archived – Page 3

CD REVIEW – LINDSAY STREET

CAPTAIN EARLY – Lindsay Street, 2018, CDBaby
Lindsay Street, a band from Bellingham, Washington (Robin Elwood, Elizabeth Elton, Patty Chambers, and Jean Rogers) “draws inspiration from past and emerging music traditions that wash up on the shores of Bellingham Bay by way of Ireland, England, Scandinavia and Quebec, with an occasional original tune thrown in the mix.” Described as “pan-Celtic, quirk and beauty,” the band creates unique arrangements that feature accordion, guitar, violin, mandolin, bodhran, banjo, whistles, and other assorted instruments and vocal harmonies. Their third CD, Captain Early, honors their long-time percussionist Bryan Early, who succumbed to a rare cancer in 2014. Continue reading “CD REVIEW – LINDSAY STREET”

December/January, 2018-19 – Vol. 11, No. 2

Kate Power and Steve Einhorn Brandon Vance and Rachel Nesvig

The Past Concerts featured Kate Power & Steve Einhorn on Oct. 12, and “Crossing the North Sea” with Rachel Nesvig and Brandon Vance on Nov. 16. This issue features a new article: Newman Levy, Barrister Bard by Stewart Hendrickson. Upcoming Concerts at the Couth Buzzard will feature Alex Sturbaum on Dec. 14; “Pete Seeger: The Man and The Music” with Hank & Claire on Jan. 11; Bob Zentz & Jeannie McDougal on Jan. 18; and Small Potatoes on Feb. 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).

NEWMAN LEVY – BARRISTER BARD, by Stewart Hendrickson

When I was a student at Pomona College (Claremont, CA) in the late 1950s, folk music was just appearing on the scene. A classmate of mine was a little unusual since he was one of the few students who had a beard, sang folk songs and played guitar. One of the songs he sang was Thais, a five-minute humorous synopsis of the opera with witty verses and clever rhymes. With thirteen verses, it is an epic poem set to music.

THAIS

One time in Alexandria,
in wicked Alexandria,
Where nights were wild with revelry,
and life was but a game.
There lived, so the report is,
an adventuress and courtesan,
The pride of Alexandria,
and Thais was her name.

Continue reading “NEWMAN LEVY – BARRISTER BARD, by Stewart Hendrickson”

October/November, 2018 – Vol. 11, No. 1

Curtis & Loretta Stew Hendrickson & Ken Barroga

The Past Concert featured Curtis & Loretta on Sept. 13, there was no August concert. Stew Hendrickson & Ken Barroga played a set of Scandivavian tunes for the celebration of Stew and Betty Hendrickson on Sept. 22 at the Couth. This issue features a new article: A Cowboy Poet and A Song Odyssey – Roundup Lullaby, Badger Clark, Clifton Barnes, and the Pomona College Glee Club, by Stewart Hendrickson; and PNWFS in the Numbers. Upcoming Concerts at the Couth Buzzard will feature Kate Power & Steve Einhorn on Friday, Oct. 12; and Crossing the North Sea with Rachel Nesvig and Brandon Vance on Friday, Nov. 16. 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).

PNWFS in the Numbers

SIXTY-FIVE – The Pacific Northwest Folklore Society was founded sixty-five years ago in 1953 by Walt Robertson and friends in the University District of Seattle.

ELEVEN – The Society was revived eleven years ago by Stewart Hendrickson, Bob Nelson and Don Firth with a Reunion Concert featuring Bob Nelson & Don Firth on October 14, 2007, at Central Lutheran Church in Capital Hill.

TEN – The first edition of the NW HOOT was published ten years ago in October, 2008. The first Coffeehouse Concert was April 11, 2008, with Jim Portillo, Isla Ross and Alan Kausal, at the coffeehouse Kaffe Shachor in West Green Lake. We then moved briefly to the Library Cafe on Crown Hill and then to the Wayward Coffeehouse in Greenwood from October, 2008, through April, 2010. You can listen to a CD – Seattle Coffeehouse Live! – of recorded concerts at the Wayward from 2008-2010.

EIGHT – Eight years of Coffeehouse Concerts at Couth Buzzard Books began in May, 2010. With your support we look forward to many more years of wonderful live music.

A COWBOY POET AND A SONG ODYSSEY, by Stewart Hendrickson

Roundup Lullaby, Badger Clark, Clifton Barnes,
and the Pomona College Men’s Glee Club

I first learned the song, Roundup Lullaby (Desert Silvery Blue), as a freshman student in the Pomona College Men’s Glee Club in 1955; it was sung as an encore at most of our concerts. It was based on a poem by Badger Clark, set to music by Clifton Barnes, and arranged by Prof. Ralph Lyman for the Pomona College Men’s Glee Club in 1938. This song has stuck with me for some sixty years and is still a favorite.

Roundup Lullaby, sung by the Glee Club on “Pomona College Songs” in 1967.

Continue reading “A COWBOY POET AND A SONG ODYSSEY, by Stewart Hendrickson”

August/September, 2018 – Vol 10, No. 6

The Past Concerts featured Pinniped on June 8, and Hank & Claire on July 13. This issue features a new article: Elijah Wald – Folk Musician, Writer, Ethnomusicologist, by Stewart Hendrickson; and a Note From Your Director. The Upcoming Concert at the Couth Buzzard will feature Curtis & Loretta on Friday, September 14 – there will be no concert in August. On Saturday Sept. 22, at the Couth Buzzard, there will be a celebration of Stew and Betty Hendrickson for their work with the PNWFS. 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). Donations – Help support the Pacific NW Folklore Society. Donations of any amount are welcome – for $20 or more we will send you a free CD: “Songs of the Pacific Northwest“, or “Paddy Graber – The Craic Was Great“. Send a check to Pacific NW Folklore Society, 11720 1st Ave NW, Seattle, WA 98177. Thank you.

PNW Folklore Society – A Note From Your Director, Stewart Hendrickson

The New Plan for the PNWFS doesn’t seem to be working. It was too bureaucratic, and created more work and stress for me. I am now back to doing what I’ve done in the past. It’s hard to continue running this organization single handed. I still enjoy it, but I need help. Volunteers? We now have some great concerts booked through April, 2019 – see Events – with the exception of January. Our October concert with Tom Berghan and Juba was cancelled due to his moving to Austin, Texas in September. We replaced him with Kate Power & Steve Einhorn – a well-known folk duo from Portland, Oregon. Kate was music director of Dusty Strings Music School from 2013-2014. If any of you have concert ideas and would like to volunteer as a producer/host, please let me know. Stewart Hendrickson, Director, PNWFS

Elijah Wald – Folk Musician, Writer, Ethnomusicologist, by Stewart Hendrickson

Elijah Wald – self-described “ramblin’ hobo folksinger” – was born in 1959, the son of Nobel Prizewinning biochemist George Wald and Harvard biologist Ruth Hubbard. Opting for a career outside of science and following his heart, he became a folk singer and studied guitar in the 1970s with Dave Van Ronk. In his book, “The Mayor of MacDougal Street,” he captured some of the early Greenwich Village folk scene that inspired the Coen Brothers’ movie “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Beginning at age 18, in the late 1970s and most of the 1980s, he wandered around Europe, Asia, Africa and Central America with his guitar, busking, playing small gigs, and immersing himself in all kinds of folk music. See Elijah Wald, biography. Continue reading “Elijah Wald – Folk Musician, Writer, Ethnomusicologist, by Stewart Hendrickson”

Celebration for Stew & Betty Hendrickson

Special Event, Saturday, Sept. 22, 1-4 pm

Couth Buzzard Books Espresso Buono Cafe

Stewart Hendrickson has been bringing wonderful music to us for many years at the Couth Buzzard. There will be a celebration at the Couth Buzzard to honor the many hours he and Betty have spent booking artists, publishing the NW Hoot (the newsletter of the Pacific Northwest Folklore Society) and hosting concerts. In addition to socializing and the food and drink of the Couth, you’ll get a rare chance to hear some music from Stew himself (and maybe Betty) as they share some stories and favorite folk music. Free admission. A collection will be taken to support the Couth. We hope you can make it.