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Hello Fellow Travelers,
Psychologically, beginning the New Year would be
easier if we could start with a clean slate, put the past behind us and
begin anew. Starting the
new year chained to the specter of planetary crisis and the increasing
threats to global well-being makes it hard to harness that symbolic
rejuvenation of spirit and commitments.
When feelings of hopelessness or futility creep in, it is
difficult to throw oneself enthusiastically into the work of making life
more whole, more satisfying, and on a higher plane, better for all.
And yet, that is what we must do.
As Bill Moyers stated in the title of his address to NYU in June
of 2004, “This is the Fight of Our Lives.”
If we don’t rise to the occasion, we will endure the pain of
watching what we and many generations of our forbearers have dreamed and
struggled for, be dismantled, overwhelmed and left in smoldering ruin.
We, our children, and subsequent generations, will suffer the
consequences. In a sense, the recent tsunami is a metaphor for what is
happening to us globally. There
was the roar, the white line off in the distance, no one knowing the
full extent of the danger that was rapidly approaching.
Some climbed to rooftops to get a better look and shouted the
alarm. Many began to run. Some took shelter in their hotel rooms or huts.
Some were sleeping. They
were crushed or drowned by what crashed down upon them.
Along coastlines, racing several hundreds of yards from shore
drastically improved chances of survival. A mile inland people were
unaware that anything was happening at all. Today, globally we stand in
front of an approaching wave that threatens to dwarf the devastation of
the tsunami, the hurricanes, the earthquakes, floods, droughts and other
natural disasters that seem to be occurring at increasing intensity and
rates. Perhaps these
natural disasters are connected to the pumping of millions of barrels of
oil per day from beneath the earth’s crust--where it might provide
some as yet not discussed role toward buoying up, cushioning, or
thermally insulating the earth’s crust--then burning it and releasing
tons of its waste products into the atmosphere.
God’s Punishment or mankind’s disruption of the balance,
choose your interpretation. It
is only the beginning of mankind’s worries if we don’t reconcile on
some big issues.
There is another tidal wave approaching as the
chasm between the increasingly select halves and the rapidly expanding
population of have-nots; grows within the human family.
Hunger stemming from economic exploitation or lack of political
access leads to desperation and anger.
It can turn to hatred. Viewing
one’s wealth as self-made and disregarding good fortune and the many
other lives that may have contributed to it, is Arrogant.
In the midst of the less fortunate, it can lead to all kinds of
strategies to defend and keep that wealth away from the less fortunate. It seems that often excess wealth, instead of being more
justly distributed, leads to devious plans to acquire even more.
Throw religious rationales and/or nationalism into the mix and
you have conflict that escapes reason.
Denying one group access to political power while giving it to
the other can only inevitably lead to violent repercussions.
Today we watch with disbelief as human created
fault-lines begin to shatter and destroy our commonwealth and our
institutions, all the while catalyzing disasters throughout the globe.
The plot to reverse and dismantle the gains of the New Deal
rather than to fine tune and further improve them, telling Americans
that the government was their enemy rather than a tool to improve the
well-being of all, that democracy means people must not decide what is
just and fair in the economy, did not increase our freedoms.
It opened up the majority to the ravages of the greedy.
It pushed us backwards towards the eras of robber barons, kings,
queens, lords and dukes. Telling
us that use of free speech to question or protest misguided policies is
unpatriotic. It is contrary
to democracy and the spirit of our constitution and Bill of Rights.
The plot to loot and destroy our nation by pushing it into debt,
(vocalized by a leading right wing political strategist, Grover Norquist
when he stated the goal is to “starve the beast” with trillions of
dollars in deficits resulting from trillions of dollars in tax cuts,
until the US government is so anemic and anorexic it can be drowned in
the bathtub), is nothing short of treason.
It is not patriotic, and it is not a moral act.
It exposes such groups as the Heritage Foundation and The
American Enterprise Institute with their project for a New Century for
what they are, traitors and conquistadors.
They have clothed themselves in flags and religion and sadly
gotten some people to vote for them.
Combined with their control of media and the voting process
itself, they have been able to claim a marginal victory declaring it a
mandate for this disastrous agenda.
History has shown that humans have the capacity to
create peaceful, productive communities through the acceptance of a
social contract that realizes individual well-being comes from
cooperation toward overall well-being.
Or humans have the
capacity to view themselves or their select group as being apart from
other peoples, more righteous, more deserving, more holy or even just
flat out superior. When the latter is manifested by conquest,
plundering, colonialism, or other forms of exploitation, it inevitably
leads to strife. We get
wars, revolutions, and the most recent incarnation, terrorism.
Thomas Jefferson went so far as to call crime low-level
revolution.
Our national history has been a mix.
We have been a melting pot of those who came for freedoms and a
chance for a better life, and those who came seeking wealth and
conquest. We have struggled
to build a commonwealth where all have equal access, and we have
witnessed genocide against the indigenous native peoples and enslavement
of African captives. We
have seen economic conquest
by the robber barons met by the struggle of populist movements and their
partial victory in the New Deal. Regulation
of banks and railroads, farm parity, minimum wage, progressive income
tax and anti-trust, anti-monopoly laws corrected some of the excesses of
a free-for-all economy where the economically advantaged could increase
their advantage without conscience while the bulk of the population was
left powerless. America
developed a middle class. The
suffrage movement, the civil rights movement, the American Indian
movement, the anti-war movement, the environmental movement, and the
anti-WTO movement have all largely worked within the framework of
this republic and its democratic institutions but gone beyond the
mere act of voting. The
“commonwealth” has grown (schools, infrastructure, legal and human
rights,“safety net,”etc.), toward securing and preserving the rights
and well-being of a larger group of humanity.
This worthy goal, in spite of the struggles and strife, brought
us to a better place. As
monied interests and other regressives attack the gains of the last 3 ½
decades, we must rise up to defend and repair them.
The issues we must face in the year to come?
1)
The immoral and delusional war taking place in our name to
“install democracy” in Iraq via the gun, killing perhaps 100,000
innocent civilians in the latest assault and laying waste to the land,
perhaps permanently contaminating it with toxic uranium residues from
the Depleted Uranium weaponry.
2)
The increasing hatred and hostility growing worldwide toward the
US because we have allowed an immoral, profit driven foreign policy to
be perpetrated with our silent acquiescence standing in place of
a genuine altruistic foreign policy that understands global peace
and well-being stems from promoting those same for all.
Can we continue to support coups in Venezuela, Haiti and
elsewhere to perpetuate class inequity and increase our economic
advantage through “cheap labor,” resources or manufactured goods?
What is the real source of terrorism?
Is it only individuals or groups lacking an air force and tanks?
3)
The increasing threat from mass consumption and addiction to
excessive use of non-renewable resources.
We must look not only at the environmental impact but also at the
social and political effects, and thus at…
4)
The fair and just allocation of resources.
5)
The destruction of our “commonwealth”, our schools,
healthcare, civil infrastructure, physical infrastructure, and programs
to boost the less fortunate. We
must recognize this move toward “privatization” and consolidation
for what it is: an attempt
to move us back into a feudal state where access has all to do with
money. A thief is he who steals the goose from the commons, but a
greater criminal is he who steals the commons from the goose.
6)
A free and independent press.
7)
The electoral process; is it all about money and access through
money? Are the vote tallies
being counted fairly and accurately?
Does everyone have equal access to the voting process?
How do we get good candidates?
8)
Safe and democratic food system; local, family-owned, ecological.
We must end the patenting of genes, and the introduction of
dangerous gene combinations into the environment.
We must remove Monsanto employees from the FDA, EPA and the
Justice System.
9)
No nation, corporation or individual is above the law.
The International Criminal Court must be upheld.
The US is not the policeman of the world if it does not obey
international law. It is an Outlaw State. Those
who use civil disobedience to enforce international law over state
sponsored terrorism are making citizens arrests of Outlaw States and
Corporation.
10)
The issues relating to religion, and tolerance of differing
views. What are moral
values? Here in America we
need to have some frank public discussion about whether Jesus who threw
the money changers out of the temple, stood between the stone throwing
executioners and the prostitute, taught love, mercy and forgiveness,
identified with the poor and marginalized, really is leading this
war-mongering, money worshipping, judgmental, letter of the law (and if
the laws don’t fit your present needs just rewrite or reinterpret),
crowd, or if they are blatantly using religion to manipulate and
paralyze resistance to their self-interested agenda.
Are family values sending families into poverty and forcing both
parents to work outside the home?
If you don’t believe
God can have more than one name, that the Holy Spirit can fill us, and
that peace and goodwill can reign on Earth, if you feel that this earth
and all the sinners on it must be destroyed so you can be ruptured, I
would like to offer you an alternative.
Let us believe in the power of love, let us work for peace and
justice, let us feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the sick, and
visit those in prisons. Let
the meek have the earth… and we will pray for your rapture.
Love and Peace,
Maintenance and Repair
Thanks
folks,
We are
grateful for all of you who have made donations so that we may continue
keeping folkforum going; wood gets purchased, repair happens, bills get
paid... THANK YOU! Joe, Jess, Josh,
Kathi, Kerry, Simone, Courtney and the gang, Sherry, Lisa, Jerry,
Mark, Susan, Henry, David, Paul, Trudi, Jessie, Andrew, Meesh and Rob,
Rich, Mary, Bill, Dawn,
Dale, Marshall, Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, everyone--we love
you and we thank you all for your continual support.
NOTES AND
SISTER EVENTS…..
we
look forward
to
the time when the
POWER
of LOVE
will
replace the love of power
then
will our world know
the
blessings of
PEACE
wm. ellery channing
We
remember…David Langworthy, Doug Hall, Dick Broeker and Mike Rhyner,
and we miss you.
¨
Learn more
about peacemaking and conflict outcome in an Alternatives to Violence
Project (AVP) workshop and
increase your job skills, people skills, and able-to-make-a-difference
skills. Conflicts may always be around, but we have the power to
transform how we resolve them. Experiential exercises, games,
discussions, and role-plays give opportunities to instill new and
creative ways to be peacemakers. The Alternatives to Violence Project in
Minnesota builds community with workshops in state and county
correctional facilities, local high schools, and in the neighborhoods.
Please join us at our next AVP Basic Level Community Workshop
March 11th -13th, 2005. Hosted by the Friends for a Non-Violent World,
1050 Selby Ave.,St. Paul, MN. Phone: 651-644-5851 Fax: 651-917-0379 or [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>.
Registration deadline of March 4.
¨
Inauguration
Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 has been declared “Not One Damn Dime Day” in America. On “Not One Damn Dime Day,” those who oppose what is happening in
our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all
forms of consumer spending.
The
object is simple. We are reminding the people in power that the war in
Iraq is immoral, illegal and a complete failure. There have been too
many lives lost or ruined, too much money spent or promised. They are
responsible for starting it and it is their responsibility to stop it.We
open our mouths by keeping our wallets closed. We can visit our favorite
stores and coffee shops the day before or the day after. For 24 hours,
nothing gets spent, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians
of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq. So
on Inauguration Day, don't spend any money. Not one dime for gasoline.
Not one dime for coffee, or for impulse purchases. Nothing for 24 hours. The people are showing their power, and democracy is still at
work.
¨
The gap between rich and poor is greater than it has
been for 50 years, the worst inequality among all western nations.
44 million Americans—8 out of 10 working families lack health
insurance and cannot afford basic medical care.
Elections today are an “influence peddling scheme in which both
parties compete to stay in office by selling the country to the highest
bidder” (John McCain). We
have “government for the few at the expense of the many” (Time
Magazine). “The rich have
the ability to buy more homes, cars, clothes, vacations and gizmos than
anyone else, but they do not have the right to buy more democracy than
anyone else.” (Bill
Moyer) “Some people will obviously have to do with less…it will
be a bitter pill for many Americans to swallow the idea of doing with
less so that big business can have more” (Businessweek).
¨
Rochester folks vigil at the corner of 2nd and
Broadway on Tuesdays from 4:30 to
5:15 PM, two days/month.
¨
Red Wing folks vigil on Fridays
from 4:30 to 4:45 PM at Rich Park. Check out the CARP,
a great local newspaper-pick up a copy here at Oak Center!
¨
People for Peace
and Goodwill in Northfield, MN meet Thursday
nites at the Village School (1100 Bollenbacher Ct.) for
conversation/education and every
Saturday at noon at Bridge Square for a 15 silent peace vigil. 130
people attended the vigil one fine and chilly Saturday in January.
¨
Southeast MN
Alliance of Peacemakers needs your help. Get involved again.
A lot of work to do and much need for support either as members
or active volunteers. Vigil
downtown on Tuesdays. Membership is $5/year.
Contact: [email protected]
¨
Yes, we’re looking for clean plastic bags with handles
for the next Farmer’s Market season.
We have enough egg cartons at this time…thanks for reusing,
recycling, renewing~!
¨
We love volunteers to help out with concerts—before or
after clean-up, wood-cutting, running the store, etc.—join us and help
build community…call Susan at (507) 753-2080 or email at [email protected]
.
¨
Join Earthen Path Organic Farm CSA for the 2005
season—community supported agriculture, agriculture for and about
community and receive weekly boxes of veggies with optional eggs for
18-20 weeks—pick up a brochure at a concert or check out www.oakcentergeneralstore.com
¨
Buy a few pounds or order
a portion of organic lamb, pasture raised beef, buffalo, poultry
or pork from your neighbors and help build homeland security by
rebuilding a strong local economy.
No homones, antibiotics or GMOs.
Here at the Oak Center General Store in our lovely upright
display freezer. (507)
753-2080 [email protected]
¨
“Be the
change you wish to see in the world.” Ghandi
¨
The
60th anniversary of Hiroshima is 2005, and in May the UN will
be reviewing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
The Bush gang is considering backing out.
As early as January ’06 the proposal will be presented in
Congress for a cabinet Department of Peace.
¨
International
Criminal Court world delegates voted overwhelmingly that the US
represented the greatest threat worldwide to human rights.
¨
A
Direct Action out of Conscience is being
planned for March 14th at Alliant Tech.
Hoping for a presence of at least 400 people.
Volunteers—We
can’t do all these fine programs without the generous help from the
community that is folk forum…..Volunteers who lend a hand are truly
the lifeblood of folk forum and keep things going….smoothly.
We invite you to plug in prior to, during, or following programs
and concerts with a variety of tasks or during the week helping with
maintenance and repair or cutting and stacking firewood.
Be adventurous, meet interesting people with values and ideals
similar to your own, hear inspiring music, and have fun, because we
are….community. Contact
us if you are moved to help. We
also have farm apprenticeship positions available for the upcoming
season, contact us at (507)753-2080 or [email protected]
Thanks!
___________________________________________________________
LOTS of new music and the good ol’ stuff, too, …
Paul Mayasich with the
Benderheads
Saturday, January 22nd,
8PM
$5-10 pay what you
can; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
BLUES
We
loved these guys last January. They
asked for a return gig at Oak Center. We agreed. So, come on down for a CABIN FEVER blues show without the
smokey bar atmosphere. Let Paul
Mayasich with the Benderheads, shake off your chill January blahs
while they launch their CD release party here at Oak Center with their
second CD, Times is Hard.
Paul Mayasich, a native of Cloquet, MN stretches a mean set of
licks on lead acoustic guitar and vocals and cracks a heck of a lot of
knee-slapping jokes to boot. The
Benderheads consist of Scotty Miller (of the Scotty Miller Band) on
piano, Jeff Rodgers (Lamont Cranston) on drums, and John Wright (Lehto
and Wright) on bass. NOT TO
Be MISSED. Join us for the
opening show of the second half of the folk forum season!
Mustard’s
Retreat
Sunday, January 23rd,
2PM
$5-10; pay what you
can; kids freewill donation
American Folk
For
more than 30 years, Mustard’s
Retreat
(David Tamulevich and Michael Hough) has been entertaining audiences
with its special brand of folk music.
Highly acclaimed as not only songwriters, but as interpreters of
traditional and contemporary songs and stories, their show is full of
enthusiasm, good humor and fine musicianship.
Multi-instrumentalists (guitar, electric bass, dulcimer,
mandolin, harmonica, penny whistle), their large repertoire draws on the
dual influences they both experienced when growing up:
the folk revival of the ‘60s as well as the explosive
singer-songwriter movement. Traditional
to pop and all points in between, their show moves effortlessly along
with equal doses of humor, history, insight and emotion.
This will be a lovely Sunday afternoon show—especially for
families. Join us!
Pieta Brown with Bo
Ramsey
Friday, January 28th,
8PM
$10; kids freewill
donation
Bluesy folk
Spellbound is the word that best describes last season’s Pieta
Brown and Bo Ramsey
concert. Pieta’s magical,
smokey vocals, and mystically
graced lyrics combined with Bo’s esteemed backwoods and rootsy guitar
chops make for a sky and earth balance that is hypnotic.
As the eldest daughter of Greg Brown, Pieta Brown displays a
distinctive, charismatic voice and a familial gift for creating precise,
crisp images. She has
effectly established herself with a unique style having written poetry
all of her life. On this fine wintry evening, come out for some of the
Midwest’s best.
Joe Price with Vicky
Price
Saturday, January 29th,
8PM
$5-10 pay what you
can; kids freewill donation
BLUES
Blues
in January seems to be the order of the day and this blues weekend
continues with a nite of blues featuring Iowa natives Joe Price,
Mississippi Delta bluesmaster for 30 years and his wife, Vicky Price on
guitar and vocals…Joe’s music is flavored more to the juke joint end
of the blues: a bit rough
and tons of fun with workin’ class roots hollering out in the empty
musical spaces. He is a
great example of how one learns to do stuff right—slide technique,
studying the masters—and then learns to break all the rules to make
his music truly unique and all his own.
Vicki’s music reflects her influences:
gospel from her mother, folk from growing up in the ‘60’s and
blues from over 20 years with Joe.
She can play sweet ballads or rock it out.
Together, they blend and balance so well, you would think
you were living in a perfect world.
Get out of the cold, sit by the warm stove and groove to these
blues greats!
Direct
Action Out of Conscience: Marv
Davidov, Mike Miles, Steve Clemens
Saturday, February 5th, 4PM.
Potluck Follows at 6PM Discussion of the 30 year history of civil
disobedience and the direct actions occurring at the Honeywell Project
and Alliant Tech in the metro area.
Information on the upcoming direct action on March 14th
will also be outlined. Mike
Miles will give eyewitness accounts of his experiences in Iraq over the
past year and the human casualties of Depleted Uranium weapons produced
at Alliant Tech. Steve
Clemens will talk about international law and how it has lead to
successful defense for direct actions out of conscience.
The Granary Girls
Saturday, February
5th, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you
can; kids freewill donation
Folk
Those Granary Girls return with their upbeat brand of folky blues and
their uncanny ability to bring the issues home. Patty Kakac & Jodi
Ritter deliver a collection of stories gathered by a stream flowing
through the prairie. Sometimes wide and flowing with harmony,
other times narrow, swift and bubbling at play.
In true folk tradition, the music & personalities of the
Granary Girls have a strong influence on their audiences.
Listeners become part of the experience; laughing & crying, singing
& tappin' their toes. The Granary Girls are community builders
through lyrics & music. Their shared belief about the power of
music connects them in all their endeavors & keeps them true to
their own spirits. Their
latest CD, Wild
Roses,
has been an overnite sensation, regionally, nationally and has had
airtime overseas as well.
The Granary Girl's witty banter, funny and/or heartfelt stories leaves
audiences full. We love
‘em, and we think you will, too.
Paddy Keenan
Friday, February 11th,
8PM
$10 pay what you can;
kids freewill donations
Celtic Improvisational
Piper
Paddy
Keenan is an Irishman and a piper. His virtuosity on the pipes
combined with the ferocity of his playing made him, in the opinion of
many, the driving force of the former Bothy Band. Former band-mate Donal
Lunny once described Paddy as "the Jimi Hendrix of the pipes";
more recently, due to his genius for improvisation and counter-melody,
he has been compared to jazz great John Coltrane. Paddy's flowing,
open-fingered style of playing can be traced directly from the style of
such great Travelling pipers as Johnny Doran; both Paddy's father and
grandfather played in the same style. "Keenan's
wild and free style of piping is at its unfettered best,” Steve
Winick - Dirty Linen Truly
a piper not to be missed, join us for a fabulous nite of eclectic,
upbeat piping. Oh yeah!
Democracy
Can’t Function Without a Fair Vote
Saturday,
February 12th, 4:30 PM, Potluck follows at 6PM
Freewill
donation
Bush claimed victory. Kerry conceded defeat. Does
that mean the 2004 election
was conducted fairly? Maybe not. A group of Minnesotans travelled to
Ohio in
December to serve as observers during the election recount. On Saturday,
February 12th, some of them will speak at Oak Center about their
experiences. They will talk about electronic voting machines, software
tampering, provisional ballots that were not counted, long lines at
inner city polling places but no
lines in suburbs, and allegations regarding possible conflicts of
interest. They will NOT be
arguing that Kerry was the winner, but rather that democracy was the
loser. Join us for a discussion that also will consider the future of
elections. A potluck dinner will follow, and then an excellent musical
show by Bill Geezy and the Promise Breakers.
Bill Geezy and the
Promise Breakers
Saturday, February
12th, 8 PM
$5-10 pay what you can; kids freewill donation
Acoustic folk rock
Great songs, virtuoso
musicianship and beautifully blended harmony vocals—Bill Geezy and the Promise Breakers is the real deal!
Bill Geezy on guitar and vocals backed by the the leading master
of the Diatonic and Chromatic Harmonicas on this or any other planet,
Clint Hoover (the Sugar Kings) on harmonica and back up vocals, Craig
Dallas on drums and back up vocals and David Bille on lead guitar and
back up vocals. All these
guys sing! Bill Geezy’s
style of songwriting is fashioned around the age-old premise:
moving stories and great melodies touch your heart and stay on
your mind He has been
blessed with the good fortune of having great singers such as Kate
MacKenzie and Emmylou Harris sing his songs.
This will be fun. A
band good for a dead of winter pre-Valentine’s Day party.
Join us.
Anne Feeney and Chris Chandler
Sunday, February 13th, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you can; kids freewill
donation
Folk/Political Satire
It
has been more than a spell since the progressive singer/songwriter, Anne
Feeney has performed at Oak Center.
She brings with her spoken word performer, Chris Chandler. Their
metaphoric high wire act loads its big top full of folk music, poetry,
and humor. Chandler (who has worked with everyone from Allen Ginsberg to
Ani Di Franco) presents a dynamic concoction of poems and folk songs
designed to rouse the slumbering subconscious of the Starbucks culture..
He's probaby the only performance poet in North America to have
represented four different cities over the years at National Poetry
Slams. Anne Feeney is no stranger to trouble. She's been on the
frontlines most her life... starting with the anti-war movement during
the Vietnam war, the women's movement, and the environmental movements.
But Feeney's heart belongs to the labor movement and comes by her
activism honestly. Her fiddle-playing grandfather organized for the UMWA
at the beginning of the 20th century. Her riveting performance of
"Have You Been to Jail for Justice?" during Seattle's WTO
protests is featured in the Big Noise film "This
is What Democracy Looks Like." Feeney's award-winning songs
have made it into the repertoire of many activists and performers,
including Peter, Paul and Mary. Not
to be missed on a fine Sunday afternoon, a potluck presentation offered
by Phil Steger from Friends for a Nonviolent World follows at 4:30 PM.
Bring a dish to pass.
Phil Steger,
Friends For a NonViolent World
Sunday,
February 13th ,4:30 PM, Freewill Donation, Potluck follows
Building a Peacetime world.
Reframing the discussion. The
charismatic, Phil Steger, Quaker activist, scholar and peace-builder
will give this dynamic presentation.
Donohue, Newton
and Raynor
Sunday, February
20th 2PM
$5-10, pay what
you can; kids freewill donation
Bluesy/folk
How can we be so
lucky? Two regular members
and one frequent guest of the Guy’s
All-Star Show Band on Garrison Keillor’s “ A Prairie Home
Companion” radio show are roadtripping down to Oak Center on a Sunday
afternoon to do it up! Famed blues/folk guitarist, Pat Donohue, premier
accordionist Dan Newton (Café Accordion Orchestra) and Gary Raynor on bass play traditional
Delta blues, rags, jug-band music, and 20th century popular songs. An
adventuresome ensemble that thrives on interplay and spontaneity, these
talented musicians draw on a deep repertoire ranging from Robert Johnson
to the Beatles, from Tin Pan Alley to Tangos. Years of experience and
rich musical backgrounds allow the trio to infuse their selections with
jazz, rock, soul, eclectic, and ethnic influences. If the combination of
guitar, bass and accordion isn't unique enough in itself, layer in
good-natured chestnuts, obscurities, and originals (both sincere and
tongue-in-cheek), drench it all in great musical skill and showmanship,
and you have an unforgettable afternoon's-worth of entertainment….come
on down!
Cam Waters and Kari
Larson
Friday, February 25th,
8PM
$5-10, pay what you
can; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Folk
It is with great vim
and vigor, we welcome back to the Oak Center stage, old friends Cam
Waters and Kari Larson. Cam has spent the last twenty-odd years
crisscrossing the country and honing his unique style on the stages of
coffeehouses, clubs, concert halls and festivals.
His literate, tradition-based songwriting mixes seamlessly with
his arrangements of rural blues, jug band songs, and American folk
music. His understated, expressive singing and his simple yet
inventive fingerstyle and slide guitar playing make Cam Waters a
favorite among local folks as well as across the country and in Europe. His dry humor will get your goat going guaranteed!
Mandolin virtuoso Kari Larson comes out of the San Francisco
Bay-area acoustic music scene. She has also performed in rockabilly
bands, Jewish and Italian groups, and Baroque ensembles.
Her technical expertise and soulful playing is uncomparable. Both
Waters and Larson are skilled National metal-bodied guitarists as well.
Look for great songs, superb musicianship, good stories and humor
with these two!
Bill Staines
Sunday, February 27th,
2PM
$5-10, pay what you
can; kids freewill donation
Folk
The annual pilgrimage continues for Bill Staines.
Twenty-some years of performing at Oak Center, this traditional
folk singer/ story teller holds the record here and humbly returns
yearly to do a fine Sunday afternoon show.
His folk career spans nearly 40 years and he has traveled back
and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting
audiences with his quick wit, occasional poem, and humorous stories.
He may even go for a yodeling session at some point during his
performance, having won the National Yodeling Championship in 1975 at
the Kerryville Folk Festival in Texas.
You can’t go wrong with Bill, bring the whole family down for
this one or your special friends or just you!
The Pines—Benson
Ramsey and David Huckfelt
Saturday, March 5th,
8PM
$5-10 pay what yo u can; kids freewill donation
Blues
The Pines, the
latest entry from Iowa City based Trailer records, work on and around
the familiar, rootsy turf staked out by the label’s Bo Ramsey, Pieta
Brown, Dave Zollo, Greg Brown and even Brother Trucker.
But if the “cones haven’t fallen too far from the tree’,
there’s ample reason, because the duo is electric guitarist Benson
Ramsey (son of Bo) and singer/acoustic guitarist David Huckfelt, whose
songwriting draws heavily upon the Midwestern folk rockers like Dylan
and John Prine, who have dominated the form.
The aptly-named Pines are by turns lonesome, whispering and
knotty, crafting a distinctly autumnal sound.
Huckfelt’s voice evokes a young, less-wheezy Dylan, and Ben
Ramsey’s loping, belltoned six-string work is a ringer for his
dad’s, yet they still manage to carve out their own niche.
Join us for the second generation of Iowa City’s finest.
The roots tradition continues.
Deidre McCalla
Sunday, March
6th, 2PM
$5-10 pay what
you can; kids freewill donation
Singer/songwriter
Deidre McCalla.
Singer. Songwriter. Modern
day troubadour. An engaging
performer with a voice that delicately conveys both strength and
vulnerability, Deidre’s eclectic blend of folk, rock, country, and pop
has reached into the hearts and minds of audiences from Maui to Maine,
college coffeehouses to Carnegie Hall.
With five critically acclaimed albums to her credit, including
the recent MaidenRock release, Playing for Keeps, Deidre
McCalla remains the indefatigable road warrior. Deidre’s words and music traverse the inner and outer
landscapes of our lives, chronicling our strengths and weaknesses and
celebrating the power and diversity of the human spirit.
A fine artist, a fine Sunday afternoon.
Don’t miss.
Barra
Saturday, March 12th, 8PM
$5-10;pay what you can; kids freewill
donation
Celtic Band
Wow,
just in time for St. Patty’s Day. Barra,
a premiere Minneapolis-based celtic band is making the trip down to
dazzle us with exquisite and danceable music from the British Iles. Barra
(Gaelic for summit or top of) has a focus on performing traditional
Irish dance music as well as ballads, songs, and listening tunes with
the design of carrying on the ceilidh band tradition.. They successfully keep the music traditional as
supported in Irish and Scottish communities. They also perform in the
traditions of Appalachian and Cape Breton. The band features John McCormick (accordion,
bagpipes, vocals), Karie Oberg (vocals), Deborah Martin (fiddle), Paul
Garding (guitar, vocals), and Dave Cammack (bodhran, tin whistle,
accordion, step dancing). Fun, fun, fun.
Join us!
Dean Magraw, Jim Anton, and JT Bates
Saturday, March 19th, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you can; kids freewill
donation
Eclectic Jazz
Once again, we welcome
back guitar wizard, Dean Magraw, bassist, Jim Anton, and JT Bates on
drums. All musicians are
virtuosos and versatile in many genres of music.
Expect an eloquent mix of fluid, improvisational worldbeat tunes
mixed with mystical ballads and sweet jazz standards.
A synergistic energy exchange happens between audience and the
performers in this trio that carries us beyond earthly borders and
connects us to universal peace and love energy.
On the two year anniversary of the start of the Iraqi war (which
in fact was the first time this trio played Oak Center), take a safe
trip to another galaxy in the company of friends.
Johnsmith and Ariane Lydon
Saturday, April 2nd, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you can; kids freewill donation
Singer/songwriters
We’re
happy to host a Wisconsinite folk double-billing show
with Johnsmith and Ariane
Lydon—we love featuring folks from regions close by! Johnsmith
is one performer who doesn't wear hype well. His artistry speaks for
itself. In fact, the idea of 'just
being real' is a prominent theme throughout his music. Johnsmith was
born in Dewitt, Iowa, where he shared his small town mid-western life
(and house) with his two parents, and nine brothers and sisters. The
experience of growing up in such a large family nurtured within him a
keen awareness of the value of community, and, at the same time, the
absolute necessity of solitude. Music is simply his gift, and he feels
compelled to share it. That means more than all the hype, any day.
Every
once in a rare while comes a singer with such an extraordinary voice and
uncommon musical gift that it touches deeply the souls of all who hear
her. Ariane Lydon is such a discovery.
Lydon’s virtuosic touch on 12- and 6-string guitar,
keyboards, Celtic harp, and bodhran come from a long apprenticeship in
music across three continents. Born in Sussex, England, to a British
civil servant and a New York artist, Lydon lived in Santiago, Chile,
until she was 10. Her mother, a daughter of a jazz and ragtime pianist,
immersed Ariane in classical piano music from age 7. Both parents,
ethnomusicologists at heart, introduced her to an extensive range of
classical and ethnic music from countries they had lived in and visited
all over the world. Driven by an innate need to create and collect
music, Ariane taught herself steel-stringed guitar to accompany her
singing. There
you have it. A wonderful
singer/songwriter evening
Middle-aged White
Guys--A Play
Friday,
April 8th, 8PM
$5-10,
pay what youcan; kids freewill donation
Middle-aged White Guys
is a comedy about three brothers who meet in the town dump to honor
the memory of a former love. These guys are smarmy middle-aged
white guys who have sinned against nature and others. God is angry
with them(and all white men) and so she sends down messengers to get
them to change their ways. Performed by the esteemed and talented
Red Wing Players and directed by Julie Martin. Join us for a
hilarious play with a message. Great acting, too!
Tangled Roots
Saturday, April 9th, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you can; kids freewill donation
Bluegrass
Bluegrass yes, but not
just the same old stuff. Tangled Roots is an accomplished and energetic ensemble with over 40
years of combined musical experience.
This fabulous foursome has separately traveled the world playing
bluegrass music to audiences of all ages and ethnic backgrounds.
Chris Siver is one of the premier mandolin, fiddle and guitar
players in the upper Midwest who also sings lead and harmony, and
masterfully composes riveting original songs and instrumentals.
Barry St. Mane has been a stalwart in the local scene for
decades. Marty Malone
brings his flat-picking, strong rhythm playing and soulful lead and
tenor vocals to the group. Pete
Mathison expertly holds the bottom end on upright bass.
These guys play traditional,
original, progressive all at the same time.
Check them out…a fun time for all!
Radoslav Lorkovic
Saturday, April 16th, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you can; kids freewill
donation
Blues piano and harmonica
Radoslav
can play piano and accordion with his eyes closed…and he does!
Rad on stage is Rad! Master
of boogie woogie/blues
piano, he plays festivals and venues around the globe with many talented
musicians. He comes solo
tonite after too long of a hiatus from Oak Center.
Join us!
Karen Savoca and
Pete Heitzman
Friday, April 22nd,
8PM
$5-10, pay what
you can; kids freewill donation
Folk rock
We
are happy to bring back Karen Savoca and Pete Heitzman.
Karen and Pete met on a stage, and they’ve been making music
together ever since. Their
style is an elusive blend of blues, soul, rock, country, folk, world,
pop, jazz and everything in between.
When you hear them you’ll agree, they don’t sound like anyone
else. They live and record
in a renovated old church tucked away in the hills of Upstate New York. A soulful and engaging performer, Karen draws you into her
world like she’s inviting you to the table for supper. Pete bends, plucks, and wrings captivating textures and
soundscapes from the guitar or six-string bass and has been aptly
described as “the aurora borealis of guitar players.
These guys are phenomenal—don’t short-change yourself. Come
and have a listen!
Switchback
Saturday, April 23rd, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you can; kids freewill
donation
Rockabilly/Celtic Folk
Energy.
Emotion. Excitement.
A couple of downhome guys who have for nearly 20 years played the
region. Their relentless unpredictability keeps them from being
pigieonholed in any specific genre. Brian Fitzgerald picks mandolin like
a driven seamstress might
quilt: effortless stiches,
driving pace, skill obvious, and plenty of stories still to sew while
the fingers are nimble and the needle is sharp.
Bassist and vocalist Marty McCormack carries the color for the
duo. Whether he’s
bellowing out a Switchback
original or a bawdy Irish bar tune, McCormack’s bit of brogue, gift of
gab, and generally wandering way of being has proven productive.
It takes a couple of dreamy optimists to call a score of clubs
their living room and the entire Midwest, running like one long train
track from Chicago to Oak Center, their rambling home.
Indefinable, irreverent, and inescapably American, Switchback
songs are known to make even the most sedentary acknowledge their feet.
Again we end the folk forum season with the mighty Switchback
leaving for the growing season
to steer the plough in the field.
ADMISSION AND TICKET INFORMATION:
PLEASE
TAKE A MOMENT AND READ THIS BLARB
ON TICKETS SALES IN ORDER TO SAVE US ALL A LOT OF TIME ON THE PHONE,
(AND TO SAVE OUR LITTLE FEETS FROM GETTIN’ WORN OFF THE ENDS OF OUR
TIRED LEGS AS WE RUN BACK AND FORTH FROM OUR WORK TO THE TELEPHONE.)
TICKETS
ARE $5--10 PER TICKET PER SHOW—PAY WHAT YOU ARE ABLE.
IT IS UP TO YOU—THE TICKET PURCHASERS—TO DECIDE WHAT YOU CAN
ECONOMICALLY AFFORD FOR EACH CONCERT.
WE DON’T ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS AT THIS TIME. JUST MAIL A CHECK IN OR STOP BY.
ON YOUR CHECK IN THE MEMO PART, INDICATE THE NUMBER OF TICKETS AT
WHAT PRICE YOU’LL BE PAYING.
IT IS OUR HOPE THAT THIS SYSTEM WILL BE FAIR AND THAT YOU WILL BE
CONTRIBUTING WHAT YOU’RE ECONOMICALLY ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO folk
forum. NO ONE WILL BE
TURNED AWAY BECAUSE OF LACK OF FUNDS—ONLY LACK OF SEATING.
THE BULK OF ADMISSIONS GOES TO THE PERFORMERS AND THE REMAINING
AMOUNT IS USED FOR OTHER PROGRAM EXPENSES, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR,
PRINTING AND MAILING COSTS, AND FIREWOOD.
MANY
OF OUR CONCERTS ARE SOLD OUT AHEAD OF TIME AND WE HAVE HAD SOME “NO
SHOWS” WITH THE RESERVATION PLAN WHICH LEFT SOME EMPTY SPACES, ETC. THEREFORE, WE
HAVE FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW
BEEN SELLING TICKETS IN ADVANCE ONLY UP UNTIL IT IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE
BECAUSE OF TIME CONSTRAINTS. PURCHASING
TICKETS IN ADVANCE IS AS EASY AS PIE, AND MOST OF YOU ARE REALLY GREAT
ABOUT THIS. IT IS DONE THRU
SNAIL MAIL OR BY STOPPING BY THE STORE WHEN YOU ARE GETTING SOME
SUPPLIES OR SNACKS. THROUGH
THE MAIL: SEND A CHECK
PAYABLE TO folk forum FOR THE
CORRECT AMOUNT WITH A NOTE STATING THE CORT YOU WILL BE ATTENDING AND
NUMBER OF SEATS YOU WOULD LIKE. IF
A CONCERT HAPPENS TO BE SOLD OUT, WE WILL RETURN YOUR CHECK TO YOU
UNLESS YOU SPECIFY OTHERWISE. STICKING
A SASE IN WITH YOUR REQUEST HELPS A LOT.
GENERALLY, WE WRITE YOUR NAMES IN THE
BOOK AND YOU CHECK IN WITH THE ADMISSION PERSON AT THE FRONT DOOR OF
THE STORE PRIOR TO A CONCERT. IF,
FOR SOME REASON YOU NEED ACTUAL PHYSICAL TICKETS (MULTIPLE PARTIES FROM
DIFFERING LOCATIONS) THEN PLEASE ENCLOSE A SELF-ADDRESSED STAMPED
ENVELOPE. SOME CONCERTS
WILL BE SOLD OUT SO, IF IT IS DOWN TO THE WIRE ON SOME OF THE REAL HOT
SHOWS, THEN IT MAY BE GOOD TO CALL FIRST AND LET US KNOW YOU ARE SENDING
FOR TICKETS. RESERVATIONS
ARE ONLY TAKEN THE LAST DAY OR TWO BEFORE A CONCERT IF THERE ARE STILL
SOME SEATS AVAILABLE.
REGARDING
CHILDREN AT SHOWS THAT ARE SOLD OUT:
FREE WILL DONATION APPLIES TO THOSE WHO SIT ON THE RUGS UP FRONT
OR WHO ARE SMALL ENOUGH TO SIT ON YOUR LAP.
WE HAVE SUCH A LIMITED NUMBER OF SEATS (150) AND OUR ADMISSION
PRICE IS SO LOW THAT WE MUST RESERVE SEATS FOR THE FULL ADMISSION PRICE
IN ORDER TO PAY PERFORMERS AND COVER COSTS.
Questions: email them to [email protected].
Thanks!
WE
ARE UPDATING OUR MAILING LIST SO……
IF
YOU HAVEN’T DONATED $5.00 FOR
MAILING COSTS IN THE LAST YEAR, PLEASE DO SO AS PRINTING COSTS and
postage HAVE GONE UP AND EAT UP A HUGE AMOUNT OF OUR RESOURCES—want your newsletter emailed
to you? Email us at [email protected]
and we’ll put you on the list—we still would appreciate the $5.00
per year even for emailed newsletters.
Thank you!!!!
IF
YOU WOULD LIKE TO RECEIVE REGULAR NOTICES OF folk forum EVENTS AND/OR
YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO folk forum PROGRAMMING, PLEASE FILL IN
THE INFORMATION BELOW
and return with your $5.00 mailing cost fee to folk forum, c/o
The Oak Center General Store, RR1 Box 52BB, Lake City, MN
55041
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COMMENTS/FEEDBACK:
folk forum
CALENDAR IN BRIEF
January ‘05
22 Sat.
8:00 PM
Paul Mayasich with the Benders
23 Sun.
2:00 PM Mustard’s
Retreat
28 Fri.
8:00 PM Pieta
Brown and Bo Ramsey
29 Sat.
8:00 PM Joe
Price and Vicki Price
February
‘05
5 Sat.
4:00 PM Direct Action Out of
Conscience: Marv Davidov,
Mike Miles, Steve Clemens
5 Sat. 8:00 PM
The Granary Girls
11 Fri.
8:00 PM
Paddy Keenan
12 Sat. 4:30 PM
Bill McGrath: Democracy
Can’t Happen Without a Fair Vote
12 Sat. 8:00 PM
Bill Geezy and the Promise Breakers
13 Sun.
2:00 PM
Anne Feeney and Chris Chandler
13 Sun.
4:30 PM
Phil Steeger: Re-framing
the National Discussion
20 Sun. 2:00
PM
Donohue, Newton and Raynor
25 Fri. 8:00 PM
Cam Waters and Kari Larson
27 Sun. 2:00 PM
Bill Staines
March ‘05
5 Sat.
8:00 PM The Pines—Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt
6 Sun.
2:00 PM
Deidre McCalla
12 Sat.
8:00 PM Barra
19 Sat.
8:00 PM Dean Magraw, Jim Anton, JT Bates
April ‘05
2 Sat.
8:00 PM Johnsmith
and Ariane Lydon
8 Fri.
8:00 PM Middle Aged White
Guys—A Play
9 Sat.
8:00 PM
Tangled Roots
16 Sat. 8:00
PM
Radoslav Lorkovic
22 Fri. 8:00
PM Karen Savoca and Pete Heitzman
23 Sat. 8:00 PM Switchback
For further information, please call: The Oak Center General Store,
(507) 753-2080 or email at [email protected]
www.oakcentergeneralstore.com
folk forum
c/o Oak Center
General Store
Route 1, Box 52BB
Lake City, MN 55041 |
