Volume 43 No. 11 November 2017 Si Kahn Returns to Madison for Benefit Concert Legendary folk musician and community or- personal and powerful. He was featured in ganizer Si Kahn is returning to Madison this the 1987 HBO special “Welcome Home Mad Folk Concert Tickets November for a special benefit concert on Ar- Concert.” When you see this symbol – ee mistice Day. Kahn will perform at the Barry- Will Williams and his wife Dot bring beautiful – you’ll know that you’re read- more Theatre on Saturday November 11th at gospel harmonies to the stage. Will is a reg- ing about a Mad Folk sponsored 7pm along with Vietnam veteran musicians ular participant in peace and justice events Jim Walktendonk and Will Williams, together in Madison, and was profiled in the 2009 event. Advance tickets for Mad documentary film “The Good Soldier.” Folk shows are available online “When I was a boy…all the people The Clarence Kailin Chapter 25 of Veterans at www.madfolk.org and at these of all the nations which had fought For Peace is named for the late Spanish Civ- outlets: in the First World War were silent il War vet whose life was a model for a gen- during the eleventh minute of the eration of activists in a variety of movements for peace, justice, and equality. Members will • Orange Tree Imports, 1721 Mon- eleventh hour of Armistice Day, be on hand to share information about their roe Street which was the eleventh day of the current projects. The Progressive magazine eleventh month. It was during that was founded by “Fighting Bob” La Follette in January 1909. It has continued since that • Spruce Tree Music, 851 East minute in nineteen hundred and day as a voice for peace, social justice, and Johnson eighteen, that millions upon mil- the common good. The print edition of the lions of human beings stopped magazine is published bi-monthly, with daily content appearing on the web at www.pro- Purchase tickets ONLINE for Mad butchering one another…Armistice gressive.org. Folk concerts via Brown Paper Day has become Veterans’ Day. This years benefit concert is built around the Tickets (with $1.62 service Armistice Day was sacred. Veter- theme, voiced by Veterans for Peace nation- ally, that November 11th should return to its charge): ans’ Day is not.” – Kurt Vonnegut, roots as a day for peace – calling for an end https://www.brownpapertickets. World War II veteran and author. to all wars as it did 99 years ago. com/producer/10879 with the Madison Gospelaires and Mad City “This year with a rise of hate and You can also purchase advance Funk band. The show, co-sponsored by the fear around the world it is as urgent tickets by mail. Send a stamped self- Clarence Kailin Chapter 25 of Veterans For as ever to ring the bells of peace. Peace and The Progressive magazine will addressed envelope with your check be a benefit for The Progressive celebrating We in the U.S. must press our payable to Mad Folk, PO Box 665, 108 years of publishing in Madison. David government to end reckless rheto- Madison, WI 53701. If all else fails, call Giffey, artist and former combat journalist will ric and military interventions that emcee the show. 608-846-9214 for information. Si Kahn has been a musician and organizer endanger the entire world. Instead for over 5o years, beginning as a volunteer of celebrating militarism, we want with the Student Nonviolent Coordinat- to celebrate peace and all of hu- ing Committee in Arkansas during the Civil Rights movement. He has continued to live manity.” –Veterans for Peace 2017 and work in the South, assisting in union action statement. struggles, working against the privatization of prisons, and most recently with “Musicians For more information, contact the Barrymore United,” a group working to protect the envi- at 608-241-8864 or The Progressive at 608- ronment in Bristol Bay, Alaska. He has also 257-4626. written numerous theater works including “Joe Hill’s Last Will,” which was performed in Madison by John McCutcheon in 2015. Jim Walktendonk has lived and performed in the Madison area for decades. His songs, many influenced by his time in Vietnam and his exposure to Agent Orange defoliant, are House Concerts at Mike & Carol’s Seeking a new host By Mike Tuten for Tuesday morning Carol and I moved into Arbor Hills in Novem- chords add a quiet melody to the songs that folk ber of 2003 and have been hosting over 40 Carolyn Carter writes and sings to share her WORT Radio show is very sad to be acts in our home since then. All of them fall mountain culture and life story with her audi- losing Peter Allen and all of his talents as under the Folk Music umbrella but as with all ence. You have just made a friend you hope he moves on to a new endeavor. With genres, There is great diversity among them. to keep for life! For more information on Carolyn go to http:// his departure WORT now has an open- Your first question may be What is a House carolyncarter.info/ ing for a volunteer morning host for our Concert? As the name implies, it is a concert Next we are hosting Tracy Jane Comer and indie/folk/acoustic/singer songwriter in someone’s home. Those coming experi- her group, Common Cord on Friday, Novem- show on Tuesdays from 9 am-noon. ence the performers in an intimate setting ber 17 with a show starting at 8; doors open- It is radio show that does well with a designed primarily for listening and sharing. ing at 7:30. The suggested donation is $10. All of the performers we have hosted tell us Tracy is joined by Michael Bryant, Bruce But- mix of traditional folk and singer-song- this format is their favorite because of the tel, Faye Bruggink and Delores Jenison. writers, but includes some of modern intimacy they have with the audience. This This concert came about as I chatted with young “indie” bands and artists blurring intimacy usually leads to shared insights to Tracy and Michael at a performance at the the lines between folk, rock and blues, their music that seldom if ever are shared in Brink Lounge where their music competed along with plenty of classic folk and more commercial venues. So, how does this with the general bar background noises. work? I felt their music need a quiet listening space roots music and bringing live bands to be fully appreciated so invited them to per- into the studio, is the kind of format that Carol and I advertise our events almost ex- form at our house. Here’s what they have to makes this show so great. No prior radio clusively by email and have a suggested do- say about their music: experience is necessary, just a knowl- nation listed for the event, all of which goes edge of and passion for the music, and to the performer(s). As the phrase suggests, “From folk to swing and lots in between!” this is a suggested donation amount. If this Common Chord was formed originally as a the availability to be here on Tuesday is a budget breaker, those coming are free duo in 2015 by singer/songwriters Michael mornings. to donate what they can afford. The primary Bryant and Tracy Jane Comer, and has now So if you, or if you know of anyone focus is on the music and all of our perform- grown to five regular performers, with the ad- who may be interested, you can have ers share this attitude. dition of Bruce Buttel (songwriter, guitar and them contact Sybil Augustine at WORT. vocals), Delores Jenison (backing vocals), In November we will hosting Carolyn Carter and Faye Bruggink (clarinet and bass). Add from Mountain View Arkansas and Madfolk in the instrumental skills of group founders David Greely and Madison’s own Tracy Jane Comer with Michael (guitar, bass, mandolin) and Tracy David Greely is a one of the best- her group Common Chord. (guitar, viola/violin, cello, bass, hammered known and most versatile Louisiana- Carolyn is making her third appearance in dulcimer, keys) plus their talents in arranging based Cajun fiddlers and vocalists. our basement performance space on Sun- and composition, and you get uniquely rich, Born in Baton Rouge of Cajun and day, November 5 with a show staring at 7; textured, and tasteful arrangements. Irish ancestry, David learned Cajun mu- doors opening at 6:30. The suggested dona- sic on dance hall stages throughout tion is $15. Common Chord’s repertoire includes origi- South Louisiana, in the archives of Ca- She grew up and began her career in the nals from each of three writers in the group jun and Creole music at the University Northern part of Ozark Hill country in North- (Michael, Tracy, and Bruce) plus unique cov- of Louisiana, and from his apprentice- eastern Arkansas. With ancestors from ers from the likes of Tom Waits, the Beatles, ship to Cajun fiddle master and Nation- Scotland and her paternal grandmother Robert Johnson, Cheryl Wheeler, and more, al Heritage Fellow Dewey Balfa. Cherokee, her ethnic background is simi- with flavors of folk, blues, swing, country, David teaches Cajun fiddle, lyrics lar to most of the Ozark mountain Natives. pop, and jazz. At a Common Chord show and vocals to students the world over The well known “Trail of Tears” runs through you’ll hear lead vocals traded around plus in workshops and music camps as well Stone County, AR, so much of the music lots of full harmonies, backed by guitars, vio- as by Skype.