Post date: Mar 13, 2019 6:3:31 PM

From: Andrew Koenig <ark@acm.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2019 5:22 PM
To: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: RE: Minstrel Booking Report: March 2019 -- PLEASE READ THE SECTION ABOUT UPCOMING NAME CHANGE FOR THE MINSTREL

If you are concerned about how people might perceive the name of the venue, I think you should be even more concerned about what someone thinks who shows up at an event called “Folk Project Acoustic Concerts” only to discover that people sometimes play electric basses, keyboards, and other instruments, and that every performer is connected to a PA system.

Either names are important or they aren’t—and if they are important, then I think you have to expect people to take them seriously.

From: The Minstrel <mike.agranoff@folkproject.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2019 5:37 PM
To: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: RE: Minstrel Booking Report: March 2019 -- PLEASE READ THE SECTION ABOUT UPCOMING NAME CHANGE FOR THE MINSTREL

And that 95% of the music isn’t “folk” in its strict academic definition. I can live with their disappointment. I think the “minstrel show” association can actually do us considerably more harm than the imprecise use of “folk” or the amplified instruments. Believe me, it was a decision that was painful for me to make, and entirely with the concern for the Project and MUF at the top of my mind..

Mike Agranoff
Program Chair
The Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series
Morristown, NJ. USA
www.Minstrel.FolkProject.org

From: 'Robin Schaffer' via Fullboard - Current and some former board members <fullboard@folkproject.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 7:38 AM
To: First <millennium.margy@comcast.net>; mike.agranoff@folkproject.org; fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: Re: Minstrel Booking Report: March 2019 -- PLEASE READ THE SECTION ABOUT UPCOMING NAME CHANGE FOR THE MINSTREL

My .02

Newport Folk festival is going strong. Sold out already for July. They have all young acts and a young audience... nothing we would consider Folk.

Also, I believe the word Acoustic in this context refers to a style of music, particularly that let by acoustic guitars. Andy’s literal interpretation is not the common one I see.

Robin

From: Bob Safranek <rjs@benevue.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2019 11:17 AM
To: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: The Minstrel name change

Last night a potential avenue of new names came to me... The issue with the current name is with one possible meaning of the word. If we can remove that association, we should be able to keep using the "Minstrel" brand..

So I am throwing out a potential name: The Roving Minstrel Concert Series

To me this does several things:

1) harkens back to the original idea behind the series name (Before They Close The Minstrel Show);
2) focuses on the original meaning of "minstrel" instead of the less PC version;
3) allows the FP to continue to continue to utilize the 40 plus years of branding that the series has built up;
4) the "Minstrel Man" logo could be updated a bit and used as part of the "brand re-adjustment"

which would further distance the series from the non-PC implications of the current name.

Other suggestions are always welcome... It took several weeks of thinking/talking over this issue before this approach came to me. There are probably other good ideas out there that have not risen out of the daily noise yet.

--bob

Bob Safranek
CTO - ColorEyeQ Inc.
172 Washington Valley Road Suite 4B
Warren, NJ 07059
908-822-1055

From: The Minstrel <mike.agranoff@folkproject.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2019 11:52 AM
To: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: FW: The Minstrel name change

Or "Wandering Minstrel". Yes, it's a good thought. But I fear that no matter how much we try to paint over it, the offensive aspects that word will bleed through in the eyes of too many people, especially African Americans. And no one was more attached to that name than I. But offence is lies the ear of the beholder, no matter what the speaker's intent. The board voted to change the name to Folk Project Friday Concerts.

Mike Agranoff
Program Chair
The Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series
Morristown, NJ. USA
www.Minstrel.FolkProject.org

From: bluesq5555 <bluesq55@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2019 1:01 PM
To: Elly Faden <elly.faden@folkproject.org>
Cc: The Minstrel <Mike.Agranoff@folkproject.org>; execboard@folkproject.org; Steven Humphries <sh50984@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Name change

With appreciation to all for all of the hard work and soul-searching that has gone into this, and clearly still is: The question received a full airing at the Board meeting, and the resolution that was reached was agreed to by the people with the most skin in the game. My reaction/recommendation is that we do exactly what we agreed to do at the meeting, and turn our eyes forward.

Jay

From: First <millennium.margy@comcast.net>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2019 5:50 PM
To: mike.agranoff@folkproject.org; fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: Re: The Minstrel name change

IF, back at the beginning, it had been Wandering Minstrel AND there had been a logo of such a person...we might still have gotten to this point. I like Folk Project Friday Concerts and hope that Deborah's fantastic quilt can be modified and saved for use until it wears out!

Margy & Frank

From: Elly Faden <elly.faden@folkproject.org>
Sent: Friday, March 08, 2019 10:45 AM
To: bluesq5555 <bluesq55@gmail.com>
Cc: Chris Riemer <jcriemer@gmail.com>; <execboard@folkproject.org> <execboard@folkproject.org>; Steven Humphreys <sh50984@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Name change

I often let things like this go (CA girl) like I said, but as the discussion is continuing, I will repeat that I find adding “Friday” to the name is very limiting. What if we want to expand and host another night? Also, as I said, when you say “Friday night,” one thing comes to mind for me. It’s almost a disappointment that our series has to be held on that night.

🌳 Elly

From: mitch Radler <mitchradler@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2019 11:33 AM
To: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: Name change.

Why ”Friday night” concerts? I for one am planning events on other days of the week.

Sent from my iPhone

From: Mark Schaffer <markschaffer100@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2019 11:46 AM
To: mitch Radler <mitchradler@gmail.com>
Cc: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: Re: Name change.

Mitch,

The meeting went like this: Mike wanted the name Folk Project Concerts. The committees that run Folk Project concerts with a small “c” wanted a differentiator to avoid confusion in our publicity. House concerts and special concerts, for example, are all Folk Project concerts. The board agreed. Mike wanted the issued settled that night and “Friday” was the best differentiator on the table that night.

As a producer of Folk Project concerts, my position is as long as there is a differentiator for the Friday series, any differentiator will do.

The name Folk Project Concerts was the issue.

Mark

From: Paul Fisher <paul.folk.fisher@gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2019 11:49 AM
To: mitch Radler <mitchradler@gmail.com>
Cc: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: Re: Name change.

Hi Mitch,

Except on one or two very rare occasions, Minstrel has been on Friday nights. We want to lock that in people's minds for the Friday night series: Friday is for Folk Project. Period. Plus there were no popular alternatives offered.

OpenStage will need to come up with one or more names to replace "Minstrel OpenStage" and hopefully they will include Folk Project in them to help solidify the brand. Your committee can still be known as just OpenStage.

Are the events you are planning going to be OpenStage events or something else? If something else, they may need coordination with Special Concerts.

Paul

From: Margy Capecelatro <millennium.margy@comcast.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 09, 2019 1:14 PM
To: Paul Fisher <paul.folk.fisher@gmail.com>; mitch Radler <mitchradler@gmail.com>
Cc: fullboard@folkproject.org
Subject: Re: Name change.

I think everything offered by the Folk Project should say, for example:

Folk Project Open Stage or Swingin' Tern, presented by the Folk Project.

If we change the name of the Minstrel-Gram to FolkProject-Gram That would cover all of our events.

I know there's been lots of discussion about how many emails we send out but I did like the idea of the side bar to keep publicizing other of our events besides the one that the individual might have initially signed up for.

I think that everyone, except under 12, should pay $10 at Open Stage.

Margy