Welcome to GAFilk!

January 9-11, 2026

Guest of Honor

Frank Hayes

So who is Frank Hayes, anyway? Good question. For decades he's written questionably age-appropriate children's songs like "Never Set the Cat on Fire" and "Little Fuzzy Animals (With Big Sharp Teeth)." And scientifically questionable science songs like "Cosmos," which NASA used anyway to wake up shuttle astronauts in space -- twice. And technically questionable computer songs like "S-100" and "When I Was a Boy." And questionably authentic trad folksongs such as "Like a Lamb to the Slaughter (Talking Matty Groves)."

How did Frank win five Pegasus Awards, but lose twice as many? Why did the Filk Hall of Fame induct him in 2009, calling him "one of the finest humorous song writers in filk"? Will there ever be a cure for the condition of forgetting your own lyrics in mid-performance -- and is "Frank Hayes Disease" contagious?

And why has it been almost 40 years since Frank performed at a con in Atlanta? That one we can answer: No one remembered to ask him. This time, someone did -- and Frank couldn't be happier to be GAFilk's 2026 Guest of Honor.

Toastmaster

Bill Francis

William Francis got his first guitar at the age of seventeen for five dollars. It was an arch top acoustic with a neck so bad the strings were over half an inch above the twelfth fret. His cousin Doug taught him cowboy chords. Bill learned to play anyway. Doug denies this is why he now lives in Tasmania.

Bill’s introduction to filk at Kwintius Kublius was when his wife at the time woke him and dragged him across the hall to have Robert Aspirin in his filk guise of Yang the Nauseating reprise Hungover Barbarian. Bill was hooked for life. Yes. Across the hall. This was the early days of filk in the south, when room filks were the norm. And Destiny made it happen that this one was right across the hall.

Other music in his life was theatre oriented. He performed instrumental accompaniment with guitar and bass guitar with numerous musicals performed by the Island Players of Saint Simons Island, Georgia. He met his future brother-in-law Don Gaughf in the group and later wrote the music for the songs in Don’s musical play titled Yard Sale which was produced by the Island Players.

Interfilk Guest

Douglas Davidson

Douglas Davidson discovered filk as a wee lad in the 1980s. He has been a long-time listener, con attendee, and volunteer, with some breaks for a few years when his four children were young. Douglas took up voice and guitar later in life and began writing and performing extensively during the online filk era; he has been a frequent participant in the Festival of the Living Rooms since its inception. At the online OVFF in 2020 he won first place in the songwriting contest, and he has been a regular at song competitions ever since.

Douglas writes songs both serious and comic about science and technology, about mythology and literature, and about popular and niche fandoms. Outside of filk, he sings with around 100 others in a classical choral ensemble in Northern California, and plays in a number of local folk music circles. He and his wife, Victoria Chang, also have been serving as hotel liaisons for their local filk convention, Consonance. This is Douglas' first invitation to be a filk con guest, and he is delighted to be looking forward to joining you all in 2026.

Super Secret Guest

We Ain't Tellin'! (until December 1st, 2025)

We can't tell you until December, but we promise you, it's gonna be AWESOME.

ConCom's Choice

To Be Announced

Information coming December-ish!