President’s Letter
5/02/24
Hello Everyone,
We are down to our final three performance Sundays at Leo before our year end potluck/mic-less open mic on May 26, 2024. Join us. We’ve got a lot of great performers lined up this month. You can read about the lineups for the next two Leo’s below. Here’s the contents of this newsletter:
Leo Coffeehouse, May 5, 2024
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, May 12, 2024
Reference Information (Below my sign off)
Leo Coffeehouse
May 5, 2024
5:15 PM: Song writing workshop led by Matt Rouch
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Musicians bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony. This jam continues upstairs during the concert.
Performances: 6:40 - 9:00 PM:
1st Set: Blue Moon Runes
Leo regulars Kabir Bakie, Dean Kotchka, Janice Alvarado and Dick Males on bass together are the Blue Moon Runes. They will perform songs from Gordon Lightfoot and Merle Haggard to the Moody Blues, Credence and Sonny & Cher.
2nd Set: Cheryl Cawood and the Dogs
Influenced by the Chicago/Brit invasion blues, traditional Irish music, classic country and American folk-rock bands like the Byrds, Bob Dylan and The Band. Lead singer, Cheryl Cawood, who played with Grey Dogs back around the turn of the century (!!!), moved to Texas many years ago where she made a bit of a stir musically and got on the radio. She has just relocated to Cincinnati and has rejoined Dave Gilligan, Mike Fair and Jay Sofanec to cover a broad spectrum of American Music.
3rd Set: Matt Rouch & the Noise Upstairs
MR&TNU originally formed in Denver where the band quickly rose to prominence in CO, winning Best Country Band and an IMEA award for Folk Song of the Year. In Cincinnati, they kept the same playing style—James Taylor meets Fleet Foxes—and added Greta Propp on fiddle. Matt pours honesty and intimacy in his songs that connect with the listener with stories that hit close to home. https://mattrouchandthenoiseupstairs.com/
Looking Ahead:
Leo Coffeehouse, May 12, 2024
5:15 PM: The Troubadour Experience led by Mark Dvorak:
There is no right way or wrong way to perform music. No single set of instructions could ever prepare you for the many circumstances a performer will encounter. Since 1981, Mark Dvorak has given almost ten-thousand performances. Join him for an illuminating discussion and workshop aimed at helping you to sharpen your performance.
Most of you will probably attend Mark’s workshop, but these two events are also scheduled this Sunday at 5:15 PM:
5:15 PM: Songwriters Collaborative
Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Musicians bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony. This jam continues upstairs during the concert.
Performances: 6:40 - 9:00 PM:
1st Set: Three Voices and Strings
Three Queen City Balladeer singer-songwriters, have collaborated to bring you songs they love. Cheryl McKinney, Alana Johnson and Chris Bieri are the voices. Guitars, 6 string banjo and bass ukulele are the strings.
2nd Set: Ed & Sharon Riegler (Riegler Soundways)
They invite you to enjoy Ed’s original songs, some of which have been written since his second album “Good To Be Here”. Sharon was involved with editing, and helping with vocals, melodica and bass. They will also perform some familiar covers from a multi-decade palette of standards. Ed and Sharon will appreciate your listening support.
3rd Set: Mark Dvorak
Chicago’s “official troubadour,” Mark has performed in Finland, Canada, Ireland and almost all of the US. He has also won awards for children’s music, journalism, and was honored with the FARM Lantern Bearer Award from Folk Alliance International. You won’t want to miss his performance at Leo.
QCB/Leo Coffeehouse Membership
We are keeping our standard annual QCB embership dues at $20.00 for a family, or for a single person plus a guest. Last year, knowing that the pandemic cut into our contingency funds, as we continued to pay overhead expenses with no income, some members donated larger amounts to QCB. We very much appreciate the support of all QCB members at all levels.
We are exploring setting up our website to allow the payment of different levels of dues support. For now, if you’d like to pay the standard dues, you can pay them online here or by a check at Leo. (We’ve discontinued our P.O. Box, I will have a mailing address in the next newsletter for those who wish to mail their membership dues.)
If you would like to donate more than the $20.00 standard dues, you can do so by check, or through our website. When you get to the page with the box to relay instructions, just note that you are paying a larger amount for your dues.
For visitors who prefer not to become a member, a donation of $5.00 (cash) per person helps us pay the rent for our non-profit organization. Donations can be slipped in the box at the welcome table outside our performance room, Founders Hall. If you can’t afford that, pay what you can afford or nothing at all. We will welcome you to join us either way.
That’s all for this Folknotes, I hope to see you soon at Leo Coffeehouse.
Neil Harrell
President, Queen City Balladeers/Leo Coffeehouse
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