Old Pal Concertina Weekend 2023

[gcoover]

Less than three weeks away in East Texas, the 20th Annual Palestine Old Time Music and Dulcimer Festival, March 23-25, will once again feature concertina workshops and jams. Beginners and players of all skill levels are welcome, and there will be plenty of time to learn from each other, try other instruments, join in on old-time music jams, experience some amazing Sacred Harp singing, and deliberately overdose on delicious East Texas BBQ as well as hanging out in the beer garden of a most excellent brew pub.

 

Dan Worrall and Jarrett Branch will be providing a sneak preview of the Chris Droney book and teaching Irish style Anglo, and I'll be doing some harmonic-style Anglo workshops as well as an EC workshop with Dan.

 

For Irish style, Dan & Jarrett will be teaching Wearing of the Green, Ann Droney's Reel, The Haunted House, The Killeigh Hornpipe, and Apples in Winter, concentrating mostly on the Chris Droney style of playing. 

 

For Anglo I'll be doing workshops for beginner and advanced. We'll go through a bunch of the basic chords and accompaniment techniques, playing Oh Susanna a bunch of different ways. Other tunes will include Young Collins, Flow Gently Sweet Afton, Ain't No More Cane on the Brazos, the Mozart-ian Michael Turner's Waltz, Bobbing Joe, Weeping Sad & Lonely, and Lumps of Plum Pudding.

 

For EC, Ash Grove, Flow Gently Sweet Afton (with harmony), Pleasant & Delightful, and Paddy Fahey's Reel.

 

Duet players usually make up their own workshops depending on who shows up, but it has included Maccann, Crane, Jeffries, and even the world's largest Hayden Duet.

 

Back by popular demand we'll do a sea shanty workshop with Blow the Man Down, John Kanaka, Pay Me My Money Down, Rio Grande, Drunken Sailor, Sam's Gone Away, South Australia, and whatever else comes to mind, time permitting. "Bellowing" in all its many forms!

 

AND... as a special inducement, any and all Rollston Press concertina books will only be $10 each for concertina attendees - in honor of the 10th anniversary of Rollston Press! Limit of 5, just let me know in advance so I make sure to bring them with me. I'll definitely bring some copies of Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne's fantastic tutor, plus the new Phil Ham book, and Barbara Steinger's 86 Swiss & German Folksongs for Anglo Concertina, might be out by then too.

 

Here's a photo from the very first concertina workshop back in 2005, with Harold Herrington front and center. Wow, did we really win all those trophies? Or did we just hold the workshop in a room already full of trophies? Inspiring either way!

 

Lots of great music and great friendships, hope to see some of you in Palestine, Texas that weekend. oldpalmusic – Palestine Old Time Music and Dulcimer Festival

 

Cheers,

Gary

 

Edited March 10, 2023 by gcoover

[gcoover]

And here's a photo from this year's event. A good-looking bunch if I do say so myself!

Gary

[Bailey P]

Harold Herrington is my late grandfather. It’s so nice to see people still appreciating him and his beautiful work! If anyone knows where I could find some of his concertinas to buy back, please let me know! Our family would greatly appreciate it.