The Newsletter of the California State Old-Time Fiddlers’ Association District 9 JUNE 0X9

The D9 Fiddle Jam District 9 (CSOTFA) is dedicated to preserving and enjoying old-time music, providing a welcoming place for musicians of all levels to jam and perform, and passing down the traditions of old-time country, folk, and to our families, friends, and interested musicians. CSOTFA9.org CSOTFA.org June 0X9

District News music circles or social organizations you may be a part The first fiddle jam of Summer 2019 is at our of about our Jamily. We need to keep D9 membership doorstep. Spring jamming was a lot of fun and we saw strong so that we can carry on with our monthly get- a nice increase in membership and first time visitors to together GooD Time. Our Facebook page continues to our monthly get-togethers due in part to getting the attract browsers and garner Likes adding to our word out about D9. District advisor Todd Townsend presence in the digital world. recently designed some new information cards for distribution to membership so that we have something If you have a Facebook page please spread the word of on hand to give folks when we are out and about D9 and invite your friends to visit and Like CSOTFA mingling with music people. Info on the cards is in this District 9. newsletter and we thank Todd for his work and Tell your friends and neighbors about the California generosity in having the cards printed at his expense. State Old-Time Fiddlers Association District 9. And We thank Jean Kalvig for again providing a fine recipe don’t forget to mention our website as well. Visit for the Chef Jean page. A Strawberry Pretzel Salad CSOTFA9.org often for good stuff from Susan Calico. sounds like a nice way to enjoy a Summertime bite to Remember, when you miss a Jam you miss a lot. So eat. Susan Goodis alerts us to another very nice mark the 4th Sunday of each month on your calendar. sounding Silicon Valley House Concerts event coming Please check the Membership Renewal Notice box on soon, and we have information this month on two the back page so that you can stay current with your upcoming fiddle events. The District 10 Old-Time membership. Fiddle Campout in July and the District 3 Old Time The Bay Strings Newsletter is about news of what we Fiddle Contest in September. I was not at the May jam do and who the people are that contribute to making due to out of state travel, as Membership Chair I wish our Jams such wonderful and fun events. Your input is to thank the members that renewed membership needed about news and information that will be of through Jean Kalvig and remind those that are behind interest to the membership of District 9. on membership to visit the membership table at the Please be in touch. Carl next jam or drop your payment in the mail. Dues and door donations are what makes our D9 Jams possible Don’t Keep District 9 A Secret, Tell A Friend in the very nice location that we have to come together And Bring A Guest. to share the music and fellowship.. Please don’t keep District 9 a secret as you mingle around the community, tell anyone you meet at other

MEMBERSHIPS DUE JUNE

Kim Kurtz

DOOR DONATIONS ARE IMPORTANT There is no charge for first time visitors to our D9 Jams but the door donation is very important in helping to pay the rent each month for the wonderful facility where we host our Jams and buffet. Don’t forget to visit Jean at the entrance table each visit and get a name tag. June 0X9

Banjo Stories STEVE GOLDFIELD I currently own two fiddles and four , not counting a fifth that I am going to donate either to a victim of the Camp Fire or to the CBA instrument lending program. In 1962, I bought my first LP, which was from the Newport Folk Festival. I probably bought it because it had some songs by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl, but there were four cuts of Flatt & Scruggs on it: "Salty Dog Blues," "Jimmy Brown, the Newsboy," "Cabin on the Hill," and one other I can't think of right now. I still have that LP. I was captivated by Earl Scruggs' and was determined to buy one and learn to play it. I had been given a Harmony ukelele when I was 13, and I bought 's book, "How to Play the Five-String Banjo " and tuned my ukulele a bit like a banjo and tried to learn some tunes. I think "Skip to My Lou," was the first one. I was fifteen. The next year, I worked all summer at a day camp running their pool. I made $25 a week and saved up $175. I got a lot of banjo catalogs and decided to buy the cheapest , the RB-100. My older brother, Mike, who played the guitar and knew the New York bluegrass scene, took me to an apartment in Manhattan where Roger Sprung, a well-known banjo player, sold . There were then four models, and each was displayed on a plush chair. He wanted $155 for the RB-100 and another $40 for the hard case. Simple arithmetic showed that I didn't have enough to buy from him. Incidentally, 35 years later I ran into him at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV, and he insisted that I sit down and jam with him. My local music store in Plainfield, NJ sold the same instrument with a case for $165 so I bought it in August 1963. I played it for 5 years, but it was stolen when I foolishly left it in an unlocked room at Columbia University, where I was a senior. It took me another 5 years to save up to buy another banjo, and I bought a Gibson Mastertone RB-250 at Lundberg's music store in Berkeley in 1973. I still have that banjo but rarely play it. In 1985, I was working at UC Berkeley and a fiddler friend, Jim Allison, told me about a weekly old-time jam in Faculty Glade on campus. I went there with my Mastertone, but it was too loud. I took off the resonator, stuffed a rag under the bridge, and took off my finger picks, but it still wasn't suitable. I started looking for an openback. I saw a guy who had built one from a Saga kit at Grass Valley. I went to the 5th String in Berkeley to see if I could buy or order the Saga kit from them. The owner advised me to wait a week because he was expecting to receive a really nice banjo, a Wildwood. I did so. Since I lack good woodworking skills, that was a good decision. I played the banjo for about an hour in the store and liked it, but it cost $900, which was a lot of money back then. Soon after, I received a check for about $500 from a Dutch insurance company (that's another story). I returned to the store, and the banjo was still there after 2 weeks. I played it for 2 hours and wrote a check. I still have that banjo and play it a lot. It's a Wildwood Troubador. I have seen many others of that model, but none sound as good as mine. Renowned banjo builder Jason Romero used to work at Wildwood (in Arcata) and told me that maple comes in a wide range of densities and mine is near the low end. All the others I saw weigh a few pounds more. So, I just lucked out. A few years later, a friend let me play his fretless banjo in a jam, and I decided to get one. You have seen me play that one at D9, too. Lark in the Morning in Mendocino sold it so I drove 4 hours up there on a cold, wet winter day to see it. They only had the fretted version. This banjo has a small goatskin head which sits on a sort of shelf. I had to put it in front of the heater for about 30 minutes so that the head would tighten enough to play it. I liked it and ordered the fretless model, which was shipped to my house from HERE banjos in Minnesota. It's made entirely from cherry, and the only metal is in the tuning pegs. I bought my fourth banjo this year. Many years ago, another friend had let me play his 1902 Fairbanks Whyte Laydie while he fiddled, and it had the best tone for both clawhammer and finger picking I had ever heard. But those banjos are rare and very expensive. A Chinese company named Eastman, known mainly for guitars and , makes one banjo, a replica of a 1903 Whyte Laydie. I was told that it took them three tries to satisfy their American dealer, Bernuncio, who had provided them with the original. I could not find a dealer in the Bay Area who had one I could try out. I have a friend who has one, but he was out of town. So, I decided to buy one since I could always return it if I didn't like it. Most of the well-known dealers were out of stock, but I found one in Florida and purchased it. I fell in love with it and have no intension of sending it back. Larry Cohea, a superb banjo luthier, put a calfskin head on it. Those are all my banjo stories.

Steve Goldfield June 0X9

Silicon Valley House Concerts Presents

Anna Patton and Andrew VanNorstrand Friday June 28th - Mountain View - 8:00 PM Concert Reservations: [email protected] Suggested Donation: $20.00

Anna Patton (clarinet, voice) and Andrew VanNorstrand (fiddle, voice, guitar) in concert: An evening of American roots music, fiddle tunes, cowboy songs, early , bluegrass breakdowns and more.

A new updated version of The Back- up Book has been printed and released for distribution. District 6 oversaw the project and we should have copies soon at our D9 jams. June 0X9

D9 JAM INFORMATION CARDS NOW AVAILABLE D9er and District Board Advisor Todd Townsend recently took it upon himself to design and and have printed, at his expense, information cards about our monthly D9 jams. The card can serve as an invitation to visit and join in our fun event and gives full details on when the jams happen, where and at what time. Todd included a map on the back of how to find us in Castro Valley. There is also space on the back to include your name and contact info. Todd designed the cards to be easy to tuck into our pocket, wallet or purse to have on hand when we visit other jams or events in the local area or elsewhere. Check with Todd at the jam and get a stack of cards to have with you when you are out and about making music. D9 membership thanks Todd for his idea and generosity. Spread the word about us, don’t keep D9 a secret.

Paul Clarke and Todd Townsend make feel welcome and share a jam on a few tunes with first time visitors to the May D9 jam

Death Leaves A Heartache No One Can Heal Love Leaves A Memory No One Can Steal

From Betty Hainley’s Library of Wisdom STRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD by Jean Kalvig

1 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed 1 (8 ounce)container frozen whipped topping, thawed 4 1/2 tablespoons white sugar 1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored jello 3/4 cup butter, melted 2 cups boiling water 1 cup white sugar 1 (16 ounce) package frozen strawberries 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the pretzels, 4 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 3/4 cup melted butter. Press into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Sit aside to cool complety .

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipping topping. Spread evenly over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set about 30 minutes.

In a medium bowl, stir together the jello and boiling water. Mix in frozen strawberries, and stir until thawed. Pour over cream cheese mixture in pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 1 hour.

Jean’s Household Hint Refresh water bottles and plastic storage containers.

Simply fill the container with hot water and 1/2 cup baking soda, then let sit overnight. In the morning , pour the water out of container and rinse well. June 0X9

Keep in mind that the Bay Strings Newsletter is your conduit for keeping in touch with the D-9 membership. You are encouraged to submit news, information, articles that may be of interest to our members, or maybe reports on music related places or events that you may have visited recently. Be in touch, we all stand to be enlightened by your input.

Please see the Membership Renewal Reminder box on the following page and THANKS! To those who have already renewed their membership. Your support through dues and attendance is what allows District 9 to secure and provide the fine facility that we have to enjoy our gatherings that are centered around fun fellowship, the sharing of good food and music as well as the celebration and preservation of Old-Time Music. CSOTFA District 9 fiddle jams are too valuable a resource for anyone who plays or wishes to learn to play and enjoy this music to keep a secret. Tell a friend about D-9 and bring a guest CSOTFA-9 OFFICERS FIDDLER MONTHLY CALENDAR President 1st Sundays: Regular SANTA CLARA VALLEY FIDDLERS Vice President ASSOCIATION JAM, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM at Hoover Middle School, 1450 Al Teixeira Naglee Ave. at Park,San Jose (see www.fiddlers.org) 510.785.1140 [email protected] 1st Sunday - BLUEGRASS GOSPEL JAM . Cafe 4 Coffee Shop at 3 Crosses Secretary Church in Castro Valley. Hosted by Rich and Debra Ferguson. 4 to 6 PM. Steve Goldfield Call - 510-219-7752. 510.316.5910 4th Sundays Regular DISTRICT 9 JAM, 1:30-5 PM. Potluck served at 2:00 [email protected] (bring potluck food to the kitchen crew before 2 PM) United Methodist Treasurers Church 19806 Wisteria St. Castro Valley, Ca. Pearl Ray 510.656.0218 Please let your editor know of any other jams that occur in our area. [email protected] Jean Kalvig 510.406.6284 [email protected] Membership Carl Brown CSOTFA 9 UPCOMING EVENTS 510.278.7987 Jam Dates for 2019 OLD-TIME FIDDLE [email protected] June 23 CAMPOUT - Clear Lake July 28 District Director Campground in Clearlake, Ca. Bob Palasek August 25 July 12 - 14. 925.455.4970 September 22 Sponsored by District 10 [email protected] October 27 District Advisors November 24 “Fiddlin’ Down The Tracks” - John Durbin December 8 THE OLD-TIME FIDDLE 510.651.3213 CONTEST Bob Meyerson September 20, 21. 510-581-2037 Sponsored by District 3 Todd Townsend 510-657-8962 [email protected] BayStrings Carl Brown 510.278.7987 [email protected] Website Susan Calico MEMBERSHIP 510.540.8640 RENEWAL REMINDER Photographer John Kalvig APRIL MAY JUNE 510.406.6284 Paty Adams Frank Fox Kim Kurtz [email protected] Rich Boss Ina Marcovich Master of Ceremonies Bob Meyerson California State Old Time Fiddlers’ Association Membership enrollment or renewal form. Join CSOTFA District 9 and receive the local and state newsletters. Fill out and mail this form with a check payable to CSOTFA-9. You can get your newsletter in color if you sign up for email delivery. Send completed form and check to Last Name ______CSOTFA-9 621 Drew St. First Name ______San Lorenzo, Ca. 94580 Spouse/Partner Name ______New Renewal Change Children and ages ______Single $20.00 Couple $22.00 Address______Child $2.00 x _____ = ______City ______(Children must register with an adult)

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