DBT #293 SERFA 2024
Ever since FARM in Oct 2022, we figured some day we'll go back to a regional Folk Alliance. Then when we were talking about a trip to go to Jacksonville area to visit my wife's sister Kim, I started thinking what music could we see along the way. Of course Merle Fest was high on the list, but somehow I came across SERFA being held at a retreat in Black Mountain NC right outside of Asheville. We'll that's more up our sleeves than fighting crowds, driving to and from a hotel early and late at night. Plus getting to hang up close with so many people who share our interests, including maybe 120 artists!?! We might have been the first to buy tickets when the went on sale, and we were set. I'll tell you now that my gut feel was totally right; excellent location, new and old voices, Southern heritage, and truly warm people. I found this video if you need any more hype.
Our neighbor Rachel took on the responsibility of feeding and checking on the kittens daily. Yes we normally put out food for 3 days and forget them, but Pete & Pat are notorious for knocking stuff over. Yes by the end of the 11 day trip, I was missing these three.
Of course before we left on Thursday I felt I had to get the potatoes and onions in the ground, plus get the new garden setup for planting when we got back. Dang if I didn't get a huge sliver in my right index finger on Monday that became totally infected by Thursday morning that my whole right arm ached. Ok we started our trip 2.5 hours late to go to Urgent Care and get antibiotics. Yes my left hand was recovering yet from trigger finger surgery and the right now was puffy and hurt. Later by Saturday I was squeezing the finger and a massive twig came out. Here you go, that spear was inside me. TMI? Well I share that to ask for forgiveness for the wobbly videos you will see in this post; boy neither hand was cooperating and trying to write notes in the conference book was not happening.
My left hand just a month before:
We reconnected with friends Siena Christie, Katie Dahl, and Karen and Clint of Stone & Snow. I had seen Amy Speace was at the conference and I found my way to see her in a private showcase. I thought I had missed Rachael Sage all together but she replaced someone in a private showcase. Private showcases, come on now, within in four hotel room walking distance to our bedroom; yep stayed up way too late on Saturday night. In the end 33 videos I edited and posted to my Around Town playlist. Yes I normally put a playlist at the end of the posts; but here you can have the link to Around Town, skip around and do it without my words; either way enjoy the music.
Arriving Friday in the afternoon, I noted they had a Song Circle on "Hope and Triumph" and made my way to it. I guess they had a bunch of them on themes and it's all about signing up and singing when it's your turn. It was a wonderful experience to hear a lot of people but terrible on knowing who in the world was singing. They would shyly say their name barely in a room not amplified. I still love the format; but it would have been nice if the host handed out a list of performers after it was over (copy machines were in the office) I loved that Sage (Siena) Christie was the closer and sang Name on a List (a song for Zara Alvarez) and got the biggest applause. I don't remember this offering at FARM, here's a taste with song snippets.
Now the analytical person would continue to take all the videos chronologically (which is in that separate playlist at the end), but I would be worried that you will get bored an miss some of my favorite videos and stories.
Let's start it off with one of the last songs I heard Saturday sometime around midnight. When I saw that Amy Speace was at Southeast Regional Folk Alliance, I was hoping to get an opportunity to hear her live for the first time in around 15 years (last time was at the 2009 Great River Folk Fest); and it took to about midnight on Saturday! I couldn't believe the last song she did was one of my all-time favorite and a regular song that would show up in my tear down playlists after gigs. I was so happy, and because of Amy I kept going for another couple hours of listening to music in other private showcases. It was just too late to call it a night.
So tough to record music in most private showcases because first if I don't stay in the same room, it's hard to get up front without looking like an ass. Second the lighting and room acoustics can be tough. Here's a snippet video of several stops the night I listened to Amy, Rachael Sage, Jess Klein and Adrian & Meredith in the Music in Common showcase. Yes the one in the chapel with great lighting and wine shared... yum. Sinful because there was a sign the sad no food or beverage in the chapel. Definitely if you are a first timer, get plenty of rest before coming to the conference so that you can stay up each night until 2:00.
That night I did get this awesome video of a digital friend Erin Ash Sullivan singing an old traditional song made famous by Joan Baez with her daughter Emma Frances. I did not know that was her daughter until the next day and I have now bought everything her daughter has put out in Bandcamp. She's an apple that didn't fall too far from the tree.
Coning to SERFA we knew we would run into friends, like Karen and Clint with Stone & Snow:
They had an official showcase on Friday and here was their opening song; and yes for friends I did record and post their other two songs. I left the intro off the last song, because the story is intense and deserves to be heard live only.
Now we are going to the Moccasin Creek Festival after our first in 2022 and we're going to see Jess Klein. Here are the two songs I recorded from Jess that weekend. "Annie's Place" so reminded of my "Denim and Lace" because I wrote "Linda's Place" into the song. I couldn't make up my mind what of her's to buy on Bandcamp, so I bought the whole library. If you aren't that committed yet, pick the "When We Rise" because it has "Annie Place" and a bunch of other songs I've favorited in my short time listening.
The studio version is great!
Here's one of the three songs she shared in her official showcase; both Lori and I said wow she would make a great house concert. The intro follows the music and yes this was inspired by a National Folk Alliance conference. Truly it's a gospel of or for independent musicians.
One of the real finds for me that will stick a long time started as a guest appearance on one great traditional music interpreter Nicholas Edward Williams. During his official showcase he brought up Meredith for percussive dancing during Shake Sugaree (who I figured out was from Adrian & Meredith), and I was wow'd again. (Yes I broke my one song rule to tape this song) Like I said I'm highlighting my wow's first but the whole conference was incredible.
Here's the other song I recorded from Nicholas, and the story behind why "Too Many Mirrors" was really funny. It's joined in progress but it was going to a pool with his dad; and seeing too many naked men in a gym.
Ok, after I saw that smile dancing her heart out, I need to hear more from her solo act. and that night we had a chance to catch them in a private showcase that I didn't get a video from; but the next night I had a chance to get a couple at that great showcase put on by Music in Common. I had a chance to talk to them after the showcase, and curious to find out that Adrian sounds like a deep southern accent but is from WISCONSIN too. He had noticed my Packer shirt I was wearing. Boy I love these two.
At the Friday evening private showcase "Bad Ass Women" that I first heard Adrian & Meredith; we had a funny thing happen. Lori for some reason thought we might need a credit card to buy music or snacks. (Performers didn't drag merch around and snacks and adult beverages are given out free at the private showcases) She for some reason checked her pockets to see that it was missing. Frantically yet quietly she was searching around her chair when a women said "Are you looking for something?" Lori quietly said her card, and the woman figured she was the one who picked it up. She reached in her purse and then gave Lori her own CC by mistake. Lori laughed and asked for her credit limit, but then she looked harder to find Lori's and dang they were indentical looking. A few minutes later we listened to her and her partner in the showcase. The Magnolia Janes won our hearts and we offered them a house concert as we saw Sarah and Ashley in the hall later. So you can see why I didn't take too many videos in that showcase; we weren't in the front row, it was dark, and like normal unmic'd. Still with such a connection; I had to take a video. Later we helped fund their album in Kickstarter.
In another official showcase, I loved Admiral Radio so much that they another follow that I'll make forever. I have started buying their music on Bandcamp including this great song about taking the "Slow Lane". It didn't hurt that they had such a talented fiddle and bass player join them. After the conference they found themselves headed for the Kerrville Folk Fest as "New Folk" competition. While they joined the Kerrville Club 7 with Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett as coming in short of winning, this song was as named as a International Bluegrass Music Association's top ten songs for Songwriter Showcase
Here's the studio version.
It was our second chance to see Ordinary Elephant in a night of four consecutive couples in the official showcases. You know that's right up my alley; all but Couldn't be Happiers would fit in the corner of our house concert room. We first saw Ordinary Elephant at the 2023 Mile of Music and as I said in the video, they are far from ordinary. Rich traditional sounding originals, and so clean that the harmonies can bring you to tears.
Speaking of Couldn't be Happiers, I loved how we ran into them the day before walking along; and we talked about there being 4 married couples in a row. I jokingly said, you have time to get a divorce; nah they are definitely too happy for such a thing. I loved how sparkly Jodi was that night that I did take two videos. Of course like Karen Carpenter, you just couldn't see it as well behind the drum set.
I'm not done really highlighting my memories, and if and when I come back to add more to this post; it will be added RIGHT Here. At least I can go to Moccasin Creek Festival this week knowing this post is finally about 90% done.
At the beginning I promised you a playlist of JUST SERFA videos (currently at 33) in chronological order, so here is your ONE Click playlist.
Next steps:
- Stop over to the Review page to my other most spinned and loved albums.
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- Let me answer why you won't find the playlists on Spotify here.
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