Old-Time Times

September 2003

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A Publication from your Nashville Old-Time String Band Association and Stratford Community Education.

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UPCOMING

ASSOCIATION EVENTS

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September 4

SLOW JAM

STRATFORD

6:30-8:30 PM

September 11

REGULAR JAM

STRATFORD

6:30-8:30 PM

September 28

4TH SUNDAY JAM

2-5 PM

HOST-Martin and Beth Fisher

615-390-2337-C

615-315-0611-H

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Carl Myers

Office-262-6732

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4th Sunday Jams

are now being scheduled by Darlyne Kent.  Please call her and schedule your home for a month, 868-9951.

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Thanks to the Kent’s for allowing us to come and share their home for a jam.

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9/12-13 The Nashville Folk Festival http://www.questx.com/festival/index.html

9/19 The Melmac Lickers will be playing Radio Cafe on Woodland.

9/2-7 J.P. Fraley’s Mountain Music Festival at Carter Caves State Park

800-325-0059           http://www.reedisland.com/RIR/fraleyfest.htm

9/20 4^th Annual Ole Time Fiddle Festival Bryson City, NC 828-488-1478

9/19-20 Old-Time Music Competition Brevard, NC

9/20 Music in the Mountains Folk Festival Burnsville, NC  828-682-7215

10/3-5 Tennessee Valley Fiddlers Assn. Festival in Athens, Al.  http://www.athens.edu/fiddlers/

9/11-13/2003 Dahlonega Folkways Festival http://www.folkwayscenter.org/dff.html

Vintage Music Old Time Band Contest http://www.folkwayscenter.org/contestrules.html

9/13 Mountain Music Festival at Vogel State Park 706-745-2628

9/12-13 Rockbridge Mountain Music and Dance Festival http://www.rockbridgefestival.org/

9/13 Dock Boggs Festival, Country Cabin at Josephine 276-328-6018

9/27-78 State Fair of VA Old-Time fiddle, banjo and contests 800-588-3247

www.statefair.com

Oct. 17-19 Old Time Camp North in Groton Mass.

http://www.mugwumps.com/otm.html

THE STORY BEHIND THE TUNE
Don Kent
A couple of years ago, the "Old Time Times" published an article on the
history of "The Girl I Left Behind Me".  The origin of that song (and the
tune) was traced to an Irish Regiment in the British Army as early as 1758.
The history of most of the old time tunes is either unknown, or in many
cases, the subject of some interesting speculation.
How often have we listened to a melody and thought about the images that it
portrays, or considered a tune title and wondered what incident or event
gave rise to the name.  Speaking of names, who were the individuals and what
were they like - those persons whose names have been memorialized by having
a tune called for them?  Turlough O'Carolyn, the greatest of the Irish
bards, composers and harpers was fond of calling a great many of his
"planxty" tunes in honor of his patrons.
In the old time tradition a great many of our tune and song histories have
been forever lost.  Many of our tunes date from the late 1800's to the early
1900's but still the story behind the tune remains a mystery.  It becomes
something special when we can recover bits and pieces of these tunes' hidden
past.  It is a rare day indeed when we can actually meet the composer of one
of our standard "old time tunes" and hear that person play the tune as
originally composed!
In walk Greg and Jerry, the Canote brothers.  Where did they walk?  Into a
classroom at Warren-Wilson College, at the Swannanoa Gathering, of course.
And No, they were not 135 years old either.  These outstanding old time
musicians live in the Seattle area and have played various types of music up
and down Americas' left coast since the 1960's.  Most people who have met
the Canotes have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  These guys are real
Hoot.  They are as adept at enjoying life as much as playing old time music,
and best of all, their attitudes and the laughter they share are contagious.
The thing that I admire the most about these fellows is that maybe they are
so busy having fun and being themselves that they just haven't had time to
grow up, or to grow old. Perhaps I'm just a little bit jealous. Meanwhile,
back to the story, and to the tune.
Generally Greg plays the fiddle and Jerry is the banjo/guitar meister.
While banjoing around one day in 1980 Jerry crafted out a tune that we
fondly play as one of the good examples of our old time repertoire.  The
tune - "Sadie at the Back Door" started its' life as a banjo run.  Well
received along the left coast, it's popularity spread eastward.
Jerry played the original tune for us on the banjo but he did not say
anything about Sadie.   So much for the tune, what about the tune title or
name?  Does it not suggest intrigue?  Who was Sadie and what was she doing
at the back door?  I weighed my options, I could either circumspectly ask
after class, or be indiscreet and ask about "Sadie" in front of everybody. I
chose to be indiscreet.  Jerry then revealed the secret.  Sadie was a house
cat. Sadie seemed to take a liking to being let outside from the front door.
But no sooner was she let out the front door than she showed up at the back
door whining to be let back into the house.  There you have it.  Sometimes
it's hard to tell a good neo-old time tune from a good traditional tune.
This demonstrates that our old time tradition is not static, but still
evolving.   Besides, a fine tune - of whatever age, is still a fine tune.
If it sounds good, it is good!

9/24 Bruce Molsky concert 7:30 pm - KY Theater 651 South Fourth St.  Louisville, KY  --contact-Sheila Nichols 502-454-5943 Admission at the door.

This is a good place to go and hear some of the best old time music around.  You can go to the website to see when Old Time music is being performed.  They also play lots of Bluegrass here so you will need to check their calendar.

http://www.scarlet.org/carter/index.html or http://www.fmp.com/orthey/carter.html

Dear friends-
We all have tunes we'd like to share. We all have tunes we'd like to learn
and might pick up, or become more familiar with, in a jam atmosphere.

So...I invite you to a third Thursday jam in September, the 18th, from, say,
6:45-9:30ish PM, at my house in the I-65s at Wedgwood exit neighborhood. My
house is much too small for the numbers of folks who come out for the Sunday
jams, but I hope some of you will give this a try.

Bring a chair and beverage of your choice. I have filtered water. I'd prefer
to keep the focus on the tunes and, so, am not providing or requesting that
you bring snacks.

E mail if you need directions. mldurham1@juno.com.
Or call, leaving a message if I'm not around. 385-0424
Thanks, and I hope you can make it,
Mary Lou
(If you know folks who aren't on the email list, please feel free to share
this invite with them.)

This year, Kitty and I made our first pilgrimage to the Appalachian String Band Music Festival, generally referred to as “Clifftop.”

We reached the festival early Wednesday afternoon.  Contrary to the warnings we had received, plenty of good camping spots were available.  We joined up with some old friends from Cincinnati and Louisville, and before too long, we had made contact with Bob and Kathy White, Dave Cannon, Mike Baugh, and Sheila Nichols.

We also made friends with our next tent neighbors.  They were banjo pickers and, like me, were rank beginners.  We did some jamming, but it didn‘t take long for us to wear out the tunes we all knew.

We spent most of our leisure time following our ears.  We drifted from jam session to jam session, listening to some of the finest old-time music I’ve ever heard.  I never tried to join in, but most of you all could have.

We heard mini-concerts featuring the fiddling of Frank George and Art Stamper (touchingly beautiful), attended a square dance, and attended almost too many contests.  We soon learned that folks “in the know” usually skip the basic contests (where the entrants may number well over 50) and save themselves for the finals.

Oddly enough, our favorite contest was for the “Nontraditional Bands.”  They seemed driven, as you might imagine, but great good humor.

I tried to keep notes on which tunes I hear most often.  They included “Buffalo Gals,” “West Fork Gals,” “Sally Ann,” “Seneca Square Dance,” “Good Bye Girls, I’m Going to Boston,” “The Girl I Left Behind,” “Briar Picker Brown,” “Ragtime Annie,” “Cold Frosty Morning,” and “Cripple Creek.”  There were, of course, countless others.

Over and over, we hear people mention Mt. Airy, North Carolina, the town Mayberry was based on.  It is said to be a great old-time festival, like Clifftop only smaller.

All in all, we had a fantastic time.  The people were great, the food was OK, ice was available, the restrooms and showers were functional, the vendors had some fine instruments, and the music was absolutely divine.  We will be there next year.

Phil Sparks