Flyin' High at the 'Ridge One Singer/Songwriter's Impressions of A Great Festival and It's Community. A while ago, in order to give ourselves a breather, and provide a forum for other writers, we put out requests in various directions for volunteer guest journalists for this publication. One recipient was old friend Erik Balkey, a singer-songwriter from Philadelphia who publishes a monthly on-line e-mail feature service called Songwriter's Tour Guide. We've always known there was something special about Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, held every year on the third weekend in July in Hillsdale New York, but until now, for us, it remained a not-quite-totally articulated feeling. When we read his latest STG installment and got the impressions of the festival from this singer/songwriter, we knew we'd found our first guest feature article. For a songwriter/insider's view of a recurring great event we present the following account… by Erik Balkey Falcon Ridge. What a great time! This is what it's all about. Good friends, sharing music, sharing stories, sharing food, camping out in the hills. My first Falcon Ridge Folk Festival experience was last year and it was incredibly inspiring. And, this year was just as much fun. I arrived at midnight on Friday, July 21st as I had planned a gig in New York City before heading to Hillsdale, New York. I was a bit tired from the work-week and the trip, but there was no doubt when I arrived that I was not going to get any shuteye soon. I drove up the hill, found Camp Hon (a bunch of tents inhabited by the good folks from the Baltimore Songwriters Association) and parked nearby. Then I gazed down the hill at the village below. It looked like a community of gypsy ants at a traveling carnival. I could hear the main stage performance and an enthusiastic audience as I approached the ridge of the tent village on the hill. The moon was rising beyond the stage on the Eastern horizon and signs on the booths lit up behind the stage outlining the village. I caught the last tune, plus the encore, on the main stage. It didn't take long to see many familiar faces as I headed over to Camp Hon to start the night owl festivities. I met friends including Paul Iwancio and Eliot Bronson. We formed the circle, took turns playing tunes, and Paul made sure that everyone felt welcome. This circle is unique because Paul insists that it be "inclusive". Everyone participates, everyone is welcome to food and coffee, or wine, if preferred. So, a couple of rounds of great tunes, nice folks, stargazing and enjoying the cool summer night and I decided to wander around a bit. No watch on, but it must have been near three a.m . I wandered to the Big Orange Tent and was able to get in a tune with Lynn Deeves (Maine), Eric Schwartz (New York City), Eliot Bronson and the other late night troopers. Fun. Then I stopped by the Front Porch where I caught a great tune from Adam Brodsky (Philadelphia) as well as Kevin So (Boston). The sun started to rise, and I made my way back to my car among the tent/car/camper village. Last year I brought a borrowed tent, sleeping bag, cooler, water and snacks. All good ideas. This time I had none of that - not a good idea. So, I got out my blanket and pillow and curled up in my back seat. I awoke late morning to the heat and bright light after a restless sleep. I spent the day catching performances, visiting the booths, bumping into friends, and I got a long shower in midday when there was no line (nice!). I visited Richard Cuccaro's Acoustic Live booth and bumped into a number of familiar faces including Laurie MacAllister (New York City), Andrew Kerr (San Francisco), Andy & Denise (New York City), Colleen Sexton (Boston), Darryl Purpose (Maryland) and Bill Parsons (Washington DC). The Woody Guthrie tribute on the workshop stage was a great one. Jimmy LaFave headed up the sing-along with the Nields, Cliff Eberhardt, Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer, and Pamela Means. Jeff Lang ruled the main stage with great tunes and incredible guitarwork. Dar Williams and Moxy Fruvous finished the night with great performances. Back to Camp Hon that night for more of the same, and then some more wandering around again. It must have been about four a.m. when I caught the remainder of the Boston/New York campers at the south end of the hilltop. I had some fun sharing tunes with Teddy Goldstein, James O'Brien, Dylan Callahan and Linda Sharar in the midst of a quiet early morning tent village. Reluctantly, I left early Sunday from Falcon Ridge, made it to my apartment in Philadelphia for a shower and a bit to eat before heading down to Worton, MD where I did a radio interview on WKHS 90.5 FM to promote some local shows. Then back home and a good night's sleep. Last year I got musician/agent David Tamulevich's take on Falcon Ridge. "Big impressions: that it was really a community, and that the audience felt invested in the festival as an entity. And that it really is the embodiment of all of the best values of the original Woodstock. This is the community for whom the revolution succeeded - which means you needn't have been there in the 60s. Anyone who 'gets it', and has made it past the pop culture B.S. is part of the community. It's pretty thrilling and special. I think people more and more are realizing that folk music has built an alternative culture that is really starting to come of age. We don't need the major media or the music industry. We have made something based on values that are very populist - quality, ethics, content, community. I think that is why folk music is thriving - the population as a whole wants what we have to offer, and more and more people are finding it." Some Further Observations… During my visit to Hillsdale for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival I met up with a bunch of friends including songwriters, radio deejays, folk music fans, newsletter editors and venue operators including venues I used to work at as a songwriter and a volunteer. I was going to introduce a fellow songwriter to a friend of mine who does reviews. He was apprehensive, however, as the reviewer had "passed" on his CD previously. I didn't understand at first, but then realized that this songwriter would feel awkward meeting someone who had 'rejected' his art. I guess I can understand to some degree, and I can understand that it might initially be a little awkward. But, I would definitely get over it real quick. I have many friends and many cordial acquaintances that have turned me down once... and sometimes a few times more than once. Deejays, venues bookers, reviewers, etc. get a lot of submissions and cannot accommodate everyone. I regularly get turned down, even in my own town. I had a nice introduction to someone who hosts shows recently. He was out at one of my shows and had some very complimentary feedback. When I requested that he consider me for an opener at one of his upcoming shows, he politely declined as he had already booked Eric Schwartz for that spot. There is a lot of talent out there, and being passed over in preference of an incredibly talented Eric Schwartz is nothing to take personally. I will stay in touch, however, and continue to pursue this gig. Peter Mulvey told me once about persistence with booking: "Be incredibly persistent, but not needy. Be firm, but not pushy. Be yourself...and if you're needy and pushy, well, you're screwed!" Hey, all the personalities are different, but most folks in this scene do what they do because they love it. If you do too, then you have something in common. Get to know everyone. Until our paths cross again, safe travels, Erik This is an excerpt from the Songwriter's Tour Guide Chapter 17. For back issues of the STG go to www.ErikBalkey.com/STG.html
Venue of the Month: Victorian Mansion, an Upstate Jewel by Richard Cuccaro "Listen Inn" Concerts at the Victorian Mansion Orange County Community College 115 South Street, Middletown, NY 914-342 0878 www.friendsofmusic.net It's 2pm on a Sunday afternoon and the guests start arriving. They've called ahead and made their reservations. Something special is happening at the Morrison Mansion located on the campus of Orange Country Community College in Middletown, NY. Friends of Music is presenting another "Listen Inn" Concert. Leaving their cars in the parking lot across the street, arrivals come through the towering trees, up the walk that splits the expansive lawn of the forty-room, turn-of-the-century mansion. Once inside, they move across the parquet floor, past the rich walnut-walled main room at the foot of the spiral staircase, with the spectacular stained-glass window on the first landing, toward the salon, bringing their dutch treat for the buffet which takes place before the concert and during mid-concert break. The Listen Inn Series provides the entree and everyone is encouraged to bring a homemade dessert or appetizer. The main reason they're here though, is to hear someone like Vance Gilbert, Cliff Eberhardt, Susan Werner, Richard Shindell, Christine Lavin, Harvey Reid, Ellis Paul, Eric Anderson, or Steve Forbert in perhaps the most opulent setting any of these performers are likely to play in. While people arrive, the man responsible for all this, Steve Coccia, a professor of psychology at the college, is usually busy putting out the hand-lettered name signs on the reserved seats. Steve, an avid fan of the coffeehouse circuit, started the "Listen Inn" Concert Series series after returning from a motivational conference in Syracuse during which he visted local coffeehouses. For the first three years he booked acts at the now-defunct M.V.P. Club and then at The Lyceum Center. The Listen Inn found it's current home in the Morrison Mansion when Steve walked through it one day and approached the President of the college about it immediately afterwards and it's been there since then. Web browsers can take a virtual tour at the website: www.friendsofmusic.net He states: "We started doing concerts at the Mansion in 1997. It is interesting that people have come specifically to our concerts from great distances... Calif., Toronto, RI, Boston, even Alaska (to see David Wilcox). When John Gorka was performing, Eric Andersen stopped by to say hello. John had just bought Eric's CD the day before, and was shocked to see Eric in the living room of the Mansion. They performed a couple of songs together. The audience went crazy!!!" Attendees are in large part, members of the Friends of Music organization. The series receives some funding from grants and local businesses, but most of the funding comes from Friends of Music members' donations (which because of the organizations non-profit (501)(c)(3) status are tax deductible). [I became a lifetime member last year] All the money taken in goes to pay the artists and the sound engineer. "No one takes a salary, it is a labor of love," says Steve.