President’s Letter
Folknotes 03/01/25
Hello Everyone,
Here is the latest QCB news.
Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, March 2, 2025
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse, Sunday, March 9, 2025
Reference Information For New Subscribers (Below my sign off)
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.
4:15 PM: Back to Basics Workshop
This workshop is for anyone who wants to refine their technique, and share their experience with others. Newcomers are encouraged to come. Easy chords and transitions…. Plus easy tempo and strumming are the focus of this group.
Please join Isaiah Tam, Alana Johnson and Bob Schrock in the Green Room (the 1st floor conference room) on the first Sunday of the month from 4:15-5:15 PM.
5:15 PM: Vocal Harmony Workshop led by The Co-Conspirators
(Upstairs)
5:15 PM: Patriots and Protesters led by John Fonner
Let’s unite and heal our communities through song! Protest songs point to injustice and challenge us to make things better. Patriotic songs celebrate the best in our communities and draw us together. We’ll create a list of 10-15 songs to practice together so that any of us can lead a group of others. (Room TBD.)
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony. (Founders Hall-In Springer Mansion)
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.
Looking Ahead: Leo Coffeehouse
Sunday, March 9, 2025
5:15 PM: Songwriters Collaborative
Come and share your songs with other songwriters for encouragement and friendly critiques.
5:15 PM: Open Jam
Anyone can bring songs to lead in the circle while others provide backup and harmony.
6:40-9:00 PM: Performances
1st Set: Cedars Of Lebanon
John Fonner (tenor guitar), John Gardik (bass) and Steve Martin together are the Cedars of Lebanon. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green (Psalm 92:14) The music will include some original songs, and an eclectic mix of old country classics, mid-century gospel and odds and ends. Remember if folks like it, it’s folk music.
2nd Set: Matt Rouch
They originally formed in Denver where the band quickly rose to prominence in CO, winning Best Country Band and an IMEA award for Folk Song of the Year. In Cinci, they kept the same playing style-James Taylor meets Fleet Foxes–and added Greta Propp on fiddle. Matt pours honesty and intimacy in his songs that connect with the listener with stories that hit close to home.
3rd Set: Ellie Fabe
Ellie is a wonderful singer/songwriter from Cincinnati 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 such notable venues as 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 Song in the Americana category 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.
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.