Festival! on DVD!!!!!!

Subject: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 05:05 PM

Finally!   After many years of having this film sitting in Murray Lerner's closet, the Academy Award nominated film "Festival!" will be released on DVD on October 18! Eagle Rock Entertainment is releasing the DVD here in the states.

Murray Lerner, who also made the film "Message From Love" about the Isle of Wight Festival, filmed the Newport Folk Festival from 1963 to 1966 and released this film in 1967. The film had a very limited release, and since then has only been seen in sporadic and rare theatrical screenings.    The story is that there were music rights issues which had prevented the release. I guess that has cleared up!

I have seen the film, first in a theater and then on a poorly recorded bootleg version.   It is truly remarkable. Lerner's style was evidently "borrowed" by the producers of documentaries such as "Woodstock".   You will see some of the unused footage cropping up in the Dylan documentary "No Direction Home".

Don't miss this one!

Here is the tracklisting:
1) Hannah – Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band w/ Mel Lyman
2) If I Had A Hammer – Peter, Paul and Mary
3) Rocky Road – Sacred Harp Singers
4) Traditional Spiritual – Georgia Sea Island Singers
5) Clog Dance – Blue Ridge Mountain Dancers
6) Black Mountain Rag – Tex Logan and The Lilly Brothers
7) Green Corn – Pete Seeger
8) Codeine…And It's Real – Buffy Sainte-Marie
9) Deep Blue Sea – Pete Seeger
10) Lordy, Lordy – Odetta
11) Go Tell Aunt Rhody – Joan Baez and Peter Yarrow
12) Mary Hamilton – Joan Baez
13) All I Really Want To Do – Bob Dylan
14) All Our Trials – Joan Baez
15) Blowin' In The Wind – Peter, Paul and Mary
16) And The War Drags On – Donovan
17) Turn, Turn, Turn – Judy Collins
18) Viet Nam, Your Latest Game – Donovan
19) Just Can't Keep From Cryin' – Odetta
20) Times They Are A Changin' – Peter, Paul and Mary
21) Highway 61 – Fred McDowell
22) Keys To The Highway – Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry
23) Candy Man – Mississippi John Hurt
24) Maggie's Farm – Bob Dylan
25) Instrumental – Ed Young Fife & Drum Corps
26) Feed Me, Jesus – Swan Silvertones
27) Help Me, Jesus – Staple Singers
28) Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round – Freedom Singers
29) Go Tell It On The Mountain – Fannie Lou Hamer
30) We Shall Overcome – Freedom Group Finale w/ Odetta
31) I Was Born In Chicago – Paul Butterfield Blues Band
32) Son House Blues – Son House
33) You Hear My Howling Early In The Morning – Howling Wolf
34) Pack Up Your Sorrows – Mimi and Dick Farina
35) Flute Instrumental – Spokes Mashiyane
36) Cheek Slapping – Cousin Emmy
37) Russian Song – Theodore Bikel
38) Anathea – Judy Collins
39) I Walk The Line – Johnny Cash
40) Ruby – Osborne Bros.
41) Farewell Angelina – Joan Baez
42) Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan
43) Rising Of The Moon – Peter, Paul and Mary
44) Down By The Riverside – Group Finale w/ Baez, Odetta and Seeger

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: jeffp
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 08:52 PM

Definitely gotta get this one!!!!!

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: SlimChance
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 09:38 PM

Incredible ! This is a must-have for me...I was there for both 1964 and 1966 festivals, and saw most of those performances...I do believe I've died and gone to folk music Heaven-what a great nostalgia trip !
Thanks for this.

Murray.

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: open mike
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 01:27 AM

i thought the movie festival was about a train trip across canada
with Jimmy Hendrix, the gradteful dead, janis and other 60's
icons aboard....i guess that is the movie festival express....

Festival Express-Canada's Woodstock 1970 ... A lot of the film footage was shot on the train.....Plot Outline: The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour....... a train across Canada in the exuberant rock'n roll documentary "Festival Espress... Driving that train... Jerry Garcia and Sylvia Tyson onboard ......

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 20 Oct 05 - 10:49 PM

I received my copy of Festival! today.   It was worth the wait. Amazing performances and footage.

Two "minor" gripes.   There are a few scenes that could have used a bit of restoration. Film scratches that could be removed using todays technology. However, there were no serious flaws and the print was very good. Not as crisp as the footage used in the Dylan documentary, but nothing that I would call seriously distracting.   The only other version previously available was a bootleg, and that looked horrible! This is a blessing!!

The other "gripe" is also a minor point. In fact, it may actually be an enhancement. In the original film, there were no chyron (on-screen graphic identifiers) of the artist. Part of me gets upset when I see something that alters the directors original vision, but the other part of me is actually thankful for the addition.   Many of these artists might not be recognizable to todays younger artists, so this serves as a good introduction.

As I said earlier, this is a fabulous film. You will be hooked from the first scene - which happens to feature Jim Kweskin and the Jug Band. Yes, Maria Muldaur and the late Mel Lyman are there! In fact, Mel has a lot to say!

Check this film out!! If you weren't around in the 60's, I think you will find out how vibrant and diverse the music was. With a few exceptions, I feel that most folk festivals today cater to one or two segments of folk music.   Newport celebrated folk music in all its many forms.   The revived Newport folk festival pales in comparison.

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 20 Oct 05 - 11:33 PM

On he earlier video (VHS) the Kweskin band comes off as a bunch of wining infants with huge attitude problems. But I guess many of us had those then. At least that's how it looks to me from 2005---looking back at it all. --------- But seeing my old friend mike Bloomfield with Butter and Dylan was just plain cool as all hell! I will always miss that SOB and be pissed at him for doing himself in so early in the great game. What a fine bluesboy he was!

Art

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: Elmer Fudd
Date: 20 Oct 05 - 11:34 PM

Wow. Can't wait to see and hear it. I was at Newport in 1968. Maria Muldaur and I believe Mimi Farina, if my brain cells serve me, did a duet of "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight."

What happened to Mel Lyman? Last I heard he declared he was Jesus Christ and was heading up a commune in Boston....

Elmer

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 01:57 AM

Elmer, Are you sure you're not looking for Mel Blanc? Mel Lyman is alive and well, at least musically well. My sister and I saw him at the Freight and Salvage, performing with Geoff Muldaur, about a year ago.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 02:08 AM

Hey, and it's $10.49 at Amazon!

The above is a link that's supposed to give a cut to Mudcat. Does anybody know what the other way to do Amazon for Mudcat is? I think it's amazon.mudcat.org - but it may not be working.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 08:27 AM

It's here at amazon.

Can anybody tell me how I can get in Germany?

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 09:39 AM

Chanteyranger - Mel Lyman supposedly died in 1978. I have not heard that he resurfaced and would find it very interesting if he appeared at Freigth and Salvage.   Are you sure you aren't confusing him with Kweskin? I do seem to remember hearing that Kweskin and Muldaur were doing gigs together.

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: JudeL
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 11:22 AM

re: mudcat benefitting if we buy via the link. Trouble is the link only takes you to their american site . I buy quite a lot from amazon & I tried to use that link some time ago but it seems it's only set up for amazon's american customers. I don't have an american account, mine is with the uk division (amazon.co.uk) so no benefits for mudcat.

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 11:30 AM

Try a search for Eaglevision, the company that makes the DVD. Perhaps they have a European site.

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 11:32 AM

They might be listed under their parent company - Eagle Rock. I'm sure a search "eagle Rock DVD" would come up with something.

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 10:26 PM

I a confused, Ron. It was Fritz Richmond we saw performing with Geoff Muldaur. An Emily Litella moment for me ......never mind.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: Barry Finn
Date: 21 Oct 05 - 11:47 PM

Chanteyranger & Ron, Jim is very much alive & active (& been singing with the same woman for about a decade now, can't recall her name but she's good) as is Maria, haven't really heard of them gigging together though. Mel Lyman, haven't heard of him for ages. I never really cared to much for his musical abilities or talents but he surround himself with the cream of the crop & I did like hearing them, to me his talent laid in orginizing. He ran a paper called the Advatar that I, just a teen at the time, found to be a bit interesting. I think the adult folk in my hood didn't care for his beliefs but that just might have been disagreements between our hill (Mission Hill, Roxbury) & his hill (Fort Hill, Roxbury). Wouldn't ya know it, probably just to neighborhoods in crisis not liking the other & liking outsiders even worse, amounts to clouding issues.


I sure would appreciate it if someone could tell me the year of the last Newport Folk Fesival of that same era (the one where the fence came down & the camping hill got gassed. That's the one I last attended & I know I attended the 2 before that but the last one is my reference point & I can't remember what year that was or how old I was. I do know I was a young & adventurous teen & in the habit of going where I wanted when I wanted, no permisssion asked for & non granted. Good thing it was in the name of folk music.


Thanks for the heads up Ron I'd loved to see & hear the DVD please keep us updated.


Barry

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 22 Oct 05 - 12:39 PM

Hi Barry,

The DVD was released this week. I know it is available from Barnes & Noble and Amazon online, plus I am sure most record stores and other video outlets here in the U.S. could obtain a copy. It was released by Eagle Vision, a division of Eagle Rock Entertainment.

I believe that Mel Lyman has shuffled off this mortal coil and the rumors of his still being around are the stuff of myth. For some reason, people like to keep the myth alive.   They would like to believe that Lyman is hanging out with Jim Morrison, JFK, and Andy Kaufman somewhere.

Subject: RE: Festival! on DVD!!!!!!
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 23 Oct 05 - 12:49 PM

Barry, I think the last "original" Newport Folk Festival was in 1970. One was planned for 1971 but cancelled due to the troubles. 15 years later the festival was re-invented, but now it is just a series of concerts - and it is more commercial than ever. The Pixies were headliners this year. I guess everything changes.

Subject: Newport Folkfest DVD
From: Dharmabum
Date: 29 Aug 06 - 02:43 PM

I just borrowed this DVD from my local library.
Some cool b&w footage of the Newport F.F.
My only complaint is that most of the clips are not complete performances.

Hope this link works.

DB.


http://www.merchdirect.net/x/c/product.php?csid=136&productid=5413&cat=286&artist=660

Subject: RE: Festival DVD
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 29 Aug 06 - 02:51 PM

This is a movie that was made in 1967 and did not include "clips". It was a documentary that future films such as Woodstock would get their style from.