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September
9, 2018
Open Jam
|
As many of our
performing members expected to be at the Doylestown
Arts Fest today, this was planned to be a D.I.Y.
meeting. As it turned out, the Fest was rained out,
which freed most of us up to come and jam.
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August 5, 2018
Circle:
Catch Me Now, I'm Falling
|
Songs for
this theme could relate to catching or to falling,
or some other weird reference to the theme. THis
including catching baseballs and falling in love
(but not both in the same song)
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July
1, 2018
Circle:
Fireworks
|
We started the second
half of the year with a bang. Our erstwhile theme
stretchers came up with songs about fire, work, and
sometimes both. |
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June 3, 2018
Circle:
Mom, Baseball & Apple Pie
|
This
all-American theme recognized Mother's Day, baseball
season, and one of America's favorite picnic foods.
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May
6, 2018
Feature:
No Windows |
Following our annual
potluck supper at 5:30, the four lovely ladies of No
Windows celebrated their 25th anniversary by
entertaining us with their stellar harmonies and
captivating lyrics. |
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April 8, 2018
Circle:
Clean Dirt
|
This was
taken a lot of different ways. You could focus on
cleanliness or focus on dirt. But remember, this is
a family get-together, so we kept the dirt clean.
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March 4, 2018
Feature:
Pass the Guitar (Saverio's)
|
In memory
of our dear friend, Saverio Minicucci, his guitar
again rang to the sound of some of his most beloved
tunes as a select group of performers took turns
reliving his music. |
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February 11,
2018
Circle:
Love Letters
|
We originally scheduled
this meeting for Super Bowl Sunday, never thinking
the Eagles had a chance of being there. But it
happened!! And we had to bite bullet and
adjust. The toughest part of this topic was
narrowing it down to a few thousand choices. |
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January 7,
2018
Circle:
After the Dust Settles
|
Hopefully, the holiday
"dust" has settled. But there was also plenty of
politcal, athletic, and other kinds of dust to
settle. |
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December 3,
2017
Feature:
Rick Anderson
|
Tonight we featured our
Vice-President and singer-songwriter, Rick Anderson.
In additon to his originals, he performed many of
your folk favorites. |
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November 5,
2017
Circle:
Food
|
Songs were about food,
about cooking, about eating, or anything else
culinary. |
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October 1,
2017
Circle:
Dead & Gone
|
With Hallowe'en coming
up, it seemed like a good time to get a bit creepy.
This is a very fertile field to plow. There may be
more songs about death than any other topic. Add to
that songs about "gone", and the list is almost
limitless. |
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September 10,
2016
Open Jam
|
Our September meeting in
recent years has often coincided with the Doylestown
Arts Fest, and this year is no exception. As
many of our regulars will be tied up at Doylestown
that day, we will again have a free-form meeting,
also known as "Y.O.Y.O." |
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August 6,
2017
Circle:
Songs beginning with the first letter of your
name
|
Now, how hard could this
be. Doesn't matter what the song is about - just the
title has to fit. However, if your name starts with
the letters "a" or "t", songs that start with the
words "A", "An" or "The" might be pushingthe
envelope a bit. |
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July 2, 2017
Circle:
North
|
We turned our thoughts
northward on a hot summer evening. You can probably
think of many songs with the word, "north" in them,
but you could also consider the Union side in the
Civil War. Or Santa bringing Christmas in
July. |
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June 4, 2017
Circle:
Songs of the Sixties
|
Whether of not we like to
admit it, many of our musical careers got started
with the Folk Revival of the 50's and 60's. So we
dredged up all kinds of old tunes to stir our
memories. |
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May 7, 2017
Potluck Supper & Jam:
No Theme
|
We started out early (at
5:30) with a potluck supper (A-M brings entree, N-Z
brings side or salad). BCFSS will provide drinks. A
free-form jamming session followed. |
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April
2, 2017
Circle:
Fool's Gold
|
We sang
about fools (or politicans - same difference) or
about gold, or found ways to put the two together. |
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March 5, 2017
Feature:
Tom & Marianne Tucker
|
The amazing duo of Tom
and Marianne Tucker harmonize delightfully while
playing almost every instrument and covering almost
every musical genre known to folk singers. |
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February 5,
2017
Circle:
Blood
|
We're not sure what
inspired this topic - perhaps the Superbowl, but it
didn't have to be gory. You could always sing about
relatives - as in "I'm My Own Grandpaw". |
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January 8,
2017
Circle:
War & Peace
|
Yes, it was the 8th of
January, but there are other war and peace songs
besides the Battle of New Orleans. Perhaps the
results of the recent elections could suggest
something. Or the upcoming NFL playoffs. |
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December
4, 2016
Feature:
Double D's
|
Double
D's are a collaboration formed from members of other
groups. Denise Gealer, of "No Windows", gives voice
to familiar tin pan alley tunes while accompanied by
Dave McCullough, of "Highbrow Hound Dogs", on
ukulele. |
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November
6, 2016
Circle:
Winners & Losers
|
We were
only a couple of days away from a whole lot of
winners & losers, millions of them if you
include the voters. But this did not have to be
about politics. Could be romance (or failure of it)
sports, gambling, or anything else that involves
winners and/or losers. |
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October 2,
2016
Circle:
Leaves
|
Yeah, we may be accused
of lacking imagination, but you can use yours to
come up with countless songs relating to leaves, and
it doesn't have to be the kind of leaves that change
color and fall off the trees. So leaf through your
songbook and see what you can find. And remember,
"leaves" can be a verb or a noun. |
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September 11,
2016
Open Jam
|
Our September meeting in
recent years has often coincided with the Doylestown
Arts Fest, and this year was no exception. As
many of our regulars were be tied up at Doylestown
that day, we again had a free-form meeting, also
known as "Y.O.Y.O." |
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August 7,
2016
Feature:
Side By Side
|
Side By Side is an early
jazz and eclectic music group, specializing in
songs from the heart. Their favorite musical
genres are: Jazz Standards, Americana, Blues, Folk,
Spiritual. They accompany
themselves on six-string guitar, weissenborn guitar,
and resophonic guitar (dobro). |
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July 10, 2016
Circle:
Animals
|
This time we celebrated
the multitude of furred, featherd, scaled, etc.
critters we share our planet with. |
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June 5, 2016
Circle:
Open Theme
|
Because a number of our
key players were to be at the Dubline Community
Day/Arts Fest, we scheduled an open (a.k.a.
theme-less) circle. |
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May 1, 2016
Circle & Potluck Dinner:
Alphabet Soup
|
No, alphabet soup wasn't
necessarily be on the menu. Instead, our circle
songs had to have something to do with the alphabet.
Or soup. |
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April 3, 2016
Feature:
Phyllis & Friends
|
Phyllis Purves-Smith has
been a key member of the group "Spring Muse" for a
number of years, but tonight she was featured with
the support of a select group of talented friends.
Phyllis is a multi-instrumentalist whose talents
include vocals, whistle, banjo and classic guitar. |
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March 6, 2016
Circle:
Progressive Theme
|
Here we go again with
that totally demented progressive theme circle. That
doesn't mean the songs have to relate to
liberal politics. The theme varies in the course of
the circle as each song has to be related in some
(often obscure) way to the previous one. |
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February 7,
2016
Circle:
Freedom/Struggles
|
The folk music catalog is
overflowing with music addressing this topic, and
some felt free to write their own. The struggle for
freedom never ends. It's part of being alive. |
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January 10,
2016
Feature:
Open Stage
|
We will had time for
about 10-12 individual performances, so a variety of
mucis was heard and enjoyed |
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December 6,
2015
Circle:
Oposites
|
We recently had a circle
theme of things more alike than different, so we
figured it was only fair to give opposites equal
time. |
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November 1,
2015
Circle:
Gospel Tunes
|
We recognize that the
term "gospel tunes" commonly refers to songs from
the Christian tradition, but we also recognize that
we are a group that respects others' convictions, so
so we feel that music from any religious tradition
would be appropriate. |
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October 4,
2015
Feature:
Bert Coffman
|
Long-time BCFSS member,
Bert Coffman, plays folk, bluegrass, gospel, country
and original songs on a multitude of instruments,
but concentrated on Guitar for this evening. He
focused on songs and techniques he has learned in
his 27 years with BCFSS. We heard some things we may
rarely or never have heard him play before, and not
his usual Unsafe At Any Speed repertoire. |
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September 13, 2015
Open Jam
|
Our
September meeting in recent years has often
coincided with either the Doylestown or the Dublin
Arts Fest, and this year was no exception. As
many of our regulars were be tied up at Doylestown
that day, we again have free-form meeting, also
known as "Y.O.Y.O." |
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August 2,
2015
Circle:
"More Alike Than Different"
|
Think in terms of
humanity. As a species, despite our differences,
we're pretty much alike. However, our erstwhile
BCFSS theme-stretchers found many other
interpretations. |
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July 12, 2015
Circle:
"Independence"
|
The struggle for
independence gave rise to many broadsides
chronicling the adventures of various heroes and
villains of the time, but this circle was not
confined to the American Revolution. There are
many other kinds of independence. |
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June
7, 2015
Feature:
Dick & Helen Weed
|
This
husband & wife duo have been performing together
at BCFSS since the society began over 50 years ago.
Their program included selections from the early
days of BCFSS right up to the present time. |
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May
3 2015
Circle:
"Potluck"
|
Since
we're having a potluck supper, we figured the theme
might as well be potluck also. You've probably got a
song you've been dying to play, but it never fits
the theme. Now's your chance. Oh, and sorry to
disappoint the theme-stretchers. |
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April 12,
2015
Feature:
Highbrow Hound Dogs
|
The
HBHD evolved from the most recent version of Group
W-2, playing a mix of Tin Pan Alley, Latin, Jazz
and Bossa Nova music. The members of this exciting
acoustic group are Joel Hanna on guitar, Mat Clark
on double bass, Rory Cohen on drums and David
McCullough on resonator ukulele. All members of
the band share vocal leads lending to a wider
variety of songs that they choose to
interpret. Nick Winter opened. |
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March 1, 2015
Canceled due to Snow:
|
Highbrow Hound Dogs
feature was postponed to April |
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February 1,
2015
Circle:
"Shadows"
|
This theme was inspired
by (what else?) Groundhog Day, but your selections
did not all relate to small, furry, sleepy critters. |
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January 4,
2015
Circle:
"The Beach Goes On"
|
What better topic to
stimulate our creative juices in the depths of
winter cold and darkness. You took us to the
beach any way you could and helped us think about
sand and surf and forget about ice and snow. |
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December
7, 2014
Circle:
"Stars and Scars"
|
Note that
this was Pearl Harbor Day, which inspired the
theme. However, songs did not necessarily have
to relate to the military. You could sing
about the heavens or movie celebrities if you liked. |
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November 2,
2014
Circle:
"Black and White"
|
Note that this was
immediately after Halloween, which inspired the
color selection. However, songs did not have
to relate to Halloween. |
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October 5,
2014
Feature:
Open Stage
|
The first twelve members
to sign up performed an interesting mix of songs.
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September 7,
2014
Circle:
"Overboard (or over-bored)"
|
This didin't necessarily
have to involve ships and oceans, although any song
involving a sinking would do. Or maybe
something about pirates or walking the plank. |
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August 3,
2014
Circle:
"Campfire Songs"
|
Who hasn't sung around a
campfire at one time or another? The possiblities
are endless. |
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July 13, 2014
Feature:
Don Meyer
|
Don Meyer is a
singer-songwriter who has been around the
Philadelphia music scene for many years now. Don's
passion for music comes through loud and clear with
songs that touch your heart with a style that is
reminiscent of the late sixties and early seventies.
Referred to as a Champagne Tenor, Don's
extraordinary vocal range is both clear and strong. |
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June 1, 2014
Circle:
"Celebrations"
|
In June we celebrate Flag
Day, Fathers Day, Summer Solstice, and who knows how
many weddings. Everybody picked one or came up
with something else to sing about. |
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May 4, 2014
Potluck
Supper + Feature:
"Pete Seeger Tribute"
|
As a tribute to a man who
was arguably the all-time greatest influence on the
folk music scene, we will have performances by about
a dozen BCFSS artists. Songs were ones that were
written or performed by Pete, or somehow related to
him. The evening began early with a potluck
supper. |
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April 6, 2014
Circle:
"Rain, Reign, Rein"
|
The possibilities for
this therme were endless. Song subjects ranged
from floods, to monarchies, to horses and almost
anything in between. |
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March 2, 2014
Open Jam:
"No Theme"
|
Due to the forecast
winter storm on Sunday 3/2,
Don Meyer's feature performance was postponed to
July. For those diehards who were willing to brave
the elements, the meetinghouse wase open for jamming
and socializing from 6:30-10:00. |
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February 2,
2014
Circle:
"Saving Time"
|
Yes, we knew it was Super
Sunday, but most of us were more interested in music
than football. We also knew that Daylight
Saving Time was still over a month away, but it
never hurts to think ahead. So think saving
time in a bottle or winding up your grandfather's
clock. It's challenges like this that make
this group tick. |
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Jamuary 5,
2014
Circle:
"Ice Capades"
|
It being January, we
shared songs that had something to do with
ice. The circle was somewhat abbreviated due
to icy weather, but a good time was had by all who
braved the elements. |
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December 1,
2013
Circle:
"Tree Songs"
|
No, it didn't have to be
about Christmas trees. Any kind of tree would
do. Or you could have covered both ends of the theme
with "In The Pines" (but no one did). |
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November 3,
2013
Feature:
Jamie Cook with Lesley
|
Jamie and Lesley were
both greatly influenced by the singer-songwriters of
the ‘60s and ‘70s, including Bob Dylan, Joni
Mitchell, Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs (weren’t we
all!). Jamie has drawn his musical inspiration not
just from traditional and contemporary folk artists,
but also from bluegrass, jazz, blues, and
depression- era American standards. |
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October 6,
2013
Circle:
"Work Songs"
|
Work has always been a
popular theme for songwriters, so you should have
had no trouble finding a song that worked. At
least if you worked at it. The jam was
followed by a Ukulele workshop, mentored by Dave
McCullough. If you didn't have a uke, Dave
assured us that a guitar capoed at the 5th fret
would do fine. |
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September 9,
2013
Circle:
"No Theme"
|
Our September meeting in
recent years has coincided with either the
Doylestown or the Dublin Arts Fest, and this year
was no exception. As many of our regulars were
be tied up at Doylestown that day, we again had a no
-theme circle, i.e. play whatever you want. |
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August 4,
2013
Circle:
"No Sweat"
|
Anything to cool us off
during the dog days. Or maybe something REALLY
easy. Or sing ABOUT something REALLY easy.
Just don't work up a sweat over it or you're
disqualified. |
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July 7, 2013
Circle:
"Diminished & Augmented"
|
Or as some prefer to say
"Augminished & Demented". You know, those pesky
transisitonal chords that no one can follow when
someone leads a circle song. They're really
not all that bad - often you can just move one
finger one fret and get away with it. Or if you're
really creative, trying using those words in a song. |
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June 2, 2013
Feature:
Charles Wells
|
Tonight's meeting
featured one of our most creative and imaginative
singer/songwriters, Charles Wells. A long-time BCFSS
member, Charles is the quintessential folk artist,
treating a universe of subjects with humor and
insight and backing his words with an assortment of
instruments. |
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May 5, 2013
Feature:
Potluck Supper +
"Shape Note Demo & Workshop"
|
After stuffing face at
our potluck supper, we joined in some Sacred Harp
singing, led by Dan Hunter. For many it was
our first chance to learn and participate in this
joyful and moving traditional American vocal music
(also known as Shape Note singing). Dan was joined
by other members of the local Sacred Harp community. |
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April
7, 2013
Circle:
"Just Born"
|
Sure,
give birth to a new song about marshmallow peeps if
you're so inclined. Otherwise the choice of
songs about birth was extensive. Of course there's
always the genre that some blues fans can never
resist about wishing one had never been born. |
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March 3, 2013
Circle:
"Wind Songs"
|
Well, it was the windy
month, after all. Many songs deal with the wind. It
may be wayward, or it may be called "Mariah". Or it
may just "Blow ye". Or maybe even the sound of
the wind near Aragon Mill. You get the idea. |
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February 3,
2013
Circle:
"Soutern Comfort"
|
Songs of the South, Songs
of Comfort, Songs of Liqueur. Or even the Superbowl,
which was held in the South this year at the same
time as our meeting. |
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January 6,
2013
Feature:
Sterling Silver
|
Stories. It's all about
... the stories. The incredible stories. Each song a
story that begs to be told. Love, murder, loyalty,
passion, thievery, treachery, wit, charm, deception,
redemption. Novels in three minutes and eighteen
seconds. Tom Tucker provided the musical context and
theme, Wendy Huber laid out the prose, and John
Wight tied it together with low sounds. |
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December 2,
2012
Circle:
"No Sadness, No Death"
|
We know this put a
serious crimp in the style of some of our regulars,
but for once we wanted to hear songs that were not
sad and where no one dies. Or course that
leaves out murder ballads, failed romances, and most
bluegrass songs, but there were lots of happy songs
still out there. |
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November 4,
2012
Circle:
"Choices"
|
Since this was to be two
days before the entire country made a momentous
choice,we thought we'd go with the conccept, not
that your song had to political - any kind of choice
will do. |
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October 7,
2012
Feature:
"Open Stage"
|
For lack of anyone else
to feature, we opened our stage to a dozen of so of
our regular performers and had a great time. |
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September 9,
2012
Circle:
"No Theme"
|
Our September meeting in
recent years has coincided with either the
Doylestown or the Dublin Arts Fest, and this year
was no exception. As some of our regulars were
tied up at Dublin that day, we will again had a no
-theme circle, i.e. play whatever you want. |
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August
5, 2012
Circle:
"Keep Your Cool"
|
Undoubtedly
keeping cool was be on everyone's mind at this time
of year. Our performers gave us some mental
pictures of ice and snow or at least Cool Water to
take our minds off the summer heat. |
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July
1, 2012
Circle:
"Wild Things"
|
Other
things besides plants can be wild. We heard
about all kinds of wild things besides Wild Irish
Rose, Wild Mountain Thyme, and
Wildflowers. |
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June 3, 2012
Circle:
"Who's Your Daddy"
|
In honor of Fathers
Day. But given the title, we knew our members
could twist this around in all kinds of unthinkable
ways. |
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May 6, 2012
Feature:
Saverio Tribute
|
This month featured a
musical memorial tribute to one of our all-time
favorite BCFSS singer/songwriters, Saverio
Minicucci. We heard many Saverio compositions
performed by various talented BCFSS musicians. |
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|
April 1, 2012
Circle:
"Feet Don't Touch The Ground"
|
Yes, it was April Fool's
Day, but that did not necessarily have
anything to do with our theme. Unless you
wanted it to. |
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March 4, 2012
Feature:
Millville Rose
|
Millville Rose is a trio
consisting of Nick and Lorrie Holm and Shawn Rose,
playing mostly original country-flavored
compositions. |
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February 5,
2012
Circle:
"Fair or Foul"
|
We had songs about the
weather, the upcoming baseball season, the county
fair, or anything else that has to do with fairness
or foulness. |
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January 8, 2012
Feature:
Jacob & Gretta Stone
|
Jacob and Gretta are
long-time BCFSS members who were founding members of
the group, Faith and Practice, before leaving the
area to take on new careers out west. Now that
they're back, we got another chance to enjoy Getta's
singing and guitar playing and Jacob's masterful
banjo picking. |
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December 4,
2011
Circle:
"Fire & Ice"
|
We shared songs to sing
in front of a warm fire on an icy night. Or
anything else related to fire or ice. |
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|
November 6,
2011
Circle:
"Blue, Blew, Bleu"
|
We welcomed songs about
the blues, wind, noses, cheese, or anything related
to these three words. |
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October 2,
2011
Feature:
"Rounds"
|
Several intrepid
performers led the group in a series of rounds -
some we'd never heard of. |
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September 11,
2011
Circle:
"No Theme"
|
Since many of us were at
the Dublin Arts Fest until 5, this was a
not-so-challenging open circle. |
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August 14,
2011
Circle:
"Locks & Keys"
|
Door locks and keys,
hair, canals, jails, small islands off FL. The
possibilities are endless. Except we wouldn't let
you get away with "this song is in the KEY of
G". |
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July 10, 2011
Circle:
"Silent Circle"
|
Play anything you want;
it doesn't have to relate to silence, but no words
of introduction or explanation are allowed. We
get through the circle very quickly this way. |
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June 5, 2011
Circle:
"Water You Up To?"
|
The supply of songs
relating to water was virtually limitless.
Rivers, Oceans, Rain, Ships, etc. |
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May 1, 2011
Circle:
"No Theme"
|
We were originally
scheduled to host our friends from the Full Circle
Music Society in Reading to share some songs with
us. Unfortunately, they were unable to make
it, so we improvised with an open circle. |
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April 3, 2011
Feature:
"Open Stage"
|
Some folks used this as a
warm-up for your showcase performance the following
week. |
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March 6, 2011
Circle:
"Progressive Theme"
|
Here we go again with
that totally demented progressive theme circle. The
theme varies in the course of the circle as each
song has to be related in some (often obscure) way
to the previous one. |
|
|
February 6,
2011
Circle:
"Love Gone Wrong"
|
Probably the number one
theme found in all genres of music. The
possibilities are endless. |
|
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January 9,
2011
Feature:
"Wild Mustard"
|
In the best tradition of
folk music, Wild Mustard takes four performers with
strong music credentials and approaches traditional
songs in a new way, and new songs with deference. |
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December 5,
2010
Circle:
"Ever Green"
|
Here you can focus on the
holiday season, or broaden your horizons to anything
that's either green or eternal (or both). |
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|
November 7,
2010
Circle:
"Even Odds"
|
The date was 11/7 (or
7-11, if you're from the E.U.), so that got us to
thinking about gambling odds. Naturally our
members came through with many other applications of
the two key words, "Even" and "Odd". |
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|
October 3,
2010
Feature:
"Tecla and John"
|
Tecla Gay and John
Catteral put on a great show of country/bluegrass
standards backed by Johns masterful guitar, banjo,
and mandolin picking. |
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|
September 12,
2010
Circle:
"No Theme"
|
Those us who spend the
weekend at the Doylestown Arts Fest often lose
consciousness by meeting time, so this is an open
circle with no theme, just to make life easy.
Yes, we know -- the lack of a theme makes it harder
for some. |
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|
August 1,
2010
Circle:
"Making Tracks"
|
OK, so this could be
about running away, trolleys and trains, or serious
drug addiction. Lots of opportunity for
creativity here. |
|
|
July 11, 2010
Circle:
"Stars & Stripes"
|
This wasn't necessarily a
patriotic theme. There are lots of songs about
stars and somewhat fewer about stripes, but we're
sure you can think of something. |
|
|
June 6, 2010
Circle:
"Bustin' Out"
|
No, this wasn't a Dolly
Parton tribute, although Dolly's songs couldn't be
ruled out. Surely there are other thoughts
that come to mind when "bustin'" is mentioned. |
|
|
May 2, 2010
Feature:
"Full Circle Music Society"
|
On this night we welcomed
our friends from the Full Circle Music Society in
Reading back to share some songs with us.
After a two-year hiatus, it's a real pleasure
to get back together with our brothers and sisters
in song. |
|
|
April 11,
2010
Feature:
"Saddle Sores"
|
The Saddle Sores feature
Del Conner on guitar & vocals; Paul Goldberg,
songwriter and self-professed troublemaker, on
guitar, slide & vocals; Kathryn Reeder on
bass & cello; and Amy Wagner on guitar, fiddle
& vocals. This group likes to have fun and
especially enjoys originals, old slide blues, folk,
swing and old country tunes. |
|
|
March 7, 2010
CIRCLE:
"Progressive Circle"
|
Here we go again with
that totally demented progressive theme circle we
came up with a number of years ago. The theme varies
in the course of the circle as each song has to be
related in some way to the previous one. |
|
|
February 7,
2010
CIRCLE:
"Coming & Going"
|
This theme is wide
open. There's hardly a song that doesn't
involve coming from or going to someone, something,
or some place. |
|
|
January
3, 2010
FEATURE:
Bob Mecklenburger
|
Skilled in a variety
of flatpicking and finger-picking guitar
styles, Bob sings his own music and that of numerous
folk singers and singer-songwriters of the 60s, 70s
and 80s, and up to today. Bob’s strong
baritone voice has been described as reminiscent of
John Denver, Jim Croce, and other
distinctive singers of the folk genre. |
|
|
December
6, 2009
CIRCLE:
"Family"
|
The time from
Thanksgiving to the end of December is traditionally
oriented toward family activities, so we're trying
to do our part. Anything that has to do with
relatives or even relativity will certainly pass
muster. |
|
|
November 1,
2009
CIRCLE:
"Islands"
|
"Islands in the Stream"?
"Jamaica Farewell"? Hawaiian music?
Folks came up with a lot of different approaches to
this theme. |
|
|
October 4,
2009
FEATURE:
Dave McCullough & Friends
|
Dave is our past
president and active member of Group W and Peanut
Butter Jellyfish. He plays almost every kind
of music and brought in additional performers to
back him up on Mandolin, Bass, Dobro, and
Banjo. |
|
|
September 13,
2009
CIRCLE:
No Theme
|
Those us who spend the
weekend at the Doylestown Arts Fest often lose
consciousness by meeting time, so this was an open
circle with no theme, just to make life easy.
Yes, we know -- the lack of a theme makes it harder
for some. |
|
|
August 2,
2009
FEATURE:
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
|
This was a round-robin
format with three singer/songwriters, Kay Ritter,
Sandy Bender (instrumentalist) and Charles Wells. We
could not have picked three more distinct performing
styles. |
|
|
July 12, 2009
CIRCLE:
Silent Circle
|
The deal here was that no
introductions or words of explanation were
permitted. Each performer just went
anonymously into a song on whatever topic suits
their fancy. We even heard a parody of "Sounds
of Silence". These circles move right along,
leaving us plenty of time for our usual eating,
jamming, and socializing. |
|
|
June 7, 2009
CIRCLE:
"Mine!"
|
We had songs about
something you possess or someone you wish to
possess, as well as songs that just relate to a hole
in the ground from which minerals are
removed. |
|
|
May 3, 2009
POTLUCK
SUPPER + FEATURE:
Spring Mix
|
This meeting started off
with a potluck dinner (A-M: entree, N-Z:
Side/Salad). Then we featured Spring Mix, a
multi-instrumental trio who specialize in
traditional instrumental and vocal music.
Accompanying themselves on guitar, whistle, bodhran,
bass, dulcimer, banjo, and various percussion
instruments, their repertoire covers old-time dance
tunes, sea shanties, Irish dance and folk songs,
classic folk songs, and the occasional contemporary
song. |
|
|
April 5, 2009
CIRCLE:
Progressive Theme
|
Here we go again with
that totally demented progressive theme circle we
came up with a number of years ago. The theme varies
in the course of the circle as each song has to be
related in some way to the previous one. |
|
|
March 1, 2009
FEATURE:
Fretnoughts
|
Despite the threat of
snow, the Fretnoughts, Sharon, Joel, and Nick,
played a wide variety of tunes, some familiar and
some original. They accompanied their vocal
harmonies on guitar, mandolin, dobro, and harmonica. |
|
|
February 1,
2009
CIRCLE:
Something Smells Good
|
The forest after a rain,
a pie in the oven, perfume, or maybe the air
after your candidate won the election.
Whatever stimulates your olfactory sense and
motivates your vocal inclinations. It's said
that familiar smells and sounds both inspire
memories. Must be a connection there. |
|
|
January 4,
2009
FEATURE:
Open Stage
|
Unfortunately, our
featured act, Spring Mix, had to postpone to a later
date because of a business commitment.
Instead, we had an open stage format in which the
first 12 volunteers who signed up at the
meeting perform one song each. Spring Mix was
rescheduled to May, 2009 |
|
|
December 7,
2008
CIRCLE:
Songs of Infamy
|
No, the performances
didn't have to be infamous, and although this
particular date has lived in infamy for 67 years, it
was not necessary to address the events of 1941 or
even 2001. Almost every infamous event in
history has been commemorated in song, so there was
a wealth of material. Or the infamy may be
something fictitious. |
|
|
November 2,
2008
CIRCLE:
Spirits & Spirituals
|
Just one day after
All-Saints Day, we'll be addressing the worlds of
spirits and spirituality. Be it spooky or
inspirational, we're ready to hear it. Our
usual hour or two of eating, jamming, and
socializing will follow. |
|
|
October 5,
2008
FEATURE:
Chuck Schaeffer & Friends
|
Playing music based
largely on life experiences, inspired by a wide
range of artists across many different musical
genres, Chuck Schaeffer combines a blend of folk,
bluegrass, country, country rock and
Americana. Chuck is a regular performer on
Heartlands Hayride WDVR-FM, and participates in WXPN
Musicians on Call. On this evening he was
accompanied by long-time BCFSS performers, Tom &
Marianne Tucker. |
|
|
September 7,
2007
CIRCLE:
No Theme
|
Those us who spend the
weekend at the Doylestown Arts Fest often lose
consciousness by meeting time, so this was an open
circle with no theme, just to make life easy.
Yes, we know -- the lack of a theme makes it harder
for some. |
|
|
August 3,
2008
FEATURE:
Jack Butler, Tecla Gay, Richard
Hunt
|
Jack Butler, Tecla Gay,
and Richard Hunt, shared songs with us in a
round-robin format. |
|
|
July 13, 2008
CIRCLE:
Salute to the States
|
Inspired by the
Independence Day holiday, the first states that come
to mind are the 50 that make up the USA, but we're
betting that our creative songmeisters can come up
with references to many other states, geopolitical
and otherwise (state of anxiety,
perhaps). |
|
|
June 1, 2008
CIRCLE:
Country Classics
|
Everybody has their own
idea about what constitutes a country classic.
Is it Hank & E.T. & Loretta, or is it
Jimmie Rodgers and the Carters? Or
maybe Bill and Lester and Earl? Maybe even Roy
and Gene. Whatever it is, we pretty much heard
it all. |
|
|
May 4, 2008, 5:00 pm
POTLUCK
SUPPER
+
FEATURE:
OPEN MIKE
|
It has become a
tradition to invite our brothers and sisters in song
from Reading, PA to be our guests at our annual
potluck supper. After stuffing face, they offer
their ample talents in exchange for ours. A group of
BCFSS musicians return the favor at an upcoming FCMS
meeting. These music swaps are always a delightful
change of pace. Regrettably, Full Circle was
not be able to make it this year, so we had an open
mike instead. We hope to resume our FCMA
exchanges in the future. |
|
|
April 6, 2008
CIRCLE:
Progressive Theme
|
Once again it's that
totally demented progressive theme circle we came up
with a number of years ago. The theme varies in the
course of the circle as each song has to be related
in some way to the previous one. If you have a
particular song you wish to perform, better get your
hand up first at the beginning or hope someone else
does a song you can relate to it. |
|
|
March 2, 2008
FEATURE:
Steve Begley
|
Just a few years back.
Steve Begley, a.k.a. Skip Flatt, blew several
decades worth of dust off his old Gibson J-50 and
hit the open mike scene. Now he specializes in
Piedmont-Style finger-picking. His repertoire
can best be described as "Americana" featuring
traditional & contemporary folk music,
old-time rags & blues. |
|
|
February 3,
2008
CIRCLE:
Matters of the Heart
|
Now how hard could this
be? In February the winter is beginning to
wane, Valentine's Day is here, and our fancy lightly
turns to thoughts of...what else??? No subject
on earth has inspired more music that matters of the
heart. Many songs may not have "heart" in the
title or even in the lyric, but it's the thought
that counts, right? |
|
|
January 6,
2008
FEATURE:
Easily A Muse
|
Easily A Muse is one of
our most recent collaborations, featuring the A
Capella vocals of Carl Hemenway and Gwen
Huber. The unusual combination of Gwen's high
voice with Carl's low voice give this
duo a unique sound. When the group first
formed, they considered calling the group "Tony and
Kim," after Tony Soprano and Kim Basinger. But
they thought better of it. |
|
|
December 2,
2007
CIRCLE:
Saints & Sinners
|
Play us a gospel piece if
you're so inclined. If gospel is not your
thing, there are lots of secular numbers that
would fit the bill. Why you could even salute
New Orleans and their football team. Now
that's what we mean by "theme
stretching". |
|
|
November 4,
2007
CIRCLE:
Changing Time(s)
|
In case you hadn't
noticed, Congress has moved the dreaded end of
Daylight Saving Time to November this year, so here
was a chance to put in your two cents on the
subject, or anything else relating to it. |
|
|
October 7,
2007
FEATURE:
Delaware Crossing
|
Tonight we featured
Delaware Crossing, our "acoustic duo of 'mature'
guys" (their words), who play almost every flavor of
acoustic music imaginable. The focus for this
acoustic group has been on borrowing the good
ol' stuff and making it their own! |
|
|
September 9,
2007
CIRCLE:
No Theme
|
Those us who spend the
weekend at the Doylestown Arts Fest often lose
consciousness by meeting time, so this was be an
open circle with no theme, just to make life
easy. Yes, we know -- the lack of a theme
makes it harder for some. |
|
|
August 5,
2007
FEATURE:
Singer/Songwriter Showcase
|
This format has proved
quite successful over the past year or so.
This month three more of our singer/songwriter
members, Will See, Toby Hill, & Joanne
Adler strutted their best stuff in a round robin
format consisting of 3 songs each.
Regrettably, our fourth scheduled participant,
Marti Rogers, had to bow out due to a family
emergency, but she will undoubtedly appear in a
future showcase. |
|
|
July 1, 2007
CIRCLE:
Speechless
|
This didn't mean you had
to sing about speech (or the lack of it). The
deal here was that no introductions or words of
explanation were permitted. You just went
anonymously into a song on whatever topic suited
your fancy. If it was about silence, so much
the better, although "Sounds of Silence" was done
the previous month. These circles move right
along, leaving us plenty of time for our eating,
jamming, and socializing. |
|
|
June 3, 2007
CIRCLE:
Vision/Blindness
|
The possibilities here
are endless, from "Beautiful Brown Eyes" to "Seven
Spanish angels" (by Ray Charles). Or almost
anything else you can envision. |
|
|
May 6, 2007
POTLUCK SUPPER
+
FEATURE:
FULL
CIRCLE MUSIC SOCIETY
|
It has become a tradition
to invite our brothers and sisters in song from
Reading, PA to be our guests at our annual potluck
supper. After stuffing face, they offer their ample
talents in exchange for ours. A group of BCFSS
musicians return the favor at an upcoming FCMS
meeting. These music swaps are always a delightful
change of pace. |
|
|
April 1, 2007
FEATURE:
Open Mike
|
First 12 signups at the
meeting got to do a number and show off their
stuff. If you've never soloed in front of a
group before, there has never been a better
opportunity to start. |
|
|
March 4, 2007
CIRCLE:
March
Forth
|
This may be the first
time ever that the date itself has matched our
theme. We heard marches, and songs about
marching off, marching home again, marching through
Georgia, or just the month of March. |
|
|
February 4,
2007
CIRCLE:
We've
Got Issues
|
Songs about issues of
concern. Maybe your issue is the state of your
favorite franchise whose season is long since
over. It's your call, but no instant replays
allowed. |
|
|
January 7,
2007
FEATURE:
Unsafe At Any Speed!
|
"Unsafe" is their name,
and not merely an observation. This was a
slightly early observation of the folk, county,
gospel, bluegrass, etc., etc. quartet's 15th
anniversary on the BCFSS stage. |
|
|
December 3,
2006
CIRCLE:
Wise
Men & Otherwise
|
Despite being vaguely
related to the holiday tradition, this theme was
really wide open. Know any songs about
Einstein or Newton? |
|
|
November 5,
2006
FEATURE:
Singer-Songwriters
|
This was a follow-up to
our successful singer-songwriter feature in
August. Singer-songwriters Carol Deaver, Wes
Powers, John Fox, and Bert Coffman presented their
best stuff in a round robin format. |
|
|
October 8,
2006
CIRCLE:
Creepy Crawly Things
|
In honor of Hallowe'en,
naturally! This brought out (in song, of
course) a host of monsters, ghouls, and other creepy
crawly critters. |
|
|
September 10,
2006
OPEN CIRCLE
|
This was the end of the
second day of the Doylestown Arts Fest, so we
decided not to challenge our weary participants with
a theme. |
|
|
August 6,
2006
FEATURE:
Singer-Songwriters
|
Four BCFSS
singer-songwriters presented their best stuff in a
round robin format. We will do this
again soon. |
|
|
July 9, 2006
CIRCLE:
Bastille Day
|
No one lost their head
over this one (we hope!). They just came up
with something revolutionary. It was the best
of songs and the worst of songs, but we didn't cut
anyone off short. |
|
|
June 4, 2006
CIRCLE:
Songs About Instruments
|
There were lots of
possibilities, like "Oh, Susanna" (...with a banjo
on my knee...) and "Mr. Tambourine Man".
Almost every instrument imaginable was represented
in some obscure way or another. |
|
|
May 7, 2006
POTLUCK SUPPER
+
FEATURE:
FULL CIRCLE MUSIC SOCIETY
|
It has become a tradition
to invite our brothers and sisters in song from
Reading, PA to be our guests at our annual potluck
supper. After stuffing face, they offered their
ample talents in exchange for ours. A group of BCFSS
musicians return the favor at an upcoming FCMS
meeting. These music swaps are always a delightful
change of pace. |
|
|
April 2, 2006
FEATURE:
Joe
Mahon
|
Joe sang a mix of
traditional and original tunes, accompanied on banjo
and guitar. His kids provided his source of
inspiration and motivation as they were growing up,
but he is now back to playing for his own
amusement. |
|
|
March 5, 2006
PROGRESSIVE THEME CIRCLE
|
Once again it was that
totally demented progressive theme circle we came up
with a number of years ago. The theme varies in the
course of the circle as each song has to be related
in some way to the previous one. |
|
|
February 12,
2006
JAM:
Informal gathering for brave travellers
|
This was an informal
gathering in deference to the whims of Mother Nature
who had the audacity to snow upon our meeting
location. Two hardy souls actually braved the
elements. |
|
|
January 8,
2006
FEATURE:
Marlowe-Hill
|
The music of Jane Marlowe
and Toby Hill can be described as a fun alternative
to “adult/alternative” music, rendering tunes that
range in style from “tin pan alley,” to
country-blues, to more edgy folk-rock
numbers. |
|
|
December 4,
2005
CIRCLE:
Earth, Wind, Fire
|
Innumerable songs make
reference to one of more of these elements.
There's no end to the possibilities, and we heard
lots of them. |
|
|
November 6,
2005
FEATURE:
Marti Rogers and Tom Levy
(and friends)
|
It had been too many
years since Marti last graced our feature
stage. Joined by her husband, Tom, on bass and
a host of other accompanists, she entertained us in
her inimitable authentic folk style. |
|
|
October 2,
2005
FEATURE:
Open Stage
|
The stage was open for an
hour or so to anyone who wished to sign up at the
meeting -- first come, first served. We had a
dozen volunteer performers for what turned out to be
an excellent show. |
|
|
September 11,
2005
CIRCLE:
Tools of the Trade
|
We heard no musical saws,
but heard songs about an incredible variety of other
tools and tools or trades. And a couple of
really AWfuL puns. |
|
|
August 7,
2005
CIRCLE:
But Siriusly, Folks
|
It was the "Dog Days" of
August, which you probably realize are named after
Sirius, the Dog Star. So we sang about dogs,
stars, hot weather, or any other Sirius
subject. |
|
|
July 10, 2005
CIRCLE:
No Talking
|
This was a
newly-conceived meeting format in which we
participated in a circle that had no theme.
What made this no-theme circle different is that
absolutely no spoken words were permitted.
Introductions of new members and guests took place
before the circle began. It was the fastest
circle anyone could remember, i.e. more time for
food and jamming. |
|
|
June 5, 2005
FEATURE:
Open Stage
|
The stage was open for an
hour or so to anyone who wished to sign up at the
meeting -- first come, first served. We had 13
volunteer performers for what turned out to be an
excellent show. |
|
|
May 1, 2005
INFORMAL
GATHERING
|
This was a
newly-conceived meeting format which was actually no
format at all. There was no formal meeting
because our annual Spring Concert was the night
before, but 13 hardy souls showed up for an intimate
jam session, and a good time was had by all. |
|
|
April 3, 2005
CIRCLE:
House of Cards
|
There are lots of songs
involving houses and lots more about
cards. What a deal! A few really
clever folks put the two together. |
|
|
March 6, 2005
FEATURE:
W.a.T.T
|
W.a.T.T. stands for
Wasserman and Two Tuckers. That would be
flat-picking virtuoso, Dave Wasserman, along with
the amazing duo of Tom and Marianne Tucker, who
harmonize delightfully while playing almost every
instrument known to folk singers. |
|
|
February 13,
2005
CIRCLE:
Love
Letters
|
How much imagination does
this take? We'll be doing love songs, letter
songs, and maybe some songs that are actually about
love letters. All in honor of Valentines Day,
of course. |
|
|
January 9,
2005
FEATURE:
Peter Johnson
|
Peter Johnson is from
Richboro, PA and has performed as a solo
guitarist/vocalist in area pubs and
restaurants. He has been a BCFSS member for
the past two years. |
|
|
December 5,
2004
CIRCLE:
Rime & PUNishment
|
Rime: Another name for
frost.
PUNishment: Don't the CAPs give it away?
We heard songs about ice, songs based on puns, songs
about punishment, and even puns related to frozen
punishment. |
|
|
November 7,
2004
FEATURE:
Nancy & Charlie
|
Nancy Shill and Charlie
Pellegrino entertained us with
some hot fiddle licks and plenty of old time music. |
|
|
October 3,
2004
CIRCLE:
Trick or Treat
|
C'mon folks, how much
explanation does this one need? Do a trick
(song), get a treat (as always). Songs with
tricks, songs about treats, or scary ghost and
monster songs. Costumes were optional. |
|
|
September 12,
2004
FEATURE:
Ken & Donna
|
Music brought Ken and
Donna together and harmony eventually led to
matrimony. Their expert picking and smooth
vocal blends made for a delightful evening.
Did they do "The Kiss at the End of the
Rainbow"? You bet! And oh, by the way,
if you're Dave Carter fan, you weren't disappointed. |
|
|
August 1,
2004
CIRCLE:
Sewing Circle
|
There was no need bring
your sewing machine (unless, of course, it's a
Singer, or you could play a tune on it) We had
songs that had to to with threads or cloth or any
kind of needlework. And some humorous numbers
kept us in stitches. Actually we had more
songs about sowing than about sewing. |
|
|
July 11, 2004
CIRCLE:
Days of the Week
|
Lots of songs refer to
days of the week. We had every day from Sunday
through Saturday and a many other references to
today, and tonight, but no one got creative and came
up with one about daze of the weak. |
|
|
June 6, 2004
CIRCLE:
Gems & Precious Metals
|
Some days are diamonds,
some days are stones, but this day was be a
gem. Many songs have been written about gold
and jewels -- and we heard 'em. |
|
|
May 2, 2004
FEATURE:
Full Circle Music Society
|
It has become an annual
tradition to invite our brothers and sisters in song
from Reading, PA to be our guests at our annual
potluck supper. After stuffing face, they offered
their ample talents in exchange for ours. A group of
BCFSS musicians returns the favor at an upcoming
FCMS meeting. These music swaps are always a
delightful change of pace. |
|
|
April 4, 2004
CIRCLE:
April Showers
|
Let it rain, let it
rain.... This proved to be a soggy circle, as
all offerings had have some connection with rain. |
|
|
March
7, 2004
FEATURE:
Northbranch
|
Northbranch is one of our
more recently formed groups. This eclectic
quintet is stacked with talented and experienced
musicians. |
|
|
February 1,
2004
CIRCLE:
PRESIDENTS & PRECEDENTS
|
A nod to President's
Day. If you couldn't think of a presidential
song, a precedent or precedence would do. If
you could combine them, so much the better. |
|
|
January 4,
2004
FEATURE:
Group W
|
Lisa Wildman and Dave
McCullough have added Saverio Minicucci to form one
of our newest groups. The result was more
than gratifying. |
|
|
December 7,
2003
CIRCLE:
WAR & PEACE
|
In remembrance of Pearl
Harbor, of course. This subject has always
provided fertile ground for musical
inspiration. Perhaps nothing else in human
experience stirs the emotions to such an extent. |
|
|
November 2,
2003
FEATURE:
NEW MEMBERS
|
So many talented new
members had recently joined our ranks that we
decided to feature a group of them in what might be
the first public performance for some. |
|
|
October 12,
2003
CIRCLE:
SONGS OF DISCOVERY
|
This was in honor of
Columbus Day. Lots of songs have been written about
discoverers and discovery. But we wouldn't let
you get away with "I just discovered this
song". |
|
|
September 7,
2003
CIRCLE:
NO THEME
|
Regrettably, our featured
performers, Ken Yavit and Donna Ryder had to
postpone due to a family emergency. We hope to
reschedule them real soon. Meanwhile, we had an open
circle to keep everyone's life simple. |
|
|
August 3,
2003
CIRCLE:
SONGS ABOUT SONGS
|
This was agreed by the
participants to have been one of our all-time best
circles. We may do it again some day. |
|
|
July 13, 2003
CIRCLE:PHOBIAs
|
Everyone has phobias:
some are just more bizarre than others.
Many are entertaining, and those are the one
we especially wanted to hear about. |
|
|
June 1, 2003
FEATURE:
BENT HARPOON
|
There's never a dull
moment when Bent Harpoon takes the stage. This
zany duo defies description, but their off-the-wall
humor and amazing vocal talents never fail to
please. |
|
|
May 4, 2003
POTLUCK SUPPER
+
FEATURE:
FULL CIRCLE MUSIC SOCIETY
|
It has become an annual
tradition to invite our brothers and sisters in song
from Reading, PA to be our guests at our annual
potluck supper. After stuffing face, they offer
their ample talents in exchange for ours. A group of
BCFSS musicians return the favor at an upcoming FCMS
meeting. These music swaps are always a delightful
change of pace. |
|
|
April 6, 2003
CIRCLE:
BODY PARTS
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Yes, we hear you
snickering already. Well just remember this is
a family-oriented society. Our performers were
creative enough to pull this off without getting us
reported to the vice squad (but not by much). |
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March 2, 2003
FEATURE:
BLYND SYGHT
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If you love those "Old
Time" tunes, this is the group for you.
In one short year these 5 guys have developed such a
remarkable repertoire of blazing instrumentals that
your fingers will get tired just watching. And
they do it without actually using a fiddle (but they
do have a mandolin -- the closest plucked instrument
to a fiddle and just as good) |
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February 2,
2003
CIRCLE:
GROUNDHOG DAY
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If you saw the movie,
well don't think this gave you a license to repeat
the same verse 7 times. Beside woodchucks, we
heard about shadows, or winter turning into spring,
or climbing into or out of a hole. |
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January 5,
2003
FEATURE:
NO WINDOWS
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Tonight we observed the
10th anniversary of the first public appearance of
our famous "Four Women In Harmony", a.k.a. "No
Windows". It's hard to believe it was way back
in December 1992 that these talented ladies first
graced our stage. |
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