Plank Road's Regular Events
Sing-Around
1st & 3rd Sat. | 2-4 pm
Vocal instrumental jam and sing-along with songbooks and leader.
Bluegrass Jam
Like a sing-around but it's bluegrass, "mostly!"
2nd Tuesday Song Circle -- BYOS!
Two Way Street Coffee House2nd Tues. | 7-9 pm
A monthly opportunity for musicians to perform songs for each other, within a song circle. Bring Your Own Song!
Plank Road String Band Practice
630-620-0688
2nd Sat. | 2:00-4:00 pm
~September - April~
An old-time string band practice for intermediate/advanced players.
Last Thursday Open Mike
Last Thurs. of every month | 7-9:30 pm
A monthly unplugged open mike for high school and college age students only.
5th Saturday Country and Western
Sing-Around
5th Sat. | 2-4 pm
Sing along with your favorite C&W songs.
- Come join us on July 29, 2017
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Come join the PRFMS String Band
Lombard's Civil War Reenactment
Saturday, July 22 - 1:30
to 4:00pm
Sunday, July 23 - 1:30
to 4:00pm
Four Seasons Park in Lombard
Located between Main St. and Finley Rd.
Parking is available at the Main Street entrance..
Civil
War Days at Blackberry Farm
Saturday, Aug. 12 - 2:30 to 4:00pm
100 S Barnes Rd, Aurora, IL 60506
The 41st Annual
Fox Valley Folk Music
Storytelling Festival
2017 LINEUP WILL FEATURE OVER 30 OF THE FINEST FOLK MUSIC & STORYTELLING ACTS!
CHECK BACK OFTEN FOR UPDATES - SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
MUSIC BY
Ben Bedford ------- Brother Sun
Andy Cohen--------- Judy Cook
Debra Cowan ------- Joe Crookston
Jeff Davis(t) ----- Anne Hills
Brian Peters------- Sparky & Rhonda Rucker
Lil' Rev ---------- Claudia Schmidt & Sally Rogers(tentative)
Verlon Thompson -- The Volo Bogtrotters
The Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers
And Nine More TBA!
Don't forget to look for the Plank Road Folk Music Society tent for some jams and singing
For more information, please visit
Save the date!
PRFMS Log Cabin Get Together
Saturday, September 23
Bring your instrument(s), beverages (non-alcoholic), a dish, dessert or snack to share, folding chairs, bug spray and a flashlight. Plank Road will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, condiments and s'mores. Jamming inside and outside.
Campfire in the evening (weather permitting).
Lombard Park District's Log Cabin is located in Four Seasons Park on Main St. and 16th St. in Lombard (between Roosevelt Road and 22nd street)
Autumn Old-Time Barn Dance!
Come and enjoy a fun-filled evening of music and dancing for the entire family!
Our dances are informal, with no costumes needed -- in fact, you don't even have to bring a partner!
The Plank Road String Band will provide lively music, and a caller will walk you through all the dances at our Old-Time Barn Dance -- No Experience Necessary!
Tables will be set up around the edge of the room for visiting with friends and enjoying music between dances.
September 30
1047 Curtiss St., Downers Grove
(Across from the Public Library)
$5.00 admission
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Chris Walz leads Bluegrass Workshop
It was a great afternoon of pickin' and learning!
Is there a sweeter sound than the magical mix of banjo, mandolin and guitar?
OK, some non-believers may argue that there are many sounds sweeter than bluegrass. But for fans of the genre there's nothing quite like it. And on May 13, Plank Road was fortunate to have well-known bluegrass musician and Old Town School teacher, Chris Walz, lead a workshop for approximately 28 attendees at the Two Way Street Coffee House.
After a brief but enlightening discussion about bluegrass, Chris met with individual groups on guitar, banjo and mandolin in a separate room, while the other attendees enjoyed a jam led by Larry Gesiakowski. Following the workshop, Chris led the entire group as we put into practice the techniques we had just learned. It was an exciting afternoon of great music and helpful tips.
Workshops like this are another example of the many "value added" benefits that come with your Plank Road membership.
Bob O'Hanlon introduces Chris Walz
Chris works with the banjo players
Tips and techniques for the mandolin players.
So much to learn in one jam-packed afternoon!
Chris had us laughing with his stories and quick wit.
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Get Out of Your House - Go Hear Some Music!
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PRFMS Member Gigs
August 19 - Long Grove
Tom Jaynes and I and our friend Jim Boukas will be performing at Long Grove Vintage Days on August 19th at 10am with our acoustic Wilburys/Beatles/Dylan act "The Rolling Cajones".
Mark Dvorak
Friday August 11 - St. Charles IL
* 7:30 pm * Let Love Go On * A special concert featuring new material from MD's upcoming CD release * Steel Beam Theatre * 111 W. Main Street * tickets 630 587 8521 www.steelbeamtheatre.com
MD & Amelia Sweet Bluebird
Friday September 8 - Oak Park IL
Friday September 8 * 6:00 pm * An acoustic evening with MD & Amelia Sweet Bluebird * The Buzz Cafe * 905 S. Lombard Avenue * Reserve a table for dinner * 708 524 2899
PRFMS members, drop us a line if you will be appearing locally.
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 Two Way Street Coffee House
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 Maple Street Chapel Folk Concerts
If you are near Lombard, please visit the Maple Street Chapel Folk Concerts website to see a current listing of upcoming performers.
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If you are near Hinsdale, please visit the Acoustic Renaissance website for a list of upcoming performers.
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Did you know that many of our local libraries also host occasional music events throughout the year? Harpeth Rising, Mark Dvorak, Chris Vallilo, and Lonesome Eagle all have been featured at several of our libraries in the past years.
Lisle Library's Friends of Lisle Library Concerts
are offered on a regular basis. You can check their calendar at:
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The Brashler Barn
Located at 17560 S. Gougar Road, Lockport, IL 60441
Friends and Family Venue - Not a Public Business
No smoking, no alcohol, no pets, no children under 14
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A Special Thanks to our Membership Contributors!!
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Sustaining Artists ($200 - $399)
- George Mattson Trio
Sustaining Member ($200 and higher)
Supporting Members ($50 - $199)
- Dan Anderson
- Bill and Mary Boylan
- Joe Jablonski
- Tony Janacek
- Paul and Molly Klonowski
- Dottie Lee
- Bill and Sandyha Matthews
- Gregg and Elizabeth Morton
- Jennifer Shilt
- Carol and Fred Spanuello
- Gary and Kathy Steffenson
New Members!
Say Hi to:
- Joe Bella
- Tim Jedlicka
- Marvin Lensink
- Bud O'Connor
If you would like to become a member or just need to renew, here is a link to the renewal form that you can print and mail.
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You've been to the Two Way Street Coffee House. Have you ever looked at the folks behind the counter and said, "I know how to make coffee! I'll betcha I could do that!"
All you have to do is contact Tim Kendall.
Timothy Kendall
Assistant Director and Acting Volunteer Coordinator ;-)
Two Way Street Coffee House
cell 630-699-2974
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I'll fly away . . .
Joe Wadz, long-time member of Plank Road, fiddler extraordinaire and friend to many, recently passed away. Joe had an extensive network of friends, who he played music with and for. His excellent musicianship and wonderful, friendly personality were enjoyed by all who knew him.
Joe was originally classically trained on the violin and was proficient in many traditional music styles including bluegrass, blues, Cajun, country, Celtic, old-time and swing. He played violin/fiddle and mandolin with the Running Fox Bluegrass Band, Arranmore (Irish-Americana), the Grasslands Quintette (gypsy swing), and occasionally with the Stage Leftovers (eclectic country and western swing). He also recorded and played with various folk groups and musicians, including Small Potatoes, February Sky, Pat Gaughan, and recently, was the fiddler with Comfort Food With a Cup of Joe.
"The beauty of his music was matched only by his personality."
- Robert Holdsworth
"We will all miss him very much."
- Vicki and Rich Ingle
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What's on your mind?
Do you have ideas for future articles? Things you'd like to see in the newsletter? Ways we can make it more enjoyable and relevant to Plank Road members? Here's your chance to be "note-worthy." Just send us an email with your comments about QuarterNotes. We welcome your input!
We may publish some of your comments and always appreciate ideas. (Think of it as sort of a "letters to the editor.")
Please send all correspondence to: PlankRoadFolk@Hotmail.com
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Bob O'Hanlon - President
(630) 325-7764
Bill Lemos - VP, Secretary
Gary Steffenson - Treasurer
2017 Board Members
- Dave Humphreys
- Kristen Fuller
- Jennifer Shilt
- Stephen Davis
- Jim Gilroy
- Dottie Lee
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QuarterNotes Contributors
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Stephen Davis
Bob O'Hanlon
Bill Lemos
and thanks to the numerous folks who took and shared their photos!!!
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 President's Message July 2017 Plank Road's membership list is growing at a nice gradual rate, and each of our regular events is well attended. So, as a "management team", the Plank Road board believes we are providing our members with what they want from our organization. That is our objective, of course, and that is how we decide what special events to schedule.
We recently increased our barn dances from three per year to four, because attendance increased. In May, we conducted a bluegrass workshop, featuring Chris Walz, which was very enjoyable and successful. As a side note, we only charged Plank Road members $10 to attend; non members paid $20. There are costs involved with these workshops, but we want to make them very affordable for our members, as we consider them "value added" benefits that come along with your Plank Road membership. Another example is the upcoming Log Cabin party on September 23. We pay rent for that facility and provide much of the food for the evening. When we skipped this event last year, we heard about it from several members. We do listen to you. Enjoy the rest of the summer and I hope to see you all soon.
President
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SPOTLIGHT: Bluegrass Jam
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Changing of the guard . . .
Larry Gesiakowski takes over as leader of monthly Bluegrass Jam.
Larry Gesiakowski, ardent fan of traditional bluegrass music.
Filling the void left by Jim Zethmayr, our long-time Bluegrass Jam leader, would be a big challenge. But Plank Road is fortunate to have a dedicated group of musicians who wanted to ensure the continuation of this popular monthly event. Larry Gesiakowski has graciously offered to take over the duties of jam leader.
Larry has been a regular at Plank Road's monthly bluegrass jams, and says, "I've been playing bluegrass since the late 60's and have been musically annoying my wife and other family members on a daily basis since then."
He hopes to help attendees become better at bluegrass and to create a new awareness of bluegrass in the Chicago suburban community. "I really want to help those who attend to really experience bluegrass beyond the monthly gathering," says Larry. "One of my goals is to build confidence and knowledge among attendees so they'll venture out to other bluegrass events and jams, as well as attract new people at all levels of musical experience to our monthly event."
New songs and new opportunities.
He expects there will be some changes as the year continues, but the basic premise of the sessions -- keeping it open to everyone, with music familiar to most and enjoyable for all -- will continue. "The key to success," says Larry, "is making sure everyone gets value from their time spent -- and has a good time."
There will be some new songs added to the bluegrass songbooks and Larry encourages everyone to bring tunes they like for the group to play and sing. He also feels that instrumentals are an essential part of bluegrass and wants to introduce them to the jam. "Some who regularly attend are somewhat shy in singing and hopefully instrumentals may give them another voice for their music."
Stay up-to-date and communicate with Larry on Facebook.
Larry says the Plank Road Facebook page will be an important vehicle for communications about the Bluegrass Jam. "I intend to use Facebook as a place to post new songs, notices, videos and whatever else we can get out of social media," says Larry. "It's probably the best tool available to help us make Plank Road a leader in the Chicagoland bluegrass scene."
Larry's extensive background in business, including running his own business for over 25 years, plus his involvement in a number of volunteer organizations -- and of course, his love of bluegrass -- make him uniquely qualified to take over the reins. We are excited to have him as our new leader. His extensive knowledge of bluegrass music and his enthusiasm will be a great addition to our program.
Larry joins with Chris Walz at our recent bluegrass workshop.
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Who Am I?
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Who am I, anyway? I'm quite legendary and am responsible for many hundreds of famous songs! By Andy Malkewicz I came into this world in 1931 not far from Tin Pan Alley. I'm kinda short and small, but was filled with music even as a youngster. I was quite creative and a pretty good performer too. Many of the top bands of the 40s, groups of the 50s and 60s, and songwriters, came to me with their music. I had sway with some big-time publishers too. There was a downside to being so popular. There was little room for all the music and song that were in me. I was friends with some pretty big names, and helped discover some of the biggest names of the 40s. My friend Irving Mills (Jack Mills Music Company) discovered Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and more. Some great holiday music came from me too. Johnny Marks wrote "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1949), and "Rocking around the Christmas Tree" (1958). I became friends with Jerry Lieber, and Mike Stoller in the early/mid-50s, writing "Hound Dog," "Jailhouse Rock," "Treat Me Nice" and MANY MORE. We may have been the first to bring orchestra to rhythm and blues, eventually leading to Phil Spector and his wall of sound, who by the way, was also my pal. Did you figure me out? I'm the legendary Brill Building in New York. I was born as the Lefcourt Building, but two years later became the Brill Building. I am 11 stories tall, and a whole 175,000 square feet. By 1962, I housed 165 music businesses. Some of the biggest names in music resided here: Carole King & Gerry Goffin; Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil; Greenwich & Barry; Bacharach & David; Pomus & Shuman; Peretti & Luigi; Sedaka & Greenfield; Boyce & Hart, and many more.
A few of the big name performers include Dionne Warwick, 4 Seasons, Drifters, Gene Pitney, Shirelles, and many more. Many of these writers and performers were under contract to ALDON music which was based in a similar building only a block away.
Within the building, you could write a song, make the rounds of publishers to buy it, get a quick arrangement/lead sheet for $10, get some copies at the duplication office, hire some studio musicians and singers, book time at the demo studio and cut the demo. Then you could make the rounds to the record companies, artists, artists' managers, publishers, and promoters to sell the record.
Some of the great songs include: Goffin/King - "Natural Woman," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "I'm Into Something Good," "Hey Girl," "LocoMotion," "Chains," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." Greenwich/Barry - "Da Doo Ron Ron," "Do Wah Diddy," "Be My Baby," "Chapel of Love," "River Deep Mountain High." Mann/Weil - "You've Lost that Lovin Feeling," "On Broadway," "Soul and Inspiration," "We've Gotta Get Out of this Place." Sedaka/Greenfield - "Stupid Cupid," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," "Crying In the Rain," "It Hurts to be In Love," "Working On a Groovy Thing." Shuman/Pomus - "Teenager In Love," "This Magic Moment," "Save the Last Dance for Me," "Surrender," "Viva Las Vegas." Bert Berns - (founded BANG records), "Twist and Shout," "Piece of My Heart." "Hang On Sloopy," "Under the Boardwalk," "Brown Eyed Girl." Hugo Peretti/Luigi Creatore - (indiscriminate use of 1st and last name combinations) "Lion Sleeps Tonight," "I Will Follow Him," "Can't Help Falling In Love," "Walkin Miracle," "Oh, Oh I'm Falling In Love Again." Bacharach/David - "Story of My Life," "Magic Moments," "Man Who Shot Liberty Valence," "Wives and Lovers," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Walk On By," "Do You Know the Way to San Jose." Lieber/Stoller - "Kansas City," "Searchin," "Yakety Yak," "Charlie Brown," "Along Came Jones," "There Goes My Baby," "Stand By Me," "On Broadway," "Reverend Mr. Black," "Get Him," "Only In America." Well, that's my story. There is a fair amount of info on the Internet about me. Some movies, documentaries, and books tell my story too. One final thing -- I guess Bob Dylan and Paul Simon didn't think much of my music, and had some unkind words. Said Paul, "Rock and roll got very bad in the early 60s, very mushy." And Bob said, "Things were pretty sleepy on the American music scene in the late 50s, and early 60s . . . at a standstill and filled with empty pleasures." I guess they were at least partly right. More Music Trivia - Juel Ulven took all of 15 minutes to answer last issue's trivia question. He wins a hearty handshake, and recognition in this column. In1967 Dr .West's Medicine Show (Norman Greenbaum) had a minor hit named "The Eggplant That Ate Chicago." - Neil Sedaka dated Carole Klein (King) in high school, and had a #9 hit (1959) with the Sedaka/Greenfield song of "Oh Carol" (written in 1958). - Carole King's first official (Promo) recording was "'The Right Girl'" at the age of 16. While at James Madison High she and a friend (not named Neil) made demo records. Who was this friend, that later became a huge name in pop music? - American Bandstand (Dick Clark) was originally based in Philadelphia. Occasionally their live guest did not show up. How did they adjust? Finally, if you have some music trivia to share, send it in, and I will choose one to include here.
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With a Little Help From our Friends!
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Celebrating Jim Zethmayr
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Family and friends attend "Celebration of Life" for Jim.
Four strong winds that blow lonely, seven seas that run high
All those things that don't change, come what may
If the good times are all gone and I'm bound for moving on
I'll look for you if I'm ever back this way . . .
Those are the Ian Tyson lyrics that were printed on the back of Jim Zethmayr's memorial card at the Celebration of Life event hosted by Jim's family on May 25th at Seven Bridges Golf Club in Woodridge.
It's been a little over two months since we heard the shocking news of the passing of our good friend Jim Zethmayr. He died on April 30, after complications from pulmonary fibrosis. Jim was very active in Plank Road, serving for many years as song leader for our monthly Bluegrass Jams, as well as performing in several bands, including Lonesome Eagle and the Plank Road String Band.
Lonesome Eagle and members of the Plank Road String Band (shown above) performed at Jim's memorial on May 25.
Front-and-center, was Jim's banjo.
Following is an excerpt from Jim's obituary:
Jim Zethmayr was born May 5, 1946 and grew up in La Grange, IL. In his early years, Jim was quiet and curious, averting school responsibilities, preferring to daydream about future adventures. After graduating from Lyons Township High School in 1964, Jim attended Augustana College. In 1968 he enlisted in the Navy where he realized his dream of flying an F-4 Phantom under the call sign "Lean N' Mean."
Following his Navy service, Jim continued to look for any excuse to fly, including crop dusting in California and flying over Central American mountains to a job in Nicaragua. Jim was there for the 1972 Nicaraguan earthquake. Once safely back in Chicago, he got into computers at the very start, entering data cards and learning Fortran, developing that into his career at Sargent and Lundy and EFI. Jim earned a Masters in Computer Programming degree from DePaul in 1998.
Jim met Mary Lu Gebka while performing together in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta Trial by Jury (wherein he got to kiss her on stage!) and decided it was time for the greatest life adventure of all. Jim and Mary Lu married in 1980, and son Jeff and daughter Carrie soon followed. Family vacations included sailing, skiing and some soggy camping, often with Captain Jim in the lead.
When he retired in 2011, Jim embraced his music (guitar, banjo and violin) and eventually founded Lonesome Eagle with Gregg Morton. The group made "dozens of dollars" as Jim predicted and had great fun and harmony doing it. Plank Road and the Two Way Street Coffee House were his second homes. Jim's last performance with Lonesome Eagle was this past January. He was a quiet, kind, loyal friend to all; a gentle wit who welcomed adventure and loved his family.
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Something to think about . . .
There was a large turnout of friends and family at Jim's Celebration of Life -- and plenty of music to celebrate his legacy. Several Plank Road members were talking about Jim and a comment was made about what a remarkable life he led outside of Plank Road. Who knew, for example, that Jim was a Navy pilot flying a F-4 Phantom fighter? Or that he had a masters degree in computer programming?
This got us to thinking: What do we really know about our fellow Plank Roaders? For most of us, joining together at sing-arounds and attending other Plank Road events is all about the music. We get together for a couple of hours, make music and focus on the songs. Then we go back to our individual lives. Of course, many lasting friendships have come out of Plank Road, but generally we don't know that much about each other outside of the organization. Jim was a quiet guy who never brought attention to himself. But wouldn't it have been interesting to hear some stories from his younger days?
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