President’s Letter
Folknotes 4/8/26
Hello Everyone,
As you can see in the writeup below, we have lots of things going on at Leo Coffeehouse this Sunday.
Don’t miss the fun. If you can, join us. You’ll be happy you did.
Here's what's going on:
Leo Coffeehouse, 3:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, April 12, 2026
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, 5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, April 19, 2026
Reference Information/QCB Membership (Below my sign off)
Leo Coffeehouse
5:00-9:00 PM, Sunday, April 12, 2026
5:00 PM: Songwriters Collaborative–Share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.
5:00 PM: Motown Singalong to some of the great songs from 60s Motown: Supremes, Four Tops, Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke. A stripped down, acoustic version.
5:00 PM: Song Circle/Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances:
1st Set: Kaitlin Morrison
A former regular at the Leo around 2015-2018, Kaitlin then became a mom, and has been back in the last couple of years, where she enjoys the Guitar Roundtable. Find her on Youtube.
2nd Set: The Jill And Bobby Band
Jill Denton and Bobby Fisher first joined forces in the progressive bluegrass band, the Smyth Brothers, followed by the much loved country rock band, Coyote. Theirs is a chemistry that creates a unique energy in their music and a confidence that only comes from years of playing together; Jill’s powerful and beautiful voice along with Bobby’s dynamic guitar skills and vocal harmonies. Special guest artist Steve Hayes will play congas.
3rd Set: Farmer & The Crow
The Farmer and the Crow blend old-time roots with heartfelt harmonies, bringing traditional favorites and original songs to life with warmth, authenticity, and a touch of humor. Dale Farmer and Ma Crow first worked together on the film, The Mountain Minor. After much fun musically, promoting the film on various TV and radio news outlets, they formed The Farmer and the Crow. They were later joined by Wendy Muncy, whose harmonies and upright bass add depth and drive to the group’s sound. Together, they draw on deep Appalachian influences while keeping their performances lively, personal, and engaging. For this performance, they’rejoined by special guest Justine Cefalu on fiddle, whose playing adds drive, texture, and a rich traditional edge to the band’s sound.
Looking Ahead:
Leo Coffeehouse, 5:00-9:00 PM
Sunday, April 19, 2026
5:00 PM: Song Circle/Jam-Downstairs
Anyone can bring songs to lead 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.
6:40-9:00 PM: Performances
1st Set: Dennis Allen
Dennis loves traditional folk and string band music and was compelled to start writing songs during the 2016 election. He has performed at open mics, progressive political events and local festivals.
2nd Set: Pineridge Partners
Leo favorites Warren and Judy Waldron play all kinds of traditional Appalachian music, from dance tunes to country duets and everything in between, including doing hoedown square dances.
3rd Set: Grey Dogs
Influenced by the Chicago/Brit invasion blues, traditional Irish music, classic country and American folk-rock bands like the Byrds, Bob Dylan and The Band, lead singers Dave Gilligan, Mike Fair and Jay Sofanec cover a broad spectrum of American Music.
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.