FOOTMAD About You
Almost 25 years ago, a small band of Charleston area music lovers imagined a way to promote and preserve the musical traditions that have influenced West Virginia 's finest musical talents. FOOTMAD was born.
Since 1981, Friends Of Old Time Music And Dance (FOOTMAD) have presented concerts by artists whose styles are indebted to the traditions of what we used to call "old-timey" mountain music and to the Celtic ballads and tunes of Ireland and Scotland, Piedmont and Delta blues, Cajun and zydeco dance music, klezmer and other traditional ethnic and cultural influences from around the world.
Where
On the first and third Fridays of each month from October through June, anyone with an urge to dance is welcome at FOOTMAD contra dances, hosted in the activities building of Charleston 's First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Kanawha Boulevard and Leon Sullivan Way . "If you can walk, you can contra dance," assures Michael Anderson, chair of the dance committee. "Before each dance, we do a walk-through. And remember, it's not a mistake, it's a variation!"
Volunteers like Anderson have always been key to FOOTMAD's success. Only by their efforts can this grassroots organization offer these rich cultural traditions for a mere pittance.
Volunteers also are responsible for one of FOOTMAD's most unique and endearing practices. After almost every concert, the entire audience and the band are invited to a musical party. Even if the band does not play on informally, FOOTMAD members stir up some live music of their own.
Why
This has always been about sharing traditional music and dance, explains Steve Ballman, a founding member of FOOTMAD who now serves as treasurer as well as other roles, sometimes including dance caller. "A lot of the artists we've hosted through the years have enjoyed hearing our traditional West Virginia tunes as much as we enjoyed their music."
Music education, traditional music concerts and dancing combine each fall when FOOTMAD presents its annual three day Fall Fling, this year on the weekend of September 23 through 25 at beautiful Fayette County Park in Beckwith, near Fayetteville.
FOOTMAD relies heavily on financial support from the Fund for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities grants administered by the West Virginia Commission for the Arts and promotional funding through the West Virginia Division of Tourism. Other funding assistance through the years has come from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Charleston Federation of Jewish Charities and private donors.
Thanks to cooperative funding from Fund for the Arts, West Virginia Commission for the Arts and West Virginia Division of Tourism, season tickets for the FOOTMAD concerts can be had for as little as $30 by taking advantage of the bulk purchasing available to families, clubs, student and community groups. That's six great concerts at less than $5 per person!
When
The FOOTMAD season begins with blues genius Chris Smither on October 15, then blends in some Philadelphia soul and blues with the Deb Callahan Band on November 12. The exhilarating Irish band Bohola is likely to bring down the house on December 10 with their lively "pure drop" style and Steppin' In It on January 21 presents American roots music that harkens back to almost every imaginable American influence.
A special concert on February 11 honors two of West Virginia 's own finest traditional groups, The 1937 Flood and Stewed Mulligan. Both are eclectic in the extreme, with influences as deep in "old-timey" tradition as in American jazz and swing. Never have these two wildly entertaining bands been booked on the same stage, so this will be a welcome treat.
Finally, Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys bring their infectious dance music to Charleston on March 18. The vivacious young Rosie Ledet is one of a very few of her generation who still compose songs in the traditional Cajun French.
FOOTMAD season concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. in the State Theater in the Cultural Center at the State Capitol Complex, Charleston . Children age 13 and younger are always admitted free with an adult ticket holder.
For more information about FOOTMAD, check out the group's at www.footmad.org or call the FOOTMAD information line at 304/415-3668.
