The Michigan Daily-Friday, November 17, 1978-Page 7 Burning up the cofeehouses By ERIC ZORN Martha Burns has a fetish for old things. "I believe when something is old, then it's worn in and solid," she s.ays. On the walls of her third story State Street apartment she has old fashioned portrait photographs along with pasted up samples from her collection of 78s, and on the floor is a corner-full of old musical instruments and books. "To me," she says, "a good new song isn't as inspiring as a good old song." In some dim corner of her bedroom, hold credits, that sort of thing. I take it all one step at a time." MARTHA STARTED hanging out at the Ark almost immediately and playing at hootenanny nights. "David and Linda Siglin (the mhanagers of the Ark) deserve a lot of credit for taking me under their wing and giving me encouragement. They have been good with a lot of folks from this area." In 1972 she has her first paid concert-at a women's center in East Lansing-and soon after we became involved with solos can overpower the words. And, too, I enjoy a direct, personal relationship with an audience. Just me and them. "The whole point for me is to get, across what I like about a song and make the audience relate to the same things. Some people in this business make the mistake of taking it for granted that everyone is tuned up to what they're communicating. I like old cowboy songs and songs with historical plots, for instance, and maybe a little detail will intrigue me and 'make' a particular song. People sometimes hve to be clued in to notice these things, and then the performance can mean as much to them as it does to me. "I'M NEVER making a statement when I sing," Burns continues. "I'm not a political singer, but I do like a lot of old topical songs. When I sing a ballad, I'm just a storyteller. People sometimes come up to me and say, 'Wow, I really like you voice,' but it's more to the point for me when they comment on the songs I've done. Then I think maybe I've got them on the same wavelength." Martha Burn's first solo night at the Ark went very well for her. "I even got an encore," she smiles, "and that was back in the days before they were obligatory." Since then she has played four times solo at the Ark, and will appear there again on Thursday evening, December 7th. MARTHA HAS gathered her vast repertoire of old songs from many different sources. "I've been heavily influenced by the Carter Family," she says, "both their singing and their ecclectic taste in songs. They not only sang old mountain ballads, but also gospel songs, hymns, railroad wreck, songs, sowboy laments, topical songs, and anything else that caught their fancy. "I look for good tunes anywher, including turn-of-the-century popular songs and parlor melodies like 'When You and I were Young, Maggie.' I've always got to have my ears open." Like many of us, Martha can't and doesn't want to see ten years into the future. "I'll be playing at Cafe Lena's in upstate New York, and at the Kent State Folic Festival, both during February," she says brightly, "but that's as far as I want to look. Music is fun, both singing and meeting and playing with people. I look forward to doing more of it." SHE'S WORKING steadily these days, singing all over, and writing her legacy in the Midwest. Her arsenal of instruments now includes the mandolin and the fiddle, and she's experimenting with the banjo. The guitar was essentially her only instrument until she picked up a stray mandolin while waiting to teach a lesson at Herb Davids. "From there, the fiddle sort of follows." Success will just as surely follow Martha Burn's quest to make her passion a full time profession. She's too talented and determined to have things go any other way. Until her popularity snowballs or she gets that big break that sometimes comes out of nowhere to give a performer a big boost, she'll keep on singing and keeping her ears open for new songs. Or rather, new old songs. November HUMAN RIGHTS FAIR 5:30 Potluck 6:30 Worship Service using "Oh, Freedom"-a human rights liturgy by Don Luce 7:30 Resource Fair-a sharing of information and resources 8:30 Film & Discussion-"The Church in Korea" WESLEY FOUNDATION 602 E. Huron at State Everyone is invited to attend all or part of the Fair. 4- _ A FULL SERVICE MEXICAN RESTAURANT with DANCING NIGHTLY presents Ann Arbor's Premier Discoteque 611 CHURCH ST.--NEAR SOUTH UNIVERSITY 995-5955 I' I Martha Burns Martha has an overstuffed binder filled wth these inspiring old songs. The twenty six year old native New Yorker Is trying to make her career singing these songs in coffeehouses, small 1suditoriums, and at folk festivals ciross the country. "Martha Burns is a real entertainer," says David Siglin, jyinager of the Ark, "and that keeps her'from being at all dusty. She really iakes those great old songs sound TO BE SURE it's not easymto pay the bills with old time music in these days of top 40;pp ,and heayy metal. "My singing pi ed me here in .Ann jrbr,'' she says. "It only supplements y income. One has to work .ridiculously hard to make a living at folk music." Currently Burns drives a schoolbus, works the Bookmobile, and teaches guitar at Herb David's Studio between music jobs. "The Midwest is not where the real market is for folk performers, and I find myself commuting to the east coast. When I go out to Connecticut for a weekend job like I did in the end of October, I'm lucky if I get paid enough to cover travel expenses. At some point I may end up moving out East, and that would mean starting again building my reputation." Burns doesn't recall exactly when it was that she started being interested in folk music, but remembers well the V impact when her brother brought home some Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Cisco Houston records to their West Village home in New York City. Soon after this exposure, she packed up the guitar and 'tarted singing folk songs. After graduating from high school in 1970, she enrolled in the University of 'Michigan. "I just came here," she explains. "I didn't know about the Ark 'Or the reputation Ann Arbor had in 'those days for attracting fine musicians." She has been in and out of 'chool for the past eight years, and is still finishing up an Honors thesis on Henry Ford and the Revival of the American Dance Movement. "School is no longer high priority," she says. "I've got a lot of debts outstanding, loans, TONIGHT1 People are Living There. A Play by Athol Fugard Universityn Production 'Nov. 15 -18 8p.m. several old time stringbands, including an instrumental group, The Pigtown Flingers, and, most recently, the Argo Pond String Band, which for a long time played every Sunday at Mr. Flood's. r "Strings bands have been very influential in my career," Martha says. '"They've been fun and I've learned a whole lot. Over the years, though, I found myself getting more and more interested in the old songs and wanting to have the control that being a solo performer allows. I've come to Ike a minimum of instrumentation on songs because too many. harmonies and hot- Mediatrics Presents THE GROOVE TUBE (Ken Shapiro, 1974) The all-time favorite Boobe Tube spoof. CHEVY CHASE, BUZZY LINHART and CHRISTINE NAZARETH lead the pack and the ratings in Dealers and the legendary International Sex Olympics. Irreverent and obscene commercials that would make any TV junky blush. Fri, Nov 17 Nat Sci Aud 7,8:30&10 ALFRED HITCHCOCK NIGHT MURDER (1930). One of the rare whodunits from !the master of suspense MURDER shows Hitchcock already in command of his style. "It was an interesting film and quite successful in London, but it was too sophisticated for the provinces."-AH Sat, Nov 18 Not Sci Aud 8:40 only SUSPICION (1941). Perennial hero Cary Grant is cast in the role of the villain who's wife (JoanFontaine),is ofraid that he is a murderer. Hitchcock constantly upsets the audience's expec- tationsthat he really is a good uy. Sat, Nov 18 Notti Aud 7:00 &A: -I FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT'S 1968 Admisstion $1.56 $2.50 double feature i STOLEN KISSES A failure in the military, he eventually wound up in after THE 400 BLOWS, Antoine Domel (alias Jean-Pierre Leaud alias Truffaut himself) strikes out to find romance and success in civilian life. His wildly humorous search leads him from jobs as a detective, a hotel night watchman, a shoe salesman and a T.V. repairman with lots of comic relief (and love interest) along the way. In French and in Color. SAT: Divine in PINK FLAMINGOES tonight at old arch. aud. CIN7MA GUILD 0.5:30a10:00 $1.so II ' ---- - - GIANT -7- 1 V GENTLE . .. .- 4 i GENTLE GIANT Giant For A Day Nf " . 0Q LE GIANT ALBUM 4 TAPE $ OUR EVERYDAY LOW PRICES 7 i ldw. A- w - w ''qlw