WHAT IS A STRAWBERRY JAM CAMP ???

If you have never heard of or attended a Jam Camp you might be asking, just what is a Jam Camp? Jam Camps are a spin off of the individual instrument camps that have become so popular. Each year thousands of musicians, of varying degrees of proficiency, pack up their instruments and head off to camp. Their goals and objectives are as varied as individuals themselves. They look forward to meeting old friends and making new ones. They hope to become more proficient on their instrument of choice and they look forward to the camaraderie that takes place when you are with a group of people who share your same love and passion.

Many people who have become quite proficient with their instrument, find it difficult to play with other people with different instruments in a group setting, They practice all winter learning new songs and look forward to joining in on the fun around the campfire, only to get to the festival and find out that either no one knows their new song or they only know it in a different key. Sometimes you are lucky enough that they all know your song but you don't know what to do when they are playing their song. This is where attending a Jam Camp can help'

At a Jam Camp you can expect some, one on one, time with an instructor and your instrument of choice. We are fortunate, at the Strawberry Jam Camp, to have some of the most knowledgeable instructors in the business. (Look for their various bio's throughout this issue of Bluegrass Notes.) Besides being knowledgeable they are great human beings who genuinely enjoy helping others get the most out of their instrument and learn to enjoy music with others. There will be group lessons on all of the various instruments and of course lots of time jamming with others.

You will learn how to hear chords and chord changes and you will learn tips on playing in time, after all rhythm is KING. You will learn how to play along on songs that you don't know and learn the role of your instrument in a song. You will learn the dynamics of playing loud and soft, fast and slow and you will learn how to support a song with your playing, instead of interfering with it. The instructors will stress and you will learn "jamming etiquette".

The Strawberry Jam Camp will take place at the Community Center in Strawberry Point. There is plenty of room and there is air conditioning so weather should not be a factor. Each day will begin with a continental breakfast followed by the morning session. At noon the meal will be catered by local catering services. The afternoon session will conclude around 4:00 o'clock p.m. Each evening the students will be encouraged to take what they learned in the classroom to the laboratory. The laboratory will be at the Backbone Bluegrass grounds. Each night there will be real live jam sessions and honest to goodness campfires.

At the beginning of the Jam Camp each student will be assigned to a group or a band. Each group will decide on a name for their band and with the help of the instructors, they will learn one or two songs. On Friday evening, each band will perform on stage at the Backbone Bluegrass Festival. Those persons attending the festival will vote by ballot for their favorite band and the band getting the most votes will open the Saturday night show. Think of it as the Backbone Bluegrass Idol. Don't be intimidated, this is meant to be fun and a chance to show everyone what you learned. So start practicing and building up those calluses. Get ready to have some fun, make friends and jam like you have never jammed before.

BOB BLACK

Bob's banjo music is a dipperful of cold well water at the end of a long hot dusty day.

---Greg Brown

Bob has bluegrass roots going straight back to Bill Monroe, The Father of Bluegrass Music. Bob toured and recorded with the late great musical master during the 70's, learning much about songwriting and performing which he now brings to audiences all over the world. Drawing on bluegrass, folk, and gospel music traditions, Bob creates his own brand of Midwestern Roots music, which features both original and traditional songs and instrumentals.

...a hero of the 5-string banjo ---Bluegrass Unlimited

Copper Creek, Rebel, and Green Valley recording artist Bob Black has performed with Ricky Skaggs, Emmylou Harris, Marty Stuart, John Hartford, Ralph Stanley, Rhonda Vincent, The Whites, Frank Wakefield, and many others. He is a singer-songwriter and instrumentalist of international acclaim. Bob has recorded with Norman Blake, Greg Brown, Kenny Baker, Bill Monroe, John Hartford, Bo Ramsey, Sam Bush, and more (over 30 albums in all). He has appeared on the Grand Ole Opry many times.

...passion, love, and artistry. ---The Iowa City Press-Citizen

Bob was the recipient of the 2002 Traditional Arts Award, presented by the Iowa Arts Council in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Arts in Iowa. He has written a book about his experiences working with Bill Monroe entitled Come Hither to Go Yonder (University of Illinois Press, 2005). He has also published several articles in Bluegrass Unlimited. A graduate of Drake University in Des Moines, Bob Black holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in the field of graphic design. He and his wife, Kristie Black, have their own band, Banjoy.

Expanding the definition of bluegrass, Bob Black weaves modern sounds into the ancient fabric of tradition.

Bill Cagley is a full-time musician who bought his first guitar the day he graduated high school. Bill learned music in Waterloo and Iowa City, Iowa, by listening to recordings and playing with such masters as Al Murphy and Bob Black. He became a full-time musician in 1987.

In 1992 and 1999 Bill recorded Cagley, Schafer, Black, and Njoes, a collection of old-time fiddle tunes with fiddler Tom Schaefer, banjo player, Bob Black, and bassist Sandy Njoes. He also appeared on Greg Brown's recording Down in There. Bill is a regular solo performer operating with the motto, "Music of all ages for all ages." He entertains at historic sites, senior centers, and family outings, among others.

Keith Yoder is a multi-instrumentalist who has been teaching music full time since 1994. He currently has 75 students at Yoder Music studying guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, bass, resophonic guitar, and drums. Most of the lessons are taught in small groups of 3 to 5 students.

In 2007 he worked as the Jamming Coordinator at Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Kamp and has been hired again for both weeks in 2008. Week one offers instruction on fingerpicking guitar, dobro, fiddle, bass, bluegrass banjo, and old time banjo. Week 2 offers instruction on flatpicking guitar and mandolin.

Keith was also a coordinating instructor at the first AmanaJam held in February of 2007. He will also be on staff at the 2008 event. Details can be found at www.amanajam.com.

AmanaJam is a fun weekend of bluegrass jamming designed to help beginners and intermediates become more comfortable in a jamming environment. Keith has been traveling to Amana once a month this past year to give lessons to students in that area and to lead a monthly jam session at the Amana Golf Course clubhouse.

In September of 2007 Keith traveled to Swan Valley, ID to conduct the first annual Swan Valley Jam. This weekend event focused on learning jamming principles and also featured individual instruction on guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and bass.

Keith has been performing bluegrass music for over 25 years with the McPunk Brothers on guitar, banjo, mandolin, octave mandolin, fiddle, and resophonic guitar. He has recently been playing banjo, guitar, and mandolin with Grass Menagerie, a Galena, IL, based band. He has appeared on many recording projects and recently completed his second CD, Tools of the Trade, a collection of 18 songs and instrumentals. He plays all of the instruments on the recording and sings all of the vocal parts. Bluegrass Unlimited's Contributing Writer Les McIntyre in an April 2007 review wrote, Keith Yoder is a remarkable musician who has created an 18-song collection capturing a certain spiritual quality. Tools of the Trade is an impressive effort that ably showcases the musical talents of Keith Yoder. He is currently recording a new CD which will feature original bluegrass and acoustic music.

Keith performed on guitar as a member of the house band on Iowa Public Television's Old Time Country Music program in 1989. In festival performances, he has played banjo with Bill Grant and Delia Bell, guitar and banjo with Roni Stoneman, bass with Special Consensus, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle with Bob Black, and mandolin with Charlie Louvin. He has also performed in showcases at the IBMA World of Bluegrass appearing with Maro Kawabata, Steve Bonafel and with the Mike and Amy Finders Band. He has also appeared with many regional bands including the Stained Glass Bluegrass Band, Foxfire, Bluegrass Express, the Lawrence Family, Del Rio, McGee Creek Connection, Porter County, Hawkeye Grass, and the Great Bluegrass Herons.

Keith was featured in the Flatpick Profile column of Flatpicking Guitar magazine's May/June 2006 issue. An arrangement of his original tune Skipping Stones was also featured. Dan Miller, publisher and editor says Keith Yoder is a guy who owns a music store, has played in the same band 25 years, teaches roughly 75 students a week, plays all of the instruments in a bluegrass band (and then some), has recorded two solo CDs (on which he played all the instruments and sang all of the vocal parts), has written original tunes for those CDs, and can be seen happily jamming with other pickers at places like Steve Kaufman's Acoustic Camp and IBMA's Fan Fest.

Keith has won numerous instrumental contests on guitar, banjo, mandolin, and bass and most recently placed 3rd in the 2006 Rocky Grass guitar competition. Keith has led numerous instrumental workshops at festivals in the midwest. Keith has been in attendance at the Bluegrass Teacher's Meetings the last 3 years at IBMA. These meetings give teachers a forum to share experiences and concerns with colleagues.

Being a player of all the instruments in a bluegrass band gives Keith the ability to more fully understand the role of each in jamming and band situations. Teaching music has become my profession and I'm looking forward to sharing my ideas with students of all levels.