President’s Letter
Folknotes 2/27/26
Hello Everyone,
For this Sunday’s schedule: A correction and an expansion on what is happening in a workshop.
First, the Patriots & Protesters song circle led by John Fonner will be happening at 5:00 PM upstairs.
Second, I have more information on what is happening at the Back to Basics Workshop from Bob Schrock:
For this month's Back2Basics we have Mike Boerschig coming in to share some of the insights that he's gained along his musical journey. He has a handout that he will bring which I have scanned and attached a copy below.
He will lead the Woody Guthrie song Deportee (also known as “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos”) in honor of Woodyfest to highlight his ideas. He will also bring a copy of the song. I don't know which key he will sing it in, but part of the session will be about capos. I have a copy I'm attaching in the key of D to give you some advanced practice learning the words and chords of the song in D.
There aren't many YouTube videos of it with Woody singing. The one in this link, below, is supposedly the only recording by Woody. Mike has a certain way he sings it and there are other artists covering it that you can check out if you don't know the song.
In addition I am attaching a sheet that highlights the Circle of Fifths. We'll be referencing this occasionally during our upcoming sessions. It is a good reference tool for understanding relationships of keys and scales. It may be useful to print it or have it available on your tablet.
We hope you can make it to B2B this month and you also don't want to miss Woodyfest.
[Note: The attachments mentioned above can be found in the files section of the QCB Members Group Facebook page at the link below my sign off.]
Leo Coffeehouse 5:00-9:00 PM
Sunday, March 1, 2026
3:00 PM: 1st Sunday 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 for learning and discussing one or two easy songs. Basic information is centered on beginner friendly chord shapes, strums and tempo, some ultra light music theory and a guitar hack or two. Newcomers and experienced players, or anyone who wants to refine technique (and maybe give advice) are welcome. Alana Johnson and Bob Schrock will be the moderators. We meet in the “Green Room” (conference room) on the first floor. This is gonna be fun y’all!
5:00 PM Song Circle/Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.
5:00 PM: Patriots & Protesters led by John Fonner-Upstairs
Let’s unite and heal our communities through song!
6:40 - 9:00 PM: Woodyfest
WoodyFest, Cincinnati's annual musical tribute to the life of American folk singer Woody Guthrie, blows into town once again. Long-time Cincinnati folk musicians Jake Speed & the Freddies, Mike Oberst (of The Tillers), and Ed Cunningham (of the Comet Bluegrass Allstars) will play the songs of Woody Guthrie while they tell the story of this iconic Dust Bowl balladeer whose songs gave voice to hard-hit, depression-era working folks. The intimate setting of The Queen City Balladeers’ iconic Leo Coffeehouse will echo with tunes like “So Long, It's Been Good to Know Ya”, “This Land is Your Land”, and even Bob Dylan's Woody-inspired “Song to Woody”.
Zion Food Pantry
We had a great response last week by QCB members. Thanks to all who donated. I’m going to leave this up, since there’s always a need.
The food pantry at Zion United Church of Christ could use our support. If you are able, please bring in a non-perishable food item to help those in need. Clients especially like proteins like canned chicken or tuna, beans, or Chef Boyardee, Amy's Kitchen, etc "meals in a can". You can place them in the yellow bin near the welcome table as you enter. Thank you for your generosity.
That’s all for this Folknotes, I hope to see you soon.
Neil Harrell
President, Queen City Balladeers/Leo Coffeehouse
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.
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.