As the first pluck of a banjo fills the room, and the fiddle conjures a commanding, rustic sound, it becomes clear that a Ten Pound Fiddle event is more than just a concert. The acoustic instruments, masterfully played by seasoned vets and emerging artists alike, dutifully carry echoes of the past, keeping folk traditions alive in front of local audiences.
For the last 50 years, that’s what the Ten Pound Fiddle Concert and Dance Series, aka “the Fiddle,” has done: offered authentic glimpses into the old days while also aiming a spotlight on the future of folk music. At this point, the Fiddle has become a beloved folk tradition of its own — one that will forever be rooted in Michigan’s music heritage.
Simply put by Fiddle booking manager Sally Potter, “Folk music is music that relates the stories of people’s lives,” and each Fiddle show, held at various venues across Lansing and East Lansing, tells those captivating stories through a diversity of genres, like maritime, Cajun, gospel, country, blues, jazz, big band and beyond. From icons like Tom Paxton and Peter Yarrow to local legends like Jen Sygit and May Erlewine, there’s been no lack of talent on Fiddle bills.
Over the last five decades, Potter said more than 50 community members have served on the Fiddle board, helping to produce more than 1,200 concerts, 500 dances and 50 Fiddle Scout gatherings. To date, tens of thousands have attended Fiddle events and heard the tried-and-true melodies that created the sonic foundation for modern music.
Billy Strings, 32, is a Michigan native who first played the Fiddle a decade ago. Since then, he’s become an international superstar. Last year, the fiery guitarist topped Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales chart with his scorching 2024 bluegrass LP, “Highway Prayers.” The last time a bluegrass album hit No. 1 on the chart was the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack in 2002.
Strings’ early Fiddle shows remain a standout for many who witnessed his pre-fame performances.
“It’s hard to pick one favorite show, but I have to say I have loved Billy Strings since I first saw him,” Fiddle President Beth Kelly said. “He’s an amazing musician and gives everything he has to every concert.”
“He’s been to the Fiddle a couple of times,” she continued. “The first time, in 2015, he was still pretty young. His family and friends showed up in numbers since he’s from Muir. I’m sure we had to squeeze in as many extra chairs as we could fit. I’ve been asking our booking agent to have him back every year since. Today, that’s just a dream since he’s now won a Grammy, played the Grand Ole Opry and has been touring with Willie Nelson.”
But no matter how well folk music is tracking on the charts, the Fiddle, a nonprofit organization operated by roughly 60 volunteers and 10 elected board members, has always championed the genre unconditionally. Looking back over the decades of performances, few have more Fiddle memories than troubadour Joel Mabus, 71, who played the second-ever Fiddle concert on Jan. 21, 1975. He was 21 back then.
That 1975 show was held in an inconspicuous room at the Michigan State University Union. It’s a space that lingers in Mabus’ memories.
“That room isn’t there anymore, hasn’t been for a long time,” Mabus said of Old College Hall, a private room that was nestled behind the Union Grill, an eatery that’s also defunct. “Old College Hall had fraternity and sorority paddles bolted onto its walls, all emblazoned with their various Greek letters. The thick, wooden tables had been carved with initials and messages from students long dead, I presume. It was cozy, dim and seldom used for anything except random lunchers looking for solitude.”
Days before Mabus’ gig, the first Fidde show, held on Jan. 10, 1975, featured local husband-and-wife duo John and Rosy Goacher. The pair belted out traditional English folk songs for more than 100 attendees, which is unsurprising since John Goacher hosted “A British Tradition,” a weekly program on WKAR radio. That kickoff season featured another Fiddle regular, Michigan folk fixture Sally Rogers, who — alongside former WKAR “Folk Tradition” DJ Bob Blackman — was the Fiddle’s booking manager for years.
The Fiddle quickly found its footing, but a different folk series, Mariah Coffeehouse, held at MSU’s McDonel Hall, also helped blaze the local folk trail, according to Mabus.
“I think I was chosen early on (to play the Fiddle) because I had worked up a modest fan base from my appearances as an opening act at Mariah Coffeehouse, the larger folk organization on campus,” Mabus said. “Mariah was the brainchild of Jim Fleming, who, as a grad student in 1972, started a series of weekend concerts of folk and blues music. So, when the Ten Pound Fiddle began, it was specifically to counter the offerings of Mariah, which had settled as a one-night-per-week show on Saturdays. That’s why the Fiddle would only present shows on Fridays — a tradition rarely broken even to this day.”
Folks in the crowd
Local audio technician and musician Bill Bartilson, 61, was just a child when he attended the first year of Fiddle shows. Introduced to the folk scene by his late father, Stan Bartilson, he became a lifer. From 1975 to 1980, he also set up audio and lighting at Fiddle shows, preparing him early on for his life in music.
“Folk music transcends generational and political boundaries,” Bartilson said. “Most Fiddle folks in the mid-to-late ‘70s were college-aged or young college graduates. I was part of the next generation, among the youngest of regular attendees. My father was the old guy — a full 30 years older than most of the members. But there was acceptance, cooperation and friendship centered around a love of this music.”
With so many shows under his belt, Bartilson said picking just one concert as a standout is hard, but the Fiddle’s Residents’ Night performances remain unforgettable.
“They were usually the last show before the holidays,” he said. “I believe the initial roster was Sally Rogers, Stan Werbin, Karrie Potter and my father. The roster rotated over the years. Each musician would take a turn leading and performing, with others joining and supporting as they desired.
“The other thing I recall vividly,” he added, “is that every Friday night was a window into another part of the world. Folk singers were actual troubadours in the real sense of the word. They brought their culture — often foreign and unusual instruments, new accents and a different style of music — with each coming week. It was educational, and I couldn’t wait for the next class.”
Over the years, Bartilson has worked many concerts and seen varying degrees of wild crowds. A Fiddle show is an intimate experience unlike most of those other gigs.
“The biggest difference is that listening is the absolute focus of a Fiddle audience,” he explained. “Bars and halls are inherently noisy environments. So, if you come to a Fiddle show, prepare for a listening experience where the audience knows when to be quiet — and when to show their appreciation at the end of a song.”
As a member of local outfits like Steppin’ in It, Those Delta Rhythm Kings, the Springtails and more, Lansing musician Andy Wilson has played dozens of venues across Michigan and beyond. He said the Fiddle has an unrivaled vibe.
“The Fiddle is one of Lansing’s true listening rooms,” Wilson said. “Playing to a dance floor can be fun, but I prefer to play to a listening audience. Every note I play matters. This atmosphere benefits the performers as well as the music lovers in attendance. The performer’s reputation draws in some of the audience at Fiddle shows; others attend every show. This creates a neat social community and a built-in audience.”
Wilson said he first learned of the Fiddle as an up-and-coming musician in the mid-‘90s. By the late ‘90s, he was a “resident” performer at the Fiddle. On April 17, he and guitar virtuoso Elden Kelly will celebrate the release of their debut record with a show at the Fiddle.
“I’ll be playing a wide array of harmonicas, from the humble 10-hole to the massive 48-chord harmonica,” Wilson said. “It will be an instrumental performance, exploring everything from classical to Irish, jazz to world and beyond. It’s a fine example of the expanding world of what it means to play folk music. This music requires a captive audience, so we chose the Fiddle for our release.”
The show will be hosted at the Robin Theatre in REO Town, one of Fiddle’s handful of go-to spaces. The Robin’s co-owner, musician Dylan Rogers, has operated the venue since its opening in 2015.
“Sally Potter is a friend and has mentored me over the years,” Rogers said. “We met, I believe, around 2012. I was performing with the Lansing Unionized Vaudeville Spectacle. We mostly did street performances then. Sally saw us and invited me to bring the band to play a Fiddle show at the old Creole Gallery.”
Over the years, Rogers and Potter kept in touch, and the Robin was chosen to host some Fiddle shows. Today, it hosts six to eight Fiddle events per year.
“I learned a lot from Sally about booking shows,” Rogers said. “Although the Robin hosts a wider array of performances, we specialize in intimate listening-room shows with virtuosic talent on stage. There’s a lot of overlap with the Fiddle’s folk music series, so it makes sense to partner on shows from time to time.”
In that time, Rogers said the partnership has been rewarding on many levels.
“The Fiddle also gets that taking good care of artists goes a long way, and they always make sure to help with meals and housing. It helps give these shows a decidedly ‘non-industry’ vibe. These are exactly the kind of shows I like to host.
“It’s remarkable how many artists say something like, ‘You don’t know how good you have it in Lansing!’ after playing at the Robin or Ten Pound Fiddle,” Rogers added. “It takes a special combination of factors to create something like this, and even many larger markets don’t have something like the Fiddle.”
Booking the talent
While passionate volunteers might lead the Fiddle, the artists are always paid.
“Each season, the Fiddle writes checks totaling more than $60,000 to musical artists and dance callers,” Potter said. “I love putting together the concert schedule. Each 30-concert season is a puzzle. It’s a matrix that involves catching touring performers when they’ll be in the area and figuring out how to make the concerts’ numbers work mixed with representing the many genres under the folk music umbrella.”
Over 50 years, there have been a few leaner periods, according to Potter. Usually, those dips in attendance are parallel to economic trends. But the Fiddle has always “had a little money in the bank,” and yearly events like the Mid-Winter Singing Festival and the Holiday Sing keep people coming back.
“Fiddle booking agents have always booked performers who make that musical connection with the audience, no matter how many people they’ll draw,” Potter said. “There are concerts that draw 400 people and concerts that draw 50.”
For each of the 50 annual events, Potter explained, the Fiddle rents a local venue that will accommodate the expected crowd. Not having a fixed location makes this possible. For instance, the Fiddle Scouts, a program that introduces children to acoustic music, is held at MSU’s Community Music School in East Lansing. Contra dances are held on the vast wood floor at Central United Methodist Church. Most concerts are held at University Lutheran Church in East Lansing, with several smaller ones at the Robin Theatre, plus a few at Edgewood United Church in East Lansing and UrbanBeat in Old Town.
While not having a brick-and-mortar location comes with a few snags, Potter said the positives far outweigh the negatives. In fact, that’s what’s made the Fiddle a sustainable business model. It’s how the series has brought in the likes of Janis Ian, who sold out the 500-seat Hannah Community Center. In the fall, Holly Near sold 300 tickets at Edgewood Church. If the show is good, people will show up.
“The biggest question people have about the Fiddle is, ‘Where is it?’ On a street map, the Fiddle is hard to find because there’s no one location,” Potter said. “But financially, the Fiddle has survived for 50 years because it doesn’t own a building. The Fiddle doesn’t have a mortgage, utility bills or a paid executive director.”
Beth Kelly, who first got involved with the Fiddle 15 years ago, became a board member in 2012 and by 2017 was elected president. She said the volunteers, community donations and the approximately 300 “members” who attend the shows are the Fiddle’s lifeblood. Different paid memberships are offered at shows and on the Fiddle’s website. Pre-paid memberships not only offer perks such as discounted tickets to members but also make the talent-booking process less stressful.
“Our members are one of the most important parts of the Ten Pound Fiddle,” Kelly said. “There are many people who get their memberships every year. They’re the reason we have the Ten Pound Fiddle. They are the Ten Pound Fiddle. It gives us money up front to support the shows and bring in better musicians and bands. It gives us the ability to take some risk in case we lose money on a show here or there.
“It’s really amazing that the Fiddle continues to thrive after 50 years since a lot has changed in a half century,” Kelly added. “I believe the reason we’re still around doesn’t have much to do with money but how the music and musicians connect with the people. A personal connection happens in live music that you don’t get anywhere else. Musicians tell personal stories and connect with the audience. They often ask the Fiddle audience to sing along with them since they know we love to sing. We put on great shows.”
Along with hosting great shows come great responsibilities, such as accommodating the artists when they arrive. Over the years, volunteer Kate Corby and her husband have invited countless touring performers to stay at their home.
“Housing performers happened because we had a big house,” Corby said. “It’s close to the various venues, and once the kids were gone, there were as many as four open bedrooms.”
“Not every performer wants a homestay, and some prefer the privacy of a hotel, but I think they’ve chosen a rather rough career with constant travel, and I appreciate their bringing live music to us,” she continued. “I try to pamper them a bit while they’re here. I always ask what foods they’d like, if they’d like some special refreshments to unwind after the show.”
So, what has kept the Fiddle going strong and allowed it to reach this 50-year milestone? Watroba said it’s all about quality control and good people.
“It’s a strong organization that goes deeper than any one person,” he said. “They’ve always had a committed board of directors and a large and competent volunteer crew willing to learn and do a wide variety of tasks. They haven’t strayed from their commitment to their mission. Plus, they’ve always managed to replace key roles in the organization, when needed, with folks who really get it. It’s about great sound, creative booking, treating artists right and having a strong board and volunteer crew.”
WKAR’s support and promotion of Fiddle concerts can’t be understated, either. Blackman’s show was a long-running staple until his 2011 retirement. Since then, “Folk with Matt Watroba” has kept up the tradition of spinning folk over local airwaves.
Watroba, who’s also a folk musician, said the Fiddle continues to inform his radio show and is also a prized destination for many touring artists.
“I’ve learned about new acts through their calendar,” he said. “The Ten Pound Fiddle has been a critical piece in the puzzle of scheduling Midwest tours for traveling acts. It’s one of the reasons they’ve been able to attract some of the best touring artists in the folk world.”
Kate Peterson, best known in Lansing for her work with her band Nervous but Excited, has played six Fiddle shows since 2009 — two solo and four with her band. In 2013, she stepped up and began helping the Fiddle with its website, graphic design and public relations needs. However, her time as a working musician is what really helps her appreciate what the Fiddle does for artists.
“My band Nervous but Excited once opened for folk legend Utah Phillips in Boston,” Peterson recalled. “After we finished our set, he said, ‘You should keep doing it. There are hundreds of dollars to be made in folk music.’ Hilarious, sad and true! I have such gratitude for the work the Fiddle does to host, promote and support folk musicians. I believe in the limitless healing benefits of live music and the community it builds. Even though I no longer live in Lansing, I know I can always come back home to family in the Fiddle.”
Bob Stein (retired dance caller)
on contra dances:
“At the beginning, we were one of only two good dances in the state, and we would get about 200 people coming from all over the region. As people began to enjoy it, they started dances in their communities. Now, there are contra dances in many cities and towns in Michigan. For many years, I called most of the dances.”
Kitty Donohoe (Michigan-based musician and former Fiddle booking manager) on the ‘80s and ‘90s:
“In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, many Canadian and European bands were coming through, and I loved those. In my second year of booking, I booked the last three concerts: Jean Redpath, Nanci Griffith and Suzanne Vega. It was quite a coup then, and I remember feeling great that I was able to get such artists to come to East Lansing. This is shortly before Nancy and Suzanne hit the big time.” (Donohoe performs Sunday (Jan 12) at University Lutheran Church.)
Julianna Wilson (Fiddle Scouts coordinator and musician)
on the Fiddle Scouts:
“Its mission is to introduce young children to live music played mainly on acoustic instruments, with some participatory elements depending on the performers and what they bring. We encourage playfulness and opportunities to move with the music, whether that’s dancing, pretending to be animals or occasionally playing instruments along with the performers. There aren’t many opportunities for children to see people playing fiddle, banjo, guitar, ukulele or harmonica in real life unless they were born to musicians who play these things.”
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