Now we know that many of you have already downloaded your schedule for the 2010 Northwest Folklife Festival, highlighted it until you ran out of ink, and are planning to see 500 events in 4 days before ultimately collapsing in a heap on Tuesday.  But for those of you who are a bit overwhelmed by the size of the Festival (800+bands, 25+ stages, 74 acres, countless buskers, crowds of 250,000 people), here's a quick guide to what we're looking forward to this weekend at the Northwest Folklife Festival. 

Friday, May 28

Vintage Jazz Showcase: Center House Theatre, 4:00-6:30pm
This is one of the best venues at Folklife. Comfy seats, intimate performances and dead silence! Wonderful! And this lineup of the very best vintage jazz ensembles in town will have your toes tappin'. We're looking forward to Hot Club Sandwich, who just gave a wonderful concert for the Seattle Folklore Society. The band is red-hot and each member brings a distinct personality to the group. It makes for a great time.

Deja Vu: Hot Club Sandwich (comp. Greg Ruby)

Tractor Tavern Urban Square Dance: Center House Court, 7:00-10:00pm
The Northwest's hot square dance scene has multiple generations of old-time music fans bumping shoulders and spinning around the dance floor. It's exhilarating and exciting and just great to know that the old fiddle tunes are finding new life. We're especially excited about Rabbit Foot. This mostly-grrrl stringband absolutely rips on their instruments, with high-0ctane fiddle/banjo tunes played with surprising ferocity. Great stuff!

Billy in the Lowground: Rabbit Foot (we LOVE this track!)


Gumar & His Magical Midi Band: Mural Amphitheatre, 9:30pm
We don't really know much about Gumar & His Magical Midi Band, but we do know that he throws insane robot raves in town, and hand-makes cardboard instruments for audience members to play along with. Sometimes giving an eccentric band like this a headlining spot on the Mural Amphitheatre can have magical consequences that converge to make a perfect Folklife moment. We're betting this will be the case. Rain or shine.
 

Saturday, May 29

Fiddler's Showcase: Charlotte Martin Theatre, 11:00am-2:00pm
We've always loved the Fiddler's Showcase. Not only does it feature master and elder fiddlers from Washington State, but it's often an excuse to pull a killer fiddler out of a band to showcase their playing. This year, Karen England, the Northwest's powerhouse Cajun fiddler, will kick it off. We're also looking forward to Linda Danielson, who has a large knowledge of Oregon fiddling traditions, Paul Anastasio, who will focus on the fiddling of his mentor, jazz genus Joe Venuti, and our favorite fiddlin' bad boy, Josh Rabie of the Water Tower Bucket Boys. And don't forget to catch them Bucket Boys closing out the sweet New Old Time Showcase, Saturday night from 7-10pm.

Tennessee Mountain Fox Chase: The Water Tower Bucket Boys (Josh Rabie, fiddle)


Armstrong Lawton Katz/The Bobs/Baby Gramps: Fisher Green Stage, 4:00-6:00pm
This isn't a special show, just a sweet lineup that's worth braving the rain. Armstrong Lawton Katz are one of our favorite bands in Seattle. They've got some kind of folkie x-factor to their music. We just love every band these folks have been in and we're happy they're all in the same band now! The Bobs are a well-loved vocal a cappella ensemble with a crazy eclectic repertoire, and Baby Gramps is a Northwest legend. His music is impossible to describe (navel-gazing, foot-stomping, dust-collecting, tuvan throat singing, gutbucket blues?) and he's also the only Folklife performer that we know of who's performed on David Letterman's Late Night show!

Baby Gramps on Letterman!


Tugboat Show: Acoustic Stage (Shaw Room), 7:00-8:30pm
OK, I guess we're a bit biased about this show. Since the people putting together this cool CD of NW Tugboat song asked Dejah Leger to contribute her gorgeous song, Mary D Hume, about the Gold Beach, OR tugboat of the same name. Have a listen here and you can even download a quick mp3!

Mary D Hume: Dejah Leger


Folk-Punk Showcase: Fountain Lawn, 6:30-9:00pm
No matter how much of a hardcore folkie you may be, you've gotta admit that the boys in Blackbird Raum are our best hope for the future of folk music! Playing as an acoustic stringband, they put out more sound and raw power than a fuckin' freight train, and they've been known to stage dive WHILE PLAYING THE ACCORDION! You thought folk music was about earnest lyrics and mellow guitar picking?  Guess again!  This is Woody Guthrie's folk music: brave, dirty, scary and just plain impressive. Music that KILLS FASCISTS! If you prefer the Seeger version of Surrounding Hate and Forcing it to Something or Other..., feel free to move on to another stage. But we'll be there stomping in the mud with the rest of the new folk!

Sunday, May 30
Old-Time Kitchen Party, Northwest Court, 3:00-6:00pm
This show is what Folklife should be all about. Great acoustic roots musicians from around the NW, coming together in duos and trios to really delve into their favorite tunes and songs. Played before an audience of friends, family and connaisseurs, this intimate parlor old-time music will be mighty refreshing. Plus you can't beat the bands! $4 Shoe and Squirrel Butter are featured on Hearth Music's Listening Lounge, The Zygote Brothers marks a return to old-time for uber-mtn-dulcimer interpreter Mark Nelson, the Parlour Hoppers are dreamy and feature Ethan Lawton again, and it's impossible not to fall in love with old-timey duo WB Reid & Bonnie Zahnow.

Didn't He Ramble: $4 Shoe



Celtic Showcase, Northwest Court, 7:00-10:00pm
The Northwest Court returns to it's roots and goes full-tilt Celtic for the rest of the evening.  Our family band, La Famille Leger, will kick it off with rare and lovely Acadian dance party tunes from Eastern Canada, followed by young fiddling phenom Jocelyn Pettit.  Hearth Music artist Colleen Raney debuts at Folklife (how can this be? she's probably the best Irish singer on the West Coast and frickin' Hanz Araki is in her band!).  Gaelica closes the evening with a mighty agreeable blend of Celtic traditional tunes and songs.

Monday, May 31

Forget what everyone says, Mondays at Folklife are the BEST! Usually, the sun is out all day, the crowds have died down, and everyone's so tired that they've reached a kind of zen levitation to their music that you usually only find at the end of all-night jam sessions. 

Family Band Showcase, Fisher Green, 11:00am-2:00pm
Treat yourself to an wonderfully positive perspective on folk and traditional music today. These families make music the old-fashioned way for the sheer fun of playing music with those you love. Warning: this show might get a little weepy! Bring a hanky and a blanky and lay out on the grass (in the sun, right?).

Chill Out Show, Folklife Cafe, 5:30-8:00pm
As we all know, Monday at Folklife means tired feet. And tired body. And tired everything. This show was scheduled with you in mind. Kick your feet back and gently drift off to beautiful music. Our own Dejah Leger kicks it off with her unique and gorgeous versions of traditional lullabies.

Reggae legend Clinton Fearon

Roots Reggae Party, Mural Amphitheatre, 6:00-9:00pm
We've always said that Clinton Fearon's closing set in the Monday night Reggae show is the PERFECT way to end out the Festival. An old-school musician from back in 1970s Jamaica, Clinton's positive and uplifting lyrics, great stage presence, and fun fun beats always hit the spot for us at the end of a long, intense Festival. Clinton's music bring out the best in Folklife and in the Folklife crowds.
 

Clinton Fearon @ Folklife

So there's our totally biased guide to the 2010 Northwest Folklife Festival. Of course, the best part of Folklfe is wandering around and making your own discoveries, so use this guide for inspiration only and be sure to find your own Folklife Festival!

And for some other guides:
The Stranger's "Guide" To Folklife
Victory Music Review's Guide to Folklife





 

Today's theme is ALL-FOLKLIFE!  That's right, everyone we're playing on the show will be performing at the 2010 Northwest Folklife Festival this weekend, May 28-31.  Check out these hot bands and get geared up for Folklife, the largest community arts festival in the nation. And remember, if you decide to drive for hours to go to the Sasquatch Festival instead of Folklife, the oil spills win!

[Song Title/Artist]

Old Man of the Sea: Baby Gramps
     Saturday - 05/29
     Fisher Green Stage 05:30 PM - 06:00 PM
John Kanaka: North By West
     Saturday - 05/29
     Northwest Court Stage 05:30 PM - 06:00 PM
     Part of " Maritime Showcase " - 03:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Mary D Hume: Dejah Leger (click to download)
     Saturday - 05/29
     Acoustic Stage (Shaw Room) 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM
     Part of " Tugboat Show " - 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM
Sand Mountain Blues: Cliff Perry & Laurel Bliss
      Saturday - 05/29
      Bagley Wright Theatre 07:00 PM - 07:40 PM
      Part of " Bluegrass: Hot Pickin’ and Harmonies " - 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Cumberland Gap: Roy Caudill & Henry Vanoy
      From Phil & Vivian Williams' research on Washington Fiddle
      Sunday - 05/30
      Roadhouse 02:40 PM - 03:10 PM
      Part of " WA Fiddle & Dance Showcase " - 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Billy in the Low Ground: Rabbit Foot
     Friday - 05/28
     Center House Court 08:00 PM - 08:50 PM
     Part of " Tractor Tavern Urban Square Dance " - 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Roll Onto the Floor: Water Tower Bucket Boys
     Saturday - 05/29
     Northwest Court Stage 09:20 PM - 10:00 PM
     Part of " Raisin' A Ruckus: New Old-Time Bands " - 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Chitlin' Cookin' Time in Cheatham County: WB Reid & Bonnie Zahnow
     Sunday - 05/30
     Northwest Court Stage 04:55 PM - 05:25 PM
     Part of " Old-Time Kitchen Party " - 03:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Yew Piney Mountains/Kaw River: Karen England
     Saturday - 05/29
     Charlotte Martin Theatre 11:00 AM - 11:20 AM
     Part of " Fiddlers Showcase " - 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM
Walk Along John To Kansas: The Tallboys
      Friday - 05/28
       Center House Court 09:00 PM - 09:50 PM
       Part of " Tractor Tavern Urban Square Dance " - 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Reel des Deshotels: Sacalait
      Saturday - 05/29
       Roadhouse 02:00 PM - 02:50 PM
      Part of " Louisiana Roadhouse " - 02:00 PM - 05:00 PM
I Can't Believe You're In Love With Me: Hot Club Sandwich
      Friday - 05/28
      Center House Theatre 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM
      Part of " Vintage Jazz " - 04:00 PM - 06:30 PM
I Don't Mind: Cort Armstrong
      Sunday - 05/30
      Alki Court Stage 06:30 PM - 07:00 PM
How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live*: RedDog
      Sunday - 05/30
      Folklife Cafe 03:30 PM - 04:00 PM
Hello Stranger*: Armstrong Lawton Katz
      Saturday - 05/29
      Fisher Green Stage 04:00 PM - 04:30 PM
Didn't He Ramble: $4 Shoe
      Sunday - 05/30
      Northwest Court Stage 05:30 PM - 06:00 PM
      Part of " Old-Time Kitchen Party " - 03:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Muddy Creek: Squirrel Butter
      Sunday - 05/30
      Northwest Court Stage 03:35 PM - 04:05 PM
     Part of " Old-Time Kitchen Party " - 03:00 PM - 06:00 PM
Louis Collins: RedDog
     See Above
Limerick/The Butler's/Sophie's: Hanz Araki (playing w/Colleen Raney)
The Barring of the Door: Colleen Raney
Fair Margaret & Sweet William: Colleen Raney
     Sunday - 05/30
     Northwest Court Stage 08:30 PM - 09:05 PM
     Part of " Celtic Showcase " - 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Celina: George Penk/Clyde Curley/Susan Songer (The Portland Conglomeration)
     Monday - 05/31
     Roadhouse 07:00 PM - 07:50 PM
     Part of " Raging Contra Closeout " - 05:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Moccasin Shuffle/Louis Cyr: La Famille Léger
     Sunday - 05/30
     Northwest Court Stage 07:00 PM - 07:35 PM
     Part of " Celtic Showcase " - 07:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Miller of Drone: The McKassons
     Sunday - 05/30
     Fountain Lawn Stage 01:40 PM - 02:10 PM
Crock of Gold/Palmer's Gate/Bridgewater Corners: Hanz Araki
     See Above
Det Var en Lørdag Aften: Morten Alfred Høirup (playing w/Ruthie Dornfeld)
     Monday - 05/31
     Fisher Green Stage 04:50 PM - 05:20 PM
Gånglå Från Ore Efter Timas Hans: Nils Olof Soderback
      Whoops, I guess he's not playing this year. But he's pretty amazing anyway!
The Wind (Dead Soldiers)*: Amateur Radio Operator
     Saturday - 05/29
     Vera Stage 05:20 PM - 05:50 PM
     Part of " Indie Rock with Roots " - 04:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Get Ready: The Gladiators
Livin' Is An Art: Clinton Fearon
     Clinton was a member of 1970s Jamaican group, The Gladiators
     Monday - 05/31
     Mural Amphitheatre 08:15 PM - 08:50 PM
    Part of " Roots Reggae Party " - 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Great Day: Pastor Pat Wright & Thione Diop
     Total Experience Gospel Choir:
         Monday - 05/31
         Mural Amphitheatre 01:20 PM - 02:00 PM
         Part of " Gospel Showcase " - 11:00 AM - 02:00 PM
     Thione Diop:
          Saturday - 05/29
         Mural Amphitheatre 06:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Brake Drum: Pufferfish
     Saturday - 05/29
     Vera Stage 04:40 PM - 05:10 PM
     Part of " Indie Rock with Roots " - 04:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Dutty Gun: Clinton Fearon
     See Above
Hot Coals: Orkestar Zirkonium
     Friday - 05/28
     Fountain Lawn Stage 07:50 PM - 08:20 PM
     Part of " Balkan Bash " - 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM

ALSO: Be sure to grab a copy of Folklife's newest CD on their NW Roots & Branches label: Live from the 2009 Northwest Folklife Festival. Any track in this playlist w/an asterix next to the name is from this CD.

Just wanted to share an excellent article and interview with Bob Hallett, the accordionist and multi-instrumentalist with Newfoundland's folk-rock mega-band Great Big Sea. In the article by Chris Gray, Bob conveys the gritty reality of maritime life in Newfoundland that gave rise to such interesting traditional music.

HoustonPress.com:
Inquiring Minds: Great Big Sea's Bob Hallett On The Violent Ocean, Sea Chanteys, Celtic Traditions And Newfoundland's Punk Scene
 

Great Big Sea will be playing Portland's Oregon Zoo on July 28 and Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo on July 29.

Just stumbled on a couple cool things we wanted to share. Mainly, that Ed Helms, Andy from The Office and Stu from The Hangover, has been guesting with Old Crow Medicine Show on banjo at some of their 2010 gigs!!

Sadly, no one's got a great full video of this yet, but here's some proof:

Ed Helms & O.C.M.S. at 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Yep, that's Andy, right next to fiddlin' Ketch Secor onstage.  Need more proof? Here's a shorter video that really shows it:
 
 

You can read about Ed Helms' guest appearance here.  And he's evidently starting to play out more, as this article talks about.  Why's this important, some of you non-Office lovers might ask? Because Ed Helms has boldly snatched the comedy banjo torch (among other things) from Steve Martin's legendary fingers, as this clip from the Office clearly shows:

And speaking of the great banjo-man Steve Martin, check out this sweet video of his brand-new bluegrass tribute to King Tut!

Steve Martin @ 2010 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Today's theme was "Old-Time Southern Music".  We went all the way South to the Caribbean to enjoy some fine ska and calypso. Plus lots of banjo, of course. Many thanks to Lonesome Lefty's Scratchy Attic for turning me on to The Hiltonaires, a Jamaican ska/mento band. They mix up electric guitar ska sounds with that old Jamaican hillbilly banjo of mento music. Nice.
 

[Song Title: Artist]
----Introduction w/Clyde Curely & The Oxymorons instrumental----
Un Bouquet de Camelias: Bonsoir Catin
Daniel: Olentangy John
Flowering Spade: Sean Hayes
The Grinding Grain: Mighty Squirrel
McKinley March: Fields Ward
Rye Whiskey: The Lost Bayou Ramblers
Tom Dooley: The Hiltonaires
The Guns of Navarone: The Skatalites
Introduction to "That Game Named Poker": Alan Lomax & Lord Invader
That Game Named Poker: Lord Invader
Jack-Ass: The Hiltonaires
Simmer Down: Bob Marley & The Wailers
Trinidad Obeah Man: Lionel Belasco's Orchestra
Papá Juquim Paris: Travadinha
Weyu Lárigi Weyu (Day By Day): Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective
Sang Fézi: Wyclef Jean & Lauryn Hill
Ma Petite Femme: Pine Leaf Boys
Shake Hands & Tell Me Goodbye: Old Sledge
Hypocrite's Plea: Justin Gordon
The Trip to Barbados (That's Right Too/The Leading Role): Johnny Connolly
Won't Be Coming Back: The Infamous Stringdusters
Billy in the Low Ground: Rabbit Foot
When I Loved You: Rabbit Foot
Pretty Saro: Doc Watson
What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul: Earl Scruggs/Doc Watson/Ricky Skaggs
The Holy Well: Tim O'Brien
The Viking's Bride: Kris Drever & Eamonn Coyne
Her Bright Smile Haunts Me Still: Eric Merrill
Squirrel: Elizabeth LaPrelle
Garden: Sean Hayes
In the Garden: Chris Coole & Ivan Rosenberg
The Death of Hank Williams: Jack Cardwell
The Pain of Loving You: Caleb Klauder

---Outro w/The Canote Brothers instrumental---
 

VIDEO -- Ethiopia: The Hiltonaires

Here at Hearth Music, we've been listening to the same song over and over all this past week. "Daniel", from LA-based banjo picker/songwriter Olentangy John, has everything we love in roots music: haunting clawhammer banjo playing, honest and straightforward lyrics, and a touch of that Appalachian X-Factor: twang.  

Daniel: Olentangy John


Every Little Thing: Olentangy John

 

Trying to figure out who Olentangy John is (and how to pronounce his name), we talked to his childhood friend, James Cartwright, from Trailer Fire Records.  They released his debut CD, O! Be Joyful, and are currently working on a series of 7" vinyl records inspired by the deep roots of Appalachian folk music. 

Both James and John grew up in Athens, Ohio (the Northern ridge of the Appalachians), attending old-time picking parties and living with old-time Southern music as part of their day-to-day. Infused with a deep love for these roots and a desire to bring these same roots to the next generation, they've founded the Appalachian 7" Series, a series of old-fashioned vinyl records intended to showcase original interpretations of traditional Southern folk songs.

The first release in the series, See Seven Stars, showcases Olentangy John's sparse singing and playing on four ballads, "Angeline the Baker", "Pretty Mary", "Wayfaring Stranger", and "900 Miles". These common and well-loved ballads are given a new perspective with John's sparse, almost empty banjo and slide guitar playing, and the scratchy, distorted vocals. The music here feels rooted to the earth, full of the silence and mystery of dark woods, and the full, rushing sound of a mountain creek. It sounds like it was made by one man, in a room, with nothing but a couple instruments and a desire to share the old wisdom of these folk songs with new audiences. 

900 Miles: Olentangy John from See Seven Stars


You can support the Appalachian 7" Series by going to their Kickstarter page and making a small or large contribution. You get cool gifts in return and can feel good knowing you're helping Southern folk music find a new voice in a new generation.

You can read more about the project here.  

"This music is unfinished and is unfinishable. It exists only a little more than it doesn't. It is the water and blood of a particular American tongue. It doesn't think too clearly and it doesn't answer your questions and we wonder what strange haint has put words to the commonness of our breath, to the ringing in our ears and to the knots on our knuckles."
-Olentangy John