Are you missing the new oldtime revival?

Subject: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: wilco
Date: 01 Sep 07 - 05:23 PM

I have an acoustic music store in East tennessee (US), which caters to the oldtime music market. Everyone says, including the "old timers" (from the 60/s and 70's), that traditional string band music is biiger now that it has ever been.

Are you seeing this in your area??

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: Folkie101
Date: 01 Sep 07 - 06:16 PM

There's a really good String Band based out of North Carolina called the Carolina Chocolate Drops. They have a full touring schedule and sing & play very well.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: Fortunato
Date: 01 Sep 07 - 07:31 PM

wilco48 do you see any booking opportunities for those who do old time country music out your way?

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: Zhenya
Date: 01 Sep 07 - 08:47 PM

There does seem to be something going on. In the last year or two, here in New York City, I've run into several younger people (in their twenties and thirties) who are really interested in Old Time music, and play fiddle or banjo, go to Old Time jams, etc.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Sep 07 - 09:57 PM

The Chocolate Drops are good. They are also fearless, amazingly fearless, in their attack on our current assumptions about race relations.

The old-time world of the early 1900's was not a segregated musical culture. Black and white musicians played together commonly. The Chocolate Drops have identified excellent musicians as models, developed a style of their own and boldly insisted that the we break the race stereotypes that have limited black participation in old-time music.

In case you aren't aware of how limiting your own assumptions can be, try to imagine a well-educated, young, black man entering a public flat-foot dance competition with a largely white audience as Dom Flemmons has. The Chocolate Drops challenge us all to play and perform the music we love and ignore all racial stereotypes and barriers, liberal, conservative, old, new. All music should be there for all, not blues for blacks, old-time for whites, salsa for Hispanics.

In case you can't tell, I'm a huge fan and grateful to the Chocolate Drops for good old-time music and good social action.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: Janie
Date: 02 Sep 07 - 12:47 AM

Here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, old time string music continues to be alive and well. Many good to great stringbands, including the Chocolate Drops.

Janie

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: GUEST,signing in because we are supposed to
Date: 02 Sep 07 - 12:51 AM

And I sincerely hope that no over-zealous clone decides to delete the above post because the writer failed to sign in.

The writer has good things to say and should be respected for it.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: katlaughing
Date: 02 Sep 07 - 01:03 AM

We've had a few threads on the Chocolate Drops:

HERE;

HERE, and,

HERE.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 02 Sep 07 - 12:27 PM

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 02 Sep 07 - 12:49 PM

Sorry about that blank post.

THE OLD TIME scene has always prospered as the participatory and community-based entity that it is, and that it does so well. Dances, concerts, workshops at festivals---all of it. The music is roots based---has great respect for those experts who came before. On the revival scene, this was ACTUALLY started, I believe, by the N.L.C.R. who had the background and the chops to make it come alive for modern audiences ever since I first saw them open the show for the "star" Bob Gibson at the Gate Of Horn folkie bar in Chicago -- 1959. By February of 1961 (and for their first decade) the boys were a large part if the University Of Chicago Folk Festival -- still going now in 2007 in Mandel Hall on that campus. (I do WISH the bathrooms were handicapped accessible there!! But I can't deal with the snow these days, anyhow.)

Subscribe to THE OLD TIME HERALD. It features the old and the new bands admirably. Old time music is flourishing all around the USA and Old Time Music is arguably equal to blues as a viably healthy roots music that just keeps on keeping on. --- Possibly, it is less noticeable because it it is, as it was in earlier times, all acoustic!

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 02 Sep 07 - 01:44 PM

Interest over here in Britain is growing with a hard core of players. There a bunch of younger ones coming into it.
I must find time to start teaching Boats how to play banjo.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: nickp
Date: 03 Sep 07 - 05:49 AM

"Boats", Geoff....?!

Yes the U.K. has a steadily growing interest, spearheaded by the
Friends of American Old Time Music and Dance

Nick

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 03 Sep 07 - 07:58 AM

Boats - little bod, runs about a lot. Sometimes known as Rowan.
Plays bookends with his twin sister.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: nickp
Date: 03 Sep 07 - 09:15 AM

Ah ... I understand!

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: GUEST,guest , Mary V.
Date: 04 Sep 07 - 08:28 AM

Wisconsin , is getting many nice old time music festivals.
We are loving the music , and many of the young 20 year
olds are liking the music.

Subject: RE: Are you missing the new oldtime revival?
From: fretless
Date: 04 Sep 07 - 09:00 AM

Revival is a relative term -- OT is still pretty obscure, but there does seem to be an increase in interest. Bluegrass still dominates in Washington (DC, that is), but there is lots of OT along the Virginia/N. Carolina border and when I was traveling down there last spring the younger musicians had a repertoire of fiddle tunes that was almost entirely different from what I'd learned in the 60s and 70s in New York.

Appalachian State University in Boone NC, when their football team isn't busy embarrassing Michigan, has a strong academic program in Appalachian Studies, including OT and Bluegrass music. I asked them if their students ever do double majors in music and in the academic stuff and they emphatically said no: the students virtually all arrive with music skills already established.