EISTEDDFOD & MERLEFEST
I realize that it is way too early to get cabin fever. The symptoms normally start showing up on cold and dreary January afternoons, not on an unusually warm October day.
For me, cabin fever usually takes the form of wishing to be outdoors at a music festival. I try to imagine myself standing on line for a veggie burrito while some hot bluegrass band is finishing their set. I settle into my folding chair, a nice amber ale in the cup holder, a warm and tasty burrito about to pass my lips, and warm summer breeze massaging my skin, and the smell of cut grass in the air. The performer I’ve been waiting to see is taking the stage….
Okay, it has been about a month and half since I attended my last festival, and the spring is months away. At least the coffeehouse season is promising!
There is actually a nice event taking place in November that will help tide me over. Eisteddfod – NY A Festival of Traditional Music returns to the 
NYC area the weekend of November 17 – 19 at The Renaissance Charter School, 35-59 81st St, in Jackson Heights, Queens. The school is easily reached from Times Square and Grand Central by No. 7 subway.
I have the honor of once again serving as emcee for the closing concert on Sunday November 19. My colleagues Mary Cliff of WETA in Washington, DC will serve as emcee on Friday and the legendary Oscar Brand host on Saturday evening.
All weekend long, attendees will be served some of the finest traditional music being today! Artists will include:
Mike Agranoff
Ralph Bodington
Claire Boucher & Brad Hurley (Brittany)
Andy Cohen
John Cohen
Jeff Davis
Elias Ladino Ensemble (Joe and Danny Elias and Richard Khuzami)
Jerry Epstein
Toby Fagenson
Alan Friend
Julia Friend
Howard Glasser, Festival Director Emeritus
The Johnson Girls
David Jones
Norman Kennedy
Enoch Kent
Chris Koldewey
Manhattan Sacred Harp Group
Evy Mayer
Mick Moloney
NexTradition (Alison Kelley & Ken Schatz)
NYU Ballad Singers
Barry O’Neill
Anne Price
Serre l’Écoute (Gabrielle Bouthillier, Robert Bouthillier, Liette Remon: traditions of French Canada and Brittany)
Shepheard, Spiers, and Watson (Pete Shepheard, Tom Spiers, Arthur Watson) from Scotland)
Louise Sherman
Eli Smith
Steve Suffet
Dick Swain
Triboro (Phyllis Elkind, Don Friedman, Evy Mayer)
Heather Wood
Zie Mwea (Natural Conditions): Valerie Naranjo, Barry Olsen, Bernard Woma
Ralph Bodington
Claire Boucher & Brad Hurley (Brittany)
Andy Cohen
John Cohen
Jeff Davis
Elias Ladino Ensemble (Joe and Danny Elias and Richard Khuzami)
Jerry Epstein
Toby Fagenson
Alan Friend
Julia Friend
Howard Glasser, Festival Director Emeritus
The Johnson Girls
David Jones
Norman Kennedy
Enoch Kent
Chris Koldewey
Manhattan Sacred Harp Group
Evy Mayer
Mick Moloney
NexTradition (Alison Kelley & Ken Schatz)
NYU Ballad Singers
Barry O’Neill
Anne Price
Serre l’Écoute (Gabrielle Bouthillier, Robert Bouthillier, Liette Remon: traditions of French Canada and Brittany)
Shepheard, Spiers, and Watson (Pete Shepheard, Tom Spiers, Arthur Watson) from Scotland)
Louise Sherman
Eli Smith
Steve Suffet
Dick Swain
Triboro (Phyllis Elkind, Don Friedman, Evy Mayer)
Heather Wood
Zie Mwea (Natural Conditions): Valerie Naranjo, Barry Olsen, Bernard Woma
After you read that list, it becomes obvious that this is going to be an amazing event. “Traditional” folk music (which I said earlier this week is almost impossible to define) of this caliber is not often heard at festivals these days, and to gather all this diverse list of artists for ONE event is incredibly rare.
Sponsored once again by Sponsored by the The Folk Music Society of New York., Inc. / New York Pinewoods Folk Music Club and The Renaissance Charter School. The event is supported by: Branford Folk Music Society, CT ; CityLore, NY ; The Folk Alliance; The Folk Music Society of Huntington, NY ; The Folk Project, NJ; The Folk Song Society of Greater Boston, MA; The Folklore Society of Greater Washington, DC ; The Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club, NJ ; People’s Music Network and the Princeton Folk Music Society, NJ .
Of course, this festival will be held indoors! There will be too much good music for me to miss the lines at the stir-fry booth!
If you would like to plan ahead, and if your tastesbuds are looking for something more “mainstream” Americana, you might want to check mapquest to make travel plans for Merlefest.Once again to be held at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, NC, Merlefest has put together another outstanding lineup.
Here is their un-edited press release:
NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Kill date 4/30/2007)
MERLEFEST 2007 Announces Stellar Line-Up
Ticket Sales Begin on November 14, 2006
MERLEFEST 2007 Announces Stellar Line-Up
Ticket Sales Begin on November 14, 2006
WILKESBORO, NC: Ticket sales for MerleFest 2007, the Americana Music Celebration Presented by Lowe’s, will begin on Tuesday, November 14, 2006 at 2:00 PM EST. Wilkes Community College will present MerleFest 2007, the 20th annual festival in celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father Doc Watson, on its campus in Wilkesboro, NC on April 26 – 29, 2007.
Those joining Doc Watson and Merle’s son Richard Watson for MerleFest 2007 will include Blue Highway; Sam Bush; Cherryholmes; Elvis Costello; John Cowan Band; Donna The Buffalo; Jerry Douglas; The Duhks; Béla Fleck; Paul Geremia; John Hammond; Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver; Del McCoury Band; Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; Peter Rowan & Tony Rice Quartet; Darrell Scott; the Legendary Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends; Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives; Pam Tillis; The Waybacks; and many others.
Starting on November 14th at 2 PM EST, those with Internet access may acquire their tickets easily by visiting www.merlefest.org and, if purchasing assigned seats at the Watson Stage, actually pick their seat location on line. Those without Internet access may purchase tickets by calling 1-800-343-7857 (US only) or 336-838-6267 (non-US) weekdays. Tickets may also be ordered by fax (336-838-6263) and mail (MerleFest; P.O. Box 120; Wilkesboro, NC 28697). Those interested in volunteering for MerleFest should call 336-838-6414. Vendor info: 336-838-6292. Sponsorship inquiries: 336-838-6423.
MerleFest 2007 has also confirmed appearances by Susana & Timmy Abell; RG Absher & Extra Measure; Alberti Flea Circus; The Belleville Outfit (formerly DesChamps Band); Ira Bernstein; Spencer Bohren; Roy Book Binder; Laura Boosinger; The Carolina Chocolate Drops; T Michael Coleman; Crooked Still; Deer Clan Singers; Dixie Dawn; Robert Dotson; Benton Flippen Band; The Flowers Family; Pat Flynn; Forget-Me-Nots; Ruthie Foster; Gospel Jubilators; Mitch Greenhill; Buddy Greene; Dianne Hackworth; George Hamilton IV; Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz; Orville Hicks; Bob Hill; Willette Hinton & the Hinton Family Band; Clint Howard; The Infamous Stringdusters; The InterACTive Theater of Jef; Reverend Robert Jones; Jim Lauderdale; Jack Lawrence; Mark Lippard; Jeff Little; Brack Llewellyn; The Local Boys; The Lonesome Sisters; The Lovell Sisters; Bill Mathis; Thomas Maupin; Andy May; Curly Miller & Carole Ann Rose; NC Thumb and Finger Style Guitar Players, Inc.; Nashville Bluegrass Band; Dirk Powell Band; Red Stick Ramblers; Roan Mountain Hilltoppers; Robinella; Jim Rooney; Tom Sauber; Shana Banana; Larry Skipper; Joe Smothers; Steep Canyon Rangers; Tut Taylor; Joe Thompson & Bob Carlin; Toubab Krewe; Happy Traum; Uncle Earl; The Waybacks; Charles Welch; Pete & Joan Wernick; Cyndi Wheeler; Wilkes Playmakers; Tony Williamson; and The Worthless Son-In-Laws. All bookings are subject to change without notice due to circumstances beyond the control of the festival.
Finals of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest for 2007 will take place at MerleFest on April 27th. Entries must be received by March 4, 2007. For more entry information, please call 800-799-3838 or visit the MerleFest web site (www.merlefest.org/SongwritingContest.htm) or Sonicbids www.sonicbids.com/chrisaustinsongcontest. MerleFest also hosts instrument contests for Mandolin (4/26), Guitar (4/27), and Banjo (4/27). Twenty contestants will be randomly picked from those who register on site at the festival beginning approximately 90 minutes before the start of each contest. They will join the second and third place contestants from 2006 in the contest.
The popular Songwriters’ Coffeehouse again happens on Friday evening. Songwriters selected from registrants on site will share the stage with singer-songwriters performing at MerleFest.
MerleFest, a tribute to the memory of Merle Watson, has continued to evolve, grow, and improve since 1988, becoming one of the most important annual events in the Southeast. In so doing MerleFest has defined and led the way for the emerging field called Americana music. MerleFest offers a generation and genre crossing mix of traditional and contemporary roots music, bringing together the very best of bluegrass, contemporary acoustic, Celtic, blues, folk, old-time, Cajun, jazz, and singer-songwriter musics, along with traditional dance and crafts.
Over its 19-year history, MerleFest has contributed $7.28 million to Wilkes Community College, while some fifty non-profits organizations net around $350,000 at MerleFest each year. Using guidelines recommended by the College of Business at Appalachian State University, the total regional economic impact of MerleFest 2006 is estimated at more than $16,000,000.
In addition to the Presenting Sponsor, Lowe’s Companies, official and major MerleFest 2007 sponsors include BluegrassCountry.org; Burger King; C&J LP Gas Company/G & B Energy; Cedar Creek Custom Case Shoppe/TKL; Charter Communications; Collings Guitars; Deering Banjo Company; Embarq; Fender/Guild/SWR; First Quality Musical Supplies; GHS Strings; Gibson Musical Instruments; Hardee’s/Dermox; Homespun Tapes Ltd.; iBluegrass & The Acoustic Network; J D’Addario & Co; John Pearse Strings; Knee Deep in Bluegrass; mvyradio.com; Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC; Rayco Resophonics; Stelling Banjo Works; Sugar Hill Records; Taylor Guitars; Tyson Foods, Inc.; WBRF Radio 98.1 FM; Western Beat Entertainment; WHEE-AM 1370; Winston-Salem Journal; WNCW Public Radio; WQDR/Curtis Media Group; WTQR-FM 104.1; and WXII-TV 12.October 19, 2006
So there you have it. Two great festivals to mark on your calendar. Granted, Merlefest requires a bit more traveling, but most great vacations involve travel! Eisteddfod is closer to home (for those of in the WFDu area, and it offers an opportunity to sample the diverse world of traditional folk music.
Support live music and keep the traditions alive!