Dec 7 2011

Matt Kinman @ CTMS

CTMS & Old Time is a Good Time Present

December 16th, 8pm – $15

MATT KINMAN

Balladeer, banjoist, fiddler and guitar player

(Boone, North Carolina)

Matt Kinman has been playing music since he was a kid growing up in Arizona.  In his teen-age years, after moving to the south east of the United States, he began traveling the region to meet and play with the old timers, “I’d find every musician that I wanted to be around and I’d take off.  It didn’t matter if I had a car or not…I’d take off walking…I’d take off on a bus…I didn’t care and if I had no job or no money to get there – I went anyways.”

Kinman regularly plays with the Roan Mountain Hilltoppers, and has played with Old Crow Medicine Show, the Hackensaw Boys and the Old Time Serenaders.  He is a fixture on the festival circuit all over the southern U.S.  He also performed at the Second Ever Los Angeles Old Time Social in 2007.  He has two full-length recordings, When the Works All Done This Fall and Matt Kinman and the Old Time Serenaders.

You can hear samples of his music by clicking the song titles below:

Cold Icy MountainKaty DidI Saw a Man at the Close of Day

You can find more information about him at the sites below:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001078365132

http://redeyedrooster.com/mattkinmanbio/

CONCERT AT: CTMS – 16953 Venture Blvd, Encino, 91316

More info contact ben@oldtimeisagoodtime.com


Nov 15 2011

Holiday Square Dance @ HM157

Poster By Junker and Angelina Elise


Oct 24 2011

November Dance with Cory Marie and Susan Michaels!


Sep 7 2011

Back to School Dance Sat. 9/10, 8pm


May 26 2011

Shape Note Singing Workshop @ LAOTS

Jessica Catron leads the Shape Note Signing workshop at the 6th Ever Los Angeles Old Time Social @ Nomad Studios.


May 24 2011

6th Ever LAOTS::Velaslavasay Panorama Theater

Velaslavasay Panorama Marquee!

Velaslavasay Panorama Theater

Evie Ladin

Old Sledge

For the past 5 years, the Friday Night Concert has been held at The Velaslavasay Panorama Theater. The theater presents to the community art forms that have been all but lost due to the technological advancements of our time and tucked away upstairs is a beautiful 360º painting of cold icy mountains. There’s a gorgeous garden in back and bunnies and the small theater inside is a perfect setting for an old-fashioned sit-down concert.

This year we had the honour of seeing Gene Burdo with Tom Sauber. Gene is a fantastic guitar player and singer of songs and it was pretty special to hear his old Gibson with Tom’s F-hole Gibson. They sounded like brothers. They also switched up the duets by inviting Patty Wolfe (Swingin’ Patty) up to fiddle. Twin fiddles or fiddle and banjo with Gene’s accompaniment was just lovely.

Next was Evie Ladin down from Oakland. As a banjo player, singer and dancer she has been part of the Stairwell Sisters for 10 years and has recently released a solo album, “Float Downstream” of original material rooted in an old timey sound. Her performance was centered around her new album and it was fantastic! Great stories and songs and dancing that had everyone hootin and hollerin’. We were also treated to a couple of harmony duets with Sabra from Old Sledge.

Ending our Friday night concert was Old Sledge from West Virginia. It helps if you have an in in the form of a sister–that is Sabra Guzman, Ben’s sister, to get such a sizzlin’ hot group out to Los Angeles. You’ve got Sabra on guitar and vocals, Chance McCoy on fiddle and vocals, Ben Townsend from The Fox Hunt on banjo and Jake Hopping on bass. Their set was on fire!  They cooked us good! Got some folks to their feet cuz they just couldn’t sit still. In addition to the flaming fiddle tunes, Chance and Sabra sang us some beautiful songs and ballads. They just released a new album, “Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down,” that you MUST get!


May 20 2011

6th Ever LAOTS::HM157

The 6th Ever Los Angeles Old Time Social kicked off this year at HM157 (shout out to Angel and Brad of the Hyperion Tavern!), our lovely victorian hosts in Lincoln Heights of the squarevolution for over a year. A perfect, albeit chilly backyard concert with a solo mostly banjo performance by Walter Spencer. He debuted a new song for a Virginia fiddler that was epic and lovely. Next was duo, The Driftwood Singers, singing Carter Family songs and other oldies switching off between double guitars and guitar/autoharp with beautiful harmonies. Last, Mt. Baldy and LA-area old time stringband, The Modal Tease, with a tight set of modal fiddle tunes. A great evening of music to start the festival off right.

Walter Spencer

The Driftwood Singers

The Modal Tease Stringband


May 5 2011

L.A. Old Time Social Workshops

Sat. 5/14 11:00am – 7:00pm:

Nomad Studios, 1993 Blake Ave 90039

$15 for the day (workshops & dance included)

11:00am-12:00pm – Shape Note Singing with Jessica Catron: Shape note singing is a uniquely American tradition dating back to the late 18th century that brings communities together to sing polyphonic hymns and anthems. It is a proudly inclusive and democratic part of our shared cultural heritage, designed to facilitate congregational singing. You are invited to come learn as well as participate in this unique, alternative musical language. No prior singing experience or musical knowledge is necessary. The music is easy, the sound is joyously resonant, and all voices and ages are welcome — a willingness to sing is the only requirement! Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

12:00-1:00pm – Beginning Old Time Fiddle with Ben Guzman: In this workshop Ben will teach two to three tunes. These tunes will focus on bowing and tunings. This is an entry level workshop for players who are just starting out on Old Time fiddle. Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

12:30-1:30pm – Harmony Singing with Evie Ladin: Using Carter Family songs as a jumping off place, we will work with simple three part harmony in this beautiful style. Finding harmony lines that sometimes weave around the melody, sometimes cross or create unisons, students will develop a better ability to hear and find parts, as well as learn what gives these harmonies their particular old-time country sound, and power. Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

1:00-2:00pm – Beginning Old Time Guitar with Kelly Marie Martin: Come learn the basics of Old Time guitar accompaniment for backing up fiddle and banjo tunes. We will cover basic chord structure for various keys, the boom chuck rhythmn stroke and, if there’s time, the other fun way of playing Old Time guitar–backing yourself up in song! There will be handouts about the information given out, a recording device might be handy. Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

2:00-3:00pm – Claw Hammer Banjo with Evie Ladin: Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

Lee Triplett Fiddle Tunes with Joe Wack: We’re going to learn two tunes by the West virginia fiddler Lee Triplett [no relation to Jimmy]. The tunes are Lee’s interesting version of Shortening Bread, and his Little Dog. The first is quick and bouncy, and has a minor feel in the B part. Little Dog is modal, with a simple yet driving melody line. Both tunes employ use of the little finger, and are in standard GDAE tuning. Little Dog, in particular, runs over all four strings. Unless you are a quick study, it would be useful to bring along a recording device. Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

Joe Wack started playing old time music in W. Va. in the early 70′s. He plays in several dance bands in the LA area, and hosts the 4th Saturday Appalachian Jam at the Audubon Center in Debs Park. Although a fan of many kinds of music, he most enjoys playing fiddle tunes from central W. Va.

3:30-4:30pm – Flatfooting Basics with Ruth Alpert: Learn the basics of Appalachian freestyle foot percussion. It’s aerobic! It’s easy! It’s fun! Shoes: leather soles are best, with a flat or chunky heel, but worn out rubber soles work well, too. You need to be able to slide, and have equal weight on ball and heel of foot.

Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

4:00-5:00pm – Kentucky Fiddle Tunes of Jim Bowles with David Bragger: David will be teaching a fiddle workshop focusing on Kentucky tunes from master fiddler Jim Bowles. The workshop will address the bow rhythms, tunings and bluesy quirks that make his tunes so infectiously cool! This workshop is open to all levels. It only assumes that you know your way around the fiddle in the most basic sense. After the workshop, I will email you a recorded file of the workshop tunes played fast and slow with bowing instruction and variations!! Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

David Bragger teaches traditional fiddle and banjo to students of all ages and levels in person and online. He teaches music by ear, so no musical background is necessary! His students have won awards at festivals from Topanga Fiddle Banjo Festival to Galax, Virginia. You’ll be learning technique, bowings, and styles of traditional Appalachian musicians so you can play at local jam sessions, bang away on your front porch, or saw like mad at local festivals and contests. For lessons, call David at 818-324-6123 or email him at davidbragger@yahoo.com.

5:00-6:00pm – Dock Boggs Style Banjo with Chris Berry: Chris will demonstrate the old-time three-finger banjo styles and diverse tunings of Dock Boggs, plus teach a couple of his tunes in detail. No tab, but bring a tape recorder (and a tuner might be handy, too). Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.

4:00-6:00pm – Square Dance Calling with Tony Mates: Learn how to call squares for your friends and family. Beginners welcome. Or just show up and get your dancing shoes on. Please email mike@triplechickenfoot.com for registration & questions.


May 4 2011

American Legion Dance Video & Pics


Photo by Nima Razfar


Photo by Nima Razfar


May 2 2011

3 Man 1 Man Band Show May 20th


An evening of one man bands from around across the Pacific playing music from the road, the past, and now.  Local songwriter Olentangy John, New Zealand guitar player and stomp box man Tom Rodwell, and the Pacific NW’s one man band McDougall, will cover the gamut of contemporary troubadours.  Don’t miss this once in a blue moon chance too hear these amazing performers before they part ways and spread out across the world again.
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Entropy and this damned sunshine surround Olentangy John now, here in Los Angeles. Olentangy John, an Ohioan with Ohio’s name, not sure what he’s doing here. Where are the dying leaves? Who is anyone? Whence, exactly, this unshakable sense of foreboding? One answer to which questions might be: Olentangy John is in the right place. It is this troubling, after all, that inform and preoccupy his songs. And it is from specific troubling he derives broad if inexplicit truths about everywhere – even the places where the leaves die, sense is makeable, and homebound familiarity dampens the disquietude. Before here, Olentangy John spent three years in New York, first as actor, then musician, culminating in his first full-length, O! Be Joyful (Trailer Fire), which L.A. Record would describe shortly after his emigration as suggesting “solitude as the solution to desperation.” He’s now at work on his second full-length, on which he’ll run expanding if recognizable themes through an emerging toned-up aesthetic. Over the course of his brief-yet-productive music career, Olentangy John has been an essential member of Indianola, The Elephant Army, and Born At Sea, and an occasional supporter of numerous others who seek him for his multi-instrumental and singing proficiencies.

Sample Track Here:  Olentangy John-Angry Little Town

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Tom Rodwell and Storehouse

Storehouse is the improvising blues ensemble gathered around UK / New Zealand guitarist Tom Rodwell, “Sheffield’s answer to Lightnin’ Hopkins,” according to the NME.  Built on Rodwell’s bassy electric guitar and stomping foot, their sound is purposefully austere, but full of enough suggestive rhythms and audacious rearrangements to make brain surgeons do the limbo and wheelchair users to shake it, in ruined Swiss castles to smoky cellars in Ogden, Utah, playing over 700 shows since 2003.  The band head down unusual alleys – slave chanteys, calypso smut, street preacher rave, vivid female blues from singer Coco – but there’s a spontaneous spirit that marks them as that rare beast – living blues not weighed down by either cliche or puritanism.  If you imagined a subgenre of world music that evolved parallel to rock and roll, but that retained blues intimacy, improvisation and sense of social function (dance rhythms) you might conjure up Storehouse.   Returning to LA for the fourth time, their new album “Live Humble” is due soon from Fireplace Recordings.

Sample Track Here:  Tom Rodwell-07 Bang Bang Lulu

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McDougall:

McDougall is a noble little grizzly with precious old timey wisdom.  His songs of travel, discovery, and perseverance will purify your every day lifestyle and ring adventure when driving home from another day at the office.  As the bush bearded road wrenched McDougall quietly sits down at his humble set up of kick drum, high hat, harmonica and simple stringed instruments, the fans making up his growing national following begin taking turns shouting “McDougall!”  His toe tapping, punk infused old time songs bring fury to the dance floor, and poetry to your record player.  Don’t fight it…this is the way.

Sample Track Here:  McDougall-18 Days of Rain