Cathy & Marcy's Blog

July 17 & 18 we will celebrate the 4th Annual Old Time Banjo Festival in the greater Washington, DC. area. During the festival concerts and workshops, we will take time to remember our friend MIKE SEEGER. It’s no exaggeration that without Mike’s music collecting, documenting, teaching, recording & performing, the world’s interest in old time music, and banjo history and styles in particular, would be a lot smaller. Marcy has composed a new tune, “Rockbridge”, dedicated to Mike. Many songs and tunes will be performed in his honor. Read more about Mike Seeger on his website.

Mike was enthusiastic about “next generations” who embraced old time music from both traditional and innovative points of view. Two young players on this year’s festival are perfect examples. FRANK FAIRFIELD makes his first Washington, DC appearance. Hear him play “Nine Pound Hammer” like an old timer from the past on youtube.

ADAM HURT’s‘s elegantly innovative clawhammer style has made him a young star in today’s old time music scene. He’s won just about every significant contest, but more importantly brings a style all his own that still beautifully embraces the tradition.

TONY TRISCHKA’s contributions to banjo from minstrel sounds through contemporary bluegrass styles have influenced thousands of players from Bela Fleck to Steve Martin. His new TONY TRISCHKA SCHOOL OF BANJO continues the thread of exploring and teaching.

CHEICK HAMALA DIABATE plays the ngoni from his home country of Mali along with the banjo and guitar. A beautiful singer, composer and griot, his music will mesmerize.

What are Cathy & Marcy up to banjo-wise?
Cello Banjo, Tenor Banjo, Five String Banjo, Melody Banjo- we love them all and are practicing some new tunes/songs as well as our parts for the BIG BANJO ORCHESTRA, which will include TONY, CATHY, MARCY ADAM & hopefully even a BANJO BASS from the late 1800′s restored by Kevin Enoch.
Here’s a fun youtube video of Cathy & Marcy in BANJOLAND for all ages.

Join the BANJOFEST fun:
July 17
Old Time Banjo Contest- 11am @ Takoma Park, MD Gazebo
Contest and mini-concert free to audience. Winner gets a Kevin Enoch TRADESMAN Banjo. Sign up in advance or at the Gazebo at 11am.
Birchmere Music Hall @ 7:30pm- full concert
July 18: WORKSHOPS @ House of Musical Traditions with Tony, Adam, Cathy & Marcy
More info on the whole festival at www.oldtimebanjofestival.com

Out with the old, in with the new. But how did we spend 2009? It’s amazingly difficult to choose 1 highlight per month but it beats writing a whole book, so here we go:

JANUARY: We performed at the Smithsonian’s American Indian Museum the day before Obama’s inauguration in a pre-inaugural multi-cultural party.
Marcy produced a CD by Kellie Allen & Pete Peterson

FEBRUARY- At the GRAMMY Awards we announced about 20 awards, handed the GRAMMY to 2 friends (Bill Harley and Art Rosenbaum) and Cathy had her photo taken with Paul McCartney, REALLY.

MARCH- We launch the Brownie Troop of Kensington, MD Ukulele Orchestra

APRIL- BANJO TO BEATBOX plays Philly kids fest and CD is released on our SongShop™ label

MAY- Can’t do just 1. Birchmere Mother’s Day show with Deborah Tannen (NY Times Best selling author), Peggy Seeger & the dynamic duo AND
While in Maui for business (ha, ha, ha) we meet the HULA HONEYS, jam for days on end with them and vow to produce their next CD
Film JUBILATION MUSIC VIDEO
JUNE- Perform tribute to ELLA JENKINS at Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s Ralph Rinzler Memorial Concert

JULY- gotta do 4
*Old time Banjo Festival at the Birchmere includes Cathy & Marcy, Bruce Molsky, Mike Seeger, Adam Hurt, The Old 78′s- Mike’s last Washington DC performance
*Ukulele Festival- James Hill, Victoria Vox, Cathy, Marcy, local friends & 3 uke orchestras-WOW
*Wolf Trap Theater in the Woods w/ Chris Bacon & BANJO TO BEATBOX
*Kennedy Center Millenium Stage w/ James Hill & Adam Hurt

AUGUST- Clifftop Appalachian String Band Festival gives a chance to chill & play old time music with friends from all over the country. BUT, we lost good friend and old time music torch bearer Mike Seeger to cancer.

September- Record 2 DVD’s (Meet the Instruments) and a CD (Michele Valeri’s “Little Ditties for Itty Bitties”) for our SONGSHOP™ label. February releases.

October- Favorite show was the Tribute to Utah Phillips celebrating the 2 CD set, “Singing Through The Hard Times” honoring his music & raising $ for the homeless shelter he helped build.

NOVEMBER- The dynamic duo sold 110 ukuleles to pre-school teachers at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Conference in Washington DC, plus plenty of C&M CD’s & DVD’s, but most importantly, loved hanging out with pre-school teachers and teaching ukulele at our booth. 2 chords makes you ready to sing 100 songs! 3 chords=500+ songs

DECEMBER- gotta mention a few
*BANJO TO BEATBOX becomes our 14th consecutive GRAMMY nominated CD, for Best Musical Recording for Children
*24th Annual Winter Family concert including Scottish fiddle virtuoso Bonnie Rideout and the Rockville High School Bagpipe Band. Some families bring 3 generations of Cathy & Marcy fans
*Then a memorial & music party in honor of Mike Seeger
Then- Marcy’s mom has major surgery and lives to tell the tale
Then- 17th Annual Gingerbread House decorating party
Then- Xmas party at rehap center for Marcy’s mom with musical friends
Then- Xmas dinner & music party
Then- Hank Williams Tribute nights at the Birchmere Music Hall & Court Square Theater (Harrisonburg, VA)
Then- HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Someplace in there we also contributed to the National Geographic’s new Documentary on the Appalchian Trail on dulcimer, banjo, guitar and mandolin. Cathy got a new bike in trade for banjo lessons. Marcy collected a few tenor guitars and we each rescued some special instruments from gloom and doom on ebay and elsewhere. Cathy became more active with the Washington Area Women’s Foundation and Marcy built up the Girls with Guitars and Ukulele Social Network social websites. There’s always more, but now that it’s 2010, we’ve got new work & projects to get to.

Here’s to a year of CHANGE, HEALTH CARE FOR ALL AT AFFORDABLE PRICES, GOOD HEALTH, SONGS, PEACE, HAPPINESS, PEACE and ever expanding hat collections. Keep your sense of humor-you’re gonna need it. Get up and do something and it’ll get done!
Cathy & Marcy

Today’s Hats
Dust Collector, Human Snow Plow, Bookkeeper, Philosopher, Mosaic Artist, Buddy, Shipping Clerk, Secretary, Label Manager, Artist Rep., Grammy Winner, Banjo Player, Pro Bono Advisor, Satirist, Content Creator, Dishwasher, Songwriter, Activist, God-Mother, Aunt, Chameleon