It's about Folkin' Time

OK, so it feels just shameful that this is when we are getting back to the folk at hand, but it is what it is. I had disastrous computer situations, and it is what it is.

That being said. I want to get back to some of the great action at Falcon Ridge, for past visitors and future alike.

So where were we? Ah yes, Friday. Friday was our first full day at Falcon Ridge. Our goal was to start out early and get a good feel for the whole experience. In order to do so, we already felt the need to have a breakfast recoup, escape from the mud, and proper bathroom with modern plumbing. Lucky for us we only have to drive two miles or so down the road to "downtown" Hillsdale. We were psyched to find the Hillsdale Country Diner. It had the atmosphere of the Great American Diner. The coffee was great, the waitress charming, and the Eggs Benedict helped my full recuperation. If you go to Falcon Ridge, this is no doubt a must stop in the morning.

Above: I can still taste the Eggs Benny.

Following breakfast we arrived back in time to watch the emerging artist showcase. Twenty three artists were picked out of more than 600 applicants to appear in the showcase. Highlights for us included Martha Wainwright of Wainwright family fame (see Loudon , Rufus, and Lucy Wainwright Roche or Martha's Mother Kate McGarrigle) and Brooke Brown Saracino of Northampton! This is a great show if you want to see some hidden newcomers that might end up on the main stage next year.

In the afternoon we switched gears and headed over to the workshop stage to see one of my most anticipated acts, the "Beatles Forever Workshop." The great lineup of artists on stage included : The Strangelings of Northampton!, Gandalf Murphy, Tracy Grammer, Nerissa and Katryna Nields of Northampton!, Anthony Da Costa, Randall Williams, Lindsay Mac, Joe Crookston and others.

Above: A patchwork of quilts and tarps begin to form as performers set up for the "Beatles Forever" workshop.

The group played a really great mixed set of Beatles hits included highlights such as Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams performing "All You Need is Love," the Nields rendition of "Lovely Rita," and Lindsay Mac strumming "Blackbird" on her standup bass. Lowlights however included Randall Williams, who sounds and writes like a C- Dave Matthews at best, performing "Come Together."

Also, I need to address something that bothered me the entire weekend, and its name is Anthony Da Costa. Now, anyone who has been around this folk scene for the past couple of years has heard a lot about Anthony. Upon first listen to his music online, I thought the 16-year-old sounded sort of juvenile, but had definite potential. However, it seems like every single time he is introduced by anyone he is called really inappropriate, ego-inflating titles, such as in this occasion "the next Bob Dylan, the next Bruce Springsteen, the next Beatles, the next Mozart..." by Pete Kennedy of the Strangelings. Now, not that I think the kid is horrible, but let's be honest. He is 16, all of his songs are ripoff Ryan Adams / Bright Eyes tunes (trying to be deep for the sake of being deep), and everybody is really inflating his ego because they are too afraid to risk sounding uncool if they are honest. He performed a version of the Beatles 2 minute "Revolver" diddy "I'm Looking Through You" that must have lasted 6 painful minutes. Everything was drawn out and dramatic. Now I would not mention this if it was not a theme of Da Costa's performances throughout the weekend. Every time he gets on stage you are bound to hear a story that alludes to how seasoned he is as a performer and songwriter at the ripe age of 16. It's just not very charming.

Well, now that I got that off my chest moving on . Enjoy some video snippets of the workshop below.

Above: The Nields sing Lovely Rita.


Above: Tracy Grammar and Joe Crookston perform "Eleanor Rigby"

So All in all I think people really dug the "Beatles Forever" theme. I am always sort of partial to the music of the Beatles, but it seemed like a great deal of the crowd was as well.

Above: These people definitely dug it, hence the jamming and dancing to "Eight Days a Week."

Above: This lady knitting next to us, not so much.

So we were able to take a little break from the performances following the workshop to visit with Vance Gilbert! I know it's very exciting. Tune in to the next entry to see the entire 30-minute interview with Vance!