Original Dulcimer Players Club

The
Original Dulcimer Players Club
presents
Three Evenings of Acoustic Music
Featuring the Hammered Dulcimer
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
July 17, 18 and 19, 2014
7:00 p.m.
Osceola County Fairgrounds
Evart, MI
Thursday Evening
Thornapple Valley Dulcimer Society 6:15
Silver Strings Dulcimer Society 6:40
7:00 p.m.
Live from the Squirrels’ Nest
Jon Weinberg
Nathan Pultorak
Carry It On
Golden Griffon
Ilace Mears
Jeff Hames
Matthew Dickerson
Sarah Morgan
Lisa Ferguson
2
Friday Evening
Mountain Dulcimer Show begins at 6:30
7:00 p.m.
David & Annette Lindsey
Pam Bowman
Wanda Degen
Scott Freeman
Moriath
Butch Ross
Timothy Seaman
Stephen Seifert
Andy Young
Bing Futch
3
Saturday Evening
Hammered Dulcimer Show begins at 6:15
Dulcimer drawing for ODPC members at 6:50
Must be present to win
7:00 p.m.
Bill Robinson & Friends
Katie Moritz, 2013 National HD Champion
Karen Ashbrook & Paul Oorts
Ted Yoder
Guy & Sharrie George
Jess Dickinson
Randy Clepper
Steve & Ruth Smith
Stephen Humphries
Fiddle Whamdiddle: Steve Eulberg & Vi Wickam
Rick Thum
4
Karen Ashbrook & Paul
Oorts
Pam Bowman
Pam Bowman is a native of
the Evart area, hailing from
Marion, Michigan. She has
been performing with the
hammered dulcimer for
about 16 years as a duo
with Jeff Gardner on guitar
and with a five piece group called Just Jammin, performing gospel, country, and bluegrass music. In
2005 Pam won the Southern Regional Hammered
Dulcimer Competition in Mt. View, Arkansas.
Pam gives private lessons and group lessons on the
hammered dulcimer, as well as teaching workshops and performing at various festivals. Pam also
performs her unique hammered dulcimer style and
arrangements for many other venues. She has
eight recordings available.
In 1976, Karen built her first
hammered dulcimer as a
high school project. She is
now based in the Washington, DC area with her husband, Belgian-born Paul
Oorts.
Karen teaches and performs a wide variety of traditional music. She has produced, “Playing the Hammered Dulcimer in the Irish Tradition” book/CD set
and “ Play the Hammered Dulcimer,” a DVD and
booklet with instruction. Paul performs both as a
lead player and accompanist, and together they
travel and perform at festivals around the US and
Belgium. Paul directs the hammered dulcimer orchestra, Carillon. Karen and Paul joined musical forces in 1996 and have produced several recordings.
[email protected]
www.karenashbrook.com
www.pauloorts.com
Randy Clepper
Originally from Tennesse,
Randy now lives in Ohio.
He is an accomplished
player of Irish traditional
music on cittern/
bouzouki, fingerstyle
acoustic guitar, and hammer dulcimer. His playing
has been described as “magnificent”, “strong and
confident” (Dulcimer Player’s News) – “a Celtic
guru” (Wood ‘N Strings). Randy’s background covers many styles of music including traditional music from around the world, folk, pop, rock, jazz,
classical, funk (yes, funk) and bluegrass. He is an
active player in the Central Ohio Irish music scene.
He has also taught and performed at many traditional music and arts festivals across the country.
In 2003 he teamed up with well-known dulcimer
players Dan Landrum, Mark Alan Wade, and Bob
McMurray to form the group, Hammer On, producing a CD of the same name.
Carry It On
Carry It On is a midMichigan based Peter, Paul,
and Mary tribute band. Its
members are Johnny Hunt
of Midland, and Lee Anne
Whitman and Mike Giffin,
both of Saginaw.
If you have fond memories
of Peter, Paul, and Mary, as most of us from the Baby Boomer generation do, you will certainly enjoy
hearing such well-known and loved classics as Puff,
the Magic Dragon, Blowin' in the Wind, Where Have
All the Flowers Gone?, and This Land is Your Land
recreated, as well as others less familiar, yet true to
the original songs from their broad repertoire.
You can learn more about Carry It On at their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/CarryItOnPPM and
their website, carryitonppm.blogspot.com, and you
may contact the band regarding their calendar and
for booking information at their e-mail address:
[email protected]
www.randyclepper.com
5
Wanda Degen
Matthew Dickerson
Wanda's lifelong love of music
shines through in her performances as she sings and plays
the autoharp and "both kinds"
of dulcimers! She has taught private lessons at Elderly Instruments in Lansing since 1977.
Wanda won the Great Lakes Regional Mountain Music Autoharp Competition at the Flint Bluegrass Festival in
1983 and has placed in the top five as a finalist at the
Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, and at the
Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering in Newport,
Pennsylvania. Through her work as a teaching artist
with two national programs - the Lincoln Center of
New York and the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts of Vienna, Virginia - thousands
of Michigan school children have experienced both
hearing and playing dulcimers & autoharp.
www.wandadegen.com
Jess Dickinson
For seven years Matthew has
been delighting audiences
with his sweet and cheerful
style of playing the hammered dulcimer.
He developed a keen interest
in the instrument in his early
teens after learning a variety
of other instruments, including guitar and penny whistle.
Celtic music led him to discover the unique and
pleasant sound of the hammered dulcimer.
He built his first dulcimer from scratch. After
teaching himself to play, he quickly became an accomplished artist with the talent and skill necessary to win the Mideast Regional Hammered Dulcimer Competition in 2012. Shortly after, he entered
and won the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield.
Matthew continues to reach for new heights in
both style and performance as he joins the ranks
of the best dulcimer players in the country.
www.thedulcimerguy.com
When Jess is not at his two day
jobs (Mississippi Supreme Court
justice and law school professor),
he is posting free beginner and intermediate hammered dulcimer
instruction videos on his website.
His book, “The Essential Hammered Dulcimer Instruction Manual”, is a best-seller.
His bluegrass band, the Bluegrass Appeal, recently recorded a CD From Dublin to the Delta with guest performer Stephen Seifert. Jess began performing hammered dulcimer in Mountain View, Arkansas in 1990 at
the Ozark Folk Center, where he played in the annual
Christmas show for 7 years. He has instructed hammered dulcimer at numerous festivals and workshops,
and he is the organizer of the annual Deep South Dulcimer Competition at William Carey University. Jess is
the 2013 Southern Regional Hammered Dulcimer
Champion, and he and Jeff Hames won 1st place in the
2013 Southern Regional ensemble competition.
www.DickinsonDulcimer.com
6
Lisa Ferguson
Lisa, a native of Houston, TX,
grew up studying classical
music on the piano. Now
living in Tennessee, she first
heard a hammered dulcimer
as it was played by Dan
Landrum. She fell in love
with the haunting sounds of
the instrument and began taking lessons from
Dan. Eventually she bought a used Jerry Reid
Smith dulcimer. She also studied with Stephen
Humphries.
In April, 2009, she entered and won the Southern Regional Dulcimer Championship. In September of 2009, she won the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship in Winfield, KS.
www.lisarayferguson.com
Scott Freeman
Fiddle Whamdiddle:
Steve Eulberg &
Vi Wickam
Scott comes to Evart
from Lafayette, IN where
he lives with his family. In 1999 he won the
National Hammered Dulcimer Championship at
Winfield, KS. Scott has
worked with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
as a resident teacher and introduced the dulcimer
to thousands of inner city youth through workshops
and performances. Today he continues to work
with local arts and education programs to bring traditional music into the schools through hands-on
interaction with “Fiddlers in the Schools”, sponsored by the Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering. Scott records with Ouibache (WEE-ba-SHAY) Records, a record label dedicated to traditional and Americana
music. He has four albums of mostly original music.
Fiddle Whamdiddle is the
exciting cross-pollination
of two award-winning
instrumentalists from
Fort Collins, CO. Vi Wickam, twice the Colorado State fiddling champion and
a 4-time finalist in the Grand Masters’ Fiddler Contest, says: “Music is in my blood. Every note I play is
for nourishment.” Steve Eulberg, who has won 5
prizes in the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship and 3 times been a finalist in the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship, says: “Playing dulcimer makes me feel like I’m dancing on strings.”
Their facility with their instruments, their knowledge
of and delight in a wide variety of tunes & styles,
and welcoming rapport with audiences weave together to produce toe-tapping performances that
nourish and inspire audiences of all ages.
www.scottevanfreeman.com
http://www.steveeulberg.com/
Guy & Sharrie
George
Bing Futch
Bing's high-energy, crowd
-pleasing shows and
unique approach to the
mountain dulcimer have
made him a popular national act from California
to Connecticut.
Combining a respect for traditional folk music with a
firm grasp of modern popular styles, Bing entertains
and amazes audiences with his dizzying mixture of
material on not only mountain dulcimer, but also Native American flute and ukulele as well. He has become a regularly featured artist at festivals, fairs, concert halls, theaters, pubs, clubs and cafes across the
country. He is the longtime producer of the
"Dulcimerica" podcast, viewed by over a million people worldwide, and he has released a number of
books and CDs which are available at:
Guy is a multifaceted instrumentalist with
jazz-influenced
roots. He is a performer, instructor, author/publisher
and recording artist. His diverse playing style adds a
new twist to the sounds of the hammered dulcimer,
pennywhistle, steel drum and saxophone, all of which
he incorporates into his performances and teaching.
Guy studied jazz performance, arranging and composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He
travels throughout the US and Canada, performing
and teaching at various venues and festivals. His
teaching style is relaxed and fun, as he teaches tunes
of many different genres and styles. In addition, he
incorporates methods for more advanced practicing
and playing techniques, while simultaneously entertaining his students. Guy and his wife, Sharrie, live
outside Cleveland OH when not traveling.
www.BingFutch.com
www.guygeorge.com
7
Golden Griffon
Stringtet
Jeff Hames
Jeff started learning the mountain
dulcimer at the age nine by watching his grandparents play. As Jeff
grew, so did his love of music and
his ability to play songs that were
not customarily played on a
mountain dulcimer. Jeff also won
the Southern Regional Mountain
Dulcimer Competition in 2006 and then went on to win
the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship in Winfield KS that same year. He won those same honors
again in 2013.
During 8th grade Jeff was asked to play traditional music for a video his class produced. The project, titled
Natchez Trace Television, is part of the Tracing Our
Trace project funded by the National Geographic Society and the Mississippi Department of Education. He also played his mountain dulcimer in solo with his HS
marching band during a performance of Aaron Copland’s Hoe Down, a performance that won superior
ratings for the band in subsequent competitions.
The Golden Griffon
Stringtet has been
performing since
1992 at contra dances, civil war re-enactment dances, weddings, fairs, and other cultural events, including the Ohio Renaissance Festival, the Great
Lakes Folk Festival, the national convention of Abraham Lincoln Presenters, and the National Square
Dance Convention. The band consists of Loretta
McKinney on hammered dulcimer, Hall of Fame fiddler Jim McKinney, Renzo Hutchinson on guitar, and
Bob Ewald on bass. Members of the band have won
numerous performance and composition contests
sponsored by the American String Teachers Association, the National Federation of Music Clubs, and
others. They have six recordings available:
Propinquity – 1993
A Fine Collection - 1995
Christmas - 1995
Band Call - 1999
www.hamesdulcimer.blogspot.com
Gems of the 19th Century - 2006
Newfangled Barn Dance - 2013
www.GoldenGriffonStringtet.com
Stephen Humphries
David & Annette Lindsey
Stephen Humphries is
a music educator, a
freelance percussionist, and a National
Hammered Dulcimer
Champion (2007). In
addition to performing
and teaching at dulcimer festivals, Stephen is an
adjunct professor of music at Covenant College
(Lookout Mountain, GA) and Lee University
(Cleveland, TN). He also teaches private lessons
and percussion classes for K-12 students in Chattanooga, TN, where he resides with his lovely wife,
Taryn.
David and Annette make their
home in Bennington, OK. David
has been building and playing
the hammered dulcimer since
1978. They have been playing as
the Sweet Song String Band since
1979 and have helped form the
Lone Star State Dulcimer Society
and the Red River Valley Dulcimer Club. They are well
known and sought after for their music in re-enactor’s
dances and activities. David and Annette teach and perform across the U.S. in many well-known festivals
where David sells his nationally recognized hammered
dulcimers.
www.StephenHumphries.com
www.davidsdulcimers.com
8
Ilace Mears
Live from
the
Squirrels’
Nest
Once upon a time, Ilace was a
happy classical violinist. Then,
one day she heard a hammered dulcimer at Silver Dollar
City and fell head over hammers in love. Her ears (and her mind) have been
opened and she now lives in a very different musical
world, one she wouldn't trade for anything! As the
2012 and 2014 Southern Regional Hammered Dulcimer Champion and a finalist in the 2012 National
Hammered Dulcimer Championship competition,
she enjoys introducing the instrument to the residents of the Branson/Springfield area of Missouri,
and especially to the preschoolers she teaches. It is
her personal mission to promote the playing of
"Roscoe" at every jam. However, that tune is not
included on her debut CD, "Peace Like a River,"
which she fervently hopes is finished by now so she
can live happily ever after.
Led by Jim
Rathbun and
Dale Palecek,
the Squirrel’s Nest was officially established on December 3, 2011 at the Kaiser traditional Christmas
party for their music friends and other tag-alongs.
The group (formerly known as the Music Police)
will be represented by some members of the Squirrels' Nest, a high energy jam here at Evart. Those
performing on stage with Jim and Dale will be Sharon O’Connell, Liesl, David, Jeffrey and Sherese
Mom, Julie Arnold, and Kelly, Greg and Lynne Ellen
Kaiser.
A larger group of squirrels recently performed at
the Whitecaps baseball game in Grand Rapids,
playing music prior to the game and at the 7th inning stretch. It was a celebratory weekend for the
landmark birthday of Jim, one of the head nuts.
If you enjoy their music, you can hear more of it
being played each evening in the corral area. Just
look for the funny hats, the flashing lights, and lots
of bling.
www.ilacemears.com
Sarah Morgan
Sarah started her musical journey
at 7 years old and has fallen in
love with traditional and folk music through the years. A native of
East Tennessee, Sarah has incorMoriath
porated the rich musical heritage
of the area into her music. At 18,
st
Regina Kate Cobean on
Sarah placed 1 at the 2012 National Mountain Dulcifiddle, and Griffin Cobe- mer Championships. A year later, she went on to bean on bouzouki, whistle, come a finalist in the 2013 International Acoustic
and flute bring to you
Music Awards.
the music of distant Ire- The music of Sarah Morgan embodies her respect
land. This seasoned pair and joy of folk music and her creative approach to
of Michigan musicians send audiences on a pilgrim- arranging. Backing traditional Appalachian melodies
age through the lands and music of the Celts.
and haunting old time tunes with fresh harmonies
Whether the venue is a pub or festival stage, there and a progressive drive, she lends a new feel to
are no limits on Moriath’s capability to become a
seemingly "old" tunes, while accompanying pure and
crowd favorite. Moriath makes and performs music
heartfelt vocals with the unpretentious sound of the
for the joy of the audience as well as their own.
Appalachian dulcimer.
E-mail contact: [email protected]
www.sarahmorganmusic.com
9
Katie Moritz
Nate Pultorak
Katie is a multi-instrumentalist
whose specialty is the hammered dulcimer. Her level of skill
is evidenced by her win in 2013
in Winfield, KS, as the National
Hammered Dulcimer Champion.
She began playing in 2006 and
studied under Bill Robinson. Her
studies with him led her to travel
to many festivals throughout the country. She combined
her scholarly studies of music with her informal training,
to develop a style of dulcimer playing that is uniquely
her own.
In 2010 Katie met and teamed up with Lisa Ferguson, the
2009 National Hammered Dulcimer Champion. They began a recording project that was completed in 2012 with
the album, Kaleidoscope, a CD of dulcimer duets filled
with energizing melodies and driving rhythms.
Katie gives solo performances, as well as traveling to join
in concert with Bill Robinson and Lisa Ferguson.
Nate Pultorak, an 18 year old
hammered dulcimer musician from Joliet Illinois, has
been playing since 2006. His
style ranges from quiet and
melancholy to fun and energetic. He has been regarded
for the quality of his playing and his composition
skills on this instrument, as recognized by the
Friends of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra. In
2012 he won “Best Original Dulcimer Tune” and
“Kentucky State Grand Champion” at the Kentucky Music Weekend, and placed second at the
National Dulcimer Competition in Winfield, Kansas. He placed third in the competition in 2013.
www.NathanPultorak.weebly.com
www.katiemoritz.com
Butch Ross
Butch hails from Chattanooga, TN, and has been a touring singer/songwriter since
he was given a mountain
dulcimer as a birthday present. At first, the instrument
was a curiosity, but before
long it became his instrument of choice. Butch has taken a simple folk instrument and energized it with technical wizardry, inventive arrangements and a healthy dose of rock-n-roll
attitude. He transforms the lowly mountain dulcimer
into a virtuoso's instrument, drawing from it unexpected power and expressiveness. His genius is in the
fact that he found something unique to him. He
demonstrates what the instrument should sound like.
www.butchross.com
10
Bill Robinson &
Friends
Bill has been performing for 60+ years and
has received numerous
awards, including ODPC
Lifetime Member with
Paul VanArsdale, Hall of
Fame, and Pioneer. He
has been teaching the hammered dulcimer and
promoting his students for over 40 years. Bill
loves to jam and welcomes all to jam (you can
usually find him in the ODPC Pavilion). Bill hopes
you enjoy his original tunes. He is a third generation player from Illinois.
www.billrobinson-dulcimer.com
Stephen Seifert
Timothy Seaman
Tim is a uniquely expressive player using his special
separated-hands technique as well as colorful
chording and rhythm to
evoke drama and meaning. After 19 years of
teaching English, he went
full-time with his music in 1994. He has produced 15
of his own CDs on Virginia Parks, Christmas, and Celtic
themes, with titles like Sycamore Rapids and Here on
this Ridge.
When you tour Virginia you might see his albums in
museum and park shops. Although he lives in historic
Williamsburg (a great kayaking area), he's a backpacker at heart and loves to get out onto those ridges that
inspired many of his compositions!
www.timothyseaman.com
Stephen has been playing
the mountain dulcimer
since 1991. He has toured
with David Schnaufer, performed with orchestras
around the country and
been a featured performer
in Japan. Since 1996 he has
taught and performed at festivals and dulcimer
clubs in Los Angeles, Detroit, New York, Pensacola,
Houston, and many others. "I want to play all styles
of music on the mountain dulcimer. I also want to
help my fellow dulcimer players pursue their musical desires, whatever they might be, with the least
amount of time-wasting detours." Most recently, he
has been teaching hundreds of students around the
world via an online Dulcimer School.
www.dulcimerschool.com or
www.stephenseifert.com
Rick Thum
Steve & Ruth Smith
Ranked as the most influential dulcimer player of
the last decade by readers
of Dulcimer Player News,
Rick has made his mark on
every aspect of the hammered dulcimer world. He
brings a combination of
passion and friendly accessibility to his teaching that
make his workshops and classes favorites at festivals across the country. He has tapped this teaching
experience to produce a CD instructional series for
hammered dulcimer, the Original Song of the
Month Club. Rick is also the designer of the highlyregarded hammered dulcimer bearing his
name. Yet for all his time in the studio, onstage, in
the classroom, and in the luthier’s shop, Rick is
most at home at a late-night jam session.
North Carolina’s Steve
and Ruth Smith, voted
the 2013 "Americana
Instrumental Group of
the Year" by the Appalachian Cultural Music
Association's 1st Annual
Blue Ridge Acoustic Uprising, have been featured on
the PBS TV series Song of the Mountains, NPR’s All
Songs Considered and Thistle & Shamrock. Dirty Linen Folk & World Music Magazine says “Ruth's touch
on the hammered dulcimer is absolutely magical,
with exquisite phrasing…” Steve, an ASCAP awardwinning songwriter, adds guitar, banjo, and vocals. "The soul of mountain music and the gentle
grace of mountain air.” (Ohio Magazine)
www.steveandruth.com
www.rthum.com
11
Ted Yoder
Jon Weinberg
Jon Weinberg has been playing guitar and hammered
dulcimer for contra dances,
wedding ceremonies, concerts, and coffee houses
throughout New England for
over 20 years. He teaches
hammered dulcimer lessons
to students both in person
and online via Skype, organizes and leads the annual week-long Hammered Dulcimer Chord Camp in New England each September,
and is a regular workshop leader at dulcimer festivals
in New England and beyond. Jon is a founding member of the contra dance bands Allemande North and
Wild Card, and released his first CD About Time in
2013.
www.jonweinberg.com
Andy Young
Andy is a Chicago-based
musician, sought after at
music festivals nationwide. His concerts infuse
expressive musical arrangements with humor
and insight to provide a
deep understanding of
the role of music in our
world. Early on in his career, Andy took an interest in
Irish music and has now been playing in that style for
over twenty years. More recently Andy has pioneered
the playing of Gypsy Jazz (the music of Django Reinhardt) on the hammered dulcimer, a genre very few
dulcimer players have explored. This has given Andy
the opportunity to more fully utilize his percussion
skills and to develop unrivaled chromatic techniques
on the instrument.
www.andyyoungmusic.com
12
Ted initially made a name for
himself as the 2010 National
Hammered Dulcimer Champion, but it was his tendency to
take a popular or traditional
song and 'Yoderize' it with his
spectacularly unique use of
the hammered dulcimer that
really brought him to acclaim.
Ted is often called upon to
appear at hammered dulcimer events across the nation. But, this has been
eclipsed by a growing demand for his raw performance on stages and in live shows, taking his audience on a fresh musical journey.
Funfest Concerts
All evening concerts are by invitation and are held
at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The Youth Concert is held at 10:00 Saturday morning and is run entirely by youth.
The Open Mike Concert is held at 1:30 on Saturday
afternoon. If you wish to perform, you may sign up
for a performance slot at the ODPC Office by 11:00
Saturday morning. You can also find plenty of impromptu gatherings at campsites throughout the
fairgrounds. Take a late evening walk and enjoy listening to all the music!
Please help to support our performers by purchasing their CDs. Each evening the CD Sales Area will be
open at 10:00 following the concert, providing a
venue for sales for those who performed that evening. Some may also sell CDs following each individual’s performance. If you shop during the concert,
please speak softly and be considerate of those
who are enjoying the show!
We are most grateful to performer Scott Freeman
for the use of the stage we have this year. He is
transporting it from Indiana, and loaning it to us at
no charge to the ODPC. Thank you so much, Scott!
www.dulcimers.com\festival
www.originaldulcimerplayersclub.org