About Us
The Folk Club is an all-volunteer organization led by an elected Board of Directors. Other members contribute to the functions of our weekly open mike nights, and our monthly operations. Founded in 1985, the Folk Club of Reston & Herndon has been led by five presidents: Rose Haskell, Larry Mediate, Ray Kaminsky, Ben Hamblin, and Al Hobson. The first four presidents are shown together in this photograph taken on a Tuesday night in 2015. Thank you all for your service!
Membership
Membership in the Folk Club is open to all. The cost is a nominal $15 a year or $55 dollars for five years, and each member gets a $1 discount on the recommended donation for each monthly concert, up to 2 donations per show (see Concerts below). Folk Club members are also eligible for the monthly showcase drawings (see Showcase below) and subscription to our monthly newsletter. See our Treasurer Jennifer Katt on Tuesday night or email her at treasurer.jk.folkclub@gmail.com to become a member.
Folk Club Features
Open Mic
Most Tuesday nights, the Folk Club is an open mic format with a sign-up board. There are 14 performer slots and each performer has 8 minutes, which includes set-up time and talking. A $1 donation is suggested to all audience members, to help defray operating costs and use of the room. If any month contains 5 Tuesdays, the 5th Tuesday is a special, un-amplified, purely acoustic night. It’s an opportunity to get back to the roots of folk music. Since we first tried it, it has become immensely popular, so come on out and give it a listen.
Concerts
On one Tuesday of every other month (except July and August), the Folk Club hosts a concert featuring a National or Internationally recognized artist.
Getting tickets to Folk Club Concert Events: 1) Come to The Folk Club on Tuesday and buy them directly. OR 2) Contact Jennifer Katt at treasurer.jk.folkclub@gmail.com to learn if tickets are available. THEN 3) Make out a check to “The Folk Club” in the amount of the tickets you want. 4) Mail it to: Jennifer Katt, 13529 Wood St., Woodbridge, VA 22191-1338 5) If you enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE), the tickets will be mailed to you. Otherwise, they will be available at the door. You may request that tickets be reserved in your name and a list will be maintained, however, we do not guarantee a seat unless the ticket is paid for (the concert may sell out before you arrive).
Showcase
On the second Tuesday of the month (usually), we feature a “Showcase” of a Folk Club member in a 24-minute set. On these evenings, there is a drawing for the next month’s showcase performer. Active members are eligible to put their name in the hat if it they have not performed a showcase in the past 12 months.
Newsletter
The Folk Club publishes a monthly newsletter and Folk Club members are encouraged to submit performance calendars, classified advertisements, articles, reviews, artwork and other music related items to the editor, Ben Hamblin (FolkClubofRestonHerndon@gmail.com). Information should be received one week before the last day of the month in which you want it published. Items will be published on the basis of music related interest, timeliness, and space available.
Performance Guidelines
When the Folk Club of Reston & Herndon was founded, a few principles were viewed as central to its mission. One is to provide a forum and opportunity for individuals to perform and present their musical talents to an audience, nurture and further their development as performers, and provide a positive experience. This has evolved into the Open-Microphone format of the weekly Folk Club meeting.
The structure of the weekly open-mic and its overall management is a challenge given the individual goals of the performers, the preferences of the listeners, the collective goals of the club itself, and the time constraints and physical limitations of the venue.
In a meeting of the Board of Directors in May 2021 a proposal was made and voted upon to change the time for each of the slots on the board for the normal open mic format from 12 minutes to 8 minutes. The motion was agreed to and now there will be 14 8-minute slots most weeks on the signup board for performers to fill. This is the way it was many years ago so we are trying it again, and we hope that this allows for more musicians to play and results in less chaos during the open mic.
With an allowance of one to two minutes for transition from one act to another, 5-10 minutes for the MC’s introduction and announcements, a 10 to 15-minute break in the middle, and a few minutes to break down and put away the sound system, this fills the two hours and forty-five minutes (7:15 PM – 10 PM) that the Folk Club has available each week (per our arrangement with the restaurant).
Many folks would like to get onto the stage and perform at the Folk Club, and on some nights more than even 14 slots allow. A collective goal is to try to give as much opportunity to as many persons as possible to get their 8 minutes of fame. It is also recognized that 7:15 PM on a weekday is early when considering the work/school day and the commuting situation in the metro area, so allowances are made to allow more folks to get there in time to get a chance to sign up. Keep in mind that there are special nights where each slot is one song: concert nights with only four slots, and party nights with as many slots as can fit in the time – round-robin.
The Folk Club strives to offer an opportunity to performers, good music to listeners, and a warm, relaxing atmosphere in which to meet and share in something loved by all. It also helps that good food and service can be found where we get together. Rules are held to a minimum, and the goodwill and conscientious actions on the part of all in attendance are counted upon to make it all happen week after week. Below are guidelines that we hope all performers and audience members will follow, and by doing so keep the Folk Club a prime listening club for acoustic music.
NOTE: This is a June 2021 update to the Guidelines written by Dave Hurd in September 2012, and addresses changing the length of a slot to 8 minutes and a few supporting ideas. The major changes are highlighted in bold font.
• Signup is first-come, first-served, and open to anyone, and it must be done in person by at least one of the individuals performing in the slot.
• A person or group may only sign up once on the board in an evening. • A person or group who performed an 8-minute set the previous week should wait until 7 PM before signing up at the next regular open-mic. Concert nights and Round-Robin nights are the exception and are precluded from this rule. • A person or group may not split an 8-minute set with another person or group.
• Note: Person or group (above) refers to the featured (or lead) participant for the slot.
• The Folk Club encourages collaboration and the formation of duos, trios, etc. So long as an individual does not perform in a lead role, it is acceptable for that person to accompany, harmonize with, or otherwise augment the performance of others on the same evening the individual performs in a lead role.
• We ask that persons or groups not circumvent the guidelines through a name change, or a slight change in the mix of members, resulting in multiple appearances of essentially the same individuals.
• If all 14 slots are filled, performers can sign up on the Wish List in hopes of being granted some time near the end of the night.
• Those who perform regularly should consider relinquishing their slot to others when the board is filled—and possibly putting themselves on the Wish List.
• Please keep your set within the 8-minute limit. The countdown timer shows how much time you have left, and the red light means your time is up and you should end your song. If you go over the time by more than a minute, we will be forced to turn your sound down.
• There is no need to try and fill the whole 8 minutes. If you have completed a song and there is not enough time for another song, then end your set. If you only want to play one song, that is OK. Remember, taking less time may allow those on the Wish List to perform at the end of the evening.
• Performers are reminded to time their set in advance to ensure that it can be completed within the eight minutes. This includes any talking during their set.
• The MC is the moderator for the evening, responsible for the flow of the evening’s events, and is therefore “in charge.”
• On nights when the board does not fill up, and open slots remain throughout the evening, any of these restrictive guidelines may be bypassed at the discretion of the MC and the audience’s desires.
• Read your audience and learn from them. Overexposure can be as harmful to one’s acceptance by an audience as poor performance — “less is sometimes more.”
Audience Guidelines
• The audience is reminded that The Folk Club of Reston & Herndon is a listening club – no talking is allowed during performances, except for conferring with the wait-staff.
• All cell phones or other noise-making devices should be turned off or placed in silent mode.
• The audience is requested not to cut into the performers’ 8 minutes by bantering with them.
Board Members
President
Al Hobson
Al is a late-bloomer when it comes to playing music, having only picked up guitar after retiring from a successful 41 year career in law enforcement. He began attending Folk Club in 2016 and very quickly became a regular, falling in love with the music and the very open, accepting, and encouraging atmosphere of the club and its members. Since joining the club, Al has developed a passion for sound engineering. You can usually find him running the sound board at Folk Club when Ben Hamblin is not doing it, hosting House Concerts in his barn or performing with his band, Chasing Magic. Prior to becoming president, Al served as the treasurer from 2020 to 2024.
Treasurer
Jennifer Katt
Jennifer has been writing and performing music since the early 1980’s, when she mostly sang with and for friends, which remains her favorite thing to do. In the 1990’s Jennifer’s songwriting trio “Bugleweed” performed its members’ original tunes at local venues, highlighting three-part harmonies with acoustic instrumentation. It was around this time that Jennifer served on the Board of the Songwriters Association of Washington and as a judge for the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. After that came “Random Act,” an 8-member high-harmony group featuring a lavish array of instruments and vocal arrangements. Now, Jennifer is focusing once again on songwriting and performing, often with others, enjoying the intimacy of smaller venues and listening spaces like the Folk Club. Jennifer is retired from a decades-long career as a technical/scientific writer and personal trainer. Other than music, hobbies include competitive swimming and teaching fitness classes.
Board Member
Bill Davis
Bill plays the guitar and is the founder of the Guys With Monosyllabic First Names Who Play The Guitar Society – which is so secret it never meets. He has been a Folk Clubber since the last night at the Red Caboose (sometime in 1986 or 1987) so he is very old – but a lot of the songs he sings are older, a lot of the songs he has written are older too. But singing with Pat Chen as Somos el Mar most of the time he is younger than the audience. Bill writes a lot of his own songs including some that aren’t so bad and some that are so bad. How bad is that? Bill has been a pilot and flight instructor, IT guy, radio engineer, actor, director, theatre guy. Think of something – I’m probably interested in it. Bill shares emcee duties with fellow board members Nancy Truax, Connee Chandler, and John Druitt.
Board Member
Ben Hamblin
Ben first came to The Folk Club at The Tortilla Factory in November 1998. In addition to being our longest serving President, from 2010 to 2024, Ben is also our Newsletter editor and he is quite frequently our sound engineer on Tuesday nights. Retired from federal contracting, Ben and his wife Gail have decided to stay in the area. He admits that a large part of what keeps them here is The Folk Club.
Board Member
Ron Goad
What can we say about Ron Goad? Born in an elevator in Front Royal, Virginia, Ron’s had his ups and downs. Illustrious impresario, prestidigitatious percussionist, and emcee extraordinaire, Ron has been nominated for the WAMMIE award for Most Supportive of Washington Music for 4 consecutive years, winning the honor in 2008 and 2009. Ron was introduced to the Folk Club by Todd Crowley when asked to sing The Cowardly Lion part in “If I Only Had a Brain” from The Wizard of Oz, along with Rex Wood. The trio presented a rough rendition but got lots of applause anyway, so that kept Ron coming back for more. Prior to The Club, Ron was more accustomed to playing professionally (i.e. – in tuxedos… for real money!). He thanks the Folk Club and Dan Grove for increasing his appreciation of nonpaying gigs.
Board Member
Jim Clark
Jim’s mother decided to start Jim’s musical journey at age 8 with piano lessons (though his piano teacher told his mom to save her money…). Notwithstanding, by his mid-teens Jim had become proficient enough to join a pop/jazz septet in high school. By age 24, after starting law school at Oxford, he decided he needed a hobby, so he bought a banjo and started learning clawhammer technique. After graduation, however, the demands of his new career moved music to the sidelines. Then in 2001 he decided it was time to kick-start his musical hobby once again, so he took lessons on Celtic guitar, and started attending a local regular Irish session, before discovering and joining the Songwriter’s Association of Washington (later serving on the board). In 2005, having recently joined forces with Jim Johnson as the Harley String Band, he discovered and became attached to the Folk Club at our old, familiar Tortilla Factory haunt. It was here that he penned his now (locally) famous song about the Folk Club, “They Say it Cost a Dollar”, a part-homage/part-lampoon of our good-natured get-togethers, and a few of our more notable (or notorious) regulars. In May of 2011, Jim assumed the mantle of booking agent from our long-time Folk Club friend and major music fan, Chris “Fang” Kramer-Harnage. He handed the baton over to Steve Potter in 2016.
Board Member
Nancy Truax
Nancy grew up in East Tennessee, living at various times in Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Maryville. She joined the Coast Guard at the age of 21, and enjoyed a long and varied career. She worked for many years as a Morse Code and voice radio operator and spent the last ten years of her career in the JAG program. She ended her Coast Guard career as a criminal defense attorney, representing Coast Guard members whose court-martial convictions were up on appeal, and continued to do that in retirement, until this past year. Nancy first came to the Folk Club fifteen or so years ago when she was invited by her neighbor Greg Vickers to join him on a few songs in his showcase. That was the first time she had ever sung into a microphone. There were a few open slots at the end that night. She wasn’t planning on doing anything solo, but she borrowed a guitar and sang a few more songs. It was terrifying, but also the most rewarding experience, and she was hooked! Nancy shares emcee duties with fellow board members Bill Davis, Connee Chandler and John Druitt.
Board Member
Connee Chandler
Connee Chandler started coming to the Folk Club every week in 2002 with her best friend Kate Hannigan. They were seen anchoring the front corner table by the window for many happy years, not performing but joyfully appreciating. Other friends joined her later, most recently Chet Hall at Amphora. Connee often says, “when I first came to the folk club, I thought this was a place where people loved music. Over time I realized that this is a place where people love musicians!” Connee found her perfect volunteer role as MC, which came naturally since she once spent seven years in Toastmasters, getting over her fear of public speaking. Connee shares emcee duties with fellow board members Bill Davis, Nancy Truax, and John Druitt.
Board Member
Sue Schier
Board Member
TM Hanna
Board Member
Bill Farrar