Quilt Index Year in Review

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Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog hopping.

SEEKING 2013 HERITAGE AWARD NOMINATIONS, ARTS APPRENTICESHIP APPLICATIONS

Honoring individuals who continue traditions with excellence is the focus of two annual programs coordinated by the Michigan State University Museum: the Michigan Heritage Awards (MHA) Program, and the Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program (MTAAP).

Nominations for 2013 awards and applications for the apprenticeship grants are due Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012.

2013 Michigan Heritage Awards:

Since 1985, the MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program has -- through its Michigan Heritage Awards -- honored the achievements of Michigan artists for traditions in family and community. The awards recognize these traditions in the areas of performance, material culture and community leadership. Previous awardees receiving the 2012 MHA awards were: Johnnie Bassett (deceased), formerly of Oak Park (Oakland County), for Blues guitar and vocals; Paulette Brockington, of Highland Park (Wayne County), for Swing dance and Lindy Hop; The Ship’s Company, Friends Good Will, of South Haven (Van Buren County), for marlinespike seamanship; and Rene Meave and Guillermo Martinez of Plainwell (Allegan County) and Kalamazoo (Kalamazoo County), for Tejano music (Michigan style).

“The traditional cultural resources of the State of Michigan are rich and deep and the individuals who are dedicated to learning and perpetuating these resources are rarely acknowledged outside of their immediate circles of friends, families, and neighbors. The Michigan Heritage Awards program provides a unique opportunity to call wider public attention to and honor the tremendous contributions these citizens have made,” explains Marsha MacDowell, coordinator of the Michigan Traditional Arts Program, a partnership program of the Michigan State University Museum and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs."We seek nominations from all over the state so that the award program continues to reflect the exceptional skills and knowledge of individuals that are critical to diverse communities of Michiganders," she adds.

2013 Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program:

The Michigan Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program supports the continuation of traditional folk arts practiced in Michigan that are learned informally from one another in small groups and families -- ranging from decoy duck carving and birch bark canoe making to storytelling, mehendi (henna) art application, and regional and ethnic foodways. A master artist works with an apprentice artist in the same community, passing on the skills and knowledge about a particular traditional art. The Apprenticeship Program awards a stipend in support of the instruction time the master artist spends with the apprentice.

"Like its natural resources, Michigan's cultural traditions are a treasured resource to be nurtured for future generations, which is why the Apprenticeship program is so successful in providing incentives to traditional artists to pursue their art and pass on these skills to others," says MacDowell. "Many master and apprentice teams tell us that their apprenticeship was one of the most meaningful times of their lives, providing the opportunity and the means to pass on a living tradition to someone who will continue the tradition as well," she adds.

The National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and MSU Museum fund these traditional arts programs. MacDowell encourages anyone considering putting together an application for either program to please contact her with any questions to ensure the strongest application possible. Contact MacDowell at the MSU Museum, (517) 353-5526 or macdowel@msu.edu . Heritage Award nomination forms and apprenticeship application forms are available online.

A gallery of past awardees is online. Heritage Award winners and MTAAP masters and apprenticeships are featured in a special exhibition at the MSU Museum, "Michigan Artists: Passing on Traditions," and are recognized at the MSU Museum's annual Great Lakes Folk Festival in East Lansing each August. Many of these tradition-bearers also demonstrate their skills and/or perform at the festival in workshops and showcases.

The MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program promotes cross-cultural understanding in a diverse society through documentation, preservation and presentation of the state's folk arts and folk life. The MSU Museum is located at 409 West Circle Drive, next to Beaumont Tower on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, and is the state's first Smithsonian Institution affiliate.

RIP, DJ Krogol, Highland Bagpiper

We were all saddened to learn of the passing this week of DJ Krogol, Highland bagpiper from Lansing, Mich., and a 1995 recipient of the Michigan Heritage Awards. Since 1985, the MSU Museum's Michigan Traditional Arts Program has -- through its Michigan Heritage Awards -- have honored the achievements of Michigan artists like DJ for who practice traditions with excellence and authenticity.  The awards recognize these traditions in the areas of performance, material culture and community leadership.

Here's more about DJ Krogol and his commitment to passing on traditions: 

The Scottish heritage of D. J. Krogol's mother provided him with his first introduction to bagpipes. D.J. (b. 1949) began to play the Great Highland bagpipes at age seven when he joined the St. Andrews Junior Pipe Band, sponsored by the St. Andrews Society in Detroit. At the time, his mother, whose family name is MacEadin, said, "Jerry has liked the pipes for as long as I can remember. We have them at our family get-togethers and I guess he just takes to them naturally." He continued his study with noted piper Walter Rose during his youth. From this beginning, he has become committed to the preservation of the traditional music of the Scottish pipes.

D.J. has shared this essential element of Scottish culture through many venues, playing at weddings, funerals, christenings, and anniversaries throughout the Scottish-American local communities. He has been his clan's piper since the age of ten, playing for clan reunions and other gatherings. He has shared his talent professionally with others by participating in Senior Citizens' Programs, local school programs, charity fundraisers, and many theater productions, including Brigadoon.

Read more about DJ Krogol here. 

Friday is StoryCorps Day: The Power and Persistence of Stories in our Lives

If you are an NPR listener, you may be like me as every Friday morning I look forward to the StoryCorps feature on Morning Edition. StoryCorps is a remarkable phenomenon. Building on the power of the personal stories of everyday life in the voice and words of contributor, it provides often deeply moving and powerful personal soundtracks of the American experience. It has touched my life in many ways as our daughter recorded a story as a gift about her mother for Mother’s Day as a gift at the  recording booth in Grand Central Station in New York City. The MSU Museum and WKAR also arranged to bring StoryCorps to the Great Lakes Folk Festival for series of recorded sessions with Native American weavers who were in East Lansing for the Carriers of Culture: Living Native Basket Traditions Program in 2007. Today, I have the good fortune to serve as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress—the archival home to the StoryCorps collections.

StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record, share, and preserve the stories of our lives. Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 40,000 interviews from nearly 80,000 participants. Each conversation is recorded on a free CD to share, and is preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind.

As the StoryCorps staff points out, “We do this to remind one another of our shared humanity, strengthen and build the connections between people, teach the value of listening, and weave into the fabric of our culture the understanding that every life matters. At the same time, we will create an invaluable archive of American voices and wisdom for future generations.” As a folklorist, I fully embrace the potential of stories and shared narratives to bind us together in ways that enrich our daily lives and truly enrich our sense of community life.

One of the questions we get at the American Folklife Center is, “Who uses these collections?” At a recent board meeting we learned that among the most active users of the collections are psychologists and social scientists as there is significant data on current patterns of life and social issues. Of course, the collections are also used by artists, humanists, historians, scholars, and people from all walks of life as the stories often are about shared historical moments in time or personal journeys. Often inspiring and deeply emotionally charged, the collection demonstrates that storytelling and personal voice continue to inform our lives and inspire us. I invite you to record your story-- and also visit the StoryCorps archives at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Simply go on-line to learn more about how you can participate in this incredible window into our nation and its people: http://www.loc.gov/folklife/storycorpsfaq.html

C. Kurt Dewhurst, Ph.D.
Director of Arts and Cultural Initiatives and Senior Fellow
University Outreach and Engagement Curator of Folklife and Cultural Heritage/Director Emeritus
MSU Museum
Professor of English and Museum Studies

Woody Lives! Woody Guthrie 100th Birthday

In case somehow you missed it, we are celebrating the remarkable life of Woody Guthrie this year. On July 14, 2012, Woody would have been 100 years old. There are a number of new notable tributes to Guthrie in terms of re-issued recordings, books, web resources, and conferences. If you want learn more about Woody or to glean some new keen insights on his life and music, I would suggest you start by reading an article on the Guthrie manuscript collections at American Folklife Center/Library of Congress written by AFC writer-editor Stephen Winick with research assistance from reference specialist Todd Harvey. What is so special about this essay is that it delves into Guthrie’s expressive writing and artwork as it appeared in correspondence, songbooks, essays, and other items that he sent to the Library of Congress during the 1940s. The collection includes the mimeographed songbook in which he first published and registered copyright on “This Land is Your Land,” and an amusing illustrated essay on elections, usually known as “Vote for Bloat.” Winick also did a blog post reviewing the Smithsonian Folkways box set Woody at 100, which features three AFC recordings among its Guthrie treasures. You can find both articles: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-d-winick/

Of course, for most folks, the pinnacle in the form of a tribute is the release of the box set of recording, Woody At 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Collection by Smithsonian Folkways. While the intention here is not to promote the purchase of music or art, if you have any interest in Woody Guthrie and traditional music in America, you should consider adding this amazing centennial box set to your library as it includes 3 CD's of Smithsonian Folkways with 57 music tracks as well as never before released tracks and radio recordings by Woody Guthrie. The accompanying 150 large-format book includes essays by Jeff Place, Robert Santelli and Peter LaChappell. This commemorative-boxed set is a real treat that highlights over 150 original pieces of artwork, lyrics, photographs and writings by Woody Guthrie from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and the Woody Guthrie Archives. Click here to order or watch a mini-documentary video about the making of Woody at 100.


During the 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival the National Public Radio program Talk of the Nation broadcast live from the national mall and devoted an hour to interviews with Jeff Place and Robert Santelli who helped paint a more contemporary understanding of Guthrie as one of America’s most important folk composers, as an overlooked visual artist, and creative marketer of his music and advocacy for “the folk.” The live call in session was inspiring as it generated a massive response from listeners and reaffirmed Guthrie’s place in the hearts and minds of Americans.

There is even a deeper and richer treatment of Woody in the new book, This Land Is Your Land: Woody Guthrie and the Journey of an American Folk Song by Robert Santelli. The book traces the early years beginning in 1939 to the legacy of Woody Guthrie today. Filled with new insights and information based on interviews done with many of the Guthrie family and with Woody’s contemporaries. Beautifully designed and illustrated, it helps make the case that Woody Guthrie needs to be recognized as a significant part of the intellectual history of American music.

The tributes to Woody continue in other forms including one that will appeal to kids and families. There is a new recording entitled, Little Seed: Songs for Children by Woody Guthrie. This recording by Elizabeth Mitchell. It features re-imagined renditions of 13 kid-friendly Guthrie classics in CD or digital download format.

Finally, there will be a scholarly conference and concerts on September 7-9, 2012 at Penn State University in State College, PA. The conference is entitled, Woody Guthrie at 100: Woody’s Legacy to Working Men and Women. The GRAMMY Museum is partnering with the Guthrie Foundation and Archives to create the centennial celebrations of Guthrie’s life and work. Papers will address Guthrie’s legacy and influence —with regard to folk music, art, literature, rhetoric, philosophy, media studies, politics, and culture; labor history; gender, free speech, and class issues; the history of social movements; the global fight against fascism; and/or the work of the many writers, artists, and musicians whom Guthrie inspired and influenced. For more information go to: woodyguthrie.psu.conference@gmail.com

I hope you will enjoy reconnecting with the music, life, and evolving legacy of Woody Guthrie this year as we celebrate his 100th birthday. Woody voice and message lives on in the 21st century in our land.

C. Kurt Dewhurst, Ph.D.
Director of Arts and Cultural Initiatives and Senior Fellow
University Outreach and Engagement
Curator of Folklife and Cultural Heritage/Director Emeritus
MSU Museum
Professor of English and Museum Studies

Veterans History Project

Interview a Veteran: Join the Nation’s Greatest Oral History Project 

Do you have veteran in your extended family?  How about a neighbor, colleague, or friend who has served in the military? I would like to invite you to contribute the personal experience of a veteran to the Veteran’s History Project for the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.  It is not only an important contribution you can make to honor veterans in your family or community but also you will be adding their voice to those of other veterans from all phases of the military for future generations to understand the human side of the lives of veterans.

Make History

Created by unanimous bipartisan congressional support, the Veteran’s History Project is now the largest oral history project in our nation’s history.  Today there are almost 80,000 stories of veterans recorded and deposited at the Library of Congress.  These accounts bring to life the experience of those who served in World War I right up to the time of current missions and conflicts.  Developed by folklorists and oral historians, the project invites your participation in this legendary effort.  You say, I am not trained to conduct an interview.  Well, you can learn to be a documentarian and also use this opportunity to get to know a family or community member better in a deeper lasting way.  Virtually everyone who has conducted an interview has come away with praise for the experience and appreciation for the sacrifices made by those who have served.  All too often, we find ourselves wishing we had asked earlier—so it is never too soon to start.

It is Easy to Do—Make a Difference

What do I have to do?  Well, it is simple thanks to the staff of the Veteran’s History Project.  Go to the VHS web site at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress where you can learn more about the project and download the interview forms that will guide your interview.  You may recall seeing the Ken Burns documentary, The War, a few years ago.  With the assistance of Ken Burns, the VHS has created a fine tutorial on how to complete a successful oral history of a veteran. Just go to: http://www.loc.gov/vets/

You will find it to be one of the most personally rewarding things you have ever done-- and you will contribute to this historic national tribute to our veterans.

C. Kurt Dewhurst

Director of Arts and Cultural Initiatives

University Outreach and Engagement

Director Emeritus and Curator of Folklife and Cultural Heritage

MSU Museum and Professor of English and Museum Studies

Michigan State University

FESTIVE AND GREAT!

The Michigan State University Museum shares a hearty thanks to all the artists, volunteers, sponsors and friends who helped make the Great Lakes Folk Festival a memorable celebration of culture, tradition and community. After a soggy start, we turned the weekend around weather-wise and ended on a really high note. Thanks to all the visitors who came -- and many who came back multiple times -- to enjoy the special mix of programs throughout the festival site. 

KEEP IT GREAT, DONATE!

Thank you also for the many congratulations, comments and ideas. There's tremendous pride at the MSU Museum every year in putting together this special mix of skilled artists from so many corners of the world who share their talents and connect with audiences in a way that truly resonates and endures.

This event belongs to all of us, and you can be a part of its continued success in important ways: please visit our web site, http://www.greatlakesfolkfest.net, and make a donation and/or take our visitor survey!

Traditions Showcases

Amongst the most popular features of the Great Lakes Folk Festival, according to both attendees and musicians, are the Tradition Showcases. Several times throughout each festival weekend, we assemble musicians from the various bands and—with the help of knowledgeable presenters—explore their backgrounds and influences, ask them to demonstrate a song or tune or two, and discuss how similar instruments might be played differently (or similarly) from one tradition to another.

This year's showcases feature instruments common to bands (fiddle, accordion, percussion) instruments that we don't see every day (begena and krar, kamanche, kanun, sitar) as well as a themed set (From Blues to Bluegrass) and one in which four random musicians are assembled to see what happens.

(Photo by Patrick T. Power

Friday, August 10, 7:45 P.M. • Abbot Stage
Accordion Traditions
Featuring Bua's Brían Ó hAirt (Irish Celtic), Joaquín Díaz (Merengue) and Leroy Thomas (Zydeco) Accordion Traditions will compare and contrast accordion styles from Ireland, the Dominican Republic and Louisiana.

Friday, August 10, 9:30 P.M. • Abbot Stage
The Roots of Bluegrass
Claire Lynch and her band demonstrate the musical roots of bluegrass in an informal discussion with Bob Blackman.

(Photo by Patrick T. Power

Saturday, August 11, 1:00 P.M. • Abbot Stage
Fiddle Traditions
Always one of the Great Lakes Folk Festival's favorites, Fiddle Traditions will compare and contrast fiddle styles as performed by Bua's Devin Shepherd (Celtic), David Bass (Old-time) and Bryan McDowell (Bluegrass), as well as the generational relationship of the three styles.

Saturday, August 11, 7:45 P.M. • Abbot Stage
String, Strang, Strung
Many people think of folk music as a guitar and banjo and fiddle. And while we certainly have plenty of those at the festival each year, many cultures have found unique ways with which to produce sounds and music... sometimes with but a string or two; sometimes with dozens of strings. In this showcase, we will feature the Indian Sitar (Hasu Patel), the Kamanche (Saeed Kamjoo), the Begena and Krar (Temesgen Hussein) and the Kanun (Ara Topouzian).

Sunday, August 12, Noon • Abbot Stage
Percussion Traditions
Guitars and fiddles and accordions often get most of the attention while those that keep the beat are kept (often literally) in the background. In this showcase, we will feature the Indian Tabla (Vishal Nagar), the Iranian Daf and Tumbak (Mehdi Darvishi), Merengue Tambora (Peter Barzey) and Guira (Raul Villa Rojas) and Zydeco Rubboard (Charles Fontenot).

Sunday, August 12, 3:00 P.M. • Abbot Stage
Airport Jam
It is not uncommon for musicians to cross paths in airports, and it's very uncommon for musicians to not want to play music together when they've got the chance. Leroy Thomas (Zydeco), Devin Shepherd (Irish Celtic) and Frank Lee (Old-Time) will each kick off a tune or two and the rest will follow.

(Photo by Patrick T. Power

 

GLFF's "Chicken Man!"

Have you seen this man? Thomas Seymour, the Chicken Man, has been an outstanding volunteer with our GLFF Bucket Brigade for 10 years now! He is a constant presence out on the streets and has collected as much as $5,000 throughout the festival weekend.

Thanks to Tom for his extraordinary commitment to the MSU Museum and the Great Lakes Folk Festival. The cash we collect helps maintain the high quality of programs at GLFF helps us finish the year strong. If you see him, be sure and say thanks and drop a couple bucks in the bucket! 

[Photo by MSU Museum's Pearl Yee -- and featured in our "GLFF Redux" photo exhibit now in our Community Gallery.]

The Great Lakes Folk Festival Redux: Capturing Living Traditions

How do you capture the spirit and energy of the Great Lakes Folk Festival?  Our visitors usually report special moments during and after the festival…if not in person in e-mail messages.  I am struck every year by the lasting impact the festival has on our community as folks stop me months after the festival to tell me about an encounter they had with an artist or traditions that expanded their personal worldview or enriched their understanding of other cultures.

Creating a Visual Record of the Festival

Every year the Great Lakes Folk Festival relies on over 400 volunteers to make the festival possible. One of the most visible records of the festival has been the extensive photographic documentation of our festival by both long-standing volunteer photographers Raymond Holt and Patrick T. Power and our MSU Museum staff photographer, Pearl Yee Wong. Their photographs --and other forms of research and documentation-- are added every year to the Traditional Arts Archival Collections of the MSU Museum for scholarly and public use. These collections provide a rich resource for understanding living cultural traditions in our state, the Great Lakes region, nationally, and globally.

An Annual Photographic Exhibition as Capsule View of the Festival

Photo by Ray Holt

For the past three years, we have mounted a small photographic exhibition with selected favorite photos chosen by each of these photographers. The photographers capture the stirring moments as well as the intimate encounters that make our festival one of our most valued university/community partnerships. This year is no exception as you can visit the MSU Museum now through the end of August to see the exhibition, 2011 Great Lakes Folk Festival Redux: Photos by Raymond Holt, Patrick T. Power, and Pearl Yee Wong. The exhibit was initially showcased at the Public Art Gallery at the East Lansing Hannah Center—a partnership that we plan to continue in the coming year so the exhibition can be seen both in our community and on campus annually.

Share your Experience—Help us Document the Festival

Come by the museum and select your favorite photos in the current photographic exhibit. The exhibition helps convey the deep engagement our community has in the Great Lakes Folk Festival that is now in its 26^th year. It is worth noting that, while the festival can feel like an ephemeral experience, the festival lives on through the research and documentation of festival experience—and in the hearts and minds of those who participate in the festival very year. I invite you to share your favorite festival moments…and your photos…with us once again this year. See you at the festival!

C. Kurt Dewhurst
Founding Director
Great Lakes Folk Festival

Great Lakes Quilt travels to the West Coast

Star of Bethlehem by Anna David. Photo by Doug Elbinger.

The Star of Bethlehem Quilt from the collection of the Michigan State University Museum is on display at the University of Washington/Bellingham opening August 4, 2012. It is part of the exhibit: American Quilts: The Democratic Art. It is one of 35 quilts curated into the show by Julie Silber and Robert Shaw. This quilt was made by a Native American, c1910 in the Peshawbestown area of Leelanau County, Michigan. It is probable that Native Americans began quilting in the Great Lakes region after the establishment of Catholic missions in the 19th century; it is known that quilting took place at the Immaculate Conception in Peshawbestown.

QUILTS BECOME 'PATTERNS OF INQUIRY" IN NEW MSU MUSEUM EXHIBITION

From treasured bed coverings, to provocative works of art and political statements, to sophisticated 
On June 3, 2012, a new exhibition opened at the Michigan State University Museum. "Patterns of Inquiry: Quilts in Research and Education," showcases a number of the museum's historic and contemporary textiles in the context of the research and education projects with which they are affiliated. Quilting has never been more popular, and "quilt studies" is a fast-growing field of research. Studies indicate there are more than 27 million quilters in the U.S. alone, and the new exhibit explores why quilts are created and some innovative ways they are being used.

"The rise of the feminist art movement in the 1960s and heightened national interest in American history spawned by the nation's bicentennial celebration in 1976 paved the way for more scholarly investigation of historical and contemporary American traditions, women's artistic contributions, crafts in general and quiltmaking in particular," notes Mary Worrall, assistant curator of folk arts and museum educator. "Investigations into the history and meaning of American quilts have now evolved into extremely sophisticated studies spanning many disciplines," she adds.

Read more here.

Anishnaabensag Biimskowebshkigewag: Native Kids Ride Bikes Exhibition

Photo courtesy of Dylan Miner

Continues through July 28, 2012 at the Ziibiwing Center for Anishnabe Lifeways and Culture, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

“My people will sleep for one-hundred years, but when they awaken it will be the artists who give them back their spirit.

- Louis Riel, Métis leader hanged by the Canadian government in 1885

The relationship between Indigenous people and the automobile industry has a long history. For at least three generations, the Anishinaabeg have frequently left reservation lands to work at automotive factories in Detroit, Flint, Lansing, Chicago, Toronto, and Milwaukee. The children and grandchildren of these former autoworkers continue to discover their ancestral and cultural connections

This exhibition presents lowrider bicycles created by urban Native youth, contemporary Indigenous artists, and non-Native college students. Knowledge from the Métis, Anishinaabeg, and Cayuse is used to reflect upon sustainable transportation and contemporary Indigenous ways of life.

The exhibition asks the following questions: What role may the bicycle play in revitalizing Indigenous culture? How may it intervene and prevent mass ecological destruction? How may it help envision new ways to being in the world? And finally, can it facilitate the sharing of new stories?

Admission to the Ziibiwing Cultural Center is complimentary with admission to the Diba Jimooyung Permanent Exhibit. Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Watch interview with curator, Dylan Miner (Associate Professor, Michigan State University Museum and Adjunct Curator, Michigan State Univrsity Museum)

Folk Music Roundup

I’m pleased to see this new “Great Folks” blog, and happy to be a contributor.  When we started discussing the idea, one goal was to offer fans of the Great Lakes Folk Festival a year-round source of information about the same traditional music artists and genres that are featured at the GLFF.  So my “beat” is to round up news about recent recordings, upcoming concerts, awards, obituaries, and other items about past GLFF performers (and others like them). 

This won’t be a comprehensive listing of folk music news – for that, I suggest reading Sing Out! magazine – but I hope you’ll find my periodic columns helpful in seeking out more of this wonderful music, in person or on CDs, in between GLFFs.

RECORDINGS:

Here are some of the recent albums I’ve been enjoying lately:

Detour (GLFF 2008 & 2011), A Better Place (BlueGrass Ahead) -- I’ve been impressed with Michigan’s own bluegrass band Detour since they started, but was really blown away by their sets at the 2011 GLFF with their new singer, Missy Armstrong.  Most bluegrass bands are good instrumentalists, and some have great singers, but I’m often disappointed by their songwriting.  Not so with Detour, whose mandolin player, Jeff Rose, supplies much of their repertoire with his top-notch original songs.  The band recently released their third CD, with many of the numbers they featured at the last GLFF, and it’s one of the best bluegrass albums I’ve heard in a long time.

Tim Eriksen, Banjo, Fiddle and Voice (self-released) – Tim is not a traditional folksinger by upbringing, but he has absorbed the true spirit of traditional music more profoundly than almost anybody else I’ve heard.  This is a stark, powerful record of Tim’s singing and playing, with some of the songs and tunes he performed at his breathtaking April 2011 concert at the Ten Pound Fiddle.  Available via his website, www.timeriksenmusic.com along with some other self-released discs.

Various artists, The Descendants (Sony Classical) – Alexander Payne’s 2011 movie won acclaim for George Clooney’s Oscar-nominated performance, but for me one of the highlights was the gorgeous soundtrack of traditional Hawaiian music, most of it on slack-key guitar but with some ukulele too, played by legendary greats like Gabby Pahinui, Keola Beamer, Ray Kane, and Sol Hoopii.

Other notable 2012 releases include::

Le Vent Du Nord (GLFF 2004), Tromper le Temps (Borealis) – More lively tunes and French-Canadian songs from this wonderful Quebecois band.

Carolina Chocolate Drops (GLFF 2007), Leaving Eden (Nonesuch) – I haven’t heard the band’s newest release yet, but it’s gotten great reviews.  They’ve had some changes to their line-up and have expanded their sound in some ways, but they’re still rooted in African-American string band music.

Various artists, Foggy Mountain Special: A Bluegrass Tribute to Earl Scruggs (Rounder) – A dozen top banjo players play tunes composed by, or popularized by, the late Earl Scruggs. 

Lonesome Sisters, Deep Water (Tin Halo) – When Ginny Hawker & Tracy Schwarz appeared at the 2003 GLFF, they were accompanied on guitar and harmonies by Debra Clifford.  Debra is in a duo with Ginny’s niece, Sarah Hawker, as the Lonesome Sisters, and they’ve put out a new CD of six original songs (which sound old) plus a few traditional ones.  They’re also working on a collaboration with Riley Baugus for release later this year, and I can’t wait for that.

Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver (GLFF 2010), Sing Me a Song About Jesus (Mountain Home) – Nobody sings bluegrass gospel better than Doyle and his band.

IN MEMORIAM:

Doc Watson passed away on May 29, 2012, and I’ve posted a separate tribute to him.  It’s been a rough year, since on March 28 we lost Earl Scruggs, who defined the sound of bluegrass banjo as a member of Bill Monroe’s band in the late Forties, then in a duo with guitarist and singer Lester Flatt.

Another important bluegrass banjo player, Doug Dillard died on May 16.  With his brother Rodney, Doug founded the Dillards, a progressive bluegrass band, in the early Sixties.

Boston-based guitar and mandolin player John McGann died on April 6.  John was on the faculty at the Berklee College of Music.  He was a stunningly versatile player, ranging with ease from Irish to bluegrass to jazz.  Among countless gigs and recordings, John accompanied the Celtic Fiddle Festival (Kevin Burke, Johnny Cunningham, and Christian Lemaître) when the MSU Museum brought their tour to Fairchild Theatre in November 1992.  One of the tracks on the CFF’s first album was recorded at that concert.

UPCOMING CONCERTS:

The 11^th Great Lakes Folk Festival is coming up on August 10-12, in downtown East Lansing!  Pat Power has once again booked a wonderful lineup of traditional musicians, and you can find all the details on the website: www.greatlakesfolkfest.net

You can catch some previous GLFF (and National Folk Festival) performers at other mid-Michigan venues, including:

The Ark in Ann Arbor (www.theark.org):

Friday July 6 – Detour (GLFF 2008 & 2011)

Friday August 31 – Bill Kirchen (NFF 1999)

Monday September 24 – BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet (NFF 2000)

The Ten Pound Fiddle in East Lansing (www.tenpoundfiddle.org):

Friday February 22, 2013 -- Liz Carroll (GLFF 2002)

The Fiddle’s tentative 2012-13 schedule also includes one of the greatest old-time fiddle and banjo players, Bruce Molsky; tributes to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger; Sparky & Rhonda Rucker; the Mid-Winter Singing Festival; and several of my favorite singer-songwriters: Lou & Peter Berryman, Cheryl Wheeler, Bill Staines, and Tom Paxton!  I’ll give more details in future columns.

The Saline Celtic Festival returns to Millpond Park in Saline, MI, on July 13-14.  The line-up includes Eileen Ivers (NFF 1999) & her band Immigrant Soul, among many others.  Info at www.salineceltic.org