President’s Letter
Folknotes 11/13/25
Hello Everyone,
In this Folknotes:
Note from Mike Helm: Next Guitar Roundtable Workshop
Leo Coffeehouse, 5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, November 16, 2025
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, 5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, November 23, 2025
QCB/Leo Coffeehouse Membership
Reference Information/Links (Below my sign off)
Next Guitar Roundtable Workshop
Guitar Roundtable people: hearken!
Next Sunday, for part of our monthly meetup, we’ll discuss and test effects processors. Bring your stomp boxes—we’ll plug ’em in and hear what they do, and you can show us how you use them.
I’ll bring an electric guitar (with humbucking pickups), an amp, a couple of patch cords, and the few effects i still own—if your effects of choice are specific to your guitar, bring it to share.
Also on the agenda:
• How to accompany a soloist?
• How to spice up a cover tune?
• What makes a truly great lasagna?
See you at 5:15 next Sunday ~
Mike Helm
Leo Coffeehouse 5:00-9:00 PM
Sunday, November 16, 2025
5:00 PM: Open Song Circle/Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.
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.
6:30 PM: All Evening Open Mic
Sign up at 5:30 PM to perform 1 -2 songs. 8 minute limit.
Sound system will be set up.
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse
5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday
November 23, 2025
5:00 PM: Songwriting workshop led by Liz Hogg. Liz will present a songwriting workshop focusing on strategies to write pop or rock songs effectively in only two focused songwriting sections from start to finish.
5:00 PM: Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances, 6:40-9:00 PM
Evening Of Classical/Folk/Alt Rock Guitar Joined By Cellist Michael Ronstadt
Michael has appeared on 200+ albums in the last 20 years and traversed a wide range of musical styles from singer-songwriter, folk, jazz, classical, Americana to new age.
1st Set: Donald Broerman
His compositions have been heard in concert at The Cincinnati Guitar Society, Dayton Guitar Fest, CCM’s Something Different, Classical Revolution and house concerts around the country. His original classical and classical crossover compositions have reached listeners in 73 countries and 5 continents. More info here.
2nd Set: Richard Goering
In his 40+ year career as classical guitar and fingerstyle soloist with orchestras and chamber music groups, and with classical and popular vocalists in the US, Spain, and Italy, he performs a broad repertoire embracing many genres: Latin, Classical, jazz, popular, and standards. Kentucky Arts Council Performing Arts Directory Artist. Facebook: Richard Goering
3rd Set: Liz Hogg
A guitarist and composer/songwriter from Brooklyn, Hogg has toured four continents and thirteen states playing SXSW, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Ctr, and Brookfield Place, as well as Portugal’s Casa da Música and Mexico’s Tlaqná Concert Hall. She has received awards from Chamber Music America, Citizens Committee for NYC, Queens College, Maurice Kagan Memorial Scholarship Award for Excellence in an Orchestral Instrument, and Mannes College. Hogg has recorded 3 solo albums and several more with others. Visit her 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.