Wow! It's that time of year again! And we're counting down the days until we regroup under the old oak tree. Ah ... the sweet smell of donuts in the air. Opening day is June 2nd.

See the Village of Oak Park's official site here.

Help FolkAlley.com Save Net Radio!

On March 2, 2007, the federal Copyright Royalty Board released a decision that will have damaging consequences for public radio stations that stream music. The Board rejected decades of precedent by placing commercial royalty payment schedules and reporting requirements on public radio stations. This decision exposes the public radio system to huge increases in royalty payments and promises drastic curtailment of the programming diversity found on public radio stations' websites.

Powered by ScribeFire.

FitzGerald's Calendar Listings
Friday, June 1 (BLUEGRASS) Cornmeal plus Tangleweed, 9:30pm
Cornmeal is "heavily influenced by American roots and folk music, Cornmeal was started as a side project over six years ago only to watch it grow into a Chicago institution. Info at cornmealinthekitchen.com

Warming up is Tangleweed, who combine high-energy performances, impeccable musicianship and a wide-breadth of influences to create a unique sound that is simultaneously modern and old-timey. More info at tangleweed.org

Also, Fitzgerald's is now smoke free!

Mighty Fine Streaming Documentaries ...

FolkStreams » Homemade American Music

"A history of rural southeastern traditional American music, as told and played by Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard. Mike and Alice recount their own involvment with this music, and briefly trace its history as we meet their mentors: the late Tommy Jarrell, Lily May Ledford, Roscoe Holcomb and Elizabeth Cotten."





Folkstreams is a collection of independently produced documentary films that have languished for decades. This one, "Homemade American Music," is one of dozens featuring blues, old time, bluegrass, Cajun and more.



You can't download them; they're for streaming only. But they are without equivocation mighty, mighty fine!

Mighty Wacked Out New Old-Time Favorites ...

The Avett Bros.

















5/30/07 Chicago, IL House of Blues 9:00 PM Back Porch Stage

I love these guys. They're nuts. Just guitar, mando and double-bass and more energy than a nor'easter.

Talk About Man Handling Your Guitar ...

glumbert.com - Guitar never seemed so hard

Thanks to Jim Polaski for finding this video. The hammer-on/pull-off technique is quite impressive. The jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan arrived on the scene in the early 1990s with an electric variant of this "finger-style" approach to the instrument. (See this video for "Willow Weep for Me" from back then - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8DCDrKX4_I).

Powered by ScribeFire.

Folk Alley: Folk Music, Traditional Music, Celtic Music, and World Music



The Merlefest blog at FolkAlley.com as some great stories and photos from what is arguably the finest bluegrass festival out there today.



Did anybody from our group go this year? Please share stories and photos here!

Powered by ScribeFire.

Don Sibley's Selling Two Fakebooks
He's got the Mandolin Picker's Fakebook and The Fiddler's Fakebook. Both are barely used. Contact Don at donsibley@earthlink.net for details.

Northlight Theatre :: 2006/07 Season :: Fire on the Mountain
From the acclaimed creators of It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues comes a poignant, passionate musical about the lives of coal miners in the Appalachian Mountains, featuring Mississippi Charles Bevel (Jeff Award-winner for Blues) and Dan Wheetman (former fiddle player for John Denver).

Alternately exuberant and soulful, joyous and gripping, this celebration of culture, lifestyle, hardships and heroics is gloriously relayed through the captivating rhythms of Appalachian bluegrass—a uniquely American art form that gained widespread popularity following the release of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Featuring authentic dancing, plus stunning fiddle and banjo licks and more than 30 songs, this spiritual triumph is sure to set spirits soaring.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

Mighty Fine Bluegrass at FitzGerald's on Thu, May 3rd
The Wayword Sons is one of the most interesting new bands in today's music scene. Combining the critically acclaimed songwriting of Benny Galloway (Yonder Mountain Stringband) and stellar musicianship within the unique instrumentation of keyboards, dobro, acoustic guitar and upright bass, The Wayword sound is truly something special.


Winners of the 2006 Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, Greensky Bluegrass is taking Michigan's blend of acoustic roots music on the road. Driving instrumentals and affecting lyrics contribute a fresh sound to an eclectic acoustic genre. GSBG is currently touring to promote the release of their sophomore album Tuesday Letter, produced by Tim Carbone from Railroad Earth.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Ledward Kaapana & Mike Kaawa

Old Town School of Folk Music, Fri 4/27 at 8:00 pm

"Led continues to stretch the boundaries of Slack Key guitar, dazzling audiences worldwide with his freeboard improvisations, wide-ranging vocals, and kolohe (rascally) sense of humor."



When my daughter was a baby we lived in a small, streetside one bedroom apartment on a busy corner in Brooklyn. To help her sleep at bedtime, I'd play a Led Kaapana CD. She would relax and sleep. And so did I. But not until the last note fell beautifully from the air.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Del McCoury Band plus Steep Canyon Rangers
Fri, 4/20 at 7pm and 10pm, 4544 N Lincoln Ave

This is an awesome double bill for hardcore bluegrass lovers. Arguably the DMB is the best in bluegrass at this time. Offering a direct link to Bill Monroe through former Blue Grass Boy and family patriarch Del, the Band features the McCoury sons on banjo and mandolin respectively. They are virtuosi in every way.

Steep Canyon Rangers are another one of my favorite new generation string bands from the Carolinas (others include Uncle Earl, the Avett Brothers and King Wilkie). SCR fall into a more traditionalist lineage making them a hot-picking complement to the McCoury family juggernaut.

Powered by ScribeFire.

The Old Town School Folk & Roots Festival
Sat July 14 & Sun Jun 15

For Americana and folk fans this year's Saturday line up is pretty much unbeatable. Headliners The Knitters are a roots rock powerhouse featuring members of X plus songwriter-guitarist Dave Alvin. Before them is Bettye LaVette, a soul singer who remained under the radar until the past couple of years. The next earlier slot is held by Uncle Earl, which you may recall is one of my absolute favorite contemporary Appalachian folk/bluegrass groups.

Sunday features African, Brazilian and Mexican folk artists plus the Midwest Invitational Fiddle Contest to kick off the day's festivities. To many the juxtaposition of bluegrass with Afro-Latin folkloric ensembles would appear jarringly out of sorts; but if you look at American mountain music as an authentic expression of indigenous culture then you won't bat an eye.

Powered by ScribeFire.

JamBase | Robert Earl Keen

Joe's [Official Venue Website]

940 W.Weed

Chicago, IL 60601

Phone: 312.337.3486

Map to Venue: Google :: Yahoo!



"The road goes on forever and the party never ends ..." is one of those lyrics that never grows old. REK is a Texas songwriter who has never gained the national following of, say, a Jimmy Buffett. But songsmiths from coast to coast know a great tune when they hear one. And once you've heard some of Keen's country-fueled three-minute stories, you're hooked.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Telluride Bluegrass Fest

June 21 - 24, 2007 in Telluride, Colorado

I've always wanted to check out this great, big bluegrass festival in the Rockies. Last weekend I found a vinyl LP on Flying Fish from the 1977 Telluride festival featuring Sam Bush, Vince Gill, Ray Bonneville and John Hartford.



The lineup includes some rock bands. But it's overall a few spectacular days featuring the best of the best in acoustic music. Emmylou Harris, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Edgar Meyer, Darol Anger, Alison Krauss, Peter Rowan, Bryan Sutton, Chris Thile, Mike Marshall, Tony Rice, John Cowan and many more are scheduled to perform.



Tickets are on sale here.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Petition to Nominate Pete Seeger for Nobel Peace Prize
- The Back Porch News
Now, I know you may be wondering why I'd post such a wild, wide-eyed photo since some would misconstrue the seriousness of supporting this effort. The image struck me, however, as a singular instant in which Pete's commitment to his music, human rights and the Muse erupted from his very soul. For all reasons in his long, illustrious career and life, Pete Seeger deserves global recognition.



Link directly to the online petition here.

Events Commemorating the New Steve Goodman Biography
A new biography of the beloved singer-songwriter Steve Goodman is due for national release at the end of the month. The author, Clay Eals, researched Goodman's life for eight years. He will be making in-person events at the Old Town School of Folk Music in May as well. Pre-orders are available here.



Quotes from notable supporters:
Wry, unpretentious and uplifting, Steve Goodman had a special presence with an audience. As this book recounts, he opened 200 shows for me, often for crowds of 10,000 or more. He was just one guy with a guitar, but in 30 seconds he would have them. It was amazing to see, and this biography captures every incredible detail.
- Steve Martin

Clay Eals skillfully narrates the Dickensian life of Steve Goodman, one of the most exciting and refreshing acoustic performers to grace a stage. Meticulously detailed and carefully documented, this biography reads like a riveting novel. Goodman's spirit and charm leap from its pages.
- Rich Warren, host of "The Midnight Special," WFMT-FM, Chicago

NPR : Open Mic

NPR : Open Mic
"Since it began in 2003, NPR's Open Mic from All Songs Considered has been an online showcase for nearly 800 independent, unsigned or self-produced bands. It's a virtual stage for aspiring musicians to reach a larger audience with their work and a place to discover music you likely won't hear anywhere else. Once-unkown artists like Sufjan Stevens and Regina Spektor were first heard on Open Mic."

- How to submit your recording for the NPR Open Mic
- Subscribe to the NPR Open Mic podcast

That's me on the left and ... guess who? ... That's right ... Peter Frampton!