1 Your Folk Music Connection portland folkmusic Society mar/apr 2019 In This Issue: Guy Davis 1 Nina Gerber/Chris Webster 3 “Best of 2018” Lists 4 New Officers 7 Song of the Season 8 Annual Meeting 9 Volunteer Profile 10 Finding Your Audience: Senior Centers 12 Farmers Markets 13 New Website Update 14 Membership 15 Trails Club SingAlong 16 Guy Davis An Ambassador of the Blues By Kathy Johnson B orn the middle child to famous parents (Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee), Guy Davis had blues music in his family background. His grandfather was a railroad worker who played the harmonica and a great-grandfather was a blues singer. As a child, Davis’ parents nurtured his love of noise and sounds by sending him to summer camps that deeply ingrained in his soul the power of song. “When I was eight-years-old I went to a summer camp run by Peter Seeger’s brother John. I heard a lot of five-string banjos and twelve-string guitars. All that music and all it had to offer. I heard the guitar and wanted to know how to play it; but the banjo was even more attractive to me.” “My father bought me a banjo and he bought me a banjo precisely at the point in American history when a black man did not need a banjo. He bought me a banjo because I asked for it. I am sure he would much rather have bought me a guitar because that was the happening folk instrument at the time; but I wanted a banjo. He let me enjoy that instrument and I am grateful for that. My biggest guitar influence early on was Leadbelly but I didn’t get there on my own. I would have to credit it to the music camp by way of Pete Seeger.” At age 16, Davis made his stage debut in a production of the play Cotton Comes to Harlem, directed by his father Ossie March 9 6:00 potluck; 7;20 sing Holly Hoffnung 4114 SE Salmon Portland 97214 for info. call David 503-459-6276 April 13 6:00 potluck; 7:00 sing Sarah Kauffman 9923 SW Quail Post Road Portland 97219 503-293-1486 Continued on Page 2 March 15, 2019, Reedwood Friends Church -7:30 pm Ticket Details Pg. 3 “Davis’ tough, timeless vocals blow through your brain like a Mississippi dust devil.” San Francisco Chronicle Song Circles are free community music events in members’ homes. If singing folk music with friends is your passion, these open house events are made for you. Feel free show up and leave on your own schedule. PFS Song Circles
Transcript
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localLore
Your Folk Music Connection
portland folkmusic Society mar/apr 2019
In This Issue:
Guy Davis 1Nina Gerber/Chris Webster 3“Best of 2018” Lists 4New Officers 7Song of the Season 8Annual Meeting 9Volunteer Profile 10Finding Your Audience: Senior Centers 12 Farmers Markets 13New Website Update 14Membership 15Trails Club SingAlong 16
Guy DavisAn Ambassador of the Blues By Kathy Johnson
Born the middle child to famous
parents (Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee), Guy Davis had blues music in his family background. His grandfather was a railroad worker who played the harmonica and a great-grandfather was a blues singer.
As a child, Davis’ parents nurtured his love of noise and sounds by sending him to summer camps that deeply ingrained in his soul the power of song. “When I was eight-years-old I went to a summer camp run by Peter Seeger’s brother John. I heard a lot of five-string banjos and twelve-string guitars. All that music and all it had to offer. I heard the guitar and wanted to know how to play it; but the banjo was even more attractive to me.”
“My father bought me a banjo and he bought me a banjo precisely at the point in American history when a black man did not need a banjo. He bought me a banjo because I asked for it. I am sure he would much rather have bought me a guitar because that was the happening folk instrument at the time; but I wanted a banjo. He let me enjoy that instrument and I am grateful for that. My biggest guitar influence early on was Leadbelly but I didn’t get there on my own. I would have to credit it to the music camp by way of Pete Seeger.”
At age 16, Davis made his stage debut in a production of the play Cotton Comes to Harlem, directed by his father Ossie
March 9 6:00 potluck; 7;20 sing
Holly Hoffnung4114 SE SalmonPortland 97214
for info. call David 503-459-6276
April 13 6:00 potluck; 7:00 sing
Sarah Kauffman9923 SW Quail Post Road
Portland 97219503-293-1486
Continued on Page 2
March 15, 2019, Reedwood Friends Church -7:30 pm Ticket Details Pg. 3
“Davis’ tough, timeless vocals blow through your brain like a
Mississippi dust devil.”San Francisco Chronicle
Song Circles are free community music events in members’ homes. If singing folk music with
friends is your passion, these open house events are made for you. Feel free show up
and leave on your own schedule.
PFS Song Circles
2
Davis. He continued his acting career with the lead role in the 1984 film Beat Street and on television as Dr. Josh Hall on One Life to Live from 1985 to 1986. Eventually in 1991, Davis had the opportunity
to combine music and acting on the stage in his Broadway musical debut in Mulebone, which featured the music of Taj Mahal.
Davis’ one-man play, The Adventures of Fishy Waters: In Bed With the Blues, premiered Off-Broadway in the ‘90s and has since been released as a double CD. He went on to star Off-Broadway as the legendary Robert Johnson in Robert Johnson: Trick the Devil, winning the Blues Foundation’s “Keeping the Blues Alive” award.
Guy credits his harmonica techniques to the legendary Sonny Terry. He followed the footsteps of this blues legend when he joined the Broadway production of “Finian’s Rainbow,” in the part originally performed in 1947 by Sonny Terry.
When Davis switched from banjo to guitar, he began to learn the East Coast acoustic blues style of Willie McTell and others which tended toward a steady foot tapping tempo and toward a less elemental outlook than Southern country blues.
His much-praised 1995 debut, Stomp Down the Rider on Red House Records captured his stunning live performance and marked the arrival of his deft acoustic playing, well- traveled voice and his literate yet highly accessible songwriting. The album landed on top lists all over the country including the Boston Globe and Pulse magazine.
Call Down the Thunder, his third album, paid tribute to the blues masters but leaned heavily on his own powerful originals. It too was named a top ten album of the year in the Boston Globe and Pulse. Acoustic Guitar called it one of the “thirty essential CDs from a new generation of performers.”
Along the way he’s cut nine acclaimed albums for the Red House label and four for other labels; as well as being nominated for nearly a dozen Blues Awards over the years. The critically acclaimed 2013 release Juba Dance was produced in Italy by Fabrizio Poggi (the ace Italian harmonica player).
Kokomo Kidd, Guy’s twelfth studio album combines modern with traditional blues; the somber and the celebratory. For him it represents a jump into new territory. “Kokomo Kidd was the first time I’ve
produced myself” says Davis.Above all he’s looking to bring people together
through music. “With the world falling apart it’s up to all of us to be ambassadors and to spread music everywhere we can. There’s nowhere I don’t want to play.”
Music has taken him to television (the Conan O’Brien and David Letterman shows) and radio (A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain
Stage, World Café, E-Town). He’s played the four corners of the world, with a recent tour taking him from the Equator to the Arctic Circle.
Guy has been asked a lot lately about a song on this latest album “I Wish I Hadn’t Stayed Away So Long.” It was influenced by his mentor, folk legend Pete Seeger, and the sense of loss. He explains, “I was on Pete’s last official tour in 2008 witnessing with my own eyes something I’d heard since I was a child. Folk music was the doorway I came into the blues from and I want people hearing the song to know life is precious and the road is not always an easy place to be.” n
“With the world falling apart it’s up to all of us to be ambassadors and to spread music everywhere we can. There’s nowhere I don’t want to play.”
One of the quintessential women of the traditional American acoustic blues, Mary Flower is an accomplished fingerpicker and slide guitarist residing in Portland, Oregon. In a genre that is still male dominated, Flower holds a place of high importance along with the small cadre of contemporary blues
women. There have always been many superb women singers, but very few female guitarists.
An acclaimed teacher, Flower helped develop Denver’s Swallow Hill Music School curriculum and has been found in session with the European Blues Association, Centrum Country Blues, the Fur Peace Ranch and at the Swannanoa Gathering. She has produced a number of highly regarded instructional DVDs and books, including Exploring 8-Bar Blues, Blues Guitar Arrangements for the Intermediate Player, and Lap Slide Blues for the Solo Player. n
Joining Guy Davis on Stage:
Mary Flower
Guy Davis Continued
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Nina Gerber & Chris WebsterFriday, April 19— 7:30 pmReedwood Friends ChurchBy Paul Rippey
I didn’t know who Nina Gerber was when I met her two years ago at the Puget Sound Guitar Workshop. She was teaching more advanced classes than I felt comfortable signing up for, but I got to hear her play at student and faculty concerts. She was in great demand to accompany everyone, because she could
seemly segue from folk to jazz to pop and swing with no effort. I knew enough to know that she is a guitarist of exceptional skill and range.
I asked some other participants who were taking her classes what they were like. Someone said that she would ask her students, “Why did you play THAT note?” And when I listened to her play, I understood that Nina seemingly never hits a guitar string just to fill the space. In fact, although she will play lightning fast licks from time to time, she more often plays sparsely, sometimes softly, but more often hammering out her lines with sharp force, making every note count.
I’ve gotten to know Chris Webster only through YouTube, but it’s obvious why Nina and Chris perform together: Chris’s style as a vocalist is similar to Nina’s as a guitarist. Chris delivers the songs she sings with clarity, freshness and directness. She never sings a word you can’t understand, or a nuance that isn’t clear.
Neither Nina nor Chris shows off when they perform. I assure you, you won’t need them to tell you how good they are. Instead, they deliver the songs you came to hear
as purely and directly as anyone can.Nina and Chris will be featured at the Portland
FolkMusic Society concert on Friday, April 19. We will be treated to great folk music of course, but with overtones of country, bluegrass, pop, rock, blues, and jazz. You will hear familiar covers as well as original songs. This will be a night of honest, pure music, impeccably presented, and I am so looking forward to being there with you. n
PFS Concerts:March 15 Guy DavisApril 19 Nina Gerber & Chris WebsterMay 17 Dave Stamey
All Concerts held atReedwood Friends Church2901 SE Steele St.Doors Open 7:00 pmConcert Starts 7:30 pm
ON LINE:$21 GA | $18 PFS members$10.50 ages 12-18 (Under 12 free)portlandfolkmusic.org
AT THE DOOR:$25 GA | $22 PFS members$12 ages 12-18 (Under 12 free)
“This will be a night of honest, pure music, impeccably presented, and I am so looking forward to being there with you.”
End of year “best of” lists are an excellent way to remind yourself of some of your favorites from
last year, to discover some great music you may have missed, and to feel smug and/or dismayed about having favorites that don’t appear on any lists. There is a “best of” list for every genre of music and defining genres has never been more challenging. Versatile musicians, record labels, music festivals, and “best of” list makers tend to blur categories. It is an exciting time to explore new music and to find new Folk/World/Bluegrass/Americana/Indie/Country favorites. After reviewing end of the year lists, signing up for e-mail newsletters, and clicking through websites, you can stay in the loop (and overwhelmed) for the rest of 2019!
Simply sign up and the Americana Music Association will e-mail you their weekly newsletter (https://www.americanamusic.org/newsletter) . Their first update of the new year features news and music from Balsam Range, Danny Burns, Margo Price, Tim O’Brien, Billy Strings, Dolly Parton, and more. In
addition to the newsletter, check out the Americana Music Association website (https://americanamusic.org) for awards, new music, and music news. Each year they announce the top 100 albums
and singles based on Americana Airplay Albums and Singles Charts (https://americanamusic.org/news/americana-music-association-announces-year-end-top-100-albums-singles)
For those of us that can’t wait for a week between newsletters, Bluegrass Today (https://bluegrasstoday.com/) pumps out a “daily buzz” email with news, charts, and concerts. Their first news of the year links to the “Top 30 bluegrass songs as reflected by radio play over the course of 2018.” How many are your favorites? You’ll also learn about festivals new and old, music camps, festival lineups, industry news, new releases and more.
Although “bluegrass” is in the name, Bluegrass Situation: Roots Music Defined (https://thebluegrasssituation.com/ ), covers traditional bluegrass to progressive folk rock, Americana, roots, and everything in between. Recent articles include an interview with Lindsay Lou, an artist-of-the-month profile of Dolly Parton, and features on Missy Raines, Martha Scanlan, and Tim O’Brien. Interested in reading a book about music? They have you covered with BGS Top Books of 2018 (https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/bgs-top-books-of-2018/ )
the bestof2018Although we’re already well into the first months of 2019, it’s never too late to review those “Best of 2018” lists to find out which albums and artists came out on top in readers’ and critics’ polls. By PFS Volunteer David Hutchison.
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Folk Alliance International (https://www.folk.org/) each year hosts the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community. The “2019 International Folk Music Awards Best Of nominees” (https://folkconference.org/2019/01/07/ifmas-best-of-nominees) were just announced in early January. Winners will be named in February. Categories include Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. Finalists are compiled from “Best of 2018” radio and print media lists in the US, Canada, the UK, EU, and Australia in addition to the year-end NACC Folk (https://naccchart.com/ ) and Folk DJ Chart (http://www.folkradio.org/ ) Don Flemons, I’m With Her, Jeremy Dutcher, Wallis Bird, and William Prince are the nominees for Artist of the Year.
The website for No Depression: The Journal of Roots Music (http://nodepression.com/ ) includes “roots music” reviews, new releases, columns, and an offer to subscribe to their colorful, ad-free, beautifully produced, informative, print quarterly. Their first email newsletter of the year announces new releases from Rita Coolidge,
Balsam Range, Roger Daltrey (!), and a new biography about Buffy Sainte-Marie. No Depression assembles both a Readers Poll (http://nodepression.com/article/your-50-favorite-roots-music-albums-2018) and a Critics Poll (http://nodepression.com/article/nd-critics-poll-our-favorite-roots-music-albums-2018) for year end annotated lists of 50 favorite albums.
Roots Music Report is a goldmine of album charts and singles charts, e.g. 2018 Top Americana-Country Album Chart (https://www.rootsmusicreport.com/charts/view/album/sub_genre/americana-country/yearly/2018) which can send you off to explore 100 musicians in this sub-genre. Or maybe you’d like to check out the Top 50 Folk Album Chart (https://www.rootsmusicreport.com/charts/view/album/genre/folk/weekly) for the current week? World music, blues, jazz, r&b, rock, and other charts are available for perusal and scrutiny. If you still have time, dive into their CD reviews!
Although a website for the print magazine, fRoots: Local music from out there: essentials from the world of folk and roots music (https://frootsmag.com/ ) provides plenty of content. They recently published their 2018 Critics Poll Album of the Year Winners (https://frootsmag.com/criticspoll2018 ). fRoots is a British magazine and the point of view can introduce you to folk legends and folk newcomers on the international scene. Their Album of the Year winners include
familiar names like Richard Thompson and Ry Cooder. But perhaps other artists, depending on your genre preferences, will be new to you: Anna & Elizabeth or Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita.
Songlines: The Best Music From Around The World (https://www.songlines.co.uk/awards/2018) provides their list of winners and reviews of albums sorted by regions of the world. The United States awards are included in the “Americas” region. So much folk music around the world! “Freedom Highway” by Rhiannon Giddens and “Echo in the Valley” by Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck were among the award winners announced last October. Songlines will provide you with a steady diet of unfamiliar and familiar world musicians through their website—and you may be enticed to subscribe to their print or digital publication.
Even Rolling Stone publishes a list of their 40 Best Country and Americana Albums of the year that is worth a look (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country-lists/40-best-country-and-
americana-albums-of-2018-767146/). Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour” tops their list with albums by
the Pistol Annies, Brandi Carlile, John Prine, and Neko Case completing the top five.
The International Bluegrass Association Momentum Awards (https://ibma.org/press-releases/nominees-ibmas-2018-special-awards-momentum-awards-announced/ ) exist to “celebrate both the incredible achievements of the rising stars in our music, and the generosity of those who mentor them.”
Nominees for 2019 will be announced in early August. This award each year provides a handy list
of some standout musicians and bands soon to be familiar names.
Finally, for a list that ignores genre and simply restricts their picks to the
“best”, NPR shares their top 50 of 2018 (https://www.npr.org/2018/12/04/671206573/the-50-best-albums-of-2018-page-1), albums by Janelle Monae, Mitski, and Kacey
Musgraves come in at 1, 2, and 3.
Which newsletters and websites do you recommend to discover new music and learn about new releases? After
all the reading and clicking, it may be time to follow up for a
listen on Spotify, Youtube, a new record—or go to a live show, like those
presented by Portland Folk Music Society!n
There is a “best of” list for every genre of music and defining genres has never been more challenging.
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directors for two-year terms to the Board of Directors. This year three former board members were re-elected and two new directors were elected, while two members of the board are in the middle of their two-year terms. Eighty three of our members voted, a new record by a fair bit.
Newly elected board members are Deborah Lee, who also is chair of the Singtime Committee, and Stan Davis, the chair of the Concert Committee. Re-elected directors are Brian Warner, treasurer, Mary Ann Gilpatrick, and Bill Moore. They are replacing Corinne MacWilliams and Dick Hamlet, the two retiring board members, who have contributed hugely to the smooth functioning of PFS during their four years on the board. The two continuing directors are John Kellermann and Paul Rippey.
Results of the PFS election of directors and new officers
Explore the Portland FolkMusic CalendarOnline at https://www.portlandfolkmusic.org/calendar.php
Your guide to Folk Music in the area
At the January board meeting officers are elected from among the directors for the coming year. John Kellermann was re-elected president; Deborah Lee is our new vice-president; Brian Warner continues as treasurer; and Mary Ann Gilpatrick will be our secretary. n
Jack of Diamonds (a.k.a. Jack o’ Diamonds and Jack of Diamonds (Is a Hard Card to Play)) is a traditional folk song. It is a Texas gambling song that was popularized by Blind Lemon Jefferson. It was sung by railroad men who had lost money playing conquian. At least twelve white artists recorded the tune before World War II. The song has been recorded under various titles such as “A Corn Licker Still in Georgia” (Riley Puckett) and “Rye Whiskey” (Tex Ritter).
The song is related to “Drunkard’s Hiccoughs”, “Johnnie Armstrong”, “Todlen Hame”, “Bacach”, “Robi Donadh Gorrach”, “The Wagoner’s Lad”, “Clinch Mountain”, “The Cuckoo”, “Rye Whiskey”, “Saints Bound for Heaven”, “Separation”, and “John Adkins’ Farewell.” This family of tunes originally comes from the British Isles, though is most well known in North America.The lyrics may originate in the American Civil War song “The Rebel Soldier” and the melody from the Scottish song “Robie Donadh Gorrach”, known by Nathaniel Gow as “An Old Highland Song”.
While Bob Dylan never recorded “Jack of Diamonds”, a poem based on the song lyrics is included on the back cover of Another Side of Bob Dylan; the poems are grouped under the title “Some Other Kinds of Songs”. n
Jack of diamonds, jack of diamondsI’ve known you of old
You’ve robbed my poor pocketsof silver and gold
From Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_of_Diamonds_(song)
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We Sing As OneBruce Baker
2. We sing of drink, we sing of peace, of shipwrecks here and thereThe harmonies unfold with time and fill the nighttime air.
CHORUS3. To working folk who labor on and build this road we rideTo poets who give us the strength to keep the cold outside.
CHORUS4. To children and their playful thoughts, to those that guide them onTo lovers who reach out and touch the lives they carry on.
CHORUS5. And when at last we have to part, we shed a tear farewellWith promises to sing again, and make the good times swell.
CHORUS
ABOUT THE SONGWRITER
Bruce Baker wrote this song after Rainy Camp 2014, when he was inspiredby the unity of the group and the sadness of parting ways whenthe weekend was over. He has been a SFMS board member since 1983,and he is a facilitator of Seattle Song Circle and Rainy Camp.
PFS held an annual meeting on January 19 with about fifty members coming together for some very fun socializing, music, meeting the Board members, hearing reports on what the organization has been doing and what is planned for the future, and enjoying a splendid meal. PFS has many specialized events that folks attend - song circles, concerts, Singtime Frolics - but this meeting for the general membership was an opportunity for everyone to get together, make new friends and catch up with old ones.
Fittingly, most of the meeting was music, with performances by some of PFS’s best musicians, each of whom performed one song. Many of them had sing-along choruses, and of course the members formed a wonderful chorus, spontaneously finding
sweet harmonies. Thanks to the musicians: Sandy Bly and Bill Murlin, Peggie Schwarz, Jeanene Pratt, Paul Rippey, James Moore, John Kellerman, Lyla Menzel, Larry Lotz, David Ingerson, Lorna Fossand and Craig Brandis, Heather Blackbird and Bobbo Bernstein.
Then PFS President John Kellermann gave a brief presentation of the State of PFS, saying that PFS is in good shape, with a growing membership and lots of new ideas, new energy and new initiatives. The head of the nominating committee, David Ingerson, gave the results of the board elections, pointing out that the number of people who voted, 83, was the highest who had ever voted in a PFS election. David and John introduced the new board: Re-elected
members Mary Anne Gilpatrick, James Moore, and Brian Warner; newly elected members Deborah Lee and Stan Davis; and returning members John Kellermann and Paul Rippey, who are halfway through their two-year terms. Then we all thanked retiring Board Members Corinne McWilliams and Dick Hamlet, who have been loyal and hard-working members of the PFS Board.
Paul Rippey talked about the new website which is being constructed to provide members with a simpler way of accessing information and an opportunity to have a page of their own to let folks know what, when and where they are performing - or anything else they wish to share.
The presentations were followed by a remarkably fine dinner, with spaghetti, garlic bread, salad
and home-made pies for dessert. The members enthusiastically thanked the volunteers who put the event on: James Moore, Barbara Hollenbeck, Lynn Dingler,
Corinne McWilliams, Linda Johns, Helene, Paul and Cait Rippey, David Ingerson, Mary Ann Gilpatrick, Christine Hartman, Bobbo Bernstein, Peggie Schwarz and Tom, Jody Neubert Kellermann, Lorna Fossand, and Deborah Lee.
Finally, everyone spent a few minutes helping with the clean-up and posing for a group photo. Then Joe Hickerson closed the get-together, leading us in singing Drive Dull Care Away:
Oh why should we at our lot complain or grieve at our distress?Some think if they could riches gain, t’would be true happiness.But alas how vain is their distress - life’s cares it will not allay.So while we’re here, with our friends so dear, we’ll drive dull care
away.n
Portland FolkMusic Society Annual MeetingBy Corinne McWilliams and Paul Rippey
Fittingly, most of the meeting was music, with performances by some of PFS’s best musicians, each of whom performed one song.
10
pfs member profile
PFS has been the starting point for several marriages, and the marriage of Kathleen
Ingerson to her husband David is an example of one of those fated encounters. However, there’s a life to be recounted before their meeting took place.
Kathleen was born in upstate New York in a bucolic area near the Connecticut border in a community small enough for everyone to know nearly everyone else. There were forty people in her high school graduating class. She’s not a music maker herself, though she comes from a musical family. She graduated from college with a B.A. in literature and a minor in art history. After graduation, she moved to Vermont, worked at a series of odd jobs and found a boyfriend. In 1976, the two of them decided to drive across the country and got as far as Portland when their traveling money ran out.
She found Portland difficult to settle into. The transformation from rural northeast to anonymous, urban Portland was not an easy adjustment. Yet life moved ahead for now she was married and pregnant. After her first child, Zeina, was born in 1977, Kathleen became interested in education and juggled working full time, a baby, and night classes at PSU. This proved to be overwhelming, so the pursuit of a teaching certificate had to be put on hold.
She met David at a solstice party song circle. He immediately impressed her by discussing the relationship between Celtic art and music, and then going into the host’s kitchen and washing her dishes. From then on they encountered one another at square dances, sing-alongs, slide shows of David’s Ireland trips and other musical events. Their first real date was April 6, 1983. Three years later they were married on the anniversary of that date. David gained a wife and a 9-year old daughter Zeina, and they’ve since had two children of their own, Ilantha and Evan, who’ve grown up in the PFS community. They’ll soon be celebrating 33 years of marriage.
After Kathleen married David in 1986, she started taking education classes again and eventually left her job to attend PSU full-time. She did her student
teaching while pregnant with Ilantha in 1987 and got her teaching certificate and had her second baby in May 1988. When she was home with her infant, she fulfilled another dream by earning a massage license. She also started practicing yoga and then taught mother-baby yoga.
Full-time teaching positions were hard to come by so she began substituting in 1989. Evan was born in 1990. Subbing proved to be a supportive match for
parenting and she continued to sub as the children grew. She still subs now even with the kids long grown. Kathleen teaches elementary school about
She met David at a solstice party song circle.He immediately impressed her by discussing the relationship between Celtic art and music, and then going into the host’s kitchen and washing her dishes.
Kathleen Ingerson, PFS Volunteer
Kathleen Ingerson
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3158 East Burnside Street 503-231-8926www.musicmillennium.com
6720 NE Glisan St, Portland, OR 97213(503) 252-1608
PFS Member Profiles are a regular feature in Local Lore. They are authored by PFS Volunteer Ray Ashmun.
half-time, mostly in Kindergarten through grade 3, ESL (English as a 2nd language), and special needs students. She could retire but enjoys teaching and needs to support her “horse habit.”
Kathleen’s passion is horses. Her first memory was of wanting a horse and her second memory was being told she couldn’t have one. She did learn to ride as a teenager and in college, but had to put that activity on hold during her early years in Portland, However, when Ilantha wanted to take riding lessons, her desire to own a horse was rekindled. After months of searching, she bought an 11-year-old horse. He is now a stately 31 years of age and has recently been joined by a second horse. She drives to Sauvie Island 4 or 5 times a week to be with her horses. Horsemanship is not a casual pursuit for her. Over the years she’s attended countless clinics and trainings in natural horsemanship and various equine disciplines, especially mountain trail skills and obstacles.
Kathleen also loves being in the water, and again not in a casual way, as she enjoys swimming in lakes and the Columbia River.
Her primary PFS contribution has been scheduling song circles. In the early 1980s, song circles were held twice a month at David’s house for 9 months of the year. In those pre-internet days, David and Kathleen would call people on the telephone to remind them about the singing sessions. When song circles began moving to various houses, Bonnie Messenger took over the scheduling. In 2000 Kathleen started scheduling year round song circles and has been doing it ever since. After nineteen years of
soliciting venues for the PFS song circles, Kathleen will be retiring soon. Someone else will need to step up to organize the song circles. n
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Unique eyeglasses from independent designers, contact lenses, and medical eye care from your
local SE Portland optometrist
12
finding your audience
Entertaining at Senior CentersBy Mike Sands
There are many senior centers and retirement facilities in the Portland area, and many of
them like to provide entertainment for their members. Seniors particularly enjoy hearing music from their past. Since many seniors came of age during the “folk revival” from 1958 through about 1964, folk music is a popular form of senior entertainment. Many facilities will pay for the entertainment, but the pay is usually quite low (rarely more than$100) and many times they are looking for volunteer entertainment.
If you are interested in providing this entertainment, how do you go about it? The programs are usually 30 – 45 minutes, and rarely over an hour. It can be helpful if you have a program theme, such as railroad songs, sea shanties, songs of the Civil War, etc. Most seniors like to have explanations about the songs, to put them into context. They also like to hear popular songs from their youth.
You should have business cards prepared. These can be obtained on the internet for a low cost. Usually your contact will be the facility activity director, and these directors often exchange information. When you perform at one facility you should provide the activity director with a number of cards and ask them to recommend you to others and pass along your cards.
Another way of obtaining an invitation to perform is an internet listing. One such site is www.elderaudience.com. This site was established specifically to assist activity
directors in obtaining performers. It covers many categories, but “folk music” is not one of them. It does list specific instruments such as banjo,
guitar etc. where folk performers can list themselves. There is an annual fee for the listing.
Entertaining seniors can be random; sometimes you receive many invitations in a short period of time, and sometimes you can go months without an invitation. Entertaining can be most enjoyable and rewarding, so don’t hesitate to try it. n
Since many seniors came of age during the “folk revival” from 1958 through about 1964, folk music is a popular form of senior entertainment.
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Music at the Farmers MarketsBy Lisa Hall
At Portland Farmers Market, we believe having live music creates a lively community that keeps
shoppers entertained and vendors smiling. Each year we open music applications in Winter to prepare booking for the year to come This year our application will open February 1st, 2019 and can be found on our website PortlandFarmersMarket.org. Questions on the application include describing your live performance, how many people are in your group and where is a good place to listen to your music. We look for acts that will cater to the neighborhood needs and encourage customers to stay longer in our markets. Lately, PFM has been trying to book a greater variety of musicians, covering multiple genres throughout the year. Diversity in music helps keep our shoppers engaged and helps keep our markets an inclusive community.
Our compensation differs between the markets slightly. We are working on new ideas to provide more money in our music budget. Typically, our PSU market books larger acts and pays $150 for a three hour set and our neighborhood markets pay $100 for a three hour
set. Our Lents International Farmers Market has been a special case the last couple years due to a federal grant. We have been able to compensate more pay to these musicians who have contributed to the market’s dynamic environment of cultural exchange.
Musical busking is popular at our Farmers Markets. We ask all buskers to check in at our information booth and sign our community agreements. This includes being at least 20ft away from any vendor, moving every hour and not playing in a disrupting manner. Buskers give our markets a fun, lively feel and has turned us on to many musicians we book for markets.
Portland Farmers Market appreciates all of our musicians and tries to make their time with us as enjoyable as possible. On hot days we offer electrolyte tabs, cooler days we provide a heater. We recognize the importance of having live music and hope this program can continue to be successful.Lisa Hall, Market CoordinatorPortland Farmers Marketportlandfarmersmarket.orgn
finding your audience
WE BUY, SELL, AND TRADE VINTAGE VINYL RECORDS.
Vinyl Resting Place8332 N. Lombard St.Portland, OR 97203
503-247-9573
VRP has the best selection of folk, bluegrass, and early country music on vinyl, as well as a
great collection of old timey music on 78’s.
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PFS has had a very high-functioning website for years. You can find out about events on it, join PFS or renew your membership right online, and register for Singtime. It’s easy to navigate, and it has the best calendar of folk events for many miles around. So – why would we want a new website?
There are a few reasons. First, this website is possible due to an immense amount of work principally by one very skilled site designer, Dick Hamlet. Dick has written great code – but, to a large extent the site depends on Dick, and even though there are a couple of other people who can figure things out when Dick isn’t available, that is still a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. It is called Key Person Risk: if Dick is ever unable to maintain the site for a while, we’re in trouble. So we are looking at platforms that are easy to manage and make it possible for several people within PFS to learn how to manage the site. In addition, we want to make sure that there is technical assistance always available, in case we get stuck trying to do something and that means we want to subscribe to a platform that will help us out if we need it.
But also, web technology has advanced, and there are some features in modern sites that will make the site more useful, and that we think PFS members will enjoy. We would like to have a site that presents one face to the general public while having special information available only for PFS members. For instance, members should be able to find out when their dues need to be paid, and they should have access to any information from the membership directory that other members want to share. And, we want the site to be a true community clearing house, where members can post their own information about themselves, their gigs, their songs; form interest groups, like “people from Beaverton” or “banjo players”; and participate in blogging about their experiences. Finally, we want a site that can split the work up, so that one person can take care of the membership data, another can keep the folk calendar up to date, and others could manage the pages for special events.
To bring all this about, we are experimenting with a new site now, which you can find at PDXFolkMusic.
org. Please, feel free to check it out, and look around. You will find some new features, and some familiar features, and – importantly – there’s a place for you to leave comments, and volunteer if you would like to help out with the site. We’ll be making lots of changes over the coming weeks; some will be
behind the scenes, and you won’t notice them; others will be very obvious
and things might look different every time you come around.
During this transition time, please don’t rely on the new site. It’s just a test! Our regular site, at www.PortlandFolkMusic.org, is still there, and still great, and still gives you the information you want and need. Please go there for information and to register for events. n
New PFS Website under development
“We want the site to be a true community clearing house, where members can post their own information about themselves, their gigs, their songs; form interest groups”
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PFS Board The minutes of the most recent board meeting are available on our website.
Local Lore is published six times per year by the Portland FolkMusic Society, a non-profit, educational corporation whose mission it is to preserve, present, and promote
New Membership Renewal Donation Gift Membership Contact Information Update
1 year 2 years Life-time
Individual $25 $45 $400Household $35 $65Sustaining $50Student and/or Low Income
$10
Business $50
Advertise in Local LorePFS accepts ads pertinent to folk music, dance, and the arts. To place an ad, return the following information via e-mail to: [email protected]
Date Name E-mail Phone Address PFS member Business or personal membership
Specify Size of Ad and Membership expiration datePlease provide ad copy/jpg/pdf if prepared.Send ad file to [email protected]
Basic Rates$10 for one-eighth page [3.5”w x 2.5”h](Above is free with business membership!)$20 for quarter page [3.5”w x 5”h]$30 for half page [7.5”w x 5”h]$50 for full page [7.5”w x 10”h]
Payment MethodAn electronic invoice will be mailed to you.PayPal on web or mail a check.Payment is due in full 30 days from date of completed ad submission.
Please send a check, payable to:Portland FolkMusic Society
Send payment to:TreasurerPO Box 1448Portland, OR 97207-14485
Deadlines for Local Lore:January & February Issue—December 10March & April Issue—February 10May & June Issue—April 10July & August Issue—June 10September & October Issue—August 10November & December Issue—October 10
Send to: Membership, PO Box 1448, Portland, OR 97207-14485
Local LoreVolume 43 Issue 2
Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage
PAIDPortland, OR
Permit No. 1981P.O. Box 1448Portland, OR 97207-1448 Address Service Requested
Tyee Lodge is situated on Forest Service land near Government Camp, and 60 miles from Portland. It is close to Summit Ski Area. Facilities include a full kitchen, large dining area, lots of fireplace seating, drying room, and winter equipment storage. Sleeping accommodations for 22 women and 22 men are provided in bunk style dormitories. Trails Club volunteers will cook communal meals, and participants will help with basic chores and cleanup, keeping the cost very low. Special diets accomodated. Please contact Linda at [email protected] with your dietary requests or to inquire about camping.
Portland FolkMusic Society and Trails Club of Oregon
Cinco de Mayo WeekendFriday and Saturday Night
May 3–5, 2019 at Tyee Lodge
Friday night only, lodging and 3 meals (Friday dinner, Sat. breakfast & lunch) $50Saturday night only, lodging and 3 meals (Sat. dinner, Sun. breakfast & lunch) $50Full weekend, lodging and 6 meals $90
Singing will be in the evening. During the day go hiking, or just lounge by the fire with a good book and/or your guitar! Plenty of opportunities to jam! Workshops by request depending on interest and skill sets presented by serendipity. There’s a low possibility for a late snow, if so, be prepared to hike in a little way, but very unusual in May.
Signup at TCO Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/Trails-Club-of-Oregon/
