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CONCERT & DANCE LISTINGS • CD REVIEWS • FREE EVENTS FREE BI-MONTHLY Volume 5 Number 1 Jan-Feb 2005 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 THEY DARE NOT CALL IT FOLK BY LARRY WINES udiences readily accept them as folk musicians. inside this issue: Yet some artists shy away from that label, or seek to disguise it in wordier descriptions of their art. Others are surprised when you suggest Bob Dylan A their creative product is folk music. So what’s it all about? Some would say, “if they don’t want to be Interview with known as folk musicians, fine, let them go their way, and I’ll go mine, in another direction.” That ensures only that a Globetrotting wealth of wonderful music is being missed by many who would appreciate it. We’re not simply talking about the obvious here, that Folk Entrepreneur kaleidoscopic mosaic of singer-songwriters. It’s complex enough to warrant mixed metaphors. Try to watch what’s Brett Perkins passing by, and soon you see it not as a country road, but a multilevel interchange that affects traditional music, as well. Many in the bluegrass community are proud of that one- word musical identity, and are happy for it to stop there. The PLUS: same goes for the preponderance of blues musicians. “Folk singer? No, I do Bill Monroe songs.” Some well-known blue- Keys to the Highway grass musicians (as well as some old-time blues men) are noted for being downright snooty about being seen as mere Voices In My Head folk players. Others are far more pragmatic. Take the case of Ricky Reed’s Ramblings Scaggs. He made it as a Nashville star by doing mainstream country, then used his popularity to return to his bluegrass CD Reviews roots. Could he have attained that fame and success other- wise, or the influence he exerts in bringing traditional music Uncle Ruthie to concert audiences of modern country fans? Yet, he still calls himself a country singer. Law Talk Western music offers another interesting example. & much more... FOLK page 7 Page 2 FolkWorks January-February 2005 EDITORIAL elcome to the fifth today as Smithsonian Folkways PUBLISHERS & EDITORS Leda & Steve Shapiro year of FolkWorks! Recordings. They have classics LAYOUT & PRODUCTION WIn the previous issue such as the Anthology of Alan Stone Creative Services (V4N6) we reprinted the cover American Folk Music (the Harry FEATURE WRITERS story from the first issue (perhaps Smith collection). There is also a Brooke Alberts, Lookaround by now you’ve read it!). Our great collection of music for kids, Ross Altman intention even back then was to music of Central Asia, Mexico, How Can I Keep From Talking dig beneath the surface and South America, Indonesia & Uncle Ruthie Buell uncover the world of folk and tra- more. To find out more about Halfway Down the Stairs ditional music, dancing, story- Smithsonian Folkways, check Joanna Cazden The Voices in my Head telling and related folk arts. This out www.folkways.si.edu and Valerie Cooley, That Reminds Me... has become our mantra. What we sample some of the sounds. Richard Gee find interesting is that the more SONES Folkways Recordings is part Law Talk A people we talk to about what we of the Smithsonian Center for Roger Goodman are doing, the more we uncover SONY FolkLife and Cultural Heritage. Keys to the Highway the depth and breadth of world O BY We had the pleasure this past fall Dennis Roger Reed culture. Everyone involved has PHOT of going to Washington, DC and Reed’s Ramblings his/her own perspective of what BY LEDA & STEVE SHAPIRO meeting with several wonderful Dave Soyars, Dave’s Corner “folk” is. people who have the vision that Larry Wines, Tied to the Tracks Our cover story this issue is written by Larry Wines “folk” and traditional music is living history. We talked EDITORS who, last year, helped produce Desert Song Music to them at length and found (as we expected we might) David Ascher • Marie Bruno Mary Pat Cooney • Britt Nicole-Peterson Festival in Lancaster. It featured many of the finest we shared a common view of “folk.” They produce a Diane Sherman singer-songwriters in the greater LA area, and some are great (and huge) annual free festival in DC at the begin- CONTRIBUTING WRITERS featured in his piece. In the 1950s and 1960s, these ning the summer. This coming year will feature musi- Hector Bezanis • Linda Dewar singer-songwriters called themselves folksingers. cians, dancers, craftspeople, and cooks from Sultanate Cliff Furnold • Betty Herman Somewhere along the line, they collectively found that of Oman which lies on the east coast of the Arabian Cait Reed • Tom Schulte the label “folk” had a stigma and dropped it. We, how- Peninsula facing the Arabian Sea. We encourage you to DISTRIBUTION Brooke Alberts • Mary Dolinskis ever, find that it is an apt description that should be pro- look at www.folklife.si.edu and, if you were planning a Marge Gajicki • Richard Gee moted. As we’ve said before, we see folk in the broad- trip to DC (particularly if you have children old enough Cliff Gilpatric • Scot Hickey est possible, non-exclusive terms. to appreciate this experience), plan it coincide with the Sue Hunter • Julie James FolkWorks celebrates the traditional and contempo- festival. Dennis Louie • Nan McKinley rary cultures that are community based. We build on the During our visit, we met with Nancy Groce, Gretchen Naticchia • Bill Ossa Bea Romano • Daria Simolke efforts of ethnomusicologists like Alan Lomax, Bess Curator, and Richard Burgess, Director of Marketing Stan Smith • Mimi Tanaka Lomax Hawes, Cecil Sharpe and others. We also take and Sales. They were both quite encouraging to us and Lynn Worrilow • John Wygonski our cue from the work of Moses Asch, the founder of generously donated CDs to FolkWorks to encourage LOGO DESIGN Folkways Records in New York, mentioned before in your support. Check out page 27 for details about Tim Steinmeier these pages. He recorded and archived what he called becoming a FolkWorks member and see the new CDs Thanks to all those who have supported and “peoples music” (which included folksingers, tradition- available as premiums. inspired us, especially Warren Casey of the al artists, poets, spoken-word artists, etc.) from around So what do you think folk music is? We’d like to Wicked Tinkers. the world. Many of the recordings that he produced are hear from you and see what you think. Send us e-mail Published bi-monthly by FolkWorks a 501 still among our favorites. or talk to us at one of the many concerts and festivals (c)(3) non-profit organization an affiliate of Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS). Moe passed away in 1986. His estate was acquired that we are lucky enough to have available here in BOARD OF DIRECTORS by the Smithsonian Institute in 1987 and it continues Southern California. Brooke Alberts • Linda Dewar Kay Gilpatric • Roger Goodman Don Kiger • Holly Kiger • Gitta Morris Steve Shapiro • Mimi Tanaka IN THIS ISSUE Monika White • Ron Young EDITORIAL....................................................................2 Leda Shapiro, Executive Director KEYS TO THE HIGHWAY ......................................... 4 ADVISORY BOARD WANTED THE HARMONIC OVERTONE SERIES Bill Howard • Howard & Roz Larman MUSICIANS FOR HIRE ............................................. 5 Colin Quigley • Lisa Richardson THE VOICES IN MY HEAD ....................................... 5 Tom Sauber THE FLU FIGHTERS TIED TO THE TRACK ............................................... 6 CONTACT INFORMATION VOLUNTEERS TO HELP SONGWRITER RESOURCES P.O. Box 55051, Sherman Oaks, CA 91413 DAVE’S CORNER ........................................................ 8 Phone: 818-785-3839 COMMENTS & REVIEWS [email protected] • www.FolkWorks.org PERFECT STRANGERS...............................................9 ©2005 FolkWorks All Rights Reserved • DISTRIBUTE • REED’S RAMBLINGS .............................................. 10 WRITING SONGS THAT DON’T SELL CD REVIEWS ........................................................ 11-12 ON-GOING STORYTELLING EVENTS ................ 12 • CO-ORDINATE CONTENT • ON-GOING MUSIC HAPPENINGS ........................ 13 CALENDAR OF EVENTS.................................... 14-15 AD RATES ON-GOING DANCE HAPPENINGS........................ 16 Size 1 X 3X 6X CD REVIEWS ............................................................. 17 Full Pg $660 $600 $550 • RESEARCH • ...THAT REMINDS ME ............................................. 18 1/2 pg $385 $350 $300 A HANDFUL OF SONGS 1/4 pg $235 $210 $185 GLOBETROTTING FOLK ENTREPRENEUR ..... 19 1/8 pg $150 $125 $100 INTERVIEW WITH BRETT PERKINS UNCLE RUTHIE..........................................................20 1/16 pg $85 $75 $65 MOSTLY MUSICAL ADVENTURES IN A DOLPHIN MOTOR HOME SPECIFICATIONS LET US SING LOUDLY..............................................21 Full Pg............................ 9.5 x 15" SACRED HARP CONVENTION DRAWS SINGERS TO L.A. 1/2 pg H ................... 9.5 x 7.375" PAINT YOUR WAGON BRINGS GREAT MUSIC, FOLK AMERICANA TO LA STAGE ..................... 21 1/4 pg V................ 4.625 x 7.375" LAW TALK ................................................................. 22 1/8 pg H................ 4.625 x 3.625" LEGAL ADVICE FOR THE FOLK MUSIC COMMUNITY 1/16 pg V ........................... 2 x 3" LOOKAROUND .......................................................... 23 1/16 pg H ........................... 3 x 2" HOW CAN I KEEP