President’s Letter
Folknotes 02/13/25
Hello Everyone,
Here is the latest QCB news.
Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, February 16, 2025
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, February 23, 2025
Reference Information For New Subscribers (Below my sign off)
Leo Coffeehouse
Sunday, February 16, 2025
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.
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances 6:40 - 9:00 PM
1st Set: Jamonn Zeiler
Jamonn is celebrating nearly 60 years performing in public and he still cannot get enough of the music he loves. You can find him on Facebook.
2nd Set: Jon Letts
Jon Letts is a professional jazz bassist with a master’s in jazz bass from University of Michigan who has performed with Detroit artists Laura Rain, the Caesars, Bluewater Kings and many more. This is Jon’s venture into the country music he grew up with. He plays originals and covers by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, George Jones and more.
3rd Set: Dan Van Vechten Trio
Dan Van Vechten is a folky singer/songwriter who plays folk, to country, to anything on the radio, plus songs of his own. Influences include country old timers like Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson and folky old timers like Paul Simon and John Prine. The Trio includes Henry “Hank” Becker on banjo and veteran bassist Chris Werner on upright bass. “Stringtown Sessions” is a collection of original songs and local covers, now available on the website and streaming. danvanvechtenmusic.com
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse
Sunday, February 23, 2025
5:15 PM: Old Time Jam
Join this song circle to lead and play along to old songs written before the folk revival.
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.
Performances 6:40 - 9:00 PM
1st Set: Dwight Smith
Dwight says that he “started writing songs during my college days a few years (decades) ago, and learned three chords on a borrowed guitar. I'm still working on learning the ‘truth,’ as Hank Williams discussed. My songs are introspective, and outrospective, observations on whatever I happen to be thinking about. I sing my own stuff, cover some golden oldies I think are great songs, and try not to take myself too seriously.”
2nd Set: 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 along with Larry Fortson on Uilleann pipes.
3rd Set: The Yard Cars
They play an acoustic blend of blues, bluegrass and everything in between. With one foot rooted in the Appalachian foothills and the other in the Mississippi delta, they play Ohio River Valley roots music, plus a barn burning bluegrass eclectic collective. The Yard Cars are: Nora Denning, Greg Longeway, Stu Toraason, and Michelle Gillinger.
That’s all for this Folknotes, I hope to see you soon.
Neil Harrell
President, Queen City Balladeers/Leo Coffeehouse
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.