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Champlain Valley 2007

29 Jul 07 - 02:09 PM (#2114101)
Subject: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon

This is a great Festival, only a few days away. You can swim and still hear the music. Lots of choices (frustratingly many at times).
http://www.cvfest.org/
About 2+ hrs from Montreal.

A personal favourite group: Lou & Peter Berryman. Funny, funny songs! You hear a lot of pain and loneliness at Folk Fests, how often do you really get to laugh?


29 Jul 07 - 04:38 PM (#2114192)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: kendall

It's a beautiful spot. The only drawback to me is the fact that you can not camp overnight. There is a private field about a mile away which can be muddy.


29 Jul 07 - 05:09 PM (#2114207)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: MaineDog

I remember about 20 years ago someone rented a houseboat from Burlington and anchored just offshore from the festival. Dancing and swimming were indeed close to each other!
MD


01 Aug 07 - 09:57 AM (#2116464)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: Susan of DT

Anyone want us to bring mudcat tee shirts?


01 Aug 07 - 10:51 AM (#2116500)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,Pamela from Ithaca

Finally, I'm going to make it to this one!
I've been waiting about 20 years for the time to be right.
Looking forward to Matapat, Jeff Warner, and Peggy Seeger.

I'll be hanging around the Folk Legacy table at least
some of the time. Say "hi" to the redhead.


01 Aug 07 - 11:06 AM (#2116507)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: Midchuck

An excellent festival, and within day trip distance from me; but I haven't been in years, because I always seem to go to Montana about then. And this year is no exception.

If you get to see the Berrymans, make sure you write down the lyrics when they sing. (Joke - you have to have heard their songs to understand it.)

Peter.


01 Aug 07 - 11:36 AM (#2116531)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon

Peter -

I agree you have to hear the Berrymans, (and their introductions) to achieve full comprehension; but they do sell songbooks, and it's also fun to read, with amazement, the complex wordplay.

Another favourite: John Roberts and Tony Barrand.

The best part about this festival is that I always hear someone I've never heard before, who quickly joins my list of favourites. Every year!


01 Aug 07 - 01:07 PM (#2116607)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: Midchuck

I agree you have to hear the Berrymans, (and their introductions) to achieve full comprehension; but they do sell songbooks, and it's also fun to read, with amazement, the complex wordplay.

Oh, I know they sell songbooks, we have bought one or two. I just thought the idea of someone trying to write down lyrics as they sang was very funny. If anyone still did shorthand, it could be the Master exam at a secretarial school.

P.


01 Aug 07 - 01:37 PM (#2116634)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon

...right, especially "History of Language", where they take English all the way back to the stone age... ...a cruel assignment indeed!


01 Aug 07 - 02:31 PM (#2116692)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,Meadowmuskrat

.... not to mention their song about the animals that didn't make it to Noah's ark.


02 Aug 07 - 05:05 PM (#2117697)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,psg

so, who else will be there this weekend?


06 Aug 07 - 06:45 PM (#2120491)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: dick greenhaus

A crying shame that this festival gets so little attention (and attendance). It's got to be one of my favorites. The music was fine, with a nice mix of trad (Peggy Seeger, Jeff Warner, George Ward, The Mayflies, Roberts and Barrand), Contemporary (again Peggy Seeger, along with Lou and Peter Berryman), Regional representatives (featuring Matapat and Serre L'Ecoute, the MacArthur Family), good food at reasonable prices, and an ambience that's up there with Mystic as being a feast for the eyes and spirit (all this and swimming, too.)
   To quote Sandy Paton, some years back, "If I were a folk festival, this is where I'd want to live. "


07 Aug 07 - 12:18 PM (#2120871)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko

Any hotel/motel recommendations - or ones to avoid? I'm thinking of coming up, although it might be too late to book a room.


07 Aug 07 - 12:45 PM (#2120886)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: GUEST,BB

Oh, darn, Ron! Ya missed it!! It was the 3rd to 5th of August. The weather was lovely, the lake refreshing, the food good and reasonably priced, just as Dick says above. And the music was very good - an interesting mix of very trad and trad-inspired. As for motels for next year (should you be interested), I don't know of any, since I have friends living nearby with whom I can lodge.
Maybe by next year, you'll be able to find something appropriate and come on up!
~Barbara


07 Aug 07 - 01:26 PM (#2120913)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko

Oops!!   Well, I'll just wait until next year!   I've been saying that for too many years now.   This festival usually falls on the same weekend as a family vacation that we plan with my in-laws. Perhaps next year I will try to coordinate better.   I've heard so many glowing reports of this festival.

If anyone can recommend a decent hotel for NEXT year, please let me know!   :)

Ron Olesko


07 Aug 07 - 11:46 PM (#2121365)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: john f weldon

I've almost always camped out at Button Bay for this fest.

It was a great year; there were several excellent song-swap formats going on involving John Roberts & Tony Barrand, the Berrymans, Peggy Seeger, Jeff Warner etc.

A surprise for me (I'm not sure why it was a surprise) were the Whippersnappers. I've seen them all before, but not recently, and they were high-energy and versatile; and seem to improve with age. George Wilson; amazing!

The Powder Kegs were the young up-and-comers in the old-time folky department, with lots of original songs; fast and furious; a lot of harmonica-fiddle leads.


08 Aug 07 - 09:34 PM (#2122168)
Subject: RE: Champlain Valley 2007
From: dick greenhaus

Ron-
There's a bunch of motels some 15 or so miles North of the Festival on route 7.