Falcon Ridge 2007
Well! Another year, another Falcon Ridge. There was sun, there was rain. There was music and friendship. What more can anyone want? I got home at about 10:10 PM Sunday night and as usual, that first shower felt absolutely amazing. Before the freshness of the weekend wears off, here are my quick hit thoughts and impressions.
Defining musical moment of the weekend: During Gandalf Murphy's set, he had Dar Williams and John Gorka up to play Peace Train. During the song, which happened to be at just about twilight, 3 doves on stilts started moving through the crowd. Then, a hawk on stilts came in from the other side. They moved toward each other and the doves surrounded the hawk. The combined energy of the band and the birds just made for one of those occasions of surreal joy. That's corny to say, I know, but it's what I felt. Everyone on stage was having an absolute blast and the stilt-walkers just totally made it complete. They returned for the Gospel Wake Up on Sunday, too. There were loads of great sets overall. Standouts for me, not surprisingly, included Dar, Eddie From Ohio, and the Glengarry Bhoys. I didn't see too many "whole sets" because I was running around so much, but did enjoy what I heard from John Gorka, Mary Gauthier, Richard Shindell, Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry, The Strangelings, Lowen & Navarro and, well, I can't say that I heard much I didn't like. I certainly spent a few bucks at the CD tent!
(side note = did a Google search to find the Strangelings website which is apparently just a Myspace page - naturally their friends included the Kennedys myspace page, and their icon of the moment is a photo I took a few years ago. A couple more are in the pics gallery - very flattering! Ya never know what you are going to find on the web - that makes two images of mine I have found in Myspace user icons.)
New ASL sign: Thanks to the always unpredictable humor of Mike from Eddie from Ohio, I got to see/learn a new sign: wedgie. It pretty much looks just like the real thing. Thanks for the educational opportunity, Mike! He also got Jennifer, their set's interpreter, to do "carp" repeatedly. Looking forward to seeing those shots...
Most beautiful but poorly timed musical moment: Saturday morning at the workshop stage during the International workshop, Annie Wenz started it off with a GORGEOUS tune on her Vietnamese (I think) flute. The moment she played the last note, the skies just opened up and dumped a nice bit of rain on us. I told her next time to start with a sun song :-)
Emerging Artist Showcase. I always seem to miss a lot of the folks who play this, but what I did hear was outstanding. Picking only 3 was really tough. Most intriguing re-purposing of an instrument was Lindsey Mac who played a cello like a guitar. No joke! Also was glad to finally here Vienna Teng and see what the buzz has been about - she's great! My friend Chris O'Brien also played.. I know him from days backstage at the Newport Folk Festival, so it was fun to see him playing his songs on stage. There really were a lot of great musicians in that 4.5 hour stretch. It will be very interesting to see who makes the Most Wanted Song Swap for 2008
Odd moment: I didn't see much of them but the Jimmy Sturr Orchestra on Friday night brought their big band/polka to the fest. Someone off to the side was blowing big bubbles across the crowd, which caused one person to comment, "It's the Lawrence Welk Show!"
Most random moment: I had gotten some basic foam knee pads to help protect my knees when on the hard ground with its hard grass. At one point a little girl, about 9 years old, walks up to me and says "what are those?" and gave me the third degree (nicely but still...). Then she said, "want a mint?" while holding up a container of tic tacs. Yes, I had a mint.
Friends friends friends. Some faces I always hope to see were missing, like my pals Alan Rowoth and Kellie Lin Knott, but there were so many others I am always happy to see as well as new folks to meet. I know I am going to miss people so I apologize in advance for losing so many brain cells to the heat this weekend if I forget people, but I saw (in no particular order): valjean615, jianantonic, passive_passion, somechicksings, rekling, folktraveler, jen_tel, lgbtech, onesmallheart, , phantomsmom, saschaloves, natertots, epheremelda, Jill and Julius, Sharon and Jessie, Susan, Steven, Deb, Jody and Wallace, Dave and Margo, Nancy, Bill, Trung, Pam, Julie, Kerry and Jill, Pete, Jake, Tina, Sheila and Bob, Fern, Joanne, Candy, Stuart, Cliff, Jeff, Debi and John, and of course all of the great musicians. There were hugs everywhere, and they really do do a body good.
The new tradition of Camp Dar Camp's being neighbors with Camp Edhead/The Pirate's Patch/The Lobby is a perfect one for me as it brings together so many of the folks I seek out at the festival anyway. I never made it up the hill to the Budgiedome, and there was no BOT this year :-( But there was plenty happening at our spot at the juncture of Upper and Lower Ledge Camping. All of Eddie from Ohio (except Bob the sound/tour guy who wasn't at the fest this year) made it to the Lobby Saturday night. And then Annie Wenz and Dan Navarro regaled us with stories and their great company until about 3 AM.
I even had my own mondegreens over the weekend, starting at the traditional Camp Dar Camp pre-fest dinner at the Martindale diner. I was telling one friend about my fisheye camera and pinhole body cap for the Nikon to satisfy my artsy fartsy moments. So I told Joanne, "when I get into an artsy fartsy mode, I don't go load up on Velvia and shoot flowers". The people around me thought I said Velveeta. I am sure it sounded like quite the non-sequitor to stuff myself with something resembling cheese and then photograph flowers. *smirk*
I shot 30 rolls of film in the new Nikon and 2 on the Lomo Fisheye camera. I think that, of all of the photographers who had passes this year, I was the only one still shooting film. Until I can't get my Fujipress 1600 or get the push processing done anymore, I am comfortable sticking with film. Call me stubborn, I don't care.
I am still really tired but in a good way. If my feet would only recover from their near-blister experience of Saturday, I'd be in business. I definitely need to work on core body strength for next year as my back probably got the most tired. It would probably also help if I didn't schlep so much stuff around... Time for bed. I hope the cat spares me a bit more tonight and does not wake me at 4, 5, 5:30 and 6.
Photos to come........
Defining musical moment of the weekend: During Gandalf Murphy's set, he had Dar Williams and John Gorka up to play Peace Train. During the song, which happened to be at just about twilight, 3 doves on stilts started moving through the crowd. Then, a hawk on stilts came in from the other side. They moved toward each other and the doves surrounded the hawk. The combined energy of the band and the birds just made for one of those occasions of surreal joy. That's corny to say, I know, but it's what I felt. Everyone on stage was having an absolute blast and the stilt-walkers just totally made it complete. They returned for the Gospel Wake Up on Sunday, too. There were loads of great sets overall. Standouts for me, not surprisingly, included Dar, Eddie From Ohio, and the Glengarry Bhoys. I didn't see too many "whole sets" because I was running around so much, but did enjoy what I heard from John Gorka, Mary Gauthier, Richard Shindell, Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry, The Strangelings, Lowen & Navarro and, well, I can't say that I heard much I didn't like. I certainly spent a few bucks at the CD tent!
(side note = did a Google search to find the Strangelings website which is apparently just a Myspace page - naturally their friends included the Kennedys myspace page, and their icon of the moment is a photo I took a few years ago. A couple more are in the pics gallery - very flattering! Ya never know what you are going to find on the web - that makes two images of mine I have found in Myspace user icons.)
New ASL sign: Thanks to the always unpredictable humor of Mike from Eddie from Ohio, I got to see/learn a new sign: wedgie. It pretty much looks just like the real thing. Thanks for the educational opportunity, Mike! He also got Jennifer, their set's interpreter, to do "carp" repeatedly. Looking forward to seeing those shots...
Most beautiful but poorly timed musical moment: Saturday morning at the workshop stage during the International workshop, Annie Wenz started it off with a GORGEOUS tune on her Vietnamese (I think) flute. The moment she played the last note, the skies just opened up and dumped a nice bit of rain on us. I told her next time to start with a sun song :-)
Emerging Artist Showcase. I always seem to miss a lot of the folks who play this, but what I did hear was outstanding. Picking only 3 was really tough. Most intriguing re-purposing of an instrument was Lindsey Mac who played a cello like a guitar. No joke! Also was glad to finally here Vienna Teng and see what the buzz has been about - she's great! My friend Chris O'Brien also played.. I know him from days backstage at the Newport Folk Festival, so it was fun to see him playing his songs on stage. There really were a lot of great musicians in that 4.5 hour stretch. It will be very interesting to see who makes the Most Wanted Song Swap for 2008
Odd moment: I didn't see much of them but the Jimmy Sturr Orchestra on Friday night brought their big band/polka to the fest. Someone off to the side was blowing big bubbles across the crowd, which caused one person to comment, "It's the Lawrence Welk Show!"
Most random moment: I had gotten some basic foam knee pads to help protect my knees when on the hard ground with its hard grass. At one point a little girl, about 9 years old, walks up to me and says "what are those?" and gave me the third degree (nicely but still...). Then she said, "want a mint?" while holding up a container of tic tacs. Yes, I had a mint.
Friends friends friends. Some faces I always hope to see were missing, like my pals Alan Rowoth and Kellie Lin Knott, but there were so many others I am always happy to see as well as new folks to meet. I know I am going to miss people so I apologize in advance for losing so many brain cells to the heat this weekend if I forget people, but I saw (in no particular order): valjean615, jianantonic, passive_passion, somechicksings, rekling, folktraveler, jen_tel, lgbtech, onesmallheart, , phantomsmom, saschaloves, natertots, epheremelda, Jill and Julius, Sharon and Jessie, Susan, Steven, Deb, Jody and Wallace, Dave and Margo, Nancy, Bill, Trung, Pam, Julie, Kerry and Jill, Pete, Jake, Tina, Sheila and Bob, Fern, Joanne, Candy, Stuart, Cliff, Jeff, Debi and John, and of course all of the great musicians. There were hugs everywhere, and they really do do a body good.
The new tradition of Camp Dar Camp's being neighbors with Camp Edhead/The Pirate's Patch/The Lobby is a perfect one for me as it brings together so many of the folks I seek out at the festival anyway. I never made it up the hill to the Budgiedome, and there was no BOT this year :-( But there was plenty happening at our spot at the juncture of Upper and Lower Ledge Camping. All of Eddie from Ohio (except Bob the sound/tour guy who wasn't at the fest this year) made it to the Lobby Saturday night. And then Annie Wenz and Dan Navarro regaled us with stories and their great company until about 3 AM.
I even had my own mondegreens over the weekend, starting at the traditional Camp Dar Camp pre-fest dinner at the Martindale diner. I was telling one friend about my fisheye camera and pinhole body cap for the Nikon to satisfy my artsy fartsy moments. So I told Joanne, "when I get into an artsy fartsy mode, I don't go load up on Velvia and shoot flowers". The people around me thought I said Velveeta. I am sure it sounded like quite the non-sequitor to stuff myself with something resembling cheese and then photograph flowers. *smirk*
I shot 30 rolls of film in the new Nikon and 2 on the Lomo Fisheye camera. I think that, of all of the photographers who had passes this year, I was the only one still shooting film. Until I can't get my Fujipress 1600 or get the push processing done anymore, I am comfortable sticking with film. Call me stubborn, I don't care.
I am still really tired but in a good way. If my feet would only recover from their near-blister experience of Saturday, I'd be in business. I definitely need to work on core body strength for next year as my back probably got the most tired. It would probably also help if I didn't schlep so much stuff around... Time for bed. I hope the cat spares me a bit more tonight and does not wake me at 4, 5, 5:30 and 6.
Photos to come........