February 2009
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NEWSLETTER February 2009 The Best Valentine’s Day Extravaganza ever! Don’t miss this one! The Folk Project runs the Minstrel’s house-packing, rip-roaring, over-the-top Valentines’ love fest every year, but this year’s Extravaganza promises to be the most talent-packed show in memory. Dozens of Folk Project favorites will perform along side some great newcomers to our annual celebration of love, lust and bro- ken hearts. On Friday, February 13th, 2009 beginning at 8pm Minstrel Time, 24 songs will be introduced by this year’s MC couple, Nancy and George Dugan. This astounding array of passionate offerings to romantic love, eternal love, lost love, frustrated love and base animal attraction will be accompanied by our Valentine’s Love Trio featuring guitarist Frank Sole, or by our ten-piece Loving Hearts Club Boogie Band featuring the heart-pounding, rock arrangements of Andy Koenig, or by accompanying themselves in traditional folksinger fashion. You, our brilliant audience of Folk Project hecklers, will also be starring this evening because our MC couple will be reciting your Messages from the Heart for all to hear and enjoy. These clever declarations of Valentine love have become a truly literary, poetic and comedic hit of annual Extravaganza and will be collected by our begowned and ever-elegant Princess Ruth and Magic Margaret. And this night we make it a point to present a full complement of the best desserts of the year. We’re having a great show this year. Don’t miss it. Mark Schaffer, Folk Project President & Minister of Love. February Evening o’ Music & Love Sat., 2/14, 8pm • The Heilbruns’ Come on, who loves you more than your folkie friends? Come celebrate Singles Awareness Day at the lovely home of Jeff and Maureen Heilbrun. Bring food and drink to share, plus your voices and instruments. Pink construction paper hearts optional. 99 Morris Ave., Mountain Lakes — (973) 263-5340. From: 287 South— Exit 45, Myrtle Ave. Boonton. Left onto Myrtle Ave. Right at 3rd light Main St. Next left onto Morris Avenue. Pass four-way stop. #99 is third driveway on right. From 287 North — Exit 43, Intervale Road/Mountain Lakes. Left onto Intervale Road. Right at first traffic light Fanny Road. Left at four-way stop, Morris Ave.#99 is third driveway on right. The Minstrel Shows at 8:00pm Members’ Gigs & Friends February 2009 presented by Mike Agranoff: Sat., 2/28: opening for Jonathan Bodian, Last Licks, Huntington, NY. (631) 427- 9547 or www.lastlickscafe.org 2/6: The Jeremy Kittel Band and Jacob Johnson Jennie Avila: Sun., 2/1: West River Improvement Association Benefit Concert with Hot Soup AN AGRANOFF IMPERATIVE SHOW! (Program Chairman’s note: The Kittel Band’s music, synergy, Galesville, MD (near Annapolis), 4pm. info: [email protected] and palpable electricity is extraordinary. This is one show not to miss.) Laible Blutman: Sat., 2/21: Cafe Z Barely 21 years old out of Saline Michigan, JEREMY KITTEL holds more honors from Scots and Irish fid- Pat Flaherty: Feb. 10 – March 2, Greenberry's Coffee, 46 Park Place, Morristown. Catch a cup of dling competitions than most fiddlers will see in a lifetime. If that weren't enough, he graduated from U. Michigan's jazz program with the School of Music's highest honor and is currently touring the world java and see the new art exhibit of realistic landscape paintings by Pat. withthe renowned avant-garde classical Turtle Island String Quartet. The band for this tour includes Kyle Story Singers(Toby Fagenson and Jane Babits): Sat., 2/28: 8pm, NYC. For info/reservations, con- Sanna (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), and Bodek Janke (percussion), three young virtuosi, and the electricity they generate is tangible. He's got the fire and he's got the chops, and look out world, here comes Jeremy! It tact [email protected] or (212)-366-0303 would be hard to find an opener who would not be totally eclipsed by Kittel, but JACOB JOHNSON is the man. Yoga with Liz: Maplewood 6 sessions: Sat., 1/10, 17, 24, 31; 2/7, 28. 9–10am, Level 1, $72; Hailing from upstate South Carolina, Jacob is a one-of-a-kind solo acoustic performance artist who specializes in a style of guitar playing he calls "Neo-acoustic folk/funk". His off-the-cuff sense of humor and tongue-in-cheek sensibility disarm the audience and 10:15-11:45am, intermediate, $84. Register Studio Yoga, (973) 966-5311; Montclair 8 sessions leave them completely unprepared for the multilayered guitar masterworks he unleashes. His instrumental technique, while uncon- starting 1/8, Level I, Thurs. 7:30-8:45pm, register (973) 429-0288 or [email protected] ventional, never loses its balance or control or musicality. His lyrics, thoughtful and realistic, are delivered with the wry sort of charisma that makes you wonder if he isn’t just making it all up as he goes. And sometimes he is. 2/13: Valentine’s Day Extravaganza SCAN CABARET: Sat., Jan. 31 at MUF Twenty-four enthusiastic Folk Projectiles will present songs of love, broken hearts, and the frustrations of coupling. Rock songs A night of Great Music and Great Stories at Morristown Unitarian Fellowship will be accompanied by our 10-piece Loving Hearts Club Big Boogie Band and jazz standards by our own Valentines Love Trio fea- turing the guitar stylings of Frank Sole. Folk singers will perform in the traditional folkie fashion. And Princess Ruth will collect This year marks the Service Committee Action Network’s 23rd Annual Benefit Concert for Messages from the Heart that you compose and will be read by our MC couple to an audience packed with your loving Folk Project Humanitarian Aid for Central America. We have exciting acts this year, Jean Rohe is return- community. Note: There will be no Open Stage in February. ing with her beautiful voice singing jazz and blues; Tyler, Schmidt, and Spirig will perform their original jazz, blues (and maybe some honky-tonk); Matt Kanelos and the Smooth Maria 2/20: Illegal Contraband and and Introduction to Contra Dancing – an exciting NYC indie band; and Martin Dockery, solo storyteller from the premier story- ILLEGAL CONTRABAND has grown into one of the most active and acclaimed dance bands in the area contra dance scene. But telling organization, The Moth. And all of this will be brought together by the Master of they also put on a fine concert as well, getting to show off some of the vocal and composing skills of the members that don't surface at dances. The band features Folk Project members AJ Bodnar on keyboard and accordion, Liza DiSavino on guitar, Ceremonies, Jim Blanton. whistle, cornet, and horn, and Tom Wetmore on bass. Instead of an opening act this week, we will present a demonstration of, and Concert is for the continued support of the many organizations who deliver aid to Central an opportunity to try, CONTRA DANCING. The Folk Project, in addition to the Minstrel, also produces Swingin’ Tern Dances, a twice- American countries. There will also be a 50/50 raffle which you can buy tickets for ahead of monthly contra dance series in Chatham. We will be inviting some of the SnT regulars to come and demonstrate this social dance form, with Bob Isaacs calling the dances. Then Minstrel attendees will be invited to try their hand at Contra Dancing with instruc- time and you don’t have to be present to win. The doors will open at 7pm and the festivities tion by Bob, Illegal Contraband providing the music, and with the SnT regulars as experienced dance partners. All first-time dancers will officially begin at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20, in advance, for unreserved seating, $25 if pur- will be invited to attend the Swingin’ Tern Dance the following night in Chatham for free. chased after January 25, 2008 and $30 for reserved Patron seats. Light refreshments and 2/27: David Mallet and Toby Walker non-alcoholic beverages (BYOB) are included. DAVID MALLET has been one of the most respected songwriters over the past two decades. His classics, Tickets for the concert and the 50/50 raffle will go on sale at the MUF Box Office on January "The Garden Song" and "I Knew This Place" have passed into the category of "traditional" folk songs, in that 4 or by calling Michelle Kunz at (973) 945.5174 or emailing [email protected] the songs themselves have become more widely sung and known than their author. His songs have been sung and recorded by Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Emmylou Harris, Kathy Mattea, John Denver and the Muppets. Opener TOBY WALKER is worthy of a headline set himself (and will be appearing as a headliner “...Horses Sing None of It!” on July 31). The Blues Revue called him "...a brilliant remarkable guitarist. A pinch of Piedmont, a dash of Delta, a solid Chicago undercurrent minus the amplification, but not the electricity." At home with both wood- Is a folksy non-commercial public access TV series featuring a surprising variety of guest en and steel guitars, Toby plays the classics as well as his own songs with an open style and a dash of humor. performers, hosted by Ralph Litwin. All types of (mainly acoustic) music, storytellers, dancers, others. Schedule available at the Folk Project web page. Seen on: Cablevision UPCOMING: 3/6: Maritime singer CHARLIE ZAHM; 3/20: Classic songwriter MICHAEL SMITH; 3/27: Folk Project favorites CINDY MANGSEN & STEVE GILLETTE; 4/3: THE WIYOS Outstanding jug band music; 4/17: CLOSED For the Folk Project Spring Festival; 4/24: Morris area, Sundays 7:300pm ch.