THE GETAWAY

2024 SCHEDULE 

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ABOUT GETAWAY

The Getaway is an amazing weekend-long party of folks who love to sing, play and listen to folk music. We come together in a lovely riverside retreat to join together in making music, sharing what we bring and learning from friends old and new. There will be workshops, sing-arounds, sign-up concerts, music and conversations at all hours. Participation is encouraged at any level comfortable to you in a supportive and welcoming environment. Old and new songs and tunes, recitations and stories, along with information on historical contexts and insights, have filled the Getaway, along with conversation and laughter, for over half a century; come be a part of the fun!

Please help us out by spreading the word! We are a community with a shared belief in the power and importance of preserving the living traditions of music and we know that each generation must rely on the next to continue and enhance this heritage. We hope that we can — with your help — reach out to a broader crowd of multi-generational peers in the folk tradition who may not know of the Getaway. Folks of all ages and orientations are most welcome to join us!

Registration will open in early summer of 2025. When it opens, you will not need to pay immediately, but we expect you to view registration as a commitment. When we open the registration, we will post a date by which your payment in full should be made. We will have a long form to fill out: please fill out the entire form. We pay close attention to what you write; we use this information to plan workshops and assign rooms.

Our covid protocols last year were very successful. There were no cases reported during or immediately following the weekend. For now, we intend to follow the same protocol: test some time during the week before the Getaway, test upon arrival at the camp, and test Saturday afternoon before dinner. We will be assessing the situation and finalizing details closer to the event.

See last year’s Getaway schedule of events here. The upcoming Getaway is likely to be similar, and last year’s events may stimulate you to think of workshops or sessions you’d like to have in 2025.

Questions about the Getaway contact Getawaychair@fsgw.org

Last Year's (2024) Guests

Bare Bones

Great harmony and rhythm are hallmarks of Bare Bones. Becky Kimmons is the lead singer, with a strong contralto voice that can deliver a powerful punch of emotion or amusement. Becky has been a student of old-style Appalachian unaccompanied singing since she was a child, listening to her Summers County-born grandmother sing in the manner of the Primitive Baptists. Bill Kimmons, Becky's husband, has a memorably deep, resonant bass voice that anchors their sound Bill grew up singing in choirs and musicals. He was introduced to old-time music when he came to West Virginia in 1977. Dock Cutlip’s supple tenor can reach high to falsetto, or down to baritone. Dock grew up in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, singing with his family and steeped in old-time gospel harmonies. Dock also has a broad range of knowledge and appreciation of American pop music traditions. He is an accomplished guitarist, finger-picking in open tuning.

David Jones, originally from London, has lived in New Jersey for many years.  He sings, a capalla or with guitar, a wide variety of traditional songs from both sides of the Atlantic --  from sea songs and shanties to old ballads to music hall numbers and much more!  He is also an actor and the author of Smith of Lambeth, an entertaining memoir of his youth in England. 

David Jones

Marcy Cochran

Best known as fiddler for former band Dead Men's Hollow, Marcy Cochran has since been playing side-woman to songwriters Jeff Smith, Jillian Matundan, Michelle Swan, and others. Now stepping out as a solo instrumentalist, she’s sharing her original fiddle compositions and songs alongside paying tribute to her fiddle mentors. She’s taken up nyckelharpa (Swedish keyed fiddle) and is excited to expand and share that journey. 

Sally Rogers and Howie Bursen are a marvelous musical couple who come to us from Connecticut. Sally is a fine singer and songwriter, often accompanying herself with guitar or mountain dulcimer. She is also a teacher, helping children incorporate the arts into their lives. Howie is an expert clawhammer banjo player and a wonderful singer. Together they make great harmonies with a wide variety of songs.

Sally Rogers and Howie Bursen

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