December/January, 2019/2020 – Vol. 12, No. 2

Del Rey       KlapaDooWopella

The Past Concerts featured Del Rey on Oct. 11, and KlapaDooWopella on Nov. 8. This issue features a new article, Celebrate Winter, by Stewart Hendrickson. The Upcoming Concerts at the Couth Buzzard will feature Crossing the North Sea  – Rachel Nesvig and Brandon Vance  on Dec. 13, and Crònan on Jan. 10. Every 2nd Saturday at the Couth Buzzard from noon – 1:30 pm, Stew’s Folk Music Corner will feature tunes, songs, and community singing. The Events page lists some great concerts through the next few months. Keep tuned and revisit the NW HOOT as new articles may appear along with a new video of the week. We are still looking for more writers for the NW HOOT (send us your ideas and articles).

CELEBRATE WINTER, by Stewart Hendrickson

When I grew up in Southern California I had no idea of seasons. Aside from the fact that there was no rain from May through September, and some rain in the other months, we had no weather, only climate. It wasn’t until I moved to Illinois for graduate school, and later lived twenty-eight years in Minnesota and twenty-three years now in Seattle, that I learned to appreciate the seasons. Although my favorite season is summer, the other seasons remind me that life is cyclical. The inexorable turn of the year with its different seasons reminds me that life also changes. Each decade is different as we move from youth to old age. Continue reading “CELEBRATE WINTER, by Stewart Hendrickson”

October/November, 2019 – Vol. 12, No. 1

Tango Cowboys – Robin Kallsen, Rich Hinricksen, Tom Bourne

The Past Concert featured Tango Cowboys on Sept. 13. This issue features a new article, Music and the Asymmetric Brain, by Stewart Hendrickson; and A Word From Your Director. The Upcoming Concerts at the Couth Buzzard will feature Del Rey on Oct. 11, and  KlapaDooWopella on Nov. 8. Every 2nd Saturday at the Couth Buzzard from noon – 1:30 pm, Stew’s Folk Music Corner will feature tunes, songs, and community singing. The Events page lists some great concerts through the next few months. Keep tuned and revisit the NW HOOT as new articles may appear along with a new video of the week. We are still looking for more writers for the NW HOOT (send us your ideas and articles).

A WORD FROM YOUR DIRECTOR, Stewart Hendrickson

As we begin the twelfth year of the NW HOOT (Vol. 12, No. 1) we have come a long way from our first paper edition (Vol. 1, No. 1, Oct/Nov. 2008). Powered by WordPress, it includes embedded videos and mp3 sound files, hyperlinks, photos and more. While past articles have included those from a number of authors, more recently I have been the only author. I would like to have more contributing authors on subjects relating to music that would be of general interest to our readers. An example of this sort of thing is on the website FolkWorks (click on the link Columns). Please consider contributing articles – contact me here. Continue reading “A WORD FROM YOUR DIRECTOR, Stewart Hendrickson”

MUSIC AND THE ASYMMETRIC BRAIN, by Stewart Hendrickson

Modern research shows that music stimulates the brain. Music listening and performance are enhanced by the way we use both parts of our asymmetrical brain. Understanding how this works is the key to enjoying music, learning music, and improving your performance. Continue reading “MUSIC AND THE ASYMMETRIC BRAIN, by Stewart Hendrickson”

August/September, 2019 – Vol. 11, No. 6

Claudia Schmidt                 Lindsay Street

The Past Concerts featured Claudia Schmidt on June 9, and Lindsay Street on July 12.. This issue features a new article, Fiddle Musings, by Stewart Hendrickson. The Upcoming Concert at the Couth Buzzard will feature Tango Cowboys on Sept. 13; there will be no concert in August. Every 2nd Saturday at the Couth Buzzard from noon – 1:30 pm, Stew’s Folk Music Corner will feature tunes, songs, and community singing. The Events page lists some great concerts through the next few months. Keep tuned and revisit the NW HOOT as new articles may appear along with a new video of the week. We are still looking for more writers for the NW HOOT (send us your ideas and articles).

FIDDLE MUSINGS, by Stewart Hendrickson

When someone asks me how long I have played the violin, I tell them about seventy years. But that’s not true. That includes about forty-five years that I didn’t play at all. About twenty years ago I started playing again, this time the fiddle and not the violin. Much of what I had learned as a kid came back to me, but then I had to learn all those tunes. Learning to play the fiddle (or violin) is really a life-long process; one never arrives at the final destination, but it is the journey that makes it worthwhile.
Continue reading “FIDDLE MUSINGS, by Stewart Hendrickson”

June/July, 2019 – Vol. 11, No. 5

 

Stewart Hendrickson and Ken Barroga

The Past Concert featured Hendrickson & Barroga on May 10. This issue features new articles: The Rivers of Washington, by Stewart Hendrickson; and Why Music?. Upcoming Concerts at the Couth Buzzard will feature Claudia Schmidt on June 9, and Lindsay Street on July 12.  Every 2nd Saturday at the Couth Buzzard from noon – 1:30 pm, Stew’s Folk Music Corner will feature tunes, songs, and community singing. The Events page lists some great concerts through the next few months. Keep tuned and revisit the NW HOOT as new articles may appear along with a new video of the week. We are still looking for more writers for the NW HOOT (send us your ideas and articles).

KEEP MUSIC LIVE AT THE COUTH, by Stewart Hendrickson

The Pacific Northwest Folklore Society has produced a distinctive series of live music concerts at Couth Buzzard Books since May, 2010. The last concert on Sunday, June 9, with Claudia Schmidt is an example of what we do best: a renown performer in a small intimate space – fifty-two people that Sunday – at the same level allowing maximum interaction between the performer and audience, pure acoustic sound with no obtrusive electronics, and all for a very affordable donation. With the generosity of Theo Dezielak, owner of the Couth, we get a free venue along with refreshments and some friendly baristas to serve us. But we need to talk about the real cost of live music at the Couth and how best to sustain it. Continue reading “KEEP MUSIC LIVE AT THE COUTH, by Stewart Hendrickson”

THE RIVERS OF WASHINGTON, by Stewart Hendrickson

Columbia River Gorge facing east toward Beacon Rock

The Snohomish, Snoqualmie, Skykomish, Stilliguamish, Shoalwater, Columbia, Copalis, Clearwater, Kalaloch, Klickitat, Humptullips, Hamma Hamma, Hoh, Dosewallips, Dungeness, Puyallup, Pilchuck, Physt, Quillayutte, Queets, Grey Wolf, Yakima, Taholah, Tieton, Naches, Elwha, Raft, Moclips…  When I first moved to Washington I was amused by the recitation of rivers in weather reports of flooding. There ought to be a song there. In fact, there are several. Continue reading “THE RIVERS OF WASHINGTON, by Stewart Hendrickson”