Seattle Folklife Festival

Subject: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Musicman
Date: 14 May 00 - 02:08 PM

Coming up May 27th, Seattle's folklife festival.......

Our band "Small Potatoes" is playing once again this year....3:40, on the North-west stage (I think) on the Saturday....

Any mudcatters in the area for the day, come and seek us out.....I'm the big guy.....

Musicman

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 14 May 00 - 07:25 PM

Boy, I wish I could be there...If you catch the Sacred Cow Harmogenizers doing shape-note singing (and you should), tell 'em I said hello. I went to my first Folklife in 1983, back when you didn't have to audition. That's how I got onstage!

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 16 May 00 - 01:47 PM

I'll try to catch it, Musicman. I wonder if Mudjack will be there this year?

Let's all wear our Mudcat Tshirts to help find each other.

MA

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Mudjack
Date: 16 May 00 - 05:25 PM

Hi Catters,
Yes, I'll be there again and playing and singing at the Exhibition Hall Lawn stage Sunday at 1:40 PM to 2:10PM. Hope to see everyone and will watch this thread to see who else to look for.
Thank you Mag for asking about me.
Mudjack, AKA Jack Roberts

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Mudjack
Date: 16 May 00 - 06:12 PM

Back again to put up the "blue clicky thang". I forgot to mention that on Monday, Memorial Day, there is always Sandy's music instrument auction and is a great event.
You can see more of the NW Folklife here:
NW Folklife Seattle
Mudjack

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: JenEllen
Date: 16 May 00 - 08:26 PM

It's the same weekend as the Icicle Times in Leavenworth! I'll do my damndest, and may my lil' chariot sprout wings. Have fun!
~JenEllen

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: open mike
Date: 28 May 08 - 02:09 PM

I just heard about a Shooting at Seattle Folk Life Festival last week-
end. Two were injured and the suspect was arrested.
Was anyone from this list there ?

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Stewart
Date: 28 May 08 - 02:19 PM

Another reason to stay away from the drum (gun?) circles

I left 30 min before

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Stewart
Date: 28 May 08 - 03:55 PM

Interesting response from the Seattle Times.
The editorial does not address the real problem,
that the festival has changed drastically from its roots
as a folklore/folkmusic festival to a rowdy carnival atmosphere
where anything and everything goes for the greatest number of people.
The letter to the editor suggests charging admission.
I'm not sure that is the solution.
Getting back to its roots would be,
But I don't think that will happen.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

From the Seattle Times Editorial Page, 5/28/08

Editorial - Seattle Times 5/28/0
Keeping Folklife open and secure

Seattle's Northwest Folklife Festival, famous for being free and welcoming to all comers, ought to do something out of character: Folklife should switch from a completely open Seattle Center campus to one with gated security entrances.

Such security may not have stopped a 22-year-old man with a concealed-weapons permit who is suspected of injuring three people at the festival last weekend. But a higher level of protection would work in the way that random, thorough checks at airports discourage certain behavior. Festivalgoers mindful that they face spot checks would think twice before bringing guns.

Letter to the editor, 5/28/08: "'We can't change Folklife,' they said. But Folklife had already changed." No surprises here.

The recent violence at the Northwest Folklife Festival doesn't surprise me. I used to attend every year, and performed there many times, too. Then, about 10 years ago, the event really changed. Since it was free, many people came who didn't care at all about the music.

People came to hustle the crowd for money, while the rest of us, both amateurs and professionals, always performed for free. A women in the audience started hitting her kids while I was playing there once, and nearly everyone left.

I begged the Folklife board to start charging people to attend the festival, as Bumbershoot did. I told them that no unauthorized performers should be panhandling for money. (Even at Pike Place Market, where I have played many times, performers had to get a license.) They refused.

"We can't change Folklife," they said.

But Folklife had already changed.

Maybe now, the organizers will rethink what they have allowed the festival to become, and stop the damage before it's too late.

— Alan Moen, Entiat

See the current thread on NW Folklife/Seattle

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Deckman
Date: 28 May 08 - 09:24 PM

Stew,

First I want to thank you for taking the time and effort to post all of that. It was very interesting reading. What I hear throughout Allen's letter is a great frustration with the festival as it has become.

I was one of the earlier performers, and I think I've got something like 23 performers' buttons hiding in my sock drawer. What that tells me is that I was there at close to the beginning, and I have witnessed the changes ... some for the better, most for the worse.

I'm afraid that I agree with the thought that: "... it can't be changed." It has become it's own monster, the focus is now gone from folk music. As you said, it's now just a huge carnival!

I also have to admit that I have expected more violence than has actually happened ... we've been very lucky.

For the next few years, I intend to contribute my efforts at smaller venues such as Rainy Camp, and maybe some of the alternitive folk festivals that are springing up. I'd much rather trade songs in a crowd of 30 than 100,000. CHEERS, Bob Nelson

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: reggie miles
Date: 29 May 08 - 03:47 PM

I was talking with some friends just north of where the incident happened. No offense to the two poor souls that got injured, but I'm kind of glad that those two folks were there to take the bullet for me. That guy could have wandered down to where I was sawing on my hand tool and seeing that it's possible to play music with just about anything, he might have decided to pull his hand gun out and try play a melody on it right in front of me. I think that my saw blade could have fended off a few of the stray stray bullets that usually accompanys such beginner attempts at musical hand gun playing but things could have gotten really ugly. I've heard folks who are beginner hand gun players. Besides the awful racket they make, they can really make a mess of a practice room. Worse than that, I know from experience that most hand guns, like most saws, just don't have the capability to adequately reproduce musical tones. The frustration of not having a very good sounding musical gun to play can drive some folks berserk. They might decide to take up the musical pliers. Now there's a tragedy!

But as long as folks are going to explore playing music with hand guns in a public setting, it might be time to think about trying to come up with a kevlar guitar. I'm sure that acoustically it'll sound awful. You'll probably have to include some sort of onboard pickup and preamp with it. But, it will fill an important need, to afford the user all of the protection needed in these modern times.

I already have a jingle.

Johnny had no fear he had a kevlar guitar
He didn't mind playin' sets in a roudy bar
And at the folk festival when gun shots were ringin'
You could still hear Johnny strummin' and singin'

So, if you're lookin for the ultimate in performance protection
Look no further than this latest invention
If you're worried 'bout bullets shot near or far
Better start playin' a kevlar guitar

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: reggie miles
Date: 29 May 08 - 05:10 PM

As you can plainly see from this unretouched representation of an early American folk singer the idea of using our guitars as 'instruments' of self defense, while simultaneously wielding the proper 'musical' firearm as a harmonious accompaniment has been in practice for a long time. This fellow was no doubt in the middle of some rousing grand finale to elicit such an emotional response from his patrons. How else can you explain why someone would try to play musical knife in the middle of a musical gun solo.

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: reggie miles
Date: 29 May 08 - 05:12 PM

Hmmm, that didn't work, try this early American folk singer.

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Deckman
Date: 29 May 08 - 07:56 PM

My GOSH Reg ... he looks just like your twin brother! bob

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: Don Firth
Date: 29 May 08 - 09:21 PM

Wow! Judging from the knife stuck in the soundboard of the guitar, music critics must have been pretty harsh back in those days!!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Seattle Folklife Festival
From: johnross
Date: 01 Jun 08 - 12:23 AM

As you know, the Folklife Festival just finished, and it was quite a ride this year. The Board of Directors will be conducting a serious re-evaluation of the festival in the next few weeks. If you have any comments or suggestions about what Folklife is doing well and how the festival could improve, it's extremely important to let them know right away. Everything is under review: programming, crafts and food vendors, sound, buskers, noise, crowds, hospitality, jamming, the special focus programs, and all the other parts of the festival including the intangibles like the spirit of the event and the way the festival does or does not fulfill its overall mission. If you have stopped attending or performing at the Folklife Festival, please let them know why.

It's extremely important to tell the Exectutive Director and the Board about your concerns before their evaluation meetings later this month. As part of your message, please tell them how long you have been coming to the Festival and what you have done -- attended, performed, been a volunteer or community coordinator, contributor and so forth. We want to make sure that the staff and board know that they're hearing from the festival's "core constituency."

Please pass this message on to your friends and ask them to send Folklife feedback, too.

I will be happy to share some of my own concerns with you (please let me know by e-mail to [e-mail]), but it's more important that the people making decisions receive your own thoughts in your own words.

And just to be absolutely clear: I'm not a member of the Board. This is NOT an official request from Northwest Folklife; I'm a long-time participant who wants to make sure the Folklife Festival survives for many more years.

Please send your comments to: (and send me a blind copy if you like.)

        Folklife Executive Director:
        Robert Townsend ([e-mail])

        Folklife Board President
        Margo Reich ([e-mail])

Thanks very much for your help.