Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle

Subject: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 02:06 AM

I got back last Monday from the Northwest Folklife Festival, held at Seattle's civic center, May 25-29. It was a tremendous festival, both in sheer size, and in the variety of the music and dance. The festival showcases the folk/traditional performing arts communities in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and Canada: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and British Columbia. It also showcases some jazz and classic rockabilly bands.There were several non-Northwest performers, myself included.

The size and scope of this festival is overwhelming. I can only do a thumbnail sketch, but hopefully others who were there might add their experiences to this thread. I would guess any number of participants will have an equal number of different experiences, with some overlap, as there were 28 stages, both outdoors and indoors, with a total of about 1,000 performers, which included many large dance troupes, and buskers.

Friday was the day for showcasing NW school groups, along with professional performers. Seattle has an outstanding high school jazz band, from Garfield High. I was staying with friends whose HS-aged son plays jazz trumpet. One of the more fun acts to see Friday was the Kingston trio tribute band! I don't normally listen to that style of folk music, but it was sheer fun nonetheless. It brought back memories of my parents LP of the trio's live show at San Francisco's "Hungry i" club. They did "Zombie Jamboree," amongst other KT hits, and between songs talked about the KT's history, and controversies surrounding their approach to folk music, and their success with that approach. Hank Cramer was part of this trio. You know you've made it when 1. Your band has been around for 49 years, through personnel changes, and has become a sort of brand name, and 2. There's a tribute band for you!

Saturday I spent most of the afternoon at the "Maritime Showcase," Northwest Court Stage. I was one of the performers, doing a solo set, as my singing partner Richard Adrianowicz had to stay back home due to health problems (see "Radriano in hospital" thread). Hank Cramer graciously stepped in to accompany me on guitar on one song. Seattle's own version of The Johnson Girls, "Broadside" (great band name!) performed, along with The Cutters, Shanghaiied on the Willamette, The Shifty Sailors, and, from Vancouver, a foursome including Jon Bartlett & Rika Ruebsaat, longtime folklife performers. John and Rika did a couple of duo sets during the fest, as well. They are outstanding interpeters of traditional song, and very knowledgeable about what they sing. Sundat afternoon the same stage showcased "fidlers and fluters,' with some trult outstanding celtic musicians. The personal highlight was seeing Irish fiddler Randal Bays's group. Straight-ahead tunes, ewofiddles and guitar, with no flashiness; just brilliant playing. Sorry I can't recall the names of the other fiddler and the guitar player. Anyone fill that in? I personally find that straight-ahead approach to the music much more satisfying than Irish music jazzed up several notches.Just personal taste.

There was sea of people throughout the festival. Every stage was full of listeners. You just wouldn't believe how many people were walking through the civic center area and listening to the music. Among the recognisable folk music enthusiasts (it's the folk music radar in effect), there were many hundreds of teenagers there. I had wondered whether the civic center was usually a weekend cruising place, no matter what was hapening there, but saw that many of them were really enjoying the scene, stopping to listen to and talk with buskers, rocking out to the rockabilly concert, and watching ethnic dance troupes on the outdoor stages. It was great to see so many of them just enjoying the hell out of being at Folklife.

The downside of Saturday night was the singing session at one of the nearby pubs. About 50 people converged on the pub early in the evening, ordered dinner and drinks, and a couple of hours later, when more musicians showed up, started to sing. Management, though, refused to turn off the recorded music, which was loud. It wasn't like we weren't buying the place's food and drink, and, to my knowledge, there were no complaints from the other customers. So, someone stood up and said, "F---- 'em if they won't turn down the music. Let's go to McHugh's." So, half the place made an exodus. We ended up at a performers/volunteers party hosted by the Canadian consulate, held an outdoors session, and on Sunday night, went to the singing session at McHugh's pub. I met Mudcatter Mary Garvey at the Sunday session, and heard her lovely singing voice.

It was heartening to see throngs, literally thousands of people from 11am on, taking part. Examples: a full-sized performance theatre filled with hundreds of people, listening with rapt attention to a solo Uilleann piper (Tom Creeghan), and contra dances going from 11am into the night with hundreds of dancers throughout. This is the kind of respect traditional music commands in the Northwest. What amazing, supportive communities for this music.

Well, I've made this opening salvo long enough, and there's so much more to say about this festival. Have at it, eh?

Chanteryranger

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: GUEST,Guest towel
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 02:25 AM

Thanks so much for the report - I've wanted to see ewo fiddles all my life, and thought no one played them anymore. Thanks!

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Barry Finn
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 03:31 AM

It sounds like a party, I'm glad you had a great time & thanks for the coverage.
Barry

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: MAG
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 11:05 AM

It was a great treat time, and now that my kneeds aren't giving me the dickens (for ever how long, until I need 'em scraped out again) I'll be a regular again.

The participants party on Saturday was indeed a gas: shanty singers over here, Seattle Labor chorus over here, brass band in the center doing O Canada. Kudos to the Canadian Consulate.

After my band, Growling Old /women, played for an hour at the Roadhouse on Sunday, I wandered around with Genie for awhile. The contra dancers were, as usual, dedicated and frenetic.

In the Resources room, there was a small stage where unlisted performers played. Klappa Do-Wappa was a scream: sort of a Barbershop Quartet in Croatian. Also a duo called Desperadoes.

I stood up outside to hear the Mammals, because I've never heard them and they were worth it. Tehy were obviously having a wonderful time. Tao Rodriguez is tall and rangy like his granddaddy (Pete Seeger) and gives an entertaining leap into the air at the end of numbers. I followed Molly Ungar over to the Bamboo whatever to join her parents playing for a swing dance. I can't dance anymore and regretted the steps. .then on to a panel discussion on the history of Folklife in a small auditorium deep in the bowels of one of the buildings. couldn't have found it without directions. Historic performers with important things to say. Jim Page is always a good time.

Going to this fest always feels like coming home. May it live forever.

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: open mike
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 11:50 AM

" It was heartening to see throngs "

Jimmy should have been there...oh, THRONGS, never mind...

here is the weg swite..http://www.nwfolklife.org/

our own inimitable mudcatter Reggie Miles was there playing

a very dangerous instrument! (You may have seen or heard him on the

saw...) He also plays a "Nobro" home made guitar in his one man band.

Reggie Miles         Performer         Contemporary Folk Music         Homemade Gitter Handsaw Hokum         5/28/2006         03:00 PM         03:30 PM         Alki Court Stage         Outdoor
Reggie Miles         Workshop         Traditional North American Folk Music         How to Make Music with a Handsaw         5/27/2006         05:00 PM         06:30 PM         SCT Room West         Indoor

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Charley Noble
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 11:57 AM

Nice report!

We'll see if we can come up with something similar, if we EVER come back from the Mystic Sea Music Festival this weekend.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Stewart
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 01:42 PM

Many of us have had criticisms of Folklife in the past - too commercial, damn drums!, ethnic junkfood, crowds and cacophony of noise around the central fountain area, etc. But I must admit, I enjoyed it very much. I had no plans ahead of time for what to hear, but just stumbled upon one great thing after another, and managed to avoid the central area crowds and noise as much as possible.

Highlights for me:

Sat night concert with Jay Unger & Molly Mason, and the Mammals - fantastic!

The Maritime Show on the NW Court Stage - as good as it always is. Where I hung out most of the time.

Sitting in the participants area across the table from Jay Unger, Molly Mason, and her brother - listening to them jam for a half hour or more - better than anything I could have heard elsewhere at that time.

David Maloney's folk opera (a one-man musical play about an Irish immigrant to America after the potato famine). Again, just happened to wander by looking for a workshop I couldn't find, and went in there instead. It was great.

The open stage in the Alki Room (CD sales area) where anyone could sign up. After I did a set with my friend Paddy Graber, I heard a fantastic Native American flute player, Roderick Harris from Olympia, and bought his CD. And then listened to Reggie Miles do a great set. They should have more of these open stages.

And then walking out of the Alki Room to hear a fantastic young woman fiddler on the Alkai Stage, Sarah Comer, playing old-timey and Irish tunes.

My own panel/concert of "Songs of the Pacific Northwest" went well I thought - we managed to get a quite decent stage and audience. And my friend Paddy Graber did a nice performance of Irish stories and songs in the Center House theater.

And on it went. Of course it's greatly changed from the festival it started out to be, and much of it for the worse. But there are still many good things, and I happened to find much that I enjoyed. Don't make plans to see a whole bunch of different acts and run around from stage to stage. It's the chance encounters that often turn out to be the best. Like walking by and seeing a 6- or 7-year old kid busking, playing classical music on his violin with incredible technique (what will he be like as an adult?).

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Ebbie
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 01:56 PM

A number of Juneau people go down to Folklife every year. One local musician - Lis Saya- was telling us at our Friday Night's music about this year's event. Big as it is - Juneau is small, just the way we like it - she had a ball. She too mentioned the Mammals and Jay Unger and Molly Mason.

I've attended a conference at the Seattle Center in the past - MANY years ago - I can't imagine what it would be like to have the whole thing taken up by music.

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: MAG
Date: 06 Jun 06 - 01:27 AM

The drumming thing was greatly helped by the fact that it was channeled to an inside tent. That and stray bagpipe players. The fest organizers obviously listen to input and contained it.

It drizzled and rained some, which probably helped keep the crowds down. I hope 'fest didn't lost too much money, but it was MUCH more manageable.

the whole thing just grows and grows: I did not get to the hands-on kids stuff out beyond the Needle, but think it is a good idea.

The program spelled out that buskers are not to block the sidewalks, which gave me license to cut across the empty space between listeners and performer(s). Naturally, the best buskers draw the biggest crowds.

I was grateful for the performers hospitality area, and pleased that I knew a fair number of people there, so I could visit.

this is the biggest fest of its kind in the States. who all else was there?

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: GUEST,Chanteyranger
Date: 06 Jun 06 - 01:23 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Deckman
Date: 06 Jun 06 - 02:09 PM

Howdy, Bob Nelson here. I participated in the 6:30 Sunday evening concert of NorthWest folksongs. My memory tells me that I sang in the first 17 or 18 festivals, back in the days when it was smaller and much more fun. I've only performed occasionally over the last ten years, mainly because of the larger crowds and the taking away of most of the performer's benifits.

Recently, there seems to be a pattern developing that will probably eliminate me from participating again. Just prior to our concert, a LARGE group of drummers, probably 20 or 30, took over an outside spot and started their extremely loud noise. I complained to our stage manager but he did nothing about it. I'm sure their volume ruined at least a dozen closeby stages and performances.

The management/director seems to have the attitude of "anything goes," and the larger and the noisier the better.

Having said that, I did enjoy catching a few concerts and running into scores of friends. But, I can do that WITHOUT the hoards of people and drumming noise. CHEERS, Bob

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: MAG
Date: 07 Jun 06 - 09:17 AM

Was that THIS year with the drums, Bob? I thought the problem was so much less than in recent years because they were all moved indoors under one roof. If that was this year, something should have been done.

I'm sorry I did not catch that NW panel; it sounds like it was a good time.

I, as usual, stuffed myself with the ethnic food I can't get here, unless I make it myself.

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Genie
Date: 07 Jun 06 - 02:34 PM

I was there from Saturday AM till about 8:30PM Monday (when I moved on to a house party where the music - Middle Eastern, Northern European, American Jazz, and whatnot - continued for several more hours). As others have said, Folklife is often most enjoyable when you don't plan out your itinerary too much -- or at least don't feel obliged to stick to it when you find a delightful diversion en route to what you have circled in the program. ;-)   (I wrote a 25th-Anniversary Folklike tribute song for the big celebration showcase that year - 1985 or 1986 - which has some lines about that. I'll post the song elsewhere, if I haven't already done that.)

I haven't officially been on the program since 1986, mostly because they keep moving the application deadline forward. (Now it seems like Folklife is barely over before you have to have your application in, complete with commercially produced CD of the kind of music you'll be performing.) But the Seattle Song Circle gang had a sing-along stage -- WITH a mic and amp to compensate for the high white noise level in background -- on Saturday afternoon, and I participated there, both on and (mostly) off stage. There were many other sing-alongs on the program (Gospel, Beatles, Woody Guthrie songs, etc.) in addition to a MUCH wider area of participatory dance floors than there were 10 years ago.   

And I've become a semi-regular at John Ross's band scrambles. (If you've never done one, you really should try it.) This year I was in bands for the String Band Scramble on Sat. and the Klezmer Band Scramble on Mon. (with my traditional klezmer instrument, the flat-top Martin guitar). I didn't make it to the Celtic one on Sunday but John tells me Paddy Graber - recovering from his brush with the reaper last year - was back up there doing a jig in his usual good form.    My bands won, both times. (If John pops his head in here, he can tell you about the lovely parting gif ... er ... prizes we won.) ;-) Of course on Monday we put our accordion, guitar, tambourine, voices, and two clarinets into a single band. And on Sat. we (the participants and audience) unanimously decided to call it a tie and give everyone one of John's suitable-for-framing-or-something certificates. The rain and the rather remote location (coupled with an error in the program) really did keep our numbers down but it was fun, as usual.

I enjoyed Stewart and Bob's Songs Of The Northwest panel a lot (despite freezing my arse off along with those on stage).   Linda Allen's song about two polar-opposite women suffragists (what's-her-name and Mae) was especially delightful. Loved hearing some of Mary Garvey's wonderful songs.

You can hear clips from the CD here Songs Of the Pacific Northwest

My volunteer work included being assistant stage manager for a while at the Fiddler's Green stage, where bluegrass music was the focus (with some Celtic and oldtimey, etc., thrown into the mix on occasion.) Wonderful performances there, and this stage often turned into a kind of pick-up band stage, with jammers from nearby Bluegrass Hill and/or from other bands being invited to come up on stage with their instruments.

There was also a lot of excellent Middle Eastern music (I especially enjoyed a band called "Hejira"), as well as ethnic music from all over the world.

I'm glad the drummers were given the confines of a tent, but they really need to be moved to a peripheral area, e.g., the area where the band scrambles were this year and last, because they really do drown out many stages around them and on sunny days you can get high just trying to walk through the crowds in the drumming area.

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Deckman
Date: 07 Jun 06 - 05:30 PM

To MAG: Yes, my complaints about the abusive drumming WAS THIS YEAR, 2006. (bastards all)!

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: johnross
Date: 08 Jun 06 - 04:20 PM

I am beginning to think that the only solution to the drum problem is a zero tolerance policy. Alas, I have no authority to make such a thing happen, but I intend to start leaning on the people who do.

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Deckman
Date: 08 Jun 06 - 06:16 PM

John, I know several folksingers, and one family memeber, who are Mafia. Shouldn't be difficult. Bob

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: GUEST,Sarah Comer
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 01:46 PM

Hi

I'm replying to a post made by Stewart that included a review of the show I did at Folklife. If you read this Stewart, I'd like to ask for permission to quote you on my website.

You can reach me at fiddleteacher(at) hotmail.com

Either way, thanks for listening, I'm glad you enjoyed the show!

~Sarah

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Stewart
Date: 12 Jun 06 - 05:37 PM

Hi Sarah,

Sure, you have my permission. As I said, I just walked out of the Alki Room and there you were, sounding great.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: MAG
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 01:31 AM

refresh

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: MAG
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 01:39 AM

I meant to do this in the last post but did not get it right.

this is myself and the rest of Growling Old Women at Folklife, outside the Roadhouse.

Can you guess which one is me?


C:\Documents and Settings\magilpat\Desktop\folklifegow.jpg

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: MAG
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 01:44 AM

(rats.)

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: John P
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 10:02 AM

I missed most of the festival this year, sadly. I was there working at the Dusty Strings booth on Saturday, and by the time I got off of working in the instrument builder's room I was ready head home for some silence. Couldn't go on Sunday, and Monday I performed. I think we had one of the last sets at the festival: 7:30 on Monday night. But we were in a really nice auditorium and had a nice audience. By that time of the weekend, the only people who are still going to shows are the ones who really want to hear folk music. We put out 25 copies of our demo CD for folks to pick up and they disappeared in about a minute, so I guess they liked us OK.

John Peekstok

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: Bill D
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 11:01 AM

MAG...you need to put that picture on a website somewhere. Does your ISP give you storage space?

Subject: RE: Report on NW Folklife Fest, Seattle
From: open mike
Date: 15 Jun 06 - 04:30 PM

or you can send it to mudcat via jeff to be posted here in the photo section "Please email photos, in jpeg (.jpg) format, to me at [e-mail]."