President’s Letter
Folknotes 05/07/25
Hello Everyone,
Here’s the latest QCB news:
SongFarmers Gathering, May 8-10, 2025
QCB/Community Happens Here Song Circle, May 10, 2025
Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, Sunday, May 11, 2025
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, May 18, 2025
Reference Information For New Subscribers (Below my sign off)
SongFarmers Gathering, May 8-10, 2025
2025 SongFarmers Gathering: song circles, workshops, town hall, shape note singing, and a lot more. May 8–10 in Lexington, KY. Current members only get 2 free tickets to all days. We're building a universal front porch. Find info on the SongFarmers website.
QCB/Community Happens Here
Song Circle, May 10, 2025
From Kelli Domke:
Join The Queen City Balladeers for a jam at Community Happens Here Saturday from 12:30-2:30. The weather looks like it's going to be nice, so we plan to play outside. Come a little early and meet the kids making your coffee and cocoa.
Leo Coffeehouse
Sunday, May 11, 2025
5:15 PM: Songwriters Collaborative led by Dan and Faith Senie
Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques. Dan and Faith will offer their unique perspective on songwriting.
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances: 6:40 - 9:00 PM
1st Set: QCB SongFarmers
QCB members who attended the SongFarmers Annual Gathering will strut some of the stuff they learned at the gathering.
2nd Set: Dan & Faith
Dan and Faith are an award-winning, New England-based husband and wife singer-songwriter duo who describe their music as dream-inspired folk. Daniel Senie (guitar, banjo, harmonica, vocals) and Faith Senie (mandolin, bass guitar, dulcimer, ukulele, vocals) tap into dreams and everyday life in crafting their original songs. The duo has just released their sixth album, Who We Are. www.danandfaith.com
3rd Set: Oxford Folk Jazz
The Oxford Folk Jazz quintet performs an eclectic mix of jazz, blues, American standards, and musical selections from around the world. Composed of Zach Davis, Jim Dynes, Frank Fitch, Fred Hautau and Lara Thurston, the band presents up tempo, rhythm centric arrangements that invigorate the spirit. Connect to their Facebook here.
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse
Sunday, May 18, 2025
5:15 PM: Clawhammer Banjo Workshop
Mike Oberst will introduce banjo enthusiasts, and other attendees, to the intricacies of playing clawhammer banjo.
5:15 PM: Guitar Roundtable Workshop
Mike Helm leads this forum for players of any skill level to exchange ideas so we can all make better music together. Bring a question, share a tip. Learn a new lick or chord. Gain a new perspective, share your own with us. Enrich your guitar experience.
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances: 6:40 - 9:00 PM
1st Set: Singing Creech Sisters & Cousin Clem
This performance is part of their MANDATORY PUBLIC SERVICE TOUR after being released from the Leavenworth Home for Wayward Women, where they served time for showing their garters. Corrina (Cheryl McKinney), Cassandra (Alana Johnson), Eula Mae (Cynthia McCarthy), and Clementine (Chris Bieri) will be accompanied on bass by Cousin Clem (Dick Males).
2nd Set: Seldom The Same
A group of retirees who share Americana music. Dean Vamvas, lead vocalist, plays guitar, mandolin, banjo and harmonica. Tom McDonald is our primary harmonica and mountain dulcimer player. Vocalist Tom Laskey also plays lead guitar and percussion. Dave Martin supplies keyboard, fiddle and Dobro and sings. Dave Sanders plays cello, acoustic guitar, banjo and sings both lead and harmony. Karen Shrock plays guitar and provides both lead and harmony vocals.
3rd Set: Jolly Old Hawk–Mke Oberst and Justine Cefalu
Tradition meets innovation when Cincinnati's genre-spanning veterans of folk scenes Mike Oberst and Justine Cefalu team up. Oberst—multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter and founding member of the Tillers—has spent years crafting a unique style of balladry with clawhammer banjo, guitar, tin whistle and uilleann pipes, blending time-honored tradition with punk rock energy. Cefalu—accomplished fiddler of Québécois, Irish, and old-time American styles—brings her vast repertoire and background of language study for a rich performance experience. Together, the duo brings a vibrant mix of warm, fluent and playful tones, rhythms and harmonies for a set sure to enthrall traditional enthusiasts and general music lovers alike.
That’s all for this Folknotes, I hope to see you soon.
Neil Harrell
President, Queen City Balladeers/Leo Coffeehouse
Facebook:
QCB/Leo Coffeehouse Membership
We are keeping our standard annual QCB membership 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.