Goth Music

A favorite of the DMV’s swing dance community, the Rock-A-Sonics play a mix of Rockabilly, 50’s rock and country, and Western swing. Frontman Willie Barry’s pure tenor is accompanied by a group of very talented musicians. Tommy Joe’s in downtown Bethesda occupies the second and third floor of corner building. Bands play the second floor and there’s no cover. It’s easily accessible by metro or car (I use parking garage 36 Auburn-Del Ray).

Come join us on Saturday, March 7th as we host our first School of Musical Traditions Jazz Faculty Concert! This show is perfect for jazz lovers and SMT community members. Come see us play our take on the music we love and teach. Featuring: Noah Gitlis: Guitar Henry Meade: Keys Jake Askarinam: Drums Brenda Padilla: Trumpet 6PM - 8PM, Ticket Cost: $20 Tickets: [https://square.link/u/2Sc2VlwU](https://square.link/u/2Sc2VlwU?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExS3d5UTAxcTI5bDdCdTVpZHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4a8uI7PlsAZP0sfRjBFfWRguk2Pgkd5dyI3Wrp8ALBv8dlzONCvGRdgFISBQ_aem_Wp8x8aXHrbVm7Qr47mQyZg)

A favorite of the DMV's swing dance community, the Rock-A-Sonics play a mix of Rockabilly, 50's rock and country, and Western swing. Frontman Willie Barry's pure tenor is accompanied by a group of very talented musicians. Tommy Joe's in downtown Bethesda occupies the second and third floor of corner building. Bands play the second floor and there's no cover. It's easily accessible by metro or car (I use parking garage 36 Auburn- Del Ray).

For James Taylor's birthday, let's sing a few of his songs that are not in the Rise Up books. See you at SOJO! Seasoned SOJO'ers already know the program, but below are all the details which may be helpful to our new members. MOST IMPORTANT POINTS: 1. If you have copies of Rise Up Singing and Rise Again, please bring them. If you don't, we may have some extras available for you to borrow (one time only, please). Both books are easy to find and order online. And here's a link to find YouTube Videos of any song in either book. https://www.riseupandsing.org/songs/search 2. Feel free to bring lyrics and chords to hand out for songs not in the books. If you'd like to bring a song that most people don't know well, see if you can find a YouTube link and post it in the comments when you RSVP. We'd like to listen a few times before the SOJO to get the hang of it. 3. Bring something to drink, as singing is likely to make you thirsty. 4. We appreciate (but do not require) contributions to cover our room rental costs of $75 per session. 5. Please do RSVP. It helps us know how to set up the room and allows us to contact you if we have to cancel. *** FURTHER DETAILS, if you like: * Our regular gatherings take place on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. We meet from 2 to 5 p.m. with a break around 3:30. You can come for the whole time or just part of it. If you can arrive a little early to help set up or stay a little late to help put things back in order, that would be great. Occasionally we take pictures of our events. If you would rather not be photographed, just politely let the person with the camera know and step out of view. We'll be respectful of your wishes. Whether you're new to SOJO or not so new, we look forward to singing and playing with you!

The Mini-Fest (formerly the Midwinter Festival) returns to Browne Academy! Join us Saturday, March 7th in Alexandria, Virginia, for this FREE Folk Festival featuring musical performances, dance demonstrations, singing and instrument workshops, family programing, and more! Check back for updates on who will be performing! [More about the Mini-Fest](https://www.fsgw.org/mini-fest)

It's almost spring! That means, it's time for the Firefly House's annual Foundations class series. These classes are meant to provide students the opportunity to learn about the House and about our way of being Pagan. For the first class of our seven-class series, we'll be covering an introduction to the House and its way of being Pagan. Because Wicca is a formative part of our House's foundations, and we honor that foundation, we'll be talking a lot about it during this and the first few classes. But, rest assured, if you're not Wiccan, you're 100% welcome to join us as much as you're able and interested. Additionally, this first class goes over some key terms that we tend to use which, like "Paganism," can have a variety of meanings. Including them in an introductory video helps us to proceed onto the subsequent classes with a shared vocabulary and understanding. When you RSVP for this class, you'll be asked to provide an email address. We'll send you a link to the class video at that address as soon as possible after we receive it. We keep won't share your email with anyone ever. Watch the video before the class date and time, and come to class with any questions you might have. During the class session, we'll be going over anything from the video you wanted to review, and then for the remainder of the time, you can ask us anything you'd like about the House or Paganism in general and we'll do our best to answer. If you're comfortable with it, join us at the MLK Memorial Library in the Room 401-D to join the conversation in-person. Masks will be welcomed, but not provided, for in-person attendees. We will also have the necessary technology to allow folks to join in online via Google Meet if you prefer to attend remotely. Video conferencing information will be sent out the morning of the event. If you're connecting that way, please give us a few minutes past 3:30pm to get the stream online. This class is a part of our [foundations class series](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18-tA9ewEm1YEvY26jlWq07F2DT_-_HKwd-_wnl0l84g/edit?usp=sharing), which is only required if you wish to join the Firefly House as an initiate. If that does not interest you, then feel free to skip classes that you find less important for your journey. If you want to keep your options open with respect to initiation but cannot attend this session at the listed date and time, please contact the event host prior to the session. Keep in mind, you can only miss two of seven sessions in this way. Time spent with initiates of the House and your fellow classmates is an important part of knowing if you want to initiate. If you don't initiate, regardless of the reason, you're still welcome to all of the public events we organize. If you would like to, feel free to [join our Discord](https://discord.gg/RrS9XNzf9X) to chat with others in the Firefly House between sessions. This is also a great place to ask for help if you've lost a link to a video, for example. \*\*\* The Firefly House seeks to provide a friendly, safe environment in which all participants can engage in productive dialogue, sharing, and learning with each other in an atmosphere of mutual respect. We are committed to providing a harassment-free environment for all, regardless of gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body type, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), or technology choices. If you have any questions regarding this event, please contact the host.

Celebrate the coming of spring with dance! Join local Brazilian favorite Lunna Gomes at Roda Movements in Wheaton, MD. Forro for fun and for a good cause, we are raising money to support the Afro-Bahia Fest and local music groups. Lunna's forro dance class is open to all levels. After class, let's have a turn on the dance floor, dance social starts after class. Event cost : $12

**Celebrate MTV musical history** with a fun lineup of eight bands playing 15 minute sets of songs from the music video network that kicked it all off. Tickets @ $26: [https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/69497398/i-want-my-mtvflashband-showcase-washington-black-cat?mc_cid=b68ab29a7f](https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/69497398/i-want-my-mtvflashband-showcase-washington-black-cat?mc_cid=b68ab29a7f) **Flashband on Instagram:** [https://www.instagram.com/flashband_dc/](https://www.instagram.com/flashband_dc/) **Learn more about Flashband [via 7 Drum City](https://www.7drumcity.com/flashband.html)** If you fancy yourself a musician or singer, consider signing up for a future round of Flashband. I've participated in a few flashbands over the years and it's been an amazing experience each time. So many great musicians coming together to create fun sets, with a great high energy audience of friends and fans. I've loved watching other bands as much as I've enjoyed performing, it's a great night. -- Sunjeev **Official event description:** "I Want My MTV! Flashband On March 7th, Flashband is hitting Black Cat with a showcase for the ages: “I Want My MTV Flashband!” For over 40 years, we dialed into iconic TV music moments, studied our favorite artists, learned every new song and dance move… and then, on New Year’s Eve 2025, tech killed the video star — just like when video killed the radio star back in 1981. Get ready for eight all-new Flashbands to pay homage to decades of iconic MTV artists and songs that shaped music, culture, and airwaves for generations."

Every Second Sunday of the Month from 1-2 pm EST In this class Bebe Blumenthal helps kids learn to play music together. Kids have the opportunity to play the tunes they are learning in your private lessons with others - and learn new songs from others. Importantly kids learn how to collaborate, communicate, create and play well with others in a jam session. Mari facilitates a fun and supportive environment that encourages flexibility, experimentation, and listening. Parents and older siblings with accompanying instruments are welcome to sit in and support the jam. $30/session. Come every month or just once. Who knows - maybe you’ll meet future bandmates… [https://checkout.square.site/buy/RKAXL7VL3DZTFMNRJ2QOTQAT](https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fcheckout.square.site%2Fbuy%2FRKAXL7VL3DZTFMNRJ2QOTQAT%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExOGhVQ2k0b2g0Tkh0MkNJTgEe8n49Ur8UheXrPvV9tuqM9tHt7roV98z1uB9noLudWMLlGXQDFlw9uplVnEk_aem_tGa34dgHF9MSrLXbb3lJxg&h=AT0dRLI4rVUl4bpQG_DUh9my34Zc_nc4xrFSTZrbKY8iqah0tWA_L6CPexeirKBgawv1CoAIsCbPUWkpkqjH74hlJavr9GuxTggxel-v635cTHs8JDc7d0oqeHoNCoaGZ4eamYckH-ucuJwzHmDtD9MXPFKK30JtqAI&__tn__=q&c%5B0%5D=AT1bMR07rIyK5Sln0FvxJp3kCXsOFI0bRjYhJoQFYiISS6ePbzbNOLMZndtLzCHE0LnQuGmPDdjpU9Sg_hbbC66Rosb2PKruxXGUvoqBrtp7ghRWCK654ffbPTXGNSDtE56KHG77JcCqwD-AyDdBOiZanG8pjte1eTQ)

We are meeting in person at Elwood Smith Community Center, Rockville! \*\*\* The community-singing event where where everything's made up and the point — to sing for our lives — matters. Our leaders will teach you parts to sing for spontaneously-composed choral pieces. We play a variety of listening/music/singing games, and create safe opportunities for participants to improvise as little or as much as they might like. Good for all skill levels, shower-singers to seasoned pros, no sheet-music-reading required. \*\*\* We usually meet on the second Sunday of the month, and will continue to meet in-person as long as it makes sense. We encourage and provide masks. We will also plan on continuing our Zoom circles from time to time. So please check the day before/day of the meetup each month to confirm date & details. This world needs more song; join in the fun, and be the music you want to hear in the world. Hope to see you there! \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ L❤️ving this? Donate! : ) Your donations help keep our mission alive! We love doing this with you. Thank you to all who support us. Suggested donation is $15-20. Please include "VX" in the memo/notes! Via paypal: [ParisKern@comcast.net](https://paypal.me/Pariskern) Via Venmo: [@Pariskern](https://account.venmo.com/u/Pariskern) Check? Email: [ParisKern@comcast.net](mailto:ParisKern@comcast.net) IMAGE RIGHTS: We may take pictures and record videos of our in-person events, and record our Zoom meetings online. This material will be available for us to use to publicize upcoming circles and workshops and performances. By attending our events, you are agreeing with the image rights agreement. \~\~ This event is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council ([msac.org](https://msac.org/)). \~\~

Face-to-face Role Playing Game Session

Friday night Greenbelt International Folk Dancing has gone "virtual". As we all practice good social distancing, many in our folk dance community are feeling the absence of our usually scheduled local dances. In response, please join us for the Greenbelt Virtual Folk Dance Session. Let’s keep dancing! • Connect and dance in our own homes • Watch hosts leading familiar dances • See each other; listen and dance to our favorites How: We will be using the ZOOM video conferencing app to share music and live videos of the leaders and each other. This can be used on a desktop, laptop, or smartphone. What to Expect: Your hosts are Linda Mansdorf, Vita Hollander, Ben Hole, and John Robinson. Collectively they will play 25-30 dances, which should approximate the number of dances normally done on a Friday night in-person event. The hosts will do a quick teaching or demonstration of the steps to some of the dances that may be less familiar to you or just as a refresher, but the session is not designed as a workshop, so the majority of the evening will be spent playing dances that many of us already know and love to do. How To Join Us: Each week we will send an email with the Zoom Meeting link ID. Make sure John Robinson knows you would like to receive this email with the link. John's email address for Info: j_srobinson@verizon.net. https://www.facebook.com/GreenbeltInternationalFolkDancing/ Co-sponsored by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington

**Caller: Frank Buschelmann** **Band: The Rosenthorns** **Big Scioty Contra Dance** **temporarily returning to our long ago location for Jan-March - First Congregational Church, 444 E. Broad St., Columbus 43215** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 7:30 - 8:00, followed by dancing 8:00 - 10:30. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. For more information contact me or check out our website: [www.bigscioty.com](http://www.bigscioty.com/) Please bring your own refillable water bottle. Snacks to share are always welcome!

Kevin Rhodus from Lucy Deep Park Northside is coming to talk to us about his extensive neighborhood Christmas light display that is open in November and December every year north of Dublin. 9 houses over 12 acres and over 120,000 individual controlled lights that sync to music which you can tune into on your radio! Quite impressive! https://ldplights.com/ We'll dive into the tech that runs the show -- should be a blast to hear about this very elaborate display! While we continue to pursue a more permanent venue for this Meetup, we’ll be using public library facilities based on availability. This session will be at the Dublin Library in the Meeting Room 2

# **Band and caller TBA** Beginner lesson at 1:30, regular dancing begins at 2:00 pm NOTE THAT WE ARE TEMPORARILY DANCING IN THE AFTERNOON INSTEAD OF EVENING. Dance with us in the afternoon then you can still go out in the evening! **Sponsor: All Soles Contra and Square Dancing, First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Rd., Columbus OH 43214** WHAT IS CONTRA DANCING? Picture the Grand Ball scenes like you’ve seen in period films such as “Pride and Prejudice”, where the dancers are lined up in long lines, across from each other. That’s English Country Dancing, the predecessor of contra dancing. Now, add moves like “swing your partner” and “do-si-do,” like you’ve seen in square dancing. Set it to fabulous, high energy, live music with fiddles, guitars, percussion and more, alá “Riverdance.” Finally, set the whole scene down in the middle of Woodstock, with a hip, groovy atmosphere, a bit of tie-dye, and hints of counter-culture attitude. THAT’s Contra Dancing! Wear cool and comfortable clothes (you will get warm) and clean shoes that won't mark up our nice wood floor. Be sure to come for the beginner's lesson from 1:30 - 2:00, followed by dancing 2:00 - 430. All dances are taught; we will help you learn! Beginners always welcome, no need to bring a partner. Cost is $10.00 adults, $5.00 ages 12-26. Under 12 free. Free parking in church lot. Please bring your own refillable water bottle.

Bring your business cards and network in person with other business professionals! Gold Star Referral Clubs is one of the most established professional networking organizations in the country, with multiple groups in central Ohio. Join us!

The topic for March is "Our Bodies, Ourselves" Speak Easy: true stories, told live. The idea is simple: an audience, an open microphone, and great stories. Hilarious, gripping, poignant- it's up to you. Audiences are invited to come to listen or come to tell as folks from all corners of Columbus offer their stories live on stage! Held at Wild Goose Creative's warm, intimate space, this night of tales occurs on the 3rd Thursday of every month. Doors open at 6:30 pm, show starts at 7:00 pm. Please arrive early if you want to tell, as we generally only have room for a limited number of tellers, and the sign-up sheet has a tendency to fill up fast. Formed around the idea that people need stories--they're what hold and draw us together--SpeakEasy celebrates the strangeness and commonness of being human. And in a world of smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, and more . . . it gives people a real, breathing, in-person way to connect. The night is geared for true stories of all kinds, taking the best tales told around kitchen tables, in darkened pubs, on the street corner, and at late-night parties and giving them an audience. Speak Easy is also a great outlet for performers, writers, and artists looking to share their favorite stories and perfect their skills. We strongly encourage tellers to please tell the story rather than read it so we keep within the spirit of good storytelling and stay engaged with the audience. All are welcome. Hang around after the show for a drink and build community!

**Our March pick is *God of the Woods* by Liz Moore.** **This month’s novel is an award-winning literary mystery that blends family drama with psychological suspense. It explores women’s voices and relationships while delivering an exciting, eerie, and deeply suspenseful story. The book is 576 pages in print or 14 hours and 35 minutes on audiobook.** Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.