Folklife 2015 Short Tunes and Hot Squares

The Folklife Festival has come and gone. We had a blast. The Satruday noon-time jam was well attended, and the selection of short tunes made for inclusive playing for those who came to play along. Here's our "short tunes" set list:

Grub Springs

Ida Red

Going Down the River

Chicken and Dumplings

Little Rabbit (Where's your Mammy?)

Late for the Dance

Horny Ewe

Cold Frosty Morning

The jam was held in an open-walled tent, which was just fine, but was also about 20 steps away from a large marimba ensemble, which produced a massive wall of sound. Perhaps other jams would have been discouraged, but we pressed on, tucking our chairs right up next to each other in a tight circle and producing a bubble shield of old-time sound.

Later that evening Rabbit Stew joined Victory Chicken and The Tallboys in the Hot Squares lineup. The room was full, the sound system was dialed in, and so we danced and played while Joanna Stodden, Dean Wenick, and Tony Mates called out instruction.

There's really nothing better than playing old-time music for a square dance, when the stomp of feet on the dance floor becomes the rhythmic base to the groove being laid down by the band, and also drives the cadence of the caller. Or maybe it's the other way around -- band and caller driving the cadence of the dancers. Whatever the direction, it's definitely symbiotic!

We'll look forward to Folklife again next year. In the meantime, you can always get into that wonderful symbiosis by dropping by your friendly neighborhood square dance, the Gypsy Squares.