Down by the River

I'm back from 7 days doing sailing/environment education with the Clearwater Foundation and 3 days at the Hudson River Revival (a.k.a. Clearwater) Festival.

Every day aboard the Mystic Whaler with Captain John, First Mate Pat and crew doing sail/art/history/water testing/biology/navigation training and at the festival were unique and wonderful but the absolute highlight was coincidentally being moored in Beacon the evening the city honored Pete and Toshi. As a part of the ceremony Pete sang three songs. I of course joined in, which is nothing out of the ordinary at a Pete concert, but because it was in the city council chambers I guess others were not so inclined. Afterwards in the lobby, about to meet him in person I was apprehensive what to say, instead he approached me, hand outstretched, and with a twinkle in his eyes said "thank you for singing, you were the leaven that made the bread rise...." (which he also uses in the introduction to "Rise Up Singing") but nonetheless I was floored!

View the Pete Seeger / Forrestall 4th grade (with Dan Einbender and Terry Udell) concert here (starts at about 18:00).

Read the proclamation at the end of this post.

Read festival tradional media and blog accounts and view pictures here, here and here.

The festival itself is one of the greenest I have attended. Some observations you may wish to share with other festival organizers:

1. Separate, clearly marked barrels for trash and recyclables.
2. At each set break, stage announcement to remind all to pick up around their seating areas and on the grounds and use the recycling barrels.
3. Provide soy-based utensils and recycled paper plates and napkins for the volunteer food tent, green room and public dining areas.
4. Provide composting stations for food waste at the volunteers dining area and food court; staff with volunteers to help patrons use the correct barrels. (Keeping garbage out of the trash in festival camping areas during the heat of Summer is more sanitary and reduces the fly population).
5. Require food vendors to use soy-based utensils and paper cups (no plastic).
6. Registering with Zimride and associating the application to its Facebook fans page.
7. All stages were powered by either solar or bio-diesel generators (which are extremely quiet, I'd say at least 50% quieter than regular diesel and 75% quieter than gas).

The Clearwater Festival was very easy to get to by public transportation. One can take one of several buses from Boston to NYC (I took Fung Wah , an experience in itself), then the subway to Grand Central to the Metro North Railroad. The festival provided a free shuttle service between the Croton train station and the grounds.

Mark your calendars to attend the next Hudson River Revival Festival, but you can get involved with the Clearwater organization now.

• Host a House Party for Clearwater
  help create the next generation of environmental leaders
• Camp Clearwater Starts Summer Programs for kids ages 13-14. Registration for August programs now open.
• Job Openings: Camp Instructors Needed
• Clearwater Acclaims PCB Clean Up Victory
• Boat Volunteers Needed for Fall Sailing Season!
• 

  Clearwater and WAMC present the Clearwater Moment, a daily gathering of knowledge to activate, educate, and inspire.

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Proclamation

Pete and Toshi Seeger Honorary Residentship

Whereas the following statements in this proclamation are known to be true:

Pete Seeger has international distinction as an American folk music singer and songwriter, was awarded the National Medal of the Arts and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1994, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996, won his first Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album in 1997, won the prestigious 2009 Freemuse Award, won his second Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album in 2009, and has been honored by the forty fourth President of the United States, Barack Obama.

Pete Seeger has inspired the universal values of peace, justice and freedom for millions of people throughout the world, in the songs he has written “If I Had a Hammer”, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Turn, Turn, Turn”. Pete has generously passed on his appreciation of music and the environment to Beacon school children though classroom and auditorium sing-a-longs.

In 1968 Pete founded the sloop Clearwater which has reached international recognition for brining attention to the environmental cleanup of the Hudson River and has been an inspiration for the environmental movement all over the globe. On this historic day, an agreement will be ratified for the Beacon Harbor to be the home port of the Sloop Clearwater and for the White House of the University Settlement Camp to be the permanent Headquarters of the Clearwater organization. It is because of Pete and Toshi’s fondness for the University Settlement Camp that this location was selected.

Pete and Toshi Seeger worked together with the Beacon community to reclaim a waste site on the Hudson River into a picturesque place now known as the Riverfront Park. Pete and Toshi are vital members of the Beacon Sloop Club and participate in yearly riverfront cleanups, projects, festivals and activities. Pete and Toshi frequently attend events at the Howland Center and participate in Martin Luther Day Celebrations throughout the city. Always together, Pete and Toshi are a couple that exemplify the commitment to marriage, shared values and a life long partnership.

Therefore be it resolved that on this the Fifteenth Day of June in the year two
thousand and nine, on behalf of the Council of the City of Beacon and its residents, we hereby proclaim Pete and Toshi Seeger to be honorary residents of the City of Beacon.

Honorable Steven K. Gold, Mayor

Provided by Colleen Swift, Executive Assistant to Mayor Steve K. Gold, used with permission.

Bon Jovi Added to 40th Anniversary Jazz Fest -truth in advertising, "nojazzfest.com" lives up to its web address

BON JOVI ADDED TO 40TH ANNIVERSARY JAZZ FEST Day-by-Day Music Schedule Announced Bon Jovi joins Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor, Sugarland, Joe Cocker, Ben Harper, Tony Bennett, Earth, Wind & Fire, Kings of Leon, Neville Brothers, Wilco, Bonnie Raitt, Allen Toussaint, The O’Jays, Erykah Badu, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Dr. John plus hundreds of others previously announced to appear at the historic edition of the Festival. Click here for the complete Day-by-Day lineup.

Caveat: I have nothing against the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (except maybe its korporate funding by the Shell Oil Company) and wish it all the success in the world. Just wish it would change its name.

This blog entry is made as a follow-on to one made here in December (Where's the Jazz - with all due respect to Clara Peller), which was cross-posted to the NorthEastFolknRoots group (Where's the jazz?), when the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival lineup was first announced. The intent then being to stir discussion of non-core music genres being brought into festivals that do not contain the all-encompassing words "pop" or just plain "music" in their names (such as Monterey International Pop Music Festival and Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival).

Do "folk" and "bluegrass" and "jazz" festivals have more of an obligation to stay closer to their music genre than generic "pop" and "music" festivals?

"On a similar note, in the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announcement I see only one bonified jazz artist and a few New Orleans roots artists. The rest come from pop / soul / alt country / rock....all over the spectrum. One would think several stellar jazz artists would be featured at a jazz festival.

If a festival wants to be all things to all patrons, be my guest, just change the name to encompass what you are - like "New Orleans Jazz, Pop and Heritage Festival". But if the festival contains just the word "folk" or "bluegrass" or "jazz" or whatever, stay true to the genre."

New Orleans is expanding its tent again. Announced yesterday, "Bon Jovi has been added to the has added New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival." What's next, will Gathering of the Vibes be adding the Lawrence Welk Band ? Does the booking of a non-jazz, non-blues, non-Cajun, non-zydeco not consume budget resouces that would otherwise be spent on jazz and "heritage" musicians?

(an aside, I just noticed that the New Orleans website is "nojazzfest.com" - looks like they are fulfilling that billing).

I'm sure (and hope, as the line-ups have yet to be announced) the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival , New Bedford Summerfest (an international folk music and arts festival), the Bread and Roses Festival , the Lowell Folk Festival, the Clearwater Festival and all the other northeast folk festivals would have better taste and sense than to present artists that far away from the core genre as Bon Jovi is to jazz, Cajun, zydeco and the blues. The Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival line-up announced so far, does that, kudos to Chuck and crew.

My answer to "Do these festivals have more of an obligation to stay closer to their music genre than generic "pop" and "music" festivals?" is an emphatic "yes"! At least the ones that launch ticket sales before artist lineups are announced. As an example, Falcon Ridge tickets go on sale February 8, but the announced artist line-up are just two bands that will be playing in the dance tent, and the four "most wanted" artists (winners of the 2008 "emerging" artist competition). Full artist announcement usually comes in May or June, 3/4 of the way between ticket sale start and the festival itself. To some degree it's a matter of dollars and sense and blind faith. But I trust Anne Saunders (Falcon Ridge Artistic Director and "queen of folk"), encourage folk fans to make their purchases now and take advantage of discounted ticket prices.

I have nothing against Bon Jovi, or Madonna, or Justin Timberlake, and I am amused when one of their ilk has a wardrobe malfunction on national TV or paparatzi records their driving with an infant in their arms or display of public intoxication, but I just choose not to patronize their "art" (and secretly wish the "sheeple" who follow such childish behavior would themselves display better judgment, but I digress). Some say the folk "tent" is so big it covers all music forms. To that I say "balderdash", in their hearts the "big tenters" really don't believe that, they must draw the line somewhere.

Adding young and "edge" acts attracts new and younger patrons, which makes sense from the business side, and supports folk evolution, and festivals have every right to do so, as long as patrons have the opportunity to see "core" performers at other venue sites at the same time.

Brining in "edge" acts also needs to be balanced by other factors, such as the type of crowd and any associated negatives a specific artist draws, as was discussed in the Falcon Ridge discussion forum some weeks ago.

Assuming you are a regular Falcon Ridge or New Bedford or Grey Fox-type festival patron, how would you react if one of these festivals were to add an artist as far away from the core genre as Bon Jovi is away from jazz and Cajun/ zydeco / blues? In other words, where do you draw the line? Which of the following best describes your position?

I am a/an....

A. LEMMING - Artistic directors can add any artists they wish, I will attend anyway, watch and keep my mouth shut.
B. BIG TENTER - I would tolerate it, but find something else to do while the aritst in question performed on the main stage.
C. MIDDLE OF THE ROADER - I'd probably go anyway, but grumble privately to friends.
D. LIBERAL - I'd alert my friends, start a petition to the artistic director, then go anyway and politely applaude the artist in question.
E. ANARCHIST - Demonstrate and aggitate during the performance.
F. OTHER?

hmmmmmm?????