Schedule of Events

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JANUARY 4, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

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.

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.

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. 

BEFORE THE LEO

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.

4:00 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 welcome by Alana Johnson, Bob Schrock, and Isaiah Tam.

Circle Jam–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.

5:00 PM Any well known, jam-friendly songs downstairs.

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JANUARY 11, 2026

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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

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CnKhaZrJE/?mibextid=wwXIfr

What do you get when you throw together a runaway opera singer raised in Texas honkytonks 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. Kelli Domke and Dean Kotchka on guitars & vocals, joined by Nora Denning (mandolin and vocals) and Dick Males (upright bass)

3RD SET RAISON D’TRE        https://raison3.com/

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.

BEFORE THE LEO

5:00 PM Songwriters Collaborative

Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.

Circle Jam–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.

5:00 PM Any well known, jam-friendly songs downstairs.

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JANUARY 18, 2026

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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.

BEFORE THE LEO

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.

Circle Jam–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.

5:00 PM Any well known, jam-friendly songs downstairs.

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JANUARY 25, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

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. 

2ND SET ANNA AND THE DEEPER WELL

A Leo favorite! They started as the father-daughter-duo Anna and Milovan. The group has been playing for over twenty years in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2012 they added Anna's husband, Luke Moderwell. Their music contains an eclectic mix of  blues, jazz, folk, originals, and pop.

3RD SET LIZ BOWATER

After a’hiatus from public performing, singer/songwriter Liz Bowater returns to the Leo. A Chicago native, Bowater moved to Cinci 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.

BEFORE THE LEO

Circle Jams–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.

5:00 PM Any well known, jam-friendly songs downstairs.

5:00 PM Americana and Roots led by Dennis Allen--old songs written before the folk revival. Upstairs.

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FEBRUARY 1, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

1ST SET CIGAR BOX SCOTT

Cigar Box Scott's unique take on roots music fuses traditional folk music with rock and blues inspired rhythms. He creates original interpretations of old songs, performing new arrangements on cigar box guitar and his homemade stompbox. From Troy, OH, he plays throughout Ohio, Indiana and beyond.

2ND SET DAVE GILLIGAN

Dave Gilligan was once described by a colleague as, "The guy my mother warned me about.” Why? Perhaps his annual solo set will provide an answer; perhaps not.

3RD SET LAURELVIEW RAMBLERS

Quartet of old-time musicians including Jeff Gushin, fiddle, mandolin, and vocals, Mike Boerschig, guitar and vocals, Jeff Custis, banjo, fiddle and vocals, and Rob Kranz on bass. They perform an assortment of traditional American music from the Civil War era up through the “golden” string band era of the 1920s. Throw in some contemporary folk, ragtime and jug band music and you have the Laurelview Ramblers.

BEFORE THE LEO

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.

4:00 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 welcome by Alana Johnson, Bob Schrock, and Isaiah Tam.

5:00 PM Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.

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FEBRUARY 8, 2026

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6:30 PM SUPERBOWL ALL EVENING OPEN MIC

Sign up at 6:00 PM to perform 1 -2 songs. 8 minute limit.
Sound system will be set up.

BEFORE THE LEO

5:00 PM Songwriters Collaborative

Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.

5:00 PM  Open Jam

Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

JEFF GUSHIN & SCOTT NUTTER

Jeff is an old-time fiddler and mandolinist whose interests range from blues, ragtime, and jug band music. He also performs with the Laurelview Ramblers. Scott returned to the guitar, the passion of his youth, about 16 years ago when he joined the Leo. He loves to explore a wide variety of musical styles. Expect a few rags, blues, stomps, etc. on fiddle and mandolin and guitar.

APRIL COMBS MANN

April Mann performs her original and traditional songs under the name Goldenthread. She has toured extensively across the US and Europe, played Lollapalooza, and done a Peel Session on BBC Radio One. Her original songs have been featured in hit television shows. She has shared stages with Carrie Newcomer, Marianne Faithfull, Shawn Colvin, and many others. April sings with Cincinnati Irish traditional favorite, Dark Moll; writes and narrates her fairytale podcast, April Eight Songs & Stories; and has listeners in over 70 countries across the globe. April is the Songleader of the Riverside Choir.

ELLIE FABE

a Cincinnati singer/songwriter whose songs create an intimate portrait of longing and love; an interpreter of memory and nostalgia, she has a sound all her own. She’s performed in New York’s The Bitter End and Chicago’s The Elbo Room and her release, Devil May Care is the 2015 Ohio Music Awards Winner for Best Singer/Songwriter. She was also nominated for the 2017 Just Plain Folks Music Awards: Best Americana Song  from album: Devil May Care for: “How Does It Feel?”and Best New Folk Album: Be A Girl Again.This is alternative folk—expressive, authentic.

BEFORE THE LEO

5:00 PM Ballads workshop led by APRIL COMBS MANN

Ballads from Ireland and Appalachia. Cheerful songs where everybody dies at the end. Unless they started out as ghosts in the first place.

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.

5:00 PM Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.

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FEBRUARY 22, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

1ST SET DYNAMIC DUO

Pianist Al Wauligman and guitarist John Mann specialize in playing for seniors.  They attempt to reach their audiences with songs that connect and promote good times.  They also are the accompanists for the Dunham Choraliers, an all senior choir which performs though out the city.  In addition, they play for young people through the Steppingstones program. 

2ND SET LINSEY ROGERS

A multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and pinball player.

3RD SET RICKY NYE

Traditional blues, boogie-woogie, classic New Orleans jazz and R&B all come flying from the fingers of this Cincinnati  pianist and vocalist. Numerous awards and  inducted into the International Boogie Woogie Hall Of Fame! His new CD is called "The Vevay Sessions" 

BEFORE THE LEO

Circle Jams–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.

5:00 PM Any well known, jam-friendly songs downstairs.

5:00 PM 60s jam led by John Mann.

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MARCH 1, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

Special presentation of WOODYFEST

6:40 PM Woody’s Dust Bowl Ballads

sung by Jake Speed, Mike Oberst and Ed Cunningham.

8:00 PM Woody’s Greatest Hits

Solo, duet and trio performances by Jake, Mike and Ed

Finale: This Land is Your Land performed on the 86th anniversary of the song’s writing, February 23, 1940.

BEFORE THE LEO

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.

4:00 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 give advice) are welcome by Alana Johnson, Bob Schrock, and Isaiah Tam.

Circle Jams–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others provide backup and harmony.

5:00 PM Any well known, jam-friendly songs downstairs.

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MARCH 8, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

NEW FOGIES

The New Fogies love sharing favorite timeless tunes in a show that blends genres and styles, with a variety of strings and other instruments and with everyone singing. The group includes founder Nina Wagner, Jim Elliott, J Scarr, Easy Tom Eby and Al Wauligman.

CHUCK KELLER

He joined QCB in the 70s when the Leo was in the old YMCA on Calhoun. In addition to booking acts, he held various offices and helped organize the Eden Park concerts. He has played solo and in bands exploring folk, rock, and jazz. Two of his bands were nominated for the old Cammy Awards. He once opened for Bob Hope and for Poco!  Chuck is a retired high school English teacher who now writes for publications and gigs around the area. He continues to write songs and is half of The Chalk Brothers.

BUSKIN BLUE

Featuring Greg Short on guitar and vocals and Greg Robinson on bass and sax. Making her debut on vocals is LIV Tempe. Folk with a blues flavor. 

BEFORE THE LEO

5:00 PM Songwriters Collaborative

Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.

5:00 PM Song Circle Jams–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others join in with backup and harmony.

      Downstairs: Any well known, jam-friendly songs.

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MARCH 15, 2026

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6:30 PM ALL EVENING OPEN MIC

Sign up at 6:00 PM to perform 1 -2 songs. 8 minute limit.
The sound system will be set up.

BEFORE THE LEO

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.

5:00 PM Song Circle Jams–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others join in with backup and harmony.

      Downstairs:  Any well known, jam-friendly songs.

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MARCH 22, 2026

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PERFORMANCES  6:40 - 9:00 PM

TANGLED ROOTS          originaryartsinitiative@gmail.com

Mike Boershig, Jody Knoop, and Sherry Cook Stanforth share a lively mix of American folk and heritage music weaving in original songs and historically rich singalongs with generational spirit. The trio blends rich vocal harmonies with guitar, mandolin, flute, tin whistle, and harmonica.  Songs tell stories of land and family, paths and rivers, love and loss, changed ways of living and working.Their Tangled Roots name reflects a belief that the ever-growing realms of nature and story entwine to bind all people together.

MA CROW & CO       www.macrowmusic.net       Facebook: Ma Crow & Co

The legendary Ma Crow & Company is a 7-time Entertainment Award nominee featuring bluegrass, americana and old-time mountain music. Ma won a CAMMY in 1999, and was a featured guest with MUSE Choir. Performances include WoodSongs Old Time Radio Hour, Song the the Mountain, Ohio State Fair, Tall Stacks, Appalachian Festival, Queen City Balladeers EdenSong, Taste of Cincinnati, Richwood Bluegrass Festival and River Roots Festival not to mention part of the cast of The Mountain Minor. Ma is joined by Vicki Abbot, Mike Thompson, John Vennemeyer and Steve Johnston.

BACK PORCH HOUNDS

BPH, plays a roots music mix of country blues, old style jazz, Celtic, old-time and bluegrass. It’s mostly old obscure music with a modern edge, plus some originals. If they look like a bluegrass band from a distance, it’s because they love tapping into the many roots, and instrumentation, of traditional music. The hounds include: Frank Fitch, Dennis Henderson, Fred Hautau, and Dale Farmer. 

BEFORE THE LEO

5:00 PM EXPRESSIVE RHYTHM GUITAR workshop led by DALE FARMER

Rhythm guitar can be so much more than a steady beat and chord background. It can create interesting foundations and vibes to pull your audience in and out with tension and release. When rhythmic energy is woven with that of voices and other instruments, the dynamic can be magical. This workshop will get you thinking about how your own rhythmic style can be further developed on not only guitar but other strum based instruments.

5:00 PM Song Circle Jams–Anyone can bring songs to lead while others join in with backup and harmony.

      Downstairs: Any well known, jam-friendly songs.