I made a poster for the Canadian Folk Songs show

If anyone wants to print this poster and put it up on their fridge or in their staffroom or anywhere else, feel free!
I hope to see you at the show on June 22. It will be good.

Canadian Folk Songs at he Log Drive Café Poster

Feral Choir Was a Wild Ride

This weekend I had the privilege and joy of participating in a Feral Choir led by Phil Minton, a British vocal improviser and leader of community improvisational singing. Max Middle brought him to town and organized three workshops in which we learned how to follow Phil’s hand signs and create wonderful, noisy and expressive vocal music for a performance on Saturday night. It was fun, and those who sat in the audience (mostly our friends and relations, I think) also enjoyed it, for the most part.

As someone who loves vocal improvisation and has attempted several times to get groups going to do it, I was ispired and learned a great deal from the experience. I am also excited to learn that some of the folks who participated in the choir would like to continue in some way to do vocal improvisation. I think we may get something together to play with this form. I don’t know whether it will be performance-oriented or striclty for itself, but I hope we do gather to express ourselves occasionally in Music of the Moment.

Canadian Folk Songs at the Log Drive Café

A Real Log Drive

Exciting news! I am doing an evening of Canadian Folk Songs at a new venue, with my daughter, Daphne, helping me out on guitar and vocal accompaniment. And it is wheelchair accessible! That is hard to find in this old city. Check out all the details below and on the events page.

The Log Drive Café

presents

Maura Volante

in an evening of Canadian Folk Songs

with Daphne Volante on guitar and vocal accompaniment.

Friday, June 22, 2012, 7:30 to 9 pm

Abbotsford House Recreation Centre

950 Bank Street, across from Lansdowne Park

$7 at the door

Coffee, tea, juice and baked goodies will be available.

The Log Drive Café is an exciting new program at Abbotsford House featuring local folk musicians in a coffee house setting.

At this first session, Maura and Daphne will perform a variety of Canadian folk songs from across the country: work songs, love songs, ballads, sea songs and (typically Canadian) complaints about the weather. Most are traditional; a few are by contemporary songwriters. Audience members are welcome to sing along on the choruses.

All ages welcome

Wheelchair accessible

Watch for more events in the fall.

Changes to Comments Settings

I have, I hope, disabled the setting requiring approval for comments, as I don’t really think it is necessary and adds a barrier to communication through this site. I didn’t want to have to approve comments but originally I just went with the default because I didn’t really understand the settings menu.

It would be great if someone who has never commented on this site would leave a comment so that I can test out this change. Thanks.

Canadian Folk Songs at Colonel By Day

I am doing a participatory singing and dancing workshop at Colonel By Day! This is a festival celebrating the founder of Ottawa, on August 6, down at the locks near the Bytown Museum. More information to come.

Hey Arise and Come Along!

I have recently learned another old Canadian folk song, that I stumbled across in a book by Edith Fowke called Traditional Singers and Songs from Ontario. I have put the lyrics on the Songs page.

I was very pleased to find a local song (it was collected in Glengarry, east of Ottawa) that has an interesting tune and a chorus, making iit easy to sing in groups. If you want the tune drop me a line and I will sing it for you.

New Song: Les Raftsmen

I have just added a new song to the Songs page. Les Raftsmen is a traditional Ottawa Valley song, mostly in French with a few English words here and there. I used to sing along with Rika Ruebsaat who sang it often at the Vancouver Folk Song Circle, and when I came across it in one of Edith Fowke’s books I decided to learn it. I now know it but am still working on getting all the words out fast enough! It can be a tongue twister for an anglo but it is worth the effort!