Fall Session Begins August 23rd! Register Today!

Our next 8-week session begins August 23rd. You will notice some big changes. First, there are nearly twice the amount of classes offered. Classes will now be slightly shorter (one hour and ten minutes in length). The first session of the night will start at 6:00PM.

The new schedule is more accommodating. Several of our introductory classes will be offered on more than one evening. We are also offering several classes on Saturday mornings. Currently, about 95% of the classes are listed on the website. A few more will likely be confirmed in the next week. Some classes may not have descriptions yet, but those descriptions will be added shortly. We have some great new teachers, and many of your favorite teachers will be offering brand new classes and some old favorites. To view the schedule click here

More than ever, we are asking that you spread the word about our great school. If each of you could tell just five of your friends about us, then we are going to have a historical fall session. If you would like some fliers to hang in your neighborhood, at work, at school, etc., please let us know. 

New Teacher Spotlight: Max Kelly

Classes: Hot Jazz Combo, Music Theory, Electric Bass, and Upright Bass.

Music has been the driving force behind upright/electric bassist Max Kelly’s life since he took up the instrument in 1992 at the age of 10. Now an accomplished performer and educator having played at venues ranging from the local Webster Jazz Festival to Carnegie Hall in New York, Max continues to follow the dream he conceived in his youth: to play music professionally and share his skills with as wide an audience as possible.

Max has been performing and teaching in the St. Louis area for 12 years. As a graduate of the SIUE jazz performance program, Max has studied under noted St. Louis bassists Tom Kennedy and Zeb Briskovich, and will soon be achieving his Master of Music in Jazz Performance. He has also performed with a number of notable St. Louis jazz musicians, including Willie Atkins, Scott Alberici, Ptah Williams, Lim Manley, and Dave Stone. In 2003 and 2004 he performed in Europe with Hal Bauernfeind, a veteran of the West Coast jazz scene of the 50s and 60s. Max Kelly can be heard performing all across the St. Louis area at a variety of venues including, Jazz at the Bistro, The Gramophone, Manja Italiano, Bossa Nova, and Riddle’s Penultimate Café.

Fardin Karamkhani in Concert 

Traditional Songs from Kurdistan, Persia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece

Friday, August 6 at 7:30PM, $10

purchase tickets here

Those who came to our last open mic were treated to a mesmerizing performance by Fardin Karamkhani. He is coming back for what will be a truly memorable concert at the Folk School.

Fardin Karamkhani is a native of Kurdistan in western Iran. He is the third generation in his family to build traditional Kurdish instruments. He performs on his own stringed instruments such as Saz and Setar, as well as percussion instruments such as Zarb and Daf.

Now a resident of St. Louis, Fardin has
lived and performed in Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece and most recently Southern California. Studying musicat a very young age, he learned many traditional Kurdish songs from his mother. Later he learned from his father how to make the instruments he was playing. Since then he has also invented a variety of new instruments and learned to build American folk instruments.

Fardin is also a composer of original music in various Middle Eastern styles. For more information about his instruments you can reach him by email, fardin@karamkhaniinstruments.com

Workshop and Concert with the Buckhannon Brothers 

Saturday, August 14

Workshop: Waltzes, Rags, and the Interplay Between Mandolin and Guitar
1:00 - 3:00PM
Price: $30 click here for details

The Buckhannon Brothers in Concert
7:30PM
Price: $10 click here for details

Dennis and Curtis Buckhannon became hooked on old time music so long ago that neither of them can remember exactly how it happened. Old-time music is not just what they play: it is a part of who they are.

Vocationally, Dennis is a union painter and Curtis is employed at a pharmaceutical company. But after their work days are done, the brothers break out their instruments, and together they create music founded on their sincere commitment to preserving traditional old-time mandolin and fiddle music that is indigenous to Missouri and the Midwest region at large.

In 1973, Curtis and Dennis formed an old-time string band called Cousin Curtis and the Cash Rebates. They had five pickers (fiddle, bass, mandolin, guitar and banjo) and frequently played for square dances and local establishments. The Cash Rebates are still playing today and although the membership has gone through several permutations, Curtis and Dennis remain at the center of the band. Since the late 1980s, Curtis also plays with the Ill-Mo Boys.

Today, the Buckhannon Brothers perform in St. Louis as well as around east central Missouri and southern Illinois for square and line dances. They teach and call old-time square dances as well. The brothers perform at numerous old-time national music festivals, and have been instrumental (pun intended) in several projects dedicated to the preservation of old-time string band music, such as field recordings produced by the Missouri Friends of the Folk Arts (University of Missouri at Columbia archives). Their talents as old-time musicians have been preserved for posterity on recordings archived in the Library of Congress and their recordings have been used as authentic auditory complements to two historical documentaries!

Fiddle Workshops With Stacy Phillips

Beginner/Intermediate Fiddle Workshop Friday, September 3, 6-8PM
Price: $40

Intermediate/Advanced Fiddle Workshop Saturday, September 4, 10-12PM
Price: $40

Stacy Phillips is a internationally acclaimed fiddler and Dobro player.  Among the more than 25 books and dvds to his credit are "Twin Fiddling", "Bluegrass Fiddle Boot Camp", and the 1,500 tune "Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes".  He currently edits the on line magazine "Fiddle Sessions".

Don’t Play Guitar...Play Music: Workshop and Concert with George Worthmore 

Saturday, September 25

Guitar Workshop, 1-3PM
Price: $40

Concert, 7:30PM
Price: $10

For over twenty years George Worthmore has been a star in the New York City music scene. Known for his quick wit and musical dexterity, George has shared the stage with many elite blues, folk and rock artists such as; Kinky Friedman, Bo Diddley, Ben E. King, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Lou Christy, and The Platters. George has also been "the other guy" with Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Cassidy in Hot Tuna.

A consummate entertainer when performing with his own band, The Divebombers, he was joined on stage by such stars as Billy Idol and Paul Schaffer, (band leader on the Letterman show) and Chris Spedding. Guitar monster Rick Derringer was a frequent guest artist. Derringer has also produced some of George’s early recorded works.

George studied with Dave Van Ronk and Ian Buchannon, both students of the Rev. Gary Davis. He has also had the honor of playing with Johnny Shines and Robert Jr. Lockwood when they were in New York City. George and his trusty guitar have been a regularly featured act at both Manny’s Car Wash and Dan Lynch’s Blues Bar, two of New York City’s top venues.

After three tours to South Africa, George bought the night club where he performed -The Blues Room, and turned it into the most prestigious live music venue in that county. 1n 2007, after an award wining 10-year run, George sold the Blues Room and has returned to the US and to his first love, performing. His current show is a tour de force of solo acoustic guitar, from Ragtime to Blues, with the occasional Bach thrown in to keep things interesting!
More than the usual singer/guitarist, a George Worthmore show is interlaced with humorous comments and amusing anecdotes about the songs, his life and his music.
www.georgeworthmore.com