Hot Times at Old Town

Appearing below are selections from the hard copy Hot Times. The objective is to highlight activities at the School and in the larger community, especially those featuring or of special interest to teachers and staff. Your suggestions are welcome. Enter a comment (under any item); it will come to me rather than automatically appearing.

Happy New Year from Frank Hamilton!

Frank Hamilton, one of our founders, celebrates the New Year with us by providing the traditional Robert Burns poem/song. See the commentary and earlier version he has added at the end. Thanks Frank!

Auld Lang Syne

F C7
Should auld acquaintance be forgot

F Bb
And never brought to mind?

F A7
Should auld acquaintance be forgot

Dm Bb C7 F
In the days of auld lang syne.

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Filed under: Uncategorized by Skip | December 31, 2007 | Comments (0)

New Years Eve: Fiddlehead and The Punch Brothers

Going out for New Years Eve but not sure where? If so, the School’s Punch Brothers shows (7:30, 10:30) will be a great choice. And consider dinner at the Fiddlehead.

The Punch Brothers have the energy of bluegrass along with gentre-breaking creativity of Chris Theil. Thile has earned respect and musical credibility far beyond his 26 years. His continuous forward motion helped generate the popular success of his Grammy winning band Nickel Creek along with a prolific list of recognized solo work and collaborations. This will be an exciting evening. And the second show will include champagne! (Check out the details: oldtownschool.org.

As for dinner, what about dining near the school? Right up the block at 4600 Lincoln is Fiddlehead, a neat restaurant on the corner where Square Kitchen used to be. We liked Square Kitchen, but we love Fiddlehead. They’ve got cheese flights, wine flights, a wonderful duck confit sandwich, a nice steak with three kinds of french fries, and great desserts. AND in addition to their regular menu offerings, they have two New Year’s Eve tasting menus (and wine options for each); and one is vegetarian. (Vegetarian!) As these menus are not (as far as I can see) on their website, below is what their email says. (The individual prices are, I gather, what you pay if you want individual items from that menu). Some of the combinations sound unusual but we’re trusted their judgement and our experience has been very good.

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Filed under: Interesting dining by Skip | December 15, 2007 | Comments (0)

Holiday Stuff to Enjoy

Snow Queen at the Biograph! Great for Families

This is a must see. Written by Michael Smith, our long-time friend and colleague, the cast includes three teachers from the school: Cathy Norden, Bob Goins, and Barb Barrow. One of the biggest hits in Victory Gardens history, this year’s production features a magical new scenic design and the same haunting and hilarious music that has charmed young and old alike. The Snow Queen takes her audience on a wild ride into the realm of myth and dream, where a talking reindeer, wooden soldiers, an enchantress, the mysterious Snow Queen holds talking animals, wooden soldiers, witches, and lost children under her spell. This is an adaptation of a Hans Christian Anderson classic, adapted by Tony Award-winning director Frank Galati and acclaimed composer Michael Smith, with design and puppets by Blair Thomas (a founder of Redmoon Theater).

Seeing Snow Queen will be a treat for the family during the holidays: romantic, melodic, and moving. The show is playing through January 6 at the Biograph theatre, 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue. tickets@victorygardens.org or 773.871.3000

The Not-Your-Grandma’s Nutcracker

See our very own fiddle teacher, Maria McCullough in The Nutcracker! She’s the doll Phoebe in The House’s re-imagined version of The Nutcracker. But this isn’t the ballet you remember. Instead, this production is a fresh approach to on the traditional story, weaving together riveting dialogue, puppetry, music, spellbinding spectacle, and an eight piece string orchestra. Together, they tell a darkly moving story of magic and mystery that you never knew existed. From the creative team behind the recent Chicago hits The Sparrow and The Great and Terrible Wizard of Oz, This new Nutcracker is a surprising take on a Christmas classic that’s perfect for adults and kids. Wednesdays-Fridays in the The Steppenwolf Upstairs Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St. Tickets are $29 ($20 students). www.steppenwolf.org or 312.335.1650.

The Not-Your-Grandpa’s New Years Eve

How’s this for an idea? Celebrate the eve with your friends at the Old Town School of Folk Music? We’ll have the Punch Brothers, recently signed by Nonesuch Records. Note that their banjo player, Noam Pikelny, was a student here.

To make an evening of it, think too of having dinner on Lincoln Avenue – the Fiddlehead at 4600 Lincoln has planned two special “tasting” menus, one of which is vegetarian. (See other page). They believe in buying locally; we do too.

Chicago Printmakers Cooperative – 18th Annual Small Print Show

Speaking of buying locally, just a couple blocks away, at 4642 N. Western Avenue, is the Chicago Printmakers Cooperative. Their show highlights a variety of print media, including etching, lithography, woodcut and monotype. Traditional as well as experimental approaches to printmaking are featured by approximately 40 artists. Most featured artwork is under $100; we guarantee that you’ll find wonderful stuff. Note: The coop’s director of Deborah Maris Lader, a member of Sons of the Never Wrong (and one of the School’s very own). Hours: Tues. through Sat., 12-5 pm through December 22nd. 293-2070.

Hear WBEZ’s hour-long Old Town School Anniversary show

WBEZ has produced a program of gtreat stuff including interviews, music, field recordings. Go to their website and check out the program section. Thanks WBEZ!

Unique Gift Idea

Convert your friend/partner/spouse’s favorite audio tape(s) to CD format. An easy choice for this job is Joe Tessone, a friend of the Old Town School, who runs the Mystery Street Recording Company at 2827 N. Lincoln. He charges $20 an hour. You can contact him at joe@mysterystreetrecording.com.

Filed under: Interesting outside the Old Town School,Uncategorized by Skip | December 8, 2007 | Comments (0)

Compy School – Old Town School teaching style applied to computers!

If you’ve taken any Old Town School classes from Arlo Leach, you know his style of teaching — he makes learning fun and easy. He’s now applying that in Compy School, his friendly computer school a bit south of the Old Town School at 3831 N. Lincoln. Now you can develop your computer skills under Arlo’s guidance.

If you stop by, you’ll see his neat facilities. He offers classes, workshops, and even individual lessons targeted to what you need to know. Beginners are welcome, as are people with individual questions/problems/skills they need addressed. As Arlo is not always there, call him (number below) if you want to set up a visit.

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Filed under: Teacher bios by Skip | December 6, 2007 | Comments (0)

Sones de Mexico – Esta Tierra Es Tuya

Sones de Mexico Ensemble is back from Las Vegas, still riding high from their Latin Grammy nomination for their new album – Esta Tierra Es Tuya (This Land is Your Land) – for Best Folk Album of 2007. While the album did not win, the nomination gave the band and their music visibility on a national scale. The title is homage to the contributions of immigrants, with the title song proclaimed both in Spanish and in English. An especially enjoyable inclusion is an adaptation of the second movement of the Brandenburg Concerto, performed with participation by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with whom they have collaborated in the past.

Esta Tierra Es Tuya is available at the Different Strummer. This is musically an exciting album, and in light of current discussion of immigration, an inspiring statement.

Filed under: Interesting outside the Old Town School by Skip | December 3, 2007 | Comments (0)