Folknotes 10/8/26

Hello Everyone,

Here’s the QCB news this week.

• Leo Coffeehouse, 5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, October 11, 2026

• Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, 5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, October 18, 2026

• Upcoming Area Concerts

• Reference Information/QCB Membership (Below my sign off)

~

Leo Coffeehouse
5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday
October 11, 2026

5:00 PM  Songwriters Collaborative
Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.

5:00 PM Jam downstairs
Anyone can bring well known, jam-friendly songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.

Performances: 6:40-9:00 PM 

1st Set: Kaitlin Morrison
An off and on Leo regular, she enjoys the Guitar Roundtable. Her beautiful, soft voice, and guitar playing, will light up the room!

SARAH GORAK
A multi-instrumentalist (violin, cello, ukulele, guitar) who enjoys providing soothing and encouraging covers and originals. Her biggest passion is reconnecting to her Hawaiian culture by providing authentic traditional Hawaiian music. She also loves performing and engaging with children at family friendly venues and farmer’s markets. More info.

3rd Set: Liz Bowater
After a hiatus from public performing, singer/songwriter Liz Bowater returns to the Leo. A Chicago native, Bowater moved to Cincinnati 20 years ago and spent her first few years here playing as part of the collaborative Blue Jordan Records. Once dubbed “brave new folk,” her songs are earnest, self-reflective, centering on love, loss, faith, and hope. Tony Moore will join her on bass, and Matt Frazer with percussion. Facebook: @Lizbowatermusic

~

Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse
5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday
October 18, 2026

5:00 PM: Jam downstairs
Anyone can bring well known, jam-friendly songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.

5:15 PM: Guitar Roundtable Workshop led by Mike Helm
This forum is 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.

6:00 PM: Sign Up For Open Mic
Priority given to those who are new to performing at a Leo open mic, followed by those who have not performed at our previous two open mics, followed by anyone else who wishes to play, subject to availability of slots.

6:30 PM: All Evening Open Mic

Open mic evenings offer opportunities for both experienced performers and those new to playing in front of an audience. Usually, there is a full sound system. We typically have 15 slots of 8 minutes each (two songs maximum). Acts are typically one to three performers with vocals and instruments.

~

Upcoming Area Concerts

The best place to share information with QCB members about upcoming area concerts is on our QCB Members Group Facebook page.

Jake Speed & The Freddies 25th Anniversary Concert and Album Release to Benefit Cincinnati Public Radio, Sat, November 07, 2026, 8:00 PM, Memorial Hall OTR. More info here.

For more shared area events see the QCB Members Group page.

That’s all for this Folknotes, I hope to see you soon.

Neil Harrell
President, Queen City Balladeers/Leo Coffeehouse

President’s Letter