President’s Letter
Folknotes 02/19/25
Hello Everyone,
Here is the latest QCB news.
Good News: We Have a New Volunteer Board Member
Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, February 23, 2025
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, March 2, 2025
Reference Information For New Subscribers (Below my sign off)
Good News:
We Have a New Volunteer Board Member
I’m happy to announce that Kelli Domke has agreed to join the QCB Board, filling the long open seventh board member position. This position was previously called Hospitality Coordinator. Based on our current needs, we are going to rename this position Promotion and Outreach Coordinator (or something similar) with related duties. We will let you know more in a future Folknotes.
We are looking forward to working with Kelli, and welcome her to the board.
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.
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse
Sunday, March 2, 2025
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.
5:15 PM: Vocal Harmony workshop led by the Co-Conspiritors
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: Kaitlin Morrison
A former regular at the Leo, Kaitlin took time off for a couple babies, and finally returned last year with her beautiful soprano voice.
2nd Set: 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 Lallapalooza, 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.
3rd Set: Co-Conspiritors
Quebec duo, Will Richards and Katherine Simons, play folk/singer-songwriter music with elements of country, rock, blues, gospel, bluegrass, spiritual, general roots music and contemporary covers. Simons is a classically trained french horn player and percussionist whose pure, angelic voice stands in contrast to the more raw style of Richards. Their heavy emphasis on vocal harmonies has been compared to The Weavers, Ian and Sylvia, and Richard and Linda Thompson. Described as modern day troubadours, they have released 4 albums to date.
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.