Real folk musicians can rarely sing. This is not actually a bad thing, though it makes reviewing shows challenging, since one doesn't want to seem rude or anything; saying someone can't sing (which, of course, means "can't sing well") might be taken as a criticism. It ain't!
In fact, (neverminding the fact that I also cannot sing, and couldn't even before I acquired my speech impediment), I actually feel suspicious of an alleged folk singer when they can sing well, mistrust their sincerity or something. If a folk group has beautiful harmonies and polished voices -- I guess I'm thinking Peter, Paul and Mary, here, with no intended disrespect for the recently-deceased Mr. Yarrow -- chances are you have a commercial act made up of professional performers that has been put together because they can do beautiful things with a tune, which means that someone wants to make some money; the Kingston Trio might be another example. It might have mass appeal, enough that the economic impetus makes sense, but it seldom has staying power. I presume that at least some people agree with me on these matters, because you sure do find a lot more Peter Paul and Mary and the Kingston Trio when you're thrifting than any other 1960s folk acts -- a testament simultaneously to how many records they sold at the time and how few people want them now.
This is all as it should be. Personally, I will take a folk singer who sings like a cat fucking over a Joan Baez every time (also no disrespect for the still-alive Ms. Baez; she has a gorgeous singing voice, it's just that her records kinda bore me [the song Judas Priest covered is pretty good, granted, but I prefer Priest's version]). My favourite folk vocalists are the ones who belt it out with 100% commitment, manic gusto, and total fuckin' idiosyncrasy (like Peter Stampfel, but we might also talk about Mr. Dylan or, say, Neil Young in this respect -- and note, I have more records by Neil Young in my collection than by any other single artist). The idea, here, I guess, is that a person who really loves music, who really knows music, and who really cares about playing it may or may not be gifted with a technically "beautiful" voice, but will not let this stop them; if they get far, it's based on purity of expression, not prettiness of delivery.
There was a whole lot of purity of expression goin' on at the WISE Hall Lounge yesterday, and it was absolutely great. There were no Peter Stampfels on hand (I wish!) -- no one with that level of cat-carousing gusto -- but there was also no question that the people in the room, performers and audience alike, were there for the right reasons: with Chris Gauthier (who didn't sing at all) shifting between dobro and pedal steel and Bob Blair and Sue Decker, the vocalists, playing more types of guitars than I could jot down the names for -- one of them I think was a Weissenborn, and Decker told a story about vastly overpaying customs charges on a pedal steel variant that sounded like a "Jo-El," which I remember only because I thought of local promoter/ performer Joelle May -- the gathered audience was treated to some of the best roots music playing and the most consistently mediocre vocal performances that I have heard onstage since I was last onstage myself (I jest, here -- I'm not a performer, I just get up there to go "eep" with David M. now and then). And I'm gonna go see some of the same folks again on Sunday, if the fates allow, to take in the Dobro Demolition Derby at the Heatley. I'm even going to bring gifts for a couple of the aforesaid (I told Bob Blair about Salvation on Sand Mountain, which I had planned to give to the Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter before she cancelled her Vancouver show, and now am re-purposing, because it's too fascinating a read to just sit there on my shelf; and I promised Sue Decker a CD of the Harlan County USA soundtrack, after she talked about Hazel Dickens -- whose voice also is an acquired taste -- as one of the greatest and most un-sung musicians in American history (she did a Hazel Dickens tune yesterday, in fact, though I didn't note down the name, but in trying to find it, I have discovered the terrific "Will Jesus Wash the Bloodstains from Your Hands," so that's a win, maybe even more potent than that John Prine flag decal tune, tho' clearly of the same mind).
The songs yesterday were mostly covers, though Decker did some originals, as well; sadly, the band ran out of time to do Blair's own original, "Snake Handling Man." Rick Blair, Bob's brother -- pictured on the right in the photo above -- joined the trio for an Ian Tyson song I don't know -- you can see it penciled-in between songs on the setlist -- called "Summer Wages," he told me later. He swapped with Decker for a later song, too. I wasn't taking written notes -- though by chance, I caught what for me was the high point of the set on video, "If I Could Only Fly" -- a song by Blaze Foley, who most people, I suspect, still know because of Lucinda Williams' "Drunken Angel" (or maybe Townes van Zandt's "Blaze's Blues"), though Ethan Hawke's movie about him might have helped.
Lu -- whose most famous cover, Decker also covered -- further came up in a story Decker told about being in Nashville, recording with Steve Dawson ("who I bet a lot of people in this room know... personally," she quipped; does having interviewed him count?), that saw her staying a few doors from Ms. Williams house, but I can't do it justice (she resisted the urge to stalk her, suffice to say). Note to self: I should tell Decker about sittin' behind the 90-year old friend of Lu's father, who was in the audience last time Lu played Vancouver at that Big Thief show. I was kind of irritated at how slowly the old boy made his way down the aisle to get to the washroom, crossing in front of me -- which he did a couple of times, as I recall, inspiring some un-Christian thoughts ("who is this codger?") as he blocked my view, but later was most impressed as he made his way backstage; if you haven't read Lu's book, she first met him in Vancouver; it's an interesting story.
Anyhow, back to "If I Could Only Fly," that song may be most widely known because Merle Haggard covered it, but I have as much Blaze in my roots music section as I have Merle, by which I mean, I have one record by each. That song was only the high point for me, understand, because I love it; musically, the best moment in the night was probably another song Merle Haggard sings -- and actually wrote, I think -- which Sue Decker did, which fit her voice perfectly and was probably the best vocal performance, all-round.
But Blair also shone on a Shel Silverstein song I didn't know -- originally recorded, I think, by Bobby Bare -- called "The Winner." Again, hard to tell, because I'm a Shel Silverstein fan too. Blair also movingly dedicated a song to pedal steel avant-gardist Susan Alcorn, who I wish now I'd seen while she was alive. I hadn't realized she'd died (he also namechecked the late Paul Plimley, though I missed how he connected with Alcorn; maybe they were on a bill together at the Western Front? Something like htat).
Blair didn't do any avant-garde music, rest assured!
There's lots else going on as part of the Cryin' Time festival this weekend (I posted the whole lineup here). Workshops kick off today at the WISE Hall around 1pm, as part of the main convention day, though I'm not sure how much of that is presentations, how much of that is how-to, and how much of that is playing. Talesha pointed me towards The Unbranded, later today at the Heatley, while I was considering Andrea Whitt at Green Auto; I gather that there's particular buzz around Brennen Leigh, too, on Sunday. Alas, Leigh's set conflicts with the Punk Rock Flea Market (I want to go see Gnash, aka Nicky Noodles, AKA Cam Templeton do some Huskee Dude stuff, and catch Philly's set; and I might bring a Japanese prison movie I found as a gift for Dan Scum, though maybe that's in bad taste?). I just might be able to do most of the Dobro Demolition Derby and then boot it down the block for 7pm?
But that's Sunday. I really don't know what I'm going to do today. It might not involve music at all! It won't be for lack of options.
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