Eagerly anticipated. Much hard work to keep the promise. And so it was written: so “Come join us on Sunday, January 15 at 6:30 for a Housewarming Dance for the new Lincoln Square East building of the Old Town School of Folk Music (4545 Lincoln). We’ll occupy one of the fabulous new dance studios. All dancers, players and callers are welcome to help warm up the floor.” so so	Dance tonight in E326! (click to enlarge)
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January 15, 2012 so 80 folks came to play or dance or both. Thanks to our 4 great callers: Paul Collins, Lynn Garren, Tom Senior and Bill Sudkamp. 30 musicians played-never more than 20 at a time-including 1 banjo, 1 accordion, 3 mandolins and the rest evenly divided between fiddles and guitars. so so	(click to enlarge)
Here’s our set list, as best I remember: (D tunes) Angeline the Baker Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss Soldier’s Joy Walk Old Shoe Heel Come a-Draggin’ Twin Sisters(G Tunes) Indian Corn	Sail Away Ladies Roscoe (A Tunes) Tippin’ Back the Corn Liza Jane Little Dutch Girl (final waltz in D) Tennessee Waltz

so
Photos by Gail Tyler, except the first and the last, which were taken by . . .
Paul Tyler, convener

Music was supplied by a rehearsed Ceilidh Band of 4 fiddlers, 3 guitarists, a harmonica player and a jaranero. Two other fiddle players sat in and learned the tunes on the spot (for the most part).

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Judy & Walter

Here’s what we danced.
Squares: Chase the Rabbit, Star for Three, & a big circle square from the Deep South.
Ceilidhs: Cumberland Reel, Tacco e Punta, Gay Gordons, & Dashing White Sergeant.
Rounds: Seven Step, a schottische, Raatikko, & 2 waltzes

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Calling a square dance

Thanks to Jason McInnes for the photos. There are also a couple of videos on the Fiddle Club of the World Facebook page.

Plans are afoot to coordinate the First Friday Square Dances with Fiddle Club. That means our next dance will be Friday, September 2, from 7 to 9:30 at the Old Town School. We’ll also schedule one for the December meeting at the Atlantic.

Paul Tyler, convener
Chicago Chapter

Los Pichardo – 1st place

Can I Get an Amen – 2nd
3rd Sunday String Band – 3rd
Kit Paulson – 4th
The Lopsiders – 5th

Youth/Family Division
The Fiddle Billies – 1st place
The Tuning Pegs – 2nd
Destiny Diaz & Friends – 3rd
Shumm Family – 4th

Over $1500 in prizes awarded at the end of a lovely week-long contest.

Don’t miss these bands!
Fabulous photos by Paul Doughty

Can I Get an Amen

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John Lane & Danny Gillespie

Kit Paulson accompanied by James Kreigsmann and David Stockman

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Los Pichardo

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Yahvi, Victor, Gabriella & Zacbe Pichardo

also
The Third Sunday String Band
Angela Moss & Janet Lettrich Hamling, Rich Kurowski & Sandy Bykowski
The Lopsiders
Debi Lewis, Jim Meegan, Deborah Fausch & Shane Jones

Plus the top two from the Youth/Family Division will battle for the top prize – $150
The Fiddle Billies
from Music House
The Tuning Pegs
from the Old Town School’s kids fiddle program

- Paul Tyler, convener

While the judges consulted on the final order, we had performances by 1st place winner’s in the Open Division — the Rachel Baiman Band — and the Youth Division — Maddy & the Hillions

In reverse order, here are the top 4 prize winners in the Invitational Division.

4th Place – Moravska Cimbalovka (Moravian Cymbalom Band), led by Andrew Tokarz

Their first tune was a traditional Moravian folk song.

3th Place – Paulina Hollers, Elizabeth Lamberti & Jim Becker & Kristen Bern, fiddles, &amp with Lea Tschilds on guitar & Clayton Brown on bass. They brought along the Chicago Prairie Cloggers, led by Rebecca Unger.

They followed up with “Back-Step Cindy.”

2nd Place – Stil Hua, Kristen Bern on fiddle, with Kevin Carey on flute, Siobhan Wojcik on bouzouki & Andrew Serb on bodhran. Rory Ward was their dancer.

Their second tune was a medley of an air and a reel.

1st Place – Cajun Vagabonds, Dorian Gehring-fiddle with Stewart Gehring-guitar, Eli Leki-Albano-bass & Monica Vachon-triangle. They brought two dancing couples from the Chicago Associate Chapter of the Cajun French Music Association.

Their second tune was “Lacassine Special”, a two-step. The dancers really got it going.

The evening also featured performances by the three top prize winners at the Youth Division competition held in June:
3rd Place – Ethan Matlin with Last Minute Deal
2nd Place – Abigail Burrus & Sean Mythen with Sarah Mythen
1st Place – Maddy & the Hillions, Max & Anna Hill, fiddles & Maddy Tyler, guitar

In reverse order, here are the top 4 prize winners in the Open Division.

4th Place – Twin Sisters, that is Debi Lewis on fiddle with Deborah Fausch on banjo

They started off with “Oak Ridge Stomp.”

3th Place – Chirish, Maggie Danaher & Kristen Bern, fiddles, & Andrew Serb, guitar
(It was too dark to film in the plaza when this group played, so all we have is an audio recording.)

They played a medley of “The Gentle Maiden” and “Tommy People’s Reel.”

2nd Place – Po’ River Boys, Dan Gillespie on fiddle, with Jeff Yonkis on fiddle & washtub bass & Evan Collins on banjo

Their first tune was “Black-Eyed Susie.” Later, in a playoff, they played “Gospel Plow.”

1st Place – Second String, Rachel Baiman & Eva Walsh, fiddles with Greg Reish on guitar and Ethan Philion on bass

They started with “Oh My Little Darling,” and performed “Red Rocking Chair” for the playoff.

Part 2 will feature videos of the four bands that competed in the Invitational Division at Folk & Roots.

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And Here is the lineup for the Invitational Division that will take place on the main stage at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival at 12:55pm, Saturday July 19. Each band is led by a fiddler and is required to bring along dancers to help demonstrate how good the fiddler plays.

Stil Nua, an Irish band featuring Kristen Bern of Palos Heights. Accompanied by flute, guitar and bodhran. Playing for step-dancer Rory Ward.

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The Cajun Vagabonds featuring fiddler Dorian Gehring of Chicago. Accompanied by guitar, bass and triangle. The dancers will do a waltz and two-step.

The Paulina Hollers, an old-time band featuring fiddler Elizabeth Lamberti and banjoist Jim Becker (both are Old Town School teachers). Accompanied by guitar & bass. The dancers are the Chicago Prairie Clogging Team, led by Rebecca Unger, back for their second appearance at Folk & Roots.

Moravska Cimbalovka, a Moravian village band led by Andrew Tokarz. The lineup includes fiddle, kontra (a chording fiddle), cimbalom (a large hammer dulcimer), clarinet & bass. They will be bringing along some Moravian folk dancers.

Also the first place winners from the Youth Division and Open Divisions will perform on the main stage while the judges reach a consensus. The prize money is award accordingly . . .

First Prize        – $400
Second Prize   – $300
Third Prize      – $200
Fourth & Fifth Prize     -   $150 each

Enjoy the friendly competition and the great music.
Paul Tyler, convener
Fiddle Club of the World (Chicago Chapter)

[And proud papa suggests you also check out the band that won fifth place.]

The Open Division (called Team Division in the past) is back this year, scheduled for Thursday July 8 at 7 pm in Giddings Plaza in Lincoln Square. (Just a two-block walk up Lincoln from the School). It’s part of the Folk & Roots Festival preview sponsored by the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce.

All fiddlers are welcome to enter. It is highly recommended that you enter with a band of one or two accompanimists. Click here for more information (rules, prizes &c.).

An online entry form should appear soon at the above link. Or try this one that can be printed out and faxed or dropped off.

And again, the invitational Fiddle Band division will be held at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival on Saturday, July 10 at 12:55 on the main stage in Welles Park. The top winners from the Kid’s Contest and the Open Division will also be there to play a tune.

The Midwest Fiddle Championship is presented by the Fiddle Club of the World (Chicago Chapter).
Paul Tyler, convener

Rudi Pietsch from Vienna gave an intimate concert, joined by his friend Jürgen Schempp, from Swabia (that’s in Germany) on guitar. Your humble convener was quickly trained for second fiddle. For the proper Austrian style we lacked a kontra (chorded fiddle or viola) and a bowed bass. Here is a slow yodel followed by a fast dance tune.

Meraner Jodler-Ischler Schläunige

Two days later, the Mostly Mountain Boys and the Polka Chicks dropped in for two evenings at the Old Town School. On Tuesday night they did a workshop for several fiddle class and the Fiddle Club.

The Mostly Mountain Boys (Paul Brown-fiddle, Teri McMurray-banjo and John Schwab-guitar) hail from Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Washington DC. They started out with a twisty but fine version of “Fisher’s Hornpipe” they learned from Esker Hutchins of Dobson, North Carolina.

Fisher’s Hornpipe

The Polka Chicks, from Helsinki (that’s in Suomi, aka Finland), are Kukka Lehto on fiddle and Tejia Niku on accordion. They started with song of poverty and sadness. The singer’s life is so sad that his parents don’t even care if he marries a girl in America.

unnamed song from northern Finland

Following this lovely introduction, Paul Brown taught us distinctive version of Sugar in the Gourd that he learned from Norman Edmonds of Hillsville, Virginia. And Kukka Lehto worked us through the haunting major and minor turns of Viktors Vals from Ostrobothnia, an area in western Finland with an especially rich fiddle tradition.

The following night, both the Mostly Mountain Boys and the Polka Chicks were on the stage in our concert hall for World Music Wednesday. A delightful performance.

Kukka Lehto & Teija Niku
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One morsel more. One of the oldest folk dance tunes from Austria, a ländler that was written down in 1702. Rudi plays a setting that imitates the dudelsack (German for bagpipes). Here’s another view.

My father’s day gift to all who are the child of a dad.
Paul Tyler, convenver

Click here for tips and troubleshooting on how to get at these .mp3s.

Over 30 fiddlers, pickers and fans showed up at the Leadway Bar & Gallery on North Damon on a Saturday night to hear Dan Gellert. After serenading us with a dozen wonderful old fiddle and banjo tunes, Dan and Debbie led a jam session for the next hour through a number of old chestnuts and few rare treasures.
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The Fiddle Club of the World is not just for fiddlers. Players of all kinds are welcome to participate. And it’s okay to come just to listen.
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Click here for tips and troubleshooting on how to get at these .mp3s.