Steve Dulson said, "But Kate, did you have a good time up north? :)
Oh my yes. (I hope to writer up a more formal piece, & submit it our local
paper about this experience--which I will share with all of you when it
gets done as it is somewhat Joni related.)
First of all let me say that the name FOLK alliance is deceiving. There is a
lot of different music there. What is folk music anyway? If you like really
great live performances by really great songwriters (great melodies, lyrics,
grooves)who can really play their instruments well, then this is what you
will find at the Folk Alliance. AND people from all over the world come to
this event. It isn't your traditional folk kind of music, though there is
plenty of that I am sure. For those of you who like the music of Jonatha,
John Gorka, Ani, DiFranco, Aimee Mann, etc. --it is this kind of quality of
music that is spilling out all over the place.
When I first arrived at the Hyatt, Steve & Michele walked me around a bit to
get me orientated. He pointed out Phil Ochs sister (I grew up loving Phil) &
another founder of (what was it Steve, do you remember?) & introduced me to
someone who worked at Dirty Linen Magazine. I began to get the feeling that
this was going to be an incredible weekend surrounded by so much vibrant
music. The music was everywhere. In hotel rooms, in stairwells, in lobby
corners, in hallways. Playing real good for free!!!!
Vancouver is stunningly beautiful. It rivals the beauty of my hometown--dare
I say, maybe even more beautiful? Stephen was a terrific host & the
restaurant he took us too was superb! I wish I had more time to see the
sites of the area & will definitely return. Like Steve D said, what
incredible company it was, an international group if ever there was one.
Wally was wonderful to meet, it almost felt as if he was one of our hosts as
he had been there for some time & knew a lot about the area.
Steve & Michele were really kind & sweet to stay up to hear me play on
Saturday night. It was a late night, after many late nights in a row & I
really really appreciate that kind of generous support. BTW, the back stage
was a room next door to Taylor & on the other side was the ASCAP stage. Back
stage with me was Jennifer Kimball (Jonatha's old partner). I caught some of
her set but wasn't as impressed with her as I am with Jonatha- not to say
she wasn't good, just that her songs didn't stand out- (but at that point I
could have been on music overload anyway). Steve, I got to hear & speak with
Mary Gauthier too her songs are great & she is funny- talking about how she
had just won a very strange award, the GLAMA (gay, lesbian music award) for
Country!
Robert Corwin had an incredible display of photographs he has taken over the
years in the upstairs lobby of the hotel. Like Henry Diltz, his photos are a
wonderful & vibrant visual recording of music through the years. Beautiful
photos of a young Joni, CSNY, James Taylor, Sarah McL, Shawn Colvin & Mary
Chapin, Ani D, and many many more. Many were taken at festivals in a similar
environment to the Folk Alliance (though it was in a hotel). I spoke with
Robert at his booth on Saturday & he told me that he discovered many of
these photos for the first time, when getting his display together, & thanks
to modern technology (photoshop) was able to show them as some were not in
very good shape.
To my amazed delight, there he was at the Taylor showcase taking pictures! I
hope to be able to get one from him. What an incredible honor to be included
in that!
Oh YES, the elevators! They stopped working Saturday night so I got to walk
down the stairwell from the 3200 floor to the 2nd (where I was scheduled to
perform), carrying my very heavy guitar & a bag of cds & other guitar
paraphernalia. The security guys looked really really stressed, poor guys.
Drove from Vancouver to Seattle to fly back home. The wait was over an hour,
though when I got to the customs man, he let me through easily. PHEW. I had
heard stories of being charged heavily to bring an instrument across the
border. Fortunately, I had allowed some extra time so I got to the airport
in the nick of time.
My suitcase is still unpacked....
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Kate Bennett
www.katebennett.com
sponsored by Polysonics www.polysonics.com
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