From the President 2

Open Mics 2

Songwriters’ Songfest 4

Songwriters’ Showcase 4

Traditional Folk Song Circle 5

The Songs We Sing 5

Comfortable Concerts 6

Inside this issue:

Membership Renewal/App 14

F.A.M.E. Goals 14

Gear of the Month 8

Pull up a Chair 9

Scholarship Info 10

Spotlight: Angelin Donohue 11

Beans photos from Tomy 12

Windtalker Experience 13

Board of Directors 14

Save the date: September 20 or 27? (tbd) for the annual F.A.M.E.

members’ meeting and picnic at Ceresville Mansion. August 2015

Angelin

Donohue is part of a new music group

in the Frederick area, The Catoctin

Mountain Highway. You can hear them

at Frederick Coffee Co. &

Café and other fine venues in

and around Frederick.

Story p. 11.

Photo by Todd C Walker

Barry Bryan, Angelin Donohue, and Ken Glasser

In the Spotlight… Angelin Donohue by Caryl Velisek

The Epicure Café, 11104 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA. Music Variety Showcase: Second and fourth Wednesdays at 8 pm, hosted by Ron Goad. Open Mic: Show up, sign up, perform one to three songs. Epicure is an independently-owned and family-run café with tasty food, including appetizers, Greek specialties, salads, sandwiches, subs, pasta, desserts, coffee drinks, wine and beer. Epicure features various creative events that fill every night of the week, including wonderful musical acts, local art exhibitions, open mics, poetry readings, comedy, and now—storytelling! All this and an outdoor hookah!

Keep listening, keep playing, keep living!

Peace,

Rick Hill Rick’s photo courtesy of http://www.ricksfolk.com/photos/

Michael Schirf Kim Perseghin Jim Rose Dave Koronet Tom Bockoven

Photos courtesy of Todd C Walker

Frederick Coffee Company & Café, 100 N. East Street, Frederick: Every Tuesday night 7—9:30 pm, Todd C Walker hosts. This

open mic welcomes all “family-friendly” talent. Generally, performers receive the equivalent of time for two songs each. Enjoy good food from

the enhanced menu in a welcoming and warm, inclusive atmosphere. The sign-up list fills quickly, so come early if you can.

Open Mics

From the President Page 2

I play bluegrass Friday nights at Beck and Benedicts Hardware store in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania fairly regularly. It’s a great atmosphere where beginners and long-time players can play music together. It is really important for folks who are new to be able to play alongside experienced players. This is not just watching or listening, it is playing along. I am fairly new to the bluegrass scene, so there are plenty of times when I struggle with flat-picking, where I can’t keep up with the fiddle player, or my fingers just don’t do that on the bass. But I push on anyway hoping that in a couple of years I will be able to play like the others do. And, it is slowly coming. Every time I play I can hear and feel improvement. It is equally important for folks who are experienced to be willing to allow a “newbie” to sit alongside and give it a shot. I talked with a long-time fiddle player who was very frustrated when starting out because none of the fiddlers would show him anything. He tries to be patient with us new folks and shows what he is doing and how he is doing it. He even gave me a couple of CDs so I could practice the songs he plays! Nice! The best way to become a better player is to play with folks who are better than you. I know that takes some courage, but the rewards are well worth the effort. No matter what genre you play, find a group (or create a group) and play with them.

Epicure open mic photos courtesy of Ron Goad

Page 3

Beans in the Belfry Meeting Place & Café, 122 W. Potomac Street, Brunswick, Mary-land. Third Thursday of each month 7-9 p.m., Tomy “One M” Wright hosts this cozy venue with great acoustics, as it is an old church reclaimed as a coffeehouse with a friendly, relaxing atmosphere. This is a SAW- and FAME-endorsed open mic which draws performers from both groups, as well as the local area. Format is a first-come, first-served sign-up list with usually two or three songs each. Percussion available upon request.

From left to right: Robert Pereira, Don Annonio, Fran Tucker, Dave Mott, Ony Maybe, Dennis Duffy, Josh Gray, Tom Kolhepp, Max Honn (in front), Connor Yates McLaughlin. Photo above and left by Tomy Wright.

Graphic image courtesy of http://www.beansinthebelfry.com/

August 9 Midway Fair Duo Andrew Luttrell

August 23 Avery Hill

Joel Bernstein

Come upstairs at Brewer’s Alley in beautiful, historic, downtown Frederick, Maryland, any Monday evening from 7:15 pm until 10:15 pm or so. The singer-songwriters you will hear are a mix of national and regional touring performers with many award-winners from all genres. The featured songwriter for the evening plays for around 45 minutes; a number of other songwriters make cameo appearances singing three songs. Every show also includes a piano prelude to start the evening, our two resident poets read two poems

each somewhere in the program, and we have three MC’s, so it’s impossible to get bored – it’s an acoustic variety show. All of the performers are invited to play; this enables us to maintain high standards of musicianship and songwriting. We have gained a national reputation for being a great place to perform and be heard. Note: no sign-up on the night, although we may pull songwriters we know from the audience and make ‘em play. There is no door charge, but we have “tip buckets” for the featured songwriter. Come out and support LIVE ORIGINAL music. If you would like a calendar for 2015, please e-mail Rod (roddc@xecu.net ). For information about playing a three-song spot, contact (1) Ron Goad: MisterGoad@aol.com, (2) Rod Deacey: roddc@xecu.net or (3) Todd C. Walker: todd@toddcwalker.com. For info on featuring (the 45-minute money spot), contact Rod Deacey: roddc@xecu.net.

Date Featured Artist Cameos (3 songs) Pianist

8/3 Jim Patton & Anna Keller, Harry Pritchett Jim Moon

Sherry Brokus

8/10 Hayley Fahey John Seay, Jimbow Pat Post

8/17 Julia Katsdorf J Kalb, Dave Ihmels & Colettte Rohan Celeste Starchild

8/24 McTell Bros Chris Anderson, Craig Cummings Ray Jozwiak

8/31 Justin Trawick Terri Bocklund, Avery Hill Anna Keller

Brewer’s Alley Monday Songwriters’ Showcase Brewer’s Alley, 2nd Floor, 124 N. Market Street, Frederick, MD, Shows begin at 7:15 pm

Sunday Songwriters’ Songfest Frederick Coffee Company and Café, 100 N. East Street, Frederick, MD, 4 pm

Todd C Walker puts together an afternoon of local, regional, and sometimes national talent. Songwriters perform 30- to 40-minute sets.

Performers are not paid, so please tip generously.

Page 4

Photos courtesy of Karen Fetters

Traditional Folk Song Circle by Tomy Wright

Dublin Roasters Coffee, 1780 N. Market Street, Frederick Second Saturday of each month, 2-4 p.m.

Page 5

Twenty-three folks attended the July 11th song circle held at Dublin Roasters, five of which were new. We sang 36 songs covering 15 of the 35 five categories in the Rise Up Singing (RUS) songbook. The five songs not previously sung by the group were “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” “I Want a Girl Just Like the Girl,” “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary,” ”In the Good Old Summertime,” and ”Let Me Call You Sweetheart.” To date, the group has sung some 423 songs, moving us one more percentage point, for 35% of the songs from the RUS songbook.

Dori Bailin, Ginny Brace, John Cooper, Todd Dutton, Dan Frasier, Craig Gillispie, James Gillispie, Marilyn Gillispie, Tom Kohlhepp, David Koronet, Jeannie Lloyd, Steve Lloyd, Beverly Magyar, Gloria McCracken, Jay Odom, Charles Pierre, Mike Sodos, and Deana Weiss. Additionally, we’re adding five new Friends to our attendance roll: Hermine Bernstein, Avi Bosher, Barbara Bosher, Mark Frey, and Phyllis Rose. Great having Dori back and many thanks to David

Koronet for filling in as host again. ♪♪♪

Dave Koronet was, again, our Song Circle leader when we met at Dublin Roasters for our July 11 session. We began with our traditional “You Are My Sunshine” and sang a number of songs that we have sung before. These included John Denver’s “Country Roads,” “Ripple,” “This Land Is Your Land,” “Teach Your Children,” “Hobo’s Lullaby,” “The Rose,” “Wanderin’,” ‘Wabash Cannonball,” “Mama Don’t Allow,” “The Happy Wanderer,” “Jamaica Farewell,” “Take Me Out To The Ball Game,” “The John B. Sails” (also known as “The Sloop John B.”), “The Band Played On,” “Rubber Blubber Whale,” “Paradise,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms,” “Downtown,” “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Big Yellow Taxi,” “I’m Looking Over a

Four Leaf Clover,” “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain,” and our usual sign-off, “Goodnight Irene.”

A nursery rhyme that we have sung before, “Five Little Ducks,” is about five ducklings that went out one day and didn’t come back until their sad mother duck went out, too, and got them all back.

“Rocky Mountain High” is another favorite song of the Song Circle. It is a folk rock song by John Denver and Mike Taylor about Colorado and is now one of the two official songs of that state. It made #3 on the Easy Listening chart, and was chosen as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time by members of the Western Writers of America. Denver told Western audiences that it took him an unusually long time – nine months – to write and was inspired, primarily, by his move to Aspen, Colorado and his subsequent love for the state. It became briefly controversial when the FCC was permitted by a legal ruling, to censor music thought to promote drug use, until Denver explained that the “high” he wrote about was the description of the sense of peace he found in the Rockies. The song was also used in an ad for Colorado-based Coors beer. The Aspen Snowmass ski resort, named a run “Rocky Mountain High” in honor of John Denver.

Because they are so familiar, at least to me, it surprised me that it was the first time we sang “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” and “Bill Bailey.” (Continued on page 7.)

The Songs We Sing by Caryl Velisek

Comfortable Concert Next Month:

Sept. 18: Buzz Cason www.buzzcason.com

Comfortable Concerts doubles the talent on August 28!

Local Singer/Songwriters Doug Alan Wilcox and Steve Warner will be sharing the bill tonight!

Doug Wilcox plays various venues up/down the east coast. He’s shared billing with Peter Mayer, Stacey Earle, and Pierce Pettis, to name a few. He is a multi-instrumentalist from guitar to hand drums/percussion and harmonizes with the best, like, Bob Sima, Randall Williams, LJ Booth, and Tom Prasada-Rao. Doug’s songs will entertain your emotions with light-hearted lyrics to subtle subject matter. www.dawilcox.com

Steve Warner is reminiscent of John Prine and Steve Goodman. Numerous songs that he has written have been covered by various artists, e.g., Hank Williams’ original band, The Drifting Cowboys. Steve’s work has been published in Nashville and gets worldwide play on several radio stations. He teaches songwriting and has led various workshops. Steve is a songwriter that knows how to interject humor into his storytel-ling or can make you pause and reflect with his poignant lyrics. www.stevewarnermusic.com

Please join me for a wonderfully entertaining evening with Doug and Steve.

Date: August 28 Doors: 7:30pm Suggested Donation: $10-$20/person Location: Damascus/Gaithersburg (address given upon RSVP)

RSVP: August 26 (Robin) kmarkle6@hotmail.com (mention FAME newsletter)

After work? Plenty of food/beverages

Comfortable Concerts August 7 Matt Bednarsky www.mattbednarsky.com

August 28 Doug Alan Wilcox www.dougwilcoxmusic.com

& Steve Warner www.stevewarnermusic.com

Matt Bednarsky will get your toes tappin’ @ Comfortable Concerts!

The upbeat sounds of Matt Bednarsky will make their way into my concert series on August 7!

Starting out at the tender age of 8 with a guitar and writing his first song at 12, this young man has proven he’s got what it takes to draw in an audience. Matt grew up in Connecticut to a classically trained mom and professional jazz guitarist dad. He studied, and is fluent in, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and of course, English; he also studied psychology and music.

Currently living in Nashville, Tennessee, his influences are pop, rock, folk, and jazz. Matt has two full-length albums, A Bigger Picture (2014) and Two (2015). Matt is keeping busy touring the country, most recently, opening for Crystal Bowersox (American Idol Season 9 runner up). In October he will open for Joan Armatrading for her farewell tour.

Take a listen and look on Matt’s website...you’ll be wanting to hear more. www.mattbednarsky.com

Date: August 7 Doors: 7:30pm Suggested donation: $10-$20/person. Where: Damascus/Gaithersburg area (address upon RSVP) RSVP: August 5 (Robin) kmarkle6@hotmail.com (mention the FAME newsletter)

Page 6

The Songs We Sing (cont’d from page 5) Page 7

“Let Me Call You Sweetheart” was written by Leo Friedman (music) and Beth Slater Wilson (lyrics) and was published in 1910. It was first recorded by The Peerless Quartet. The song has been featured in several films including a Little Rascals segment and was also sung by Oliver Hardy in one of the early Laurel and Hardy films. It was also sung by Bette Midler for her film, The Rose.

“Bill Bailey” is another I’ve heard most of my life. It was originally titled “Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home?” and was published in 1902. American songwriter, Hughie Cannon, wrote it and it is still a standard with Dixieland and traditional jazz bands. Among artists that have covered the song is a list of some of the most well-known performers, including Louis Armstrong, Patsy Cline, Bobby Darin, Aretha Franklin, Brenda Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Della Reese, Harry Connick, Jr., Al Hirt, Jimmy Durante, and Sam Cook, just to name a few.

“It’s a Long Way to Tipparary” is a British music hall song written by Jack Judge and co-credited to, but not co-written by, Henry James Williams. It is alleged that it was written for a five shilling bet in 1912, and performed the next night at the local music hall. Originally it was “It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipparary” and it became popular among soldiers in WWI. It is still thought of as a song of that war.

“The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze” is a popular 19th century song about the phenomenal success of a circus performer named Jules Leotard. The song was first published in 1867; the words were written by British lyricist, George Leybourne, and the music by Gaston Lyle. It inspired author William Saroyan to write a short story of the same name and was made into a movie starring W.C. Fields and Mary Brian. The song was later recorded by Eddie Cantor, Burl Ives, Spike Jones, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Bruce Springsteen, among others, and was sung in a number of movies also.

“I Get a Kick Out of You” is a Cole Porter song which was first sung in the 1934 Broadway musical, Anything Goes and in the 1936 film version, also. It’s been covered by many artists, including Ethel Merman, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald. Ethel Merman once did a parody of the song on the children’s show, Sesame Street, about how none of the letters in the alphabet give her more joy than the letter “U, backed up by a school of fish. A shark gets too close to her while she sings and is continuously smacked away by her tail.

The final song I’m going to write about that we sang in July is “Try to Remember” from the musical comedy, The Fantasticks. It was originally sung in that musical by Jerry Orbach, whom you might remember from the TV hit show, Law and Order. It is the first song in the show and it urges the audience to imagine what the sparse set suggests. The lyrics, written by Tom Jones, includes the rhymes “remember” with “September”, “so tender”, “ember”, and “December”, and repeats the sequence. “Low” also has many rhyming counterparts throughout the song; verse one contains “mellow,” “yellow,” and “callow fellow”; verse two contains “willow,” “pillow,” and “billow”; verse three contains “follow,” “hollow,” and “mellow.” And, all the verses end with “follow.” The music was composed by Harvey Schmidt and it has been sung and recorded by a good number of singers and groups.

I hope you have enjoyed what I’ve written about the songs we sing as much as I have enjoyed singing them and learning about them. I’ll have more next month. ♪♪♪

Todd

Gear of the Month by Todd C Walker Page 8

Photo by Roy Greene

When I was a kid (1950s/60s), the magazines Popular Mechanics and Popular Science were favorite reads. Not only did the editors include stories on current day gadgets & gizmos, but also what they thought the future might bring. As an inquisitive kid, some of the stuff they came up with was incredible, and sometimes quite humorous (like, not gonna ever happen). None of us would ever have thought that a handheld device (a handheld device in 1955 was a hammer or screwdriver) would one day be both a telephone, a camera (with instant photos) and a movie camera. No way — dreamer stuff.

We did have plastic guitars and ukuleles in the 1960’s though. I played one once. Toys, not instruments. Well, yesterday’s future is now today and Outdoor Ukuleles of Bend, Oregon produces composite polycarbonate ukuleles. For those of us in the know, composite polycarbonate is most commonly known as plastic. Not necessarily the cheap, easy to break plastic of old, but plastic nonetheless. In fact, there are several companies manufacturing relatively inexpensive plastic ukuleles (check eBay). Some of the graphite guitar companies now also build graphite ukuleles, although at much higher price tags.

I was intrigued when I read an article on the new Outdoor tenor ukulele, which began shipping recently, so I bought one. $150.00 direct from Outdoor Ukuleles. Add $45 and they install a K&K one-shot pickup for live performing. I couldn’t pass it up. Couple taps on the keyboard, wait several days...and ta-da, a brand new Outdoor tenor ukulele now sits on my sofa.

Outdoor Ukulele produces both a soprano (first offering) and now the tenor model. They advertise their ukes as “Brilliant Acoustics For Extreme Conditions.” In one of their on-line videos, they bury a soprano uke in snow, leave it there for a day or two, then dig it up and proceed to play it. Try that with your solid wood or laminated wood ukulele!

I must admit I was a little skeptical, but I was swayed by the look of the clear plastic version (see attached photo). Whoa, way cool. Can you imagine playing a guitar like that? I had to have

one. Unfortunately they only produce the tenor in gray/brown (for now), so that’s what I have.

How does it play? Well, quite well, actually. In a blindfold sound test, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Visually, from ten feet away you wouldn’t notice that it’s made of plastic. Tuning is quick and accurate with Grover open-back tuners (intonation is very good). Other than the tuners and the pickup, everything else is composite polycarbonate – yep, plastic.

The top, including the fret board, (top of peg head, also) is molded in one piece, as is the back and neck. The two pieces are glued together. As you can see in the backlit photos, the bracing is molded into the top. You can also see the K&K pickup (small round disk just under the bridge). The back of the neck is slightly flattened (not sure why), but it’s comfortable to hold and hardly noticeable.

The sound is pure ukulele although slightly less loud that most solid wood ukes. But the slightly less sound volume is an even trade-off for being able to take the uke to the beach, for a ride in a canoe and/or skiing. It is definitely an outdoor ukulele. I like it! Check them out at www.outdoorukulele.com.

Two thumbs up! Now go make some music. ♪♪♪

Gear of the Month photos by Todd C Walker

Pull up a Chair…

The first “Super” folk group by Frederick Folklorist

Page 9

What if I told you that there was a folk group in the early 40s whose members included some of the best and brightest folk musicians that ever lived. It contained a “who’s who” of folk singers. If you were to look up the top 10 all-time folk performers who ever walked the earth you’d find several of the members of this group on that list. What if I told you all that; what would you say? Well, you’d probably tell me that I was talking about “The Almanac Singers” whose members included, Leadbelly, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays, Cisco Huston, and Burl Ives. And you’d be correct.

Let’s start with the name, The Almanac Singers. The very name was intended to keep their image as simple and straightforward as possible. It was coined by founding member Lee Hays. He said back in his home state of Arkansas, farmers only had two books in their house. The Bible — to help them in the next world — and The Farmers Almanac — to help them in this one. The Almanacs had only one creed: Just stick to the old tunes that working people have been singing for a long time. Sing ‘em easy, sing ‘em straight, no holds barred.” The group was formed by Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Millard Lampell. Hays and Lampell were sharing housing together and Seeger would come over and sing a little with Hays, whom he had meet a couple of years earlier. The three started performing together at left-wing rallies and anti-war demonstrations. Pretty soon Pete invited his good friend Woody Guthrie to join him there in NYC, which Woody did. Gradually other folk singers would join the new group and stay at their walkup in NYC and became known as “the Almanac House” throughout folk circles.

The Almanacs were known for standing up for the groups of working people who had no one else to stand up for them. Farmers, miners, unskilled laborers — those were the people the Almanacs were singing about and to. In fact, the first album they released in early 1941, was Songs for John Doe. On it, they criticized the war in Europe as well as U.S. big business tycoons such as J.P. Morgan and DuPont, who were anti-union, not to mention FDR’s unprecedented peacetime draft, and urged listeners to actively oppose the war. Their second album, Talking Union, was released later that same year. This is where we first heard the classics “Union Maid,” “Talking Union,” “Which Side Are You On,” and “I Don't Want Your Millions Mister.”

After Pearl Harbor, they, like the rest of the country, supported the troops. In fact, the Almanacs came out with another album in early 1942 called Dear Mr. President. The title song (written by Seeger) had this to say: “Now Mr. President/ We haven't always agreed in the past, I know/ But that ain't at all important now/ What is important is what we got to do/ We got to lick Mr. Hitler, and until we do/ Other things can wait// — Classic Seeger, I must say.

All of their outspokenness naturally brought attention to the group. Some good, some not so good. The FBI started to investigate its members and spread rumors to the press. This put pressure on those who wanted to book the group as well as the groups members themselves. Some members just really wanted to mostly sing folk music and talk a little politics; others just really wanted to mostly talk politics and sing a little folk music. However, even though they promoted isolationism before the war, once Pearl Harbor came along, they stood fully behind the U.S.

Photo by Todd C

I doubt the Almanac Singers would have lasted much longer because of the individual talent waiting to strike out,

however the winds of war helped to spread its members across the globe. Pete Seeger even served in the Army in the Pacific, training as a airplane mechanic. That's how he meet his wonderful wife of 70 years, Toshi. Of course, the group’s politics and the pressure put on them was the real reason that the group dissolved. It would just be a sample of what was to come with being “blacklisted” and McCarthyism. A quick note here before I forget — a great trivia question — What famous TV personality of the 70s was responsible for Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie meeting? Give up?? It was none other than Grandpa Walton from The Waltons, Will Geer. He organized the Grapes of Wrath concert that brought together Pete and Woody. He was also gay and lived with Harry Hay who founded the first gay rights group in the U.S. called the “Mattachine Society” in 1950. Well then, see all these things you’re learning? LOL.

In a final ironic twist, The Almanacs also popularized (not originated) the term “hootenanny” as a gathering of folk singers. They would hold hootenannies at the Almanac House. The term would be picked up again in the early 60s with the folk music revival and turned into a very popular TV show. A TV show, which founding Almanac member, Pete Seeger, would be banned from, because of being blacklisted. Give a listen to a recording of The Almanacs from their first album. (Click link.)

Next Month — Charlie and the M.T.A. ♪♪♪

Page 10

As part of our mission to nurture acoustic music in and around Frederick County, F.A.M.E. has set up a scholarship fund. A part of your membership fees goes to support this fund as well as funds generated from workshops and other events. Our scholarship concept was designed to fund learning experiences. 1. Although membership is F.A.M.E. is not a requirement, preference will be given to F.A.M.E members. Member activity level is also be part of the consideration.

2. The applicant must use the scholarship for an activity or project that is in line with the goals of F.A.M.E.

3. The applicant must provide the following:

The completed scholarship application.

An interview; audio, video or personal, explaining the project, how it will help the applicant in light of the goals of F.A.M.E. and how the applicant will use the skills/information learned to benefit the acoustic music community.

4. The recipient of the scholarship must return to give a workshop related to their project. 5. The recipient must give a report at the F.A.M.E. annual meeting (written or oral). 6. Deadline for filing is March 31st.

Download the Scholarship Application, fill it out and mail it to: F.A.M.E. 5181 Holter Road Jefferson, MD 21755

Scholarships are awarded periodically.

Scholarship Information

In the spotlight…Angelin Donohue

by Caryl Velisek

Page 11

Photos this page by Todd C Walker

Angelin Donohue and Ken Glasser Weissenborn

Now living in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Donohue is originally from Kansas City, Missouri. As an undergraduate, she studied Music at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. Later, she did her graduate work in English Literature at the University of Ottawa in Ontario. After moving to Washington, DC, she worked for 10 years editing association newsletters and magazines then recruited accountants for KPMG for another five years before deciding to get her teaching certificate. At present she teaches English to students who speak other home-languages at Rosemary Hills in Silver Spring. She also teaches American English at Montgomery College in Rockville.

And then, there are her musical talents…

“We were riding along Rt. 15, trying to decide on a name for our band. Then, there they were: The Catoctin Mountains, right alongside of us, and a sign saying, ‘Catoctin Mountain Highway.’ We wanted to choose something that would anchor the music with a sense of place,” Donohue said, explaining the choice of the group’s name. “We do a lot of different kinds of music including rock and bluegrass and folk and pop but most of our songs belong to the Americana folk musical tradition.”

“Ken Glasser is the mainstay of Catoctin Mountain Highway,” she said. “He plays a distinctive-sounding Weissenborn, which is an acoustic lap slide guitar, as well as a Martin and a Gibson. Barry Bryan often joins us and plays his custom-made Martin bass.” Donohue has a 1980s classical Yamaha and is also learning, slowly [she says], to play the guitar. “I’ve always liked to sing, and I’ve always loved folk music,” she said, “and I’m really lucky I found this talented group of musicians to become involved with.”

Only recently has Donohue had the chance to pursue her music since singing in an a capella group in high school. “I think it’s time to expand my interests into other areas, working on percussion and rhythm guitar. Donohue’s five-year plan includes writing at least one good song. “I thought that with my background in literature and creative writing, it would be easy to write songs. But so far, that’s been a challenge. “I’m fortunate to have been accepted into this particularly nurturing musical community,” she added. ♪♪♪

Page 12

Photos from Beans by Tomy Wright

“The Windtalker Experience”

returns to Beans August 1, 2015

Enjoy fine food and wine as you are transported on a mesmerizing journey of sight and sound Saturday, August 1, 2015, from 7:00 to 9:30 pm. Come and experience a remarkable evening with “The Windtalker Experience,” an awe-inspiring multimedia show set to the breathtaking and haunting sounds of Native American flute. Randy “Windtalker” Motz’s distinctive style of contemporary flute is blended with lush orchestration and Native percussion, weaving a musical tapestry that continues to entertain audiences everywhere. He now brings his captivating show back to Beans in the Belfry Meeting Place and Cafe. Windtalker’s beautiful and creative compositions serve as a captivating soundtrack for a backdrop of dramatic photos taken by his wife, Georgia Harris. You will be taken on a soothing,

sometimes playful, and always entertaining journey through the grandeur of the Coast-to-Coast walk in the U.K. and along the Appalachian Trail, with many brand new photos added. Throughout the performance, Windtalker also intersperses stories and legends with historical and cultural facts about Native Americans. Audiences throughout Maryland and Virginia acclaim the “Windtalker Experience” as mesmerizing, breathtaking, moving, hauntingly beautiful, profound, soothing, entertaining, educational, heartfelt, captivating, enchanting, vibrant, relaxing, exotic, and a performance that must be seen and heard. In addition to performing traditional Native American flute compositions from his popular CDs, Native SoundScapes and Canyon Whispers, Windtalker will also be performing jazz and blues, as well as classic rock songs that are sure to get your feet tapping. Enjoy creative interpretations of songs from Eric Clapton, Bob Seger, Santana, Van Morrison, The Moody Blues, Prince, and Kansas. Hanna Politis, co-owner of Beans in the Belfry, says, “Randy ‘Windtalker’ Motz always captures our audiences with his hauntingly beautiful Native American flute melodies. Accompanied by stunning nature slides from the Southwest, he puts the audience into a serene and happy mood. This is one of our most successful shows and both locals and others from long distances come for the performances.” Her husband, Jim Politis, agrees, “I came to hear the program out of curiosity, but left very impressed and very moved. The combination of the traditional music with the visuals from many of the traditional home lands and hunting grounds of Native Americans is a unique experience. It is done so simply, yet profoundly, that anyone with eyes and ears learn as they share the experience.” Windtalker will donate a portion of the proceeds from this performance to Futures for Children, a highly respected charity that provides educational and leadership opportunities for Native American children on reservations in the Southwest. Windtalker says, “For years I have been searching for a way to put my passion for Native American people into action in a meaningful and enduring way. I am humbled and honored by this opportunity to support Futures for Children’s mission and vision by donating a portion of the revenue from

my performances, including sales of CDs, DVDs, and books. By supporting me and my music, audiences will be helping Native American children escape the cycle of poverty, drug and alcohol addiction, and teen suicides that are rampant on the reservations. By giving Native American children the education and leadership skills they need to succeed, they help not only themselves but ensure the future of their communities and the rich heritage of their tribal cultures.” Beans in the Belfry Meeting Place and Café is located at 122 W. Potomac Street, Brunswick, MD 21716. This is an extremely popular show and seating is limited, so call 301-834-7178 now to reserve your table. Come have dinner and stay for the show. For more information and directions, go

to http://www.beansinthebelfry.com. ♪♪♪

Page 13

Randy “Windtalker” Motz photos courtesy of Windtalker

F.A.M.E. Board of Directors

Rick Hill, President

Todd C Walker, Vice President

Sam Ott, Treasurer

Katherine Ott, Secretary

Max Honn

Dori Bailin

Roy Greene, Newsletter Editor

F.A.M.E. Newsletter welcomes your photos and stories about local acoustic music and musicians. Please email submissions to the editor at roy.greene@yahoo.com by the 15th preceding the month of publication. Submissions subject to editing.

F.A.M.E. Goals:

To nurture, promote, and preserve original and traditional acoustic music of all genres in Frederick and

Frederick County through live music, education, and community outreach.

To educate aspiring musicians and the general

public about all aspects of original and traditional acoustic music of all genres via workshops, open mics,

showcases, and concerts. To reach out to the community via workshops and concerts, especially through schools and youth organizations and the setting up of mentoring opportunities for young and aspiring acoustic musicians.

Page 14

Please mail to: F.A.M.E. Membership, 5181 Holter Road, Jefferson, MD 21755

Questions: (301) 639-1050

Membership runs from January 1 thru December 31

Name: __________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________

City: ____________________________________________

State: ________ ZIP Code: __________________________

Phone: __________________________________________

Email: ___________________________________________

Membership Level:

______________________

Amount Enclosed:

$ ___________ . OO

Date: __________________

All active members receive a copy of the monthly newsletter via email. Non-members and members who do not use email may check out past

newsletters at www.frederickacoustic.org.

Membership levels for 2015:

Senior (65+) $10 Regular Membership $35 Lifetime Membership $200

All Regular and Lifetime members attend the annual F.A.M.E. picnic at no charge. Senior members and guests are welcome to attend at cost.