Review: Survived Folk Alliance

Subject: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 04:00 PM

Hi,

   Ron was asking in a previous thread, if any of us was going to North American Folk Alliance in Memphis this past week. Well, we went and had a good time. On the downside, I think, there were so many small showcases in the top three hotel floors that very few people got the attention that they probably deserved. The atmosphere in the halls in the evening sometimes resembled a frat party. It was good to see some of the friends we only see at this event. I miss the jamming that used to happen. As I've said in the previous thread, you need to enjoy the conference for what it is. It was a treat to see Tim O'Brien jamming with some other West Virginia musicians in the exhibit hall.

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:37 PM

I have to agre about the frat party atmosphere. We had a showcase room on the 19th floor. We were across the hall from a suite. The suites were allowed to have PA equipment. not so the single rooms. The suite across the hall was blasting their music down the hall to the pont that you couldn't hear the showcases in some of the neighboring rooms. There need to be some new limits put on the private showcasing.

    On the positive side, Like you, I saw a bunch of people that I haven't seen in ages. I met a bunch of new people and heard a heck of a lot of great music.

    The best advice I've ever heard about how to deal with NAFA came from guitar instrumentalist Phil Cooper. He said," As long as you're not expecting to book a gig or get laid you can have a great time here."

Stephen Lee

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 10:42 PM

Veey well put, Stephen. I got the line from Chuck Mitchell, to give credit where it"s due. It was great hanging out with you at the conference as well.

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 25 Feb 08 - 11:49 PM

Sorry I missed it!   Was Chuck there? I heard him use the same line at NERFA a few years ago!!    I really enjoy him!

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: Anne Lister
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 02:44 AM

Sorry I missed it ... we'll have to get ourselves over again for another FA some time!

Anne

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 03:56 PM

No, Chuck wasn't there, Ron. I haven't seen him in a couple years. He was supposed to come to FARM a couple years ago, but had health problems. I'm hoping he can make it to another FARM conference. The DJ reception wasn't the same without you there, Ron.

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: GUEST,Tom Nelligan
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 09:05 PM

I've been to fourteen Folk Alliance conferences since 1994, and I don't think the atmosphere on floors 17-18-19 was any more chaotic than usual this year. I've never really found the late-night private showcases to be a good opportunity for performers to present their music in anything resembling a decent listening environment -- that's what Performance Alley is for now -- but rather a chance to participate in a huge party. But I can see how a musician who was hoping for a chance to present his/her music in the best light might be disappointed.

There have been attempts at volume level enforcement in the past that seem to be only sporadically enforced. As for the number of guerilla showcases, that's limited by the number of music rooms. But I'm sure that the FA organizers would welcome comments on both topics or anything else relating to the conference.

For me -- my "business" conection to the conference is as a music journalist -- the fun is in the socializing, the chance to hear old friends again, and the chance to discover good people who I haven't heard before. Sometimes I even learn things too! Anyone catch the Maybelles, the all-woman old time band from Brooklyn? Or the Ian Tyson tribute concert? The folk-rocking Strangelings? Or from the contemporary songwriting genre, the wonderfully harmonious Sons of the Never Wrong or the utterly charming and perpetually energetic Women In Docs? Those are just five of the fifty or so showcases I heard over the weekend, and it was well worth the thousand mile trip!

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 26 Feb 08 - 10:14 PM

Tom,

I agree it was worth coming down. I'll probably be there next year too. I think the guerilla showcases are diluting themselves and don't have much effect. I've been part of FARM (folk alliance region midwest) for awhile and we have not allowed guerilla showcases. We don't have an exhibit hall and we try to have an air of cooperation. The midwest has different needs than either coast for finding gigs. My singing partner, Margaret Nelson, and I were showcase artists back when the conference was in Calgary and the whole vibe was different then. There was more networking and jamming after the formal showcase sets ended. This year, there was more activity in the exhibit hall, which I thought was good. As stated before, you have to take these conferences as they are.

Subject: RE: Review: Survived Folk Alliance
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 27 Feb 08 - 09:47 AM

I go to NERFA every year, and I've been to several of the FA conferences - I just can't afford to attend the international every year.

I find the guerrilla and private showcases serving an important purpose - even if the conditions are not prime for exhibiting their talent.   As house concerts continue to grow, the conditions of the guerilla showcase give a good opportunity to see how a performer relates to an audience in such an informal and up-close environment.

For me, as a broadcaster, it is a great way of hearing songs. I've probably "discovered" more talented songwriters and songs to play on my radio show at the guerrilla and private showcases than I have at formal or Performance Alley events.

I also think it is great practice for some of the less experienced artists to hone their skills among their peers.   

The social aspect and community building is probably THE most important aspect of these events. An artist would be foolish to go to such an event and have an agenda of booking their schedule or being discovered. Like any "business", it is a networking opportunity that builds the framework for the future.

I feel that the biggest issue is the separation of the "business" from the "art".   The focus seems to be on building the "entertainment" end of the business, but the grass roots efforts to perpetuate traditional music has never been fully recognized or embraced. Traditionalists shy away and the FA has not been able to come up with ways to improve.

Still, it is a wonderful organization and great events. I strongly suggest that people with an interest in making a "career" or even an "unpaid vocation" of presenting this music check out these events in the future.