At the rate I’m going it’s going to take me as long to write about Falcon Ridge as I spent there. Perhaps today I won’t spend so much time gushing and just cover what happened and will be able to cover more ground.
Thursday was spent greeting new arrivals to our camp. Who came then? Carolann, Mark, Felix, Abby, Akshar & Rob, and the people who arrived in the blur with Friday arrivals. Whoever it was I ended up spending too much time in camp and missing the start of Lounge Stage. As I approached I heard someone I really liked. Then I realized it was Shawna Caspi. As I’ve been pushing for Shawna to come to Falcon Ridge for years I didn’t want to miss her set but managed to miss half of it.
The Lounge Stage is a semi-official part of the Festival. It’s held on the dance stage and has a sound system but it’s programmed by the Lounge Stage crew, Ethan, Jake, and Courtney, and the sound is run by Scott, not the Falcon Ridge sound crew. It has some of the best music at the Festival. It’s also the time when I first see so many people that I spend more time socializing than I do listening.
There is also an idiot story. I took a few pictures and then my camera said that the internal memory was full and to insert a memory card. I thought the card was in the camera. Ugh, this happened to me last year or the year before too. I asked some people if I could borrow a card. Jake said he didn’t have one on him but would give it to me after the next time he was back at camp. The next morning I mentioned it to Fred and he had an extra card. As I took my camera out I looked at the slot in the bag meant to hold memory cards and found one. I forgot that I put it there just for this emergency. It isn’t easy not having a brain.
I can’t stay to the end of the Lounge Stage as I have to head back to the Budgiedome to help set up for the song circle. Last year’s was great, we had many people come up the hill. This year not so much. It was mainly just people from our camps plus a few brave souls, Charles Nolan and Neale Eckstein. The other ringer was Carolann Solebello who camps with us. That meant more songs from the even braver souls that are not performs, Mel, Joe, and even me.
Before the song circle we had a featured performer, Fiora Laina. Fiora is a 16-year-old I met at NERFA. Alan Rowoth champions her, now I do too. She’s a classically trained pianist who turned to being a singer/songwriter. She is the real deal. Having the musical chops makes a big difference. She’s this sweet, petite blonde with long braids that make her look even younger than she is. You have that picture in your head? Her music is the last thing you’d expect. It’s not only musically sophisticated, it’s dark. I love it.
On Friday a miracle happened. I got going early enough that I had time to get down to Main Stage to see the start of the Emerging Artists Showcase from the start without running down the hill. My usual problem is not with getting up early enough but that I spend so much time talking to people. There are a lot of people I love talking to in Buddha-Pest.
It was important to be in the photographer’s area in front of the stage for the first artist as it as Karyn Oliver, one of my people. If I were truly dedicated I’d make sure to watch every artist, and discover new talent. My problem is that it gets hot and I get hungry and thirsty, and the truth be told, I don’t like most musicians. I don’t dislike them, but few have the spark that excites me. I made sure to watch all of the Budgiedome performers and all those that have played or will be play John Platt’s On Your Radar this year.
I did make one major discovery, Corner House. They are a quartet from Nashville and right in my sweet spot. I made sure to go backstage after their set and introduce myself. There are not many times I’ve done that at the Emerging Artist Showcase. The other artist that impressed me was Travis Knapp. I will have to listen to more of him. As often happens I had a very different take on some performers than most of my crowd.
Last year I voted for the top three vote-getters for the Most Wanted Showcase. This year I have a feeling that won’t happen because of things that have nothing to do with the artists or my tastes.
Thanks to some miscommunication I spent too much time back at camp during the dinner break and only heard, but didn’t see Bettman & Halpin. I did make it just in time to see the Gaslight Tinkers. They were followed by Low Lily. That was my favorite Main Stage run of the Festival.
The Tinkers have some new members including a personal favorite, Emerald Rae. Emerald played the Budgiedome last year and this as a solo performer. She was formerly in Annalivia with Liz Simmons and Flynn Cohen from Low Lily. The Folk World is incestuous. I’m blanking on the other new member’s name; she played conga and lead vocals and rocked the Casbah. I didn’t think it possible but their energy level might be even higher now. I get exhausted watching them perform.
Low Lily was in full quartet configuration, they were joined by Corey on bass. Their roots are Celtic but their music is not bound by the Gaels. I saw them multiple times at New Bedford and now multiple times at Falcon Ridge and I’m not close to sated. If there were playing in New York today I’d go see them.
That was it for me on Main Stage on Friday. I would have loved to listen to the Song Swap from below but I have to help convert the Budgiedome into a music venue. That’s where I’ll pick up the story tomorrow.
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Wise Madness 