Hey, Folkies,

It’s been a roller-coaster few weeks with the tragic deaths from cancer of dance composer Gene Hubert, age 51 (see blog entry of March 8, 2006) and Gary Hughes, a Kansas fiddler, dance organizer, and fine dancer. Then we had a fiasco with the 2nd Sunday dance a few nights ago, when the Dance Studio folks did not show up to let us in. It turns out one of the owners was in the hospital, and they assure us they’ll be there for our dances in April, May and June. We caravanned down San Mateo to Lloyd Shaw (thanks, Donna Bauer, for helping us on short notice!) and held the dance acoustically. A small crowd, but the dancers seemed to have fun dancing to the fine tunes of Gary Papenhagen, Peter Wegman, Graham Daily and Lou Blackwell.

On a lighter note, some bird watcher posted a link to the yellow grosbeak entry on my blog on a New England rare bird site, and my blog got over 200 “hits” in one day!

Photo taken on March 11, 2006 by Matthew Matthiessen, Ukiah, CA, who visited the bird in Albuquerque, (c) 2006

And Trish Woodall is currently “dancing down the Nile” on a wooden boat with 50 others, Joseph Pimentel and Colin Hume calling contras and English country dances, Peter Barnes and Mary Lea of Bare Necessities fame playing. Pyramids by day, dancing by night; let’s hope Trish will post a report on FOLKMADS’ roadtrips.blog or with me.

Albuquerque St. Patrick's Day Concert
This Friday, March 17, at 7 P.M., The Bost Family will return to play. They were such a hit last year that they were immediately signed on to play at the big Enchanted Desert Festival. The kids are all a year older and another one has joined the family since we saw them last. The show is free but donations are encouraged to help them defray their cost of driving from Arizona. Covenant Cafe is located at 9315 Candelaria NE in Albuquerque, show starts at 7 pm. Refreshments will be available.

Las Cruces Contra Dance, Friday, March 17
It’ll be the ‘wearin’ of the green’ in Las Cruces at the St. Patrick’s Day Contra Dance. There’ll be shamrocks & shades of green & traditional Irish Reels and dance. Get in the mood for a party — wear something green or funny. Lots of Irish tunes from our lads & lasses in our Southern N.M. Music & Dance House Band. Chole, Lonnie and Lewis will be teaching & calling. Lucky “Green” refreshments. Location: San Andres Learning Center, 2355 Avenida De Mesilla/Highway 28, Mesilla (2 blocks east of church and plaza). Info: 505-522-1691 or 505-521-7586.

Albuquerque Contra Dance, Saturday, March 18
Marj Mullany is calling and Megaband is 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. If you’re not at Popejoy Hall for Garrison Keillor and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra that night, you might want to wear some green to go dancing. Here is Jim Boros’ cyber rendition of our Megaband:

Taos Contra Dance, Saturday, March 18
This month they’ll again be dancing near the center of town — at the Community Dance Studio, aka the khecari dance theatre, at 1219 Gusdorf Road. That’s the 3rd Saturday, March 18, at 7 p.m. The Community Studio is located in the complex of buildings at the corner of the BY-pass East and Gusdorf Road. From the Visitor Center, take a right turn onto Gusdorf. Take the 4th left-hand entrance, just after the sign with the number 1219 written above the words “Phoenix Plaza” On the adobe wall behind and above will be the logo of the Taos Orthopedic Clinic. Drive out back, keeping the Clinic on your left. The studio entrance is at the end. They are asked, however, to REMOVE OUTDOOR SHOES upon entering. So bring soft-soled indoor shoes, or slippers, or dancing shoes if you have them. If you’ll be wearing socks (some will) you might bring somewhat heavier socks to give some support at least. Music by Taos Contraband, once again. Lausanne Allen, winter Resident Caller, in her next-to-last appearance before she returns to Vermont in May.

Albuquerque Concert, Monday, March 20
Bosque House Concert #85 with Brian Joseph with Brad Colerick
7:30 pm
$12 suggested minimum donation
Contact Jeff at abqmusic.com or make a reservation on-line at
www.abqmusic.com/houseconcerts.html
A warm and engaging performer, Brian carved a spot in everyone’s hearts with “We’re Gonna Laugh”, a song that still gets played on KBAC years later. He’s a master of story songs that create a strong sense of place and people. He’s also a fairly new father. He’ll show you a stack of family pictures in a heartbeat. His latest album “If I Never Sleep Again”, is all about his experiences with parenthood – leading up to it, living through it, and imagining what it brings for the future. It’s a universal theme handled in a very nice way that works for parents and non-parents alike. Brian’s travelling with Brad Colerick, who will be doing a short opening set and probably singing on a few of Brian’s songs.

Bayou Seco House Concert, Santa Fe, March 24
Fri. Mar 24 – Santa Fe – House Concert – Marilyn Ferrell’s house – 113 Monte Alto, El Dorado. Santa Fe 7:30 PM – for reservations call: 505-466-4469 or mamateq@cybermesa.com – Cajun Snacks at Break – $15.00 or sliding scale.

Bayou Seco Concert, Corrales, Sat., March 25
Corrales Library – Children and adults concert – 10:30 AM , Corrales NM

4th Santa Fe Contra Dance, Saturday, March 25 with Music Workshop First!
There will be a Bayou Seco Fiddle Workshop -Cajun/New Mexican/Tohono O’Odham styles before the dance. 3-5:30 PM in Santa Fe at 810 1/2 W. Manhatten (Lisa Bertelli’s house). $25.00 includes disc and transcriptions. bayouseco@aol.com for reservations. Then go to the Contra Dance in Santa Fe, 8 p.m. -11 p.m., IOOF Hall, 1125 Cerrillos Rd., Wendy Graham from Durango calling and Bayou Seco (Ken Keppeler on fiddle and accordian, Jeanie McLerie on fiddle and accordion, Ted Seeley on guitar and bass) playing. $5 members, $6 others. Instruction at 7:30 p.m.

Albuquerque Concert, Saturday, March 25
An AMP Concert, Mountain Music of Kyrgyzstan featuring
The Tengir-Too Ensemble
KiMo Theater, 5th & Central (downtown)
8:00 pm – Concert
7:00 pm – video and lecture
$20 & $25, reserved seating
Tickets at the KiMo Box Office and TicketMaster
A small number of tickets available at abqmusic.com and concerts as well.
A very special opportunity to see music rarely heard in the United States, let alone in Albuquerque. They are only playing at four venues around the country. The first of their two shows at the Smithsonian is already sold out. This 7-piece ensemble’s new CD is the first in a 10-volume set being released by Smithsonian Folkways entitled The Music of Central Asia. It’s a stunning package with a 30-page booklet and a DVD. The music is worthy of the treatment. The Kyrgyz people were primarily nomads, so playing in large groups is a new concept for them. The group tends to break into smaller ensembles to perform different styles of music, ranging from battling Jew’s harps to wild playing on a handmade lute. There are male and female vocalists, and an epic storyteller. The show is both visually and aurally rich and intriguing, transcending language to capture the spirit of the people. Pre-concert, we will show a DVD on the band and their homeland and have a short discussion with Professor Ted Levin from Dartmouth. Ted is the executive producer of the Smithsonian series, helped Yo-Yo Ma create the Silk Road Project, and has spent decades immersed in the music of the region.

4th Sunday Contra Dance, Albuq., March 26
Artie Walsh and friends calling, One Good Turn (Gary Papenhagen and Graham Daily on fiddle, Peter Wegman on guitar, and Lou Blackwell on bass) playing. 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Lloyd Shaw Dance Center, 5506 Coal SE (2 blocks south of Central, 1.5 blocks east of San Mateo). $5 all. Call Artie for more info: 332-3737.

Albuquerque Concert, Sunday, March 26
An evening of music with David Roth, 7 p.m., Christ Unity Church, 9800 Candelaria Rd. NE, $10, advance, $12, door. Call 241-9627 for more info and tickets.

Taos Concert, Sunday, March 26
ZoukFest Presents! Laura Kemp & Steve Smith
Roots and Contemporary Americana Music with Sizzling Hot Mandolin and Gorgeous Vocals
Sunday, March 26th, 2006
at RANE Gallery, 214 Ledoux Street, Taos, New Mexico
7pm, tickets are $12 at the door 1/2 hour before the show.
Laura Kemp and Steve Smith met in 2002 when Laura invited Steve to play mandolin parts on her CD, May. Since then they have played shows together in Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Texas and in Steve?s home state, New Mexico, featuring original and traditional vocal music in a duo format. Steve and Laura accompany each other on mandolin, guitar, and with vocal harmonies and both artists will also perform solo selections during the evening. With the release of her fifth studio album, May, Laura Kemp has gained a reputation as one of the finest performers and songwriters on the west coast. She has been a fixture on the Eugene, OR folk scene since 1990, her dynamic performing style, refined confidence and uncompromising frankness on stage, and her unique brand of acoustic poetry earning her comparisons to Bob Dylan and Nanci Griffith, as well as consistently winning her ?Best Female Musician? honors in the Eugene Weekly readers? poll.

Steve Smith has been performing mandolin, guitar, and vocals for over 25 years in about as many different types of musical situations as one can imagine, from hard-driving traditional Bluegrass to New Acoustic, Celtic, Jazz ensembles, Old-Time, and chamber music. In 2005 Steve released the latest CD, meet Me By The River with his retro/old-time Bluegrass group Steve Smith and Hard Road. In 2004, he released his fourth solo CD, a collection of original and traditional tunes performed on voice, mandolin, guitar, mandola, mandocello, banjo, bass and percussion in solo, duo, trio and quartet settings. The musicians include Jim Hurst, Missy Raines, Wayne Shrubsall, Jane Horton, Robin Russell, Sally Barnes, George Rhee, Bob Hull, Fred Bugbee and Bruce Johnson and his quintet Steve Smith and Hard Road. For more information contact: Roger Landes at 505.751.3512 or info@zoukfest.com, http://zoukfest.com

Albuquerque Contra Dance, Saturday, April 1
I have a feeling this dance is gonna sneak up on us. Kris Jensen is calling and Hey! (Linda Vik and Jane Phillips on fiddle, Chris Carlson on fiddle and banjo, Tim Shaffer on fiddle and guitar) is 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.

This & That
Remember that www.folkmads.org has calendars and info on FOLKMADS events. FolkMadness Camp registration for Memorial Day weekend is open! Don’t miss the opportunity to refine your contra, English country and waltz skills with some of the nation’s finest dance musicians and leaders.

Let me know of events to list for April by March 25.

Thanks,

Merri Rudd
Albuquerque, NM
www.merridancing.com