
Performers are not paid, so please tip generously.
May 8 Open Poetry Night May 22 Open Poetry Night
Beans in the Belfry, 122 W. Potomac Street, Brunswick, Maryland:
Third Thursday of each month 7-9 PM, Tomy “One M” Wright hosts
this cozy venue with great acoustics, as it is an old church reclaimed as a coffeehouse with
a friendly, relaxing atmosphere. This is a SAW- and FAME-endorsed open mic which
draws performers from both groups, as well as the local area. Format is a first-come, first-
served sign-up list with usually two or three songs each. Percussion available upon request.
Every other Thursday evening from 7-9 PM. Come join us at the reserved tables
at Frederick Coffee Company and Café for an evening of poetry. We feature
published poets and themes according to the season. We always welcome original
works from F.A.M.E. members and guests who would like to share, read, or listen.
“Come out, get a poetry fix, a cup of coffee, and have fun.”
Poetry
with
John H
olly
Page 3
May 4 Big Hoax Eli Staples
May 18 Cecilia Grace Lark Rize
Poetry with John Holly Frederick Coffee Company and Café
Page 4
(Continued on page 7)
5th Bob Sima
12th Tom McBride
19th Spook Handy
26th Mary Battiata (Little Pink)
What is a Songwriters’ Showcase? How is it different from an open mike?
To answer these questions, come upstairs at Brewer’s Alley in beautiful, historic, downtown Frederick,
Maryland, any Monday evening from 7:15 pm until 10:15 pm or so… The singer-songwriters you will hear are
a mix of national and regional touring performers with many award-winners from all genres; no beginners!
The featured songwriter for the evening plays for around 45 minutes; a number of other songwriters make
cameo appearances singing three songs. Every show also includes a piano prelude to start the evening, our two
resident poets read two poems each somewhere in the program, and we have four MC’s, so it’s impossible to
get bored – it’s an acoustic variety show!
All of the performers are invited to play; this enables us to maintain high standards of musicianship and song-
writing – and makes for excellent shows! We have consequently gained a national reputation for being a great
place to both perform and be heard!
Note: there is no sign-up on the night, although we sometimes pull songwriters we know from the audience
and make ‘em play! There is no door charge, although we do pass the hat for the featured songwriter. Come
out and support LIVE ORIGINAL music!
If you would like a calendar for 2014, please e-mail Rod ([email protected] ). For information about playing a
three-song spot, contact (1) Ron Goad: [email protected] , (2) Rod Deacey: [email protected] or (3) Todd
C. Walker: [email protected] . For info on featuring (the 45-minute money spot!), contact Rod Deacey:
[email protected]
Brewer’s Alley Songwriters’ Showcase Brewer’s Alley, 2nd Floor, 124 N. Market Street, Frederick, MD, Shows begin at 7:30 PM
Page 4
Traditional Folk Song Circle Dublin Roasters Coffee, 1780 N. Market Street, Frederick
Second Saturday of each month 2-4 PM
Guitar players strumming, drummers drumming and 46 folks singing set the scene for the April 12th Song
Circle held at Dublin Roasters. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, Song Circle’s attendance
record was once again broken this month. Attendance records have been broken each month for the past three
months as follows: February (36), March (37) and April (46). WOW! Friends just keeping bringing more
friends -- and that’s a really good thing.
A total of 32 songs were sung, seven of which were sung for the first time by the group. One of the 32 songs
was “This Land is Your Land.” Tom Kohlhepp informed us that this song was originally titled “God Blessed
America For Me” and was written by Woody Guthrie as a protest song against “God Bless America.” Guthrie
thought “God Bless America” was too sappy and far-removed from the hard-knock life many Americans were
facing at the time in 1940. Additional background information on this song can be found in an article Tom
wrote that appeared in the November 2012 F.A.M.E. newsletter. This article can be accessed on F.A.M.E.’s
website and includes a link to a YouTube video that shows the true essence of the song. Another song sung by
the group was “De Colores.” This song appears in the Rise up Singing songbook in Spanish, but Roy
Greene provided music sheets with the verses in English for all to share.
To date, the group has sung 324 (27%) of the 1,200 songs found in Rise Up Singing. Our goal is to sing all of
the songs. However, in the past we have occasionally sang songs not included in Rise Up Singing. And,
officially beginning in June, we will offer the option of “going outside the book.”
Page 5
Traditional Folk Song Circle Dublin Roasters Coffee, 1780 N. Market Street, Frederick
Second Saturday of each month 2-4 PM
Page 5
Photo & clip art arrangement courtesy of Karen Fetters
The Song Circle broke attendance
records with 46 participants in April.
Photo courtesy of Todd C Walker
Page 6
Gear of the Month by Todd C Walker
Todd
I like good quality sound when it comes to music. The sound of an acoustic
instrument should be pleasing to the ear, whether it’s a stringed instrument (guitar,
banjo, ukulele, etc) or the human voice. Live performing usually requires some sort of
sound reinforcement (PA, mics, etc). The quality of the components, and how well they
are adjusted, will determine if the amplified sound is good or bad. A high quality sound
system adjusted poorly will sound bad. A poor sound system run well will sound okay.
A high quality sound system, adjusted correctly, will sound “really good.” That being
said, let’s focus on one main component – the microphone.
There are many brands and models to choose from, in all price
categories, but let’s talk specifically about vocal mics. The industry
standard for live vocal performance is the Shure SM58 (average retail of
$99). Originally designed for rock singers, it has become the universal
choice of performers and sound engineers. It is a workhorse. It sounds
great, but does have a few negative traits. One is the proximity effect if used by a singer with a
less than clear voice who sings too close to the mic (eating the mic). In this instance, it can sound
somewhat muffled. If used by a singer who whisper-sings, volume may be a problem. But
overall, it’s a great microphone.
Lately I’ve had open mic performers who whisper-sing (usually a sign of nervous shyness). In
this type of scenario, I have difficulty with the typical dynamic mic (Shure SM58 or Sennheiser
835e), so I’ve been using my Blue encore200 microphone. The encore200 requires phantom
power which gives it more gain than the typical dynamic mic (which is why I use it). But even the
encore200 wasn’t giving me enough gain, so I decided to try Blue’s encore300 – a true condenser
vocal mic (average retail of $199).
The encore300’s styling is cool (see photos). Like the encore200, the mic is quite heavy (heavy-
gauge barrel construction with hardened metal-plated finish), definitely stage tough. It has an
innovative, cool looking, reinforced chassis that protects the capsule and allows maximum
airflow for a smooth, open sound (description from company material). The capsule is tuned for
“stunning detail” and “powerful vocals.” Hmm…this gave me pause since I purchased it to help
with my whisper-singers. Not to worry though, the mic is no slouch when it comes to gain
(volume).
The first time I used it I set the volume to the usual setting (approximately 10 o’clock) and
turned off the mute switch. Yow – major feedback – wow!! Talk about gain, this mic is hot!
The best description I can use is “studio like.” The microphone picks up sound really well. Gum
chewers might not want to emphasize the click of the gum though. But for whisper-singers, it’s
perfect. I do need to roll off some of the high frequencies, but boy what a nice mic for cutting
through extraneous sounds (barrista machines, audience chatter, etc). Being a condenser mic that
is more sensitive to sound, popping P’s and B’s can be more of a problem than with the typical dynamic mic,
but popping sounds can be controlled with vocal control. This is a perfect mic for singers to learn vocal
delivery etiquette.
My rating? One and one-half thumbs up. I would give it two thumbs, but I
realize the price may be a little high for the average singer/musician, thus the
one-half deduction.
How does the Blue encore300 compare with my Shure Beta 87A, which is
my personal microphone? Well…the Beta 87A sounds smoother to me, but
it doesn’t cut through quite as well as the encore300. The Shure is less apt to
emphasize the popping P’s & B’s. The Blue encore300 has a crisper sound
quality to it (to my ears). Will I use both? Absolutely “yes!”
Now go make some music. ♪♪♪
Page 6
Page 7
The Songs We Sing by Caryl Velisek Page 7
We sang some more new songs at the April 2014 Song Session and had 43 folks
join us. We started off with our old standby, “You Are My Sunshine” and sang
“Amazing Grace,” “Simple Gifts,” which is a Shaker song and “I Will Bow And
Be Simple,” another version of the Shaker song. “Tom Dooley,” “Blowin’ In The
Wind,” John Denver’s song to his wife, “Annie’s Song,” the Grateful Dead’s
“Ripple,” “If I Had A Hammer,” James Taylor’s “Fire And Rain,” “Four Strong
Winds,” “Teach Your Children,” “Dock Of The Bay,” “The Rose,” “Shenandoah,”
“I’ll Fly Away,” and “The Cat Came Back,” and of course, Woody Guthrie’s “This
Land Is Your Land.” We also sang “Imagine,” Malvina Reynold’s “Magic Penny,”
“The Tracks Of My Tears,” and “Summertime.”
We tried a couple of new ones (to us), which we decided we needed to practice
some more, like “What Did You Learn In School Today” and “Pack Up Your Sorrows” and a couple of old
cowboy songs, “Ol’ Texas, Or I’m Goin’ To Leave Ol’ Texas Now” (They’ve no more use for the long-horned
cow), and “Old Chisholm Trail,” which is about the trail named for Jesse Chisholm, who built several trading
posts before the Civil War in what is now western Oklahoma.
We also did “Brush Your Teeth,” which has been sung on the popular kid’s show, Sesame Street, “The
Garden Song,” another popular children’s song written by David Mallett, which is now considered a folk song.
It has become a part of American folklore since it was recorded in 1995 by the Muppets. It’s also been
recorded by Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary, John Denver, Pete Seeger, Dave LaMotte, and Arlo
Guthrie. In fact, John Denver’s recording made the national charts. This song also inspired Leo Lionni to write
a book in 1995, called Inch by Inch.
Another we haven’t sung before was “Sweet Potatoes,” a song by H.W. Loomis, but we sang it the way Pete
Seeger sang it, with some additional lyrics by Pete.
We sang Phil Ochs’ “I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore,” which is actually listed in some books as a cowboy song,
“Lonesome Valley,” which is an old traditional gospel song by David Miller that has been sung by a number
of recording artists like Woody Guthrie and the Statler Brothers, to name two.
We sang “Brother Can You Spare A Dime,” which is one of the best known songs of the Great Depression.
It was written in 1930 and was part of a 1932 musical called Americana. The melody is based on a Russian-
Jewish lullaby and was considered by republicans to be anti-capitalist propaganda and was almost dropped
from the show. It was also recorded by Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, and Rudy Vallee.
We sang “De Colores,” an old Spanish song about the rainbow in the sky, “You Were On My Mind,” and
“Hey, Look Me Over,” which is from the musical, Wildcat, Lucille Ball’s only Broadway show.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the songs we sing and we hope to see you next month at our next Song
Circle, when I’m sure we’ll be singing some more new songs as well as some of our old favorites. ♪♪♪
If you would like to introduce a song not in the book, please bring approximately 20 copies of the song
(chords included) for the group to share. For those of you who want to be inspired by the calendar when
choosing songs to sing in May, the month of May includes Nurses Day, Mother’s Day, Armed Forces
Day, and Memorial Day.
Attendees included Charlotte Abney, Dori Balin, Karen Baker, Margie Barber, Lannaeis Blake, Jessica
Bowers, Allen Clark, Theresa Cochran, Barbara Collins, John Cooper, Todd Dutton, Karen Fetters, Bill
Gerhardt, Craig Gillespie, James Gillespie, Marilyn Gillespie, Roy Greene, Rick Hill, Heidi Hoffman, Tom
Kohlhepp, David Koronet, Kathy Lee, Jeannie Lloyd, Steve Lloyd, Doug Lundgren, Gloria McCracken, Janice
Minor, Dorthea Mordan, Ed Mordan, Jay Oden, Chuck Peake, Johnnie Peake, Avery Pierre, Charles Pierre,
Natasha Pierre, Zachary Pierre, Lynn Purdum, Mike Sodos, Jennifer Stanko, Elbin Vantassell, Jean
Vantassell, Caryl Velisek, Todd Walker, George Waxton, Daylynn Wright and our Song Circle host, Tomy
“One M” Wright.
We hope to see everyone at our May10th Song Circle! ♪♪♪
SONG CIRCLE (continued from page 4)
Page 8
Comfortable Concerts
Upcoming Comfortable Concerts
June 20 Brett Barry http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=2UrEeUsKQXQ
July 11 Jeff Miller www.jeffmilleronline.com
August 15 Buzz Cason www.buzzcason.com
September Ryan Tennis www.ryantennismusic.com
Comfortable Concerts has a Rockin' Spring Planned with 2 concerts in May!
On May 9, I will be hosting Nashville based husband and wife duo, NEELY. Jeremy and Kaci's high energy
and edgy song styles are brilliantly composed for band or acoustic. They will perform their songs acoustically
for us.
They began writing and perfecting their vocals in Missouri and Kansas
while growing up, and in the mid 90's, they joined forces in music and
marriage. They have been recording since 2008.
Their writing spans the range from sensitive ballads to more energetic
songs with guitar riffs and superb vocals.
Please join me for a wonderful evening of acoustic renditions of their
music. www.neelymusic.com
Doors open: 7:30pm
Suggested Donation: $10-$20/person (solely for artist)
Location: Damascus area
After work? I offer plenty of food and beverages
RSVP: May 7: (Robin) [email protected] (please refer to FAME newsletter)
THEN ON.......... MAY 30, Comfortable Concerts will host pop/folk artist, Jason Myles Goss!
Jason is based in Brooklyn, NY and grew up in Massachusetts. He has been recording since 2003. His feel
good, catchy, mid-tempo melodies and sensitive lyrics will surely be pleasing to your ears. He has a broad
range of influences from Gillian Welch to Ryan Adams.
At 21 years of age he won "finalist" at the Newport Folk Festival Songwriter's
Contest. He is a three time finalist at the Mountain Stage New Song Contest. His
song, Twilight Serenade" is in a steady rotation on Pandora and XM Satellite
radio. He tours the country year round and self-produced his fourth album, "Radio
Dial".
Jason Myles Goss has shared the stage with Lori McKenna, Slaid Cleaves, Ellis
Paul, and Martha Wainwright to name a few. www.jasonmylesgoss.com
RSVP: May 28 (Robin) [email protected] (Please refer to FAME
newsletter)
Doors open: 7:30pm
Suggested donation: $10-$20/person (solely for artist)
After work? I offer plenty of food and beverages
Location: Damascus area
Please join me for two extremely talented contemporary artists in the month of May!
Page 8
Page 9
Most THURSDAY NIGHTS 7:30 to 9:30 PM
Page 9
Concert Hall & Venue
Suggested donation $15
for most shows.
Subscriptions available:
5 Shows - $60
10 Shows - $100
Please call the Hill Chapel
for more information
(301) 882-7172
Doors open 7:00 PM ~~ Arrive early to ensure seating ~~ Shows begin at 7:30 PM
Click on the artists’ names below; the links take you
straight to their Websites for bios, videos, & music
Upcoming Hill Chapel Concerts
1 Neptune’s Car http://neptunescar.com/
8 Debra Cowna http://debracowan.com/
15 Barbara Martin http://barbaramartinmusic.com/
22 TBD
29 No Show This Evening
From now until the end of June, the Hill Chapel
house concerts will be held at
Grace Episcopal Church
5740 Green Valley Road
in New Market
Page 10
Pull up a Chair…The Weavers
by Frederick Folklorist
Page 10
You can’t really start a conversation about The Weavers without first talking about
The Almanac Singers, since one half of The Weavers were one half of The Almanac
Singers. The Almanac Singers were founded in 1940 by Lee Hays, Pete Seeger,
Woody Guthrie and Millard Lampell. Talk about a liberal, leftist group of folk singers
– WOW! They sang mostly anti-war, anti-racism, and pro-union type songs. They
soon caught the attention of the government and disbanded about two years later. I’d
love to go into more detail about them, but this article is about The Weavers…so pull
up a chair and let’s get started.
I’m not really sure why I liked The Weavers more than, say, Peter, Paul and Mary or
The Kingston Trio. Maybe it was because they never backed down from their beliefs and stood up to the
bullies of McCarthyism. Maybe it was because they were quick to credit lesser known writers like
Leadbelly when they sang their songs. Or maybe it was just as simple as they seemed to care more about the
music than the money. Whatever it was, I was always a big fan of The Weavers.
The Weavers were founded in1948 and were actually named
after a play called The Weavers about an uprising of Silesian
weavers in Prussia (now Poland). The “quartet” (more on that
later) consisted of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and
Fred Hellerman. The first year of The Weavers was spent mostly
trying not to starve to death. Another year passed and not much
improved. They were ready to break up when in the winter of
1949 they auditioned for a spot performing for the Christmas
show at the Village Vanguard, a club known mostly for jazz. The
gig went over so well it was extended thru the spring of the next
year paying $250 a week split 4 ways. Up until then Pete Seeger
was the top money maker in the group pulling in $15 a night for
three nights playing at a local club, so this was big money for
them. They hooked up with a manager who was able to get them a record deal with Decca. Their first release
was a 10” LP (long-playing album) of Christmas songs that went over like a lead balloon. However, their
second release was a different story. It was a two sided record. On the A side was “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena”
which went to #2 on the charts, and the B side was “Goodnight Irene” which went to #1 and stayed there for
13 weeks. The double sided record sold over two million records (and this was 65 years ago). Talk about a life
-changing event!
Their quick success caught everyone by surprise. In fact there’s a funny story about Ronni Gilbert. She had
just gotten married when the record was coming out and she and her husband had planned to drive out West
for their honeymoon. As they drove they would tune into the local radio station and every station was playing
“Tenza, Tenza, Tenza.” Every place they stopped to eat was playing”Tenza, Tenza, Tenza” on the
jukebox. When they finally got to their hotel, they had a telegram waiting for them saying to turn right around
and drive back as fast as they could because the offers from the clubs and TV requests were pouring in and
paying top dollar. So they never stayed one night there. They drove straight back.
It all seemed like it was too perfect for them, and of course, it was. The winds of change were in the air.
Slowly, word started to spread of their past political affiliations with left-wing groups. By 1951 they were
under FBI surveillance and the pressure was on. Gigs out West and down South dried up and they played
mostly in the Northeast. They were officially blacklisted by the industry and had to call it quits by the end of
1952. However, like in any good folk song, The Weavers had one more trick up their sleeve.
In 1955, their manager, Harold Leventhal proposed a reunion concert. He tried to book the Town Hall in
NYC, but they were turned away because they were still too controversial. So he called Carnegie Hall. Now
hang onto your hat...are you sitting down? Leventhal told the management at the Hall that he wanted to book
his quartet of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman to play at Carnegie Hall. They said,
“Sure, no problem.” You see, they were so consumed by classical music they thought they were booking a
Photo by Todd C Walker
Page 11
Scholarships As part of our mission to nurture acoustic music in and around Frederick County, F.A.M.E. has set up a
scholarship fund. Ten percent of your membership fees goes to support this fund as well as money from
workshops and other events. At the moment, we have $795 in the Scholarship Fund.
1. This scholarship is designed to fund a learning experience. 2. Preference will be given to F.A.M.E members. Member activity level will also be part of the
consideration. 3. The applicant must use the scholarship for an activity or project that meets the goals of F.A.M.E. 4. The applicant must provide the following:
The completed scholarship application. An interview; audio, video or personal, explaining the project, how it will help the applicant in light
of the goals of F.A.M.E. and how the applicant will use the skills/information learned to benefit the
acoustic music community. 5. The recipient of the scholarship must return to give a workshop related to their project.
6. The recipient must give a report at the F.A.M.E. annual meeting (written or oral). 7. Deadline for filing is March 31st.
The Scholarship Committee will make their decision by April 30th. Download the Scholarship Form, fill it out and mail it to:
FAME, 6509 Springwater Ct, #6404, Frederick, MD 21701
Scholarships will be awarded annually
Deadline to apply is March 31st of each year
Scholarship Form (Click link)
quartet of string musicians who would play Brahms or something. They had no idea who The
Weavers were. Had they known, they never would have agreed to the booking. Anyway, the
concert was a huge success; it was recorded and sold to Vanguard Records and that was a big hit.
The reunion concert turned into a reunion tour, which turned into three more years of The Weavers
performing together. The group formerly broke up in 1958, when they were asked to provide the vocals for a
cigarette commercial. Pete Seeger always took a firm anti-smoking stand and refused to do the commercial. So
it was at this point that the group decided to go their separate ways.
The Weavers reunited for one last goodbye performance in November of 1980, at (where else?) Carnegie
Hall. Lee Hays, who had both of his legs amputated from diabetes, and was in poor health, reached out to the
other members. For one glorious evening the stratified air of Carnegie Hall was filled with songs of the
working man. It was filled with union songs. It was filled with anti-war and anti-racism songs, but most
importantly, it was filled with songs of hope. You see The
Weavers didn’t sing for fame; they didn’t sing for riches; and they
didn’t sing for record companies. They sang for you and me.
Even though McCarthyism tried, it could not extinguish the flame
of free speech.
Shortly after the concert Lee Hays passed away, and recently
we lost Pete Seeger. I have a feeling that in due course after the
final Weaver is taken from us, there will be a fine quartet
assembled in the sky...and they won’t be playing Brahms. Give a
listen to the very last song The Weavers ever sang together. It's
from their Carnegie Hall concert in 1980. The intro is by Lee
Hays: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLvk-qsKonQ
Next Month: Stan Rogers. ♪♪♪
Page 11
Page 12
In the spotlight…Ken Glasser By Caryl Velisek
F.A.M.E. member Ken Glasser is part of a group of local
musicians that includes Angelin Donohue and Barry Bryan, that
has been playing and performing together in the Frederick area
for about three years now.
Glasser, who grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and went to
Oberlin College in Ohio, learned to play guitar during high
school. He got started musically with a jug band, The Detroit
Valley Jug Pownders, during his high school years. For those of
you who are unfamiliar with the term, a jug band is a band
employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and homemade
instruments like the wash tub bass, washboard, spoons, kazoo,
etc. The Pownders played locally and the Detroit News actually
liked their band name so much, they had their picture in the
paper, Glasser said. “I got involved in music when Jim Kweskin
and his Jug Band came to town and I heard them,” he added.
“At one point, our group lost our wash tub player, and some
others, and I learned to play wash tub, too, and also bass,” he
said. “We got caught up in the folk era of the 60s and played a
lot of folk. Then I put my guitar down and didn’t play much in
college. It sat in its case until, one day, I pulled it out in early
2000, and started to play again.”
He started going to open mics, he said, and learned to play the Weissenborn. “In fact, I had a guy in
California build one for me,” he said. “Then, about three years ago, I ran into Barry and Angelin and we
started to play together in the Frederick area, at Beans in the Belfry in Brunswick, and several other places like
First Saturday. Angelin and I also play at The Winery in Olney and will be playing May 7th at the Westview
Shopping Center. Last year,” Glasser said, “I was fortunate enough to play the National Anthem before the
start of a Washington Nationals-Atlanta Braves game at Nationals Park.
It was a wonderful experience and Angelin and my daughter, Becca, got
to accompany me onto the field.”
Ken plays the six string, the bass, and the Weissenborn and sings and
Angelin frequently sings with him.
“We perform Folk Americana, if you have to put it in a category,”
Glasser said. “Things like Richard Thompson, Rich Shindell, and the
Grateful Dead’s “Uncle John’s Band” -- from extra popular to extra
obscure.”
“I started coming to Frederick, to The West End Cafe, a while back,”
he said, “ and started going to the open mics hosted by Todd Walker and
Tomy Wright. I became interested in acoustic music and found the
music scene in Frederick so terrific. Todd Walker does an incredible job
helping, promoting, and encouraging musicians and making venues
available,” Glasser said. Retired now and keeping very busy, he said, his
music is an avocation.
Glasser lives in Germantown, as does his daughter. His son and
daughter-in-law live in Seattle. If you would like to hear his group
perform, you can contact him through F.A.M.E. or visit any of the places
they play throughout the area. Click here to see a YouTube video of
Ken, Angelin Donohue, and Barry Bryan performing at Hill Chapel. ♪♪♪
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The Detroit Valley Jug Pownders - that's Ken on the
left playing the washtub bass. This was the jug band
he was in during high school. He also played guitar
(that's his guitar on the stand in the background),
circa late 1960s.
Angelin Donohue and Ken Glasser
at an open mic at the Home at
Braddock Inn. Photos this page and
Page 1 courtesy of Ken Glasser.
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The Sixth Annual Panhandle Earth Day Celebration, brought to the community by Earth Vibe Productions
& Events, LLC, took place Saturday, April 26, 2014 at Morgan’s Grove Park, West Virginia. The celebration
is a free, family friendly, community-oriented festival event which includes music, art, crafts, food, children’s
activities, demonstrations, environmental and conservation groups, activists, vendors and a farmers market.
Todd Coyle, a principal of Earth Vibe Productions, is a musician and active FAME Member; the celebration is
a FAME-endorsed event. We recognize and thank Todd for all he does to promote FAME in his area and all
the hard work that goes into producing this event every year.
Performing at the festival were FAME Members Roderick Deacey (helped out by Tomy Wright on
percussion) and Steven Warner with his band The Rolling Coyotes. Our very own Tomy “One M” Wright was
once again Emcee for the event and Karen Fetters tirelessly manned our booth for the duration.
This year, FAME President, Rick Hill, hosted a two-hour traditional song circle using the Rise Up Singing
Songbook. The song circle included a dozen or more singers with guitars, banjo and fiddle. Many of the
attendees were volunteers from the FAME Traditional Song Circle led by Tomy Wright on the Second
Saturday of each month at Dublin Roasters in Frederick. Attendees drawn from the festival included several
local musicians and one singer visiting from Great Britain! A delightful time was had by all, in spite of the
high winds which took down both the FAME tent and the great tent at the main stage! We are already looking
forward to the Seventh Annual Panhandle Earth Day Celebration!
Sixth Annual Panhandle Earth Day Celebration by Fran Tucker
Photos courtesy of Fran Tucker
Page 13
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More photos from the
Sixth Annual Panhandle Earth Day Celebration Upper photos by Tomy Wright; lower photos by Karen Fetters
Page 14
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The Institute of Musical Traditions (IMT) is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization which preserves
and promotes American and international folk music traditions and nurtures new styles evolving from these
cultural roots by presenting concerts, workshops, and educational programs. IMT presents weekly concerts in
the fall, winter, and spring, in either Rockville or Takoma Park. They also present special events, icon con-
certs, family concerts, and workshops throughout the year, as well as occasional, Next to the House concerts in
Takoma Park. Their venues range in size from 50 seats to 500 seats. Check out their Web site
(http://www.imtfolk.org/index.shtml) for upcoming events!
ATTENTION MEMBERS:
Do you have a background in accounting or legal or any experience filing for
non-profit status with the IRS? If so, F.A.M.E. needs your help
Please contact Todd at
[email protected]
Some organizations in the area that you may want to check out:
Folk Alliance International exists to foster and
promote traditional, contemporary, and multicultural
folk music and dance and related performing arts.
Washington Area Music Association
Baltimore Songwriters Association Songwriters’ Association of Washington
DC Bluegrass Union
Folklore Society of Greater Washington
Baltimore Folk Music Society
Page 15
Page 16
F.A.M.E. Board of Directors
Rick Hill, President
Todd C Walker, Vice President
Tomy Wright, Treasurer
Karen Fetters, Secretary
Hank Kobrinski
Max Honn
Roy Greene, Editor
F.A.M.E. Newsletter welcomes your photos
and stories about local acoustic music and musicians.
Please email submissions to the editor at
[email protected] by the 15th preceding the
month of publication. Submissions subject to editing.
F.A.M.E. Goals: To nurture, promote and preserve original
and traditional acoustic music of all genres in Frederick
and Frederick County through live music, education
and community outreach.
To educate aspiring musicians and the general
public about all aspects of original and traditional
acoustic music of all genres via workshops, open
mics, showcases and concerts.
To reach out to the community via workshops and
concerts, especially through schools and youth
organizations and the setting up of mentoring
opportunities for young and aspiring acoustic musicians.
Page 16
Membership Categories
Benefits
Single $25 Newsletter, Sticker, T-Shirt (at initial sign-up), Annual Picnic
Family $50 Newsletter, (2) Stickers, (2) T-Shirts (at initial sign-up), Annual Picnic (for two)
Corporate $100 Newsletter, Window Sticker, T-Shirt (at initial sign-up), Annual Picnic, Website Link
Lifetime $200 Newsletter, Sticker, T-Shirt (at initial sign-up), Annual Picnic, FREE Workshops
Senior (65+) $10 Newsletter, (Annual picnic at cost)
Membership runs from January 1 thru December 31
Name: __________________________________________
Address: ________________________________________
City: ____________________________________________
State: ________ ZIP Code: __________________________
Phone: __________________________________________
Email: ___________________________________________
Please mail to: F.A.M.E. Membership, 6509 Springwater Court, #6404, Frederick, MD 21701
Questions: (301) 639-1050
Membership Category
______________________
Amount Enclosed:
$ ___________ . OO
Date: __________________
