School of Rock

We’ve just finished our first week of Summer Music Camp. This year our first offering was School of Rock. We had Young Monks Camp from 9am to 3pm each day for our young students (ages 5 to 12), and it was a great success. We put together 3 bands: The Rebel Hounds, The Skeleton Keys, and The Tears of Blood. Despite the name, that last group consisted of 5 well behaved and talented young girls who sang some great old rock ‘n roll tunes. These morning classes not only performed in groups, but also made band posters and T-shirts, learned lots of great rock tunes, watched some classic rock movies (Hard Day’s Night, Help, The Song Remains the Same, School of Rock, etc.), and generally had a creative week of music making. 

In the afternoon, a slightly older group of teenagers put together a rock band they called “Something Relatively Different”, and worked up a bunch of tunes all on their own. Whereas the morning groups get lots of help and instruction and generally have some teachers or interns helping out, the afternoon group is on their own. And they rocked the house! Three guitars, bass, drums, and piano, with several different vocalists played through Johnny B. Goode, Twist and Shout, Same Old Song and Dance, Sweet Home Alabama, and Love Song. 

Also, special thanks to our interns who really help out both the students and the teachers. More to come.

USAF Heritage Aire Celtic Ensemble

This past May 13, saw Hungry Monk Music hosting the Celtic Ensemble from the US Air Force. The USAF Heritage Aire Celtic Ensemble is a group of 5 individuals playing guitar, whistles, accordian, hammered dulcimer, bohdran, flute, and even bass clarinet. And they sing. 

The group contacted Hungry Monk Music several months ago inquiring as to whether we would like to have a free performance. Of course! As always, a small but appreciative crowd filled our small performance space and was treated to a great, intimate performance. Not only did the group give us a great show, but they invited us to play along. There were almost more people playing than listening. Hungry Monk Music teachers Hazel Ketchum, John Holenko, Wendy Tahara, and Pam Wiley all joined in at various times. We also had several students get up and play with the group. Cecilia McGuinn, and Kevin Body both played violin, while Kelly Measom played bohdran.

Increasingly, Hungry Monk Music is becoming a place to play for musicians and groups coming through the area. While these groups may find larger venues with more people in the seats, they have all expressed their delight in playing for our knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd.

Merlefest ‘08

That was fun.  I had the Carolina Chocolate Drops autograph my Goodtime Banjo.  We hung out with Solas and John got to catch up with NEC classmate Wini Horan – the fantastic Solas fiddler.  We saw every set the Waybacks did even if it meant getting rained on.  Jeremy loved the Flea Circus.  Althea and I love new tye dye dresses and skirts.  I love Dirk Powell and Riley Bogas.  I got to meet my Myspace “Friend” Laura Boosinger.  I played tons of frisbee while listening to Rlaph Stanley and many others.  I stumbled into a show with a jam featuring Raf Stephani  - Althea took that time to nap while I was transported by his fiddling.  

Thanks to our hosts the Griffen/ Hamricks – we couldn’t have better time.

All for now – Hazel

John’s turn…..

Kill Henry Sugar

OK – I’m not a good enough writer to explain how great Kill Henry Sugar is.  They played at Hungry Monk Music on April 5th.  Dean and Erik were in town to back up the queen of folk – Joan Baez.  Somehow they found Hungry Monk Music through New Music Collective and Bill Carson.  They gave a concert/workshop where they played drum set and resonator guitar and sang.  They also explained things about folk music, themselves and why they are called Kill Henry Sugar.  Actually, they didn’t really explain any of that, but whatever they said was really entertaining and interesting.  They even took political questions from the audience.

Dean and Erik enjoy history and many of their songs tell historical tails from New York and elsewhere.  They also were very entertained by my lute and so I took lute requests after the show.  I’m not going to describe their music because I just want everyone who reads this to listen to them.  Buy their newest CD and make a Kill Henry Sugar radio station on Pandora.com 

It was fun to trace family history with Erik.  Guitar players are all part of a musical family so the first thing we do is to trace how we are connected.  It only took a few min. to discern that Erik studied with Fred Hand in NY and John Holenko bought his guitar many many years ago from Fred.  This makes Erik and John guitar cousins of a kind and I’m sure it bores the hell out of everyone else, but it is endlessly fascinating to guitar pickers.  

John and I went to see them with Joan ( thanks to KHS for the comps)  the next night and it was great to hear her for the first time.  Without Joan albums I would have never learned Wildwood Flower or East Virginia.  She has great taste in music to have these guys backing her up.

Thanks to Dean and Erik for a great show and I hope they  visit again soon.

All for now

Hazel

 

 

 

The ShamRocks

Hungry Monk Music has been offering a twice monthly Monday night Celtic class for the past yeasr or so. This class has organized itself into a group we now call The ShamRocks. Right now the group consists of two fiddlers, Rebecca Culver and Claudia Jos, a guitarist, Jonathan Graham, a bohdran player and percussionist, Kelly Measom, and a harpist/mandolinist, Abby Kent. These students have been working really hard and have put together a set of music that includes jigs, reels, an O’Carolan tune, some Renaissance music, and more. They have played at a Hungry Monk Coffee House but their big debut was at the Edgar Allan Poe Library on Sullivan’s Island this past April. The group played really well. So well, in fact, that they received an offer to perform at the Governer’s Mansion in Columbia for a group of international students. Unfortunately, that performance was a mere 2 weeks later and the logistics could not be arranged. There will be more offers in the future and The ShamRocks are busy building their repertoire. 

Hazel in Hartsville

So, I had never even heard of Hartsville until I found myself booked to perform there twice in one week.  The irresistible thing about these performances is how different they were from each other.  I had been booked for awhile to play lute for a production of Midsummer Night’s Dream at Coker College.  Jim Carrier was on to play recorder and we dusted off our fine Renaissance garb and tuned up the lute and we were poised for our trip.  Then last week Walter Biffle – Hungry Monk Music’s new banjo teacher – invites me to play guitar for him at the Reno Fest Bluegrass Festival in non other than Hartsville, SC.Both trips were quite lively.  The first one {March 21} Walter and his wife Alison and their two dogs and I loaded up with banjos and guitars for a bluegrass adventure.  We jammed in the parkin’ lot and played Don Reno tunes till the cows came home.  We stayed in at least a “half a star” motel complete with a brochure giving the “basic information on radiation and instructions on what to do if there is an emergency at the Robinson Nuclear Plant.”Walter entered the state banjo competition, but alas, didn’t make it into the finals.  It was rigged I tell you!On the way home we made a pit stop at the famous Guy and Tina’s Pickn’ Parlor which was a thrill for me.  Since Walter is a super star there I was invited to play the last set on stage with Walter, Steve on bass, Gene on mandolin and Rufus on guitar.  Rufus lives 55 miles from Doc Watson’s house and I decided that all guitar players should really know the mileage to Doc’s house.  Anyway, it was fun, fun, fun.Now this last week end {March 27} myself, Jim and my two children loaded up lutes, gowns, recorders, tights, and skateboards and headed back to Hartsville.  This time we met Jerry Curry from Columbia who was going to play harpsichord.  We played “Where the Bee Sucks” – no I’m not kidding, “Willow Song” and many other Shakespearean favorites.  The stage crew, actors and director where fantastic and so well organize it made our job easy.  The young singers did a stand up job of these sweet songs and we had a wonderful time.  Luckily there are no photos of me in my gown and Jim in tights.  We loved the Midnight Rooster Coffee House and the lovely gardens.  We also went to every antique store.Two fun gigs on Bluegrass guitar and lute.All for nowHazel  

Y/Our Sparkle Heart

It’s been another busy weekend of music making here in Monk land. Our friends Ian and Sarah Morris from Greenwood, SC came to town with their band Y/our Sparkle Heart. Ian and Sarah contacted us a couple of years ago and invited us up to Greenwood to play at their music school, Homemade Genius, a non-profit education center. We have been to Greenwood several times since then and finally got the chance to invite them here. Your Sparkle Heart played a great show here at Hungry Monk Music on Friday night, March 7, and then played at The Daily Dose for lunch on March 8, and then shared the bill with The Hungry Monks at the Gage Hall Coffee House on Saturday night. The Gage Hall gig is one we have done several times in the past few years and its a great room to play. Over the years we have played so many different events there: contra dances, coffee houses, a madrigal dinner, Charleston Tibetan Society benefits, etc. Your Sparkle Heart opened the concert and played mostly original songs with Sarah singing and Ian playing his Moon Lute, a Chinese instrument sort of like a mandolin. The crowd was very enthusiastic. The Hungry Monks performed in their original duo format, which is to say it was Hazel and John. We actually had requests from the audience and the other band. I’m sure we’ll be rubbing elbows with Ian and Sarah real soon.

Stevie Coyle visits Hungry Monk

Wow!  Stevie Coyle was here last week.  He made a stop at Hungry Monk while touring the Southeast.  Last Wed (Feb. 27) he came by for a day of teaching.  Students ranging in age from 8 to 48 had lessons.  I worked on some of my new songs with Stevie and he showed me the glories of the half capo.  All the students had a great time and got some good advice from a seasoned professional.  After a long day of teaching John and myself took Stevie to Jestine’s Kitchen downtown since his favorite food is fried chicken.  Thanks to Jestine’s for having great food and atmosphere to impress a guest. 

Thursday (Feb 28) Stevie gave a solo concert here  in Monk land to an intimate crowd of  about 30 people.  Students, fans and all the Hungry Monks were in attendance.  Although we were all dying to jump up and play with him we gave him space to wow us with his masterful guitar playing, singing and original songs.  We did sing along to Petrified Man and Compadres – we couldn’t help ourselves.  Stevie took us on a musical tour of finger-style guitar with an arrangement of Scott Joplin, the Irish folk song the Blacksmith, some good blues and our favorite Jorma tunes.

Stevie really reminded me of my time in Northern California.  He lives in Marin which is just a Golden Gate drive from San Francisco.  I love the way music can bring back memories in a subtle way.  This month has been such a great tour of the country with Luminescent Orchestrii from NY and Stevie from California.  I think these events have been great for the students.  I still am hearing gypsy tunes being played by the fiddle class and you will hear some of Stevie’s influence in our guitar playing.  I will be placing an order for half capos this week if anyone is interested.

Thanks again to Stevie for a great show and we hope he visits again soon!

All for now

Hazel 

Luminescent Orchestrii

On Wed Feb. 20, Hungry Monk Music played host to The Luminescent Orchestrii, a group from Brooklyn, NY playing Gypsy and Eastern European Music. Featuring 2 violins, guitar, and bass, The Orchestrii gave a workshop attended by about 30 students (mostly Violinists) and then they performed a short concert before going on to their regular gig at The Map Room. We are proud to say that there were about twice as many people here at Hungry Monk then they had at The Map Room. Way to go Hungry Monk students! The performers were very happy with the situation, and we hope the students got something out of it. We are sure to see the Orchestrii the next time they blow through town.

Quilters

This is just a very short update on the rehearsals/performances of the musical Quilters that I am involved in. The story is told through the voices of generations of pioneer women during the 1800’s. They weave their stories into the quilts that they make and pass down to their children. The cast consists of some very talented young women from The College of Charleston. The band consists of guitars, mandolin, banjo, hammered dulcimer, fiddle, harp, bass, and some percussion. Its a real “folk band” sound and we are actually playing some trad fiddle tunes. There is no recording of this score so we are all learning it as we go along. A little rough at first, but we’re getting it together.

Monday Feb. 18, – First run-through. I’m happy just to get a handle on the piece as a whole. Lots of missed ques, but easily worked out.

Tuesday Feb. 19, – Ironing out the fine points of the music. I think the stageing is coming along, though as usual, we don’t really get a chance to experience that end of things since we are busy counting measures rest and remembering when to come in.

Wednesday Feb. 20, – We did an actual run-through for an audience of ElderHostile folks. Things went well. It was nice to do a real performance without any stops or corrections.

Thursday Feb. 21, – Opening Night! From the bands perspective, all went extremely well. I think we are getting to the point where we can really make some music and have that be the priority rather than simply “what measure are we on”? The audience seemed to really enjoy themselves and I think the cast really has dug into their roles. A little question and answer session afterwards showed just how much the audience is paying attention and cares about the piece.

Friday Feb. 22, – The second night was maybe not quite as amazing as the first night. It happens. Everyone’s really on the edge that first night and maybe relaxes a little bit too much. Nervous energy can be a real positive thing for a performance. We did get a sneak peek at a review coming out next week in Lowcountry Stages. This is an excerpt:                                                                                                                                            ”an excellent band…perhaps the best musical accompaniment of any local musical this season…the talented band…Weaving themselves into the pattern of the production formed a sweeping tapestry of sound and choral harmony”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   We’ll take that compliment.

Saturday Feb. 23, – Another good night. Not so well attended. Had to get to the big Hungry Monk party afterward.

Sunday Feb. 24, – A packed house for this matinee. I thought we played real well. I had to rush out of there to play at Clelia Reardeon’s recital. All in all, a long day of playing.

 Monday Feb. 25, – Another full house and another good performance.

Tuesday Feb. 26, – The last show. All went well. Overall pretty fun and good to play with Bart again. Thanks to Bill Schlitt for his expert conducting.

John Holenko