The Falcon Ridge Saga continues. Good thing I’m not doing anything I need to write about. I’m up to Friday night, technically Saturday morning. The day should start at sunrise. Who do I talk to about making the change? A Time Lord?
Our scheduled lineup was;
Emerald Rae
Low Lily
Karyn Oliver
Banjo Nickaru & Western Scooches
Shawna Caspi
Sharon Goldman
Lara Herscovitch
Unfortunately Sharon had a health issue and had to cancel. Don’t worry, nothing major, just one of those things that happens at Festivals. It’s surprising this doesn’t happen more often. Sharon you are invited back next year.
Emerald was pretty much our house fiddler. She did her own set, she joined Low Lily on a song, and was back the next night to play with the Gaslight Tinkers. That’s three very different styles of music; she’s versatile. I try to not just program my friends; the problem is that when I love a musician I befriend them. The Budgiedome first timers were Low Lily and Shawna. Shawna brought us geographic diversity, she’s Canadian. Banjo Nickaru & The Western Scooches aka Nick and Betina, camped with us for the second year in a row.
We had some guest performers. Karen was joined by Carolann Solebello and Bob Beach. Does Bob count as our house harmonica player? I’ll say yes as who else has a house harmonica player? Lara was joined by Mark Zeretsky.
I rarely make a discovery in the Budgiedome but I did on Friday night. We have an open mic after the scheduled performers. The very last people to perform were South for the Winter, Nick Stone and Dani Chichon. There were the penultimate performers in the Emerging Artist Showcase and I missed them. They are great. I invited them back to play if they are at Falcon Ridge again. They sent me their music. I love making discoveries out of the blue like that. Nick has the distinction of being the first New Zealander to play the Budgiedome. We’ve had Australians but never a Kiwi. Dani is from Colorado. They met in Peru. The universe likes to play games with us.
Saturday was the day I spent the most time at the official stages. I somehow managed to make it down to the Workshop Stage for Our Roots are Showing with Carolann Solebello, Low Lily, Mid-City Aces, & the Falcon Ridge House band. I considered skipping it even though I love Carolann and Low Lily as I saw them plenty of other times at the festival. But then I read who was in the Mid-City Aces, Gina Forsyth! I don’t get to see her anywhere near as often as I like. To add to the fun it’s a Cajun band with a father and son playing guitar and button accordion.
Then I was off to watch the Most Wanted Song Swap. These are the acts from last year’s Emerging Artist Showcase that the audience voted to invite back. This year’s winners were Carolann Solebello, she comes up often in Wise Madness, Quarter Horse, and Justin Farren. Justin was a runner up but Oliver the Crow who was voted in had a prior commitment. Justin was the only one that didn’t play the Budgiedome last year.
Next I went over to the Main Stage to see Crys Matthews. Crys was one of my top discoveries last year. She rapidly became many people’s discovery. My project during her set was to figure out how she can write such openly political songs without becoming a manifesto that rhymes. Political songs are difficult. So many of them take the form, X is bad! And then hammer the point home. Crys doesn’t do that. Part of what makes it work is pure wordcraft. The woman can straight out write. She always chooses the right word. The other thing is the complexity of her ideas. Her politics is not X is bad. It’s Y is good and it’s sad that people don’t see that and it’s my job to convince them. Like Pete Seeger there is always a kernel of hope in her songs. There is always nuance. She also wrote a love song to her dog. I’ll listen to person that does that.
Then I was back to the Workshop Stage for It Just Takes Two with Ryanhood, The Nields, Bettman & Halpin, and the Rowan Brothers. I killed two birds with one stone for this set by watching it from the WFUV booth which is right there. I gave Janeen a break from manning the booth. I had forgotten how much I love manning it. I sit there and the world comes to me. One of my favorite Falcon Ridge memories is Jack Hardy coming over and ranting to me. Jack was a curmudgeon, but an interesting curmudgeon, and I loved him.
After a bit John Platt came over and joined me. I sat with WFUV/Falcon Ridge royalty. I saw Becca for the first time this festival. I saw little kids that loved the WFUV tchotchke. They can’t believe we give away free lip balm, fans, hand sanitizer, buttons, and car magnets. People tell me how much they love the station. I have to remember to do this more often.
That was it for me “downstairs” for the day. I went back up to our City on the Hill. We hear the Main Stage from the Budgiedome. I was quite impressed with Kerri Powers and wondered why we had never heard of her. I had much less interest in the headliners, The BoDeans.
We had another great lineup at the Budgiedome Saturday Night;
Karen Dahlstrom
Crys Matthews
The Gaslight Tinker
Carolann Solebello
Pesky J. Nixon
Willa Mamet
Genevieve with Bob Beach and Neale Eckstein
Marion Halliday
Crys and Willa were not just Budgiedome first timers but this was their first Falcon Ridge. I think Marion came last year. Karen and Carolann were the only ones from my NYC area crowd. I just discovered Crys and Willa last year, Willa, not until NERFA. She was not on the official program but won everyone over at the Lounge Stage and Budgiedome. I love when my friends love the musicians I love. I was even happier that my judgement based on hearing just one song and a short conversation at NERFA was correct.
Pesky might have played the Budgiedome more than anyone, the Gaslight Tinkers have become mainstays. I love when bands play for us. It’s difficult to write a Falcon Ridge entry without mentioning Carolann. She was given the unenviable task of following the super high energy Gaslight Tinkers. Solo performers dread following bands. Carolann is one of the few that can pull it off. She spoke about the meaning of Falcon Ridge and brought us excitement to a place of inner peace. She commands a stage and wins over an audience as well as anyone.
The Budgiedome means a lot to me. It’s my baby. Not many things have gone well with my life so I appreciate the ones that did. I’m not the talent, there are so many other people involved in making the Budgiedome, but I have a part in making something great.
I unfortunately missed Paul’s closing, he gave the Budgiedome credits and sang the Budgiedome anthem, but you can’t resist the call of nature; at least not forever. I’m glad we moved closer to the port-a-potties. It’s still a hike.
When I came back, around 3:30 in the morning everyone at the Dharma Café was asleep other than 11-year-old Cate and one of her friends. I told her to go to sleep. She didn’t listen. I didn’t expect her to. I didn’t want her to. I just wanted to tease her. There’s nothing better than other people’s kids. You only deal with the fun parts of parenting.
Tomorrow I should be able to finish this up. Good thing as I’m running out of lyrics to use as titles.
fors
Wise Madness 