doodles and thoughts: River City Music Festival 2012

Cedar Flats rehearses in a hallway

I spent this past weekend hearing band after band play at an indoor music festival. The Red Lion Hotel at Jantzen Beach was host to a few thousand music fans from Friday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. In keeping with the festival atmosphere there were also vendors with booths lining the long narrow hallway, and hotel rooms were converted to mini-shops selling guitars, violins, mandolins, and stone (handmade ceramic) slides for slide guitars.

People brought their stringed instruments along, in hopes of joining impromptu jam sessions in hallways and seating areas. My favorite jam sessions were those where the teenagers gathered to play. Their amazing skills and respect for the music is inspiring. They are generous and encouraging with each other, teaching new songs, going through the chord changes and lyrics and then, boom, off they go, playing the song unrehearsed! They understand the etiquette of the genre of bluegrass, mountain, or americana music, taking turns soloing, and knowing when the chorus or verse comes around. It is the oral tradition in action.

Pioneer Music's Mini Shop

Nicky Williams, spinner, knitter, quilter

Nicky's Shop

young musicians jam in a hallway

Vendors sold soaps, jams, knitted dishcloths, homemade chapstick, goatsmilk lotion, batik shirts, renaissance shirts, assemblage jewelry, silver jewelry, bling bling jewelry, pashminas, popcorn, breadboards, tie-dye t-shirts, and other soft 'festival' clothing.

I noticed people wearing t-shirts from previous festivals, particularly the from Winterfest, held in Bellevue, Washington in February. (Not one man was wearing 'designer' jeans, I realized later, that was refreshing. Well, perhaps some of the performers were wearing them). I overheard people talking to each other, asking what other festivals they've attended, finding common ground in their past shared experiences.

group rehearsing

The lineup of artists is staggered on the half hour, on two different stages, each set an hour long. Thus one can hear two groups every hour, if you are willing to change stages every thirty minutes. The turnaround between sets is quick, which keeps things on schedule.

Because Dave's band, Los Cowtones, played a two hour gig on Saturday night from 11pm-1am, I got an 'artist' wristband to wear for the weekend. Score!

Ray Wiley Hubbard gives a songwriter workshop Saturday morning

The groups that have stayed with me are Sierra Hull and Hwy 211, Rodney Crowell, Ray Wiley Hubbard, Peter Rowan and Joy Kills Sorrow. Sierra Hull is soon to be 21 years old, and three of her musicians are 19. The oldest is 25, old enough (finally) to rent a vehicle for the group. Sierra plays the mandolin so tastfully and artfully, her fingers fly so fast they don't even look like they are moving. We saw her two years ago at the bluegrass summer music festival in Stevenson, Washington. She is a mature musician for her young years. She is a Presidential Scholar, studying music at Berklee School of Music now.

Rodney Crowell writes poignant and funny songs. He's known for this lyric: it's hard to kiss the lips at night that chew your ass out all day long! Ray Wiley Hubbard is raw, gritty and downhome. His song about a Snake Farm cracked up the audience. Peter Rowan is an older, unassuming man with grey hair and black hat. I thought I saw him everywhere at the festival, but that was because there were many older gents at the festival in sport coats, with grey hair and black cowboy hats. Peter and his three band members transported us with every song. I found myself realizing this only when the song ended and reality returned. Wow. He took us someplace else and I never knew when we took off. Absolute magic.

Joy Kills Sorrow is a young group from Boston. Their sound blends the string/mountain/folk tradition with a new edge. They were definitely the most unique and original in their sound.