Dear Friends, Fall 2018
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Cover: Each July and August, the NC mountains are home to the Swannanoa Gathering, held on the campus of Warren Wilson College, near Asheville. With the sweet sounds of fiddles, guitars, banjos and songs filling the air, the only thing missing is you! 28th Dear Friends, Fall 2018 Welcome to this year’s edition of McGuire, guitarists Eamon O’Leary, Robin Bull- our newsletter, the Postcard from ock and John Doyle, Nuala Kennedy on flute and Swannanoa. This summer the Gath- voice, piper Kieran O’Hare, singers Len Graham, ering’s new Admin team welcomed Ed Miller and Cathy Jordan, harpers Billy Jackson our biggest group ever. and Gráinne Hambly, whistle players Kathleen Conneely and Cillian Vallely, Lúnasa flute player Our spring Celtic Series, a part of Kevin Crawford, accordionist Damien Connolly, the Mainstage Concerts at Asheville’s sean nós dancer Siobhan Butler and John Skelton Diana Wortham Theatre, presents again served as the Celtic Week Host. some of the world’s finest Celtic art- ists, and last year featured concerts Old-Time Music & Dance Week had by Socks in the Frying Pan, The Sharon Shan- another banner year under Coordinator non Band, Dervish and the Alt. See the “P.S.” sec- Erynn Marshall’s leadership, with a tion below for details on next spring’s Celtic Series. lineup that included Eddie Bond, Jared Boyd, John Harrod, Alice Gerrard, Our vocal program, Traditional Song Week, got Phil Jamison, Carol Elizabeth Jones, the summer started with a staff that included the Kirk Sutphin, Bob Herring, John Kingston Trio’s George Grove, Karl Scully of the Hollandsworth, Carl Jones, Sheila Four Irish Tenors, bluegrass and old-time veteran Kay Adams, Bob Carlin, Howard Joe Newberry, New England balladeer Ed Trick- Rains, Ellie Grace, Tricia Spencer, Flying hair, ett, Scottish singer Alan Reid, Irish ballad singer Karen Celia Heil, Joseph Decosimo, Flying feet... Len Graham, coordinator Julee Glaub Weems, Cliff Hale, Ira Bernstein, Ben Nelson, Dervish vocalist Cathy Jordan, gospel singer Kathy Paul Kovac, Lightnin’ Wells, Luke Richardson, Bullock, early country & honky-tonk specialist Mark Kevin Kehrberg, folklorist and shape-note singer Weems, multi-talented Appalachian musician Josh Ron Pen and dulcimer ace Don Pedi. This year’s Goforth, Nashville guitarist Tim May, singer/sto- Guest Master Artists were fiddler Roger Cooper, ryteller Sheila Kay Adams and community singer banjoists Lee Sexton and George Gibson, the Matt Watroba. Special guests included old-time New Southern Ramblers and dancer Thomas artist Laura Boosinger and bluegrass banjoist Tony Maupin, accompanied by the irrepressible Daniel Ellis. Melissa Hyman offered a Dream-themed Rockwell. program for children during Traditional Song, Celtic, and Old-Time Weeks. New to Guitar Week this year were flatpicking veterans Russ Barenberg and Tim May, and Celtic Week was bigger than percussive guitarist Preston Reed who joined ever and welcomed a number slack-key master Patrick Landeza, blues guitarists of new staff including fiddlers Toby Walker, David Jacobs-Strain and Scott Mari Black, Alasdair White Ainslie, renowned fin- and Caitlin Warbelow, guitar- gerstylists Clive Carroll, ist Owen Marshall, storyteller Jamie Stillway, Mike Maírtín de Cógáin, bodhran Dowling, Tony McM- player Anna Colliton and multi- anus, Robin Bullock, instrumentalist Dave Curley. They joined veteran Bill Cooley, Adam Raf- fiddlersMartin Hayes, Liz Carroll, Andrew Finn ferty, and coordinator Al Magill, Katie McNally, Liz Knowles and Manus Petteway. Jazz players Swannaloha!! Sean McGowan and Greg Ruby completed the by bluegrass masters Alan Munde and Bill Evans, teaching staff, while instrument repairman Randy with Paul Brown and Terri McMurray teaching Hughes diagnosed problems to complement our the traditional old-time clawhammer banjo style. Luthiers Exhibit which featured instruments by Ed Dodson taught guitar and led the daily blue- master luthiers John Slobod, John Kinnaird, Tyler grass jam, while legendary mandolin builder Lynn Robbins and Michael Bashkin along with selected Dudenbostel was again on-hand to offer repair inventory from Dream Guitars, a local shop special- work and bad puns. izing in high-end instruments. Check out the “Coming Next Summer” section Contemporary Folk Week wel- below for a sneak preview of the 2019 lineup. comed newcomers John Gorka, Joe Craven and Nora Jane Struthers along with veteran staff members Tom Paxton, Kathy Mattea, Peter Mulvey, Vance Gilbert, Don Henry, Amy Family News... Speace, Ellis Paul, Jon Vezner, Any of you with news of inter- Cliff Eberhardt, Siobhan Quinn, est to the Gathering community A Big Star and Camela Widad to the staff. Kim should send a copy to the Gath- Richardson again acted as the Contemporary Folk ering office, so we can publish it Week Host. here... Our profound thanks go Rebecca Bond, who agreed, on Fiddle Week partnered with Mando & Banjo short notice, to expand her role Week, as the two programs combined jams and as Housing Coordinator to that band sessions, and members of both staffs per- of Acting Operations Manager, formed in the staff concerts over three nights. This in order to whip our office into year’s Luthier’s Exhibit featured violinmaker Joe shape in time to stage last summer’s workshops. A Thrift and bowmaker Roger Treat. Coordinator big shoutout also goes to our awesome Operations Julia Weatherford’s staff this year included blue- Assistant Miguel Herrera. We couldn’t have gotten grass legend Byron Berline, Cajun master David through the summer without them... Congratula- Greely, jazz great Evan Price, Jeremy Kittel, tions to new mom Amy Speace on the birth of old-time fiddlers Kilby Spencer Huckleberry James Wood... Last November we and Kenny Jackson, Irish fiddler learned of the passing of National Flatpicking Champ Liz Knowles, multi-stylist Darol and SG staffer Orrin Starr. His music and warm Anger, Canadian fiddlerAdrianna heart will be missed... Congratulations to Old-Time Ciccone, Andrea Hoag teaching Week fiddler Eddie Bond who was awarded the Swedish fiddle, Brazilian choro fid- NEA’s National Heritage Award, the US’s high- dler Andrew Finn Magill, cellist est award in the folk arts... Congratulations also to Abby Newton, Nora Garver Fiona Ritchie, whose ThistleRadio music channel teaching beginners technique, was named “Best Online Music Show: Country/ progressive bluegrass fiddler John Folk/Blues” in the 2017 Online Radio Awards... Mailander, guitarist Greg Ruby This summer, we welcomed 18 scholars sponsored and bassist Ethan Jodziewicz. by our own Youth Scholarship Fund and 11 others sponsored by Mando & Banjo Week continues to thrive with a number of other organizations such powerhouse instructors as mandolinists Mike including the Charlotte Folk Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg, bluegrass Society, the Measley Broth- greats Alan Bibey, Emory Lester and John Reis- ers, Blue Ridge Irish Music chman, jazz mandolinist Don Stiernberg, and Society, The Wilkes Acoustic Celtic mandolin/guitar player David Surette. New Folk Society, Tosco Music to the mandolin staff this year were choro player Tim Parties, Dream Guitars, The Connell, blues player Steve James, and Mandolin for Shepard Posse, the Fitzgerald Aaaaooooo, Dummies author Don Julin. The banjo staff was led Scholarship Fund, proceeds Werewolves of Wilson... from the Banjo Gathering CD (produced by one ule, back to the calendar of our instructors), Green Grass Cloggers and weeks they occupied prior ArtistWorks Video Exchange Learning. This to last year. year’s scholars were: Kira Doppel, Colin McGlynn, • After 23 years at the helm, Olivia Prevost, Evelyn Thom, (Celtic); Fletcher our Master Music Maker and Gaddy, Maggie Hoffman, Rain Larson, Andrew multiple Grammy-winner Al Medlin, Marlee Merritt, Elli Oploh, (Old-Time); Petteway has stepped down Ry Dean-Slobod, (Guitar); McKenzie Cody, Julian as Guitar Week Coordinator, Dans, Olivia Galic, Lindsey Hirschfeld (Contem- and long-time Guitar Week Al Petteway & Greg Ruby porary Folk); Anthony DeCesaris, Simon Dunson staffer Greg Ruby has taken and Alexander Meredith (Mando & Banjo)... Key over Al’s duties. We thank Al for all he has done for deposit donations to our Youth Scholarship fund the Gathering and hope to see him around for many this year totaled $12,823. Our profound thanks to all summers to come. of you who gave financially to help cultivate a love for • After stepping in on short notice to organize traditional music and dance in the next generation... our office last spring and shepherd us through the Teachers please note that the Swannanoa Gathering summer workshops, Acting Operations Manager offers teacher renewal certification hours for any Rebecca Bond has decided go back to her role of our weeks. Contact your local school board for as Housing Coordinator, and we’re very pleased prior approval... Don’t forget to support your local to announce that our new Operations Manager is Public Radio and Television stations. For other veteran Gathering attendee and volunteer Puck folk news, don’t forget the online resources Acous- Askew, who is already familiar with our programs ticGuitarForum.com, UMGF.com (The Unof- and many of you and should be a great fit for us. ficial Martin Guitar Forum), MandolinCafe.com, • Our new academic building came online just in BanjoHangout.com, Mandozine.com and maga- time for last summer’s programs and has now been zines Sing Out!, christened Myron Boon Hall. We look forward to The Old-Time putting Boon to good use each summer. Herald, Acous- • After 27 years, we have decided to discontinue tic Guitar, Dul- our shuttle service to and from the Asheville cimer Players airport. Visit the Asheville (AVL) airport’s website News, Finger- for other ground transportation options. style Guitar, and • We are having a new, integrated database/website Fiddler. built for us that should streamline and automate Wall o’ Banjos many of our processes. It should be ready and in place by the time you read this. We will again offer a full Children’s Program during our Traditional Song, Celtic and Old-Time Weeks.