Calendar
Submit calendar info to:
calendar@corvallisfolklore.org
Hambo Workshop
with John Scott
Hambo is not a dance you can learn in 5 minutes. It takes instruction, time and practice.
- This class is for beginners, or anyone who wants tips & practice opportunity with coaching.
- No partner is needed!
- The May 6th evening contra dance will feature several live HAMBOS to practice your skills!
Family Play Day in Portland
7:30 Sharon and Dave Thormahlen
Sharon and Dave have been making beautiful music together in Corvallis for decades. They perform traditional and new music written by Sharon, mostly on instruments made by Dave.
8:30 Wild Hog In The Woods
Stringband music from a bygone era played the way it always should have been.
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
A Special Night of
Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan Songs
Many of your favorite local performers will be on hand to perform and lead sing-alongs of these popular folk works.
Special Note: Because we expect a larger crowd than usual, this Best Cellar will not be held in the cellar. We will be upstairs, at the top of the Methodist Church where we can seat more folks.
It will be a benefit for the Corvallis Folklore Society, the non-profit that provides insurance cost, royalty fees, and publicity for folk concerts, dances, and The Best Cellar Coffee House. Events like the Neal Gladstone Tribute, that some of you attended, can only happen because of The Folklore Society. And there are so many other concerts and dances they provide. Because, really, no one can afford the insurance and royalties to put on a music event anymore.
The Folklore Society needs help bearing these costs and so the volunteers of The Best Cellar have created this concert and musicians from all over our area have flocked together to perform. With so many folks stepping onto the stage, and playing in combinations they don’t usually play with, some of this will be brilliant, some will be ragged, and all of it will be heartfelt and joyful.
For this benefit, we selected Dylan because he won the Nobel Prize for Literature this year; and Guthrie because he was Dylan’s inspiration and role model, and doesn’t every great artist need inspiration and role models?
I hope you’ll consider joining us.
June 9, 7:30 upstairs at The Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe in Corvallis.
Pay what you will (and as many times as you care too). Kids are free and welcome.
Cookies, gluten free cookies, coffee, and tea will be provided
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The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodis Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
7:30 River Rocks
Great local band. Laurie Childers and friends have wonderful harmonies.
8:30 Tom Rawson
Tom comes down from Seattle bringing some great, Pete Seeger like energy. Strong vocals, banjo, and guitar, and a tasty selection of classic folk songs mixed with clever originals.
“I have a banjo and I’m not afraid to use it.”
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
Photo by Mina Carson
7:30 Rita Brown
Rita Brown, local folk singer and multi-instrumentalist, was named the 2010 Readers’ Choice “favorite female vocalist” by the Corvallis Gazette-Times and praised for her “warm, unforced vocal style” by Seattle’s Victory Review. She has released four cd’s, two as half of a folk duo with Bill Smyth and two as lead singer of the original rock band, The Flow. She has sung with the Neal Gladstone Band, with the Joe Cocker tribute band Mad Dogs and No Englishmen, and with cellist Anne Ridlington as Crooked Kate.
For the October 27th Best Cellar, Rita looks forward to sharing some of her favorite songs from a variety of great songwriters.
8:30 Dinna Fash
Dinna Fash is Scots Gaelic for don’t worry, and this trio uses cellos and fiddles to play a wide variety of traditional and modern Celtic tunes so you can leave your worries behind. Kevin Craven, recently arrived from Hawaii is a local violin teacher and also plays with the OSU Symphony. Maria Blair on fiddle and cello, most recently from Durango Colorado, is also a step dancer. She brings special rhythm and vitality to the music. Beth Brown has been playing Celtic cello on the Corvallis scene for over 10 years, previously with the bands Three Fingered Jack and Lark. The trio is heavily influenced by Alasdair Frasier and Natalie Haas and has attended their camps and workshops. Along with traditional Irish, Scottish, Québécois and Shetland tunes, they play some of the modern tunes composed by the new generation of Celtic influenced musicians.
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
Songwriters’ Roundtable
with
Cassandra Robertson, Ralph Penunuri, and Paul Mckenna
Cassandra Robertson, a muse with a message, has the heart of a lion, and the mane to match. Accompanied by her acoustic guitar, she floors the audience like a sonic boom with captivating messages of peace, prosperity, hope and above all, inspiration. Her unique style of “acoustic conscious folk” kick starts the heart and levitates the soul; reminding us all that we CAN positively affect the world we all share, as long as we choose planet over profit and remember to be ourselves.
Ralph Penunuri brings a wide range musical stylings and sensibilities to his neo-traditional folkroots songwriting. Existential awakenings both great and small inhabit his lyrically rich storysongs — from balladry to bluegrass and blues, jazz, vocal improv and tone poem exploration. A progressive eco-advocate and backyard farmer, Ralph is a cultural citizen and activist in the community. He will be accompanied for this Best Cellar session by fiddler extraordinaire and darn nice guy Kevin Craven.
Paul McKenna has worked for 43 years as a staffer for the Service Employees International Union, including 28 years for SEIU Local 503 in Oregon. During this time, he has written over 300 labor and topical songs, addressing the trials and tribulations of working people in America, both original songs and parodies. Paul recently released a double CD entitled “Come Join Us In A Union Song, ” featuring 36 of these songs, with accompaniment by Corvallis musicians Nick Rivard, Dave Storrs, and Laura Brophy. The CD reflects Paul’s eclectic musical tastes, with a wide range of styles, including folk, rock, blues, jazz, country, rap and reggae. He has two daughters, Katie, 34 and Rachel, 31 and lives in Corvallis with his wife of 39 years, Wendy.
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music.
Admission is $2-10 “pay what you will” and kids are free.
Cookies and coffee are available.
For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
7:30 Webster Chicago
Delta Blues. Down home, the way blues was meant to be. Featuring Chris Dunnfield, Bill Veley, Tom Spies, and Bryan Rhodes.
8:30 Crooked Kate
Crooked Kate features folk singer Rita Brown (2010 Gazette-Times favorite singer) and cellist Anne Ridlington, playing a blend of folk, pop and classical music. The inventive cello provides rich harmony with Rita’s voice and guitar. Anne, who plays cello with the Eugene Symphony, also does impressive solos.
They’re fun, and they’re GOOD.
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
7:30 The Lucky In Love String Band
Pete Kozak, Jeff Hino, Ron Green, and Mark Weiss
Bluegrass with a twist. Well, maybe a few twists. Hot instrumental work and three part harmony.
8:30 Paper Wings
Many will remember Wilhelmina Frankzerda, who grew up in Summit and now lives in Nashville Tennessee. She and Emily Mann form the duo Paper Wings, and will be stopping by The Best Cellar as part of their west coast tour. These two fine, young musicians bring a traditional, Americana sound to their own original songs. Reviewed by Kristin Andreassen (of Uncle Earl) as “a gorgeous, big-hearted and masterfully played bunch of songs and tunes from two of the best musicians I know.”
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
7:30 Sharon and Dave Thormahlen
Sharon and Dave have been making beautiful music together in Corvallis for decades. They perform traditional and new music written by Sharon, mostly on instruments made by Dave.
8:30 Wild Hog In The Woods
Stringband music from a bygone era played the way it always should have been.
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
7:30 Cassandra Robertson
A muse with a message, Cassandra has the heart of a lion, and the mane to match. Accompanied by her acoustic guitar, she floors the audience like a sonic boom with captivating messages of peace, prosperity, hope and above all, inspiration. Her unique style of “acoustic conscious folk” kick starts the heart and levitates the soul; reminding us all that we CAN positively affect the world we all share, as long as we choose planet over profit and remember to be ourselves.
8:30 GuitarMasala
“I’m very happy to let you know that after a long hiatus from playing, my hand issues have been resolved and I’m back to playing guitar, composing and performing with my band, GuitarMasala.
We hope you will join us for our re-emergence concert. Otto Gygax will be coming down from Portland to play his world class rhythms on hand drums. We’ve managed to snag George Beekman from his busy performance schedule to lend his magic with symbols, bells and chimes. Sherry Rosen will be adding texture, harmonies and melodies on the Indian harmonium. We’re elated to be playing together again.”
With strong eastern influences, and a strong supporting cast, Sid Rosen delights with his original compositions for guitar.
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
Immerse yourself in traditional
American music and dance at the
Willamette Valley Old-Time Social
May 3rd – May 6th!
Mud City Old-Time Society is once again hosting the region’s 3rd annual old-time music and dance celebration, the Willamette Valley Old-Time Social in Eugene, Oregon May 3rd-6th. There will be a Thursday night kickoff party at 1st National Taphouse with four local bands including, Huff & Meade, Sugar Pine String Band, The Eugene City Barnstormers, and Grand Ronde String Band. Friday night will feature a BBQ social and jam fest, and on Saturday there will be a whole day of workshops at The Shedd Institute for the Performing Arts, focused on old-time fiddle, banjo, guitar, dance and voice, including one with two-time Grammy-nominated fiddler Bruce Molsky and his Mountain Drifters-Allison de Groot and Stash Wyslouch! Saturday evening we will offer flatfoot dance lessons with Rebecca Stout and a big traditional square dance at the W.O.W. Hall with The Horsenecks and Gabe Strand calling. The weekend will finish off with a Sunday farm brunch and later that evening, a farewell concert at Sam Bond’s Brewing with The Local Honeys from Kentucky.
This event is sponsored by; Bubbaville, Stumptown Printers, 2Towns Ciderhouse, Zigzag Mountain Farm, 100 Mile Bakery and the Eugene City Barnstormers. Mud City Old-Time Society is a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting traditional old-time music and dance in the Southern Willamette Valley. Come and be a part of the thriving Pacific Northwest old-time music scene and experience the community-building power of traditional American music and dance!
7:30 Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino
Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino are the Corvallis Blues Brothers.
Dave Plaehn & Jeff Hino have been performing their own distinct blend of acoustic blues, folk, and original material since 1990. Plaehn and Hino explore the uncluttered powerful interplay of blues harmonica, National steel guitar, and vocals in the tradition of the great country bluesmen like Robert Johnson, Elmore James, and Bukka White.
“It’s a nice reminder that not all the talented musicians in this state are based in the city at the terminus of the Willamette River. This is roots music at its finest played by craftsmen in the deepest sense. This is a duo that has a lot to say and the skills to back those voices, too.”
Greg Johnson, President,
Cascades Blues Association
“Two talented blues musicians who offer a fresh and diverse array of original and traditional acoustic based compositions. Treat you ears to a real pleasing performance.”
Rod Downing, President,
Washington Blues Society
8:30 Audrey Perkins and Friends
John Bliss (guitar, mando), Page Hundemer (bass) and Audrey Perkins (vocals), come together again for an eclectic set of swing, a tune by Peter Mayer, one by Jason Isbell, an old gospel song, a much-needed protest song and other tunes we love.
We planned this as a special double-bill as we share the evening with Corvallis favorites Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino, the area’s premier blues duo. Cross pollination likely.
Hope to see you there for this spring evening of Corvallis musicians!
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodis Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
Acoustic Beatle Fest
We will be recreating the old “Beatle Fest,” that ran for many years, mostly at the Fairgrounds. But Beatle Fest began as an evening of all acoustic arrangements, at the Old World Deli, back when Old World was the largest music venue in town. The creator of Beatle Fest, George Beekman, will be on hand to help MC this event, and to add percussion for some of the musicians who perform.
Musicians include Barbara Gladstone, Fred Towne, Audrey Perkins, Pete Kozak, Suz Doyle, Nils Nilson, Jeanne Homes, john Bliss, Bryan Yorgey, Bill Pfender, Mark Weiss, Cliff and Chere Pereira, Paul Regan, Joel Garfunkle and Larry Beekman, who played at the very first Beatle Fest low those many years ago.
Music begins at 7:30
We will be in the Sanctuary of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe
Admission is 2-10 dollars, your choice. Kids are free and welcome.
Coffee, tea, cookies, and gluten free cookies are available for 50 cents each.
Folks may want to arrive early, to get parked close.
This show is a benefit for the Corvallis Folklore Society. We hope all members will come and support our parent organization, while enjoying some really good songs performed in original ways.
The best Cellar is a once-a-month evening of acoustic music. Admission is “pay what you will,” and kids are free. Cookies and coffee are available. Located in the cellar of the Methodist Church on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis. For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com
7:30 Revel’n
Evelyn Idzerda and Ron Snyder create some wonderful sounds with sweet singing and hot guitar picking.
8:30 River Rocks
Laurie Childers, Mina Carson, Bill Veley, and Michael Everett combine to be one of our areas finest groups. Great vocal harmony and excellent instrumental work. Some fine originals and a few covers, as well.
The Best Cellar is held on the last Friday of each month of the school year. Admission is a sliding scale, 20-10 dollars, your choice. Kids are free and welcome Cookies, gluten free cookies, coffee and tea are available for fifty cents each. We’re located in the cellar of the Methodist Church, on 11th and Monroe, in Corvallis.
For more information, or to join the volunteer team, contact Mark Weiss at mjweiss@cmug.com