12:00 noon
Expanding Your Folk Song Repertoire
Shay Black
Shay Black is known for his extensive knowledge of the Irish, English,
Scottish, and other folk traditions, and he loves sharing this
knowledge. In this class, Shay will teach a number of songs from
differing traditions. His teaching style is through learning by
repetition, so no background knowledge of music theory is necessary. He
starts from "If you can hum it, you can sing it." Bring a recording
device to help memorize melody, and Shay will provide hand-outs with
the lyrics ... lots of them!
Irish-born Shay Black has lived in the east bay for fifteen years, and
his most regular gig these days is the weekly "Starry Irish Session" at
The Starry Plough pub in Berkeley. With a background steeped in
traditional and folk music, he regularly performs with brothers Michael
and Martin, and also at times with sisters Frances and Mary Black. In
Europe, he has also toured and recorded with the late great Stan Hugill
and the fabled sea shanty group Stormalong John and Irish band Garva.
Shay continues to be an avid songcatcher. He has a huge song
collection, and has taught repertoire building at many music camps and
festivals. He currently teaches "Expand your Folk Song Repertoire" as a
weekly Monday class at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley. The class
series runs for six weeks during which Shay teaches songs from the
Irish, Scottish and English folk traditions, along with some standards
and anthems.
www.Black-Brothers.com
Shay_Black@hotmail.com
12:00 Noon
Harmonica Tunes, Chugs, and Riffs from Around the World
Paul Herzoff
Introduction to the world's most widespread and popular musical
instrument. All your ideas about the harmonica – it’s history, and its
place in the world's music – are correct! Now come and learn some
different ones – and why it's a good thing for you to learn to play.
Blues harp is a glorious institution, but it's only a small portion of
the world culture of harmonica. This workshop will look into various
folk harmonica styles, with demonstrations and recordings.
Those who attend are encouraged to play along or to show off their
specialties. It's a chance for those interested in the instrument to
gather, and it's also a chance to spread the word to newbies of the
harmonica's versatility and ubiquity – keys to its acceptance in many
musical traditions.
Bring any old harmonica in the key of "C" to participate in
introductory material and see how simple it can be to start.
Not an all-out beginners' class, but more of a pep talk and (hopefully)
inspirational demonstration of the fun one can have with the "Pocket
Piano". The workshop will be lecture/demonstration and jam combined
(and might continue after the official ending time if there is a group
desire to do so.)
Paul Herzoff started playing harmonica in college and never stopped. He
loves to spread knowledge of this most versatile and popular instrument
– a gateway to a lifetime of homemade music. A dozen years of teaching
beginners has taught him the joy of introducing people to the language
and lore of the gloriously humble harmonica.
1:00
Songs of Donovan
Ed Hilton
Donovan Leitch emerged from Scotland onto the British folk scene in 1965. His popularity spread, including to the US. His influences, as is true of American traditional music, were the folk traditions of Scotland, Ireland and England. He was also influenced by Woody Guthrie and Ramblin' Jack Elliot. He now lives in Ireland.
Some of his most popular songs were Catch the Wind, Colours, and Sunshine Superman.
Ed Hilton became a Donovan fan at age 13 while listening to his older brother David's albums.
1:00
The Lowdown on the Upright Bass
Chuck Ervin
Curious about the upright bass? Do you play occasionally? Learn solid
technique that will let you to play (and gig!) for hours. We'll cover
left- and right-hand techniques, root-fifth theory, damping, timing,
and more. We'll play a song or two so you can put this new-found
knowledge into practice right away. A couple of loaner basses will be
available to share, but if you can beg or borrow a bass, bring it! All
acoustic bassists are welcome.
Chuck Ervin studied jazz bass with Glenn Richman, bassist with renowned
vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, and currently plays folk music with
Euphonia, classic country with the Mike Stadler & Mary Gibbons
Band, jazz and pop with guitarist Chris Grampp, and occasionally Celtic
folk/rock with Wake the Dead, among others. He has performed with many
Bay Area musicians, including Keith Little, Sylvia Herold, Ray Bierl,
Tony Marcus, Ed Johnson, and Julian Smedley. He teaches group classes
at music camp and at his Oakland home, as well as individual lessons.
1:00
Swing Guitar For Folkies
Sylvia Herold
Learn a few movable chord shapes and start playing jazz, swing and
Western swing classics! Demystify the guitar neck and bump up your
playing to the next level. Amaze your friends with swinging guitar
chops and fun songs! Participants should be comfortable with basic,
first-position chords: A, C, D, E, G and F.
Sylvia Herold has been teaching swing guitar at music camps and private
group lessons for at least 20 years. She has developed a unique,
easy-to-execute method for teaching swing guitar that is fun and
challenging.
2:00
Songs from the Heart
Lisa Hubbell
We'll go around in a circle, each sharing songs that have moved us to
tears, kept us going, or changed us. They don't have to be singalongs,
and can be in any genre, sung accompanied or not. Please come ready to
listen and share from the heart.
Lisa Hubbell is a songwriter who has had three songs published in the
folknik, and one in the Quaker hymnal "Worship in Song". She writes
about friendship, risk-taking, and staying grounded; and loves singing
harmony and learning songs that take practice to sing without crying.
She has shared stages with Peter Blood & Annie Patterson, Betsy
Rose, and Emma's Revolution. For now, performing is on the back burner
while she works on a second master's in Library Science. http://www.myspace.com/lisahubbell
1:00
Hank Williams Jam (2 hours)
Doug Norman
Every
one of us, truth be told, needs to get down to basics every once in a
while, remembering the music from our youth and from the early years of
popular music and radio. At this Hank Williams jam, Doug Norman and
those who attend will have a chance to play some of those tunes that
had such a huge part in creating country, rock 'n' roll, and Americana
music.
Bring your voice, your instruments, your yodel and
your lonesome. Ever want to sing in front of a honky-tonk band? Well,
this isn't quite that gig, but it's close. Doug will play guitar, and
pedal steel player Eric Jaeger and bass player Jon Steel will add some
of their flavor to our jammin'.
2:00
Work Songs
Sadie Damascus
For this hour of Work Songs, please bring any work songs you'd like to
sing or lead. They should be sort of generic, not tell a story – “Erie
Canal" is good; "Davy Jones" not so good; "The Farmer is the Man" is
good; "The Devil and the Farmer's Wife", not so good. Work songs
express the common nature of the work, and often carry the job's
rhythm, from old Irish Weaving songs and Scots Bothy songs to American
cowboy, mule driver, prison work gang, moonshiner, farmer, field
worker, union, train, or factory songs. Sea chanteys are for another
workshop, please, not this one.
Sadie grew up listening to field recordings, Leadbelly, blues singers,
traditional British and Celtic music, the Seegers, her parents' songs,
and a thousand other folk musicians. You have probably heard her sing
at Renaissance and Dickens Fairs, and other folk festivals. You can
contact Sadie at damascus@ap.net.
2:00
The Three R’s of Charts
by John Tuttle
Charts can be very useful tools for communicating among musicians, and
for learning or teaching songs. Charts can also be vague, frustrating,
counterproductive, or just plain wrong. In this workshop we’ll look at
some of the many different styles of charts in use today. And we’ll
explore the underlying principles that separate good charts from bad
ones, whatever the style. We’ll do some listening and writing, singing
and playing – bring your instrument. You’ll come away with handouts,
and hopefully some techniques to improve both your reading and writing
of charts.
John Tuttle studied music theory and composition at SUNY Binghamton and
at UC Berkeley. He is an accomplished composer, arranger and music
director, as well as pianist and guitarist. He has experience in a wide
variety of musical situations from classical concert halls to theater
pits, recording studios, cruise ships, bar bands, jazz jams, and folkie
coffee houses. John is a member of Quake City Jug Band – www.quakecityjugband.com.
2:00
Blues Guitar
Joe Cadora
Joe’s Blues Guitar workshop will concentrate on blues progressions and
moving chord forms in several keys. Emphasis will be on achieving that
pulsing rhythm on the bass strings so essential to blues guitar.
Introductory riffs and blues turn-arounds will also be demonstrated.
Ability to read chord charts is necessary.
Joe Cadora was a student of Danny Kalb (lead guitarist of The Blues
Project, also session player for Dylan and Judy Collins). The
techniques he will present come down through Dave Van Ronk, Danny’s
teacher, and through Josh White, Van Ronk’s mentor.
3:00
Beatles Songs (2 hours)
Joe Cadora & Jeannine Menger
This will be a structured jam in which we explore the music of the lads
from Liverpool. Bring your favorite Beatles’ songs or sing and play
from our handouts. Joe Cadora and Jeanine Menger will help out with
Beatles chord progressions, which often contain surprising changes, and
with John, Paul and George’s tight harmonies. Come by and learn why
these brilliant songs changed the landscape of popular music forever.
Voice, guitar and other instruments welcome.
Joe Cadora has played folk and rock guitar for over forty years after
being inspired by the Beatles’ music while he was still in grade
school. While attending Rutgers University in his native New Jersey, he
and his band, Ice Nine, opened for Bruce Springsteen at The Ledge. He
has performed with long time Bay Area bar bands, The Mercuries and The
Evidence, and the music of the Beatles has always been an important
part of his repertoire.
Jeannine Menger has been a fanatical Beatles fan since late 1963 when
her older sister introduced her to "She Loves You". The Ed Sullivan
show followed soon after an the rest is truly history. Soon after that
Jeannine formed a band in grade school that played rock music for two
years. She has been a dedicated musician since 1973, specializing in
Beatles tunes. She has been in three other bands in her adult life,
playing rock and folk-rock. She comes to the Bay Area from San Diego.
The love you take is equal to the love you make.
3:00
In Harmony's Way
A Capella Singing Session
Steve Baughman
Come and sing chorus songs, drinking songs, gospel songs, shanties, or
whatever, with In Harmony's Way, the Bay Area song ensemble. This is
just a session, no structure, no handouts, no lectures, no teaching.
Everyone will just sit around and sing. Come and join in. You can lead
a song or two if you'd like.
3:00
Have More Fun at the Folk Jam
Phil Campbell & Annie Aronson
Jam sessions are a great way to be part of a community and become a
better musician. Jam sessions are informal gatherings, but there are
tips and tricks to being a better jammer and having more fun. This
workshop will teach you how to choose a great jam song, how to lead
your song so that others can play along easily, subtle (and not so
subtle) aspects of jam etiquette and how to avoid common problems so
everyone, no matter what level, can have a great time.
Annie and Phil play together as Hobbyhorse, an imaginative folk duo
with a soft spot for traditional songs of the British Isles. They also
host an internet radio station called Radio Guitar that features mostly
acoustic, all instrumental guitar music. Phil is a popular music
teacher of guitar, mandolin and piano on the Peninsula and South Bay.
Annie is an artist and designer. She is the creator of the Guitar Art
Shop – guitar-inspired designs to benefit Radio Guitar. Visit their
websites:
Hobbyhorse - www.hobbyhorsemusic.com
Radio Guitar - www.radioguitar.com
Guitar Art Shop - www.guitarartshop.com
Phil Campbell lessons - www.philcampbell.com
3:00
Jug Band Jam (2 hours)
CA Jug Band Association
Recently
jug band jams have been a big hit at the SF Folk Music Club hoots, so
it figures to bring one to the Free Folk Festival. There will be jug
blowing, uke strumming, tub thumping, kazoo blaring, banjo banging,
washboard scratching, and the like. Bring your favorite jug, ragtime,
blues, hokum, novelty old time, early jazz, medicine show songs. Expect
a fun, irreverent, and anarchistic good time – that’s "the jug band way!
http://www.jugfest.org
4:00
Carrying a Tune Without a Bucket: A Singing Workshop for Those Who
"Can't Sing"
Sharyn Dimmick & Richard Adrianowicz
Are you one of the people who was asked to mouth the words in school
choir? Do people look pained when you sing "Happy Birthday?" Has
anybody ever told you not to sing?
Singing is everyone's birthright. If you do not have organic hearing
damage, you can be taught to sing in tune. Richard Adrianowicz and
Sharyn Dimmick will lead a workshop based on the work of W.A. Mathieu,
composer and jazz musician. If you want to preview the class, get "The
Listening Book" and read the chapter titled "Tone-Deaf Choir." They
will give you a few moments to tell your sad stories before they help
you to sing, listen and gain confidence in yourself. Please note: they
have not taught this workshop before and don't know precisely what is
going to happen.
Sharyn Dimmick has been singing most of her life. She is known in the
Bay Area for her traditional ballad singing and her songwriting. She
has recorded one CD, "Paris," featuring traditional and contemporary
songs, including the Leonard Cohen hit "Hallelujah." Richard
Adrianowicz has long graced the local folk scene with his mellifluous
tenor. He currently sings sea music with Peter Kasin – they have
recorded four CDs together – and previously sang in the beloved but
defunct band called "Out of the Rain."
4:00
Carrying a Tune Without a Bucket: A Singing Workshop for Those Who
"Can't Sing"
Sharyn Dimmick & Richard Adrianowicz
Are you one of the people who was asked to mouth the words in school
choir? Do people look pained when you sing "Happy Birthday?" Has
anybody ever told you not to sing?
Singing is everyone's birthright. If you do not have organic hearing
damage, you can be taught to sing in tune. Richard Adrianowicz and
Sharyn Dimmick will lead a workshop based on the work of W.A. Mathieu,
composer and jazz musician. If you want to preview the class, get "The
Listening Book" and read the chapter titled "Tone-Deaf Choir." They
will give you a few moments to tell your sad stories before they help
you to sing, listen and gain confidence in yourself. Please note: they
have not taught this workshop before and don't know precisely what is
going to happen.
Sharyn Dimmick has been singing most of her life. She is known in the
Bay Area for her traditional ballad singing and her songwriting. She
has recorded one CD, "Paris," featuring traditional and contemporary
songs, including the Leonard Cohen hit "Hallelujah." Richard
Adrianowicz has long graced the local folk scene with his mellifluous
tenor. He currently sings sea music with Peter Kasin – they have
recorded four CDs together – and previously sang in the beloved but
defunct band called "Out of the Rain."
4:00
Harmonica Convergence
Paul Herzoff
This
harmonica jam at previous festivals gathered a bunch of experienced
players who stayed for an hour and jammed with clever electronic
gadgets. Big fun was had. Beginners got to try playing out into a
microphone, newbies got an earful of what harp players do for fun, and
experienced players got to show their stuff and hear others' licks.
This jam will do it again – with planning this time… and more toys!
Bring any keys, any types of harmonica, other instruments, lip balm, etc.
Paul
Herzoff started playing harmonica in college and never stopped. He
loves to spread knowledge of this most versatile and popular instrument
-- a gateway to a lifetime of homemade music. A dozen years of teaching
beginners has taught him the joy of introducing people to the language
and lore of the gloriously humble harmonica.