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

It is hard to say goodbye to a friend. In our lives Mike began as a musical icon and hero, a master musician whose recordings we listened to over and over. We studied, emulated, learned songs and instrumental techniques. We followed the path of the traditional musicians he recorded and toured with. We listened to and learned from them. That was Mike’s mission, to keep the old music alive and to enjoy it’s continued breadth and breath.

In the past ten or so years, our casual friendship through folk festivals and jam sessions became a deeper one. Longer visits, longer talks, more music. Mike introduced Marcy to the cello banjo of the 1910′s and it was a life-changer. He enjoyed hearing her take the old instrument to new places that honor tradition and stretch it as far as it will go. He gave credibility to our Old Time Banjo Festival with brilliant performances, all the while, listening to and appreciating every note and song played by the other musicians.

Mike passed peacefully on August 7 after living with lymphoma for 8 years. He had time to say beautiful goodbyes to family and friends and he used it well. His influence in traditional and popular music is immeasurable from artists such as Bob Dylan to Ry Cooder to the Grateful Dead. We can’t even name the thousands of old time musicians and stringbands that are in his debt, crediting much of  their musical passion to him.  Mike was humble-a regular guy, and an incredible tree with branches of “True Vine” as he titled one of his recordings.

Mike wants us all to carry on-keep real music alive, let it grow and let it enrich our lives. And so we will. To Mike we say thank you and goodbye. To you, we recommend some wonderful listening.

Especially For Kids and Families:
AMERICAN FOLKSONGS FOR CHILDREN- Mike & Peggy Seeger, 3 CD set of delightful songs compiled in book of same name by their mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger
ANIMAL FOLKSONGS FOR CHILDREN- All 4 siblings- Mike, Peggy, Penny & Barbara

For Old Time Music Lovers
SOUTHERN BANJO SOUNDS – an amazing solo CD of diverse old time banjo music
EARLY SOUTHERN GUITAR SOUNDS – an amazing CD of diverse old time guitar music
And, if you have a good sense of humor, have a listen to RETROGRASS with Mike, David Grisman and John Hartford.

A full discography is available at www.mikeseeger.info
A wonderful tribute can be heard by Mike’s friend, Paul Brown, on NPR at: http://ow.ly/jrA0

Mike performs DARLIN COREY ON YOUTUBE: http://ow.ly/jtHu

There’s tons more reading and listening you can do with a simple google search.