From: lopresti@henson.cc.wwu.edu (lopresti robert)
Subject: vanc
Organization: Western Washington University
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 23:51:05 GMT


Here's a too-long review of the Vancouver Folk Festival, for such as
may care.
   
I went to the Vancouver (BC) FOlk Festival last weekend
(July 17-19) and had a terrific time.  I was a little antsy
about it because there were very
few people there I considered "big names," defined as people I
really wanted to see.  In a way this was good
as it took the pressure off to
rush here there and everywhere.
 
This was the fifteenth annual VFF.  It is held on Jericho Beach, a 
beautiful park about fifteen minutes from the heart of
downtown, overlooking the downtown area
and the mountains to the North.  My mathematically inclined 
friend guessed that there were five to then thousand people
in attendence (too many for my taste).  All day Sat and Sunday 
there were six stages running and there 
were three evening concerts.
 
Highlights included:
 
Moxy Fruvous - Picture Rockapella with politics.  4 guys from Ontario
Moxy Fruvous - Picture Rockapella with politics.  Four guys from Ontario
doing gorgeous harmony with lunatic songs about Canadian politics and
other topics (their rap version of Green Eggs and Ham is a killer).  Most
of the people I talked to thought MF was the surprise hit of the fest.
(In fact we liked it so much that on Wednesday we went to see Moxy at
the Vancouver East Cultural Centre.  They are amazing.)
 
Buffy Saint-Marie - a surprise 
addition (she asked to come, after the
posters were printed up).  She was the closing act on Saturday's concert
which ran late, squeezing her time, but she came through like a trouper,
rushing from guitar to mouthbow to MIDI with minimum chat and maximum
music.  From the moment she started with "Piney Wood Hills" I was
enchanted...the voice is as stunning as ever.  The songs from her new CD
were powerful political pieces (powerful musically too) but the
crowd was irritated by the synthesizer she played them on.  It did make
things
sound recorded.  At a workshop the next day she analyzed one of her
songs, "Fallen Angels."  She argued that people in government are "power
junkies," and said, approximately, "you give addicts compassion, but you
don't give them the keys to the car or the reigns of the world."
 
Peggy Seeger and Irene Scott - Yes, that's Pete's half-sister, Ewan
MacColl's old partner.  The two women
call themselves "No Spring Chickens."  They were very good.
 
Ian Stanton  - A singer on disability causes
from Oldham, England.  Very sharp and witty.  He does a talking blues in
which he tries to rob a bank, but the security guard has to help him
get his wheelchair through the revolving door...  Good voice too.
 
Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter - Australian Aborigine activists.  THey sing
Western style protest music.
 
Chris Williamson - Very popular, very powerful voice.  When she sang
the waterfall song it seemed like half the crowd was on their feet singing
along.
 
Tufa - a part of Russia near Mongolia, also the name of a group.  They 
play traditional instruments and do "overtone singing" which can only be
described as two voices coming out of one throat.
 
Saffire, the Uppity Blues Women - Funny and so very good.  My favorite was
"Women, Don't Treat Your Man Like A Dog," which argued that dogs
are much more dependable them men.
 
And so on.  I would recommend 
seeing any of those above, especially Moxy Fruvous, Saffire, and
Ian Stanton.  Also Brigada Victor Jara (your standard Portuguese Cajun
bagpipe band).
 
           THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED HERE ARE SOLELY MY OWN, BUT YOU CAN
                          BORROW THEM FOR TWO WEEKS
Robert Lopresti                                  "Nothing sells better than
Wilson Library                                    hypothetical civil
rights." 
Western Washington University                            -Moxy Fruvous
Bellingham, WA                                           
98225-9103                    lopresti@henson.cc.wwu.edu
 
 
 
 
henson[3]: 


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