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.

Hey, new short classes start July 21st! (Some at 5 pm!)

Someone asked why not start classes early? And why not run classes in the summer for four weeks at half price? Would it work? Yeah! People came! The selections for our second four-week mini-term beginning July 21st:

Mondays, 5-6:20 - Stage Presence for Singers with Barb Silverman
Mondays, 5-6:20 - Hard Times: Songs of Protest & Struggle with Mark Dvorak
Tuesdays, 5-6:20 - Mellow Gold (Part 2) with Steve Dawson
Tuesdays, 5-6:20 - Mississippi John Hurt with Mark Dvorak
Thursdays, 5-6:20 - Modest Mouse with Shelley Miller
Thursdays, 5-6:20 - Nick Drake with Nathaniel Braddock

If you’re really serious, why call it a day at 6:20? Here are your other four week options (at Lincoln unless otherwise noted):

Mondays, 6:30-7:50 - Female Soul Singers with Lisa DeRosia
Mondays, 6:30-7:20 - John Prine with Bob Goins (at 909 W. Armitage)
Mondays, 6:30-7:50 - Everly Brothers with Tom Ryan
Mondays, 6:30-7:50 - Simon & Garfunkel with Shelley Miller (at 909 W. Armitage)
Tuesdays, 6:30-7:50 - Amos Lee with Bill Brickey
Tuesdays, 6:30-7:50 - Steely Dan with Cathy Norden
Wednesdays, 6:30-7:50 - Creative Chord Progressions with Shelley Miller (at 909 W. Armitage)
Thursdays, 6:30-7:50 - Aimee Mann with Laura Doherty
Thursdays, 6:30-7:50 - Sam Cooke Classics with Bill Brickey
Thursdays, 6:30-7:50 - Solo Beatles with Charles Kim

Register at the desk OR on line at oldtownschool.org OR (even) by telephone: 773-728-6000. Classes are $80 ($65 for members!)

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | July 14, 2008 | Comments (0)

Muriel Anderson Workshop

Treat yourself to a couple hours with this amazing musician, song-writer, fingerpicking guitar player — and former teacher at the Old Town School. The first woman to win the National Fingerpicking Guitar Championship, Muriel Anderson has a style style thata ranges from folk, classical, jazz, and bluegrass to international music. You’ll find a lot of her playing on youtube including her Song #1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWIohqhCzK4&feature=related. The workshop is Arranging in D for Guitarists and will be designed for easy-intermediate through advanced-intermediate players. You’re welcome to bring not only guitar, paper, and pencil but also audio or video recorder. Bonus: two sets of Muriel’s signature GHS strings are included in the price of the workshop!
($25!).

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | July 13, 2008 | Comments (0)

Speaking of Muriel Anderson….

When you’re next on youtube, look up Muriel Anderson’s Angelina Baker. If you’re an old-timey devotee (or even not), you’re likely to be amazed at the sight of her playing Angela Baker on a guitar in….well, in a banjo style. Or in a style using banjo techniques. Or using skills she learned from the devil. Really, you need to see it yourself. And keep watching as she does several variations. Great version! And all the while, she’s clearly having a wonderful time!

Depending on the breadth of your tastes, you may decide to stop the video when Muriel breaks into bluegrass fingerpicking and the crowd goes wild. But that’s worth watching too. Wow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJw7-vFrKnQ.

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | July 13, 2008 | Comments (0)

The Next ‘First’ Friday Open House is August 1st– 6:30 pm!

Yep, it’ll be another big night at the School That includes a song circle, open string jam, songwriters’ exchange, back porch blues jam, student ensemble performances, and much more: a creativity jam, an open ensemble jam, and — we hope again this month — a craft lounge of knit, crochet, and other portable crafts. All are covered by $4 at the door. Group activities start at 6:30 or so and run to 9 p.m. when we have a community sing.

And once again, I’ll be there with my Backporch Jam, this time with featured guitar teacher guest Arlo Leach. He’s another of the School’s favorite teachers, and one with whom I first heard some fine blues tunes.
Hope to see you at the not-quite-First Friday, August 1st!

Skip

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | June 5, 2008 | Comments (0)

Blues legend Corky Siegel: Workshop Debrief

Thanks, Strummer folks! Great, great workshop!

What might have been a whole lot of book signing and a mini workshop on Saturday, May 31st, was just the reverse. Corky gave a full two hour free workshop, then hung around mostly to chat and answer questions. He signed a few books, but mostly he came to teach. The content — given free — was just a different take on the earlier ($!) workshop that banjo guru Michael Miles credited with making a major improvement in his playing.

About 20 folks attended, some sitting in the chairs that had been set up by the front window and some standing behind. Most stayed the whole time. Corky’s points, delivered with fervor, can’t be captured in a few words, but they had to do with focusing on your own playing (even when playing with others), using dynamics, and getting out of your comfort zone. He invited volunteers to come forward and then coached them as they played.

His book, Let Your Music Soar, is available at the store for $20. It’s the result of his years of playing/teaching, the book he says it was his duty to write. It’s worth buying the book AND attending one of his workshops.

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | June 1, 2008 | Comments (0)

Blowin’ the Blues w/Adam Gussow: Workshop Debrief

A very good workshop! The teacher was Adam, best known for Adam and Satan, a team of street musicians on the streets of Harlem. Adam (Gussow) is master musician. His workshop on Sunday afternoon, May 25th.

Adam focused on skills that can not be reflected in tablature, including developing your embouchure, enhancing your vibrato, and expanding your rhythmic possibilities. He has DVDs of his lessons on youtube. The DVD covers much of what was taught in the workshop: his approach to basic skills. Worth viewing, getting. http://www.modernbluesharmonica.com/page/page/4514503.htm.

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | May 24, 2008 | Comments (0)

Harbert’s Folly

Café menu items come and go – but if this item reappears on the chalkboard, try it. Miki’s creation marries sausage and potatoes with mustard. The result? Well, if this is folly, it is a nice folly indeed.. Should Harbert’s Folly not return to the chalk board for a while, don’t despair: remember that Miki’s felafel sandwich is always with us, served with the felafel comfortably nestled in Jerusalem salad. Note: this felafel sandwich was nominated as the nation’s best for Public Television’s special on America’s Great Sandwiches.

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | May 2, 2008 | Comments (1)

New Classes Begin June 23rd - sign up early

Yep, another class session will be coming up in June, probably sooner than you expected. That makes this a great time to grab the class you want. Timing is especially important if you’re interested in a class that usually fills up and has a waiting list. (The other advantage, of course, is the $10 early sign-up discount). Not sure what to take? If you want information about a particular class, leave a note at the desk for the teacher – you’ll hear back by phone or email. Or see the current term’s class in action; ask when and where the class is having its “big gig” at the end of the term.

If you have a flexible schedule, keep in mind that the School has adult classes during the day. For example, on Fridays you have your choice of four levels of guitar and two levels of harmonica.

Whatever day you take classes, see if your class time is right before or after “Second Half,” the teacher/student gathering held every day of the week. This is when you learn new songs and play music with teachers and students from other classes. Second Half is a school tradition; great fun!

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | April 19, 2008 | Comments (0)

Recycling Music

How about recycling music to other folks at the School? Yeah, we do it all the time. But here we’re talking about songs on paper, specifically Tim Joyce’s Songbook Recycling Project.

Tim is Different Strummer Manager. Here’s what he says: “We are all eagerly awaiting the release of our brand new version of the Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook published by Hal Leonard; but as hard as we have tried, there have been a few snafus that have pushed back the release date. The hope is that the new song book will arrive near the end of the next session. As of right now though, we are in the position of deciding if we should wait it out with no songbooks or reorder a massive printing of the spiral bound version of the songbook. (Ordering a small quantity would make it too expensive for students to purchase.) ”

Tim’s suggestion:

“If you have an extra copy of the songbook lying around your house or in a old guitar case (I have at least two) please drop them off in the box at the Different Strummer Music Store. They will be redistributed/shared with the new students taking classes the next session. Beat up copy? Bring it in! Cover missing? Bring it in! Coffee/beer stains? Bring it in! Duct Taped copy? Bring it in! New-ish copy? I’ll believe it when I see it… The more we get the better. Hopefully there are enough extras out there that we can help all the students who need a copy. Thanks in advance for your help, See you in the Store — Tim Joyce. ”

(Text courtesy of the oldtownschool.org page for the Different Strummer. Never visited? It’s just one of the many nooks and crannies of the website worth exploring).

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | April 18, 2008 | Comments (0)

Putting on our International Travelin’ Shoes!

Remember last summer? Teachers from the School arrived in Moscow on July 4th (!), and spent the next few weeks teaching and jazz to Russians.

It turns out that was just the beginning. At a meeting early in 2008, Executive Director Bau Graves began exploring other possibilities. He connected with the Program in Traditional Music and Dance at the University of Newcastle in Britain, and the Folk Music Department of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Thanks to the Illinois Arts Council, the School received funding for a reconnaissance trip.

The trip was in early April, and included Joe Filisco (harmonica), Steve Levitt (guitar), Boogie McClarin (dance), Maria McCullough (fiddle), Barb Silverman (clogging, washboard, guitar, vocals), and Robert Tenges (piano, voice, administration). The trip gave possible partners a chance to meet and experience the work of our teachers, and will result in teachers from Finland and Great Britain coming to Chicago. At the same time, by their several performances in each country, our teachers were promoting Chicago as an exciting destination for music-loving visitors.

Thanks, Illinois Arts Council!

Filed under: Interesting at Old Town by Skip | April 17, 2008 | Comments (0)


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