President’s Letter
Folknotes 1/2/26
Hello Everyone,
Happy New Year! I don’t know about you, but to me it seemed like our holiday break went by really fast. I guess it was that snow storm that caused us to move our holiday gathering. We got two Sundays off, but they were separated by the rescheduled holiday pot luck/open mic, which was fantastic by the way. And now we are headed into the second half of the 2025/26 Leo Coffeehouse season. Every Sunday is something new, different, and exciting. Join us if you can.
Leo Coffeehouse, 3:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, January 4, 2026
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, 5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, January 11, 2026
Reference Information/QCB Membership (Below my sign off)
Leo Coffeehouse 3:00-9:00 PM
Sunday, January 4, 2026
3:00 PM: Rise Up Singing
Tell all your friends and bring the kids! Everyone picks songs from Rise Up Singing and Rise Again song books which are available to purchase or to use in the circle. The incredible Al Wauligman will lead us on the piano.
4:15 PM: Back to Basics workshop
Not just for beginners, this is a song circle on training wheels. Learn how to lead a song and play breaks. Basic information is centered on beginner friendly chord shapes and learning how to “read hands”. Newcomers, or anyone who wants to refine technique (and maybe give advice) are welcomed by Alana Johnson and Bob Schrock.
5:00 PM: Workshop presented by Hillary Wagner
Hillary will introduce and demonstrate the nyckelharpa, viola d'amore, and hardanger.
5:00 PM: Song Circle/Jam-Downstairs
Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances 6:40 - 9:00 PM
1st Set: Mike Boerschig
Mike has roamed to festivals and pubs to find songs and stories to lift people up. He performs them in his own unique style. The rhymes and the rhythms will make you smile.
2nd Set: Jim’s Red Pants
Rick and Hillary Wagner met in 1995 playing a Christmas show with their then current duos. They enjoyed the experience so much they got married and just kept playing together and have been playing for over 24 years now! They play historic, traditional, Irish and original music.
3rd Set: Fresh Baked Bluegrass
When jams resumed after covid, Doug Hatt and Trina Emig noticed they not only enjoyed the same songs but they sang dang well together. Trina took high tenor parts and played the banjo or mandolin, while Doug sang the melody with guitar. So in 2023, they started booking gigs and then invited local bass legend Jim Gaube to add his solid bass and singing skills. Recently, Fresh Baked recruited Jim and Trina’s Sassafrass Grass bandmate Laura Hacek to play fiddle and sing with the trio, rounding the group up to a quartet. They are thrilled to play for you tonight.
~
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse
5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, January 11, 2026
5:00 PM Songwriters Collaborative
Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.
5:00 PM: Song Circle/Jam-Downstairs
Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances 6:40 - 9:00 PM
1st Set: Kabir Bakie & Isaiah Tam
A familiar face at the Leo, Kabir likes to perform folk, country and pop songs. He particularly enjoys playing the music of artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, John Prine and Johnny Cash. Isaiah is a relative newcomer who plays a mean guitar.
2nd Set: Whistlestop
What do you get when you throw together a runaway opera singer raised in Texas honky-tonks and a southern Ohio boy turned businessman whose heroes have always been cowboys and pickers? WhistleStop is made up of the songs we love best: rootsy Americana, classic country, and harmony-driven tributes to traditional tunes. For this performance, Kelli Domke and Dean Kotchka, guitars & vocals; are joined by Nora Denning, mandolin and vocals; and Dick Males, upright bass.
Facebook: Whistlestop Music
3rd Set: Raison D’Etre
Violet Rae Webster, Vickie Ellis and Roberta Schultz are three women who live to sing together. According to Mike Breen of Cincinnati CityBeat, this folk trio offers "some of the finest three-part harmony singing you'll likely ever hear." Expect traditional folk, a capella swing tunes, and cowboy anthems, all delivered in their pure Kentucky blend.
Visit their website
QCB/Leo Coffeehouse Membership
It’s that time of year again. The start of a new Leo season. Annual QCB membership dues continue to be $20.00 for a family, or for a single person plus a guest. Membership gets you into every Leo Coffeehouse performance for a year. Where else can you get that kind of musical entertainment and camaraderie for that amount of money?
It really helps us out if you pay through the QCB website.
The easiest way to pay your dues for the 2025/26 season is via PayPal right here.
If you prefer to pay by check, click on the link above and print the membership form. Then mail the form and your check to Treasurer: John Mann, 6514 Meis Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45224.
To donate more than the $20.00 standard dues, you can do so by check, or here on 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.
Neil Harrell
President, Queen City Balladeers/Leo Coffeehouse
Reference Information/Links
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.