Hello Friends,
When I started writing this, it was September 11, 2003.
I was afraid to turn on the radio.
All week long we have seen extra police and sheriff cars on the
cruise looking for “suspicious” activities.
There were a dozen or so with flashing lights setting up check
points and blockades at Koch refinery in Rosemont two days ago as I
drove past with a load of veggies bound for food co-ops in the Twin
Cities. I always feel
guilty as I drive past holding my breath, rolling the windows up tight
to avoid breathing the foul air.
I am, on delivery days, part of that endless stream of air
conditioned machines racing on massive concrete highways into and out
of the city. As a people
who claim to love the natural world and desire peace, we should not be
living like this. We
should not be doing this to our planet.
I have driven for miles past parched fields.
I know some of our produce will go to feed some of what
Thorstein Veblen called the “Leisure class” practicing their art
of “conspicuous consumption.”
But I take comfort in knowing much of it will go to people
working toward change, for a peaceful world, and for sustainable
lifestyles. If, instead
of guarding the oil supply, our extra homeland security police were riding bikes to jobs researching fuel cell
vehicles, renewable energy applications for meeting domestic needs, or
teaching in the overcrowded schools helping kids learn skills and
values for living in a more ideal world…things would be different.
We are allowing ourselves to live the bad dreams of fallen
people, people consumed by their consumption, seeing the world through
tinted glasses of political and religious extremism manufactured to
support their underlying need for political power and excessive
wealth. Enslaved by
dependence on jobs and money, seduced by gadgets and luxuries many of
our people have lost their spiritual center and the strength to
resist. They no longer
have a healthy skepticism backed up by stubbornness and rooted in
principles, tradition, the land, family and
culture.
When I rise up above our planet and look down on
it, I see a ball with a thin, rocky crust floating on liquid cushions
of oil and underground water giving some buoyancy to that crust and
insulating it from Earth’s molten core.
Perhaps there is some contribution in a gyroscopic way toward
maintaining that balance that gives our planet the “wobble” on its
axis and keeps our seasonal fluctuations within tolerable boundaries.
I cannot imagine a bunch of dinosaurs and plants melting down
and finding their way deep down into those seas of oil, but think it
more likely our “cushion of oil” was formed as the Earth condensed
and came into orbital and geological balance, providing for the
possibility of life on this thin fragile biosphere crust.
I also see a species growing on this crust that has learned to
organize and build machinery capable of pumping millions of barrels of
this oil from beneath this crust each day and burning it in their
machines, changing the atmosphere, changing the climate, and as part
of their organizational method, sending machinery up in the skies so
they can monitor and control what is going on down Earth.
In the meantime, they are encountering resistance from others
of their species and must convince a good share of their work force to
carry guns and drop bombs to keep the rest in line.
How did they accomplish
all this? These guys (and
gals) must be descendents of snake oil salesmen, Nazi propagandists, those that created the Titanic and sold the tickets for its
ill-fated voyage. These
people are slick! They
can sell anything. They
have broken through the defensive perimeter in our own household in a
plot to fill our house with plastic using our children as a conduit.
Giving them a free subscription to a Lego magazine, they have
infected them with consumer viruses of the “New,” “More,”
“Bigger,” and “Better” strains.
One of the not too subtle ploys in the catalogue was Yoda
saying “now you can hold the power of the Force in the palm of your
hand.” Perhaps we can
also hold the kingom of God in our hands by owning a gold-plated
cross, or hold democracy in our hands by waving little flags around at
$10,000 per plate banquets singing “God Bless America” with other
diamond-studded millionaire patriots.
From the palms of our hands, we can click on our choice of
realities with our VCR/DVD remotes, manipulate the world’s people
and resources with our palm pilots, open new frontiers with the keys
to our 4 x4 SUV’s unbounded by the constraints of formal roadways.
CRASH! Power
Outage! Hello?
You can’t buy me
love. Happiness is not in
things. We can’t solve
our problems with democracy by buying new voting machines.
These snake oil salesmen need to be tarred and feathered. (They produced the tar afterall!)
Well, right now, as we
write this newsletter, we are in the midst of a drought and we are
watching our little part of the planet dry up.
In Cancun, Mexico, in the next round of the WTO talks, trade
ministers discuss global trade around negotiating tables while around
kitchen tables, we discuss global warming and worry not just about oil
and who controls it, but about water and the ability of our planet to
survive. It’s all about
money and control. Always
has been. Even back
before there was money, when it was land and flocks of animals.
Chosen people, Aryan Nation, Manifest Destiny.
Somebody thinking they had a right to land and resources that
somebody else was living on. Never
being satisfied. Contriving
religions to rationalize their self interests.
It is a wee bit of irony that there is such a flap going on
about the ten commandments being introduced by conservatives into a
state capitol in the south. It
seems like a great opportunity for opponents of this stone monument to
point out instead the flagrant disregard of so called “compassionate
conservatives” for key elements of these commandments, namely:
Thou shalt not kill.
Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.
(including capitalism or other ideologies.)
Thou shalt not bear false witness.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, ox,
ass or oil.
And maybe we should request the addition of
Jesus’ response when asked which commandment was the greatest.
That response was, “The greatest of these is love.”
We are all on this planet together.
It is finite and its delicate balances can be upset.
Excessive consumption, excessive wealth and abuse of power are
sins against humanity and against God.
Throughout history, humans have invented mechanisms to correct
these injustices from the Jubilee laws of Leviticus, to the Magna
Carta, French Revolution, American Revolution, Boleshevik Revolution,
Simon Bolivar, Zapata, Sandino, Land reforms and Liberations movements
to the New Deal and Glasgnost. Removing
the progressive income tax is regressive and creates a society that is
oppressive. Liberating a
wealthy elite class from their responsibilties to conscience and to
the world from which they extracted their wealth is unconscionable and
must be ended. We need to
be talking fair trade not free trade.
Parity not charity. We
need to fill the moral vacuum created by these Houston Oilers from the
Nationalistic Fundamentalist League with honest, responsible people
willing to build a sustainable world ruled not by ruthless military
might, but by just dealings with all people throughout the world.
We need to confiscate their spoils of war and make them pay to
fix what they have spoiled. If our world is to heal and go on into a millennium of peace,
they must recant, repent and do restitution.
If not, they must be held to their own system of justice and be
locked away for an example to all who would follow in their footsteps
and to those who have suffered and wait for redress.
We need to rebuild our own confidence in the ideals of this
nation and the confidence of others across the world that we can
indeed have responsible democracy in the US.
It begins with the choices we make internally.
The fruits of that must be how we live in the world.
The elections coming next year are only a piece of that puzzle.
Hopefully, the democrats will stop blaming the Nader voters for
“losing” the election and blame themselves for cowardice and not
fielding a candidate who stood for something. I hope they are listening now to all those who are jaded and
don’t vote. I hope they
don’t think that Bush/Cheney/Rummie/Brashcraftie and Wolfie are so
bad that the people of America will take anything they can get as an
alternative. In the
meantime, we have a lot of work to do on fair trade, the environment,
rural economies, agriculture, living wages (globally), maximum wages,
and health care. Mars is
in Recession, so…roll up those sleeves, get out in the world for
some……
maintenance and repair,
love and peace,
the janitorial staff
Thanks folks,
We are fueled by the
community—by you. We
are blessed by all the gentle souls who have come forward to dedicate
time, a visit, kind words, hugs, on this journey.
We are grateful for all of you who have made donations so that
we may continue keeping folkforum going.
JoeDan, John, Beany, Joanne, Mike, Aaron, Courtney and the
gang, Daniel, Carl, Sherry, Sarah, Henry, Kerry, Dave, Paul, Andrew,
Kathi, Pam, Anne, Sherry,
Rich, Mary, Bill,
Dawn, Susan, Carolyn, James,
Rob, Meesh, Mic, Dave,
Joanne, Liz, Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, everyone--we love
you and we thank you all for your continual support.
¨
We have a new flush toilet
in the Big Room (music hall)! After
ten years, the composting system wore out and has been replaced by a
Vacuity low flush toilet. (Susie is extremely happy with this!)
Thanks Carolyn and Jeff for the consulting!
¨
Rochester folks vigil at
the corner of 2nd and Broadway on Tuesdays from 4:30 to 5:15 PM.
¨
Red Wing folks vigil on Fridays
from 4:30 to 4:45 PM at Rich Park.
¨
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
has been formed to facilitate and network peace and justice efforts in
our part of the state. A
lot of work to do and much need for support either as members or
active volunteers. Membership
is $5/year. Contact:
SEMINNAP@
aol.com
¨
Remember Rachel Corey and
all the brave peace-makes
who place themselves between the “stone throwers” and the victims.
¨
September 25th,
Lt. Col Bob Bowman, speaks in Rochester at Assissi Heights at 7:00 PM.
Retired Lt. Colonel Bob Bowman, president of Institute for
Space and Security Studies, and presiding bishop of United Catholic
Church, 101 combat missions in Vietnam, former director of Star Wars
programs, recipient of the Eisenhower medal, several peace awards and
other honors. He will
critique US foreign policy and unilaterialism.
¨
Sept. 11th,
2003 was the 30 year anniversary of the US backed coup in Chile.
Salvador Allende was assassinated by Augusto Pinochet and other
US backed terrorists.
¨
September] 28th,
Freedom Ride to DC and NYC to attend protests for immigrants’
rights.
¨
US Land Ownership:
all 833 million agricultural acres owned by 3 million people;
½ of this total is owned by 124,000 people; 75% of the total is owned
by 05%, and 40% of all ag land owners are absentee!
¨
Learn about the Preston
tire burning plant and petition to stop it.
Call your representatives.
¨
Order a portion of organic
lamb, beef, buffalo, poultry or pork from your neighbors and help
build homeland security by rebuilding a strong local economy.
No homones, antibiotics or GMOs.
Order here at the Oak Center General Store.
(507) 753-2080 [email protected]
¨
“Be the change you wish
to see in the world.” Ghandi
¨
“We
can have democracy in this country or we can have great wealth
concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”
Louis Brandeis, US Supreme Court Justice, 1916-1939“
Live at Oak
Center General Store/folk forum Volume 1 Compilation CD on New Folk Records
is available now at the store or online.
Please support the continuation of programs and contribute to
the building preservation fund by purchasing the first in a series of
live compilations recorded during the 2003 concert season. Cost is
$15. Check it out. Come
to a concert or go to www.oakcentergeneralstore.com
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 good
spirits similar to your own, hear inspiring music, and have fun,
because we are…. all one. Contact
us if you are moved to help (507)753-2080 or [email protected]
Thanks!
___________________________________________________________
LOTS of new music and the good ol’ stuff, too,
…we are proud to feature a Women in Folk series at Oak Center as
well within the regular
fall series……come on down!
Karen Savoca and
Pete Heitzman
Saturday, September
20th, 8PM
$5-10 pay what you
are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Bluesy folk
rock--WOMEN IN FOLK SERIES
How can we not be
excited? The first ever WOMEN IN FOLK SERIES kicks the folk forum
season off righteously with Karen Savoka and Pete Heitzman an upstate
NY duo who with their elusive mix of modern folk influenced by soul,
rock, jazz, blues and everything in between have taken the western
hemisphere by storm? They recently produced and recorded on Greg Brown’s Milk
of the Moon and often tour with Brown’s band.
Karen Savoca’s voice and songwriting “defies pigeon-holing,
save to say that all her songs are drenched with soul…” and as
Greg Brown has said about Karen years ago, “If she were a Native
American, her name would be Sings Like Two Birds.”
Though she’ll haunt you with a moving ballad, most of her
narratives are “grounded in optimism and playfulness...”
Savoca writes on a variety of instruments, but in live
performance prefers to play conga and hand percussion and loves to
make people dance. Pete
Heitzman is an innovatively funky and bluesy guitar player who plucks,
bends and thwaps some astonishing textures and soundscapes from and
acoustic guitar and longhorn bass.
Face it, this get-down bluesy duo don’t sound like anybody
else. Following the all
day statewide Green Party meeting here, help us get back into the
groove and come on down to the first folk forum concert of the fall
season. What better
way to do that than with two grooving performers, Karen and Pete?!
We can’t wait…
Stacey Earle and
Mark Stuart
Sunday, September 28th,
2PM
$10; seniors and
kids freewill donation
Country folk—WOMEN
AND FOLK SERIES
Ok. It is an early fall
Sunday afternoon and we can’t think of a better way to make the day
nice and special than by listening to Nashville based singer
songwriter, Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart—her husband--on guitar.
Stacey grew up in a musical family (her older brother is Steve
Earle) and played guitar
when she was young for fun. By
the time she was 20, however, she was the mother of two boys living in
San Antonio, Texas, had little spare time to play music.
Mark Stuart, meanwhile, growing up in and around Nashville,
took to the guitar and got into the band scene.
Stacey moved to Nashville in 1990 and joined up with her
brother, Steve, singing back up vocals and touring with him.
Throughout the ‘90’s, she worked on her songwriting playing
Nashville bars and openstages. Eventually
Stacey and Mark met at an openstage and have been together ever since.
After a spell of focusing on their individual music careers
which took them in two different directions, Stacey and Mark ended up
finding the desire to perform as a duo. Their latest collaboration “Never Gonna Let You Go,” was
born with what they feel has greater breadth and appeal than anything
they’ve ever released individually.
With two songwritings coming from their unique perspectives,
this duo offers something for everyone.
As an exciting facet of our WOMEN IN FOLK series, come and
check them out!
The Mike and Amy
Finders Band
Saturday, October,11th,
8 PM
$5-10, pay what you
are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Acoustic country
folk
An Iowa City acoustic band with an funky country rock beat and superb vocals, Mike and Amy Finders
(pronounced Fin derz) achieve the seemingly unachieveable. . . the
kind of music you¹d want to hear while lying on your back in tall,
too-green-to-be-real grass after some life-changing event. Their music
is soulful and sweet. Singer-songwriter Mike Finders’ pedestrian
sounding lyrics strike a deep emotional chord and Amy Finders, an
exceptional vocalist, could be number one anywhere if the scouts ever
catch up with her. Their perfect harmonies are awesome and give
America what it needs RIGHT NOW- some honest, truly
excellent lyrics and melodies with outstanding vocals with fiddle and
dobro playin’mixed into the equation.
Let us get together and have some Midwestern rockabilly fun
with the Finders!
Joe Price with
Radoslav Lorkovic
Friday, October
17th, 8 PM
$5-10 pay what you
are able; kids freewill
donation
$ 10 at the door
The Blues
Deep root blues
breaks it down, wakes it up and releases it.
The blues’ has got two heads, a growl and a whisper, a holler
and a sweet moan. This is
the way it gets us from ahead and from behind, in the exact center and
far off beyond the light of the river moon.
Joe Price has himself tucked in, a bullfrog’s voice from the
Mississippi, just outside the boathouse and lumber-barge town now
called Lansing, Iowa. Walk in and there’s an old National Steel hanging on the
wall, resting “Grandma,” she’s called.
“Seen it all,” she says.
Joe Price has shared the stage with countless blues, folk, and
root legends like Muddy Waters, KoKo Taylor, Sonny Terry, Brownie
McGhee, and John Lee Hooker. But
then there’s this story that takes place in Louisiana, way before
all that, when Joe bought a Stella 12 string at a gas station for
nothing. Roadburned and
leaning on the counter, inside from the heat of Ascension County’s
summer sun, an exchange was made and floodgates were opened. The blues knew about Joe long before the stage did, and this
particular day it just
decided to reach way down and grab him out loud.
Joe Price is “seriously plugged-in.”
He’s a one man steam engine coal cars full, running the rails
and pushing the workboot blues. Radoslav
Lorkovic is a regular to the Oak Center stage coming down to accompany
Joe and charge up the event on the baby grand piano, which Radoslav
knows very well in a very boogie woogie, bluesy kind of a way.
We are lucky to have these guys comin’ in on a Friday nite in
October, mid-fall and all—so come on down and take ‘em in.
Let’s get recharged!
Laura MacKenzie and Brian Miller
Sunday, October 19th
2PM
$5-10, pay what you
are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Traditional
Celtic—WOMEN IN FOLK SERIES
“Celtic
music wizard,” Laura MacKenzie returns as part of the Women in Folk
series. She
performs with virtuousity music of Ireland, Scotland, England, Central
France and Northern Spain, traditional and new, on wooden flutes,
whistles, concertina, Scottish smallpipes, border pipes, medieval
greatpipes, French cornemuse, gemshorn and voice
“A
performing artist of astonishing versatility, singing and playing with
skill and emotion a splendid repertoire” (American
Association of University Women), Laura MacKenzie has learned from
many noted tradition-bearers on both sides of the Atlantic, and has
herself been recognized as a Master Folk Artist (Minnesota State Arts
Board). Of distinctly Scottish heritage (through Rankins and
MacKenzies), her people came to the United States by way of Nova
Scotia and Northern Ireland. It was, however, the Irish American
community of St. Paul, Minnesota that bolstered Laura’s leap into
Irish music. She began playing traditional music at ceilis (dances or
social gatherings) around St. Paul and Minneapolis and soon became
immersed in both the music and dance. Her best education has always
been with her comrades and favorite “teachers” –– the players
of traditional music –– in kitchens, pubs and dance halls, across
Ireland, Scotland and the U.S. Acccomanying Laura on guitar, harmony
vocals, Irish flute and whistles, is St. Paul based Brian Miller of
celtic duo “Five Mile Chase” fame.
Brian switched from garage rock bands to Irish music as a high
schooler in Bemidji, MN and eventually studied Irish music during his
college years in Cork, Ireland. As
of late, Brian Miller has become the top choice accompanist for many
premeire Irish musicians passing through Minnesota.
We are in for an afternoon of traditional Celtic music at its
finest. Join us!
Gary Holthaus
Readings from his
book, Farm Stories
Sunday, October 19th
at 4:30PM
Discussion and
potluck follow
Freewill donation,
bring a dish to pass and your own plate and silverware
Please join us to honor Red Wing author and poet, Gary Holthaus as he
reads from selections of his latest work, Farm Stories. A
panel of local farmer activists will participate in a discussion that
follows.
HALLOWEENO!
Saturday, October 25th
4:30PM
$3.00 kids; Families
$10.00
They’re back for the third year in a row at Halloween time because a)
we love Halloween and so do our kids,
and b) we all love the song and puppetry tradition Barb Tilsen,
Gayla Ellis, and puppeteer Margo McCreary have created. Halloweeno! Promises to be a fun-filled non-scarey
celebration for kids (babies to 12 yrs. ) with music, puppets, slide
shows, and more. Barb
Tilsen is a singer/songwriter who has been performing for audiences of
all ages since 1971. Her children’s performances are a delightful mix of sing-alongs,
story songs and celebrations of ourselves, and our interconnectedness
with the Earth. Photographer
Gayla Ellis has been highly praised for her work which brings to it a
sense of fun, and a window offering an enticing view of our world and
the dynamic relations of living things that fill it.
Combining their talents, Barb and Gayla’s musical slide shows
combine visual and lyrical imagery in an imaginative, entertaining
performance. Margo McCreary’s wonderful skills as a puppeteer have
enchanted audiences for many year.
Her hilarious larger-than-life puppet, Ollie McNut, always
makes an appearance at Haloweeno!
Plan on a creative mix of these artists’ talents, for a great
afternoon of costumed family fun.
Stay on for the Celtic concert by Todd Menton at 8PM….
Todd Menton
Satuday, October
25th, 8 PM
$5-10 pay
what you are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Acoustic Celtic folk
Singer/songwriter,
Todd Menton, has been playing Irish, folk and original music for over
25 years. A legend in the
pub scene, this is his first appearance at Oak Center. From
1985—1993, Todd was leader singer for folk-punk band, Boiled in
Lead, Menton has played
folk festivals and gigs all over the globe.
His wry humor, high energy, and edgy manic vibe
delights audiences as diverse as his music.
Whether playing an Irish pub or concert hall, Todd delivers an
evening of raucous rhythms and endearing melodies punctuated by a
sharp wit. A
multi-talented musican, Todd is adept at playing guitar, mandolin,
bouzouki, bodhran, penny whistle, harmonica, and if we’re lucky,
kazoo. After leaving Boiled in Lead, Todd hit the Irish pub circuit. This guy has a voice and an energy you won’t want to miss!
Eliza Gilkyson
Sunday, October 26th, 2PM
$5-10, pay what you are able; kids
freewill donation
$10 at the door
Singer/songwriter—WOMEN IN FOLK SERIES
Well, well, the
WOMEN IN FOLK series continues with Eliza Gilkyson, Austin, TX based
and Red House Records artist who being the daughter of successful
songwriter, Terry Gilkyson, is a third generation poet/musician.
“The breathy, lingual folk-poetry of Suzanne Vega, the
humanistic personal-politic of Joni Mitchell, and the emotive torch of
Billie Holiday….accessible work with heart” best describe Eliza
Gilkyson. High caliber
guitar playing and breathtaking gutty vocals are Eliza.
She has appeared on the Tribute to Greg Brown
compilation as well as the tribute to Bob Dylan A Nod to Bob compilation
both put out by Red House Records.
Her loyal fan base in the SW and Texas proven by the success of
all her recordings makes her worthy as any woman in the folk genre. For this reason, it is an awesome thing to present Eliza
Gilkyson at Oak Center. Join
us on this fine fall Sunday afternoon.
Omar Jamal—Struggles
of the Immigrant Since 9/11 and the War on Terrorism
Saturday, November 1st,
4:30 PM; Potluck follows at 6PM
Freewill Donation
Omar Jamal is Executive Director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center
in Minneapolis. He will
give an update on the stuggles of the immigrant community.
Having traveled from coast to coast in support of Somali rights
this past winter as well as being jailed himself on immigrant status
issues, he will share his own experiences with the US legal system
post 9/11. Disussion and
potluck follows. Please
join us for a stimulating and informative talk by Omar Jamal.
Monroe Crossing
Saturday, November
1st, 8 PM
$5-10 pay what you
are able; kids freewill
donation
$10 at the door
Bluegrass
Tight and powerful
vocals, first-class instrumental work, upbeat and fast along with
swinging gospel, this is MONROE CROSSING, Minnesota’s ever popular
and on-the-national-bluegrass-map bluegrass band.
Bluegrass through and through.
We can’t emphasize this point enough.
And we can’t encourage you enough to come and have some
serious fun. Art
Blackburn on guitar and vocals, Lisa Fuglie on fiddle and vocals, Mark
Anderson on bass and vocals, Graham Sanes on banjo, and Matt Thompson
on mandolin, fiddle and vocals. Wow
is all we can say. Celebrate
the band’s third release, “The Green Mossy Ground.” Tickets fly
so act now!
Lehto and Wright
Saturday, November
8th, 8PM
$5-10, pay what you
are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Celtic/Americana
Folk ROCK
Oak Center has presented
every kind of Celtic music from traditional to eclectic and now at
last, brings to the stage some avant garde Celtic rock! Taking cues from Irish, English and American folk
traditions and melding them with modern guitar based arrangements,
rich and haunting harmonies and percussive accompaniment, something
refreshing is happening. This
music is an artform--to be experienced live is to really experience
it. As a trio, Lehto and Wright push the boundaries of Celtic
rock utilizing all the tools of a rock band to achieve the effect of a
six-piece band with three players.
A force to be reckoned with,
Steve Lehto on guitar, mandolin and harmony vocals displays
impressive versatility and range matched only by the emotion he puts
into his playing. John
Wright is aggressive yet tasteful in his guitar, bass guitar, bass
pedals and vocal work,
and Matt Jacobs reflects talent to the nth degree on trap kit, bodhran
and assorted percussion. Lehto
and Wright have been traveling the Midwest sharing their exciting and
eclectic live performances
for all to hear getting sweet sounds, effects and harmonies out of
their instruments and voices. They’d be featured in the music for a
“Lord of the Rings” movie if the producers ever got wind of their Celtic angle on things, no doubt! Come ye all to what deems
to be an arty musical treat.
Café Accordion
Orchestra
Saturday, November
15th, 8PM
$5-10 pay
what you are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Euro/retro
Café Accordion
Orchestra (CAO) performs an eclectic mix of French Musette, vintage
swing, Latin and European dance music styles. Their repertoire
is that of the "Bal Musette" orchestra, through which
they recreate the music that was popular in Parisian dance halls, cafés
and bistros in the 1920's through 1950's. In
addition to the valse-musette, CAO's repertoire includes foxtrot,
swing, tango, paso doble, polka, bolero and rhumba selections.
CAO injects their music with good humor and expressive abandon. They
play it for what it truly is - dance party music!
Café
Accordion Orchestra is lead by Daniel
Newton on accordion
and vocals, with Brian Barnes on guitar and vocals, Eric Mohring on
mandolin, fiddle and vocals, Erik Lillestol on bass violin, and Joe
Steinger on percussion. The members have a combined total of
over a century of experience with the likes of Stoney Lonesome, the
Bone Tones, The Nationals, Jumbo YaYa, Prairie Home Companion, the
Ethnic Dance Theater and the Laketown Buskers. Extremely
enjoyable and equally fun
to listen to and dance to, don’t hestitate to come on down!
Maggie and Suzzy
Roche
Sunday, November
16th, 2PM
$10; kids freewill
donation
Acoustic
Folk—WOMEN IN FOLK SERIES
The Roches are New
York City based trio of singing sisters, namely Maggie, Terre, and
Suzzy Roche. Presently on tour and recording artists with Red House
Records, Maggie and Suzzy Roche will do to us their eclectic blend
influences of from church choir music, traditional Irish folk,
contemporary folk, rock, country, and pop with their own innate
musical sensibilities to produce what can only be called Roche music.
Each sister has her own distinct
musical talents which can be appreciated in their own rights, but they
can also blend their voices together into a single instrument of
awesome harmonic beauty. Whether they are singing Handel a cappella or
a song of their own creation, they rarely fail to transcend mere
singing. In a world where so much music is commercialized crap, the
Roches create a refuge for the soul.
Don’t miss your chance to see the talented and zany Roches
from NYC! Tickets are
going….
The Plight of the
Immigrant Worker and Strategies to Help
Sunday, Nov. 16th,
4:30PM
Freewill Donation;
Potluck follows discussion—bring a dish to pass and your own plates
and silverware
Two great folks from the Resources of the Americas in Mpls., Teresa
Ortiz and Jorge Flores, will discuss immigrant worker rights and the
issues facing MN immigrants today.
Teresa and Jorge are veterans at helping to empower the
vulnerable. Join us for
an educational discussion. Remember,
knowledge is power.
Cam Waters
Saturday, November
22nd, 8PM
$5-10 pay what you are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Jug Band Blues
Cam Waters 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. Music writers across the country and in Europe
consistently commend his understated, expressive singing and his
simple yet inventive fingerstyle and slide guitar playing.
His literate, tradition-based songwriting mixes seamlessly with his
arrangements of rural blues, jug band songs, and American folk music.
Waters also spent five years playing National metal-bodied guitars,
singing, and stomping on a thrift store hi-hat cymbal with a jug
band-influenced trio called The Sugar Kings. The group enjoyed
critical raves and performed at several major Midwestern music
festivals before disbanding in early 2002.
He was also involved in one
recording project with The Sugar Kings entitled Take Your Time,
Mr. Brown, which was released in early 2000 and, like Waters' solo
CDs, quickly became a Minnesota Public Radio favorite.
A native of lowa's
only bona fide tourist trap (Spirit Lake and its environs), Waters
spent six years in Iowa City, IA, seven on the Mississippi River in
Red Wing, MN, and six more in St. Paul before recently settling in
Rochester, MN with his wife, Tracy. In addition to being an inveterate
music addict, he has studied graphic design and guitar building,
and holds a degree in elementary education.
Dean Magraw and John Williams
Saturday, December
6th, 8PM
$5-10 pay what you
can; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Celtic folk
Music doesn’t
exist in a vacuum. It is
nothing without someone to listen, experience, dance...Anyone who has
witnessed Dean Magraw’s music understands this well.
The audience becomes a collaborator.
We explore, experience, and connect.
As Mpls. Based guitarist Steve Tibbets describes Dean Magraw,
“ it’s guitar, but it’s so liquid, fluid, lyrical and
effortless, that it’s like listening to a dancer.”
Newly released this past summer, his third album entitled, Heavy Meadow, a collection of solo compositions, is
strongly fluid and perhaps the
best summation of Dean’s creative processes to date.
John Williams has
been hailed by the Irish Times as "a musician of
remarkable sophistication even for his day and age, moving easily
between opposites - from box to concertina, and from dense filled-in
spaces to masterful understatement to seamless duet playing."
With five All-Ireland titles to his credit, John Williams is the first
American-born competitor to win first place in the Senior Concertina
category. His additional talents on flute, whistles, bodhran,
and piano distinguish his as a much sought after multi-instrumentalist
in the national session scene. John has appeared on numerous
recording and soundtracks, including the PBS special Out of
Ireland, The Brothers McMullen, Traveller
and Road to Perdition with
Paul Newman and Tom Hanks.
The long awaited
duo album Raven a
collaboration between John and Dean on Green Linen records is slated
for a fall release. It's a traditionally innovative collection
of chestnuts and road tested originals which soars from driven dance
tune adventures to dark haunted airs. John Williams and Dean
Magraw step out on this album as composers, arrangers, and improvisers
of their own works as well as interpreters of classic pieces from La
Bottine Souriante, Frankie Gavin, early Solas, and the thriller Road
to Perdition. Anything
can happen when the guys get together at Oak Center.
Don’t miss!
Switchback
Friday, December
12th, 8 PM
$5-10 pay what you are able; freewill donation
$10 at the door
Celtic/Americana
Folk
Energy.
Emotion. Excitement.
A couple of guys who have played together for over sixteen
years, this Chicago based duo has musical roots in celtic, jazz,
classical, rock, blues styles. Their relentless unpredictability keeps them from being
pigeonholed in any specific genre.
Their musical depth is as much a result of what they are as
what they are not! Brian
FitzGerald picks mandolin like a seamstress might quilt:
stitches effortless, skill apparent, and plenty of stories
still to sew while the needle is nimble.
And if FitzGerald, who hangs his guitars in Lansing, IA,
threads the story that is Switchback together, it’s his bass-toting
partner Marty McCormack of Woodstock, IL that 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 waxed productive since the duo formed. After all, it takes a couple of dreamy optimists to call a
score of clubs their living rooms and the entire Midwest, running like
one long train track from Chicago, IL to Oak Center, MN their rambling
home. Switchback may show
their Celtic souls with the best of ‘em, yet they’ve gone a note
further than many of their contemporaries, taking the dirt-driven
tenacity of their potato-planting ancestors and gnawing out serious
American roots. Indefinable, irreverent, and inescapably American, Switchback
songs are known to make even the most sedentary acknowledge their
feet. Having something
for everyone, it seems, hasn’t watered down what’s for dinner at a
Switchback show. Instead,
hitting the heart of what unites us as Midwesterners is a central part
of their ever increasing success.
Switchback is a high energy band with a huge Midwest following.
We welcome them back to break tradition—twice in one year…
it couldn’t be helped. We’re
hooked.
John Gorka
Friday, December
19th, 8PM
$10
Singer/Songwriter
John Gorka was born
in Newark, NJ under Eisenhower skies. He grew up in Colonia, NJ and at
age ten got his first guitar as a Christmas present. Before John's
fingers were strong enough to press the strings down his older brother
claimed the guitar for himself. and carved his name in it. The younger
Gorka never recovered from this blow. A few years later he took up the
banjo to retaliate. The family was never the same.
In high school
Gorka started writing songs and singing with a church folk group. When
he moved away from home to go to Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA, he
started performing in the school coffeehouse programs and the Razzy
Dazzy Spasm Band, a non-traditional bluegrass, country, blues and folk
band. Fellow Spasm member Doug Anderson took Gorka to a coffeehouse
that had just opened on the south side of Bethlehem, PA called Godfrey
Daniels. It was there Gorka discovered the kind of performer he wanted
to become. He went to shows when he could afford them and regularly
performed at the open stage nights. He later hosted the open mikes and
volunteered as MC, sound man, usher and counter worker.
Now, a Minnesota based Gorka returns to for an evening of song
and story. John with his
authentic and rich folky baritone voice connects us with his
multi-faceted songs full of depth and emotion. His attention to
details as a songwriter evoke a time, a person, a place which we
resonate with on some long lost or very recent level.
Did we mention his zany sense of humor that reaches ‘stand-up
comedian’ stature? Tickets
go quickly!
Buffalo Gals
Saturday, December
20th, 8 PM
$5-10 pay what you
are able; kids freewill donation
$10 at the door
Cowgirl Swing
The ever popular
Buffalo Gals are back to put on a winter solstice concert of super
swingin’ cowgirl stomps and Cajun ditties once again!
They swing, they have fiddlin’ duos, they yodel, they do the
old stuff with pizzaz and style, and they do it with great
sophistication and acute charm! The
band is Betsy Neil and Mary DuShane dueling it out like the old
friends they are on fiddles and harmonies, Maureen Mullen on guitar
and vocals, Kathy Mosher on lead vocals, bells, and tinwhistle, and
the gal of gal’s, bass player Doug Lohman (a guy!).
Always a treat to the ears, join us for an amazingly sweet and
fun concert!
CALENDAR
IN BRIEF
