Fifty years is a very long time for any non-profit to exist, but the Ten Pound Fiddle has made it. Over the past five decades, the organization has brought noteworthy folk music to East Lansing, including stars like Nanci Griffith, Suzanne Vega, and before he recently burst onto the global scene, Billy Strings.
To celebrate, they’re hosting a Friday night concert and a full day of music and other activities on Saturday. Booking manager Sally Potter is excited about the concert Friday with Susan Werner, describing Werner as both incredibly funny and a heavyweight in folk music.
“She wrote the score for a new musical off-Broadway called ‘Bull Durham,’ she’s been working on that for years,” Potter said. “She went to the Berklee School of Music in Boston and got a jazz degree, but she’s a folk singer. She plays the guitar, but she plays the piano and she also writes songs, and she can rhyme on a dime.”
Werner’s latest album “Halfway to Houston” recently won album of the year at the International Folk Alliance conference in Montreal.
Matt Watroba, the host of WKAR’s music program “Folk With Matt Watroba,” credits the Ten Pound Fiddle with playing an instrumental role in keeping a show like his on the air. He’s looking forward to the celebration.
“The thing about the Ten Pound Fiddle is that they are consistent,” Watroba explained. “Somehow, even though there have been several people booking the series over the years, you can always count on great performances, even if you’ve never heard the artist before.”
Saturday will include a CD and vinyl sale, community sings, and assorted workshops including sessions on harmonica and ukulele for beginners. There also will be tips for jam sessions, a talk on the life and music of Woody Guthrie, and two contra dances with live music.
All that will be followed by an evening of live music, with local ensembles like The Springtails, Deacon Earl and Roger Gentry, and the Super Secret Cult Band. Then, favorite artists like Kitty Donohoe, Joel Mabus and Sally Rogers will perform. The sets will all be short to make room for everyone to play.
Potter’s group of about a dozen years, Second Opinion, will play one of those sets, reuniting her with Betsy Clinton and Pat Madden.
“We’ve been getting together once a week for a few weeks, and bringing back a couple of old favorites, and we’ve learned a new one that’s pretty amazing, so yeah, we’ve had a great time getting back together and singing,” Potter said.
Matt Watroba doesn’t just host WKAR’s folk program; he also performs. He and musical partner Robert Jones will play the final set. At the end of the evening, it’s probably safe to expect all of the performers on stage for a grand finale.
Friday’s Susan Werner concert starts at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday’s slate of events runs from noon to 10 p.m. All are at University Lutheran Church in East Lansing.
Ten Pound Fiddle has more shows planned for its 50th season through mid-May, and Potter says season 51 is already partially booked.
Ten Pound Fiddle is a financial supporter of WKAR.
