Festival Coverfolk ‘09: Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, July 23-26
(Cliff Eberhardt, Amy Speace, Girlyman, Kathy Mattea and more!)
It’s that time of year again, when a folk fan’s thoughts turn to this year’s summer festivals. Though the weather up here in the American Northeast makes for a relatively short season, there’s plenty of choices, from this month’s eco-centric Clearwater Festival to that one glorious weekend in mid July when both the Green River Festival and Grey Fox Bluegrass take place, forcing fans to choose between a lovely two day set of popfolk, alt-rock and blues on the one hand, and the best damn Bluegrass camp-out around on the other.
But for my money, there’s no better weekend in the Northeast region than the annual Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, our home away from home, in Hillsdale, NY, July 23-26.
I wrote about Falcon Ridge last year, but it bears repeating: this four-day, four-stage extravaganza of music, dancing, and acoustic mayhem is an incredible adventure, the best damn spontaneous intentional community you’ll ever find. This year will mark our eleventh consecutive year on the hill at Falcon Ridge, and we wouldn’t miss it for the world — I even snuck down the year my first child was born, just a week after the birth.
As I noted after last year’s Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, after a tornado brought the festival to a screeching halt last year, there were some concerns that this year’s Falcon Ridge Folk Fest would be a washout, too. But thanks to community support from fans and musicians, this year’s performers include plenty of well-honed talent from the folkworld, including previously-featured CLD favorite Susan Werner, old-school pop folk artist Janis Ian, celtic fiddle wizard Eileen Ivers, Woody’s granddaughter Sarah Lee Guthrie, and the usual plethora of musical acts from a wide swath of the modern folk, folk rock, world beat, and contra worlds.
Fest mainstays Tracy Grammer, the Nields sisters, and Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams will be there; all three will likely participate in the yearly all-hands-on-deck two hour tribute set, and just like last year, I’m hoping to record it and pass it along here upon my return. I’m really looking forward to seeing country folkrockers Stonehoney live for the first time, and if you’re looking for me when the newly-formed “backwoods chambergrass” act the Folk Arts Quartet is performing, I’ll be at the foot of the stage, just a few feet off center. Here’s a few more names to watch out for at this year’s Falcon Ridge Folk Fest, each well worth the ticket price.
Like most folks outside of NYC, I first heard Cliff Eberhardt on Legacy, a 1990 folk sampler which aimed to capture the best of the era’s burgeoning folk scene; since then, I’ve come back time and again to his signature rasp and bluesy contemporary folkstyle, and each time, my fandom deepens. Eberhardt, who came out of the same New York crowd as FRFF regulars Shawn Colvin, John Gorka, Richard Shindell and Lucy Kaplansky, now lives right over the Berkshires from Falcon Ridge, so he may not be sticking around after hours, but I’m really looking forward to his performance, especially after the 2007 release of the marvelously stripped down The High Above and the Down Below, a jazz-tinged, soul-searching album of renewal and realization that followed a major accident.
Fellow Falcon Ridge regular Susan posted Eberhardt’s wonderful cover of the Dire Straits classic Romeo and Juliet just last month over at collablog Star Maker Machine; like these later-career tribute album cuts, it’s a timeless classic in his able hands.
- Cliff Eberhardt: I Want You (orig. Bob Dylan)
- Cliff Eberhardt: Back of My Mind (orig. John Hiatt)
Kathy Mattea may have made a name for herself on the Billboard top country charts, but this rich alto voiced singer-songwriter and interpreter of song has plenty of folk cred, both as a solo performer and as a cover artist, ever since her 1986 take on Nanci Griffith tune Love at the Five and Dime, which features country legend Don Williams on harmony vocals, put Griffith on the map as a songwriter.
But though she has always been known for her introspective approach to song, since the turn of the century, Mattea has drifted even farther towards the folkworld. She switched labels for 2002 album Roses, which explored the eclectic Celtic tradition, and her most recent album, a social activist’s collection of songs about coalmining, is true-blue neotraditional folk with a hint of twang and a solid dose of bluegrass. Here’s a typically diverse set: a few folk covers from the recent past, and a golden oldie from the country charts.
- Kathy Mattea: Green Rolling Hills (orig. Utah Phillips)
- Kathy Mattea and Tim O’Brien: The Wagoner’s Lad (trad.)
- Kathy Mattea: Love at the Five and Dime (orig. Nanci Griffith)
Like Kerrville in the South, Falcon Ridge is known among up-and-comers as a hotspot for discovery, thanks to their Friday afternoon Emerging Artist’s Showcase, which features thirty relative unknowns in just three hours, all competing for a feature spot on the mainstage the following year. Last year’s winners were Lucy Wainwright Roche, Abi Tapia, Amy Speace, and local boys made good Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers; each stood out among an outstanding crowd, and for good reason; their sets and workshops this year promise to weave strong songwriting and gleeful youth throughout the festival.
I’ve yet to find a cover from Tapia, but here’s a few teasers from the other newest faces at this year’s fest: a traditional Scottish tune from Lucy’s MySpace, a pair of well-chosen americana cuts from the incredible Amy Speace, who has recently been on tour with Judy Collins — the Blondie cover is especially sweet — and a pair of great newgrass-tinged folkclassics from BMUZ.
- Amy Speace: Born to the Breed (orig. Judy Collins)
- Amy Speace: Dreaming (orig. Blondie)
- Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers: Kisses Sweeter than Wine (orig. The Weavers)
- Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers: Saucy Sailor (orig. Steeleye Span)
Last but not least, I’m thrilled to report that 2005 Falcon Ridge Most Wanted Showcase winners Girlyman will be back, bringing their outrageous-yet-sensitive folk rock close harmonies to the summerstage once more. In a year without Dar or Ani, the fully genderqueer trio (along with late addition folk rock singer-songwriter Pamela Means, another previous-year showcase winner) are bound to bring the out crowd plenty of opportunities for both intimate, confessional outfolk and typically hilarious stagecraft.
Girlyman’s covers in concert are infamous; I was privileged to be part of a singalong to Free Fallin’ last time I saw them, and their genderswitching take on Son of a Preacherman is a classic. If their growing set of live archives are any indication, things have only improved since. These covers, too, are truly inspired, full of crunchy acoustic harmony and energy; the George Harrison cover is one I’ve put on dozens of coverfolk mixtapes, and I’m happy to be able to share it here.
- Girlyman: My Sweet Lord (orig. George Harrison)
- Girlyman: All Through the Night (orig. Cyndi Lauper)
Cover Lay Down publishes new coverfolk features Sundays and Wednesdays; all postings are designed to promote artists and music venues, so click on the links above to buy tickets and tracks if you can. Coming soon: we finally get to the mailbag, and discover all sorts of wonderful newness.
Category: Festival Coverfolk
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:20 pm
Great stuff, as always. Thanks!
June 4th, 2009 at 8:37 am
Hey, Boyhowdy ~
Thanks for referencing the SMM Cliff cover - he’ll also be playing my Labyrinth Cafe concert series in January!
Oh, this post made me cry - at this point, I have every intention of being there (my 11th as well)… but, considering mom’s situation, I just need to take one day at a time…
June 4th, 2009 at 9:19 am
I’m thrilled Girlyman is finally back - their rendition of “Postcards From Mexico” when they revealed the different versions of the chorus is one of my favorite memories of my first FRFF.
In addition to those artists, I’m also looking forward to Ellis Paul and The Refugees.
June 4th, 2009 at 9:43 am
Hemisphere: I’m thrilled about Girlyman, too; never heard the Refugees, but I trust your recommendation. But I should note that I’m not an Ellis Paul fan, though much of this stems from personal interaction, not musicianship. Maybe this will be the year I change my mind…
Susan: anything I can do to help you get to FRFF? Our home is about 90 minutes away…
June 4th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
My heart is breaking knowing I will miss FRFF. I think the last time I missed one was about 12 years ago (more than half my life!). And with Girlyman, too! Please have some extra fun for me!
June 4th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Hey, Boyhowdy ~
Very sweet offer - thanks. I never worry about the logistics, as each year I’ve flown into Boston and ride to the festival with a dear friend in the area (who I stay with a few days before and after as well) - this is more about timing. I think I’m going to make my flight reservations and feel that all will unfold as it should - by mid-July, I should know where I/we stand with all this. I do hope I’m able to be there - will be grand to finally meet you (major understatement…
June 6th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
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