Table of Contents
FARS is proud to present two fine musicians, Norman Blake and Bryan Bowers, in concert October 5 at 7pm at the Dayton Learning Center.
Blake�s discography? An impressive 25 albums! He has played with such notables as Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Peter Rowan and Vassar Clements.
Frets Magazine said,�Writers have used a lot of superlatives in attempts to define Norman Blake and his music. �But the more you learn about Norman Blake, the harder it is to categorize him. �It is sufficient to say that there are two basic elements in any Norman Blake program; a certain traditional quality most of the time, and total quality all the time.�
Blake shares the stage with auto-harpist Bryan Bowers, whom People Magazine called �the leading virtuoso on the autoharp� He uses a five-finger picking technique across 36 tightly wound strings, bathing the listener in ethereal, joyously resonant major chords in the folk idiom.�
Fans agree that Bowers has an uncanny ability to enchant a crowd in practically any situation. As a Dirty Linen album review stated, �Bryan Bowers is a performer who shares his dazzling instrument prowess without flaunting it, and who injects a strong dose of warmth and humanity in his performances.
Sounds like our October 5 will be a very special one!
The 3rd Annual Storytelling Festival on October 18 will feature tellers Susan Clark, Sandy Parks, Phyllis Gaskins and Joan Swift. The event was formerly sponsored by the American Museum of Frontier Culture, and this year is organized through FARS. On Saturday October 18, at 7pm, the storytellers will entertain at the Sanctuary United Church of Christ (corner of Main and E. Market on Court Square in Harrisonburg).
Veteran storyteller Susan Clark, a native Kentuckian, is the former children�s librarian at the Staunton Public Library. Now a school librarian at the McSwain Elementary School in Staunton, she has been featured at First Night performances in Roanoke, Harrisonburg, Waynesboro and Staunton.
As a school librarian, Sandy Parks has been telling stories for 15 years. She specializes in Jack Tales, Brer Rabbit adventures, African American stories as well as Haitian tales. She, too, has been featured at First Night in Harrisonburg.
Phyllis Gaskins is a teacher at South River Elementary School and uses storytelling in her classroom. Best known as a musician in the folk ensemble, Frosty Morning, she taught dulcimer at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC in the summer of 1997.
Storyteller Joan Swift has a master�s degree in the Story Arts from East Tennessee StateUniversity. She has told stories for the Nelson County Batteau Festival, First Night performances, and at the swapping ground at the National Storytelling Festival. She enjoys telling tales about women folk.
Master of Ceremonies for the festival will be Mountain Mac Swift, Appalachian Storyteller who originally hails from Mountain City, Tennessee.
All are welcomed to this evening of storytelling! $3 per person. Maximum of $10 per family.
These two performers are longtime friends from distant points on the map, who, on rare occasions, take the opportunity to tour together. It is our good fortune that FARS is on their itinerary this trip. Bob Zentz, from Norfolk, Virginia, has become familiar to FARS audiences through a number of performances in this area over the last several years. Bob is at home on a vast array of instruments and has an encyclopedic knowledge of songs. His easygoing manner and desire to involve the audience in his music have made him a local favorite. Bob has recorded for Folk Legacy Records and on his own Waterbound label.
Gordon Bok, who lives in Camden, Maine, has a rich deep voice and accompanies himself on six- and twelve- string guitars and �cellamba� (a fretted cello). He has been a professional sailor along the Maine coast, and songs of the sea and his Celtic background make up a basic part of his repetoire. His distinctive touch on the twelve-string guitar, which he tunes several pitches below standard, adds a magic touch to his songs. Gordon also writes beautifully and has the uncanny ability to ferret out amazing songs from songwriters most people have never heard of. Gordon has a number of releases on Folk Legacy, both as a soloist and with the trio of himself, Ed Trickett and Ann Mayo Muir.
A very memorable evening of music is guaranteed as these two unique performers come together to share their songs and back each other. Don�t miss this one!
-- Mel Lee
If you like traditional bluegrass songs done in a traditional manner, you�ll surely like the Del McCoury Band. Here in Harrisonburg on Thursday, August 14 for an evening performance at the Rockingham County Fair, the band stopped in at Plan 9 Records that afternoon for a promotional gig. The five member group led by Del McCoury on acoustic guitar moved through thirty minutes of captivating bluegrass music. Son Ron McCoury, tenor vocal and mandolin; brother Jerry McCoury, bass and vocal; son Rob McCoury, banjo, make up this traditional alignment. The hauntingly beautiful and pristine harmonies of Del and the band blend together for a truly unique sound.
Del is no stranger to bluegrass aficionados. He joined Bill Monroe�s group as guitarist in 1963 and since striking out on his own he has recorded numerous albums. In 1996 the Del McCoury Band earned nine International Bluegrass Music Awards. Del pens the lyrics and arranges many of the tunes his band records and performs. Listen to the tight harmonies of the band; you�ll be a believer too.
CD�s and cassettes of the Del McCoury Band are available at Plan 9 in Spotswood Valley Mall. For beautifully blended harmonies, excellent instrumental proficiency and a thoroughly listenable sound, this reviewer gives *** to the Del McCoury Band. -- Reviewed by Dave Nardi for FARS
September 13 Valley Country Dancers* - Dominion Express, caller Paul Rosen.
September 25 JMU - Social Dance: From the Village Green to the Ballroom with the JMU Folk Dance Ensemble and Frosty Morning at JMU�s Godwin Hall, Room 356, 7-9:30pm, $2, all dances instructed.
October 11 Valley Country Dancers* - Pete & Ellen Vigour & Friends, caller Becky McKenzie.
November 8 Valley Country Dancers* - The Buzzard Rock Bayou Boys, caller Rob Craighurst.
December 13 Valley Country Dancers* - Afton Mountain String Band, caller Tom Hines. * All Valley Country Dancers events are held at the Dayton Learning Center, workshop 7:30pm, dance 8-11pm, $5.
September 13 Stories of the Wilson Era - Joan Swift, women�s stories at the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace 10am, free.
October 18 Stories of the Wilson Era - Mac Swift at the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace 10am, free. (More in Nov/Dec)
October 18 FARS - Third Annual Storytelling Festival at UCC Sanctuary Church, Harrisonburg 7pm, $3.
November 22 Tellabration �97 - storytelling happens round the world today! At Bessie Weller Elementary School, Staunton, 7-8pm children�s stories, 8-9 stories for grownups, minimal charge.
September 5 Invitational Artisan Series**: Handmade Papers - Virginia Sarsfield of Harrisonburg
October 3 Invitational Artisan Series**: Woven Tapestries - Joan Griffin of Charlottesville
November 7 Invitational Artisan Series**: Wearable Fiber Art- Lois Weaver, Wmsburg; Traute Leemann, Yorktown
December 5 Invitational Artisan Series**: Handcrafted Gold Jewelry - Wendy Newman of Virginia Beach ** The Association of Virginia Artisans hosts these show openings at the Waynesboro Art Center, 7-9 pm, free.
September Vintage Guitar Show at Guitar & Amp Center, 1548 E Market, Harrisonburg 10-5:30pm Mon-Sat, free.
September 6 FARS - Mike Casey & David DiGiuseppe at UCC Sanctuary Church, Harrisonburg 8pm, $6/5.
September 7 House Concert - Charlie King, singer of social change, in Harrisonburg, sponsored by a JMU student, 7:30pm, $5. Call 1-800-213-7553 (access code 02) to reserve a seat and get directions.
September 13 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Open Mic, free.
September 17 The New Town Trio Plus Wanda Hardy at the Artful Dodger, W. Court Square, Harrisonburg, 8:30-11pm.
September 19 Fridays on the Square - JMU Folk Dance Ensemble and Frosty Morning at Harrisonburg Court Square 7-9pm, audience participation, traditional finale to Fridays on the Square, free.
September 20 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Allan Wayne Damron and Thea and Susie, $5 donation. September 27 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Frosty Morning, $5 donation. October 4 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Holy Smoke, $5 donation.
October 5 FARS - Norman Blake & Bryan Bowers at Dayton Learning Center (new venue), 7pm, $12/11.
October 11 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Open Mic, free.
October 25 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Larry Keel Experience and Sue Witty, $5 donation.
November 1 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Phil Ochs Tribute , $5 donation. November 8 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Open Mic, free.
November 14 FARS - Contradance by Blue Ridge Traditions at Dayton Learning Center, 7:30pm, $5/4.
November 22 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Folk Salad and Steve Parks, $5 donation.
November 23 FARS - Gordon Bok & Bob Zentz at UCC Sanctuary Church, Harrisonburg 7pm, $12/11.
December FARS - FARS has no December concert.
December 13 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Open Mic,, free.
December 20 Corner Coffeehouse*** - Christmas Show, $5 donation.
*** Corner Coffeehouse events are at the UCC Sanctuary Church on Court Square in Harrisonburg, 8pm.
by Warren Dovel
Warren Dovel is the proprietor of THE GUITAR AND AMP CENTER in Harrisonburg, vintage instrument collector and expert on the care and feeding of guitars and other stringed instruments.
This summer�s most requested guitar repair was fret buzzes. Neck problems have shown up more this summer than any other year. (Maybe more people are playing guitar, yea!)
Various things cause necks to go out of adjustment, but this summer it has been the many changes in humidity and temperatures going up and down. When the wood in your guitar gets the summer heat and humidity, the neck swells. The metal truss rod in the neck will force the neck upwards causing fret buzz. This is not usually a big problem. Just a little adjustment in the truss rod and you will be playing again.
Buzzes in a particular area of the neck will tell you how you should adjust the truss rod. Buzzes between the first and fifth fret indicate the neck bow is upwards, so loosening of the truss rod will put the bow back in the neck. Buzzing between the 9th & 14th fret indicates the neck bows downwards, so the truss rod should be tightened to decrease the bow in the neck.
There is no way to keep your guitar in the same temperature and humidity all the time, but there are ways to protect your guitar. First and most important is to avoid any rapid temperature and humidity changes. Do not put your guitar in the trunk of your car. Martin recommends a temperature of 75 degrees and humidity around 50%. With summer�s high temperatures and humidity use silica gel packs to absorb moisture and keep the air drier in your guitar case. In the winter with dry heat such as wood stoves, you need to add moisture. The old way was to add ¼ of a potato or apple in your case. �Dampits� (a wet sponge in a tube) allows more control over moisture.
Taking care of your guitar is not difficult but it takes a little common sense and a reasonable amount of care. Keep playing and if you have any questions, please stop by the store and see us.
All September is our Vintage Guitar Show month. Please drop in and see the show when you�re in Harrisonburg.
On July 20, fifteen Valley performers got together on stage at Penny Royal Farm to lead a celebration of Woody Guthrie�s eighty-fifth birthday. It was an evening that should be long remembered. As soloists and in impromptu ensembles, the singers and narrators shared Woody�s songs, poems and prose with an enthusiastic audience of around fifty people. Steve Parks lead off the evening with �Howdidoo� and was followed with music from Rick Hill, Joyce Breeden, Barb Martin, Joe Dockery, Buddy Thomas, Oakley Pearson, Two Gun Terry, David McCaskey, Bill Harouff, Lorain Harouff, Karen Lee and Mel Lee. The entire cast closed the evening with �So Long It�s Been Good to Know You.� David Kirk and Paul Hildebrand provided the readings which were interspersed with the songs. The entire spectrum of Woody�s songs was reflected, from children�s songs to dust bowl ballads to union songs. Barb, Joyce and Lorain delighted the audience with a nearly spontaneous three part rendition of �The Ladies Auxilliary� (a song none of them had heard a half hour before they presented it to the audience!) The audience became a major part of the show with their singing on such favorites as �Roll On Columbia,� �The Reuben James,� and, of course, �This Land�.� Kevin Harter documented the evening with photographs that can be seen at upcoming FARS events.
We would like to thank all of the performers who donated their time and talent to make this evening possible. The spirit of cooperation and friendship that was shown by all involved was in itself a tribute to what Woody stands for. And thanks to the audience - it wouldn�t have been nearly as much fun without your great choruses! - Mel Lee