The Folk Alliance will be holding their annual North American conference next week in Memphis.

The annual conference had been a traveling circus for the folk community. The conference is now being held annually in Memphis, with a possible visit to a Canadian city every five years. Billed as a “town hall” meeting of the folk world, approximately 2000 people attend the annual get together for a variety of purposes. Many artists are showcasing their talent in hopes of finding bookings or other opportunities, some artists are there for the learning experience gained through workshops and discussions. It is a business conference, and a hell of a party.

I’ve only been able to attend two of the annual conferences (you will find a link to photos in the column on the right) , mainly because WFDU has our annual fund drive during February, the month the conference is held. Also, as a volunteer, the expense of attending becomes prohibitive.

So, I will not be there this year. I am currently a member of the Folk Alliance. I am very curious as to how this conference will shape up, noting the internal “issues” that the Folk Alliance has been dealing with the past few months. After losing people like Sing Out!’s Mark Moss from the board (one of the founders of the Alliance) as well as other issues (see previous story posted here), this year’s conference could help define the future of the organization.

I hope that the Folk Alliance will be able to remember their original goals and become an organization that will perpetuate folk music. As it currently stands, I have severe doubts.

Jim Mussellman, the founder, president and creative light behind Appleseed Records, will also be staying home this year. Jim and Appleseed Records have attended the conference for the last 12 years but decided to sit this one out. Jim posted the following letter on the Folk-DJ listserv:

I write this letter as an open letter to the Folk Community and it is not a reflection on Folk DJs, who I believe do great work getting the music to people. I am a very direct person and I feel that Folk Alliance has lost its direction as has the Folk Community in many ways. The respect for the core of Folk Music — traditional songs and tunes — has been lost in many ways.

When shows like Mary Cliff’s “Traditions” are taken off the air it is a sad time for the music. I write this in the context that that there are so many good things happening in the Folk Community — Sing Out! Magazine (and all Mark Moss has done over the years), the Old Songs Festival and so many other fine institutions.

I am, however, tired of beating my head against the wall in so many ways. For years, I wrote to Folk Alliance proposing various topics to be addressed and my suggestions always fell on deaf ears. Ideas like asking every folk-acoustic artist to try to record one traditional song on each CD to keep the music and songs alive. Or another idea was to have singer-songwriters sing one traditional song during each concert and tell the story behind the song. This was not proposed to benefit myself or the label — it was suggested to try to benefit the community as a whole.

Instead we got competitions and “best of” awards when, to me, it is about coming together as an Alliance. In my opinion, we all hold a sacred trust in many ways. Our job is to keep some of these songs alive for the next generation. Songs that were brought over by immigrants or sung for hundreds of years. I do not care if a major rock artist or a punk rock group sings a traditional song — it is all good in the end keeping the music alive. I have pleaded with festivals to at least have a traditional or political song workshop and year after year have been ignored.

It makes me sad that I have not signed some artists whose CDs I wanted to release because the infrastructure of the folk community was not there to support the artists. In 2005, half the releases we did were of traditional music. None of those CD’s even broke even because no major festival would book the performers.

When Bruce Springsteen released “The Seeger Sessions,” it should have been something that the folk community embraced and used to benefit the whole community. The bluegrass community did this with “Oh Brother” very effectively. I found it ironic that most in the folk community criticized the CD. For me, when I saw young kids (17 and 18) singing “Oh Mary Don’t You Weep” coming out of a show it was a great feeling to know the music had passed on to another generation.

What Bruce did was to keep the songs alive and give them a vibrancy and energy and to bring the music to so many here in the US and Europe. There could have been a trickle down to all of us in the community if his work was celebrated by the community (and again I am not talking about FOLKDJ members, as I know the CD was number one for the year in airplay).

People know the music we at Appleseed have released over the last ten years. Traditional music, political music, Civil Rights and Underground Railroad songs and so much more. I am proud of the seeds that we planted with the Springsteen’s and Roger McGuinns of the world. For ten years, we were not invited to one “Meet the Labels” panel at Folk Alliance and have been ignored year after year in all aspects of the Alliance. I did not care personally but felt it was important so I could advocate for the artists who are out there trying to do this music.

For years I would see artists like Rosalie Sorrels or Peggy Seeger who have so much wisdom and knowledge about the music ignored at the Alliance when they should be celebrated as “wisdomkeepers.” I thank all of the Folk DJs for the airplay and for giving exposure to the music. We are celebrating 10 years of music this year at Appleseed with Kim and Reggie Harris’s “Get On Board”, David Bromberg’s “Try Me One More Time”, Peggy Seeger’s 70th Birthday Concert (“Three Score and Ten,” shipping to radio at the end of February), a 10th anniversary politically-oriented Appleseed sampler that promises some interesting surprises and a Homeless CD that features many very well known artists performing with homeless or formerly homeless artists to benefit homeless organizations. I know how much this music is a labor of love for so many of us.

This letter is sent because I love the music so much. I also believe the stronger we make the music and the stronger we make the infrastructure the more we will have to support Folk Radio in the long run and to be offered more programs in the future, not less . All the best.to everyone

. . . Jim Musselman

 

I echo Jim’s sentiments. We are at a cross-roads in the ongoing “folk revival”. The revival did not stop when Bob Dylan plugged in his electric guitar back in 1965. The past few decades have shown a remarkable growth in our community. Singer-songwriters are more abundant than ever before, and writing songs that I feel are every bit as important and moving as songs written during the heyday of the folk boom.

Traditional music, while on life support in some circles, is still a living tradition. If you listen to shows like WFDU-FM’s TRADITIONS you know that we have a strong interest in sharing this music. Jim Musselman has made some strong points, and I hope others will join him to help strengthen the community that supports folk music. It is too important to ignore.


UPDATE 2/15 –

Folk Alliance Executive Director Louis Meyers responded to Jim Musselman’s note. Here is the response, as posted on the Folk Alliance message board –

Hi Jim,

Your facts are just wrong.

FYI – You wrote: For years I would see artists like Rosalie Sorrels or Peggy Seeger who have so much wisdom and knowledge about the music ignored at the Alliance when they should be celebrated as “wisdomkeepers.”

Both Rosalie and Peggy will be performing several times at the conference this year including storytelling and music performances. There are many trad artists performing and many trad workshops this year.

Passing on the tradition is a major part of what FA is all about. We also have tribute shows and panels for Pete Seeger and Dave van Ronk.

Also – I can find no request from you regarding wanting to be part of the Meet the Labels panel. I would be glad to include you next year if you make a request. If possible, please check your facts before posting this type of negative information. It does nobody any good.

Thanks, Louis

 

Having attended two of the international conferences, I came away with the feeling that traditional music is not the main focus of the Folk Alliance. In retrospect, I guess it doesn’t have to be the “main” focus. Membership has a lot to do with the shape of the Folk Alliance. I would just hope that voices for traditional music were represented. Jim Musselman is not the only person or organization who feels “shut out” by the Folk Alliance.

I still believe that the issues that Jim speaks to are valid. I feel that there is a lack of attention to the promotion of traditional music. While Louis is correct that some of the artists are recognized, I do not see any effort made to promote and perpetuate the traditions. When I was in Montreal I attended a magnificent workshop that featured Odetta being interviewed by Montreal radio host and columnist Mike Regenstreif. In Nashville there was a informative workshop about the music of Lead Belly. The Folk Alliance annually recognizes artists and organizations that have kept the music alive. Those were some of the finest moments of the conferences I attended.

Yet, there seems to be little activity for finding ways to help new artists maintain the traditions. Folk radio lost two programs in the past few months, and I feel that an organization that is actively pushing the music we would be in better shape. For a good example, take a look at the IBMA and the work they have done for bluegrass or the Americana Music Association. These organizations provide a forum that helps provide advocacy for the genres. The Folk Alliance has been caught up in too many other issues to accomplish that. We need an organizations that will help people understand what folk music is all about – following the examples of IBMA and AMA.

As I said yesterday, we are at a crossroads. While I have doubts, I also have hope. In one form or another, the music will survive. Hopefully there will be many ears to enjoy it. I am currently a member of the Folk Alliance, I plan to renew, and I hope to get back to the international conference in a year or two. I am hoping that traditional music will have more a voice by then.