Hootenanny Fridays strike a chord at library
The sound of guitars tuning, ukuleles strumming and snippets of folk songs fill the air as nearly 30 people shuffle into Tiburon Town Hall on a Friday afternoon, instruments in hand.
They call themselves the Tiburon Tunesters. Though they usually meet for Hootenanny Fridays at the Belvedere-Tiburon Library, on this particular day, Feb. 7, a double booking forced them to transform a government meeting room into an impromptu jam-session space.
In the back corner, two guitarists break into “Can the Circle Be Unbroken” by the Carter Family while others chat, catching up with friends they’ve made through music.
“We don’t have a hootenanny in Mill Valley,” says Rena Ivy, one of two women who came over without instruments, just to sing. It’s their first time joining the free, drop-in gathering, which welcomes participants at any skill level on first and third Fridays of the month.
Jo Ann Levin, the group’s founder and leader, waits patiently for Tom Harrison, the “dedicated technology expert,” to set up the projector that will display chords and lyrics on a large screen. A former English teacher, Levin seems at home as she instructs everyone to introduce themselves while latecomers trickle in.
“We just get together and sing and have fun,” Harrison says from his seat near the projector.
What follows is a musical journey through decades of folk classics. Song after song, participants call out suggestions that Harrison quickly locates online, projecting lyrics and chords for all to see.
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