Best cities in USA for folk music

Subject: RE: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: chip a
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 10:20 AM

jimmyt, We're 90 miles from Atlanta......75-575-515 and you're here! Blairsville, last stop before NC line! Where are you?

Chip & Tish

Subject: RE: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Memphis Mud
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 08:30 AM

JimmyT, Mountain View Ark is 3-1/2 hours from Memphis. There's music in the square 7 days/wk. Arkie mentioned the Ozark Folk Center, very nice facility. You'll want to stay several days. Don't forget Blanchard Springs Caverns and swimming in Sylamore Creek. Camp at State Park (has everything you'll need) or Gunner's Pool (bring everything you'll need).

Subject: RE: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: InOBU
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 08:21 AM

Murray! I was just about to say Ashville! Good on ya., Larry

Subject: RE: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 04:29 AM

It's heartening to know that Washington DC has such an active folk scene. The fiddler with whom I used to play is moving to Washington in December so I hope she will meet plenty of musicians there.

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Asheville NC yet, surely the center of traditional American music.

Murray

Subject: RE: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 02:48 AM

Hey, Mike. Take a look at the Getaway 2002 thread somewhere in the long list of current discussions. Camp Ramblewood is more comfortable than the earlier locations, and just across the river into Maryland -- right handy for those who live in Philadelphia. Y'all come!

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: musicmick
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 01:43 AM

You'll get no argument from me, Bill D. I have been to enough Getaways to have a world of respect for the Washington area singers. I dont know who is singing there now but if they are anything like Andy, Helen and those wonderful chanty singers, your area is unsurpassed for singing. I seem to remember that there was a healthy bluegrass community, too. I, still, contend that Philly has more opportunities for folksingers and that no society, not even yours, offers the number of high level programs as the PFS but I do concede your dominance in the area of traditional singing. Are they still doing Getaways? I'd love to get down there for another. To tell you the truth, our Spring Thing was inspired by your Getaway (but ours is held at a regular summer camp, while yours was at that park in Virginia or that Boy Scout facility in Annapolis).

Mike

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: JedMarum
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 12:44 AM

I gotta second Boston and DC areas. Dallas (where I live now) is OK but your folk will probably have some Texas or country bite to it (and that's OK) but I've been spending most of my time with the Celtic folk ... they don't seem to mind American folk-style Celtic!

I gotta feeling the music's mixed where ever you go. I see differences everywhere I've been. And I love it!

I have to say, some of the finest folk I've seen/heard in America is in Canada! Toronto ... great town, lotsa great players and seems to be a vibrant folk-style scene.

Now if we could just keep those garbage workers on the job, they'd have a pretty damn nice place to live!

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 11:47 PM

Irish music: Boston. New York a close second. Scottish music: San Francisco bay area. Alasdair Fraser's strong influence reaches far and wide, with the bay area as the epicenter. Many pipe bands in the area, too, and the long-eastablished (and huge) highland games held in the Easy bay. Singer/Songwriter: Boston, perhaps? That's my impression, though I'm not plugged into the singer/songwriter scene. Sea music: Mystic and Connecticut in general, New York City, San Francisco, parts of Maine.

That's what I'm most familiar with. That leaves out bluegrass, blues, cajun, etc. There probably is no one answer for an overall best place for folk music.

Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Venthony
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 06:01 PM

D.C.; Denver (oddly enough); Portland, Ore.; Wheeling, W.Va. (still), Quincy, Ill., and of course anywhere along Highway 65 south of Branson and north of Little Rock.

LOL, Tony

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Bill D
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 05:53 PM

whoops.... hit something wrong..

anyway...I had a friend FROM Philadelphia who moved to Wash DC temporarily and fell in love with the varied folk scene here, so when she went BACK to Philadelphia, she decided to join the Philly society...and was VERY disappointed, as she couldn't find people who wanted to 'sing'...she said all they did was plan the festival, DO the festival and re-hash the festival! Now this was 18-20 years ago, and I sincerely hope it has changed since then..*smile*

But we STILL have a huge variety of stuff going on here in the DC area, as can be seen at http://www.fsgw.org/

We 'think' we are the largest folk club in the country, but that is not a big deal...it's just that because the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution are here, it has supported a lot of knowlegable folkies and festivals in the area...

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: GUEST,Arkie
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 05:52 PM

See the thread on Mountain View. The Ozark Folk Center has about 150 concerts of traditional music and dance between April and October and there is an abundance of music practically every night on the courtsqare in informal groupings where anyone can listen or play, whichever they choose.

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: jimmyt
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 05:46 PM

Thanks for the info, musicmic, sounds like a good place to spend some time. I am 100 miles from Atlanta, and the Scene there is poor. Eddies Attic is a nice venue, but otherwise, pretty thin pickins!

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Bill D
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 05:42 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: musicmick
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 05:40 PM

I think that Philadelphia has an incredible folk scene, fueled by the Philadelphia Folksong Society's extensive calander of events. Membership in the society (just $30 for a year) includes nine concerts, monthly house concerts and workshops and discounts for their two folk weekends (The Spring Thing and The Fall Fling) and the Philadelphia Folk Festival, one of the oldest, and biggest. Philly, also boasts regular folk curcuit venues and a buffet of concerts. We have dozens of bars and restaurants with acoustic music, several with open mikes (for the more adventurous). I have been a full-time folksinger for forty years and I rarely have to travel more than an hour to a job. Even Sandy Paton has to go on the road, occasionally. That's because he doesn't live in Philly.

Mike Miller

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: GUEST,Bill Kennedy
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 04:20 PM

probably Ann Arbor, Boston, Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver (not US, I Know), Philadelphia, NOT Cleveland, nothing happening here, not much locally, and no body stops here when they are passsing through, because I cannot convince anyone to sponsor them, and no real venue for it anywhere in town anymore. USED TO BE

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 03:46 PM

Boston's great, Washingto, DC, is too. Albany, NY, and environs are good, thanks to Andy Spence and to the Cafe Lena in Saratoga Springs. Lansing and Ann Arbor, MI, have regular venues for folk music, trad and contemporary, and San Francisco has the wonderful San Francisco Folk Music club with programs, festivals, etc., while Freight and Salvage is right across the Bay in Berkeley. Seattle has a very active folk community and also should be rated highly. Hell, anywhere you light could prove to be among the best. All you have to do is seek it out.

Sandy

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: jimmyt
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 03:10 PM

Boy, Bee dubya ell, I'll have to admit you sure surprised me with those selections! I'll sure keep that in mind when in Florida fishing next time!

Subject: RE: BS: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 03:04 PM

Bloomington, Indiana and Gainesville, Florida are tops on my list. Both are college towns but a lot of folkies never went back home after college and they've been spreading the message for years. Huge folk communities in both cities.

Subject: Best cities in USA for folk music
From: jimmyt
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 02:50 PM

I am relatively new to this site, and I wonder where in America do people feel is the best area to find live performances of either traditional or folk music. Any thoughts?