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Photo special to the COURIER
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| Claremont’s own Ben Harper is the headliner of the Folk Festival. Mr. Harper will be performing a special benefit concert at Bridges Auditorium on May 4 along with Audioslave guitarist Tom Morrello. |
Do you didgeridoo? You might, if you attend the 27th Annual Claremont Folk Festival taking place at Sycamore Elementary School on Saturday, May 5. Didgeridoo workshops, led by Joel Harper, sibling of Claremont-native and well-known musician Ben Harper, are just one of many music and instrument workshops offered at the festival, which began in 1970 as a small gathering of musicians in Memorial Park.
The roots of the festival began when Dorothy Chase, co-founder of the Folk Music Center, Doug Thomson and a small group of dulcimer players began meeting together at the park on Indian Hill Boulevard. Ms. Chase, and her spouse, Charles, began the music center in 1958, introducing traditional and folk music to the region and offering music lessons and instrument building and repair. Sycamore Elementary School, the festival site, was the first venue at which the Chase duo presented performances by music greats such as Doc Watson, Brownie McGee and Kris Kristofferson. The Folk Festival continues the almost 50-year tradition of supporting folk music.
Impressive in the breadth of activities, entertainment, special features and workshops packed into its 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, this year’s Folk Festival will challenge visitors to do and learn and play as much as they can handle.
Opening the festival’s music performances will be the 8-member, Montclair-based group, Mariachi Juvenil Los Reyes. The band, comprised of members ranging from 11 to 20 years of age, will perform on the Sycamore patio at 9:15 a.m.
An eclectic group of performers will take to the Main Stage on the hour, every hour, beginning at 10 a.m., with a final performance at 4 p.m. Included in the line-up will be Klezmer Juice (10 a.m.), a group of Jewish soul musicians; Squeakin’ Wheels (11 a.m.), who will play a combination of folk, country, rock, bluegrass, blues and pop music; Taiko Drums (noon), featuring Tom Kurai, abbot of the Sozenji Zen Buddhist Temple; John McEuen (1 p.m.), a traditional bluegrass and folk artist and founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; Crooked Jades (2 p.m.), who “reinvents old-world music for a modern age”; Sligo Rags (3 p.m.), a Celtic-bluegrass ensemble; and Da Lion (4 p.m.) a West African drumming and dance troupe.
While children will certainly enjoy the tunes and beats of the Main Stage entertainers, a separate Kids Stage will offer wee ones the opportunity to laugh and jig with performers scheduled specifically for their delight. At 1:15 p.m., Dan Crow, a well-known family entertainer and recording artist, will perform. He is an award-winning songwriter for the Disney Channel, is seen regularly on Nickelodeon and The Learning Channel, has composed more than 100 songs for Winnie the Pooh and Dumbo and performed the title song for the family film, “The Adventures of Milo and Otis.”
“We are really emphasizing the family orientation,” said Ellen Chase, festival coordinator and daughter of Dorothy and Charles Chase.
Preceding Dan Crow at 11:15 a.m. will be singer/songwriter and storyteller Angela Lloyd.
Visitors to the festival may combine listening to the music of others with creating their own. Three workshop sessions—10 to 11:15 a.m.; 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.; and 2:45 to 4 p.m.—will each offer 12 different choices for musical and singing instruction and practice as well as instrument making. Within the bountiful line-up of options are workshops on spoon making, slide guitar, harp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle songs, drumming and kids drumming, pan-pipe making, harmonica, Taiko drums, mandolin, storytelling, banjo, washboard, ukulele and many others.
“It’s wonderful to see your favorite musicians perform,” Ms. Chase commented, “but it’s equally as wonderful to pick up an instrument yourself.”
Workshops will take place in classrooms throughout the Sycamore School campus. And, in Room 17, a “Centennial Museum” will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the city of Claremont and 100 years of folk music. The museum will feature photos, musical instruments, local ethnomusicologists and performances. All workshops are included in the price of festival admission.
The Folk Festival will also offer a slate of other enticing activities and features, including an open mic session during which performers may sign up to play for a maximum of 5 minutes on the auditorium stage. Sign-ups for the open mic begin at 10 a.m. Also featured will be a demonstration and performance of Contra Dance, a traditional folk dance style in which partners dance in two facing lines with a live, old-time band a caller. A Maypole Dance will also take place in the central courtyard, with those inclined to participate dancing around a maypole in the traditional dance of welcoming spring and the beginning of the growing season. Yet another special feature will be a Drum Circle, to which all persons are invited, regardless of skill or experience, to drum in communal fashion. A rhythm facilitator will keep the beat going strong as drummers ebb and flow from the Redwood Grove, where the circle will take place.
When event visitors have maximized their intake and output of music and dance, they may visit the East Playground where a number of multicultural food vendors will offer a variety of treats. Guests to the festival may also peruse the arts and crafts vendor booths located near the main stage.
On the evening preceding the May 5 festival, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals will perform for a sold-out Bridges Auditorium audience. Opening for Ben Harper will be Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. As “The Nightwatchman,” he will play folk songs inspired by Dylan and Springsteen and infused with outrage over the Bush administration. The concert, which sold 300 tickets locally and then sold out in 15 minutes once tickets were offered on the Internet, will benefit the Dorothy and Charles Chase Folk Music Education Fund.
Claremont Folk Festival tickets are on sale at the Folk Music Center, 220 Yale Ave., or at www.claremontfolkfestival.org. Presale tickets are $20 general admission; $10 students and seniors 65 or older. At the door, tickets will be $25 general admission; $15 students and seniors. A family of 4 may gain entry for $50 (presale or at the door). A complete festival schedule may be found at the website listed above.
Sycamore Elementary School, the festival site, is located at 225 W. 8th St., Claremont.
For more information, call 624-1232 or 624-2928.
—Brenda Bolinger