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Plank
Road Folk Music
Society
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5th
Saturday workshop
features “The Troubadour
Experience” with Mark
Dvorak.
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How
you can be better
prepared for your next
open mic performance . .
.
Mark
Dvorak led an
informative and
entertaining workshop
June 29, at Two Way
Street Coffee House. It
was the second in a
series of workshops
organized by Two Way
Street in partnership
with Plank
Road.
Mark
tailored the workshop to
amateur performers who
participate in open
stage events, such as
the ones sponsored by
Two Way Street and other
venues around
Chicagoland.
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As
Mark
explained, there’s
no right way or wrong
way to perform your
music. And no single set
of instructions can
prepare you for the many
circumstances you might
encounter. But there are
things you can do to be
better prepared.
Know
your songs . . .
Mark
emphasized the
responsibilities of a
performer, first to the
music itself, then to
the audience, and to
other performers and
staff, such as the MC,
sound person, and other
staff
people.
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Being
fully prepared is
crucial. This includes
really knowing your
songs — the lyrics, the
chords, the arrangement
— through practice and
rehearsing.
Mark
explained the difference
between “entertaining”
and “engaging” an
audience — the
importance of getting
the audience to focus on
you through your music.
And the best way to do
that is by choosing the
right material. “Most
open mics only let you
do two or three songs,
so the ones you choose
should be songs that you
love,” says Mark, and
“ones you are completely
comfortable
with.”
Your
opening song — and how
you present it — are key
. . .
Mark
says don’t walk on stage
and start talking to the
audience. Adjust your
mic, your capo, your
tuning (if necessary),
then go right into your
song.
- Choose
one that’s strong or
lively — a song that
“makes a statement”
and encourages the
audience to focus on
you.
- Follow
with a selection
that shifts gears a
little, maybe a
different tempo,
feeling, or genre.
In other words,
“don’t play two
waltz tunes in a
row.”
-
Want
to briefly chat with
the audience? Mark
says do
it after your
first song.
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A
lot more was covered in
the first hour, followed
by participants
practicing what they had
just learned, on stage,
in a “mock open
mic.”
A
follow-up recital took
place at Two Way Street
on July 7,
featuring a
number of workshop
attendees who performed
on stage, utilizing the
techniques learned at
the
workshop.
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More
5th Saturday Workshops
ahead!
Workshops
are presented in months
that have five Saturdays
— an event that comes
around only a few times
each year. All workshops
offer a choice of
in-person or virtual
attendance. Two more
workshops remain in 2024
. . .
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Saturday,
August 31, at 2pm –
Spencer
and
Rains
will
present an old time
music workshop for
guitar, fiddle and
mandolin players.
https://www.spencerandrains.com/
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Look
for additional details
and registration
information on the Plank
Road and Two Way Street
websites and Facebook
pages. Email updates
will also be sent to
Plank Road
members.
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In
memoriam . . . two
longtime friends of
Plank Road
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Cathy
Robel
Longtime
Plank Road member Cathy
Wrobel-Sorensen passed
away peacefully on June
9, after a long battle
with ALS.
We
all knew her by her
“stage name,” Cathy
Robel — and remember her
for
her extraordinary
vocal stylings at our
Saturday
sing-arounds.
But
that was just one side
of her musical talent.
Cathy was equally at
home on stage as she was
in the recording studio.
She performed at many
weddings, churches and
dances, was featured in
many TV and radio
jingles, and performed
in shows at venues
including Great America
and Opryland. She could
sing pop tunes along
with rock, oldies,
country and
standards.
Known
for her beautiful
singing voice, Cathy
always had a love of
music, which she studied
through high school and
college. Over the years
she performed at Six
Flags Great America and
Opry Land in Nashville.
For decades she sang
around Chicagoland with
her band, Music Plus.
Cathy also recorded
commercials, acted in
plays, and recorded two
CDs. Cathy was an
opening act for Dionne
Warwick, and toured the
United States with
country legend Kenny
Rogers as part of his
Christmas
show.
Cathy’s
song . . . “Two, two,
two!”
At
our sing-arounds we knew
when it was Cathy’s turn
to choose a song, the
odds were good that
she’d say “Two, two,
two!” And we all knew
what that meant: “The
Circle Game” by Joni
Mitchell. As Fred
Spanuello recalls, “That
was Cathy’s song —
number 222 in the song
book.”
But
she had many favorites,
more recently her
hauntingly beautiful
“Ode To Billy Jo,” which
she accompanied on her
guitar. Another of
Cathy’s signature songs
was “Blue Bayou,” which
is featured
on Down
the Old Plank Road -
Vol. 3 which
she recorded even while
struggling with her
illness. (Click
to listen.)
Cathy
was very active with
both Plank Road and Two
Way Street. Dave
Humphreys recalls, “She
volunteered at 2WS
beginning in 2013,
and performed on the 2WS
concert series in 2014
with another Plank Road
and 2WS volunteer,
Stephen Davis. We’ll
miss her.”
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Stephen
recalls that event. “I'm
not sure how we sounded,
but we had a good
time! I was always
happy when Cathy was
able to make it to the
sing-arounds where we
could harmonize on John
Denver tunes. This is
very sad — Cathy was
young.”
Russell,
her husband of almost 40
years, first saw her
when she was in her
element — singing. They
started out as friends
and over time it
evolved. Cathy and Russ
loved working together
as the “Dynamic Duo” at
ministries in the U.S.
and Canada.
In
addition to her husband
Russ, she is survived by
her children Sam and
Becky, and brothers
David, Bob, Joseph, Stan
and Rick.
A
memorial visitation was
held June 29th in
Darien.
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“We
will miss her at our
Plank Road weekly song
sessions. Her choice of
songs and beautiful
voice were highly
anticipated and greatly
appreciated, as well as
her friendly and loving
personality. We are all
very sad — and sang a
tribute song (“The
Circle Game”) in her
honor at a recent
Saturday sing-around.
Our condolences to her
family.”
-
Bob O'Hanlon
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“Cathy
always had a love of
music, which she studied
through high school and
college. She was strong
and tough to the very
end, always standing up
for others and what she
thought was right. She
was effortlessly funny
and loved to
laugh.
Cathy
was also a deeply
spiritual person, with a
vibrant interest in the
mystical nature of
consciousness. As a
mother, she inspired and
encouraged her children
to pursue the arts as
she did. She always had
a love of children, and
after her kids had
grown, she pursued a
certificate in early
childhood development,
later working for a
daycare center,
delighting the children
with guitar and
singing.
A
longtime lover of folk
music, she enjoyed
singing in the
sing-along at the
Two-Way Street coffee
house in Downers Grove,
continuing over Zoom
during the pandemic. She
loved to share joy and
happiness.”
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Excerpts from her
obituary
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Save
the date!
Plank
Road’s Annual Log Cabin
Party is September
22.
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Our
popular Annual Meeting
& Party at the
Lombard Log Cabin is
back!
Mark
your calendar for
Sunday, September 22,
from 2-4
PM.
As
always, they’ll be
plenty of music with
George Mattson leading
us in song. Bob O’Hanlon
will take a few minutes
to review the status of
Plank Road’s current
membership, finances,
and upcoming events.
And
of course, there’ll be
food and beverages, and
a chance for everyone to
socialize.
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Pat
Lagerstrom, a member of
Plank Road for many
years, passed away June
13. She and her husband
Ken were loyal regulars
at Plank Road
sing-arounds and Log
Cabin parties.
According
to her daughter Jill,
Pat had an unexpected
stroke and passed away
quickly in her
sleep.
Jill
added, “I thought I'd
let you know since
she really
loved going to the
Two Way Street
sing-arounds with my dad
when he was able. We may
have an open house type
event at some point and
I'll keep you
informed.”
From
Pat’s obituary:
Patricia
“Pat” Lagerstrom, age
76, passed away
peacefully on June 13,
2024. Beloved wife of 54
years to Kenneth
Lagerstrom. Loving
mother of Jill (Peter
Shoemaker) Lagerstrom
and Kathleen Lagerstrom.
Cherished grandmother of
Erik Shoemaker.
Born
and raised in Rockford,
Illinois, Pat was the
first in her family to
graduate from college at
North Park University in
Chicago where she met
her husband, Ken.
An
avid scholar of
literature and
theater-goer, Pat was a
valued member of many
Chicago area book groups
and continuing education
classes at the Newberry
Library and the Graham
School of the University
of Chicago. She could be
found reading from her
extensive book
collection on the deck
with the family dog,
Blue.
With
her husband Ken, she
loved camping in Door
County, going to
Stratford, Ontario to
see plays, and car trips
to the East Coast to
visit her family there
and go to
museums.
Pat
enjoyed joining her
family for folk music
get-togethers with the
Plank Road Folk Music
Society.
Pat’s
garden was one way she
immersed herself in
nature – she marveled at
the Moon – and loved
Anderson Japanese
Gardens in
Rockford.
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“So
sorry to hear that. I
know she really missed
being able to come to
the sing-arounds as
Ken's mobility declined.
She was great fun and
loved to talk about the
poetry and books
she was reading. Bless
her!”
-
Jim Gilroy
“So
sorry to hear this news.
Pat was a kind and
lovely person.”
-
Jen Shilt
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Keep
on dancin’
Kristen
and Paul celebrate 10
years of marriage at —
where else? — a barn
dance!
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It
all started 15 years ago
at a Plank Road Barn
Dance… Kristen Fuller
(Kristen Shilt back
then) met
Paul.
The
String Band knew a good
thing, and according to
Kristen, “they kicked me
out of the band to
go dance with him for a
few dances.”
They met
again in early 2010 at a
Fox Valley dance at
Fermi Lab. “We danced
some more and after that
dance, we exchanged
names and numbers and
started talking. We
never had an official
first date — our
friendship just morphed
into us
dating.”
They dated
for 2 years and moved to
Lombard in 2012. “Paul
proposed at the barn
dance at Fermi Lab in
2013 and we were married
April 26, 2014.”
So
it was only appropriate
that they celebrated
their 10th anniversary
at the Plank Road/Two
Way Street Barn Dance on
April 27 — complete with
refreshments!
Since
then they adopted Rusty,
their dog, at the end of
2015. “And five years
later we were blessed
with our baby girl,
Abbie, in late 2020 and
Benjamin close behind in
early 2022. Both kids
keep us very busy with
preschool and park
district programs and
trips to the
pool.”
“We
love to barn and contra
dance and can't wait
till our kids get just a
bit older to introduce
them to it as
well!”
Congratulations
Kristen and Paul!
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Above:
That's Kristen and Paul
in the
background.
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"Spider"
John
Koerner
When Bob
Dylan enrolled
as a
teenager
at the
University
of
Minnesota
in 1959
he went
to check
out the
Minneapolis
music
scene
near
campus.
And
there,
in a
“beat
coffee
house”
he met a
tall,
gangling
figure
with a
driving
guitar
style
and a
love of
the
blues,
whose
long
legs had
earned
him the
name
“Spider”
John
Koerner.
Koerner
was an
influential
country
blues
artist
both as
a
guitarist
and a
singer-songwriter,
with a
rousing
style
that was
driven
by his
stomping
boots.
He died
May
18, at
age
85.
Born
in
Rochester,
New
York, Koerner
moved to
Minnesota
in 1956
to study
aeronautical
engineering
at the
University
of
Minnesota.
However,
his path
soon
shifted
towards
music,
where he
became a
fixture
in the
Twin
Cities
music
scene —
and a
mentor
to a
young Bob
Dylan.
Those
were
pivotal
years
for
American
music,
as young
white
musicians
across
the US
became
fascinated
by the
early
country
blues
players.
Koerner
played a
key role
in that
scene.
In
Dylan’s
2004
memoir
he
recalled
that he
and
Koerner
hit it
off
right
away.
"When he
spoke he
was
soft-spoken
but when
he sang
he
became a
field
holler
shouter.
Koerner
was an
exciting
singer
and we
began
playing
a lot
together.”
He
became a
folk
scene
celebrity,
not with
Dylan,
but as a
member
of the
trio
Koerner,
Ray
&
Glover,
with
12-string
guitarist
Dave
“Snaker”
Ray and
harmonica
player
Tony
“Little
Sun”
Glover.
A
self-styled
“fun-loving
trio of
misfits,”
they did
not
always
work
together,
but in
1963
they
recorded
a
massively
influential
album, Blues,
Rags and
Hollers.
In
1964
John
Lennon
said
that
album
was a
personal
favorite
of his.
David
Bowie
praised
it in
2016 for
"demolishing
the puny
vocalizations
of
(non-authentic)
'folk'
singers.”
Koerner,
Ray and
Glover
gained
more
stature
through
mid-1960s
appearances
at the
Newport
Folk
Festival,
where
they
performed
alongside
old
blues
heroes
like
Muddy
Waters
and Son
House,
and
witnessed
Koerner’s
old pal
Dylan's
infamous
"going
electric"
set in
1965.
Their
records
were the
type
that
didn't
sell too
well,
but
according
to one
account,
“seemingly
every
musician
who was
anybody
at the
time
owned
them and
devoured
them.”
Koerner
played a
big-body
12-string
acoustic
guitar
whether
at the
Newport
Folk
Festival
or a
Minneapolis
folk
bar. And
he sang
many of
the same
old-school
folk and
blues
songs at
every
gig for
more
than six
decades
— from
Leadbelly
and
Memphis
Minnie
tunes to
some of
his own
wry-and-weary
originals.
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Here’s
what
Bonnie
Raitt
had to
say:
“I’m
heartbroken
at the
loss of
one of
my
dearest
friends,
Spider
John
Koerner.
We’ve
been
close
friends
since we
met in
‘69,
hung out
in
Cambridge
in the
early
70’s and
in all
the
decades
since.
John,
along
with
Dave Ray
and Tony
Glover,
comprised
one of
the
greatest
and most
influential
blues
groups
from the
mid-Sixties.
From the
first
time I
heard
their
seminal
"Blues, Rags
and
Hollers” album,
I’ve
been
completely
under
his
spell.
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Listen to
music by
Mark
Dvorak,
George
Mattson
Trio,
Ashley
&
Simpsonand
the Plank
Road
String
Band,
plus tunes
by other
Plank Road
Members —
FREE on most
streaming
sites.
Just look
for Down
the Old
Plank
Road
Volume
3.
(Be sure to
enter the
complete
title.)
*
Apple
Music *
iTunes *
Spotify
*
Pandora
* Amazon
Music
*
YouTube
Music *
Bandcamp
*
And
many
others!
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Clarence
Henry,
one of
New
Orleans’
best
known
old-time
R&B
singers,
died
April 7.
He was
87.
Henry
gained
the
nickname,
“Frogman,”
after
imitating
the
voice of
a frog
on his
debut
hit,
“Ain’t
Got No
Home” in
1956 —
at the
age of
19. The
song
later
brought
Henry
renewed
fame
when it
was
featured
on the
“Forrest
Gump”
soundtrack.
By
1958,
Henry’s
popularity
waned
and he
began
playing
nightclubs
on
Bourbon
Street.
But in
1960, a
new
song, “I
Don’t
Know Why
But I
Do” by
Cajun
songwriter
Bobby
Charles
and
arranged
by Allen
Toussaint,
brought
Henry
renewed
success.
With
the Bill
Black
Combo
and the
Jive
Five he
opened
for the
Beatles
for 18
dates in
1964
during
their
first
U.S.
trip,
(See
photo
above)
and
toured
extensively.
Henry
was born
in New
Orleans
in 1937,
and
started
playing
the
piano at
age 8.
He
played
the
trombone
and
piano in
his high
school
band.
“When I
was
going to
school,
I wanted
to be
Fats
Domino,”
according
to
Henry.
He said
his
nickname,
“the
Frogman”
mimicked
Fats
Domino’s
“the
Fatman.”
Henry’s
national
fame
faded
but he
remained
popular
in
Louisiana.
He was a
Bourbon
Street
fixture
until
1981,
when he
retired
from the
grueling
club
circuit.
But he
never
gave up
music,
and
continued
to be an
annual
crowd
pleaser
at the
annual
New
Orleans
Jazz
&
Heritage
Festival.
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Duane
Eddy
Rock
‘n roll
guitarist
Duane
Eddy
died
April 30
at age
86. In
the late
1950s
and
early
60s he
had a
string
of hits
which
were
noted
for
their
“twangy”
guitar
sound
—
selling
over 12
million
records
by
1963.
Eddy
began
playing
guitar
at age
five,
after
hearing
Gene
Autry. By
age 16
he had
left
school
and
started
playing
in local
bars. In
1957,
Eddy had
a weekly
showcase
on a
Phoenix
radio
station,
followed
by a
slot on
a weekly
TV show.
It was
there he
met
Arizona-based disc
jockey, songwriter
and
music
publisher
Lee
Hazlewood,
who produced
the
duo's first
single.
They
teamed
up to
produce
Eddy’s
early
music,
co-writing
some of
them.
(Hazelwood
later
gained
fame as
the
producer
and
singing
partner
of Nancy
Sinatra
on their
hit
album Nancy
&
Lee.)
Eddy
was not
happy
with his
singing
voice,
and
devised
a
technique
of
playing
lead
lines on
his
guitar's
bass
strings
to
produce
a low,
reverberant
"twangy"
sound.
Hazelwood’s
studio
had no
echo
chamber,
so he
bought a
2,000-gallon
water
storage
tank to
use as
an echo
chamber
to
accentuate
Eddy’s
guitar
sound.
In
1958
“Rebel
Rouser”
became
Eddy's
breakthrough
hit,
reaching
number 6
on
the Billboard
100 chart,
selling
over a
million
copies —
and
earning
Eddy’s
first
Gold
Record.
His
debut
album, Have
'Twangy'
Guitar
Will
Travel, reached
number
five on
the
album
chart
and
remained
there
for many
weeks.
His
version
of Henry
Mancini’s
"Peter
Gunn"
was a
Top 10
hit
around
the
world,
winning
the
Grammy
for Best
Rock
Instrumental.
His
records
were
especially
popular
in
England,
influencing
the
Beatles,
Bruce
Springsteen
and many
others.
In
the
1960s
Eddy
also
appeared
in
several
films
and TV
shows.
He was
inducted
into the
Rock and
Roll
Hall of
Fame in
1994 —
and continued
to
record,
produce
and
perform
as late
as
2018.
Eddy
married
singer
Jessi
Colter
in 1961,
and
recorded
a gospel
album.
They
were
divorced
in 1968,
and
Coulter
later
married
Waylon
Jennings.
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More
legendary guitars . .
.
In
the last issue we
reviewed Buddy Holly’s
leather-clad guitar, on
display at the Museum of
Pop Culture (MoPOP) in
Seattle. Here are two
more:
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Woody
Guthrie’s 1936 Martin
000-18
Woody’s
plain-spoken lyrics and
simple melodies resulted
in some of the most
eloquent compositions in
American music. He
played this guitar in
Los Angeles in the late
1930s. At some point
Guthrie carved
“This
Machine Kills
Fascists,”
along with his name,
into the back of this
Martin, making it the
first known instrument
bearing his iconic
“threat” against
totalitarian
evil.
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Hank
Williams’ 1951 Gibson
Southerner
Jumbo
The
original King of Country
Music played this 1951
Gibson during the final
two years of his
troubled and too-short
life. Hank was
known to have written
many of his greatest
songs riding in the back
seat of a Cadillac,
playing along on a
guitar as he traveled
between
shows.
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Photographed at the
Museum of Pop
Culture.
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George
Mattson Trio
gmtrio.com
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Mark
Dvorak
markdvorak.com
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Tobias
Music
www.tobiasmusic.com
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Andy's
Music Trivia Quiz will
resume next
issue.
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A
Special
Thanks
to our
Membership
Contributors!!
Sustaining
Members
-
John
J.
Allan
-
Dan
Anderson
-
Carol
&
Fred
Spanuello
Supporting
Members
($50 -
$199)
-
Betsy
&
Dan
Anderson
-
Anonymous
-
Bill
&
Mary
Boylan
-
Fred&
Helene
Clarke
-
Bob
Cordova
-
Bethany
DeHaan
-
Vicki
&
Rich
Ingle
-
Tony
&
Ann
Janacek
-
Steve
&
Jan
Langford
-
Dottie
&
Gerry
Lee
-
Bill
&
Connie
Lemos
-
Andrew
Malkewicz
-
Chuck
&
Susan
Maltese
-
Bill
&
Sandhya
Matthews
-
George
Mattson
-
Gregg
&
Betty
Ann
Morton
-
Bud
&
Mary
Jane
O'Connor
-
Bob
&
Mimi
O'Hanlon
-
Keith
Olson
-
Rich
Pawela
-
Charles
Pettit
-
Joe
&
Pam
Schumacher
-
Thomas
Seputis
-
Jennifer
Shilt
-
James
Videbeck
-
John
Wolaver
If
you
would
like to
become a
member
or just
need to
renew,
here is
a link
to
the renewal
form
you can
print
and
mail.
|
|
|
|
Bob
O'Hanlon
-
President
reohanlon@gmail.com
(630)
702-0150
Bill
Lemos -
VP,
Secretary
lemos.bill@comcast.net
2024
Board
Members
-
Bethany
DeHaan
-
Treasurer
-
Dottie
Lee
-
Technical
Support
-
Dave
Humphreys
-
Kristen
Fuller
-
Jennifer
Shilt
-
Jim
Gilroy
|
|
Bill
Lemos -
Editor
Dottie
Lee
Bob
O'Hanlon
Andy
Malkewicz
|
|
|
|
|
|
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