The Lady in the Lighthouse presented by Cindy Campbell Stone

WTF: Pete Seeger Celebration with Clary Croft

WTF: What The Folk

Friday May 9th

Chebucto Coffee, 6430 Chebucto Road

6:30 gathering, 7pm performance

Peter "Pete" Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene", which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Pete re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture and environmental causes. 

A prolific songwriter, his best-known songs include "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (with Joe Hickerson), "If I Had A Hammer / The Hammer Song" (with Lee Hays of The Weavers), and "Turn!Turn!Turn!" (lyrics adapted from Ecclesiastes). All have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and are sung throughout the world. 

Pete was one of the folksingers most responsible for popularizing the spiritual "We Shall Overcome" (also recorded by Joan Baez and many other singer-activists) that became the acknowledged anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. In the PBS American Masters episode "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song", Pete stated that it was he who changed the lyric from the traditional "We will overcome" to the more singable "We shall overcome".

Pete Seeger died on January 27, 2014, at the age of 94. According to his grandson, Kitama Cahill-Jackson, Pete died peacefully in his sleep around 9:30 p.m. at New York's Presbyterian Hospital, where he had been for six days. Family members were with him at the time of his death. Cahill-Jackson said Pete was still as active as ever, out chopping wood ten days prior to his death.

In a moving tribute, President Barack Obama noted that Pete had been called "America's tuning fork" and that he believed in "the power of song" to bring social change, "Over the years, Pete used his voice and his hammer to strike blows for workers' rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation, and he always invited us to sing along."

So... on Friday, May 9th... WTF! invites you to do just that! Join us please in a celebration of the life & legacy of Pete Seeger. Bring a Pete song or a story; maybe a song or story inspired by Pete and we'll pass the night in good company remembering Pete, reminiscing, laughing and best of all... lustily singing along.

Oh... and who better to lead us in this WTF! tribute to a man of unflinching integrity than our own man of unflinching integrity...

GUEST HOST CLARY CROFT 

... who actually met Pete and has some fascinating tales to tell. And a little black bird told me that there will be a world-premiere theatrical event involving Pete taking place on our WTF! stage too. Seating space will be at a premium but in the spirit of Pete... WE SHALL OVERCOME :) 

Margo

"For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger".

WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

WTF: Normal or abnormal hosts: Cindy Campbell Stone and Margo Carruthers, Helen Creighton Folklore Society, www.helencreighton.org

Songs for the Season and Stories Too! with Bill Plaskett

Hi all,

First off... last week's guest hosts... Morris and Mr. Moose wish to convey their most sincere appreciation to all those who shared the night of Fun & Games with them. They were particularly delighted with the success of their intro number from the Broadway musical Gypsy. Who among us will ever forget the Meese's high spirited rendition of Together, Wherever We Go? And the rest is hilarious history :)

This week, on Friday, April 25th WTF! welcome a singular Guest Host... last year's Knight of the Living Trad... the always affable  Mr. Bill Plaskett  who sent me the following:

"And theme-wise, maybe we can go for something like ... the Knight of the Living Trad has thrown away his silly hat and says simply... 

let's have a good old sing up, with Songs for the Season and Stories too!

... taking a cue from the likes of Owain Phyffe:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPMumoZRSCk , the Clancy Brothers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04U7Om1a2GY, or these little guys: http://vimeo.com/7246043, whatever you fancy".

You gotta love Bill! He's organized! He left me verily speechless! A veritable blessing in disguise for all of you who havelong suffered through my verbosity :)

He even sent a pic. See below... your man of the evening (without his Knight's hat).

In the immortal words of Stevie Wonder... "Isn't he lovely? Isn't he wonderful?" :)

Xo Margo

WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

long suffered through my verbosity :)

He even sent a pic. See below... your man of the evening (without his Knight's hat).

In the immortal words of Stevie Wonder... "Isn't he lovely? Isn't he wonderful?" :)

Xo Margo

WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

     

Rosalee Peppard and The Living Titanic!

 

LIVING TITANIC- www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFxpEUuoPFA  

Live Event:

Titanic 102nd Anniversary Commemoration Events:

The Society welcomes you on April 13th at Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, 1675 Lower Water Street, Halifax from 1 – 4 pm, as we commemorate the 102nd anniversary of the Titanic tragedy. Events include ‘Our Collections: A Presentation of Members’ Titanic-related Memorabilia Collections; Living Titanic, performed by Rosalee Peppard as Titanic survivor Hilda Mary Slayter; and film premiere of City of the Dead: Halifax and the Titanic Disaster. For further details, contact Dee Ryan-Meister, TSAC President (902) 489-9229. — at  Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

LIVING TITANIC
is professionally affiliated with
Titanic Society of Atlantic Canada
www.titanic-atlantic.ca
titanicsociety@eastlink.ca
Twitter: @TitanicSociety
Like us on FaceBook 

 

Rosalee Peppard, Champion of maritime Women's History

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB6n7bu0dbM

www.rosalee.ca

EPK: www.sonicbids.com/RosaleePeppard

Hope you "Like" Rosalee's Facebook Page 

Tell Around! with the Storytellers Circle of Halifax

Tell- around! with The Storytellers Circle of Halifax

Can't find a good book to read? Bored with TV? Come and join us to tell or listen to a tale that's just told.
You will be pleasantly surprised at how fast the evening goes by...and at all the good stories you will hear.
And the coffee, tea and goodies are fab too!

Thursday, April 10
Chebucto Coffee
6430 Chebucto Road
7-9pm

Les Deux Cla(i)res! telling stories of Women from family and folklore

WTF: Appalachia! with guest host, Jim Smith

Are we in for a treat! Direct from Mutton Hollow, New York state... well... more accurately... travelling a circuitous route from there to here... 

Guest Host

Mr. JIM SMITH

...will be regaling us with songs, stories and anecdotes from those travels among other things.Jim is an educator, entertainer, multi-instrumentalist, a natural raconnteur and a really nice guy. Just ask Nancy Jarrett who may be enticed to lend her lovely voice to the mix. 

As always... there will be plenty of time for others to share songs & stories too. The theme though is APPALACHIA. What you need to know is this... 

And pay particular attention to the emboldened words.

APPALACHIA is a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Canada to Alabama, the cultural region of Appalachia typically refers only to the central and southern portions of the range.

Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, APPALACHIA has been a source of enduring myths and distortionsregarding the isolation, temperment and behaviour of its inhabitants. Moonshining and clan feuding come to mind. 

While endowed with abundant natural resources, APPALACHIA has long struggled with and has been associated with poverty. In the early 20th century, large-scale logging and coal mining firms brought wage-paying jobs and modern amenities to Appalachia, but by the 1960s the region had failed to capitalize on any long-term benefits from these two industries.

APPALACHIAN MUSIC is one of the best-known manifestations of  Appalachian culture. Traditional Appalachian music is derived primarily from the English and Scottish ballad tradition and Irish and Scottish fiddle music. African-American blues musicians played a significant role in developing the instrumental aspects of Appalachian music, most notably with the introduction of the five-stringed banjo— one of the region's iconic symbols— in the late 18th century. Another instrument known in Appalachian culture was the Appalachian dulcimer which, in a practical way, is a guitar shaped instrument laid on its side with a flat bottom and the strings are plucked in a manner to make alternating notes.

In the years following World War I, British folklorist Cecil Sharp brought attention to Southern Appalachia when he noted that its inhabitants still sang hundreds of English and Scottish ballads that had been passed down to them from their ancestors. Commercial recordings of Appalachian musicians in the 1920s would have a significant impact on the development of country music, bluegrass and old-time music. Appalachian music saw a resurgence in popularity during the American folk music revival of the 1960s, when musicologists such as Mike Seeger, John Cohen and Ralph Rinzler travelled to remote parts of the region in search of musicians unaffected by modern music.

So... as you can see... APPALACHIA is much more than just a pretty place. 

WTF! invites you to bring songs and stories that reflect aspects of the Appalachian culture. Maybe an old ballad - the original story song. A fiddle tune or two. We have it on good authority that an actual Appalachian dulcimer player will be there to sing with this lovely instrument. And for the first time ever... WTF! requests and actually welcomes... the dreaded banjo :)

Oh! And if you feel inclined to dress up... (Think... OH BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?) or dress down (Think... DELIVERANCE)... be our guest. You could win a wonderful prize. Or a banjo :)

Get ready to hoot n' holler on Friday, March 14th!

Margo

WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donation towards the Society's work.

WTF! organised by Cindy Campbell Stone and Margo Carruthers, Helen Creighton Folklore Society.

www.helencreighton.org

WTF: Celtic Connections with host,Leo Feinstein

On Friday, February 28th, WTF! warmly welcomes guest host Leo Feinstein, our delightfully gregarious friend from The Boston States who, in his alter ego persona... 

LEE O' FEINSTEIN 

...will connect us with the Celts. And just who are the Celts?

... A mercifully brief history lesson...

The original wave of Celtic immigrants to the British Isles were called the q-Celts and spokeGoidelic. As near as we can figure out, they arrived sometime between 2000 and 1200 BC. At a later date,a second wave of Celts referred to as the p-Celts speaking Brythonic arrived. Goidelicled to the formation of the 3 Gaelic languages spoken in Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Scotland.Brythonic gave rise to two Britiish Isles languages, Welsh and Cornish, as well as surviving on the Continent in the form of Breton, spoken in Brittany.

You are a Celt if your heritage is...

IRISH, MANX, SCOTTISH, WELSH, CORNISH, BRETON 

but even if you are not a Celt...

you can sing a Celtic song or tell a Celtic tale without fear of reprisals this Friday. 

We are hanging up the broadswords, and burying the hatchets. No heads will roll! 

On Friday, February 28th... at WTF!s CELTIC CONNECTIONS...

 

... the only things rolling will be the good times 

Margo

WTF! is an artistic outreach program of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society. We meet every second and fourth Friday of the month at CHEBUCTO COFFEE, 6430 Chebucto Road, corner of Chebucto & Kline in Halifax where Mike's extraordinary culinary fare is approaching legendary status. Come early for a bite and stay for the entertainment which starts around 6:30 and goes until 9:00ish. As always... admission is by free-will donations towards the Society's work.