Dulci-More Concert Series

Dulci-More Concert Series

Meeting Room of the Dale Shaffer Research Library

Of the Salem Historical Society

239 South Lundy, Salem, Ohio 44460

Use Lundy Entrance & Municipal Parking Lot across Lundy

Door from Dale Shaffer Way (Was East Alley) Will Generally Be Locked

Admission at Door – $10 per Person per Concert

Additional $5 Total for All Children in a Family

No Advance Reservations Needed

Check Link from www.dulcimore.org or

Contact Bill Schilling at bill@dulcimore.org or

234-564-3852

234-564-DULC

For More Information

Get pdf Flyer for Dulci-More Spring 2024 Concert Series

Spring 2024 Concert Series

Bare Bones on Friday, March 1 at 7:00 PM

a Cappella Trio from West Virginia

Sometimes All You Need is Three Notes and a Beat.

No guitars. No piano. No drums. Just voices, wringing a remarkable amount of music out of three notes.

Great harmony and rhythm are hallmarks of Bare Bones.

Rebecca Kimmons is the lead singer, with a strong contralto voice that can deliver a powerful punch of emotion or amusement. Bill Kimmons, her husband, has a memorably deep, resonant bass voice that anchors their sound, and Dock Cutlip’s supple tenor can reach high to falsetto, or down to baritone, to add whatever color notes are needed to express the moment.

“You sound like ten people!” a kid in a Montessori school audience once exclaimed.

The three singers bring distinctly different musical influences to create their sound.

Rebecca has been a student of old-style Appalachian unaccompanied singing since she was a child, listening to her Summers County-born grandmother sing in the manner of the Primitive Baptists. If you visit the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, you can hear the same singing style today in their churches.

Bill grew up singing in choirs and musicals, holding down such roles as Balthazar in Amahl and the Night Visitors, and Huckleby in The Fantastiks. He was introduced to old-time music when he came to West Virginia in 1977.

Dock Cutlip grew up in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, singing with his family and steeped in old-time gospel harmonies. Thanks to curiosity and his mother’s short-wave radio, Dock also has a broad range of knowledge and appreciation of American pop music traditions. He is an accomplished guitarist, finger-picking in open tuning. Dock joined Bare Bones as their tenor in September, 2021.

Bare Bones, with Becky and Bill as the core, has been performing in various configurations since 1981. The trio has performed on Mountain Stage, at Tamarack, at Charleston’s FestivALL, at the Vandalia Gathering on the grounds of the State Capitol, and has taught harmony singing at Augusta Heritage Workshops’ popular Vocal Week in Elkins, WV, in several summer sessions over a 30-year period. They have produced five albums of music on CD, showcasing the broad range of songs in their repertoire, from the music of Blind Alfred Reed to Ry Cooder to The Golden Gate Jubilee, and on to Smokey Robinson and Natalie Merchant.

“All we need is good harmony potential and a beat, and we’re off on an a cappella adventure,” Rebecca says. “We like to think we strip a song down to its soul.”

Mike Lenz on Friday, March 22 at 7:00 PM

Blues and More Singer/Guitarist from Green, Ohio

Mike Lenz is a singer/guitarist based in NE Ohio. He specializes in classic acoustic rural Blues and early electric Blues and is also influenced by most American Roots music styles including classic country, rock, folk, and jazz. He has been playing and teaching music professionally for the last 40 years. Mike’s mastery of the various styles and energetic performances always make for an exciting live show, and a must-see for fans of the blues. Mike was previously with us for Dulci-More Festivals 4 & 5 back in 1998 & 1999.

Dave Haas on Saturday, April 20, 2024, 7:00 PM

Mountain Dulcimer Specialist from Charleston, West Virginia

Dave also plays the guitar and sings. He has released seven dulcimer instructional book/CDs, four instrumental dulcimer CDs, and a popular dulcimer chord chart. Dave performs solo and with others as a musical duo. Together with Bob Webb, he has released two CDs; Here Comes The Sun and Starry, Starry Night as a dulcimer/guitar duo. Dave also released What a Wonderful World and Going Home, featuring Bob Webb and Dave’s son, Mark Haas. All the CDs contain dulcimer instrumentals with mostly guitar accompaniment, providing an easy-listening mix of Old Time, Celtic, Christian, and Contemporary music.

Dave also enjoyed teaching science as a Chemistry Professor at the University of Charleston (now a retired emeritus professor). One of his favorite teaching activities is to sing chemistry songs (on dulcimer and guitar) with his students. In addition, Dave plays the guitar, sings, and enjoys leading music on Christian retreat experiences such as Kairos Prison Ministry, The Walk To Emmaus, Cursillo, and Teens Encounter Christ (TEC).

Dave performed for the Dulci-More Concert Series and gave workshops previously in March of 2013 and performed for the Concert Series in May of 2023. We expect that Dave will also offer mountain dulcimer workshops again on Saturday, April 20, 2024 as well as the concert.

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker on Sunday, May 12 at 4:30 PM

Singers, Storytellers, and Multi-Instrumentalists from Tennessee

Sparky and Rhonda Rucker perform throughout the U.S. as well as overseas, singing songs and telling stories from the American folk tradition. Sparky Rucker has been performing over forty years and is internationally recognized as a leading folklorist, musician, historian, storyteller, and author. He accompanies himself with fingerstyle picking and bottleneck blues guitar, banjo, and spoons. Rhonda Rucker is a musician, children's author, storyteller, and songwriter. Her blues-style harmonica, piano, old-time banjo, and bones add musical versatility to their performances.

Sparky and Rhonda are sure to deliver an uplifting presentation of toe-tapping music spiced with humor, history, and tall tales. They take their audience on an educational and emotional journey that ranges from poignant stories of slavery and war to an amusing rendition of a Brer Rabbit tale or their witty commentaries on current events. Their music includes a variety of old-time blues, slave songs, Appalachian music, spirituals, ballads, work songs, Civil War music, railroad songs, and a few of their own original compositions.

Over forty years of performing, Sparky and Rhonda have performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as NPR's On Point, Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, and Morning Edition. Their recording, Treasures & Tears, was nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, and their music is also included on the Grammy-nominated anthology, Singing Through the Hard Times.

The Ruckers have been featured tellers at the International Storytelling Center and Festival. Sparky is a natural storyteller, having grown up hearing his father, uncles, and other family members endlessly telling tales. Sparky and Rhonda each tell solo stories, but they also tell stories together (in tandem), always adding life and humor to the characters and tricksters in their Brer Rabbit tales, Jack tales, High John the Conqueror stories, preacher tales, and family stories.

Sparky and Rhonda weave their music into captivating stories that the history books don’t always tell, and they share this knowledge in many schools, colleges, and libraries. Their educational programs span over three centuries of African-American history, including slavery, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, the birth of blues music, and the civil rights movement. Each era is interspersed with stories and popular songs from the time period, celebrating the diversity of the nation's history. They are also available for author visits to schools and libraries.

Sparky and Rhonda have previously performed for the Dulci-More Concert Series in 2017 and 2022 and for Dulci-More Festival 24 in 2018.

Fall 2023 Concert Series

The Fiddle Section (The Mom Family) on Saturday, September 2 at 7:00 PM

Violin/Fiddle Players, Multi-Instrumentalists, and Composers from Kalamazoo, MI

The Fiddle Section, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, features the Mom Family. They started playing on the stage at the Original Dulcimer Players Club FunFest in Evart, Michigan in the Youth Concerts. Their name is a nod to their classical roots and is also their nickname in the Squirrels' Nest Ensemble at the same festival, with whom they have performed each year since 2013.

Sherese Bultman Mom is an accomplished violinist and pianist and teacher of both. She learned her first fiddle tunes as a young girl. When she followed the moonlit path from Thompson Park in Evart to the Rabbit Barn porch in the Osceola Fairgrounds (in Evart) in 2005, she wondered where this place had been all her life!

Liesl Mom has served as concertmaster of the Grand Valley State University Symphony Orchestra for the past 3 years. Jeffrey Mom is also a violinist in the GVSU Symphony. He is an accomplished hammered dulcimer and guitar performer as well. They founded the GVSU Folk Music Club in 2021, Liesl serving as president and Jeffrey, as vice president for the past 2 years. The Fiddle Section is rounded out by multi-instrumentalist David Mom on fiddle, mandolin, and banjo, and about anything else with strings. Expect to hear some originals from Liesl and Jeffrey during their concert.

This is the first appearance by the Mom Family for Dulci-More and one of their first appearances outside of Michigan. Bill Schilling has really enjoyed hearing them (and watching Liesl, Jeffrey, and David grow up) while Bill has played jug in the jam sessions at the Squirrels’ Nest and on the stage at Evart for many years and managed to put together these Ohio performances for them to share the beauty and joy of their music with a new audience.

Cindy Harris & Rebecca Heath on Saturday, September 30 at 7:00 PM

National & International Autoharp Champion with Fiddle, Bass, and Singing from Pittsburgh, PA

Cindy Harris has been making and teaching music with voice, autoharp, fiddle and a variety of other instruments for as long as she can remember. She is particularly interested in traditional music of many varieties, and her repertoire includes everything from Irish tunes and Israeli dance music to dark Appalachian fiddle tunes from the mountains of West Virginia. But her playful side can't resist amusing modern songs about real life, which somehow co-exist with folk songs from long ago. A concert set from Cindy is always a collection of eclectic surprises bound together by a common theme that suits the occasion. Cindy will be joined by her daughter, Rebecca Heath, on bass and harmony vocals.

As a member of the Pittsburgh traditional music and dance community, Cindy formed the contradance band GrayScale in 2018. With a repertoire based on traditional fiddle tunes, GrayScale placed fourth in the 2018 Neo-traditional Band competition at the Appalachian String Band Festival in Clifftop, WV. GrayScale is a favorite contradance and square dance band in Western Pennsylvania, and performed at several festivals while touring Australia in 2020.

Cindy placed second in the International Autoharp Championship every year from 2013 through 2016 and won that contest in 2017, earning her a spot in the 2018 Champions Concert, where she performed in a trio with guitarist Bill Balassi and concertina player Jody Kruskal. She played in the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Championship every year between 2008 and 2019, missing the final only once, placing in the top three seven times, and claiming the championship in 2019.

Cindy has two recordings of her own, “You Can't Get There From Here” (2006) with her daughter Rebecca Heath, and “Potluck!” (2018), a collection of autoharp duets with fifteen other fabulous autoharp friends. She was also included in the 2003 “Autoharp Legacy” project and appears on autoharp or fiddle on a number of other recordings. She has produced and also appears on three autoharp-related recording projects with members of the Cyberpluckers autoharp discussion group: a 1999 recording of the music of Stephen Foster, and two volumes of “Strike The 'Harp” featuring a wide variety of holiday-related music (2009 and 2013). All of her recordings are available at CDBaby.com

Cindy has been married for 39 years to college sweetheart Rick Heath and has two lovely daughters, bass player and singer Rebecca, and occasional singer and fiddler Sharon. They all live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Cindy performed and did workshops on her own at Dulci-More Festival 4 and with her daughter Rebecca Heath at Dulci-More Festival 8.

Claudia Schmidt on Friday, October 6 at 7:00 PM

Singer/Songwriter and 12 String Guitar & Mountain Dulcimer Player from Connecticut

More than 4 decades as a touring professional have found Michigan native Claudia Schmidt traversing North America as well as Europe in venues ranging from intimate clubs to 4,000 seat theatres, and festival stages in front of 25,000 rapt listeners. She has recorded nineteen albums of mostly original songs, exploring folk, blues, and jazz idioms featuring her acclaimed 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer playing.

For more than four decades Claudia Schmidt has been exploring the nuances of acoustic music with her voice, 12 string guitar, and mountain dulcimer with an exciting collection of original, traditional, and contemporary writing. From small clubs to large concert stages, her craft is at its height in live performance. She has been featured on PRI's A Prairie Home Companion, Mountain Stage, a television documentary on KTCA-TV in St. Paul called "I Sing Because I Can't Fly", and has written music for and acted in the musical "Bag Lady Tendencies" with Friends Mime Theater in Milwaukee and Frank Galati's production of "Good Person of Szechuan" at the Goodman Theater in Chicago, for which she won a Jefferson Award. All those elements of performing are brought to bear at a Schmidt performance as she mines the humor and poignancy of our lives and shapes it into a 'one-woman revitalization movement', as a journalist from Oakland, Ca. described her. The stage is her natural habitat, and every member of her audience is made to feel welcome and energized by her presentation.

Hers is a quirky and wonderful hodge-podge (her word!) of music, poetry, story, laughter. drama, and celebrating the moment. Work in clubs, theaters, festivals, TV, radio has added depth and dimension, and since she has always included her original work along with very personal versions of the work of others, what you get is a unique look at the world from someone who says what she sees with clarity, humor, and wonder. The San Francisco Bay Guardian said: Schmidt's shows are a lot like falling in love. You never know what's going to happen next, chances are it's going to be wonderful, every moment is burned into your memory and you know you'll never be the same again." More succinctly, Garrison Keillor said "when Claudia sings a song, it stays sung."

Claudia Schmidt has previously performed for our Concert Series in Fall of 2017 and at Dulci-More Festival 24 in 2018.

Bob & Jeanne McDougall Zentz on Sunday, November 5 at 2:00 PM

Singer/Songwriters and Multi-Instrumentalists from Norfolk, VA

Bob & Jeanne McDougall Zentz return for our Dulci-More Concert Series from Norfolk, VA. They were both at Dulci-More Festivals 20 & 25. Bob was previously with us for Dulci-More Festivals 9 & 10 and for our Dulci-More Concert Series.

Bob Zentz began performing professionally in his native Norfolk, Virginia, in 1962, in "The Troubadours," with James Lee Stanley. In his college years, Bob was a founding member of The College of William & Mary's "Minutemen" singers from 1962-64, and president of the Old Dominion College Folk Music Society from 1965-66.

In 1966, Bob began a two-year stint as a sonar man in the U.S. Coast Guard, aboard the high-endurance cutter CGC Sebago. During this time, his songwriting came to the attention of Hollywood, and upon leaving the service in 1969 he was hired as a writer for the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. But fate had other plans for Bob -- the show was cancelled by CBS and Bob stayed on in L.A., teaching guitar at Long Beach City College and continuing to perform and write, winning the William E. Oliver Songwriting Award in Los Angeles in 1970 for his song, "Jeremy."

After the 1971 San Fernando earthquake literally shook him out of bed, Bob packed up and returned home to Norfolk, with a dream of creating a special place for people who loved traditional music and acoustic sounds as much as he did. He named it for the man who embodied his ideal of the singer, and the song -- the late Norfolk country singer William Conrad Buhler, immortalized by Bob in song as "Ramblin' Conrad ... a veteran, a wino, a handyman, an ex-con, a backstreet minstrel and a bar-room troubadour." (read his story here)

Ramblin' Conrad’s Guitar Shop & Folklore Center became the hub for all things folk in Hampton Roads for 23 magical years, from several locations around town before closing in 1995, a victim of changing times and lives. In its time, Ramblin' Conrad's offered many things to many people: acoustic instruments of any kind, from any time; traditional music in record and print; a concert venue that brought many of the world's finest folk musicians to Hampton Roads; and a special moment in time, when anyone with a song in their heart found a warm welcome, and a place to call their own.

The Ramblin' Conrad's experience also existed virtually for more than 27 years over the public radio airwaves, beginning in 1977 with the program "In The Folk Tradition," and also in the community through the Songmakers of Virginia -- now known as the Tidewater Friends of Folk Music -- which Bob founded in 1971, modeled after Songmakers of California, which he came to know and admire during his time in L.A.

Over the years, Bob participated in many folk ventures, near and far. He began teaching folk music classes in Old Dominion University’s Rainbow Program in 1971; he created and ran the "Old Dominion Folk Festival" from 1972-81; and became a fixture at the Virginia State Fair beginning in 1980, appearing for his 28th year consecutive year as resident performer in the Heritage Village in October 2009. He appeared on PBS's long-running program "A Prairie Home Companion" in 1982, and crewed and performed aboard Pete Seeger's Hudson River sloop "Clearwater," helping to repair the Hudson River and spreading the word about preserving our waterways, from 1989-91. Bob's recording of his composition, "Horizons," was selected in 2006 to be on a tribute to environmental author and pioneer Rachel Carson on the centenary of her birth, entitled "Songs for the Earth."

Bob has also represented America and its folk traditions far and wide. He represented the U.S. in Shanty Tour, Finland, in 1997, and was an instructor at the inaugural Common Ground, Scotland, in 2002. He performed at the Scottish National Folk Festival in 2002, was featured U.S. artist at the Australian National Folk Festival in Canberra in 2004, and performed that same year in Auckland and Wellington for the New Zealand Maritime Museums. A featured performer at the 2004 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Bob is also a regular member of the faculty each summer at Common Ground on the Hill, held at McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland.

Local accolades in the Hampton Roads area include the 1992 John Sears Award for Community Service from Festevents and the City of Norfolk. He created the program, "Life of the 19th Century Mariner" for the Mariners Museum in Newport News in 1995; composed and performed "(Ode to the) Schooner Virginia" at the keel-laying ceremony in 2002 and launching ceremony in 2004; and was music consultant and performer for the multimedia theater experience, "Chesapeake Celebration" in 2004. He was a founding member of the Outer Banks Opry in 2003; received a grant from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in 2004 to present "Music of the Chesapeake" in Virginia Schools; and was profiled by Public Television's "Virginia Currents" in 2003 for recognition of his many contributions to music and the community, at home and abroad.

As a performer, Bob is a prolific musician, playing several dozen instruments in a repertoire of more than 2,000 songs. His albums span the genres of folk, traditional, Celtic and maritime music and beyond, and his recordings also appear on other artist compilations. As a songwriter, he is celebrated by fans and peers alike; dozens of performers have covered his original compositions, three of which have been published in "Rise Up Singing," Sing Out Magazine's award-winning community songbook.

Two of the most storied songwriters of the 20th century praised Bob's work, each in his own way. Upon hearing Bob's first release, Mirrors and Changes, country legend Johnny Cash was moved to send the young artist an encouraging letter, saying, "Mirrors and Changes ... is one of the finest works I've heard by any artist." And in 2007, at a symposium at the Library of Congress' American Folklife Center honoring members of the Seeger family for their contributions to American music, music legend and humanitarian Pete Seeger asked Bob, "Are you still writing those good songs? Your songs get around!"

Today, Bob has no intention of slowing down. He continues to perform nearly every week of the year, much of it on the road, and has followed up the 2007 release of his sixth album, "Closehauled on the Wind of a Dream," with the new CD "Horizons" in January 2010. He carries his "informances," rich with "edu-tainment," to audiences ranging from elementary school students with his "Homemade Music" program to senior programs including Life Long Learning and the ODU Institute of Learning in Retirement.

In 2016, Bob and partner Jeanne McDougall launched a series of activities celebrating the 50-year association of Bob's mentor, William "Ramblin' Conrad" Bulher, with all things folk in the Hampton Roads area. The Ramblin' Road Show and Homemade Hootenanny took the Virginia story across the Eastern U.S. and brought the story to even more audiences in 2017. The video sequel to "The Ramblin' Conrad Story," "The Wind Sang Along," featured an international lineup and carried the story around the globe again.

In late 2016, Bob announced the donation of the first phase of his folklife collection to Old Dominion University as well as the founding, with Jeanne, of the Ramblin' Conrad Folklife Institute, to provide a place for all folk to explore the transmission of tradition among people, for people; to preserve documents, images, books, recordings, and other artifacts of folk production; and to unite people of all cultures by sharing and exploring our rich diversity while celebrating our commonality.

The year was capped by the announcement that Bob would be the first folk artist ever honored by a star in the Virginia "Legends of Music Walk of Fame" in his hometown of Norfolk, VA. The ceremony was marked by a concert featuring the music of the six artists being honored that year, on February 26, 2017, at Norfolk's Roper Theater.

From schools to concert halls, festivals to fairs, museums to libraries, and everywhere in between, Bob is dedicated to a life of presenting, performing, and introducing traditional music and its derivatives to those who are already fans ... and those unaware of its existence.

Bob and Jeanne are old friends and life partners who share a love of music and history -- which they love sharing with others!

With a friendship dating back to the early 1970s, Bob and Jeanne combine his lifetime of bringing traditional music as "edu-tainment" to students of all ages, with her work as a History Ph.D. with a growing reputation for helping restore lost musical "soundscapes" and adding to an understanding of music in a historical context.

Projects include:

The Waters (2018) -- A collection of Jeanne's songs about watery places that she and partner Bob have visited and loved over the past few years ... featuring artists including Bob and Jeanne, Michael G. Ronstadt, and Serenity Fisher ... recommended for anyone who was ever curious about water, tides, wetlands, the planet … anyone who is interested in music, words, history, science, math … anyone who loves people and other animals, plants, rocks, anything in nature … brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, grandparents, babies, kids, grownups, you!

The Ramblin' Conrad Folklife Institute (2016) -- A combination of seminars, concerts, workshops, and coffeehouses using the theme "Roots and Branches: The Transmission of Tradition Through the 'Folk Process'" as a way of providing a places for all folk to explore the transmission of tradition among people, for people; preserving documents, images, books, recordings, and other artifacts of folk production; and uniting people of all cultures by sharing and exploring our rich diversity while celebrating our commonality.

The Ramblin' Road Show and Homemade Hootenanny (2016) -- A colorful, jubilant re-creation of the essence of Ramblin' Conrad's Guitar Shop and Folklore Center that existed in various locations and formats in Norfolk VA from 1972-1995, nurturing the folk revival of that place and time.

“Fit to be sung in Streets:” Political song in British Colonial America, 1750-1776 (2014) – based on Jeanne’s dissertation of the same name, this program reveals the soundtrack to revolution.

Created Equal (2012-2013) – a musical setting and video adapted from the Gettysburg Address, with a study guide, for the 150th anniversary of the address, November 2013.

“The Prints They All Tell Us:” National Song Selections from 1810 to 1821 (2011) -- A collection of newspaper songs that appeared in American publications during the long war of 1812, prepared for the USC/ Huntington Early Modern Studies Institute’s symposium for The Civil War of 1812 by Alan Taylor.

Shipmates (2010-2012) -- A nautical trip through a collection of traditional and original maritime songs, with two more adaptations of nautical poetry by C. Fox Smith, including the title track.

The Day Kikotan Became Hampton (2010) -- Part of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Hampton VA, the oldest continuous English-speaking settlement in North American, this program features a "re-imagining" of musical encounters between Algonquian and Anglophonic cultures on the lower Virginia peninsula.

Homemade Music (2009) -- Based on the program Bob has taught for many years to help students of all ages to learn some of the fundamentals of music, combined with songs from Jeanne's repertoire – a gift for your family from ours.

Musical Virginiana, Vol. 1: Stories from the Rappahannock and Potomac (2008) -- Music from the previous two projects, in the first of a series of music from our home state of Virginia.

The Stingray Point Story (2008) -- A collection of original songs composed for Raynell Smith's play of the same name, written for the 400th anniversary of the arrival of John Smith's shallop at the present-day Stingray Point, Virginia, where the Rappahannock River meets the Chesapeake Bay. This project was selected to be part of the Opening Plenary Session of the American Historica Association Annual Meeting in January 2010.

It Happened at the White House (2007) -- A selection of traditional American tunes prepared for storyteller Lynn Ruehlmann's dramatic presentation of true stories of the lives of the eight Virginia presidents and their wives, near the banks of the Potomac River.

Performance Song Circle on Saturday, November 25 from 1-5 PM

Free Event (Performers and Audience Welcome)

Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians will present a free Performance Song Circle from 1-5 PM on Saturday, November 26 in the Meeting Room of the Dale Shaffer Research Library of the Salem Historical Society, 239 South Lundy Avenue, Salem, OH 44460. Parking is available in the municipal lot across Lundy. The building is handicapped accessible. There is no charge for this event.

This won’t be a jam like many of us are used to but rather a performance song circle (with some extra audience), so for example, when it is their turn in the circle those in the circle may:

1) Perform solo or with an ensemble

2) Lead a sing-along of a familiar song

3) Request another person or ensemble to perform a song which they have been known to perform on previous occasions

4) Just come to listen and sing along when invited (if you choose)

This event would be a great chance for people to share some of the music that they have been working on at home, or to get together specially and work up an arrangement with some friends to showcase your talents. It might just be an opportunity to get out and enjoy some live music locally.

If you can, please let us know ahead of time that you are planning on performing or just attending since it will help with setting up chairs and maintaining appropriate social distancing.

If you have any questions or to let us know you will be performing or attending, you can contact Bill Schilling for Dulci-More at bill@dulcimore.org, or phone Bill at 234-564-3852.

We hope to see you there!

Spring 2023 Concert Series

Mustard’s Retreat (David Tamulevich & Libby Glover) on Sunday, March 26 at 2:30 PM

Singer-Songwriters and Multi-Instrumentalists from Ann Arbor, MI

Mustard’s Retreat (David Tamulevich & Libby Glover) has always sung the songs they enjoyed and cared about, regardless of the trends of the music industry and pop culture. They are committed to simply being themselves, not chasing fame or brass rings, while delighting in and connecting with their audiences as if they were family. The honesty of what they present onstage and the extensive body of outstanding original songs and recordings all contribute to a fiercely loyal audience that continues to grow. “Music to cure what ails you” was how one reviewer in the 1970s described them, and that is as true now as it was then.

They’ve traveled more than a million miles and performed more than 6,000 shows, from pig roasts and pool parties to Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Barns at Wolftrap and the Kennedy’s Center’s Millennium Stage.

Their performances are always joyful and uplifting, as well as intelligent, thought provoking and insightful. They’ve recently begun referring to their career and touring as “Defiantly Hopeful.” In part due to their long career, but more as a statement about what the music has meant to them. “Folk music is, at its heart, defiantly hopeful!” Tamulevich says. “We came of age in the 60s, at the confluence of Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan and the singer/songwriter revolution. We care much more about what we do and stand for and finding that common ground with our audiences, than fame or money: this is our community of choice, and we consider ourselves so fortunate to be here.”

Mustard's Retreat with David Tamulevich & Libby Glover, David Tamulevich & Michael Hough, or the trio have been with Dulci-More for the Concert Series or for the Festival several times.

Wendy Songe on Monday, April 10 at 7:00 PM

2018 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion

Singer/Songwriter, and Multi-Instrumentalist from Oktaha. Oklahoma

Wendy Songe, endorsing artist for Folkcraft Instruments, is a highly sought after instructor and performer, and a popular sight at music festivals and community events across the USA.

Wendy is the 2018 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion, 2012 Texas State Mountain Dulcimer Champion, and 2012 Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Champion. In October 2018, Wendy was awarded the SDC Branson, MO “Dream Big, Do Good Community Action Hero” award, and was named “Tulsa People” by Tulsa People Magazine, February 2019, for her accomplishments in music and her numerous contributions to the community through her music outreach programs for veterans, seniors, disadvantaged children, and people with disabilities.

When she isn’t traveling with her music, Wendy keeps busy teaching private music lessons and managing her passion projects, ‘The Sisterhood of Song Women’s Retreat’, C.E.O., and ‘Mobile Outreach Music Missions’, Founder.

Wendy’s eclectic musical style and diverse genres encompass the piano, guitar, ukulele, Bodhran, voice, and mountain dulcimer, and this is frequently featured in magazines, podcasts, radio, and television broadcasts.

Wendy has released two solo albums to date, 2015 ‘Test Drive’ and 2016 ‘DRIVEN’. Her discography also includes collaborations with The Vintage Wildflowers- 2014 ‘In Full Bloom’, Bing Futch- 2013 ‘The RV Project’, and Dr. Jonathan Dowell- 2012 ‘Celtic Christmas Showdown’ CD.

Wendy was a featured performer and workshop presenter at Dulci-More Festival 22 in May of 2016. She now lives in Oktaha, Oklahoma.

Four Shillings Short Concert on Saturday, April 29 at 2:00 PM

Masters of Over 30 Instruments from Ireland & California

Singer/Songwriters and Interpreters of Songs

Four Shillings Short is the Celtic/Folk/World music duo of Aodh Og O’Tuama from Cork, Ireland and Christy Martin from California. They perform Traditional and Original music from the Celtic lands, Medieval & Renaissance Europe, India, and the Americas on a fantastic array of instruments (over 30) including Hammered & Mountain Dulcimer, Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Recorders, Tinwhistles, Medieval and Renaissance Woodwinds, North Indian Sitar, Charango, Bowed Psaltery, Banjo, Native American Flutes, Bodhran, Guitar, Ukulele, Doumbek & Darbuka, Spoons, vocals, and even the Krumhorn.

Touring in the US & Ireland since 1997, Four Shillings Short are independent folk-artists who perform over 100 concerts a year, have released 13 recordings and live as full time Troubadours traveling from town to town performing at music festivals, theatres & performing arts centers, folk societies, libraries, house concerts, and schools.

Aodh Og O’Tuama grew up in a family of poets, musicians, and writers. He received his degree in Music from University College Cork, Ireland and received a Fellowship from Stanford University in California in Medieval and Renaissance performance. He plays Tinwhistles, Medieval & Renaissance woodwinds, Recorders, Doumbek (from Morocco), bowed Psaltery, Spoons, and sings both in English, Gaelic & French.

Christy Martin grew up in a family of musicians and dancers. From the age of 15, she studied North Indian Sitar for 10 years, studying with Tony Karasek (a student of master Sitarist Ravi Shankar) and Rahul Sariputra (a student of Allaudin Khan). She also plays Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Banjo, Guitar, Bodhran (Irish frame drum), Charango, Bowed Psaltery, Ukulele, and sings in English, Irish, and Sanskrit.

Christy & Aodh Og have previously performed for our Dulci-More Concert Series in 2012 and in 2016 and also performed at our Dulci-More Festival 13 in 2007.

Dave Haas Concert

Saturday, May 20, 2023, 7:00 PM

Mountain Dulcimer Specialist from Charleston, West Virginia

Dave performed for the Dulci-More Concert Series and gave workshops previously in March of 2013.

Fall 2022 Concert Series

Jesse Smith on Friday, October 21 at 7:00 PM

2021 National Finger Style Guitar Champion from Wadsworth, Ohio

Jesse Smith is a guitar player that has been playing guitar for over 60 years!!! That’s a long time!!! But he enjoys it as much now as he did when he started at the age of 11. He played lead guitar in his father’s band as a youngster age 13 - 17. He has played in many bands that played many styles of music.

He started entering guitar contests at the young age of 61. He won Wayne Henderson’s contest in 2019, quite an honor!!! He won the Winfield Kansas International finger style guitar contest in September 2021.

He loves sharing music with others and does so through guitar lessons, workshops , and jam sessions.

He is a retired carpentry teacher and now builds acoustic guitars. He is from Wadsworth, Ohio and lives there with his wife of 53 years.

He is doing some solo guitar performances and plays his own arrangements of the many styles of music that he plays and even sings a little. If you like instrumental music and guitar, you will like Jesse’s music.

Reverend Robert Jones on Friday, November 11 at 7:00 PM

Lead Belly Recreation along with Blues, Spiritual, Gospel, Underground Railroad, and Multi-Instrumentalist

Pictured is Reverend Robert Jones Performing as Lead Belly

Reverend Robert Jones, Sr. is a native Detroiter and an inspirational storyteller and musician celebrating the history, humor, and power of American Roots music. His deep love for traditional African American and American traditional music is shared in live performances that interweave timeless stories with original and traditional songs. For this concert, we have asked Jones to do one set where he recreates legendary blues and folk singer Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter) who was known as “king of the 12 string guitar” and wrote Goodnight Irene, Rock Island Line, and Midnight Special, and the other set where he uses a variety of instruments and sings blues, folk, spiritual, gospel, and songs of the underground railroad.

For more than thirty years Robert has entertained and educated audiences of all ages in schools, colleges, libraries, union halls, prisons, churches, and civil rights organizations. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that should celebrate, not just tolerate.

Acclaimed photographer James Fraher writes about Robert: “Perhaps the world’s most highly educated blues musician, an ordained minister, a longtime DJ, and a living encyclopedia of blues history, the Reverend Robert Jones is comfortable among juke joint loud talkers, fancy-hatted church ladies, and PhDs alike."

Rev. Robert Jones makes his home in Detroit while performing throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. An award-winning multi-instrumentalist, he is accomplished at guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, and fiddle. He has recorded six albums of original and traditional songs. Robert is the former host of the award-winning radio programs “Blues from the Lowlands” and “Deep River” broadcast on Detroit Public Radio’s WDET-FM Detroit. And he has taught at music history courses at Wayne State University in Detroit. As an ordained minister and a Baptist pastor, he has an unwavering faith in the cultural importance of sacred and traditional American roots music. In addition to his solo performances, he often collaborates musically with his wife, Sister Bernice Jones, singer-songwriter Matt Watroba, and poet-performer M.L. Liebler.

Performance Song Circle on Saturday, November 26 from 1-5 PM

Free Event (Performers and Audience Welcome)

This won’t be a jam like many of us are used to but rather a performance song circle (with some extra audience), so for example, when it is their turn in the circle those in the circle may:

1) Perform solo or with an ensemble

2) Lead a sing-along of a familiar song

3) Request another person or ensemble to perform a song which they have been known to perform on previous occasions

4) Just come to listen and sing along when invited (if you choose)

If you can, please let us know ahead of time that you are planning on performing or just attending since it will help with setting up chairs and maintaining appropriate social distancing.

If you have any questions or to let us know you will be performing or attending, you can contact Bill Schilling for Dulci-More at bill@dulcimore.org, or phone Bill at 234-564-3852.

We hope to see you there!

The Hired Hands on Saturday, December 10, 2022, 2:00 PM

Scottish & Celtic Family Band from Lisbon, Ohio

Includes 2012 & 2008 National Scottish Harp Champions

Pictured are Sairey, Laura, and Allison currently and the Hired Hands in their December 21, 2012 Concert for Dulci-More at the Dale Shaffer Research Library

The Hired Hands are sisters from small-town Ohio who all began their musical careers with Suzuki Piano lessons...when given the opportunity, they began to diversify into many different instruments! Allison and Sairey discovered the Scottish lever harp and fell in love with the instrument and its music. They have since studied under some of the masters of Scottish and Irish traditional music, pursued post graduate studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland, and have taught extensively both in the US and in the UK. They have performed at many private venues, community concerts, and festivals, including Ontario’s Celtic Roots Festival, the Ohio Scottish Games, and the Dulci-More Festival. Both sisters have competed extensively, and between 2008 and 2012 have each won and held the title of National Scottish Harp Champion of America. Laura picked up the fiddle and has taken masterclasses and workshops under Andre Brunet of Quebec, Anna Wendy Stevenson and Mike Vass of Scotland, and Ed Pearlman of Maine. She has also competed at the Ohio Scottish Games, the Ligonier Highland Games in PA, and the 2010 National Fiddle Competition. Their repertoire includes, but is not limited to: Scottish, Irish, and Welsh traditional music, classical selections, and religious hymns, as well as selections from the pop and jazz genres.

The first concert Dulci-More held at the Meeting Room of the newly built Dale Shaffer Research Library of the Salem Historical Society was in December of 2012 featuring the Hired Hands. In thinking about that, we decided it was time to bring them back for a ten year anniversary of that concert. The Hired Hands are the Miller sisters from Lisbon, Ohio. At the time of that first concert in this venue, the Hired Hands were already Dulci-More favorites since they had been presenting concerts and doing workshops at our Dulci-More Festivals since 2009 (and they went on to present at our festivals every year from then on).

Spring 2022 Concert Series

Bill Schilling, Linda Sigismondi, and Rich & Kathy Small on Saturday, May 28 at 2:30 PM

Followed by Open Jam Session from 4:30-6:30 PM

Free Concert & Jam (Donations Welcome to Help Cover Expenses)

Bill Schilling, Linda Sigismondi, and Rich & Kathy Small have been performing together in different variations for many years. All are folk-style singers, multi-instrumentalists, and at least occasional songwriters who draw from a wide variety of folk, traditional, and other songs. This performance will include songs by the quartet as well as some solos, duets, or trios, and will probably include some other special guests. Instruments may include guitars, mountain dulcimers, autoharps, ukuleles, bowed psalteries, native American flutes, recorders, jug, percussion, and more. The concert will be followed by an open jam session, so attendees should bring instruments to join in the fun.

Linda Sigismondi is a mountain dulcimer player and folksinger from Gallipolis, Ohio. Her music includes traditional Appalachian tunes, Celtic tunes, folk dances, traditional and contemporary folk music, and original compositions that feature environmental themes. She directs the Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival. Linda has taught workshops and performed at many folk music festivals in West Virginia, Ohio, and New York. Linda has written several books (and companion CDs) of mountain dulcimer tab and has recorded a CD, "Songs from Canal Days" with Bill Schilling.

Rich and Kathy Small have performed regionally at many festivals and events. Their harmony singing of Appalachian Mountain Ballads, Civil War Laments, Lively Audience Sing-a-longs, Original Compositions, and Folk Songs from all eras is accompanied by traditional old time instruments such as the Mountain Dulcimer, Bowed Psaltery, Autoharp, Guitar, Harmonica, and Tenor Banjo. Before re-locating to Canton, they were the performing hosts for The Old-Time Gospel Fest concert series at the Bluebird Amphitheater in Carrollton, Ohio and directed the Arts of Appalachia Music Camp for children in Carroll County, Ohio.

Admission for this special concert featuring four Dulci-More members is free, but donations are welcome to help cover expenses for the concert series. This is part of the Dulci-More Spring Concert Series. All Concerts in the Series will be in the Meeting Room of the Dale Shaffer Research Library of the Salem Historical Society, 239 South Lundy Avenue, Salem, OH 44460. Use the Lundy entrance, not the entrance from Dale Shaffer Way (was East Alley). A Salem Municipal Parking Lot is directly across Lundy from the venue.

Magpie

Monday, May 2, 2022, 7:00 PM

Singers, Songwriters, and Multi-Instrumentalists from New York State

Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner began to play music together in Kent, Ohio in September of 1973. They chose the name Magpie for their band, a name which grew in personal significance for them as years went by. Terry was a student in her senior year at Kent State University in the fall of '73, and when she graduated the following spring, she and Greg packed Greg's VW bus and moved to the Washington, DC area. In the years since then, they have traveled and toured extensively, performed in concerts, at folk clubs and festivals around the world, and recorded many times.

Terry's voice is a truly impressive instrument, not only because of its natural power, but also because of her versatility. She is a gifted singer of jazz and blues in the tradition of Connie Boswell and Billie Holiday, but is equally comfortable with the subtle beauty of traditional folk and contemporary songs. Add to this her uncanny ability to find the perfect harmony line, and, in a powerful blend of their two voices, you have a real treat for the ear. As if this weren't enough, Terry is also an excellent player of the harmonica, mandolin, fretted dulcimer, and rhythm guitar.

Greg is an outstanding guitarist whose fingerstyle approach owes a lot to his heroes, guitar legends such as Reverend Gary Davis, Big Bill Broonzy, Nick Lucas, Phil Ochs, and Rolly Brown. His playing is the solid basis of Magpie's sound, providing whatever is called for, whether it be a hard-driving rhythm, or a ringing lyrical beauty. From a slow Scots air or a plaintive ballad to a rollicking ragtime blues or infectious swing, Greg covers it all. His high baritone voice has equal range and his captivating interpretation gives power and beauty to the full spectrum, from growling blues, to a Chilean lament, to a sweet croon.

From the beginning Terry and Greg's interests in various musical styles have led them to be eclectic in their repertoire. Rather than confine themselves to a single style, Magpie has always embraced a musical rainbow, and with impressive proficiency in each different genre. From traditional, classic country, swing, and blues of the nineteen twenties and thirties, to contemporary songs written by themselves and others, Terry and Greg cover a lot of musical ground.

With the power of their delivery, Magpie is well known for their performances of hard-hitting topical songs. They are well-known as regular performers on Phil Ochs Song Nights, organized by Phil's sister, Sonny Ochs, since 1984. Politically, their viewpoint has been shaped by their life experiences. Greg began to play music in the early sixties as a direct result of the Civil Rights Movement. His father worked for the National Urban League, and members of the family became involved in local action in the Movement. Terry also began singing at that time, and spent many of her childhood summers with her mother's family in the deep south where she witnessed the cruelty of racism and the power of the Movement. She also was a witness to the shootings at Kent State on May 4th, 1970 when National Guard troops fired into a group of students protesting the war in Vietnam. Terry and Greg continue to reflect these experiences in their own work as they frequently raise their voices in support of the ongoing struggles for civil rights, freedom, justice, and peace.

Over the years, Terry and Greg have become distinguished for producing programs of music for museums (including the Smithsonian Institution), schools, and other special events. They are master artists with the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, and in that capacity have worked in many residency programs and teacher training workshops, demonstrating their methods for utilizing music effectively as a tool for early childhood education. Terry and Greg have many years of experience working in schools, performing for children and families. They have developed several special school programs for students of all ages including two on the environment and others on historical themes such as the Great Depression and the nineteen sixties.

Terry and Greg are internationally known for their musical work in the environmental movement. Throughout their career, they have devoted a tremendous amount of their time, energy, and music to environmental causes. They are considered to be among the very best in this field of music and their performances are in great demand by environmental action and education organizations. Their musical work has supported the work of such notable groups as National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Park Service, and Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Earth Day 1998 found them performing at Harpers Ferry National Park where their well-known anthem, "We Belong to the Earth" was a perfect finale to a speech by President Clinton. They have been featured presenters for statewide environmental education associations around the country.

In 2000, Magpie collaborated with scientists at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and created a "museum musical," the first of its kind, utilizing a museum display as the set for the show. The show, Tales of the Blue Crab, premiered at Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre and ran for the month of April. It's full of rollicking, good-fun songs all teaching about the life cycle of the Chesapeake Bay's most famous resident, callinectes sapidus, the blue crab.

In the fall of 1998, in a fitting tribute to Magpie on the occasion of their 25th anniversary, members of the Washington Area Music Association awarded Greg and Terry the "Wammie" award as traditional folk duo of the year. They also received the 1999 Addy Award for their song "Take Me Back to Harpers Ferry" and their soundtrack for the video by the same title, continuously shown at the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park's Visitor Center.

Terry and Greg have been heard on many recordings, including 8 of their own, 2 with Kim & Reggie Harris, and several compilations. Their first, Magpie & Friends, and their third, If It Ain't Love, showcase their broad range of styles and themes. Their second album, Working My Life Away, is an excellent collection of songs about working people and their work. Their fourth and fifth albums, Living Planet and Circle of Life are both theme albums on the subject of the Earth. Circle of Life is Magpie's first album for children and has been greeted with great acclaim by children, parents, and educators, and such environmental notables as the National Audubon Society. A portion of the proceeds from both of these albums is donated to environmental action groups. The Smithsonian, when it released its monumental collection, Folk Song America: A Twentieth Century Revival in 1991, included Magpie's rendition of "Sacco's Letter to His Son" from If It Ain't Love among selections by 99 of the most eminent folk music artists of our time. Terry and Greg's sixth album, Seed on the Prairie, is a showcase for their songwriting. It is full of songs which tell stories of love, loss, and rebirth, and songs of Mother Earth.

In 1994, the Cultural Center for Social Change produced a 2 CD set of songs of the Civil Rights movement to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Mississippi Freedom Summer Project entitled Freedom is a Constant Struggle, and Magpie was honored with an invitation to participate, contributing 3 selections, two recorded with their very close friends, Kim & Reggie Harris. Through CCSC, Terry and Greg have performed in concert with SNCC Freedom Singers Matthew and Marshall Jones and Emory Harris and with Wazir Peacock, SNCC song leader, singing with them, and on their own, songs of the Civil Rights Movement and other songs of struggle. The concerts have taken place in various venues including the Kennedy Center, and two of them have been recorded and released on CDs entitled The Long Walk to Freedom and Songs of Dissent Live.

This was followed by a collaboration with Kim & Reggie Harris entitled Spoken in Love, recorded in concert in early 1995. Their quartet appearances with Kim & Reggie have been received with standing ovations from audiences around the country, including Bethlehem Musikfest and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. The quartet was invited to appear on National Public Radio's All Things Considered in an interview with Daniel Zwerdling to talk about their work together and the uplifting and powerful effect their music has on audiences. The quartet then recorded and released a studio recording, entitled Guide My Feet, on Appleseed Records, featuring guest appearances by such luminaries as Pete Seeger, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, and Keter Betts.

In the spring of 1999, Magpie's 9th recording, a celebration of their 25th anniversary entitled Give Light was released on Sliced Bread Records. The CD features songs old and new, written by friends and heroes and by Magpie themselves. There are love songs, songs of struggle, songs of the Earth, and songs of the spiritual journey.

Magpie's most recent recording is entitled Sword of the Spirit and features 11 songs including 7 originals, all about famed abolitionist John Brown, his family, friends, and associates. The CD, also on Sliced Bread, was produced as a companion piece to Greg and Terry's one-act play of the same title based on the life and letters of Brown and his wife Mary. The premier performance of play, featuring Greg as Brown and Terry in the role of Mary Brown, took place February 18, 19, and 20, 2000 at the Old Opera House in Charles Town, West Virginia, across the street from the old courthouse where John Brown was tried and convicted in 1859.

Greg and Terry are both from northeast Ohio originally and still have family in the area. They were with us for Dulci-More Festival 12 in 2006. They also performed for the Salem Bicentennial in 2006 with Sword of the Spirit at the Quaker Meetinghouse and a performance at the main stage in Centennial Park. Since then, they have performed for this concert series in the spring of 2014 and the fall of 2017 and at Dulci-More Festival 21 in 2015.

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker

Sunday, March 13 at 4:30 PM

Singers, Storytellers, and Multi-Instrumentalists from Tennessee

Fall 2021 Concert Series

Performance Song Circle on Saturday, November 27 from 1-5 PM

Free Event (Performers and Audience Welcome)

Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians will present a free Performance Song Circle from 1-5 PM on Saturday, November 27 in the Meeting Room of the Dale Shaffer Research Library of the Salem Historical Society, 239 South Lundy Avenue, Salem, OH 44460. Parking is available in the municipal lot across Lundy. The building is handicapped accessible. The event is being coordinated by Kathy & Rich Small with Dulci-More. There is no charge for this event.

This won’t be a jam like many of us are used to but rather a performance song circle (with some extra audience), so for example, those in the circle may:

1) Perform solo or with an ensemble when it is their turn in the circle

2) Lead a sing-along of a familiar song

3) Request another person or ensemble to perform a song which they have been known to perform on previous occasions

4) Just come to listen and sing along when invited (if you choose)

If you can, please let us know ahead of time that you are planning on performing or just attending since it will help with setting up chairs and maintaining appropriate social distancing.

If you have any questions or to let us know you will be performing or attending, you can contact Bill Schilling for Dulci-More at bill@dulcimore.org, or phone Bill at 234-564-3852.

We hope to see you there!

Spring 2020 Concert Series

Concert Postponed until a Date to Be Announced

Bill Schilling with Rich & Kathy Small ~~on Sunday, March 15 at~~ ~~2:30 PM~~

Free Concert (Donations Welcome to Help Cover Expenses)

Bill Schilling has been singing and playing various folk instruments (at least 20 with variations of several) for 50 years. He has performed for audiences of all ages in many settings from coast to coast. His high-energy performances may include songs, slide programs, and/or stories selected specifically for your group. His performances often involve members of your group with audience participation songs or activities. Bill often performs with others including Rich & Kathy Small or with Linda Sigismondi with whom he has recorded Songs from Canal Days. Since Bill believes that his music should be inclusive, he is involved in many groups which share music. A few of them are: Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians (Bill is the founder and leader); the annual Dulci-More Festival (Bill is the director); the Canton Folk Song Society (Bill is one of the original members); the Dulcimer Society of Trumbull County (Bill has reorganized and leads this group); Folknet (Bill is a charter Executive Committee Member, past Vice-President, past President, and current Treasurer); and Folk Music at Weatherbury Farm (Bill is one of the originators of this program and a workshop leader). His “Dulci-More Public Domain Songbooks” (in several variations) are used by clubs around the country. Check www.billschilling.org to find out more.

Rich and Kathy Small are folk singers and instrumentalists from Canton, Ohio. They have performed regionally at many festivals and events as a duo and as members of the Canton Folk Song Society and Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians. Their harmony singing of Appalachian Mountain Ballads, Civil War Laments, Lively Audience Sing-a-longs, Original Compositions, and Folk Songs from all eras is accompanied by traditional old time instruments such as the Mountain Dulcimer, Bowed Psaltery, Autoharp, Guitar, Harmonica, and Tenor Banjo. Before re-locating to Canton, they were the performing hosts for The Old-Time Gospel Fest concert series at the Bluebird Amphitheater in Carrollton, Ohio and directed the Arts of Appalachia Music Camp for children in Carroll County, Ohio.

Together, Bill Schilling with Rich & Kathy Small have been performing together as a trio since about 2014 and have been featured in concerts and as workshop presenters at many venues including the Canton Folk Song Society's Winterfest; the Dulci-More Concert Series and Festival in Salem and Lisbon; Folknet's Music in the Valley at Hale Farm and Village in Bath; the Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival in Salem, WV; the Mountain Rose Concert Series in Kent; Music Along the River in Harpersfield; Music and Art at Oak Glen in New Cumberland, WV; and others.

Admission for this special concert featuring three Dulci-More members is free, but donations are welcome to help cover expenses for the concert series. This is part of the Dulci-More Spring Concert Series. All Concerts in the Series will be in the Meeting Room of the Dale Shaffer Research Library of the Salem Historical Society, 239 South Lundy Avenue, Salem, OH 44460. Use the Lundy entrance, not the entrance from Dale Shaffer Way (was East Alley). A Salem Municipal Parking Lot is directly across Lundy from the venue.

Spring 2019 Concert Series

Simple Gifts on Friday, March 22 at 7:00 PM

Joe Crookston on Monday, April 1 at 7:00 PM

Larry Kaplan on Sunday, April 28 at 2:30 PM

David Mahler (with Cammi Schuler Opening) on Monday, June 17 at 7:00 PM

Fall 2019 Concert Series

Michael Ronstadt & Serenity Fisher on Sunday, September 29 at 4:00 PM

Tish Westman on Tuesday, October 22 at 7:00 PM

Reggie Harris on Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 PM

Simple Gifts

Friday, March 22, 2019 at 7:00 PM

Singers & Multi-Instrumentalists from Central PA

Two women plus twelve instruments equals one good time when Simple Gifts takes the stage at the Dale Shaffer Research Library for Dulci-More on Friday, March 22 at 7:00 PM. This award-winning band performs on an impressive array of instruments, including two violins, mandolin, hammered dulcimer, recorders, banjo, and guitar plus some more unusual instruments like the bowed psaltery, baritone fiddle, shruti box, banjolin, guitjo, and doumbek.

Simple Gifts presents a wide variety of ethnic folk music, including everything from lively Irish jigs and down-home American reels to hard-driving Klezmer freilachs, haunting Gypsy melodies, and exotic Balkan dance tunes. Throughout their performances, they put their own distinctive stamp on traditional tunes, blending styles from diverse cultures with their American roots.

According to the Celtic Classic Festival in Bethlehem, PA, "few musicians can match the warmly personal stage presence Simple Gifts possesses." It is obvious that these women love the music they play, and they know how to share their talents, their enthusiasm, and their sense of humor with the audience.

Linda Littleton and Karen Hirshon have performed as Simple Gifts since 1995. The group was founded by Littleton in 1989 and has performed throughout the mid-Atlantic region, including appearances at the Smithsonian, Brooklyn Museum of Art, National Governors' Convention, Longwood Gardens, National Theater, Whitaker Center, Hershey Theatre, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Ontario Center for Performing Arts, and dozens of colleges and universities throughout the region. Simple Gifts has opened for Natalie MacMaster, Tom Paxton, John McCutcheon, Robin and Linda Williams, Jay Unger and Molly Mason, and Boys of the Lough.

Simple Gifts has recorded six albums. Their newest, "Crossing Borders: Music of Many Lands," received a national award from Indie Acoustic. Their previous album, "Time and Again," won a bronze star (third place) in the Crossroads Music Awards. Their recordings include traditional music from Romania, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Scotland, France, Sweden, Denmark, and America, plus original compositions by each group member.

"These women share a chemistry that infuses their music with energy, integrity, and joy. Theirs is a special gift." – David W. Johnson, Boston Globe

"Listening to [Simple Gifts] is like sampling an international buffet ... The number of instruments they pick up in a typical concert makes the group anything but simple. ... [This is] acoustic music of the highest order." --Will Lebzelter, Centre Daily Times

"Simple Gifts wowed our audience with a cultural and educational program that was fun, informative, and energetic." – Teresia Bush, Smithsonian Institution

This is their first appearance for Dulc-More.

Joe Crookston

Monday, April 1, 2019 at 7:00 PM

Singer-Songwriter & Multi-Instrumentalist from Ithaca, NY

Songwriter, guitarist, painter, fiddler, slide player, eco-village member and believer in all things possible. Named 2016 Folk Alliance International Artist-in-Residence and signed to I Book Shows along with David Francey and Irish Mythen. His songs are being made into films.

He’ll surprise you and awaken the cynics. He’s plumbing for lyrical gold like a social archeologist. His songs are universal, his rhythm infectious and in concert, he is funny as hell one moment and transcendent the next.

Come to a show. Mystical, historical, and humorous roads. Lyrical cinematography. Short 4:00 films. Visual, artful and human. Brooklyn in July, Oklahoma towns, rattlesnake tails, turbary thieves, Galway heather, meter maids, and drunk roosters. At the end of the night, you’ll leave inspired.

“The Long Note” is a phrase in Irish culture. “The Long Note” is that place of resonance and transcendence where the music, the voices, the instruments, and the community ALL come together and unite.

Whether he’s picking his 48 Gibson, weaving through lap slide songs or looping his fiddle, he will draw you in. It happens every time. Watch a YouTube video. It’s good, but it’s not the same. You gotta come to a show. With unwavering courage to be himself, he is literate, poignant and funny as hell.

He lives in Ithaca NY, and tours regularly in the US, Ireland and Canada.

Aside from performing, Joe loves teaching and facilitating. Getting creative and inspiring groups. Making murals with students, teaching fiddle tunes, and leading stringbands. Setting up Art shows. Film screenings and community conversations. Working with school groups. Deepening the interaction and community involvement. For select dates he is available for songwriting workshops in conjunction with a public concert. He is an experienced facilitator, and has been invited to teach at many retreats including SummerSongs, The Swannanoa Gathering in North Carolina, at the Goderich Celtic College in Goderich Ontario, the Cuckoo’s Nest in London Ontario, and the Yearly Quaker Gathering in Rhode Island.

“Joe has that rare, genuine ability to communicate with, instruct, and entertain all ages. From toddlers to octogenarians, he turned on and tuned in everyone he came in contact with! The feedback during his three days here at the Fayetteville Public Library was overwhelmingly positive. As the headline artist of our 2014 Summer Reading Program Joe delivered top shelf instruction in the songwriting workshops, and he grabbed us all by the heart on stage during his final night’s performance. And he’s such a cool guy! What a treat. We were honored to have him, and are figuring out how we can bring him back next year!” ~ David Johnson-Director – Fayetteville Arkansas Library

This is Joe’s first time playing and singing for Dulci-More.

Larry Kaplan

Sunday, April 28, 2019 at 2:30 PM

Singer-Songwriter & Multi-Instrumentalists from Essex, Ct & London, England

Larry Kaplan has emerged as one of New England’s leading contemporary folk songwriters, whose well-known songs are loved and sung throughout the United States and around the world – compositions respectful of tradition, poignant stories in song, honest, highly singable – always memorable.

Born in Boston, Larry now calls both London, England, and Essex, Connecticut home. He worked for many years on traditional vessels in Maine, sailed on and helped restore the Schooner, Bowdoin. He has released three CDs through Folk Legacy Records, as well as three more through his independent label, Hannah Lane Music. No Depression, the Folk Roots Magazine has called Larry’s music “some of the most finely crafted songs in folk music today,” and his past three CDs have garnished top recognition from leading national folk music radio programs, including top folk CD honors from Wanda Fischer’s “Hudson River Sampler” (WAMC,Albany), and Bob Sherman’s “Woody’s Children” (WFUV,NY) among many others. His music has been used in sound tracks for a number of documentaries, and he has toured at major folk festivals and folk venues internationally, especially throughout England and Scotland and as New Zealand. His appearances at leading folk festivals and folk clubs and coffee houses have also included the likes of the Mystic Sea Music Festival, Old Songs, the Auckland (NZ), Ohio’s Dulci-More, New Bedford’s Working Waterfront, Fisherpoets, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, and the Festival at the Royal Oak, UK, among others.

Fellow songmaker and performer, Sally Rogers (twice at Dulci-More Festivals) notes that “Larry paints pictures with his words and turns of phrase in a way few songwriters do,” and Sara Grey says, “Listening to Larry in concert is like sitting by the fire and listening to a great story teller.” Here’s a special opportunity to hear “Old Zeb,” “Song for Gale,” “Memorial Day Photograph,” “Selling the Isabel,” and many others sung by the person who wrote them.

Larry has a clear tenor voice, a unique lyrical guitar style, and an engaging and interactive stage presence, but he is best known for his song writing. His songs are traditionally based and notable for their lyricism and rich melodies. Many would be classified as ‘ballads---or stories in song, and in fact, a number of his songs are often mistaken for traditional ballads.

While his most popular songs involve themes related to the sea and rivers, many address other subjects including topical stories, known and little known historical events, ballads of rural life, and the humor inherent in daily life. He has been referred to by respected reviewers often as a consummate story teller in the truest folk tradition.

He has also been instrumental in helping to secure and promote the work of the late E. Gale Huntington, from Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, a leading collector and scholar in maritime and whaling songs that have made their way to America, including The Gam, Gale’s seminal posthumous collection of folk songs.

This is Larry’s second appearance for Dulci More and this will be a very special performance.

David Mahler

(with Cammi Schuler Opening)

Monday, June 17, 2019 at 7:00 PM

National Hammered Dulcimer Champion from Lynchburg, VA

David Mahler, a Lynchburg, VA based composer and multi instrumentalist, began playing the hammered dulcimer at the age of ten. Four years later, he competed and won the title of National Champion (setting the record for the youngest contestant to ever win). David is quite versatile on the dulcimer playing a range of traditional Appalachian, European folk, Classical, as well as joining contemporary folk rock and pop bands for recording sessions and performances. Each of the CDs he has produced have within them refreshing and heart opening melodies which reveal different seasons he has had with the hammered dulcimer. They also have been vehicles for his talents as a composer.

Recently, he released an instructional European music book for the hammered dulcimer, catering to all levels of players. Always, he remains open to ideas and opportunities that incorporate the hammered dulcimer into new avenues of music and the arts.

In 2017, David toured major venues in China and the United States as part of the New Silk Road Explorers, a yangqin and hammered dulcimer driven band along with Liu Yuening on yangqin, and Jazz pianist, composer, conductor Prof. Dennis Friesen-Carper, multi-instruments performer, singer-songwriter Paul Friesen-Carper and multi-instruments performer, music producer Randy Raine-Reusch, David still performs with a variation of that group, Silk Cedar, and formed the duo of Hickory Cathedral as a result of that tour. This new collaboration explores the unique combination of David’s masterful hammered dulcimer playing and Paul’s fiddle-influenced cello style – and occasionally draws on their talents as multi-instrumentalists. Their playing brings to life the fire and warmth of North American and Celtic traditional music with prowess, exuberance, and intimacy. The soul of Hickory Cathedral is building community through shared music-making and inspiring the imagination with virtuosity.

David was previously with us for Dulci-More Festival 19 as a soloist and for Dulci-More Festival 24 with Paul Friesen-Carper for one of the first performances of Hickory Cathedral.

Cammi Schuler

Violin Player and Teacher from Salem, OH

When Cammi Schuler began piano lessons at the age of 5, her lessons held an extra allure. She remembers, “My teacher also taught violin, and the girl before me was a violin student. I would sit in the entryway before going in to my lesson, just so I could hear her last piece.” After saving up enough to purchase a 3/4 size violin, Cammi began lessons and discovered her passion. From the beginning, she was drawn to Irish fiddle music. She nurtured that love on her own, eventually sharing it with others by busking at farmers’ markets and weekend events.

Cammi was thrilled to find the kind, talented Dulci-More musicians and loves showing up for Tuesday night jam sessions with her younger sisters, Adeline and Amelia. Cammi gushes, “Having sisters that I can play music with is a dream come true for me. It’s awesome that we can play together at nursing homes and our church.”

Cammi’s first love is classical music but she says, “Playing fiddle and folk music is a form of relaxing for me. Bach and Mozart’s compositions have so many intricacies and details – it’s nice to take a break from that and enjoy playing old-time music. On the other hand, playing the fiddle presents certain challenges – playing by ear and improvising don’t come naturally to me.”

Cammi decided at the age of 13 that she wanted to pursue teaching and has been working towards that dream ever since. She says, “Teaching is my dream job. I love kids, and I love to personalize each lesson to fit my students’ needs. I love that I play the violin and fiddle and can pass on both skills to my students if they wish.” Cammi is studying Suzuki Method pedagogy and is taking teacher certification courses this summer. She has student openings at the Minerva Music Center, Stearns’ Violins Lesson Studio in Hartville, and at a Salem location.

When she’s not practicing or playing at gigs, she enjoys performing with the University of Mount Union’s chamber orchestra, and the Alliance Symphony Orchestra.

Cammi will be joined by her younger sisters, Adeline and Amelia, while opening for this concert.

Michael Ronstadt & Serenity Fisher

Sunday, September 29, 2019 at 4:00 PM

Singer-Songwriters & Multi-Instrumentalists from Cincinnati, OH

Performing together for the last six years has created a dynamic, truly moving, and expressive duet. Between both songwriters, their material is diverse and reaches far. Serenity Fisher blends playful pop-rock with a Tim Burton-esque quirkiness.

A wordsmith, Serenity Fisher entices stories into becoming songs using truth-telling, highly-visual lyrics, and dreamy melodies. Fisher is a powerhouse singer whose nuanced vocals vary from bluesy belt to sultry whisper, from technical prowess to stripped down raw emotion. Her piano style is theatrical and passionate. Her music has been compared to Regina Spektor, Tori Amos and Fiona Apple.

Nephew of Linda Ronstadt, cellist Michael G. Ronstadt brings a rich musical heritage and absolute knack for improvising up a storm. He holds a masters degree in cello performance from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM). Michael G. displays genre-blending explorations on cello and guitar in complement to thought-provoking lyrics. To say his originals are unusual is an understatement. They set the bar at Olympian heights in their depth and breadth. In addition to his solo recordings and those with Ronstadt Generations, Michael G. is a much sought-after studio musician, who has appeared on more than 100 albums in the last fifteen years.

Tish Westman

Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 7:00 PM

Singer-Songwriter & Multi-Instrumentalist from Beckley, WV

Tish Westman lives in Beckley, WV where she and her husband Greg are Resident Artisans representing woodworking at Tamarack. Old Time and Celtic music are her love, and sharing it with others either by performing or by teaching is her passion. Although she plays several instruments, we are guessing that she will probably feature bowed psaltery, mountain dulcimer, and 5 string banjo at her concert. Her singing will include her original songs, old-time standards, and more.

Greg and Tish moved to WV in 1990 from Denver Co., leaving behind careers in Architecture & Printing to find a more relaxed lifestyle. After several years of raising cattle on the farm, we started making small wooden Folk Art Items for our farm house. Friends and neighbors wanted everything we made. Someone suggested we sell our items at a local craft fair and as they say the rest is history.

One year while spending the winter in Florida, working on our Folk Art we stumbled upon the Bowed Psaltery. "I could play this and I loved it from the first moment I played it". While traveling full time doing Craft Festivals and playing music in the evenings at campgrounds we recognized the interest in the Bowed Psaltery and started building them shortly thereafter.

A few years later while spending another winter in Florida we participated in a Music Festival where we were introduced to the Mountain Dulcimer, which Tish found much easier on the hands to play than the guitar and many of our existing customers wanted us to make dulcimers for them.

Through the years we have enjoyed collecting antique instruments and the challenge of reproducing them. In July of 2001 Tamarack invited us to become their full time resident wood workers. We thought long and hard about giving up the traveling but we realized that having a studio at Tamarack would still allow us to introduce our instruments to many people.

This is the tenth year that the Westmans are directing a Bowed Psaltery Symphony at Tamarack where 60 or more bowed psaltery players from all over the country may get together to play the arrangements in several parts that Tish has put together for the event.

Reggie Harris

Wednesday, November 6, 2019 at 7:00 PM

Singer-Songwriter & Guitarist from Middleburgh, NY

Reggie Harris is a singer-songwriter, storyteller, and cultural ambassador on a mission to educate, entertain, and inspire. For over 40 years, he has captivated audiences to standing ovations in the US, Canada, and across Europe.

A songwriter of great depth and insight, Reggie writes from a personal but accessible place that reveals his deep sense of humanity and a uniquely positive worldview. He is a trailblazer who performs for audiences of all ages. His effervescently humorous and hopeful presence has led fans to label him the “Ambassador of Joy, Hope, and Freedom.”

An educator who entertains, Reggie’s songs reveal the subtle truths of issues that touch our lives regardless of color, background, age, or nationality. It’s about the laughter and the tears…the challenges and the joy…the global and the personal. It’s about history and the present day…the sacred and the laugh out loud funny moments that define us.

Reggie received a life-saving liver transplant in 2008. He uses the inspiration and triumph of that gift of life to spread light and hope.

Averaging over 250 dates per year, this versatile performer is in high demand at arts centers, schools, universities, and festivals. Reggie is an intuitive presenter in workshops on history, song writing, and performance.

Reggie is a teaching artist for the John F Kennedy Center’s CETA program, a Woodrow Wilson Scholar, and the Director of Music Education for the UU Living Legacy Project. He is a master song leader who deeply values the power of song and the dignity of every human being.

Previously known as one-half of the acclaimed folk acoustic duo Kim and Reggie Harris, this natural collaborator, also invigorates his solo touring with occasional partnerships, most notably with Greg Greenway (Deeper Than the Skin) Scott Ainslie (Long Time Coming), and Pat Wictor.

Reggie leads workshops and seminars on songwriting, race relations, and performance at colleges and universities, retreat centers, and festivals. A partial list includes the Kennedy Center Summer Education Institute, The Swannanoa Gathering, Boston’s Summer Acoustic Music Week (SAMW), the People’s Music Network, and the Southeastern Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute (SUUSI).

Reggie performed along with Kim for the Fall 2014 Dulci-More Concert Series.

Spring 2018 Concert Series

Mustard’s Retreat on Saturday, April 14 at 7:00 PM

Upriver on Friday, May 11 at 7:00 PM

Cathy Barton & Dave Para on Tuesday, June 19 at 7:00 PM

Fall 2018 Concert Series

Matt Watroba on Friday, September 7 at 7:00 PM

Bill Staines on Friday, September 28 at 7:00 PM

Mustard’s Retreat (David Tamulevich, Michael Hough, & Libby Glover)

Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Singer/Songwriters and Multi-Instrumentalists from Ann Arbor, MI

Mustard’s Retreat ( David Tamulevich and Michael Hough), met in Ann Arbor, MI in 1974, as short order cooks, both on hiatus from their studies at the University of Michigan. Discovering a mutual interest in music/writing and performing, they put together 3 songs one day after work, and took them to the legendary Ark coffeehouse’s open mike night. They were a big hit, and, on the spot, were invited back to do a 45 minute set 2 weeks later. Within a year and a half they had both quit the restaurant and were doing music full time. 37 years later, they have 9 highly acclaimed recordings of their own, plus 2 more CDs with their songwriting collective, The Yellow Room Gang. Mustard’s Retreat has performed more than 4,000 shows over those years, traveled more than 1 million miles and in doing so, have earned a dedicated and loyal following, many of whom have been coming to hear them since the 1970s. Michael and David joke on stage about attracting people “with long attention spans”, but it is what Mustard’s Retreat gives them that turns audiences into such loyal fans.

Spike Barkin, who produces the prestigious Roots of American Music Festival at New York City's Lincoln Center, wrote to thank them for their "folk from the heart," going on to say it seemed like David and Michael "take your living room on the road with you and invite people in as friends." David Siglin, of Ann Arbor's premier folk clue, The Ark, where Mustard's Retreat did that first open mike, and have head-lined many, many times since said, "In order to last, there has to be more than just talent - you have to enjoy playing, enjoy audiences and enjoy being in front of them. Audiences go to your shows because they know they will be entertained." Margie Rosenkranz, manager of the Eighth Step at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady, NY, who has presented Mustard’s Retreat many times, said a Mustard's Retreat show "reminds us why we're doing this, pulls people together," adding that the duo transcends the vagaries of passing trends because they remain so "in tune with the audience."

"I work with them several times a year and always wish it was more." said Canadian songwriter Garnet Rogers, who also produced their landmark recording The Wind and the Crickets. “The thing that always impresses me is the incredible openness they have with the audience. They stand up there and just radiate friendliness; the audience is included in the whole process, encouraged to sing along and talk back. I've learned a lot from them in that sense."

"They are so warm and friendly and giving on stage, completely in touch with their audience," said Tom Paxton, a folk music star for more than 40 years. "There are no barriers at all, and you just love to watch that and be part of it. But the thing that strikes me about them from Jump Street - and that makes it all work so well - is that their time is so tight. Michael is such a wonderful, simple bass player; his time is just flawless. And that's why two guys can move you musically the way they do - they have a gorgeous sense of time and tempo, a real musicality to what they do. They're nice guys on stage and entertaining as hell, but there's also music in them."

While both Tamulevich and Hough are grounded in the early traditional 60s folk music boom, they also were influenced by the songwriters of that time, and their shows represent an eclectic blend of music, old and new, with a big dash of storytelling. “We have never performed the same show twice,” says Tamulevich, “Each night is its own unique moment, unique audience. For us, that is the exciting thing, the magic: to craft a shared experience and leave people entertained and moved…and with moments and songs they will take away with them and remember, ponder, rediscover; hopefully for years to come.” Many of those moments are the result of their well-respected and broad body of original material, written both individually and together. “We take our writing very seriously.” says Tamulevich, “No matter if it is a serious or humorous song. A song is a tool to communicate a feeling or a story, and we want it to be as sharp and finely focused as we can make it. It is a challenge that we happily embrace. Each song is a unique puzzle, and it is fun to see where it can and does take you as you write it. Michael and I are both very different people and writers; having different strengths, and that diversity, when we can get it right, can make a song a whole lot richer and more effective. It is a very rewarding process.”

Those memorable songs have been a hallmark of Mustard’s Retreat from the first. The spooky, Mallon’s Bridge, that tells the story of a haunted bridge in Ireland and the midnight encounter that takes place there, has been a staple of Folk radio on Halloween since it first came out in the early 1980s. There’s A Dance Tonight celebrates love and community , the poignant Part of Me Remembers, the humorous Michigan Mosquitoes, the anthemic ( Ours is a) Simple Faith and Gather the Family…to the insightful and powerful Pay the Toll….all and more have received extensive airplay and many have been covered by other singers.

“And it is still new, fresh, exciting….and fun” concludes Tamulevich. “We still really enjoy all of this: the writing and the performing. Audiences let us know that they enjoy it as well. They have taken our music and made it a part of their lives: that is the ultimate compliment, and as long as they want to see us, we plan to keep performing.”

Libby Glover sang with Mustard’s Retreat back in the early days in the 1970s for a few years. Then life took Libby in other directions for a long time. A few years ago, enough things had changed in her life that she joined them again for a show. They realized that there was still something special about the trio. Now they are at a point where she can join them for several shows a year (including some with Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary) and for some recording. Those shows are mostly in Michigan, but we are extremely fortunate that she will be making this trip to Salem, Ohio as well.

David & Michael have been with us for several Dulci-More Festivals 8, 10, 15, and 20. This will be the first chance for most of us in Northeast Ohio to hear and meet Libby.

Upriver

Friday, May 11, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Singer/Songwriters and Multi-Instrumentalists from near Wooster, OH

Upriver plays a mixture of traditional and original folk music in the Celtic and Appalachian traditions. Their vibrant music is woven together with stories and legends to deepen your understanding of its rich heritage.

Dan Moorefield is featured on guitars, piano, fiddle, and vocals. His musical roots go back to the County Waterford, Ireland. Dan mixes his research on the history of the Irish people and their music with his life experiences as a farmer, school teacher, father, and businessman. He brings both music and education to our shows. Dan has a Masters degree in education.

Teresa Morrison brings to the music a variety of instruments, which include the Irish whistle, alto recorder, banjo, mandolin, guitars, and vocal. Her family roots are deep in the Scots Irish heritage and she feels a soul connection with the music that has crossed the ocean, the Appalachian mountains, and the generations. Teresa teaches music at the Wayne Center for the Arts.

Teresa & Dan did workshops and a mini-concert at Dulci-More Festival 23.

Cathy Barton & Dave Para

Tuesday, June 19, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Singer/Songwriters and Multi-Instrumentalists from Boonville, MO

Cathy Barton and Dave Para have created dynamic performances acclaimed for 25 years for their variety and expertise in vocal and instrumental music. They have celebrated the musical traditions and folklife of Missouri and the Ozarks in festivals, clubs, concert halls, schools, and studios across the U.S. and Europe. Their audiences are as diverse as their repertoire.

A versatile duo, Dave and Cathy play several stringed instruments including hammered and fretted dulcimers, banjo, guitar, and autoharp, as well as "found" instruments like bones, spoons, mouthbow, and leaf. Their concerts present a range of music from the lively dance tunes they have collected in their home region to old ballads to new songs. They have conducted several instrumental workshops as well as those about songs from the Civil War, from American rivers, old gospel songs, children's songs, and Christmas music.

Putting the song before the singer, Dave and Cathy are caretakers of a long musical heritage, and they are known for deep understanding and affection for traditional music. They also keep their minds and ears open as the roots and branches of folk music run deep and spread wide. Missouri is a social and geographic meeting place, and its rich cultural diversity continues to inspire Dave and Cathy’s music and broaden their repertoire.

In their mission to introduce new audiences to folk music, Dave and Cathy have participated in the artists-in-education program for the Missouri Arts Council since the early 1980s. They have done folk arts residencies and assembly programs in schools across the state. They also created and serve as artistic directors of two annual folk festivals, the Big Muddy Folk Festival, in their hometown of Boonville, and the Boone’s Lick Country Folk Festival, in Arrow Rock, Mo.

Children of the folk revival, both Dave and Cathy can credit older sisters with sparking their interest in folk music in the early 1960s. Their life in rural Missouri has focused that interest.

A recognized master of the frailing banjo style Cathy has twice won the Tennessee Old-Time Banjo Championship. The late Roy Acuff often called her his "favorite banjo player" because her playing reminded him of earlier country music sounds. Cathy can also be credited for some of the growing interest in the hammered dulcimer in the Midwest. In the mid-1970s, she introduced it to the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kan., and has since provided a number of current players with their first hearing of the instrument.

While earning college and graduate degrees in humanities and folklore, Cathy worked as an assistant folklorist at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, Ark. She also toured with Ramona (Mrs. Grandpa) Jones and played at her dinner theater there for a number of seasons.

Dave Para took his sister's guitar to classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music in his hometown Chicago and rekindled his childhood interest in folk music. While attending college in Cathy's hometown of Columbia, Mo., Dave managed the Chez Coffeehouse, a focal point of folk music in Central Missouri for 20 years. There he started accompanying several fiddlers and began playing in local string bands. He has since been noted often for his expert and distinctive back-up guitar style.

Of their ten recordings, the first few and most recent few were-self produced. In 1982 the Walnut Valley Occasional called their Ballad of the Boonslick album "the finest acoustic music heard this year." The release of their On a Day Like Today album in 1986 for Folk-Legacy Records was a special achievement. This small, family-run record company renowned for exceptional recordings of important traditional and contemporary folk musicians has greatly influenced Dave and Cathy and helped to inspire their study of traditional music in their own community. Teaming up with the company's founders, Sandy and Caroline Paton, they produced an album of lesser known Christmas music, 'Twas on a Night Like This, which the American Library Association named a Notable Recording in 1990. They have appeared on several other recordings with the Patons, Ed Trickett, Ramona Jones, Bob Dyer, Wade Hampton Miller, Jay Round and Ron Penix, Judy Domeny, and Lisa Redfern.

In 1993 and again in 1995, Dave and Cathy conspired with friend and musician Bob Dyer to produce two landmark recordings of songs from the Civil War in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas, Johnny Whistletrigger, and Rebel in the Woods. Both albums were named "Notable Recordings" by the American Library Association.

These two albums have gained the trio wide respect among Civil War historians in the region and put them in demand for seminars and performances at national parks, re-enactments, and historical meetings throughout the state, including the third funeral for Jesse James in 1995, after the remains of the famous outlaw were exhumed for DNA testing.

They were with us for Dulci-More Festival 18 and for the Spring Concert Series (with Ed Trickett) in 2013.

Matt Watroba

Friday, September 7, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Community Singer, Songwriters and Guitarist from near Detroit, MI

Veteran performer, teacher, radio host, song writer...the list goes on, but what Matt prefers to be known as is a community singer, song leader, and educator.

Matt was born in Detroit and raised in Plymouth, MI. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Eastern Michigan University, majoring in English, Language & Literature with a minor in Theatre Arts and Communication. Throughout his high school and college career, Matt performed in a variety of plays and productions inspiring his love and enthusiasm for communicating to an audience from the stage. However, Matt’s main passion gravitated toward music and education.

As a teacher, Matt worked for twelve years in the Plymouth Canton school system. His classes in the areas of English, Journalism and Speech always focused on innovative ways of cross-curricular learning. This experience translated directly to the hundreds of school assemblies and workshops he's performed with Robert Jones and the Music That Matters programs. He is also a regular instructor at the Swannanoa Gathering near Asheville, NC teaching classes on performance and community singing. His dynamic stage presence and strategy-packed presentations are evidence of someone who understands how to connect with audiences to create a thoroughly worthwhile learning experience.

Matt is a founding member of the National Folk Alliance and a charter member of the Board of Directors for Ann Arbor’s The Ark, both non-profit organizations formed to promote and preserve folk music. Matt is a published writer, having penned dozens of articles and reviews for Sing Out!, the national magazine of American folk and roots music founded by Pete Seeger in 1950.

His love of folk music led him to his position as the host and creator of the popular Folks Like Us program, a position he held for over 20 years on WDET-FM In Detroit. He also produced and hosted the syndicated, Sing Out! Radio Magazine heard on the XM Satellite network as well as the internet service Folk Alley.

Matt sings and writes songs of compassion, inner strength, humor, and every day living. He was awarded "Best Overall Folk Performer" by the Detroit Music Awards for the year 2000, and his long list of credits include the prestigious Ann Arbor Folk Festival, the Detroit 300 Celebration, The Ark, Louisville’s Kentucky Music Weekend, The Fox Valley Festival, Chicago IL, The Old Songs Festival, Guilderland, NY, Owen Sound Folk Festival, Ontario, Canada and hundreds of school and community presentations throughout the Great Lakes region. He has shared the stage with some of our greatest performers, including Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Arlo Guthrie, Christine Lavin, Peter Yarrow, and Richard Thompson. He sings songs that you will feel and remember for a long time. You will love his music, you will love the journey that his music takes you on, and you will love the place that his music takes you to.

Matt brings a unique set of talents to the stage as an educator, performer, and master of ceremonies. His passion for bringing community together through music and education is infectious. Add to that Matt's own special brand of humor and you are in for a most entertaining and enlightening experience.

Matt was with us for Dulci-More Festival 17.

Bill Staines

Friday, September 28, 2018 at 7:00 PM

Singer/Songwriters and Guitarist from Dover, NH

Anyone not familiar with the music of Bill Staines is in for a special treat.

For more than forty years, Bill has traveled back and forth across North America, singing his songs and delighting audiences at festivals, folksong societies, colleges, concerts, clubs, and coffeehouses. A New England native, Bill became involved with the Boston-Cambridge folk scene in the early 1960's and for a time, emceed the Sunday Hootenanny at the legendary Club 47 in Cambridge. Bill quickly became a popular performer in the Boston area. From the time in 1971 when a reviewer from the Boston Phoenix stated that he was "simply Boston's best performer", Bill has continually appeared on folk music radio listener polls as one of the top all time favorite folk artists. Now, well into his fifth decade as a folk performer, he has gained an international reputation as a gifted songwriter and performer.

Singing mostly his own songs, he has become one of the most popular and durable singers on the folk music scene today, performing nearly 200 concerts a year and driving over 65,000 miles annually. He weaves a blend of gentle wit and humor into his performances and one reviewer wrote, "He has a sense of timing to match the best standup comic."

Bill's music is a slice of Americana, reflecting with the same ease his feelings about the prairie people of the Midwest or the adventurers of the Yukon, the on-the-road truckers, or the everyday workers that make up this land.

Many of Bill's songs have appeared in grade school music books, church hymnals, and scouting campfire songbooks; he is one of only a few songwriters to have eight songs published in the classic song collection, Rise up Singing. Composer David Amram recently described Bill as "a modern day Stephen Foster…his songs will be around 100 years from now."

Over the decades, you have heard Bill singing on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, HBO's award winning series Deadwood, and Public Radio's Mountain Stage. Additionally, his music has been used in a number of films including Off and Running, with Cyndi Lauper, and The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles' debut as a writer-director.

In 1975, Bill won National Yodeling Championship in Kerrville Texas. Another important recognition was given to him in 2007. Presented by the Boston Area Coffeehouse Association, The Jerry Christen Award recognized Bill's contribution to New England folk music.

Currently, Bill has recorded 26 albums; The Happy Wanderer and One More River were winners of the prestigious Parents' Choice Award, taking a gold medal and silver medal respectively. His songs have been recorded by many artists including Peter, Paul and Mary, Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy, The Highwaymen, Mason Williams, Grandpa Jones, Jerry Jeff Walker, Nanci Griffith, Glen Yarborough, and others.

As well as recordings, over 100 of Bill's songs have been published in three songbooks: If I Were a Word, Then I'd Be a Song, Movin' It Down the Line, and Music to Me, the latter published by Hal Leonard Corporation. His song, All God's Critters, has been recently released as a Simon and Schuster children's book with illustrations by Caldecott honor-winning artist, Kadir Nelson.

"Folk music is rich in the human spirit and experience. I've always wanted to bring something of value to people through my songs." With these thoughts, Bill continues to drive the highways and back roads of the country year after year, bringing his music to listeners, young and old.

Fall 2017 Concert Series

Claudia Schmidt on Saturday, September 23 at 7:00 PM

Magpie on Saturday, October 14 at 7:00 PM

Neal & Coleen Walters on Friday, October 27 at 7:00 PM

In the Chapel of the First United Methodist Church of Salem, 244 South Broadway

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, Monday, December 4 at 7:00 PM

Claudia Schmidt

Saturday, September 23, 2017 at 7:00 PM

Singer/Songwriter and 12 String Guitar & Mountain Dulcimer Player from Minneapolis, Minnesota via Michigan

More than 4 decades as a touring professional have found Michigan native Claudia Schmidt traversing North America as well as Europe in venues ranging from intimate clubs to 4,000 seat theatres, and festival stages in front of 25,000 rapt listeners. She has recorded nineteen albums of mostly original songs, exploring folk, blues, and jazz idioms featuring her acclaimed 12-string guitar and mountain dulcimer playing.

Neal & Coleen Walters

Friday, October 27, 2017 at 7:00 PM in Alternate Location

Chapel of First United Methodist Church of Salem

244 South Broadway, Salem, Ohio 44460

For Elevator Entrance Use South Parking Lot

Multi-Instrumentalists & Singers from Greencastle, PA

Neal and Coleen Walters live in Greencastle, PA but grew up in Southern California. Singing and playing since the ‘60’s, their music has been influenced by many different artists and styles of music. Their current repertoire includes songs from the 1700’s through Gordon Lightfoot, Doc Watson, the Carter Family,’40’s standards and even a couple of Beatles songs. Autoharp, dulcimer, and banjo are Neal’s instruments of choice and Coleen adds bass to the mix. You’ll hear lots of harmony singing as well as some instrumentals. Along with John and Heidi Cerrigione, they perform as Doofus and, over the last ten years, have recorded four albums. Neal was a member of the Mill Run Dulcimer Band for over 20 years and recorded nine albums with them. He also edited Music Hound Folk: the Essential Album Guide to Folk Music, published by Visible Ink Press. In addition to their concert appearances, Neal has taught dulcimer, autoharp, banjo, and guitar for nearly thirty years in and around Washington, DC and at camps and festivals like Boone, Augusta, Kentucky Music Week, Winterfest, Summerfest, Black Swamp, Autumn Hills, Autumn Acoustics, John C. Campbell Folk School, Tolland Arts Center, Sand Lake Art Center, Cranberry, String-A-Long, Housatonic, Dulcimer Daze, Swannanoa, and Old Songs. An evening spent with them in concert will take you to lots of different places. Neal and Coleen have three duet albums, Snowbirds, My Pathway Leads to Pennsylvania, and Old Friends.

When not traveling and making music, Neal and Coleen run Basement Studios, providing high quality studio recording and engineering in a rural and relaxed environment with beds and meals Included as part of the package. Other services include graphic design, WEB page design, acoustic music for all occasions, CDs from your old LPs or cassettes, and private and group lessons for dulcimer, autoharp, guitar, banjo, and bass. In their spare time, they are on the board of the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering.

Magpie

Saturday, October 14, 2017, 7:00 PM

Singers and Multi-Instrumentalists from New York State

Magpie will be performing their labor history concert in celebration of their new CD, When We Stand Together.

Sparky & Rhonda Rucker

Monday, December 4 at 7:00 PM

Singers, Storytellers, and Multi-Instrumentalists from Tennessee

Spring 2017 Concert Series

Rolly Brown

Friday, March 10 at 7:30 PM

A lifelong student of the guitar, Rolly Brown has been a National Fingerpicking Champion, a Philadelphia Music Award nominee, a solo performer, teacher, and sideman for many well-known artists. Over 50 years, folk, blues, ragtime, bluegrass, country, & jazz have each been his passions. Acoustic Guitar Magazine says, “an exceptionally melodic, articulate playing style that takes full advantage of the acoustic guitar’s beautiful tone.” Wise sage Bennett Hammond says, “He’s the real deal, the gen-you-wine article, the guitar picker’s guitar picker.” Blues master Andy Cohen (who IS prone to hyperbole) told Rolly, “Dammit, you are the best that ever was. You may quote me.” A native Clevelander, Rolly may be remembered for his early collaborations with Alex Bevan and solo performances and teaching in the Cleveland and Kent areas in the 60s and 70s. He has many instructional DVD's available through Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop at guitarvideos.com.

Mark Wade

Friday, April 7 at 7:00 PM

To say that Mark Alan Wade is an eclectic performer understates the acoustic explosion of music his concerts ignite. His visit to a dulcimer player's home in Kentucky lit the spark that started it all. Over a decade later, Mark is a headlining performer in concerts and music festivals around the country.

Mark's audiences are drawn into a broad spectrum of emotions that his music evokes. Mark captures the joy of American traditional music from fiddle tunes to Texas Swing to Jazz. Just after he has fired off a fiddle tune with a frenzied display of technical marvel, his mastery of the subtleties and finesse of Celtic Airs and Chopin Nocturnes will put a tear in your eye. It's not surprising that his 1998 National Contest-winning repertoire included a Celtic ballad, a contemporary piece by Rich Mullins, a Baroque harpsichord solo and, of course, Danny Boy.

One of Mark’s first times teaching and performing at a festival was for Dulci-More Festival 2, and he has been back many times to perform and teach at later Dulci-More Festivals. He is often joined in performance by his wife, his father, and others. We have not yet determined who might be with him for this performance, but his web site says, “Mark and friends will perform a concert featuring hammered and mountain dulcimers.”

Ken & Brad Kolodner Trio (with Alex Lacquement)

Thursday, June 22 at 7:00 PM (Admission $15)

The dynamic father-son team Ken & Brad Kolodner weave together a captivating soundscape on hammered dulcimer, banjo, fiddles and vocals pushing the boundaries of the American Old-Time tradition into uncharted territory. Regarded as one of the most influential hammered dulcimer players and Old-Time fiddlers in North America, Baltimore’s Ken Kolodner has joined forces with his son Brad Kolodner, a rising star in the clawhammer banjo world. Together, they infuse their own brand of driving, innovative, tasteful and unique interpretations of traditional and original Old-Time tunes and songs with a “creative curiosity that lets all listeners know that a passion for traditional music yet thrives in every generation.”

They regularly perform as a quartet with fiddler, guitarist and vocalist Rachel Eddy, formerly of Uncle Earl, and bassist Alex Lacquement who locks everything together with his commanding and tasteful choices.

Ken & Brad released their first recording, Otter Creek, in 2011 which became the most played instrumental recording on the international Folk-DJ Radio charts. Brad’s original composition “Otter Creek” was the most played instrumental on the charts. Ken & Brad released Skipping Rocks, their second album, in September 2013 to much critical acclaim. Skipping Rocks debuted at #4 on the Folk-DJ Charts and in the top 20 on the Roots Music Charts. They are set to release their third studio album in the fall of 2016. The new recording will feature Ken & Brad with Rachel Eddy and Alex Lacquement. Rachel Eddy hails from West Virginia, where she grew up steeped in Appalachian music and dance. Rachel's multi-instrumental talents and soulful singing bring an incredibly powerful energy to the group. Alex Lacquement is one of the most in-demand and versatile bass players in the Mid-Atlantic.

Concert appearances for Ken & Brad include performances at The Kennedy Center, The Walnut Valley Festival, The Old Songs Festival, The Birchmere, The Charm City Folk and Bluegrass Festival, The Champlain Valley Folk Festival, and The Creative Alliance as well as numerous live radio broadcasts, concerts and festivals along the Eastern seaboard from North Carolina to Vermont and across the country from Wisconsin to Arizona. Prior to performing with his son regularly in 2009, Ken toured and recorded for many years with the legendary world music trio Helicon with Chris Norman and Robin Bullock.

Ken Kolodner previously appeared in Salem at the Salem High School Auditorium for the Salem Community Concert Association. We hope that many people who were members of Salem Community Concerts will come out to once again welcome Ken to Salem and to see where his musical journey has taken him. You won’t be disappointed!

Fall 2016 Concert

Four Shillings Short Concert

Sunday, October 23, 2016 at 2:30 PM

Masters of Over 30 Instruments from Ireland & California

Singer/Songwriters and Interpreters of Songs

Four Shillings Short have a repertoire of music that ranges from the Celtic lands to the Americas and from Medieval & Renaissance Europe to India. They are performers and educators who perform on a fantastic array of instruments (over 30) including Hammered Dulcimer, Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Tinwhistles, Recorders, Medieval and Renaissance Woodwinds, North Indian Sitar, Charango, Bowed Psaltery, Banjo, Bodhran, Guitar, Percussion, vocals, and even a Krumhorn. Celebrating their 21^st year together, the husband/wife duo, of Aodh Og O Tuama from Cork, Ireland and Christy Martin from California, tour in the US and perform at Celtic and Folk festivals, theatres and performing arts centers, coffeehouses, folk societies, libraries, schools, yoga and retreat centers, historical societies, and churches. They have several different shows they offer as well as workshops. In a single night, Four Shillings Short perform Traditional Irish tunes and airs, Indian Ragas, Folk Ballads, Old-Time songs, Medieval & Renaissance instrumentals and a cappella numbers as well as contemporary folk and original compositions.

Concerts, Educational Presentations & Workshops: Celtic & World Music from Medieval times to the present Around the World in 30 Instruments Seasonal Concerts for the Celtic Holidays of Samhain, Beltaine, Imbolg, Lunasa & Winter Solstice A Concert of Sacred Music from India, Medieval & Renaissance Europe, Ireland and America A Concert of Gaelic Songs Workshops on Singing in Gaelic, Tinwhistle, Hammered Dulcimer, Bodhran & Sitar.

Select Perfomances; Potomac Celtic Festival, Leesburg, VA; Willamette Valley Folk Festival, Eugene, OR; Hiawatha Folk Festival, Marquette, MI; Mid-America Celtic Festival, Hot Springs, AR; Minnesota Irish Fair, St. Paul, MN; Big Top Chautauqua, Washburn, WI; Chicory House, Wilkes-Barre, PA; The Meeting Place, Midleton, County Cork, Ireland; Two Way Street Coffeehouse, Downers Grove, IL; Club Passim, Cambridge, MA; Nietzsche's, Buffalo, NY; Paddy Reilly's, NYC, NY; Bound for Glory, Ithaca, NY; The Sounding Board, W. Hartford, CT; Woodstock Folk Festival, Woodstock, IL; Kilworth Arts Center, Kilworth, County Cork, Ireland; The Starry Plow, Berkeley, CA; St James Church Concerts, Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland; Louisville Dulcimer Society, Louisville, KY; Heartland Dulcimer Festival, Elizabethtown, KY; Dulci-More Festival, Lisbon, OH

Library & School Programs: As an offshoot of their music, they have created a program for schools and libraries to introduce young audiences to the range of instruments and repertoire of music they perform. In the program, they perform music from Ireland, Scotland, England, America, Medieval Europe, and India on a variety of instruments. Their fees vary with each school & library and what they can afford.

Recordings: Four Shillings Short has recorded nine CDs from 2002-2015. They should have most of them available at this concert.

Special Summer 2016 Concert

Madeline MacNeil Concert

Tuesday, June 21, 2016, 7:00 PM

Hour Long Concert Followed by Jam Session

Singer, Hammered Dulcimer, Mountain Dulcimer from Berryville, VA

Madeline MacNeil’s audiences hold their collective breath as the last notes of her songs drift into the tableau of stages large and small. Since 1972, when she began performing in Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park, Madeline’s goal has always been to bring listeners into the song. Her interest in stories first brought the mountain and hammered dulcimers to her attention, for they are part of this country's musical history. This is part of Madeline’s treasure as a performer: she sings and tells the stories with her beautiful voice and exceptional dulcimer skills.

Madeline’s New England ancestors (she’s a first-generation Virginian) arrived in the fishing and mariner towns of Rockport and Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1635, while her Canadian forbears came to Cape Breton from Edinburgh in the mid-1800's. She knits it all together: Scotland’s countryside, the lives of families separated and brought together by the sea, and the resilience and art of those who settled in the Appalachian Mountains.

Her recording career began in 1983 and now includes more than a dozen independent releases, including tributes to her family heritage on Songs Of Earth and Sea and her love for jazz on As Time Goes By. Heart’s Ease (classical and Celtic music featuring the hammered dulcimer) won an Indie for string music from NAIRD, while Christmas Comes Anew was a finalist for this coveted award. Her recording of “Shenandoah,” her signature song, has been used extensively in Public Television productions.

She has performed in schools for students from elementary through high school and often invited them to play a little on her dulcimers. The Barns At Wolf Trap has presented her in concert, as have arts centers, churches and universities throughout the United States. Across the Atlantic, she has performed at the O’Carolan Festival in Keadue, County Roscommon, Ireland; the Glasgow Festival of the Arts in Scotland; and for the Nonsuch Dulcimer Gathering in East Norton, Leicestershire, England. For several years she was a touring artist under the sponsorship of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. She’s been honored by folk organizations and festivals.

Madeline is a best-selling author of mountain and hammered dulcimer books for Mel Bay Publications, and from 1978 through 2006 she was the publisher of Dulcimer Players News, a quarterly publication devoted to both hammered and mountain dulcimers.

Maddie has been with us for Dulci-More Festivals 6, 10, and 15 and previously performed for our concert series in 2002 and 2014

The evening will start with an hour long concert followed by an open acoustic jam and song circle with Maddie as a special guest..

Spring 2016 Concert Series

Brian Henke on Sunday, March 20 at 2:30 PM

Free Dulci-More Solos, Duets, & Small Groups Concert

Replacing Cancelled The Honey Dewdrops Concert

Saturday, April 16 at 7:00 PM

Bing Futch on Sunday, May 1 at 2:30 PM

Brian Henke Concert

Sunday, March 20 at 2:30 PM

Fingerstyle Guitarist, Harp Guitarist, New Age Guitarist, Singer/Songwriter from Bay Village, Ohio

Brian Henke composes and performs his music like a painter putting images on canvas, a kind of sonic shaman, drawing his inspiration from the world around him. An avid hiker, he often brings his guitar along to create a spontaneous response to his outdoor settings. Mother Earth (Terra) as artist has given an immense living gallery from the humbling spectacle of her natural wonders to the simple, beauty of a treetop against a blue sky. Her majestic legacy and the magical feeling of awe and peace inspire the compositions of this award winning virtuosic fingerstyle/harp guitarist/ singer songwriter.

Brian’s seven instrumental solo guitar CD’s, “Many Waters”, “Love Song for Terra”,”Force of Nature”, “The Nature of Light”, “Tree of Life”, “A Child’s Garden”, and “Seven Magic Spells” are a cornucopia of sonic vistas. He celebrates the seasons, a Grand Canyon sunset, the fireside magic of an American shaman, playful waterfalls, the color of the wind and the light of dreams to name a few.

In June 2015 he will be releasing his first vocal album “Sun and the Moon and the Stars” and will be also working on his next instrumental guitar album “Treehouse in the Stars” due before Christmas.

He recorded “A Crown of Stars” with Blue Feather, Dunlap and Henke, a CD that made it into the top 10 in June of 2007 on the International New Age Radio Charts and is the producer of “The Woodchoppers Ball”, a double CD featuring 26 of the worlds best acoustic guitarists released to benefit Northeast Ohio’s homeless and is the promoter of the annual benefit concert of the same name, having recently celebrated it’s 14th year.

His unique guitar style has been called everything from Folk to New Age to Neo-Classical to Pastoral or as Brian likes to call it “a big stewpot of everything, stirred up, simmered and served to taste.” His music appeals to anyone who likes their music lyrical, thought provoking and performed with virtuosity. Through it all is an undercurrent of spirituality and mysticism that Brian says is very much a part of the creative process. Because of this he has received radio air play all over the world on shows as varied as WKSU’s “Folk Alley” and John Dilberto’s “Echoes”. He has also shared the bill or performed with acts as diverse as “Yes”, “The Strawbs”, “ Bill Frisell”, “Linda Ronstadt”, “Glass Harp”, Wendy Rule, Steve Morse”, Yngvie Malmsteen”, “Robin and Linda Williams”, “Richie Havens”, “John Prine” Christine Lavin”, “Dar Williams” ”The Kingston Trio”, ”Alison Brown, ”Adrian Belew”, ”Spiro Gyra, Dar Williams, and many of the best acoustic guitarists in the world including “Andy McKee”, “Pete Huttlinger”, “Phil Keaggy”, ”Alex DeGrassi”, ”Stephen Bennett”, ”John Doan”, ”Beppe Gambetta”, Doug Smith”, ”Dan Crary”, Laurence Juber and many, many others.

A winner of many acoustic and electric guitar awards, he has also been a finalist in the prestigious National Fingerstyle Contest in Winfield, Kansas, the National Guitarmageddon regional finals in Boston and in New Age Reporters Top 10 for 2006 and 2010.

“Brian’s fretwork is masterful, elaborate and he makes every note count…His compositions are harmonious, sometimes complicated, but always engaging…Brian Henke’s music is organic, mesmerizing and best of all magic.” – RJ Lannon New Age Reporter

Brian Henke “Seven Magic Spells” 2012

Fans of Brian Henke’s absorbing, expressive and intoxicating acoustic compositions will revel in his aptly titled 7th release “Seven Magic Spells”. With fretwork that is alternately poetic, symphonic and balletic in breadth and depth, Henke truly creates magic with his custom double neck harp guitar and a Larrivee LC-09. Compositionally, Henke creates a sonic journey worthy of a mythological hero. It begins with a sense of unfulfilled longing in “Good Morning Gypsy Moon” and wanders through one sweeping musical adventure after another, some pastoral (“Magic Spell #1: Breath In, Breath Out”), others fraught with danger (“Magic Spell # 3: Fire in the Dark”), only to resolve in the idyllic and peaceful “Magic Spell # 7: Floating”. “Seven Magic Spells” mesmerizes with a sense of gestalt similar to a concerto. Remarkably, Henke is the instrumentalist and the orchestra in one. – James Filkins

Brian Henke MP3 Audio File Links

Light of Dreams

Man in the Moon

Dream Within a Dream

Free Dulci-More Solos, Duets, & Small Groups Concert

Replacing Cancelled The Honey Dewdrops Concert

Saturday, April 16 at 7:00 PM

A Dulci-More Gift to the Community – This One Is Free

But Donations Are Welcome to Help with Expenses

Bill & Anita Gorman

Bill Schilling with Kathy & Rich Small

Peanut Butter & Jelly Jam

Fanella (Paddy) Lang with Jack & Bonnie Lutz

Several Dulci-More members will perform in a free concert to replace the Honey Dewdrops concert which was cancelled by the performers just after Dulci-More announced that it had been scheduled.

Anita & Bill Gorman were founding members of the Slightly Irish Singers in the 1980s. Anita is organist and choir director at St. Michael Parish, Canfield. She also plays guitar and fiddle. Bill is a choir member and cantor at St. Michael's and plays both the harmonica and the string bass at the church.

Bonnie Lutz and her husband, Jack, have played with Dulci-More since 2002. They also have played at various festivals with Angel Band and Sweet Pickens dulcimer groups. In Florida, they played with the Caloosahatchee Dulcimer Society and Fiddle Support Group at various festivals and the Florida State Fair. They started a band called The Happy Retirees that played at various senior centers and nursing homes throughout Lee County. In Ohio, they led Praise Music at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Rogers, Ohio, have played nursing homes in Columbiana and Calcutta, and have played special music at several churches in Columbiana County.

Fanella (Paddy) Lang has been singing all of her life. She loves to find obscure songs of many types and give them her own interpretations. She often sings a cappella, but also accompanies herself on autoharp, bowed psaltery, and mountain dulcimer. When she has volunteered as an interpreter for extended periods at national parks in Alaska, New Hampshire, and elsewhere, she has found ways to use her music in those positions.

Bill Schilling has been singing and playing various folk instruments for over 45 years. He has performed for audiences of all ages in many settings from coast to coast. Since Bill believes that his music should be inclusive, he is involved in many groups which share music. He is the founder and leader of Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians, director of the annual Dulci-More Festival, an original member of the Canton Folk Song Society, current leader of the Dulcimer Society of Trumbull County, a charter executive committee member of Folknet, and Music Coordinator of Folk Music at Weatherbury Farm.

Rich & Kathy Small include a combination of Folk, Old Time Gospel, and Bluegrass Music in their performances. They have appeared regionally at various Community Festivals, Civic, Church, and Veterans functions. They were the performing hosts for The Old Time Gospel Fest Concert series at the Bluebird Amphitheater and directed the State Award winning Arts of Appalachia Music Camp for children in Carroll County Ohio. Expect to hear lots of harmonies in their combined voices while Rich may add autoharp, guitar, mountain dulcimer, ukulele, and harmonica and Kathy may add bowed psaltery, ukulele, and mountain dulcimer.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Jam (PB&J) combines Paddy (Fanella) Lang with Bonnie & Jack Lutz. All of them sing, and Fanella may add autoharp, bowed psaltery, and mountain dulcimer, Bonnie may add guitar, mandolin, banjo, strumstick, and more, and Jack may add mountain dulcimer and mandolin. Together, they have played nursing homes and special music for several churches around Columbiana County.

Bill Schilling with Rich & Kathy Small have enjoyed giving workshops and performing together (and with others) for a few years at several festivals and concert venues including Mountain Rose Concerts, Lantern Tours at Hale Farm & Village, Canton Folk Song Society's Winterfest, Central Ohio Folk Festival, Coshocton Dulcimer Days, Dulci-More Festival, Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival, Montani Semper Liberi, Music Along the River, Music in the Valley, and others.

Bing Futch Concert

Sunday, May 1 at 2:30 PM

Mountain Dulcimer, Ukulele, & Native American Flute Specialist, & Singer-Songwriter from Orlando, Florida

With a big smile and wild dreadlocks, Bing Futch kicks off every performance with a buoyant energy that is inviting and energizing. Using Appalachian mountain dulcimer, Native American flute, ukulele, drums, and electronic effects, he deftly navigates the varied waters of traditional and modern Americana with passion, wit, and a genuinely huge heart for sharing music with a crowd.

Known for his musical shape-shifting, Futch switches the channels on style with every new song, sung in a limber tenor voice and woven together with the other instruments. His casual way with any audience, coupled with a fierce originality on the lesser known mountain dulcimer, makes each show a one-of-a-kind and good-timing romp.

As a nationally touring solo performer he's headlined at such events as The Florida Folk Festival, Old Songs Festival, The Big Muddy, Kentucky Music Weekend, Common Ground On The Hill, and our own Dulci-More Festival three times.

With a strong love for traditional music, Futch has enjoyed a career on both sides of the folk and rock divide, first as guitarist for CCM post-punkers Crazed Bunnyz in 1986 and much later in 1999 as co-founder of Mohave on mountain dulcimer. That band, with bassist Mike Burney and drummer McGyver, took off after their debut performance at the House of Blues at Walt Disney World and over the course of the next seven years would become a crowd favorite and open for the likes of Molly Hatchet, St. Somewhere and The Crests.

In 2006, Futch began performing solo at county fairs and festivals across the country, along the way opening for Grammy-award winning act The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Grammy-award nominated artists Sam & Ruby, bluesman Scott Ainslie, and sharing the stage with Grammy-award nominated act The Dixie Beeliners among others.

He has recorded a number of albums and published several music-education books including the best-selling "Blues Method For Mountain Dulcimer 101." His love for blues music has led him to teach workshops on playing Delta blues on the mountain dulcimer all across the country as well as writing articles on the subject in Mel Bay's Dulcimer Sessions and Dulcimer Players News. As a member of the Orange Blossom Blues Society, he helps with the organization's mission of presenting, preserving, and promoting the blues by participating in the "Blues In The Schools" program in central Florida. In 2014, Bing won the "Solo Artist" award in the Central Florida Blues Challenge competition, earning a coveted entry into the 2015 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. Taking the mountain dulcimer where it had never gone before, Bing competed in the quarterfinals and advanced to the semifinals, gaining new notice and fans for himself and this unique instrument. Several months later, Bing competed in the 2015 Central Florida Blues Challenge and won the Solo/Duo Award for the second year in a row.

Futch's music has been featured in film and video productions, video game soundtracks, and exhibits at the Orlando Museum of Art. He was composer and musical director for "The Jungle Book: A Musical Adaptation" which ran for 66 shows at Stage Left Theater in Orlando, Florida. He also contributed music to the soundtrack of The Castle of Miracles at Give Kids The World Village in Kissimmee, Florida.

Futch can often be found teaching music workshops at various festivals and colleges, presenting music education programs at schools and libraries, and producing episodes of his video podcast "Dulcimerica", which has been viewed by over a million people worldwide and is currently in its eighth season. He is also the host of "Rhythm Roots", an hour long video program on DittyTV, The Americana Music Network.

In traveling over 30,000 miles a year, Futch's home away from home is a 21 foot long Winnebago Warrior that has been dubbed "Rita." While off the road, he lives in Orlando, Florida with his wife, Jae, and a menagerie of critters.

Spring 2015 Concert Series

Hunter Walker on Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 PM

Jan Hammond & Paul Conrad on Sunday, April 26 at 2:30 PM

Hunter Walker Concert

Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 PM

Mountain Dulcimer Specialist, Singer, & Multi-Instrumentalist from Beckley, West Virginia

Hunter Walker is a 21 year old Spanish major at Concord University. He has won the Mid-Eastern Regional Dulcimer Championship and West Virginia State Championship as well as being in a band that won the neo-trad championship in 2014 at the Appalachian String Band Festival. He says, “My specialty is music that you would have heard from the settlers. It’s not bluegrass; it’s older than bluegrass. It’s mountain music. You can hear anything in my set from Old Time fiddle tunes to Ragtime to Dixieland piano to classical Beethoven pieces. I don’t know what I’m going to pull out of my hat until I get on stage.”

“I had played Old Time music for about a year, so I had been exposed to it before, but when I saw the dulcimer, I really fell in love with the music,” Walker goes on to say in an interview with The Daily Times in Maryville, TN. “That was in September; the following Christmas, I got one as a present, and it pretty much never left my lap. The following summer, I won some contests, and eventually I kept winning some more.”

Walker was drawn to both the history and the versatility of the instrument, he said. Developed in Appalachia, the mountain dulcimer is a uniquely American instrument — although it shares similarities with other diatonic, fretted instruments of the zither family, the mountain dulcimer has no known predecessors in Ireland or Scotland, and it’s speculated the mountain dulcimer was crafted by Appalachian settlers who were unable to build violins for lack of tools and time.

“It’s the easiest stringed instrument to get music out of, but it can be more complex than any other one, and that’s what intrigued me — the possibilities and the simplicity at the same time,” Walker said. “I just kind of thought of learning like I would learning a language: It’s a means of extension as to how I feel or what I’m doing, and it’s like how you don’t recall learning a language as a kid.

“With music, I don’t really recall learning it. Of course it was learned; it’s just the way a kid learns language. They speak because they have to; doing so comes from what you need to say and express.”

Walker has released his debut solo CD, “Down Yonder,” and he’s a frequent instructor at workshops around the country including the Vandalia Gathering in Charleston, WV; Coshocton Dulcimer Days in Roscoe Village; the Harmony Harvest Festival and the Spring Thaw Dulcimer Fling in Lancaster, Ohio; the Pickin’ Porch in Townsend, TN; and others. His youth and boyish good looks are occasionally disarming, he added with a chuckle: “I’ll walk into a classroom or a workshop as the teacher, but I’ll sit down and start talking to people, and one of them will inevitably ask me, ‘When is the teacher going to get here?’”

Jan Hammond & Paul Conrad Concert

Sunday, April 26 at 2:30 PM

Mountain Dulcimer Specialists Singers, Songwriter, Poets, and Storytellers from Wadsworth & Millersburg

Jan Hammond is an accomplished composer, lyricist, and vocalist with four solo CDs and one duet CD with guitar master Tom Conner. Jan is a two-time Kentucky State Mountain Dulcimer Champion, the only four-time winner of the Mid-Eastern Regional Dulcimer Championships, and a Top Five Finalist and a 3rd Place winner at the National Mountain Dulcimer Championships. She is a Certified Music Practitioner. Jan teaches, leads workshops, and performs at a variety of venues including festivals, coffee houses, healthcare facilities, house concerts, church services, and various events throughout the country. Jan has presented at the Buckeye Dulcimer Festival, Dulci-More, Southeast Ohio Dulcimer Festival, Phoenix Folk Festival, Kent State Folk Festival, Kentucky Music Winter Weekend, and Swannanoa Gathering. She was the headliner at the 2012 Coshocton Dulcimer Days Festival. Her website is www.janhammond.net

Paul Conrad has been building and playing dulcimers for nearly a decade. He enjoys using local woods and combining them in interesting ways and patterns. As a player, he particularly enjoys playing in duets and small ensembles. In addition to his workshops, Paul takes his instruments to many folk festivals as a vendor, and he often acts as a "dulcimer doctor" at those festivals. His website is www.timbrehilldulcimers.com.

Together they have played Mountain Rose Concerts and other places.

Fall 2014 Concert Series

Kim & Reggie Harris on Sunday, September 28 at 4:30 PM

Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen on Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 PM

Bonus Concert from Salem Historical Society for Free (Donations Welcome)

Andy Blyth Accompanied by Bill Schilling on Saturday, October 25 at 7:00 PM

Kim & Reggie Harris Concert

Sunday, September 28 at 4:30 PM

Singers, Songwriters, and Guitarist from Philadelphia

Consummate musicians and storytellers, Kim & Reggie Harris are a mini festival of diversity. Combining traditional African-American spirituals and freedom songs with original folk, they sing of life, love, the quest for freedom, environment and community. Their latest CD, “Resurrection Day,” binds these themes into a profoundly moving personal odyssey of inspiration and hope, adding Reggie’s experience as an organ donor recipient to the social justice palette. For over two decades, Kim & Reggie have been affiliated with the John F Kennedy Center’s Partners in Education program, offering multimedia educational performances for students and community, “Music & The Underground Railroad” and “Dream Alive.” This is their first time performing for Dulci-More and in Salem with their "Songs of Hope & Freedom" program.

Admission is $10 per person, and an additional $5 covers all of the children in a family. This is part of the Dulci-More Fall 2014 Concert Series. All Concerts in the Series will be in the Meeting Room of the Dale Shaffer Research Library of the Salem Historical Society, 239 South Lundy Avenue, Salem, OH 44460. Use the Lundy entrance, not the entrance from Dale Shaffer Way (was East Alley). A Salem Municipal Parking Lot is directly across Lundy from the venue.

Consummate musicians and storytellers, Kim and Reggie Harris combine a strong folk and gospel legacy with a solid background in classical, rock, jazz and pop music. Creative curiosity, years of road and stage experience and interactions with performers such as Pete Seeger, Ysaye Barnwell, Jay Leno, Tom Paxton, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Harry Belafonte and others, has led them to produce music that entertains and inspires.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, a city rich in cultural and musical heritage, Kim and Reggie's early exposure to the diversity of musical styles and genres was nurtured in the schools and churches of their youth.

Audiences at venues such as The Kennedy Center, The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Smithsonian Institute, Reunion Arena in TX, the Psalm Festival in Graz, Austria, as well as a myriad of theatre arts centers, festivals, universities and schools, have given this inspiring duo standing ovations for their vibrant performances.

As a result of their CDs "Steal Away" and Get On Board" (Appleseed Recordings) and materials developed in their work with the Kennedy Center, Kim and Reggie have earned wide acclaimed for their contributions to the resources and knowledge base - in historical and educational circles - on the Underground Railroad and the modern civil rights movement.

With numerous recordings on the Appleseed Recordings and the Folk Era labels they are also featured on a number of compilations, films and educational projects worldwide.

Kim was awarded her Ph.D. in Liturgy and Music from Union Theological Seminary in NYC and both continue to write, record and produce music as a means to promote creativity, education, social responsibility and understanding in the world community!

Kim and Reggie Harris are dynamic and superbly talented traditional folk performers, whose captivating stage presence and unique harmonies has earned the respect and love of audiences throughout the US, Canada and Europe for over 30 years. They are unique in their ability to entertain audiences of any age and background as they blend their talents as singers, songwriters, educators, interpreters of history and cultural advocates.

Steve Gillette & Cindy Mangsen Concert

Thursday, November 6 at 7:00 PM

Singers, Songwriters, and Guitarist from Philadelphia

Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen have been performing together for 25 years, bringing together their love of traditional music and their wealth of original songs. Accompanying themselves with guitars and concertinas, their live performances are known for rich harmony, compelling songs and a good dose of humor. Their six duet albums have appeared on many folk Top Ten lists, from the WFMT Midnight Special (Chicago) to The Boston Globe.

Steve Gillette has been writing songs since the 1960's. Since Ian and Sylvia first recorded "Darcy Farrow" in 1965, Steve's songs have been covered by John Denver, Garth Brooks, Linda Ronstadt, Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Josh Ritter, and many others. But Steve's own versions are some of the best, with his warm baritone voice and his unique finger-picking guitar style (using a flat-pick and two fingers). Steve has many solo and duo (with Cindy Mangsen) recordings available. His solo album, Texas and Tennessee, was named one of the Top Ten Folk Albums of the Year by Tower Records. Steve has conducted songwriting workshops all over the US and Canada, and has been a long-time participant in The Kerrville Folk Festival. He is author of the book Songwriting and the Creative Process, a standard text in songwriting groups.

Cindy Mangsen is "one of the finest singers in American folk music" (Come for to Sing). Accompanying herself on guitar, banjo, concertina, or mountain dulcimer, Cindy is known for her compelling interpretations of traditional ballads, as well as for her own writing and her wonderful ear for harmony. She has recorded several solo albums (Songs of Experience received the Editor's Choice Award from Crossroads), as well as collaborations with Steve Gillette, Priscilla Herdman, Anne Hills, and Michael Smith. Her latest solo album, Cat Tales, is devoted to "songs of the feline persuasion." Cindy has led singing and ballad workshops at the Augusta Heritage Center in West Virginia and The Woods in Ontario, Canada.

Matt Watroba said in Sing Out Magazine, "Steve and Cindy have hit on a combination that consistently produces high quality recordings and entertaining stage shows. Their voices and their styles meld seamlessly with a gentleness and a maturity that is unmatched in the world of folk duos."

Bonus Concert from Salem Historical Society for Free (Donations Welcome)

Andy Blyth Accompanied by Bill Schilling on Saturday, October 25 at 7:00 PM

The Salem Historical Society has scheduled a concert highlighting the history and accomplishments of W.H. Mullins and Salem ’s Mullins Company. This will be held on Saturday, October 25 starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Dale Shaffer Meeting Room, located at 239 South Lundy Avenue. The concert is free, but donations for the ongoing work of the Society will be greatly appreciated.

Andy Blyth, Wandering Minstrel and great grandson of W.H. Mullins, founder of Mullins Manufacturing and Salem philanthropist, will be performing tunes and tales of the bygone age. Accompanying him will be Salem ’s founder of the Dulci-More, Bill Schilling, a son of Lou Schilling who for many years was a tool and die maker at Mullins Manufacturing. Bill has been singing and playing various folk instruments for over 45 years with high-energy productions in Salem and all across the country.

Andy is a long-time family friendly folk musician - but he also co-founded a well-known children's music band - Tickle Tune Typhoon in Seattle, WA . Andy is featured on several of their albums - which have won coveted Parents Choice Awards. In addition to a lively set of participatory oldies, and historical tales about Mullins (with a little help from the historical society), Andy is also full of tales of his years as a sound engineer n Hollywood and later traveling for network TV coverage of sports events including six Olympics.

Andy is a minstrel with a message - and you won't want to miss this evening, full of nostalgia which also offers an opportunity to sing along on some good ole oldies and build community as well. He and his wife, Sue, presently live on a small farm and intentional community near Lexington , KY. For further information, contact the Society at 330-337-8514.

Spring 2014 Concert Series

Magpie on Saturday, March 29 at 7:00 PM

Madeline MacNeil on Sunday, April 27 at 2:30 PM

Magpie Concert

Saturday, March 29, 2014, 7:00 PM

Singers and Multi-Instrumentalists from New York State

Madeline MacNeil Concert

Sunday, April 27, 2014, 2:30 PM

Singer, Hammered Dulcimer, Mountain Dulcimer from Berryville, VA

Maddie has been with us for Dulci-More Festivals 6, 10, and 15 and previously performed for our concert series in 2002.

A last minute addition to the schedule is Butch Ross of Chattanooga, TN for a house concert at the home of Bill Schilling (contact Bill for directions) on Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at 7:00 PM. Suggested donation for the concert is $10 per person (or more) with an additional $5 covering all the children in a family. A jam with Butch will follow the concert for any who would like to stay.

While he is in the area, Butch will also offer a ukulele workshop at 2:30 PM, a mountain dulcimer workshop at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, August 13, 2013 (see descriptions below), and private lessons as time allows. Suggested donation for the workshops is $15-$20 per person and varies for private lessons depending on time. Please contact Bill or Butch for additional information if needed or to reserve a workshop or lesson slot.

Butch’s Biography says:

Butch Ross can't do anything right.

He plays the mountain dulcimer.

He plays it standing up like a guitar.

He holds it upside and strung backwards.

And Butch Ross plays rock n roll on it.

Despite all this wrongness, somehow it all sounds just right.

Okay, sure, he plays his own funny, poignant songs and some traditional mountain tunes, but somehow, in Butch's hands, they rock, too.

Besides, it's pretty clear that Led Zeppelin always intended for "Stairway to Heaven" to be played on the dulcimer. It just took Butch to figure it out.

Butch Ross was given a mountain dulcimer for his birthday a few years ago, at the time the regionally touring singer/songwriter had no idea of the impact the instrument would have on his career. "I thought it's be cool to have one around the house, but I found myself playing it more and more. It had made music fun for me in a way that I hadn't felt since I first picked up the guitar."

More than "making music fun," this primitive mountain instrument began to open doors for him too. Not long after adopting the dulcimer he met Robert Force a musician, producer, independent label owner, who had once written a best-selling book on the mountain dulcimer. He saw in Butch "a spirit, talent and vision" that he last saw in his own idol; 60's folk-icon Richard Farina. Almost immediately, he offered to sign him to his Blaine St. Records and produce, for free, his debut CD "the Moonshiner's Atlas."

The dulcimer has quickly earned Butch a reputation amongst the dulcimer community as one of the most innovative and exciting players on the scene, He's opened for wide variety of performers from bluegrass comedy artists like Hayseed Dixie and the Cleverlys to folk greats like Small Potatoes, Bill Staines and Jean Ritchie to instrumental masters like Orrin Starr and Jake Shimabukuro, who said, "Now I know what a dulcimer is supposed to sound like." Additionally the dulcimer has found him invited to play festivals and clubs in England, Scotland, Ireland, Sweden, Belgium, Germany and most recently Budapest, Hungary.

Sean Phipps of the Chattanooga Times Free Press says, "His set consisted of folk songs and various instrumentals, including blistering version of Richard Thompson's '1952 Vincent Black Lightning' and The Beatles' 'Eleanor Rigby.' We're lucky to have such a talented, interesting musician living in Chattanooga."

And the Bottom of the Glass Blog quips, "Ross is a guitarist turned mountain dulcimerist who also takes his instruments in directions that others have not considered (or were not capable of). ...his songs were stunning."

Butch also plays and gives workshops on ukulele and guitar.

Uke Workshop: Expressive Chords for the Ukulele

Learn to utilize uncommon (but not difficult) chords to common tunes to create hints of the melody that will help you sing the song and make the arrangement more interesting. If you have an interest in playing Uke in the Chord-melody style, this is the springboard.

Mountain Dulcimer Workshop: From Tune to Arrangement Part 1

Using the tune "Cumberland Gap" we'll learn how a few simple embellishments, and a minor mental adjustment can turn "tunes" into compelling and "arrangements." Make fiddle tunes fun or breathe new life into old chestnuts.

Spring 2013 Concert Series

Dave Haas on Friday, March 22 at 7:00 PM

Gordon Bok on Sunday, April 14 at 2:30 PM

Ed Trickett with Cathy Barton & Dave Para on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 PM

Dave Haas Concert

Friday, March 22, 2013, 7:00 PM

Mountain Dulcimer Specialist from Charleston, WV

Will Also Offer Workshops on Saturday, March 23

Dave Haas lives in Charleston, WV and has been playing the mountain dulcimer since 1990. He teaches dulcimer in both private and group settings, and was the founding member of the “Almost Heaven Dulcimer Club” in Charleston. Dave loves to share the mountain dulcimer and its history with schools, churches, civic organizations, and has even brought the dulcimer to those in prison! Dave has taught and performed with the dulcimer in ten states and is a popular instructor at dulcimer festivals. Dave also plays the guitar and sings He has released six dulcimer instructional book/CDs, four instrumental dulcimer CDs, and a popular dulcimer chord chart. Dave performs solo and with Bob Webb as a musical duo. They have released two CDs; Here Comes The Sun and Starry, Starry Night as a dulcimer/guitar duo. Dave also released What a Wonderful World and Going Home, featuring Bob Webb and Dave’s son, Mark Haas. All the CDs contain dulcimer instrumentals with mostly guitar accompaniment, providing an easy-listening mix of Old Time, Celtic, Christian, and Contemporary music.

Dave also enjoys teaching science as a Chemistry Professor at the University of Charleston. One of his favorite teaching activities is to sing chemistry songs (on dulcimer and guitar) with his students. In addition, Dave plays the guitar, sings, and enjoys leading music on Christian retreat experiences such as Kairos Prison Ministry, The Walk To Emmaus, Cursillo, and Teens Encounter Christ (TEC).

In addition to the concert, Dave will also be giving mountain dulcimer workshops on Saturday, March 23 throughout the day. He plans to offer three hour and a half workshops throughout the day as described below. The workshops will take place at Bill Schilling's home in Salem. The pricing structure (to be paid at the workshops or at the concert the evening before) will be $20 for one workshop, $35 for two workshops, or $45 for all three workshops. Workshop fees include the concert.

9:00-9:30 Gather/Welcome!

9:00-10:20 Fun Fiddle Tunes (Advanced Beginner-Intermediate)

Play faster and cleaner using these left and right hand techniques. Use the “chop” into improve your backup technique. Some songs require a capo. DAD

10:30-12:00 Beautiful Melodies (Advanced Beginner-Intermediate)

Improve your playing of slow melodies by picking the notes one at a time. Learn left and right hand techniques to facilitate smooth playing and improve your dynamics. DAD

12:00-1:00 Lunch/Jam

1:00-2:30 Celtic Connection (Advanced Beginner-Intermediate)

Expand your repertoire with Celtic melodies pieces arranged for the mountain dulcimer. Both strumming and arpeggio skills will be used. Bring your capo, a four leaf clover, and a smile! DAD

Pricing:

$20 per person per workshop

$35 for two workshops

$45 for three workshops

Workshop fees include the concert

Get the pdf Flyer for the Dave Haas Workshops here.

Gordon Bok Concert

Sunday, April 14, 2013, 2:30 PM

Singer/Songwriter, Guitarist, and Much More from Camden, Maine

Very Large Repertoire of Originals and World Music with Over 30 Recordings

Gordon Bok grew up around the boatyards of Camden, Maine. In his early years, he worked on a variety of vessels, from passenger schooners to yachts. He learned many tunes, sea songs, stories, legends and ballads from the people he worked with. Where he couldn't find songs that matched his experiences or needs, he began to write his own, and has kept up a lively flow of poems, songs, stories, choral and instrumental works. He has performed extensively in the United States, and in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. He has appeared on the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor. Gordon's music has been sung by many other performers and has been used for films, most notably the documentary "Coaster: The Adventure of the John F. Leavitt" for which he won an award. Gordon received an honorary Doctorate of Science from the Maine Maritime Academy for his reflection of Maine's maritime heritage in his compositions and performances. His legacy includes over thirty recordings featuring his own compositions and folk tunes from around the world. His extensive repertoire provides a rich well to draw upon for his concerts; he has never sung the same solo concert twice.

"I refuse to tell my audiences what to think or feel: I respect them too much for that. I will sing them what I honor and trust, and trust them to sort out what they can use.

"I'm drawn to songs that show me how others have lived their lives and sorted through their problems – that's the great wisdom in traditional music, and in the songs that will become the tradition in other generations. They've shown me how to live, and if others learn something from my passing them on, that's another pleasure."

Ed Trickett with Cathy Barton & Dave Para Concert

Tuesday, May 7, 2013, 7:00 PM

Singers and Multi-Instrumentalists from Chicago, Illinois and from Boonville, Missouri

Featuring Guitars, Hammered Dulcimers, Banjo, Autoharp, Mountain Dulcimer, Leaf, and More

Ed Trickett with Cathy Barton & Dave Para have worked together on several recordings and have appeared on stage together many times including at Dulci-More Festival 18. They will be featured at the Central Ohio Folk Festival the weekend before coming to Salem for this concert.

Ed Trickett will be coming to us from his home in the Chicago area. He was previously with us for Dulci-More Festivals 11 & 18. Over the years, he has been described as a singer’s singer who has the ability to take a song, get to the heart of it, and share all of it with others. He accompanies his singing with thoughtful and delicate playing on 6 and 12 string guitars and on the hammered dulcimer. Ed says:

I have been collecting and performing folk songs for over 40 years. My early musical influences were Frank Profitt, Larry Older, Bob and Evelyn Beers, George and Gerry Armstrong, and Howie Mitchell. Later I learned from and sang with a number of other musicians whose commitment and talent were extraordinary: Gordon Bok, Bob Coltman, Cathy Barton, and Ann Mayo Muir. Each taught me that it’s the song, not the singer, that’s important. Over the years I’ve performed in coffee houses, colleges, folk music festivals, and varied other occasions in the United States, Canada, and the British Isles. I have also had the opportunity of appearing on several wonderful radio programs across the country, including Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion (St. Paul, MN) and Rich Warren’s Midnight Special (Chicago).

I’ve learned hundreds of songs, and probably forgotten as many as I know. My repertoire ranges from traditional ballads to songs of the sea, labor songs, songs of love, and parodies. I am not a song writer. I am a song finder and a song crafter. I gravitate toward beautiful melodies and good stories. While I play primarily 6 and 12 string guitar, I also play the hammered dulcimer, which I use primarily as an accompaniment instrument. Singing with the hammered dulcimer is a little like rubbing your stomach and patting your head while singing. My recording efforts began in 1964 with the Golden Ring (Folk Legacy #16), a loose collection of friends who used to gather in the living room of George and Gerry Armstrong in Wilmette, Illinois. I’ve been part of 4 other ensemble recordings since then, as well as recording 4 solo albums, the most recent of which is Echo on the Evening Tide (Azalia City Recordings). In addition, for 26 years I sang with Gordon Bok and Ann Mayo Muir, out of which came 10 CDs. I’ve also had the privilege of accompanying a number of wonderful musicians, including Don McLean, Rosalie Sorrels, Mark Spoelstra, Sara Grey, Sally Rogers, Cathy Barton & Dave Para, and Joe Hickerson.

My greatest musical disappointment was going to Woodstock in 1969 with Dave Bromberg and Rosalie Sorrels, getting flown by helicopter at dawn and seeing all those people, but, in the final analysis, not getting to play on what admittedly was one of the more minor stages.

Cathy Barton and Dave Para have created dynamic performances acclaimed for 25 years for their variety and expertise in vocal and instrumental music. They have celebrated the musical traditions and folklife of Missouri and the Ozarks in festivals, clubs, concert halls, schools, and studios across the U.S. and Europe. Their audiences are as diverse as their repertoire.

Children of the folk revival, both Dave and Cathy can credit older sisters with sparking their interest in folk music in the early 1960s. Their life in rural Missouri has focused that interest.

Of their ten recordings, the first few and most recent few were-self produced. In 1982 the Walnut Valley Occasional called their Ballad of the Boonslick album "the finest acoustic music heard this year." The release of their On a Day Like Today album in 1986 for Folk-Legacy Records was a special achievement. This small, family-run record company renowned for exceptional recordings of important traditional and contemporary folk musicians has greatly influenced Dave and Cathy and helped to inspire their study of traditional music in their own community. Teaming up with the company's founders, Sandy and Caroline Paton, they produced an album of lesser known Christmas music, 'Twas on a Night Like This, which the American Library Association named a Notable Recording in 1990. They have appeared on several other recordings with the Patons, Ed Trickett, Ramona Jones, Bob Dyer, Wade Hampton Miller, Jay Round and Ron Penix, Judy Domeny, and Lisa Redfern.

In 1993 and again in 1995, Dave and Cathy conspired with friend and musician Bob Dyer to produce two landmark recordings of songs from the Civil War in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas, Johnny Whistletrigger, and Rebel in the Woods. Both albums were named "Notable Recordings" by the American Library Association.

Cathy & Dave performed and gave workshops at Dulci-More Festival 18.

Dulci-More Solos, Duets, & Trios Concert

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 at 7:00 PM

A Dulci-More Gift to the Community – This One Is Free

But Donations Are Welcome to Help with Expenses

Marty Becker & Norma Firth say: Some twenty years after going to the same high school, our paths crossed at a Folk music event. The music wasn't all new to us, but some of the instruments were new to us. We both were smitten by the lap dulcimer. Since then we have entertained at nursing homes, churches, grade school classes, craft shows, and festivals. We love to "Jam" together and teach the lap dulcimer and folk music to children and adults. We can't live without music.

Leanna Dugan & Lois Mountz have performed together at a few locations including the Grand Opening of the Dale Shaffer Research Library. Leanna Dugan joined Dulci-More in 2003. She has performed at various festivals and civic events as both a solo performer and with other musicians. She sings and plays guitar and mountain dulcimer. Lois Mountz is a graduate of Salem High School, and Ohio Wesleyan University followed by graduate work at YSU in Fine Art. She taught elementary education for 10 years, then focused on creating fine art and started Mountz Gallery. She has served in organist positions for 25 years, and has enjoyed hammered dulcimer for 10 years.

Norma Firth, Helen Shivers, & Sue Sabatino playing lap dulcimers, have performed with Dulci-More in their many venues, as well as soloists and duos in nursing homes, churches, and small groups.

Anita & Bill Gorman were founding members of the Slightly Irish Singers in the 1980s. Anita is organist and choir director at St. Michael Parish, Canfield. She also plays guitar and fiddle. Bill is a choir member at St. Michael's and plays both the harmonica and the string bass at the church.

Anita Gorman & Helen Shivers met through Dulci-More and enjoy playing fiddle duets together.

Jack & Bonnie Lutz have played with Dulci-More since 2002. They also have played at various festivals with Angel Band and Sweet Pickens dulcimer groups. In Florida, they played with the Caloosahatchee Dulcimer Society and Fiddle Support Group at various festivals and the Florida State Fair. They started a band called The Happy Retirees that played at various senior centers and nursing homes throughout Lee County. In Ohio, they lead Praise Music at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, Rogers, Ohio, have played nursing homes in Columbiana and Calcutta, and have played special music at several churches in Columbiana County.

Bill Schilling has been singing and playing various folk instruments for over 40 years. He has performed for audiences of all ages in many settings from coast to coast. Since Bill believes that his music should be inclusive, he is involved in many groups which share music. He is the founder and leader of Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians, director of the annual Dulci-More Festival, an original member of the Canton Folk Song Society, current leader of the Dulcimer Society of Trumbull County, a charter executive committee member of Folknet, and Music Coordinator of Folk Music at Weatherbury Farm.

Rich and Kathy Small include a combination of Folk, Old Time Gospel, and Bluegrass Music in their performances. They have appeared regionally at various Community Festivals, Civic, Church, and Veterans functions. They were the performing hosts for The Old Time Gospel Fest Concert series at the Bluebird Amphitheater and directed the State Award winning Arts of Appalachia Music Camp for children in Carroll County Ohio.

Four Shillings Short Concert

Friday, November 21, 2012 at 7:00 PM

Masters of Over 30 Instruments from Ireland & California

Singer/Songwriters and Interpreters of Songs

Four Shillings Short have a repertoire of music that ranges from the Celtic lands to the Americas and from Medieval & Renaissance Europe to India. They are performers and educators who perform on a fantastic array of instruments (over 30) including Hammered Dulcimer, Mandolin, Mandola, Bouzouki, Tinwhistles, Recorders, Medieval and Renaissance Woodwinds, North Indian Sitar, Charango, Bowed Psaltery, Banjo, Bodhran, Guitar, Percussion, vocals, and even a Krumhorn. Celebrating their 16th year together, the husband/wife duo, of Aodh Og O Tuama from Cork, Ireland and Christy Martin from California, tour in the US and perform at Celtic and Folk festivals, theatres and performing arts centers, coffeehouses, folk societies, libraries, schools, yoga and retreat centers, historical societies, and churches. They have several different shows they offer as well as workshops. In a single night, Four Shillings Short perform Traditional Irish tunes and airs, Indian Ragas, Folk Ballads, Old-Time songs, Medieval & Renaissance instrumentals and a cappella numbers as well as contemporary folk and original compositions.

Library & School Programs: As an offshoot of our music, they have created a program for schools and libraries to introduce young audiences to the range of instruments and repertoire of music they perform. In the program, they perform music from Ireland, Scotland, England, America, Medieval Europe, and India on a variety of instruments. Their fees vary with each school & library and what they can afford.

Recordings: Four Shillings Short has recorded seven CDs from 2002-2012. They should have most of them available at this concert.

The Hired Hands Concert

Friday, December 21, 2012, 7:00 PM

Scottish & Celtic Family Band from Lisbon, Ohio

Includes Current & 2008 National Scottish Harp Champions

The Hired Hands are a very local group for our concert series (living in Lisbon although some are in college around the country) and have attended some workshops at our Dulci-More Festivals in the past as well as a couple of Dulci-More meetings over the years. Their preference is for Scottish music (with some Irish and other Celtic music mixed in). Dulci-More Festival 15 was the first time that some of the group members gave workshops at a festival, and they were back for Dulci-More Festival 16, 17, & 18. For Dulci-More Festival 18, we featured them in an evening concert after many who heard them the past three years asked us to let them hear more of the Hired Hands. These sisters from the Miller family include:

Allison Miller began her musical career at age three with Suzuki piano lessons under the tutelage of Carol Wunderle, and although she continued to play piano for the next thirteen years, she picked up the harp at age fourteen and began to explore the traditional music scene. She attended workshops at the Ohio Scottish Arts School and, after completing an undergraduate degree in biology, had the opportunity to pursue post-graduate studies in Clarsarch (Scottish small harp) and Scot's Song at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland. Allison taught with the Comhaltas coinin Erin group in Scotland, has taught both privately and publicly in America, and has appeared in concert in Scotland, Canada, and at multiple venues in the States. She and Sairey play as a duo, The Hired Hands, and they released their first CD, Something, in the spring of 2009. She has completed her Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and she hopes to bring both good tunes and ergonomic playing techniques to the field. Allison is the current National Scottish Harp Champion.

Sairey Miller, currently a Senior at Christendom College in Virginia, has played Suzuki piano under Mary Louise Foster for ten years, but it wasn't until she began playing harp at age nine that she truly discovered her love for traditional music. She has taken workshops at the Ohio Scottish Arts School and at the 2007 Edinburgh International Harp Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has had the privilege of studying under such diverse musicians as Sue Richards, Ann Heymann, and Sharon Knowles of the US, Wendy Steward, Catriona McKay, and William Jackson of Scotland, and Robin Huw Bowen of Wales. She has competed extensively and was awarded first place in the Master’s division at the National Scottish Harp Competition in 2008.

Laura Miller (age 17) has studied the Suzuki piano method under Mary Louise Foster since age six, and picked up the violin at age 10. She attended the Ohio Scottish Arts School and was duly converted to the realm of traditional music -- she now plays only Scottish, Irish, Quebecois, and Welsh fiddle tunes. Since 2005, she has studied under fiddle masters Andre Brunet of Quebec, Anna Wendy Stevenson and Mike Vass of Scotland, and Ed Pearlman of Maine, and she has competed at the Ohio Scottish Games, the Ligonier Highland Games in Pennsylvania, and most recently at the 2010 National Fiddle Competition in Virginia. She is currently attending college in Colorado.

Micah Miller (age 16) has studied the Suzuki piano method under Mary Louis Foster for the past ten years and picked up the Anglo concertina in 2005. With the concertina she is mainly self-taught, learning tunes by listening to CDs and playing with her sisters. In addition, however, she has had the chance to take workshops with brilliant concertina players such as Grainne Hambly, Caroline Keene, and Frank Edgley. The lighthearted tone of her concertina may be heard on several tracks on the family CD and she often joins her sisters onstage.

Maggie Miller (age 13) began playing the piano at age 6 and found her niche in the traditional music scene when she picked up the tin whistle three years ago. She enjoys performing with the family band and has attended tin whistle workshops at the Celtic Roots Festival in Goderich, Ontario. She has also branched out to the Irish low whistle, so listen out for some lovely low undertones during the program!

Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians has sponsored occasional guest artists to present their music to our members and the community in general. These events have been held at the First United Methodist Church of Salem, the Salem Historical Society, the First Presbyterian Church of Salem, and the Kent Salem Campus. Performers from 2000 through 2011 (with several of them making return trips) have included, Tina Bergmann & Bryan Thomas from Brady Lake, OH, Bryan Bowers from Washington State, Patty Looman from West Virginia (joined by Marilyn & Tom Lashuay from Kent, OH and Bill Schilling in one of her appearances), Madeline MacNeil from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia (joined by Guy George from Concord, OH and Bill Schilling), Pete Morton from England, Stephen Seifert from Tennessee, Bill Staines from New Hampshire, Pat Travis & Bill Matlack from Pittsburgh, PA, Susan Trump from New York State, Bob Zentz from Norfolk, VA, and Leela and Ellie Grace respectively from Portland, Oregon and Asheville, North Carolina and originally from Missouri. Mark Alan Wade was snowed out for his April 2, 2005 appearance, and we have finally managed to reschedule that one for April 7, 2017.

Updated February 9, 2024

Presented by Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians

Contact Bill Schilling by e-mail.

Return to Bill Schilling's Home Page.

Links to Other Home Pages Developed by Bill Schilling

Bill Schilling Home Page	Slides, Songs, & Stories	Workshops
D-M Public Domain Songbooks	Dulci-More Home Page	Dulci-More Festival
Songs from Canal Days	Bill, Linda, & Marge	Bill and Linda
Bill Schilling with Carol Gaj	Bill Schilling & Folks	Performances
Dulcimer Society of Trumbull County	Canton Folk Song Society
Folk Music at Weatherbury Farm	New Year's Eve Salem

Contact Information

Bill Schilling

984 Homewood Avenue

Salem, Ohio 44460-3816

234-564-3852
234-564-DULC

bill@billschilling.org

bill@dulcimore.org