Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Keeping the circle unbroken for 30 years

Northern Rockies Folk Festival brings on the old and new


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

subdudes

It's hard to think of a time when folk music was not a global concept. Every county and city, every land and every tribe had its own form. When the Northern Rockies Folk Festival celebrates its 30th anniversary, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 3 and 4, it will be time to bring it all home. Quite simply put, folk music is any music that folk play and other folk will listen to. When they dance it's even better.

For the big anniversary show to be held at the Hailey City Park, (aka Hop Porter Park) in Hailey, the lineup was especially created this year with a concoction of tradition and progression.

In the tradition department there is Rob Quist and his band, the Great Northern, making a fifth appearance, and the acoustic blues duo Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan making a sixth (and seventh) performance by playing both nights of the festival. The Kim Stocking Band and Public Radio will return to grace the stage after several appearances over the years. The subdudes will return for the second time as the headliner on Saturday night, after appearing to great acclaim only two years ago.

The sparkle of the new will be represented in the Friday night headliner, The Greencards, a hot young band now based out of Nashville. On Saturday, the young sitar player Mariah Reed will make his first appearance, as will Boise duo Niccole Bayley and Mo Kelly. Wood River Valley natives, Kelsie Barrow & Friends, will return for the second year in a row, representing the youth and the future of the festival.

The show is a family friendly event. There will be glow necklaces, tee-shirts and CD sales as well as booths manned by organizations including the Blaine County Senior Connection, Taqueria Al Pastor and the Black Jack Shoot-Out Gang. The groups will serve hamburgers and hot dogs, pulled pork, barbecue and tacos.

subdudes

The New Orleans- and Colorado-based subdudes are a true original. With eight albums released since 1989, this septet produces some of the best live music in the country with a blend of roots music that incorporates soul, gospel, Louisiana music, blues and good old rock.

Led by singer guitarist Tommy Malone and accordionist John Magnie, the band is also notable for its substitution of percussion player Steve Amedée, for a drummer, who's placed right out in front. The band came together originally after backing artists such as Joni Mitchell and Roseanne Cash. In 1987, Malone, Amedée and bassist Jimmy Messa played a quickie acoustic show at Tipitina's in New Orleans creating such a buzz that it far exceeded expectations. After one of them said, "If we could just be a little more 'subdued,'" they found a name and a sound.

After a several years and some good work, the band went on hiatus. In 2002, the members reunited recruiting Tim Cook to fill out the sound. Their 2003 release, "Miracle Mule," brought them full circle to subdude-ness.

Bassist Tim Cook remembers playing at the Northern Rockies Folk Festival in 2005.

"Hailey? With all the bugs a flying? I remember," he laughed. "It's such a fun place. The audience was really lively."

The 'dudes have a new record, "Street Symphony," which comes out later this month.

"We're going out on tour promoting the record. It's a busy year for us," Cook said. "I think that we're reaching out to bunches of people who didn't even know who the subdudes were. We had some success with 'Papa Dukie and the Mud People,' and that got played all over the country. We've been pretty excited reaching out and playing to big crowds hearing us for the first time. Morale is good. We keep working it. We don't want to stop."

And we're glad they don't. Can you say party dance band?

The Greencards

Making some of the best American roots music in the country are two Australians and a Brit. But don't worry about an invasion. The Greencards got together in Austin where electric bassist Carol Young and mandolin player Kym Warner met up with London native, red-headed fiddler Eamon McLoughlin, at a recording session. Their chemistry was instant, and before long their friendly bluegrass jams blossomed into one of the city's most popular bar bands.

Based in Nashville for the past two years, the trio tours incessantly. They made a name nationally when they were tagged to tour in 2004 with Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, but their style—original folk with a global twist—is elusive.

"You can't put a genre on it to be honest," Warner said in his rapid fire Aussie accent. "There are so many things we're interested in. Our initial influence is bluegrass, but moving to Austin and being around Austin we were listening to a lot of modern music. And then being young we pick up new stuff. We're folk Americana, just roots. We draw on Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, Alison Krause, Dylan and other songwriters like Rodney Crowell. Lyrics are really important. We make a picture of a song.

"We're comfortable with where we're at with the band now."

Rob Quist and Great Northern

An old friend of the Northern Rockies Folk Festival, native Montanan Rob Quist, will return to celebrate the big 30th anniversary.

With 15 CDs to his name, Quist is recognized as one to the West's best known songwriters, composers and main stage performers. He tours extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and Japan, headlining in such venues as the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, the Palomino in Los Angeles, The Bitter End in New York City, The Rainbow in Denver and the Ambassador East Hotel in Chicago. Bumber Shoot in Seattle and the Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nev.

Quist was recently nominated for Song of the Year for the Texas Music Awards for his song "Close to the Land" recorded by Michael Martin Murphey. It is heard on NPR as the "America's Heartland" theme music.

Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan

An acoustic blues duo since 1978, Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan are longtime pals of the folk festival. Southern California based, they've released 12 CDs, 11 instructional books and four videos together and as solo artists. Besides their work together, they are both in constant demand as session players.

They have shared the stage with the likes of Paul Simon, Lyle Lovett, Taj Mahal, the Allman Brothers, Queen Ida, Bonnie Raitt, and Bob Dylan to name a very few.

Ball is known for his gruff blues voice and mean harmonica while Sultan is considered a guitar virtuoso. Their repertoire includes hilarious blues tunes by forgotten singers, plus a number of originals.

Niccole Bayley and Mo Kelly

This dynamic female duet from Boise will play its first performance at the Northern Rockies Folk Festival at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Singer songwriter Niccole Bayley teams with singer bassist Mo Kelly to play original songs that audiences say, "open your heart and tear it apart at the same time."

They were recently featured on KZOK Seattle Radio, where their act was described as "delightfully entertaining."

The Kim Stocking Band

The Kim Stocking band has been making music in southern Idaho for 10 years. It is a favorite choice for clubs, parties, benefits and weddings due to its unique blend of musical styles and a wide variety of sounds. The band is made up of Stocking and her sister, Ember Jensen, on soaring vocals, Chip Booth on mandolin and other stringed instruments, Mike Saul on lead vocals and guitar, Troy Tadlock on drums and Jeremy Hadden on wicked stand-up bass.

The band uses both acoustic and electric instruments for a sound that ranges from country to rock to folk.

Public Radio

Wood River Valley-based Public Radio is an acoustic string band that plays traditional, folk, and popular music all with an up-tempo bluegrass feel. Consisting of Chip Booth, Jeremy Hadden and Hart Gibson, the trio plays all over Idaho winning fans with their virtuosity and sense of fun.

Kelsie Barrow & Friends

Barrow and friends made its debut as the opening act in 2006. This year the band's eight members will return to perform for perhaps their last time together.

"Many of the band members are headed off to college and going our separate ways," Barrow said. "We plan to make it a great send off."

The band is made up of Brian Town, Casey Lane, Nick Archibald, Collin Hand and Barrow on lead vocals and piano. Back-up vocals will be provided by Meaghan Lloyd, Brooke Hand and Tessa Barrow.

30th Annual Northern Rockies Folk Festival

Hailey City Park

Booster Buttons on sale at Chapter One and Iconoclast, on Main Street in Ketchum and Notes Music Store, 221 S. River Street in Hailey: $23 in advance, $25 at gate.

Friday, Aug. 3

· 5:30 p.m. Public Radio

· 7 p.m. Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan

· 8:45 p.m. The Greencards

Saturday, Aug. 4

· 12:45 p.m. Mariah Reed

· 1:30 p.m. Kelsie Barrow & Friends

· 2:30 p.m. Niccole Bayley & Mo Kelly

· 4 p.m. Kim Stocking Band

· 5:45 p.m. Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan

· 7 p.m. Rob Quist and Great Northern

· 8:45 p.m. Headliner: the subdudes




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