ZigZag Campout Workshops

We are excited to offer a variety of workshops this year.  Just like our campout, the workshops are rather casual.  Sit in on as many – or as few as you like.  All levels are welcome in the workshops.  You can even just sit in for a few minutes and listen, if you like.

Please note that the below workshop schedule shows 2023 details. The schedule for 2024 will be posted this summer!
All workshops will be outdoors. Everyone attending a workshop is required to sign in.

You don’t need to register in advance for the workshops. However, you do need to register for the Zigzag Campout.

Workshop Schedule for 2023 (details for 2024 coming soon)

September

1

Friday

2023

4:00 PM
 – Slow Jam with Melissa Takush
New to jamming with others? Comfortable with your instrument, but new to old-time? Want to take some extra time to practice starting tunes in a supportive group? Working on a new tune you might need some help with? You’re not alone! Meet new people to play with and get comfortable jamming in a low-pressure environment.

September

2

Saturday

2023

10:00 AM
 – Morning
Song Circle with Steph Noll (1 hour)
Let’s start the day singing together. Bring a favorite song or round to share, or just enjoy singing along with others. Singers of all ages welcome. (You don’t even have to think you are a singer.)

11:00 AM
Youth New Tune Workshop for all levels,
all instruments with Kate O’Brien and Steph Noll (1 hour)

We will learn a tune note for note. More experienced young fiddlers who can pick up a tune quickly will also have the opportunity to play with adding in harmony and chords.

11:00 AM
Singing tune workshop with The Horsnecks (fiddle, guitar and voice)
(1 hour)

Learn a tune with words! We’ll teach the fiddle part, the guitar backup, and a lead and harmony vocal part. Heck, maybe we’ll even learn a third harmony!

1:00 PM

Rarely Played Jam Tunes with Earl White, Adrienne Davis
(guitar, fiddle – other instruments welcome!) 
(2 hours)
This workshop will highlight delightful tunes in various keys that are rarely played / heard in jam sessions, dances, or in concerts. Very fun.  Bring your recorders.

3:00 PM

Finger picking guitar with Barry Southern (guitar) (1 hour)
Learn some basics of finger picking the guitar and a few fun tricks to add to the mix.

4:00 PM
“Three Parts” with Earl White, Adrienne Davis, Victor Furtado (all instruments) (2 hours)
This workshop will focus on a few tunes in which the banjo, fiddle, and guitar will teach the perspective parts relative to their instruments, then the 3 groups will come together to play them. More fun than a barrel of monkeys!

8:00 PM: Campfire Concert with the Horsenecks

September

3

Sunday

2023

10:00 AM
“JAM & TOAST” for Kids & Teens with Maja Diettrich-Kennett and Lila Tierney
(All instruments/all levels)
(1 hour)
All are welcome to come and jam!  Led by our teen musicians, we will play some common old time tunes, as well as the tunes taught at the kids’ fiddle workshop. Participants will be encouraged to suggest and lead tunes, and those who don’t know a tune will be given ideas for playing along. Participants will have the option to perform a tune together at the Sunday night open mic. Grown ups who can play backup instruments (guitar, banjo, uke, etc) are also encouraged to join in.

11:00 AM
Five variations to make banjo playing more interesting with Victor Furtado
(banjo)
 (1 hour)
This workshop will focus on 5 approaches to enhance your banjo playing.  We will cover “The Galax Lick”, “Double Thumbing”, “The Open String Pull-off”, “The Cluck”, and the “Single String Technique”. and how to apply them to any tune.

1:00 PM
We Be Jammin’ with Earl White, Adrienne Davis, Victor Furtado
(all instruments)
(2 hours)
This workshop will be a STANDING JAM.  All instruments in close orchestral contact for the ultimate big band sound. We will teach the tunes, then play.  More fun.

3:00 PM
Jim Bowles tunes with Gabrielle Macrae (fiddle) (1 hour)
Let Gabrielle take you by the bow and lead you into the wonderful world of Kentucky fiddler Jim Bowles. Learn a couple of his tunes and some of his funky bow stylings.

4:00 PM
Family Dance in Maja’s Meadow (45 min)
Caller: Steph Noll; Band: Sam and Charlie and Friends
All ages welcome! Give your bum a dance break from all that
jamming and tune-learning and join us for a Zigzag style square dance.

7:00 PM
Campfire Concert
Campers Open Mic followed by performances by
Earl & Adrienne White with Victor Furtado

September

4

Monday

2023

10:00 AM

Morning Song Circle with Steph Noll 
Let’s start the day singing together. Bring a favorite song or round to share, or just enjoy singing along with others. Singers of all ages welcome. (You don’t even have to think you are a singer.)

2023 Zigzag Teaching Artists

Earl White and Adrienne Davis are a dynamic duo who have been icons in the old-time music and dance community for more than a decade. Earl’s energetic fiddle style upholds the Appalachian tradition with distinct bowing and mesmerizing rhythms. He is well known for his extensive repertoire of oldtime  fiddle tunes and songs.  He is also a founding member of the famed Green Grass Cloggers, and has a clogging step that bears his name.

Adrienne’s steadfast hand on the guitar completes their sound, as she drives the bass runs while laying down the rhythm.  Adrienne came to old time music by way of the sounds of the Foghorn Stringband while living in Portland, OR.  While square dancing to the sounds of their straight ahead approach, she fell in love with the music and started playing guitar.

As a duo, they perform concerts and instruct at many camps throughout the US. Earl White and Adrienne Davis are the foundation of the Earl White String Band.  An energetic, driving, old time string band composed of highly accomplished talented musicians. They have pleasured audiences and dancers with their music across the nation. They recently relocated from Santa Cruz, CA to Floyd VA, and are the owners of the Big Indian Farm Artisan Bakery.  They also host an annual old time music gathering on the farm called the Fiddler’s Jam.  Their vision: Small intensive music camps on the farm featuring various oldtime and bluegrass musicians, as well as camps for other genres of music.


Victor Furtado is a 23 year old clawhammer banjo player, teacher, and performer from Virginia, whose innovative playing style and unique sound has earned him many opportunities and accolades. Victor grew up in a musically rich environment. He started teaching himself clawhammer banjo at age 9, and with a wide array of musical influences, he began creating his own unique styles of banjo playing which earned him lots of attention in the banjo community.

By age 12 Victor had appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, Woodsongs Oldtime Radio Hour, won many banjo competitions, and self recorded his first solo banjo album.

Victor frequently visited his friends the Wildmans, and after so many visits with them he moved into their home and joined the band “The Wildman’s”. In 2019 Victor received the Steve Martin prize for excellence in banjo and bluegrass.  Since 2022, Victor has been teaching, performing as a solo artist, and performing with other groups such as The Earl White Stringband, the Ben and Ruth String Band, and his duo with Andrew Vogts.  Víctor recently graduated from Berklee College Of Music with a bachelors in music performance, and a minor in philosophy.

The Horsenecks are Gabrielle Macrae and Barry Southern. Based in Astoria, Oregon, they are two multi-instrumentalists who have come together from traditional music backgrounds and found a sound that weaves through layers of influence that include early Appalachian fiddle and banjo music, country, classic bluegrass, and British folk.

Gabrielle Macrae grew up in a musical family in the Old Time music hotbed of Portland, Oregon. After spending her teenage years learning claw hammer banjo, old time fiddle and going to local square dances she moved to North Carolina and immersed herself in the music. There she spent her time learning from and playing with some of the greatest living players of the genre, and visiting some of the last remaining elder musicians such as Clyde Davenport, Charlie Acuff, Benton Flippen, and The Roan Mountain Hilltoppers. Her banjo playing became well known after she and her sisters (The Macrae Sisters) released the album Old Sledge, which has become one of the iconic modern Old Time albums of its generation. Her fiddling is heavily influenced by the traditions of Western North Carolina where she made her home for some years, and by her contemporaries who she is continually inspired by. On a tour with her sisters in 2012 she met Liverpludlian Barry Southern and the two formed the band The Horsenecks.

Barry’s banjo and guitar playing range from thrilling and high-octane to moody and captivating, and his versatility shines whether flatpicking, playing clawhammer, or driving three-finger banjo.  Barry has been consistently active in his home town of Liverpool’s music scene for over 20 years, playing lead guitar with cult heroes Tramp Attack ( Must Destroy Records) and on into the UK Old Time and Bluegrass scene, playing with multiple groups. Together, they create a distinctive sound, rooted in traditional Old Time music, with songwriting  and harmony singing front and center.

The Horsenecks continue to set a new standard in today’s traditional music scene with years of touring under their belts, appearances at major festivals in the USA and the UK and three critically acclaimed studio albums.

Steph Noll is an old-time musician, dance caller, and mama to two fun and musical tweens. She loves calling family dances, singing with friends old and new, and loves the PNW old time music scene for its many opportunities to make music with friends of all ages. Steph will be supporting the kids jam and offering a wild card Family Song Session and a Pop-up Square Dance over the weekend. Check out the board on the deck to find out when they are happening!

Kate O’Brien was raised by a pack of violin & fiddle-playing buffalo and just entered human society. She spent the first 10 yrs of the new millennium touring and playing all over the world.

Kate plays & sings various genres of music and performs regularly with Gerle Haggard, Hi-Steppin’ Western Dance Band, The Family Band as well as her original material under Kate O’Brien. She jams regularly with the old-time, swing and bluegrass folks around Portland.

Kate founded Mosaic String Academy (mosaicstringacademy.com) in 2019 which offers students of all ages a unique combination of classical private lessons in violin, viola & cello  along with monthly group classes where we explore tons of music. Kate founded Portland Fiddle Camps for Kids (portlandfiddlecamps.com) in 2009 and it’s the highlight of every summer!  Come join her and her co-conspirator Sophie Enloe for another awesome camp in 2024!

Melissa Takush has been hosting jams in the Eugene area with Mud City Old-Time Society since 2011. She loves helping folks get connected to the PNW old-time community!

Maja Diettrich-Kennett, now 14 years old, has been playing fiddle since she was 4. She has lead fiddle jams around Portland and performs often at her family’s Hostel and Cafe. She also enjoys singing and was a member of the state middle school choir.

Lilia Tierney is a Sophomore and has been playing music for 10 years on multiple instruments. This year she will be the pianist/vocalist in a Lincoln HS jazz ensemble. Old Time fiddle is close to Lila’s heart and resonates with her Cajun/Irish roots. As a fiddler, Lila enjoys jamming with her friends, helping new fiddlers find their voice, and of course learning from the greats.

Looking for our support?

Over the last 10 years, Bubbaville has provided funding, promotion and more for dozens of different projects tied to our mission. The organization has brought to the Portland region numerous performers and teachers. We’ve also funded campouts, albums, dances and more. Have an idea for a project? Let us know!