The remarkable mountaintop gathering that is FloydFest is now a rich but fading memory...I should've done this post a week ago but...best laid plans and all that. The festival's seventh year was our second and it has reaffirmed in us the conviction to make it an annual summer pilgrimage. Kris Hodges and Erika Johnson, their dedicated staff and army of volunteers have built this early-maturing cultural happening into a true experience of the heart on so many levels...the elegant staging, the diverse festival food offerings (think alligator burritos), the unrivaled people-watching (think too many bare bellies of both genders) and of course, the music.
And that's where FloydFest really shines in offering an inclusive a lineup as you'll find anywhere, from Zimbabwe's best-selling recording artist Oliver Mtukudzi to the haunting highland a capella of Elizabeth Laprelle. And so much in between. It's four full days of creative camping, communing with the hills and its short-term inhabitants and opening the mind and soul to all that music can mean. A few illustrations follow:
Charming chimurenga exponent "Tuku" Mtukudzi of Zimbabwe holds court and wins hearts at sunset on Saturday.
Brittany Haas, Aiofe O'Donovan and Greg Liszt of Crooked Still on the VA Folklife Porch...string quartet with a banjo and an unforgettable lead singer in Aiofe (Ee-fah).
The rest of the Still...Corey DiMario on bass and Tristan Clarridge on cello...a band not to miss.
From Rural Retreat VA, Elizabeth Laprelle renders an aching Appalachian ballad. She was here in Richmond for the National Folk Festival.
DJ Williams and Todd Harrington of Richmond's DJ Williams Projekt sweat out the funk on the Hill Holler Stage
Bo Carper, guitarist/lead singer for New Monsoon, one of our first-time favorites. Their Saturday set on the Hill Holler stage was spectacular.
Above left, 4-time IBMA Fiddle Player of the Year Michael Cleveland warms up for his set with prodigious 11-year-old veteran Adam Larkey.
From the City of Brotherly Love, Amos Lee sings powerful love songs that resonate with lovers of all ages. He opened for Elvis Costello and Dylan in C'ville last year and nearly stole the show. We had to buy his great new CD Last Days at the Lodge.
Fresh back from a festival in France the night before, Ross Holmes, Matt Menefee, Andy Moritz and Bryan Simpson of the powerful and profound Cadillac Sky jam it up on the Dreamin' Creek main stage on Sunday afternoon.
There were 44 acts in the Emerging Artist competition this year and the hands-down favorite was Charlottesville's
William Walter & Company. Check 'em out.
FloydFest carries a refreshingly-retro, sixties, love-is-all-we-need vibe but with a contemporary edge that includes all that's new and needed in this wide and wonderful world of music. FF 8 can't come soon enough.
____________________________________________
We'll wrap this post with a few options for the next week or so. Friday night we've got Brad Spivey & The Honky Tonk Experience at Shenanigans, best Among Friends friends Frank Coleman & Chris Fuller at Ashland Coffee & Tea the same night and the Friend-filled Big Boss Combo in one of their big Johnson reunions at Legend's south of the river downtown out on the deck...summer at its best.
Brad Wells at The National reminded me to also mention their Friday night artists, Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero. Collectively they're Rodrigo y Gabriela, a unique act from Mexico performing heavy metal covers on acoustic guitars. Sound intriguing? Maybe a great reason to check out Richmond's fabulous new music venue, especially if you haven't been.
The Children's Museum of Richmond is holding a benefit concert for The Phoenix Project rebuilding post-Katrina downtown New Orleans featuring zydeco master Terrance Simien on Friday, the 15th. Click here for tickets and info or call 474-7007.
And if you're up for one more festival roadtrip the weekend of the 15th, how about John Cowan, Alecia Nugent, Cadillac Sky, Karl Shiflett and Verlon Thompson among many others at Hickory Fest an day's drive up in Wellsboro, PA. Photographer friend and HF promoter Frank Serio says it's one of those warm and wonderful small fests...if you go, let me know.
Shall we rain dance?
TT
No comments:
Post a Comment