Calendar
Submit calendar info to:
calendar@corvallisfolklore.org
This event is CANCELED
Countercurrent
From Seattle:
- Brian Lindsay – fiddle
- Alex Sturbaum – guitar
Countercurrent is a contra dance and folk music band in western Washington, featuring driving guitar, foot percussion, lyrical fiddle, and harmony vocals.
Marlin Prowell
Marlin Prowell is a well known caller from Bellingham. “Marlin has an easy-going way of teaching so that your feet know what to do before your mind has time to worry about it. If you’ve never danced a step in your life, follow the caller’s instructions and you’ll be smiling and swinging in minutes.”
Beginners lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 7:30pm
Each dance is taught. No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
This event has been canceled
7:30 Absolute Harmony
Absolute Harmony is four singers who believe in the power of harmony and in music with a message. They blend tight vocal harmonies, weaving a musical tapestry that lifts the spirit and arouses the heart. Their music ranges from folk music to South African freedom songs, from doo-wop to original compositions by Absolute members. They are: Elizabeth Wyatt, Julie Williams, Shelley Willis, and Micki Reaman.
8:30 Guitar Masala
Sid Rosen and his friends play unusual music with an international flavor.
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
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED
Salem Folklore Community’s
34th Annual
Westwind Weekend
of music and dance
A beautiful setting on the Oregon Coast. A pristine, sheltered beach, tidepools galore, wildlife in the water, woods, and air, hikes that lead to superb vistas up and down the coast. It’s a weekend at the beach, with music and friends old and new. It’s always sunny at Westwind, AND it almost always rains. Which is to say, any weather can happen.
A growing, family friendly community. More than a fourth of those who attend the Westwind Weekend are young people. Kids bring their friends. They dig in the sand, play Frisbee, hike, play cards, dance, play music, drink hot cocoa, help out, hang out, and build lasting memories.
Non-stop music jams. At any moment you’ll find swing favorites on the front porch, old-time in the shed, and Irish/contra tunes in the kitchen. Some of the finest musicians in the Willamette Valley come to Westwind and are joined by folks just learning to play and everyone in between.
Contra dancing and more. Friday and Saturday evenings feature the Westwind All Star Orchestra playing tunes, and dance programming that’s aimed at all ages and abilities. Expect family dances, contras and squares, and a set of Scandinavian favorites. Also find musicians jamming and swing or zydeco dancing underway outside the main hall.
Camper-led workshops. Gumboot dancing, daisy chain squares, swing chords, beach talk, favorite folk songs: come with your special talent to share or learn something you’ve never heard of before. Sunday morning expect time for singing the gospel of our non-denominational love of community.
A Saturday camper concert. Enjoy listening to the crazy, creative, and sublime as your fellow campers perform, or put together your own high or low art performance and step up onto the whale bone stage.
Happy, hearty vegetarian food. Beth Littlewolf has been our cook for 25+ years. She makes wonderful fare that brings us all together in the historic Wilson Lodge for family-style meals. Meals at Westwind include snack Friday evening, breakfast, lunch, and dinner on Saturday, and early-wake up breakfast fare plus brunch on Sunday.
This event is CANCELED
Beginners lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 7:30pm
Each dance is taught. No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED
Treehouse
Local band Treehouse brings a mix of Irish, Quebecois, and New England style, and put it together with Pacific Northwest flair. Ben and Rachael come from the Irish traditional session background, having played with many groups across Canada and throughout Washington, Oregon, and California. Kevin Craven is recently arrived from Hawaii. He is a Corvallis violin teacher and also plays with the OSU Symphony. Shari teaches fiddle and has played with several Corvallis area bands including Three Finger Jack.
Karen Olsen
Karen has an encyclopedic knowledge of contra dances and is a good teacher and caller. Very patient and clear. She likes to keep the dancers moving, starting out with simpler dances in the beginners lesson, and progressing to more complex dances. She is also a musician and plays her concertina for dances in Coos Bay. She strives to infuse both her calling and the dancers with her own joyful enthusiasm for contra dance and music.
Beginners lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 7:30pm
Each dance is taught. No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELED
7:30 Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino
Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino are the Corvallis Blues Brothers.
Dave and Jeff 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.
8:30 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.
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
The Nettles
The Nettles are well-known on the West Coast for their original approach to contra dance music. Playing traditional music from all over the world, The Nettles create a strong rhythmic groove under soaring improvisations. Rhythmic drive and melodic fluidity allow The Nettles to propel contra dances into the stratosphere.
Kelsey Hartman
Since I am a “contraholic,” I can often be found any given weekend dancing or calling a contra dance. My inspiration for calling comes from Nils Fredland, whose callers’ workshop at American Week (BACDS) in 2012 spurred me down the caller’s path.
When calling, I consider myself a conduit between the dancers and the band, helping to channel the joy of the musicians’ music through flowing, interesting dances.
Beginners lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 7:30pm
Each dance is taught. No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
Penk, Pinney & Lindsay
George Penk is a well-known fiddle player across the USA, especially in the Pacific Northwest. He lives in Portland where he currently plays with the bands Joyride and Jigsaw. George collaborates with many musicians in various musical adventures, including being part of the Portland Collection project through his playing on the Portland Selection CD’s. His spirited and rich fiddle style is a delight to listen to. George is widely appreciated as a consummate dance fiddler working with callers to make sure the music is in-tune with the spirit of the dances. The Penk, Pinney, Lindsay trio, which includes Heather Pinney on piano and fiddle (also a member of Jigsaw) and Deborah Lindsay (from Corvallis) on percussion, works most often with the caller Erik Weberg, who also lends his expertise on wind instruments to the tune medleys.
Erik Weberg
I danced my first contra dance in Moscow Idaho in the Fall of 1986. Several excursions to the dance hall were necessary for me to find the courage to actually dance, but once I, tried it caught hold quickly and I became a regular dancer. Christian Petrich encouraged me to try calling for the first time in 1990 and soon after that I started regularly attending the first Wednesday open mic in Spokane Washington. I called dances around Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho for a few years before moving west of the Cascades in 1993. I was soon asked to call dances in Portland and up the Willamette Valley. Since then I’ve been calling dances, festivals and weekends around the country from Seattle to Boston, from Fairbanks to Tuscon and most places between. I am able to enjoy this craft because of the good folks who encouraged and taught me to call dances years ago, the booking agents and local dance committees who have given me wonderful opportunities to practice in their communities, and the thousands of dancers and musicians who forgive me my mistakes and make it all worthwhile. If you’re reading this you’re probably one of them; so, thank you!
Beginners lesson starts at 7:00pm (experienced dancers welcome) dance starts at 7:30pm
Each dance is taught. No partner necessary (it’s traditional to dance each dance with a different partner)
First and Third Saturdays of the month except July, August. Occasional special dances.
Folk Unlocked: Connection, Discovery, Inspiration, is a five-day event for the entire international folk community to come together for panels, workshops, showcases, affinity and peer group meetings, exhibit spaces, networking, and mentorship. This is a year for innovation and creativity, and our goal is to create a space for community building and career development for everyone from the comfort and safety of their own home.
While the conference officially starts on Monday, 2/22, there are events on Sunday, 2/21, including meet-ups with artists such as John Gorka, Eliza Gilkyson, Cathy Fink and many others. The schedule is much too long to even summarize here, but there will be the Keynote Interview: Margaret Atwood with Anaïs Mitchell, and a session on Songs and Pursuit of Social Justice including OSU’s Bob Santelli.
For more information and to register click here or on the logo above.
Best Cellar – Canceled
Now that things are opening up we have scheduled Best Cellars for this year. We will add details of performers as they are confirmed. Unfortunately, the Beta variant has postponed the restart of the Best Cellar for the foreseeable future. Get Vaccinated!
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
Shook Twins
Oregon State University presents Shook Twins on the next installment of the College of Liberal Arts’ American Strings series on Wednesday, October 6 at 7:30pm.
Join host Bob Santelli as we kick off another great season of American Strings with a special evening, outdoors, in the Student Experience Center Plaza on the beautiful OSU main campus in Corvallis. Bob will talk with the popular Portland-based indie-folk band SHOOK TWINS about their creative process and musical lives. Shook Twins will also perform live as a trio comprised of identical twin sisters Katelyn and Laurie Shook with longtime bandmate Niko “Slice” Daoussis.
Shook Twins’ music incorporates acoustic instruments including banjo, guitar, mandolin, glockenspiel and their signature gold egg, in a unique, contemporary sound that has never really been confined to the indie-folk world in which they’ve become well-known artists. Always performing with an adventurous spirit, the sisters are never shy to incorporate beatboxing, banjo-head drumming, vocals using a repurposed telephone as a microphone, and other ambient sources within their music arrangements.
Since the release of their debut album, “You Can Have The Rest,” Shook Twins have shared the stage with artists including Laura Veirs, Mason Jennings, Sarah Jarosz, Gregory Alan Isakov, Crooked Still and many others. They’ve appeared at premiere festivals including Summer Camp Music Festival (Ill.), Arise Music Festival (Colo.), High Sierra Music Festival (Cali.), Northwest String Summit (Ore.), Revival Fest (Minn.), Suwannee Hulaween (Fla.), and have toured Germany and the U.K.
Their recently released fourth album, “Some Good Lives,” pays homage to the people who have influenced their lives and become chapters in Shook Twins’ story. Throughout the album’s 14 tracks, Katelyn and Laurie pay homage to a number of those people — from a late grandpa and godfather, to Bernie Sanders.
Hosted by Bob Santelli, OSU director of popular music and performing arts, the conversation and live performance that comprises each segment of American Strings makes for a one of a kind opportunity to learn about the creative process, the performers and the influencers behind the great American music tradition.
Seating on the plaza is free and on a first come basis. The SEC Plaza is located between the Memorial Union and the Student Experience Center on Jefferson Street. Parking in permit restricted lots is unrestricted after 5 p.m. Future performances this season will head back to the Majestic Theatre, 115 SW 2nd Street in Corvallis, and will be posted at events.oregonstate.edu.
Best Cellar
Now that things are opening up we have scheduled Best Cellars for this year. We will add details of performers as they are confirmed.
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
Best Cellar
Now that things are opening up we have scheduled Best Cellars for this year. We will add details of performers as they are confirmed.
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
Best Cellar
Now that things are opening up we have scheduled Best Cellars for this year. We will add details of performers as they are confirmed.
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
