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CONCERT& DANCE LISTINGS • CD REVIEWS • LOCAL CULTURAL HAPPENINGS • CAMPS & WORKSHOPS FREE BI-MONTHLY Volume 4 Number 4 July-August 2004 THESOURCE FOR FOLK/TRADITIONAL MUSIC, DANCE, STORYTELLING & OTHER RELATED FOLK ARTS IN THE GREATER LOS ANGELES AREA “Don’t you know that Folk Music is illegal in Los Angeles?” — WARREN C ASEY of the Wicked Tinkers Exotic Beauty, Startling Voice OAXACAN DIVA LILA DOWNS COMES TO L.A. BY BROOKE ALBERTS he evocative and dramatic voice of Lila Downs affects people worldwide with her original poignant songs as well as memorable versions of standard Mexican and indigenous folk songs. She sings her repertoire in inside this issue: T Spanish, English, and various Mesoamerican inside this issue: languages such as Mixtec, Zapotec, Maya, and Nahuatl. Québecois Music As anthropologists (and others) may tell you, things tend to be the most interesting at the threshold (or “liminal”) regions. Lila Downs is uniquely placed at the cross roads of Ben Franklin & The several musical and cultural traditions, enabling her to have the perspective looking in either direction, coupled with an intimate relationship of each view. Glass Armonica Lila grew up dividing her time between her Mixtec mother’s rural mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico, and her father’s home state of Minnesota. She started singing mari- James Coberly Smith achi songs as an 8-year-old in Oaxaca, then took voice les- sons in Los Angeles at age 14. Planning on becoming an & Severin Browne opera singer, Lila majored in voice and anthropology at the University of Minnesota. However, she became disenchant- ed and left school to become a Grateful Deadhead, selling jewelry on the streets. Next, she returned to Mexico and PLUS: learned to weave cloth. This gave her the source material for her college thesis, on how the weaving patterns of the Triqui Keys to the Highway women create a historical narrative language. Keys to the Highway After earlier tours with traditional Oaxacan folk bands CD Reviews Cadetes de Yodoyuxi and La Trova Serrana, Lila began CD Reviews singing in the clubs of Oaxaca and Philadelphia. After meet- Uncle Ruthie ing her musical partner (and now husband) Paul Cohen, she branched out into interpretations of jazz standards. They Calendar of Events DOWNS page 18 & much more... Page 2 FolkWorks July-August 2004 EDITORIAL hose of us interested in folk The other new technology that PUBLISHERS & EDITORS and traditional music have a expands our listening pleasure is Leda & Steve Shapiro eye to the past and ears in Internet streaming radio. You can T LAYOUT & PRODUCTION the present. We are fascinated by the track down you favorite radio station Alan Stone Creative Services lives, music and technology of our whether that is a local one (as listed on FEATURE WRITERS forbearers and are often enthused by page 13) or one that you found Brooke Alberts, Lookaround the current (and future) technolo- Googling and listen to it through the Ross Altman gies. speakers on your computer. You will How Can I Keep From Talking Looking back to the past century, find that in addition to radio stations Uncle Ruthie Buell our parents and grandparents grew that take their live feed and stream Halfway Down the Stairs up with music being broadcast over the Internet, there are some sta- Joanna Cazden through the airwaves and picked up tions like Folk Alley (www.folka- The Voices in my Head on receivers called radios. They also lley.com), that are Internet only sta- Valerie Cooley, That Reminds Me... were introduced to heavy black SONES tions. Quality speaker systems are Viola Galloway, World Encounters disks that stored music and could be A available to attach to your computer Roger Goodman played back at will. These were SONY and the sound is generally pretty Keys to the Highway amazing, revolutionary technologi- O BY good. (If you do not have DSL or Dennis Roger Reed Reed’s Ramblings cal advancements that had equally PHOT cable you might find these options Dave Soyars, Dave’s Corner amazing and revolutionary sociolog- BY LEDA & STEVE SHAPIRO impractical) ical implications. People no longer The problem that we’ve found Larry Wines, Tied to the Tracks were confined to music and dance of their own making (or with traditional radio and Internet radio is that you listen on EDITORS that of traveling musicians). They could listen and learn from their time, not on yours. So if you are around on Saturday David Ascher • Marie Bruno the repetition of these instant play back machines. Tunes and mornings you can listen to FolkScene and Halfway Down the Valerie Cooley • Mary Pat Cooney stories that were passed from generation to generation with Stairs. But, what happens if you know that you won’t be avail- Chuck Galt • Stan Kohls Britt Nicole-Peterson only human interaction were now recorded for posterity. And able and you really want to catch the show. Until now, the Diane Sherman • Joel Shimberg the art of learning music and stories from others was greatly answer has been “tough luck.” Not any more. We found CONTRIBUTING WRITERS diminished. In its place was we have the entertainment indus- Replay Radio, a $30 computer program that can be pro- Linda Dewar try of today. grammed to capture the shows that you want to listen to and Pat MacSwyney At the beginning of the 21st Century, technology is here to play them back at your convenience. With the price of hard Cáit Reed stay and constantly and rapidly developing. There are some disk space steadily dropping and the availability of devices Dana Whittle new technologies that we already see having enormous such as Apple’s iPod and Archos’ Gmini, you can record for Paul Zollo impact on our lives. later computer listening, listen in your car at another time or DISTRIBUTION The first is satellite radio. We in L.A. spend a lot of time take it with you when you walk your dog. Valerie Cooley • Mary Dolinskis in our cars. We listen to CDs and the radio in our cars. But due Also coming down the technological pike are MP3 play- Chuck Galt • Marge Gajicki Cliff Gilpatric • Scot Hickey to the commercial nature of the entertainment industry, we ers for your car. With this capability you can store hundreds of Sue Hunter • Dennis Louie have been limited to a very small sampling of the music that hours of music so you can listen while you commute. What’s Nan McKinley • Gretchen Naticchia is being made in this world. Satellite radio in its current incar- next? We think that soon you will be able to surf the web lis- Bea Romano • Daria Simolke nation is a “paid for” service. Much like the Internet and cable ten to Internet streaming in your car. Stan Smith • Mimi Tanaka TV, you need a special receiver and have to subscribe. Once So with all this technical capability, what is the down side? Lynn Worrilow • John Wygonski you do, you are availed of many more stations without com- Our lives are becoming increasingly more complicated, with LOGO DESIGN mercial interruption. more things to do and less time to do it. And the choices can Tim Steinmeier There are currently two competing companies that offer become overwhelming. When you have a hundred things to Thanks to all those who have supported and this service: XMRadio and Sirius. Your choice will depend on choose from, choosing is relatively easy. When you have inspired us, especially Warren Casey of the your interest and their programming. Both have a good sam- thousands to choose from, you might just throw up your Wicked Tinkers. pling of folk and traditional music (of both the North hands, pick up your instrument of choice (in the car, that Published bi-monthly by FolkWorks a 501 American and World varieties). You can check them out on would probably be a harmonica :-) ), and just do it yourself. (c)(3) non-profit organization an affiliate of the web at: www.xmradio.com and www.sirius.com. Here’s to the future. Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS). BOARD OF DIRECTORS Brooke Alberts • Linda Dewar Kay Gilpatric • Roger Goodman 11,000 COPIES OF FOLKWORKS ARE Don Kiger • Gitta Morris Molly Nealson • Steve Shapiro DELIVERED TO THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS: Monika White • Ron Young Leda Shapiro, Executive Director AGOURA HILLS Nordic Fox Restaurant Tower Records Anastasia’s Asylum TARZANA ADVISORY BOARD Virtual World Cafe Sawday & Holmes World of Strings Finn McCool Pub Coffee Junction Bill Howard • Howard & Roz Larman ALTADENA Third Street Coffee LOS ALAMAITOS Hear Music Norms Rare Guitars Colin Quigley • Lisa Richardson Altadena Library Warren High School Blue Mountain Bagels Library Pub THOUSAND OAKS Tom Sauber Coffee Gallery Backstage ENCINO McCabes Guitar Gobel Senior Center MARINA DEL REY Midnight Special Backstage CTMS Center for Folk Music Tower Records Instrumental Music CONTACT INFORMATION Novel Cafe Musician’s Boulevard ARCADIA GLENDALE MID-WILSHIRE O’Briens (Main) P.O. Box 55051, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413 San Gabriel Bead Company Brand Library Russ & Julie’s House Concerts Craft & Folk Museum Rose Cafe Thousand Oaks Library Phone: 818-785-3839 BALDWIN HILLS Borders Books & Music Molly Malone’s Santa Monica Library [email protected] • www.FolkWorks.org Glendale Central Library TOPANGA CANYON Baldwin Hills Library MONROVIA Thunderbolt ©2004 FolkWorks All Rights Reserved Sylvia Woods Harp Center Tower Records Mimosa Café BELLFLOWER Tower Records Monrovia Coffee Co. Topanga Video Bellflower Brakensiek Library Unitarian Community Church GRANADA HILLS NEWBURY PARK Un-Urban Cofee House TORRANCE AD RATES BEVERLY HILLS Baker’s Square Newbury Park Branch Library Wild Fiber Tower Records Beverly Hills Public