Hello, Folkies,
Happy 2006! Lead story for today is FOLKMADS has a new president: Scott Mathis. Scott was one of the original founders of FOLKMADS 25 years ago and he and wife Linda have recently returned to Albuquerque from Denver. Welcome home! Here is Scott and one of his band, the Sandia Hots, left to right: Linda Askew, Liz Stevens, Mike Gallagher, Mr. Prez Scott.
Scott is a new burst of energy for the group, and he wants more members to participate in the activities of the organization. For one thing, the Albuquerque Dance Committee needs help with the cash box, publicity, welcoming committee, cleanup, etc. You don’t have to volunteer for every dance, but “adopting” one or two dances per year to help at would tremendously assist. Along those lines, Scott has an ambitious agenda planned for the next FOLKMADS Board Meeting, and he asked me to invite anyone who wants to attend:
Saturday Jan. 21st at 4:00 PM. 1116 Columbia NE, Albuquerque, a few streets west of Girard and a few houses south of Constitution NE.
Maybe he’ll even post the agenda for the meeting on the web site, www.folkmads.org prior to the meeting! Next time you see the outgoing president Kelly Kellstedt of Santa Fe, thank him for his work.
Corrales Sing, Friday, January 6
FOLK SONG CIRCLE. The themes for this month are: New Year/Twelfth Night/Wassail AND Fortune/Luck/Chance/Gambling.
FIRST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH, 8:00 P.M. TO MIDNIGHT
Each participant in the circle may lead a song, do a solo, request a song, or pass. Bring enthusiasm, songbooks, instruments, beverages/snacks, kids, and friends.
Contact: Laurie McPherson 898-6978
Email: lauriemcpherson@hotmail.com or lmcpherson@salud.unm.edu
114 Coronado Road, Corrales, 87048
(Directions: From the intersection of Alameda and Coors, go 1.8 miles north on Corrales Road. Pass the Chevron station, go several blocks. Just past the Horseman?s Supply store, turn left on Coronado Road. Post office is too far. They?re the second house on the right, come in past the barns to park.)
Albuquerque Contra Dance, Saturday, January 7
Katherine Bueler of Santa Fe calling and the rock solid Fast Pesos playing. 8-11 p.m., acoustic jam at 7 p.m.; newcomers class at 7:30. Albuquerque Square Dance Center, 4909 Hawkins NE, one full block west of I-25 and 1/2 block north of Ellison. See www.asdc.org for directions. $5 members, $6 others.
Durango Contra Dance, Saturday, January 7
If you happen to be in southwest Colorado, you’re in for a special treat. Albuquerque’s rising stars band Hands Five (Bruce Thomson on fiddle, Erika Gerety on mandolin and bass, Peter Esherick on hammer dulcimer, John Brinduse on guitar and Gary Blank on percussion) are playing. The always-smiling Wendy Graham is calling. The dance is at the VFW Hall, 1515 Main Avenue, Durango. Beginner instruction is at 7:00 p.m. Dancing is from 7:30 to 10:30. Admission is $7. To encourage new-comers (and old timers) to come to the lesson, admission at 7:00 is reduced to $5. For further information, call 970-259-6820. Hands Five will also be doing a house concert at Rocky Mountain Retreat, 848 E 3rd Ave, on Friday January 6th. For further information on the concert call 970-903-9402.
Second Sunday Dance, January 8
A little known fact: when the 1st of the month falls on a Sunday, the 2nd Sunday dance is the same weekend as the 1st Sat. Albuq. dance! So the very next night Noralyn Parsons will call elegant English country and zesty contra dances; music by One Good Turn (Gary Papenhagen and Linda Vik on fiddle, Peter Wegman on guitar, Lou Blackwell on bass, and Gary Blank on percussion); 7:00 – 9:30 p.m., Dance Studio in Albuquerque at 4217 San Mateo NE, 1 block south of Montgomery on the west side of the San Mateo between Auto Zone and Bank of the West (across from Grandy’s). Park directly behind the studio on west side in gated area or along San Mateo to avoid vehicle break-ins. Do not park behind Auto Zone. Bring clean dance shoes. No shoes with nails or that leave black scuff marks, please. Clean dance shoes and tennis shoes OK. $6 admission.
Santa Fe Contra Dance, Saturday, January 14
Check out the Contra Dance in Santa Fe, Saturday, January 14. The oh-so-smooth Chris Kelly of Santa Fe is calling, The Taos Contraband is playing. 8 p.m. -11 p.m., IOOF Hall, 1125 Cerrillos Rd. $5 members, $6 others. Instruction at 7:30 p.m.
Albuquerque AMP Concerts Galore in January
You can get more information at anytime on the web at www.abqmusic.com. Here are upcoming concerts:
Jan 13: Acoustic Eidolon – Windchime Champagne Gallery
Jan 14: Rodney Crowell – KiMo Theatre
Jan 19: Bosque House Concerts Night of Chanteuses
featuring Marianne Dissard and Emilie Marchand
Jan 21: Greg Brown – Lobo Theater
Jan 28: An AMP Dance Party with Lura and Wagogo – El Rey Theater (I can personally attest that Wagogo is so dance-rhythmic, I once started a congo line with a hundred 60-80- year-old women to dance to them!)
SELL OUTS PENDING: Both Rodney Crowell and Greg Brown tickets are moving at sell out rates. There is a good chance there won’t be tickets available by show time.
This & That
Folkmadness Camp: Camp flyers and registration forms are in the mail if you’re a FOLKMADS member, or at dance tables, or on the web at www.folkmads.org. This 14th annual camp’s lineup of guest callers, singer, and musicians is sterling. Mark your calendars for May 26-29, 2006, Socorro, NM. The waffle machine and ice cream scoops await you!
Taos Ball: I liked this summary sent by Jim Buechler of the Taos Holiday Ball on Dec. 17. “If it were possible to measure Joy, in quantity, or in intensity, there would have been a great deal of it recorded last night at the San Geronimo Lodge. The “spacious” dance floor filled, without intermission, for three solid hours. Musicians and dancers and caller Lausanne all indefatigable, faces shining with perspiration and goodwill. “If only the whole World would do this,” said someone on the side, as my partner for that dance and I moved by, turning, and my partner responded, ” Why is this so much fun?” But the moment was for living, doing as the music told us, not reasoning, and we turned on, round and round…. If only the whole World would do this!”
Accolades to NM musicians: I thought this was really cool: Irish Times’ Siobhan Long names “House to House” among the top five Trad Albums of 2005! http://www.ireland.com/theticket/articles/2005/1216/3414767411TKARROW2TK1612IARLAT.html American duo Randal Bays and Roger Landes took center stage with not so much as a spotlight to surprise and delight with their fiddle and bouzouki duet, House to House. At a sufficient remove from the origins of the music they evidently love, Bays and Landes inhabited the tunes with a refreshing vigour, and their insistence on retaining the personality of the live recording, replete with foot taps and squeaky chairs, only added to the technicolour of the collection.
Farewell from Maggie: Dear Albuquerque Dancers, Thanks so much for your wonderful hospitality, terrific music and enthusiastic dancing. I have had a great time with you all in the friendliest city in the country. No contest. I enjoyed the warm climate, (weather and personalities), and the beauty of the desert and mountains for over two years.
I have decided for many reasons to return to my family in Pennsylvania, and will be moving around a bit for the next month. After that, I will have my own place. Any dancers visiting this area are, of course welcome to hospitality with me. The kindness and welcoming nature of the ABQ dancers are becoming a legend among my friends. Thanks so much for a terriffic two+ years. Have a wonderful holiday season , and keep in touch. Much love, Maggie Byram Thanks, Maggie, and happy dancing in Pennsylvania!
Planning Ahead: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~jmerck/cdw06/
Steve Mills says check out the above camp. He says it’s a great camp (except for the cabins — esp. if there’s a snorer). He ran into the Rev. Cary and the mother-in-law of Santa Fe fiddling Robin a couple of years ago when the Groovemongers were playing. Beautiful location, good dancers, though not as warm as Texas-NM-Arizona. And here’s a really obscure fact: I took John Merck, this camp’s organizer, to his 1st contra dance in 1982!
Remember the Santa Fe Concert Venue!
GiG is Santa Fe’s non-profit performance space. GiG is located at 1808 Second St. The suggested donation is $7 to $10. All shows are at 8 PM. Check out www.gigsantafe.com for more details about each week’s artists and listen to their music samples at the Listen link! This music is updated weekly, so please check back often.
If you have folk music and/or dance events for me to list for the 2nd half of January, let me know by January 17th. I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but this is all I remember for the moment.
Merri Rudd
www.merridancing.com