Plank Road's Regular Events
in conjunction with 2WS
Sing-Around
1st & 3rd Sat. | 2-4 pm
Vocal instrumental jam and sing-along with songbooks and leader.
Country and Western
Sing-Around
4th Sat. | 2-4 pm
Sing along with your favorite C&W songs.
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
An old-time string band practice for intermediate/advanced players.
from Sept to April
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.
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Fall Festival at Danada
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2018,
11:30 AM - 5PM
Danada Equestrian Center
Plan on a beautiful autumn afternoon at the Danada Equestrian Center unless it is cold and miserable. Again, this year, the musical lineup consists solely of PRFMS members.
- PRFMS Sing Around All-Stars
- Plank Road String Band
- Ashley & Simpson
- Kilty Pleasure
- George Mattson Duo
- Natural Bob and Weed Wackers
- Lonesome Eagle
November 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!
Chairs will be set up around the edge of the room for visiting with friends and enjoying music between dances.
November 10
1047 Curtiss St., Downers Grove
(Across from the Public Library)
$5.00 admission
Come all ye faithful
Rejoice and sing to the sound of fiddle, harp,
lyre, flute and banjer!
Holiday Party Songfest
Saturday, December 15
12:30 pm - 6 pm
Join us for the Plank Road Folk Music Society Holiday Party Songfest on Saturday, December 15. Come at 12:30 p.m. and stroll through the streets of downtown Downers Grove, caroling and serenading shoppers and passersby. Songbooks will be provided.
Then return to the Two Way Street Coffee House for the holiday sing-around with all the instruments. Stick around for hot chocolate, apple cider and holiday treats afterwards. It will be a fa-la-lot of fun!
Photos Courtesy: Pam Schumacher
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Fox Valley Folk Festival
Washed out last year, and almost washed out this year . . .
It was hot and humid, but that didn't stop a large crowd of folk music fans from attending the 42nd annual Fox Valley Folk Music & Storytelling Festival on Labor Day weekend. The event was cancelled last year due to flooding, but was back again in force, with over 30 featured acts, plus workshops and much more.
By late Monday afternoon, the weather took a threatening turn, and performers, vendors and fans began packing up and leaving the park before the rains came. Otherwise, the festival was a huge success!
Many Plank Road folks participated, both as volunteers and performers.
Cheryl Joyal did an amazing job of coordinating much of the festival. Bob O'Hanlon handled Plank Road's participation. Ron Leanaugh and Dave Humphreys were among the folks seen shuttling performers and volunteers back and forth to the parking area. Other volunteers included Gary Blankenship, Anne Strang, Ralph Murray, Frank and Helene Clarke, Mimi O'Hanlon, Neil Potter and Phyllis Betenia. (Our apologies to anyone we missed!)
The Plank Road "ensemble" got the festivities off to a rousing start on Sunday and Monday morning, welcoming visitors to the park with a selection of familiar tunes. In addition, several PRFMS members performed on various stages throughout the park, including Kilty Pleasure and the George Mattson Trio.
Plank Road was actively involved with our usual tent where folks met, socialized and took part in spontaneous jams. There were also Plank Road t-shirts, hats, tote bags and other merchandise available.
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Plank Road's annual Autumn Log Cabin Party draws big crowd!
It was a sultry summer day, with temperatures in the upper-80s -- but that didn't deter 30-or-so people from attending Plank Road's popular Autumn party at the Log Cabin in Lombard's Four Seasons Park.
The event has previously been held on Saturday evenings, but this year the festivities took place on a Sunday afternoon, September 16, from 2 - 6 pm.
As usual, there was music, food and fun for everyone. George Mattson led the sing-around, with a break for pizza, salads, appetizers, beverages and deserts galore.
Thanks again to those who provided food, as well as all our volunteers, including Mimi O'Hanlon and
Jenneine Gilroy
who worked hard to make sure everyone was well-fed; Dave Humphreys and others who struggled with the "under-performing" air conditioning system; and Jim Gilroy for organizing the event.
 
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Jenneine Gilroy prefers to remain anonymous.
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Young Jack enjoys the music, but REALLY likes the pizza when he's not pluckin' on the ole banjer!
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Get Out of Your House -- Go Hear Some Music!
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PRFMS Member Gigs
Kilty Pleasure
- Danada Fall Festival - 10/14
- Two Way Street Coffee House- 11/23
Lonesome Eagle
- Danada Fall Festival - 10/14
Ashley & Simpson
- Danada Fall Festival - 10/14
Natural Bob & the Weedwackers
- Danada Fall Festival - 10/14
Blind Squirrel
PRFMS members, drop us a line if you will be appearing nearby
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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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For those of you closer to the Wheaton area, please visit the Acorn Coffeehouse located in the Burning Bush Art Gallery at:
216 N. Main St
Wheaton
CORRECTION:
In our last issue, we incorrectly stated the starting time for concerts at the Acorn Coffee House in Wheaton. Correct times are: Doors open at 7 PM, concerts begin at 7:30. For more details and reservations, go to http://acorncoffeehouse.com
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 Tobias Music concertsEvery once in awhile, our friends at Tobias host music in their new(ish) music room
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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 and Mary Anderson
- Bill and Mary Boylan
- Vicki and Rich Ingle
- Tony Janacek
- Paul Klonowski
- Ron Kranz
- Dottie and Gerry Lee
- Marvin Lensink
- Bill and Sandhya Matthews
- Gregg and Elizabeth Morton
- Kristen Rosenwinkel
- Joe and Pam Schumacher
- Jen & James Shilt
- Carol and Fred Spanuello
- Gary Steffenson
- John Wolaver
New Members!
Say Hi to:
- David Culp
- John Pratapas
- Carrie Rock
- Dale Stallmann
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
Director
Two Way Street Coffee House
cell 630-699-2974
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If you have come across some new or little known artists that you think others might enjoy, please drop us a line.
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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.")
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Bob O'Hanlon - President
(630) 325-7764
Bill Lemos - VP, Secretary
2018 Board Members - Dave Humphreys
- Kristen Fuller
- Jennifer Shilt
- 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 October, 2018 Our organization is the Plank Road Folk Music Society, so we should be able to explain what exactly is folk music. But, it really isn't that simple, as folk music can mean different things to different people.
At Plank Road, we say it is anything with some old time roots, that people have played and sang and passed down from generation to generation. It can be Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger type of protest songs, or southern bluegrass, or old time barn dance tunes, or 1950-60 songs by the Kingston Trio and many others at that time. It can be country/western or even soft rock played acoustically. It can a hundred years old or written yesterday. At least that's what I think. Anyone wanting to express their opinion on this, please send me an e mail.
In the past month, I have participated in the Fox Valley Folk Music and Story Telling Festival and the Plank Road fall party at the log cabin. I saw many familiar faces at both and heard some great music. It's nice to be a part of something so positive and uplifting...I appreciate all of you.
Bob O'Hanlon
President
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SPOTLIGHT: Your Favorite Folksongs
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Now it's your turn . . .
Plank Road members tell us about their favorite folk songs.
In our last issue, we reviewed 30 of America's all-time favorite folk songs, based on numerous online studies. Of those songs, "This Land Is Your Land" topped most of the online lists. There are, of course, many dozens (hundreds?) of other songs that didn't make the final list. But knowing that most of us have short attention spans we decided to just list songs that appeared most frequently.
At the end of the article we invited you to tell us about your favorite folksongs. Several of you responded... and some of your choices were quite interesting. Here's what you said:
Andy Malkewicz
"For me, it is really hard to pick my very favorite. It would depend on my mood, and the people I'm playing with. Of course it also depends on what I consider a folk song. I came up with a fairly long list that I play a lot, or just currently like."
In fact, Andy came up with 34 (!) favorite songs -- too many to list here. When pressed, he got it down to four, Times Are Getting Hard, Cotton Jenny, Alberta, and finally, his favorite (at least for now), Glory of Love.
Rich Ingle
"The first one that comes to mind (believe it or not) is Barbara Allen. I love Art Garfunkel's version. Tears me up every time."
Vicki Ingle
"My fave is the Chris Smither version of Elizabeth Cotton's Shake Sugaree."
Stephen Davis
"First, there are too many favorites. But from the list, I will agree with This Land, with an honorable mention to I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag or Alice's Restaurant."
Hank Vandernaald
"TOO HARD! In no particular order . . . Early Morning Rain, Who Knows Where The Time Goes, April Come She Will and Tangled Up In Blue."
Bill Lemos
"Can't pick just one. But some of my favorites are (They Call The Wind) Mariah...and dozens of early Kingston Trio songs. Also Ode To Billie Joe (Bobbie Gentry), Ripple (Grateful Dead), Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Gordon Lightfoot), and any number of songs by the early unplugged Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Ian & Sylvia."
Carol Spanuello
"This is one of the toughest questions I've ever been asked! Currently, my favorite song to sing on my own is That's Important To Me, written by Rory Feek, Joey Martin and Tim Johnson. My favorite song to sing with my husband is Jackson, written by Billy Edd Wheeler and Jerry Leiber. I think I'd have an easier time listing my favorite song writers, or favorite band rather than a favorite song."
Fred Spanuello
"A few favorites come to mind . . .Vincent Black Lightning, Diamonds and Rust (Joan Baez), Oh Lonesome Me, Sea of Heartbreak and 3 by Hoyt Axton, Evangelina, Endless Road, and Della and the Dealer."
Bob O'Hanlon
"My vote is Tom Dooley. I know it isn't the most authentic "folk song," it doesn't have the most interesting or creative lyrics, and it does not represent the rebellious attitude of many folk songs and singers. But, it was the catalyst for the surge in popularity of folk music in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It was responsible for many of us deciding to take up the guitar, me included. I love the Kingston Trio, and their sound is perfect on Tom Dooley.
As a follow up, there were many terrific songs on the list in the last issue. I considered several before settling on Tom Dooley, such as City of New Orleans, Early Morning Rain, Four Strong Winds, Sounds of Silence, and a couple of Dylan standards."
George Mattson
"That's a good and extensive song list . . . and like Andy I have a problem naming my favorite song at any time. But looking over Andy's list, four of the songs would be on my list of tops: Michael (Row The Boat Ashore), Glory of Love, In My Life and Satisfied Mind. That being said, I always try (don't always succeed) to make the song I'm singing at the moment, my favorite song. Therefore, my current favorite is the one I just worked out in the past 1/2 hour and will bring it in to the BYOS, Green Grow The Laurel (traditional)."
Thanks to all who responded! (Maybe sometime in the future we'll try Carol's idea: Favorite songwriters or favorite performers/groups/bands.) By the way, if any readers who did not respond are now inspired to reveal their favorite folk songs, just send an email to lemos.bill@comcast.net
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With a Little Help From our Friends!
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New Advertising Policy!
Run your ad in QuarterNotes - now at a reduced rate.
If you're a current advertiser in this newsletter, or think you might want to advertise, we have good news! We're reworking our ad policy to make it easier (and more economical) to promote your gigs or other music-related endeavors.
Beginning with the Winter issue in January, paid members of Plank Road can submit an ad that will run for the full year (4 quarterly issues) for only $50. Your ad can be a basic line listing which can be hyper-linked to your external website, or a complete ad with graphics. (For these ads, you'll need to submit an image file. See Mark Dvorak's ad above for reference.)
Artwork must be submitted 3 weeks prior to our "publish" date. For the Winter 2019 issue, the deadline is December 10, 2018
- Plank Road members only.
- $50 annually (4 newsletters). Previously $200 - save $150!
- Ads must be related to folk or acoustic music.
For complete details, including specs for image files, please contact Stephen - plankroadfolk@hotmail.com.
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For Example - Line listing with no graphic
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- George Mattson Trio
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- Comfort Food - Vicki and Rich Ingle
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Daily Herald
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Plank Road featured in special section of The Daily Herald
Residents of Downers Grove have just received a special section of The Daily Herald in their mailboxes. It showcases the various organizations, institutions and community groups that make Downers Grove a vibrant community.
Plank Road Folk Music Society was invited to submit an essay and several photos. We were asked to write about what makes our group special, highlighting our ties to the community, sharing a little history and featuring our various events.
According to the publication, the section will be distributed "to subscribers and non-subscribers alike, delivering the essays to every mailbox in and around Downers Grove."
To see the Plank Road article before everyone else in the known universe, click here.
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Add a little variety with alternative tuning
There are hundreds of alternate guitar tunings that have been developed over the years, many of which are subdivided into categories like open, modal, dropped, instrumental and more.
Standard tuning, of course, is the "standard" used most frequently by guitarists. But it can be fun to experiment with alternative tunings. The most common are probably Drop D and Double Drop D.
Open tunings, where the strings are tuned to create a chord, can result in some interesting new sounds, especially when playing slide guitar. Open G, for example, means that when you strum the guitar with no fingers on the frets, you play a G chord. To play the IV chord (C), you simply hold down all six strings with one finger on the fifth fret. To play the V chord (D), fret all strings on the seventh fret.
While there are variations of each, here are a few examples of common alternative tunings:
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STRING
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6th
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5th
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4th
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3rd
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2nd
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1st
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Standard
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E
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A
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D
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G
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B
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E
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Drop D
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D
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A
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D
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G
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B
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E
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Double Drop D
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D
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A
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D
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G
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B
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D
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Drop C
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C
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G
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C
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F
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A
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D
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Open D
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D
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A
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D
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F#
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A
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D
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Open C
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C
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G
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C
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G
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C
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E
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Open E
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E
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B
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E
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G#
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B
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E
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Open A
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E
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A
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C#
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E
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A
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E
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What about chord shapes?
Well, yes, when you change tuning, the chord shapes will probably change as well. For example, in Drop D tuning, the D chord is played the same as with standard tuning, except you can play all six strings. But when you go to the G chord, the shape is different -- there are many variations. Numerous sites on the Internet show chord shapes for different tunings. Just go online to find diagrams and videos.
Experiment!
While we tend to stick with standard tuning for most songs, it can be fun to experiment with the different sounds and "moods" of alternate tuning.
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Hello! My name is Vernon Dalhart Who the heck is this guy?
By Andy Malkewicz
 I recorded over 5,000 78rpm records. You may know me by my real name, Marion Try Slaughter (but I doubt it. I've also had over 100 pseudonyms). I had the first country million seller record, and am considered to be the first country STAR.
Both my father and grandfather were bullies. My father was shot and killed by my mom's brother, when I was only age 10, because he beat up my mother too often.
I was born in Jefferson, Texas on 6 April 1883. I learned to ride, shoot, play harmonica and Jews harp, and did some cow punching to support my mom and family.
I married in 1902, and moved to New York in 1905 to study opera at night, and worked a piano warehouse during the day. I believe it to be near 1911 when I had a minor but continuing opera role, and took a starring (successful) role in another opera in 1913.
Around 1916, I started recording more and more records, mostly country. I was in demand because I could sing like a hillbilly, a citified southerner, or even a little European accents due to my opera training.
It was due to my success that Ralph Peer held the Bristol sessions (The Carters, and Jimmie Rogers), and talent scouts were on the look-out around the country. My typical recording included a studio violinist/fiddler, my harp and voice, and guitar by Carson Robison, for many years. By the mid 1930's the depression did me in, and I made a living as a factory night-watchman. Some of my well-known songs follow in this list.
- Billy the Kid
- Till We Meet Again (w/Gladys Rice)
- Prisoner's Song
- Puttin' On the Style
- Jesse James
- Sinking of the Titanic
- Runaway Train (melody of Parley Vous)
- Big Rock Candy Mountain
- Wreck of the Old 97
- Hallelujah I'm a Bum
- Oh, Sussanna
- Golden Slippers (w/Carson Robison)
- Blue Ridge Mountain Blues
- East Side, West Side
- Bury Me Not On the Lone Prairi
Music Trivia Quiz:
Our winner of the last QuarterNotes trivia
questions was Bill Matthews. He got 4 of 5, only missing A2. Keep those responses coming in to pictq@yahoo.com
Answers to previous Quiz:
- A1. Who taught Roger Miller to play guitar? Sheb Wooly and Roger Miller lived in Erick, Oklahoma. Sheb was 15 years older, and married Roger's Sister Melva, who bought him his first guitar and fiddle, and taught him his first guitar chords.
- A2. What song bothered Ray Price? "Dang Me" was the song that Roger was selling. BUT, the story may only be hearsay.
- A3. Why was Roger Miller fired as a fireman? Roger's first fire was a chicken coop. The second one he slept through, and they suggested he find other employment.
- A4. How did Roger Miller become a drummer? Faron Young saw Roger looking depressed in a bar and found he needed work. Faron asked if he was a drummer. Roger said, "No, but when do you need one?" Faron said Monday, and Roger replied, "On Monday, I'm a drummer," and worked as Faron's drummer for a year.
- A5. Big Brother and the Holding Company (Janis Joplin) signed a contract with benefactor 'Mainstream Records', and included four of Mainstream's songs on their self-titled album.
- Q1. What song inspired Sheb Wooley in 1958 to write "Purple People Eater?"
- Q2. What was Vernon Dalhart's Million Seller?
- Q4. What drives Janis Joplin to say she is going to vote Republican next time?
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A community of players . . .
. . . can do "great things for your musical life!"
For many of us who play guitars or other stringed instruments, it's often a casual, solo pursuit, enjoyed on evenings and weekends. According to an article in Acoustic Guitar, that's not the best way to learn and improve our musical skills. Much music, especially popular idioms like folk and rock, lends itself to collective expression. Participating in a community can bolster our musicianship as well as increase opportunities to play.
The article goes on to state guitarists who play only by themselves "can suffer rhythmically in their isolation without even knowing it. And an uncertain sense of timing and groove can have adverse effect on your music." Belonging to a community of musicians, or even playing in a band, "can do great things for your musical life."
"Building your community of others to play with teaches you volumes in a fun way," says Lauren Passarelli, the first woman to graduate from Berklee College of Music in 1982, and is now a guitar professor there. "It's also great to find a fellow guitarist to practice with. It's so much easier to jump in and learn how to play duets, find harmonies and come up with sweet guitar parts to complement each other."
We are fortunate to be part of an organization like Plank Road, with over 120 members, where we can join in with our fellow music enthusiasts. Plank Road's sing-arounds, song circles, and string band, plus our popular Log Cabin parties, provide many opportunities to participate in a "community of players."
- Portions excerpted from AcousticGuitar.com, August 2018.
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It's all about Plank Road pride!
You say you already have a Plank Road t-shirt? Not to mention a tote bag or sport bottle? But you
knowyour collection isn't complete until you have
at least one of everything with a Plank Road logo! So here's the list. Start checking 'em off! ✔
☐ Hats $15
☐ T-Shirts $15
☐ Tote Bags $3
☐ Sport Bottles $5
☐ Guitar Case Stickers $1
Items are available at many Plank Road events, or you can contact Bill Lemos directly at lemos.bill@comcast.net.
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