Celebrating forty-one years of making music! The Folk Club is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the appreciation of music and the preservation of folk traditions. Each Tuesday we host an open mic and/or special monthly events, including concerts and member showcases. Come join us any Tuesday. Whether you choose to listen, perform or both, you’ll find the Folk Club to be a friendly and enjoyable experience you’ll want to repeat. All levels of performers are welcome, from 3-chord beginners to seasoned pro’s and we encourage newbies by reserving slots on the board for first-timers during our regular open-mics!
Every Tuesday at 7:00 pm, Amphora Diner Deluxe, 1151 Elden St, Herndon, Virginia 20170
News, Notes & Quotes
Important Dates:
August 3, 17, 31- Alternate Mondays Virtual Open Mic on Zoom
August 11 – Showcase Night with Bob Melissinos & Shenandoah Run
August 18 – Theme Night – “Speed”
September 15 – Our concert series start back up, featuring the Australian Folk Duo “Great Aunt”
Tuesday, August 11th:
August Showcase featuring:
Bob Melissinos & Shenandoah Run
In the early ‘60s Bob Melissinos was a folk musician in Greenwich Village and shared stages with the likes of Cass Elliot (The Mamas and the Papas), The Highwaymen, and Robert Guillaume. As a member of The Coachmen and other groups, he performed at The Bitter End and other clubs, the 1964 World’s Fair, and numerous colleges and universities. Eventually life intervened (he married, raised a family, and probably worked his tail off), and music took a back seat, even though he always loved it.
Then about 2011 Bob had a hankering to get back into making music, and inspired by The New Christy Minstrels and their song “Today” (his favorite folk song), he cast about for singers and players who could do the song justice, as well as other favorite folk songs. That is how Shenandoah Run was born, and it evolved into a group whose aim is to bring back folk and Americana music and keep it vital and fresh.
That has been the key to the success of the band through the years. We pay tribute to both folk and Americana music featuring soaring harmonies and top-notch musicianship designed to entice listeners to sing along with the band. Sharing the feeling of the music with everyone has been the goal and is our primary focus.
We perform at a wide variety of locations in the DC area and beyond. Many of these places have featured Shenandoah Run multiple times, and we often play to large audiences. For outdoor spaces we have brought in some of the largest audiences the venues have experienced.
The current musicians, including five Folk Club members*, will be squeezing onto the stage for our fourth showcase: Jim Johnson* (vocals, mandolin, guitar), Leslie Smile Hoyle (vocals, violin), newest member Richard Thornburgh* (bass), Ron Goad* (percussion), founder and manager Bob Melissinos* himself (vocals, guitar), Ben Hamblin* (vocals, lead guitar), original member Joe Dickey (banjo), and Jill Nelson (vocals, octave guitar, percussion). Unfortunately, Renee Moyer (vocals, percussion) will miss this show.
For information about the band, full bios of the band members, CD purchases, and bookings, visit their website at www.shenandoahrun.com.
