The Low-Down on Summerfolk ‘07

August 21, 2007

That’s it for another year folks!! Sunday night has come and gone. The Jim Cuddy Band proved to be an amazing choice for the headliner. Stan Rogers’ son Nathan sang his father’s song “The Mary-Ellen Carter” admirably. As we drifted out of the Kelso beach amphitheatre I felt those post-Summerfolk blues creeping in. There were so many amazing musical moments that, as per usual, I was left wondering why life can’t always be Summerfolk.

Highlights for this writer included the wry and wise Bob Snider who’s honest and humble storytelling songs always bring a smile to my face. Friends tell me that you can still catch Bob busking his new material down in Kensington Market, one of my favorite places on the planet. Roxanne Potvin blew us all away with her powerful blues work on the electric guitar and her sexy innuendos about the dentist who fills her cavity. Dala’s harmonies were just as moving this year as last, and the Undesirables never seem to fail at putting together a passionate show that rings true with down and out country blues tinged with romance and a love of late nights and glittering glass bottles.

Another story from 2007’s Summerfolk experience was the presence of Nathan Rogers, the son of Canadian folk legend Stan Rogers. I first heard Nathan play when he was 16 years old and we were hanging around in the volunteer campground. That summer he played a cover of the Indigo Girls song, “Closer to Fine” and his voice was understandably a little immature. Well, things have changed, and the man has moved into his voice. It just so happens that his voice is eerily like his fathers. Sometimes I would hear him singing from far off (his voice is powerful, just shy of booming) and would stop in my tracks with the feeling that I was hearing a ghost. Then he would start doing his throat singing with those eerie whistling overtones and I knew he wasn’t a Stan Rogers sound alike. He is Stan’s son and has biologically been gifted with his father’s voice but he is pushing his art into unexplored territory.

Mose Scarlett was impressive as always, with a seemingly endless catalog of old ragtime songs and old sounding originals. Peter Judd, this years Last Chance Saloon winner more than held his own playing amoungst so many legends of folk. His original material was complimented on stage by many of the folks he got to play with. Hopefully this experience can be the lift that makes his musical career!

The Samba Band was a powerhouse of Central American rhythms, with each member playing a simple, repetitive part and the collective creating an absolutely infectious syncopation. Their participatory dance workshop was a huge hit. Their music was incredibly tight. The only recommendation this writer has for festival organizers is to keep in mind how loud the Samba crew is.

This roving reporter went from their dance class to a more acoustic show at the gazebo and found that the Samba Band’s rhythms were definitely bleeding into the gazebo’s sound. It must have been hard for Dala, the Undesirables and The Farewell Drifters to hear themselves think, let alone hold their rhythms.

Campground favorite Shaman Ayerhart made a successful transition into playing the festival which was a real heart warmer for those of us who have been jamming with him for years over on the other side of the road. The man is incredibly talented and can switch between mandolin, fiddle, guitar or lap steel guitar on a dime. He is so loved in the Kelso beach campground that he ended up spending all of Friday and Saturday night jamming around campfires rather than mingling with his heroes up at the motel. We didn’t mind, and we especially didn’t mind when he was gracious enough to invite us up to the motel for some serious jamming on Sunday night. More about this in a future post!

In the crafts field this year we felt that one amoungst many noteworthy craftspeople was Ron Schweitzer of Outside Instruments. Ron makes instruments out of recycled material. He gets his woods from such sources as old doorframes, and the body of his guitars are made from such supplies as salad bowls and frying pans. He had everything from mandolins, banjos, fretless basses and guitars, not to mention several well-made hand drums. He is a local artisan who has just moved to Owen Sound in the past year. He works hard at his art producing valuable and unique instruments, and he deserves our support. He can be reached by emailing outsideinstruments@bmts.com We will soon be doing an artist profile for him here at theOwen.com, so stay tuned for that.

The Jim Cuddy Band Finally, this reporter was seriously impressed with headliner Jim Cuddy and his band. I remember the last time this band headlined the festival I felt like I was listening to cheesy adult contemporary music streamed in from the Country Music Television channel. Back then I found Cuddy’s music was so simpering that I felt that Summerfolk had made a huge mistake inviting him back. Things seem to have changed however. This year his band was incredibly tight and atmospheric. One might almost be tempted to call them jammy, though their jams were tasteful and not in the least self-indulgent. Their interpretations of Blue Rodeo songs were fantastic, and Jim’s voice was unbelievable! Passionate songs tinged with country blues, gospel, the rollicking folk-rock of The Band, and just a touch of the atmospheric psychedelia of the Grateful Dead. Really a better choice couldn’t have been made for the headlining act. My apologies to Richard Knechtel for ever doubting his decision!

And of course a huge thanks out to Richard and Brenda Scott and all the less public figures who were so vital to organizing Summerfolk this summer. We saw our friend Dan Beaulieu down at the site all week, sweaty and stressed about the set-up, and we would like to send out a special thanks to him for all his hard work. It really payed of Dan!! Let’s see, have we forgotten anyone? Of course! The volunteers! Since we here at theOwen.com enjoyed the festival so much we need to send a huge thanks out to the six hundred or more volunteers who worked so hard to make Summerfolk happen. You were all so helpful and full of smiles during the weekend! You are a vital part of this festival and so we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Summerfolk was a huge success as evidenced by the gaping sadness in my heart due to it’s absence. But just think, only 360 days until Summerfolk next year!! Can’t wait to see all you Summerfolk friends again!

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The Low-Down on Summerfolk ‘07

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