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HOW IT ALL BEGAN…
It was a 4-H Barn in Nevada, Iowa in 1990 that brought together these two fiddle carryin' folk players. Once the acoustics of their fiddles were met in that barn they knew it was a match made in heaven. Soon Dave Losure and Mary Schaeffer-Losure began teaching fiddle lessons together and evolved into the now-known group of Flying Pig Fiddle and Banjo.
Dave is a musician, music instructor, luthier, retired free-range pig farmer and artist. He builds fine custom-made figured hardwood banjos, and repairs fiddles and banjos. He is an old-time square dance caller, but the main livelihood for the couple is from Dave teaching individual lessons in fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar which he began in 1997. He is an accomplished visual artist and writer and finds a little time now and then for these.
Mary is a musician, retired free-range pig farmer and artist. As a child she played violin in the school orchestras through junior high school and after that her violin sat in the closet until 1987 when she began playing fiddle music on it. Besides fiddle she now plays many rhythm instruments including washboard, washtub, pitchfork, fiddlesticks, and does a bit of clogging too.
Mary does the graphics and promotion for the music business and had been doing the same for the pig business as well as the book-work for the farming operation. She has a large garden and enjoys gourmet cooking, preparing most of their meals from scratch. As a sculptor, she considers herself in a "resting phase" though she has been known on an impromptu basis to gather farm junk into such things as a “Christmas tree” or wind chime, one that requires Iowa’s strong wind!
Described as old-time southern Appalachian string band music, they perform using an array of instruments including, fiddles, banjo, washtub, pitchfork, washboard, fiddlesticks, and feet. Many of the tunes played predate written music and the performance and teaching of them remains largely an aural tradition. The tunes are mostly upbeat, cheerful, meant to be danced to and relieve the drudgery of rural work.
Recordings made in the 1920's of people who played simply for passion and not for commodity attribute to much of Dave and Mary's influences. Groups such as the Skillet Lickers, the Carter Brother, Namour and Smith, and Emmett Lundy are all major inspirations for them as well as modern recordings of Dan Gllert, Mike Seeger, Joe Thompson, Chirps Smith.
"Our desire to perform stems from wanting to share the music and dance with others," comments Mary and Dave. :"We enjoy watching children respond to the music - they have an innate sense that the music is for dancing and they have no inhibitions to hold them back from expressing that sense. Causing a room full of people of all ages to move together, dancing, whoopin' & hollerin' laughing and having pure fun, spurs us on."
INVOLVEMENT WITH METRO ARTS
Flying Pig Fiddle and Banjo has been affiliated with Metro Arts for a little over three years in both summer and school-year programs. They were active at the Jordan Creek Elementary fine arts day in 2006 and have also performed for day cares, home schools, and senior centers. This past summer the group put on a dance at the State Historical Building as part of Metro Arts Education on Location Summer where roughly 75 kids attended.
WHAT'S UP NEXT
Flying Pig will sponsor and play for the last old-time barn dance of the season on Saturday, October 6, in the historic Flynn Barn at Living History Farms in Urbandale. Dancing will be from 8 pm to 11 pm. This will be the last dance of this season as Living History Farms ends its season in October and the barn is not heated. Dances will resume again at Living History Farms in May 2008 and happen monthly on first Saturdays of the month through October. The group will always perform for anyone wishing to hire them. They have several private dances and wedding receptions lined up for the winter and can also be found at various farmers markets and county fairs throughout the summer.
Dave and Mary will be traveling to Oregon for several performances in the Portland area in the upcoming year. For one of those engagements they will be putting on a dance in the historic Manson Barn at the Champoeg State Heritage Area. In October Dave will be teaching classes for the Des Moines Public Schools Adult Education, in beginning fiddle and clogging. He will also be giving individual lessons to folks of any age in Des Moines or Ames who want to learn old-time fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar. On top of all that he will be working in his wood shop filling orders for custom made banjos while researching and learning new old tunes, and preparing to make a new CD.
Flying Pig Fiddle and Banjo can be contacted at:
2919 260th Street
Kamrar IA 50132-7508
losuredr@ncn.net
515-325-6349
515-689-1434 cell
www.flyingpigfiddleandbanjo.com
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