Welcome to the first ever Folk Unlocked the Folk Alliance International (FAI) conference, edition of Wise Madness. I’ve been going to the NERFA (Northeast Regional Folk Alliance) conference since 2011, it’s an essential part of my year. That’s always held within a few miles from New York. FAI is always in outlandish places like Memphis, KC, NOLA, and Montreal. I did consider going to the one in Montreal. This year NERFA was canceled because of COVID-19 and FAI was made not only virtual, but free. I now have four solid days of livestreaming music to check out. Last night was my first. Streaming concerts are not nearly as good as the real thing, but it is far easier to go from showcase to showcase by simply switching tabs. I spent a lot of the night watching a song by an artist, deciding it wasn’t for me, and trying another one. Whenever there was someone I found interesting I sent them a message and asked for a digital download of their music. Artists also sent me messages; I didn’t discover that until later in the evening. Rachel Hair included not just her schedule but a link to download her album. I should check my profile to see if I made it obvious that she’s in my sweet spot; She’s a Scottish harpist. As I figure there aren’t that many folk Scottish harpist in the world, I asked if she knows Maeve Gilchrist. She answered, “We’ve known each other since we were wee.” I haven’t heard her music at all, I’m checking her out later today, but I don’t just love Scottish harpists, I love people that email with an accent. The Scots made a strong showing yesterday as I loved Talisk, and Alasdair Fraser’s set. Alasdair plays with Natalie Haas, the sister of Brittany Haas, because even when it’s international, folk is a small world. I spent a lot of time checking out people from outside of America, Australia, and Quebec too. I figured That’s where I’m most likely to find artists that I love but never heard of. I hadn’t marked off Heartland’s showcase, from the American Heartland, but it’s not the Northeast so I still found people. I was particularly taken by Kelly Hunt. I have a mental block with her name. I keep thinking of Phoebe Hunt.
In addition to showcases today’s schedule includes the Radio Peer Session followed by the DJ Lunch. I will have a regular hourlong show on Folk Music Notebook Tuesdays at 11 PM EST, starting on March 2. Gah! That’s one week from today. I have to get on recording it. You can listen to it archived starting the next day at noon at Gord’s Gold. I have to decide if I’m keeping the name. I probably will, it’s easier.
I’m missing music in the day. I tried to listen, but I can’t do that while doing anything else, like writing this. There’s a limit to how much live music I can stream in in a day. That’s one way it’s different than a live concert. What I miss most is socializing with the other attendees, seeing old friends, and making new ones. Eating dinner with strangers is one of my favorite parts of NERFA. I’m also not getting tips from people I run into in the halls on who to check out.
I put off most of my shopping, I just ran to the corner store for eggs, snacks, and bread. I’m going to try and wait until Sunday to take a bus to Aldi and or Stop & Shop. I should sit down and figure out if I save enough money to make it worthwhile paying for the bus. It almost certainly is, and I get foods that I can’t get locally.
I got excited and thought I could make an appointment for a vaccine today. When I was about to confirm I saw that it was only for New York City employees. I want my vaccine. I have to remember to keep checking throughout the day. I’ll keep it short as I am actively at a conference. I’ll let you know about my further adventures tomorrow.
Wise Madness 