Americana fest hits the streets

Having tuned in to the music scene a little more closely this year, I am glad to report my astonishment at the caliber of the new bluegrass and Americana musicians. This is not you grandma’s old front porch rocking chair music anymore – this is serious.

Well, this weekend, I had the pleasure of listening and playing with a whole slew of fantastic musicians from Reno and elsewhere, at the Americana Music Festival in Virginia City, Nevada.

I was excited to see this festival again, after Darrell Scott and his three brothers tore up the Piper Opera house last year. I bought tickets right away, which are a value at $20 for the whole three days. This is the first year that the Traditional American Music Project, or TRAMP, which promotes the festival, has elected to charge for general attendance. The event drew more people than any other year, according to organizer Cindy Gray.

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The weather was gorgeous – just walking around the silver boom town that is now America’s largest Historic Landmark, once the richest city in the world and the beginning of Mark Twain’s journalist career, was a treat in itself. However, staying at the bottom of the hill, at the Silverland Hotel, required a little leg strength! I suppose I could have jumped on a shuttle, but I was just too impatient to get back to the sounds of the Central Valley Boys, who played at the Piper, and cruise over to C street for a parking lot jam with members of the Reno-based Six Mule Pile Up

Later in the evening, the honey-dripped tunes of the Novelists inspired reflection and emotion, and finally, Rose’s Pawn Shop got the crowd all roused up, stomping feet, shaking hips, and clapping hands.

A festival that has only a few years under its belt, it may, until now, have been the best kept secret in bluegrass festivals. You must add it to the list next year – the festival is held the second weekend in July. I plan to be there again!

Hunter Merritt at CSU Sacramento April 2012

Two songs – one original, one cover – to an intimate crowd at the university library. Wonderful gallery!

K-dub is a one man nightclub

It was confirmed for me at Harlow’s last night, that Keller Williams has not changed one bit since I first saw him in college in Virginia in the 90s.

He still travels around in a van, he still sings songs about traveling in his van. He still plays these songs barefoot, with a poofy haircut and a wild eye, and he still finds joy in his music, perhaps more than anyone listening.

What has changed is the improved technology – from the early days experimenting with two BOSS loop pedals (a novel concept at the time), now the one-man show has now become a one-man-nightclub-plus-live-band that sent the crowd over a rollercoaster ride of beats, harmonies, and humor. His latest creation, Bass, doesn’t boast loops, however.

Keller Williams' latest album, Bass, produced in Fredericksburg, VA in 2011.

I see that the “van” is a bit larger now, and that he is playing bigger venues than Owen Seely’s back yard…much bigger, like the upcoming show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

Thanks, K-dub, for being true to yourself and sharing that joy with us. I can’t wait to see you again, knowing you will be the same guy I knew at Sydney. I hope we get to play again, like we did at Owen’s house, and I think that next time you come, you would enjoy meeting my favorite bass player, Joshua Monley (a.k.a. Schwa), who is also a dub and loop fanatic.

Gimme an F, Country Joe. That spells F-O-L-K.

Folk music is my heart and soul. It makes me proud to be an American citizen. It is fundamental to my musical character, like the patina of an old wooden rocking chair.

I play many kinds of music, for several reasons and reactions – bluegrass for foot-stompin’, or blues for butt-shakin’, or rock for fist-pumpin’ or air-guitarin’ – but folk music is THE medium to bring everyone together in song. It is the People’s Music, and it is made to tell stories, remember hard times, and lift spirits toward some kind of hope: for more unity and less greed; more love and less intolerance; more understanding and less viciousness.

Folk music is stolen and amended as needed, revised and renewed and retold by generations that follow, chasing the ever-present truths of human existence, in the context of whatever modern story can bring that truth to light in song or spoken word. No one did this better than Woodie Guthrie, the Oklahoma-born author of the unofficial national anthem “This Land is Your Land” as well as scores of other message-driven songs telling the personal stories of Americans during the Great Depression.

Woodrow Wilson Guthrie would be celebrating his 100th birthday this year. His legacy is carried forward not just by his family, but also by many adoring folk music icons of the 60s and 70s, many of whom are playing tribute concerts in his honor this year.

One such adoring musical icon is Country Joe McDonald, the lead singer of the psychedelic rock band Country Joe and the Fish, which was made famous at Woodstock for the “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin-to-Die-Rag”.

Swell Productions hosted a sold-out show of McDonald’s “100-year Tribute to Woody Guthrie” on Jan. 7, at the Sierra 2 Center / 24th Street Theater in Sacramento. The theater was filled with a mostly octogenarian crowd, with only a smattering of young people. Boy, how times have changed for Country Joe since the Woodstock days…where are the Occupy folks?

What really got my goat was this: after three compelling opening performances by Sacramento-area musicians Alex Nelson, Sherman Baker, and Richard March (each of whom played one Woody cover and one original tune), this guy representing the McDonald show – or the public radio station, or Swell Productions, I don’t know which – came up on the stage and reminded the crowd to “please extinguish anything that could be construed as a (recording) device.” Furthermore, he asked if anyone sees anyone else doing anything that LOOKS like recording a bootleg, to “please lean over nicely and ask them to cut it out.” What a brow-beating!

OK, I am a musician, so I understand the need to protect musicians’ meager livelihoods, but…REALLY? At THIS show? Of ALL shows? Remember, we are talking about an anti-war singer who hasn’t had a hit since the sixties, singing the borrowed songs and speaking the borrowed words of a man who represents FREEDOM for musicians and others alike. Remember that revolutionary “extra” verse that has been omitted from the patriotic renditions of “This Land is Your Land”?

As I was walkin’ – I saw a sign there
And that sign said “No Trespassing”
But on the other side, it didn’t say nothin’
THAT side was made for you and me!

Illegal recording for profit is wrong, and it should be frowned upon, but there are many precedents (think: Grateful Dead, Phish, and Widespread Panic) for tapers to grab down a recording for trading or listening to. Asking the crowd to please honor the musicians by using recorded material for personal use only? Ideal. Explaining that the show is being recorded for a documentary and the musicians need your support? Fine. But…scolding a crowd of people who paid nearly $30 apiece for the privilege of hearing these words and songs of freedom, and then being reminded to police our neighbors? This smacks of something that is just plain counter to my belief in Woody’s message.

Let’s rewind…
I remember my first concert, a double-bill at the Mosque Theater in Richmond, Virginia, with John Prine and (get this!) Woody’s son, Arlo Guthrie. In this pre-digital age, I owned a Walkman cassette player that had recording capability (very fancy), and I snuck it into the show and taped it. Don’t worry, Arlo, I never sold the tape, and it was probably the worst recording ever made. Instead, I played that tape over and over again and remembered how much fun that show was. I learned the Garden Song and others that I didn’t know. I pondered Arlo’s place in the 60s and today. I listened to the way that Arlo talked about how his song “Alice’s Restaurant” was celebrating its twentieth year, and how funny it was that kids (like me) were still listening to it.

And as for protest songs, I think that Country Joe and the Fish were as pivotal as any band I heard. I LOVED the Woodstock album and learned most of the songs on the two LP set. My dad was a Vietnam veteran (’68/’69), and my mom was a war protester. Both of them were counter-culture, in their own ways. I had to find my own understanding of the people, the causes and the cultural messages of the 60s, and much of this came from my exposure to anti-war singers like Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, John Prine, the younger Guthrie and, of course, Country Joe and the Fish.

Let’s fast forward…
Today’s culture embraces fast-traveling media. If a recording (live or studio, legit or bootleg) gets out into the public and is heard, it is exceptional. If it gets forwarded to ten people, it is remarkable. Count yourself lucky if you have anything worth Googling, thumbing up on Reddit, or liking on Facebook.

I suppose the concert promoter for the 100-year tribute was concerned that bootleg movies, photos, or recordings would ruin McDonald’s sales of CDs and other materials? Puh-leeze. The show was not that good. I know this NOT because I watched the whole thing (we left at intermission), but because I bought a copy of his two-CD live show, which was verbatim what McDonald played that night (a musician friend of mine calls this “phoning in the gig”). There was nothing original or unique about the show that was worth bootlegging, unless you count the five minutes he spent tuning his guitar throughout the show.

I really want to see musicians change the world. And we need new protest songs today more than ever. Musicians, pick your topic: corporate greed is flamboyant, war and destruction persists around the globe, the natural environment suffers from our mistakes or active insults. Any of these topics, or any stories of individuals who suffer from them, would make great fodder for a song. The Occupy movements, whatever their cause, are not pulled together with any common string, and if they are, a beautiful soundtrack may emerge. So get to it!

Until then, Woody Guthrie lives on in his songs for mankind, and all good musicians with good hearts should play his music loud and long for young people to hear and learn. Don’t charge anyone for folk songs that you don’t write – give them away for the improvement of our culture. If anyone makes any money, I hope that the royalties go to a good cause.

My money, sadly, went to Country Joe. And I will sell the album to you, today, for half-off, just for reading this rant.

My 2012 resolution? More of the same, please!

Live music and running rivers…If I could spend more time doing these two things (and still make my mortgage payment), my 2012 would be excellent.

Last year, I experienced some of the best live music in a decade, from some of my favorite artists and experiencing a few new discoveries. Todd Snider played at the Stockton Theater, with great folky-funky opener Raina Rose. Singer/songwriter Darrell Scott (along with his three brothers, for the first time together in 15 years) brought down the Piper Operahouse at TRAMP’s 4^th Annual Americana Music Festival in Virginia City, Nevada, and (after much urging from many musician friends in California), we finally spent the money to attend the 30^th Annual Strawberry Music Festival, which is where I first heard Nikki Bluhm, the frontwoman for the indie-Americana rock band the Gramblers, sometimes accompanied by her husband Tim Bluhm of the Mother Hips, another act that I got to see for the first time this year, at a sweet house concert in Chico. Wow, what a musical year!

The year ended in a brilliant flash of musical inspiration, too. As my family duties were temporarily suspended this holiday season (my wife and kids spent an extra week at her parent’s house after Christmas), I jumped at the invitation from my friends Joc Clark and Kelly Munson, to groove at the GRUB Collective in Chico, Calif., who threw a fantastic New Year’s party featuring the lovely and talented Railflowers, the heart-pounding drums of  Wolfthump (offshoot of the original Lloyd Family Players), and a the soulful rock of Nikki Bluhm.A countdown to midnight was followed by a clean, jammy rendition of the Allman Brothers’ classic, Midnight Rider.

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All proceeds from the party went to support the GRUB collective, which promotes sustainable living through home-grown food and promotes a community atmosphere. I never felt so good buying my pints of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale! Thank you, Jeff, for the glass of champagne!

The following day, rising early to join my friend Flash on the annual New Year’s Day South Fork American trip with the skeleton crew of Whitewater Excitement, I spent a few hours floating on the river and reflecting on the best parts of 2011 and my hopes for 2012.

What do I want in 2012? More of the same! I already bought tickets to Americana Fest, and called a few venues to book my own gigs this spring. I will be looking to play and see more music, and play and see more rivers, in 2012. Hope you get to do more of the same!

SYOTRWB (See You On the River With a Banjo), HM

The best leader in the room may be the student

The role of facilitator is too often confused with the role of leader. By default, the facilitator is made to feel like (and may perceive him/herself) a teacher or giver of wisdom.

Hubris can be damaging to a facilitator’s credibility, and when the subject is leadership development, the stakes are even higher. You have every opportunity to lose your audience if you claim too much ownership of the definition of leadership, or any other complex subject. Take note of the lessons learned by Kurt Lewin.

Research in the 1930s and 40s by Lewin, along with Ron Lippett, Ralph White and others at MIT, established a theory, that a group of followers reacts differently to leaders exhibiting one of three distinct behavioral styles of leadership: autocratic, democratic, or laissez-faire. This became known as the Behavior Theory of leadership.

The results of this research suggested that individual leaders are capable of shifting between these different types of leadership behavior, that followers would be more likely to react aggressively or apathetically to the autocratic style of leadership, and that the aggression was less likely to be directed at the autocrat than at other members of the group.

The value of Lewin’s contributions to adult learning, experiential education, organizational development, and leadership theory are immense. It is particularly noteworthy that the discoveries from his initial T-group studies (“T” = training) were later adapted into a template for the experiential learning model that is so often attributed to David Kolb (interestingly, it is cited in his famously popular 1984 book – Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development – as “The Lewinian Experiential Learning Model”).

These studies influenced a whole new concept in research as well: Lewin pursued, until his untimely death in 1947, the concept of interdependent variables in research, leading to the currently accepted practice of action-research, which accepts the integration of researchers’ perspectives and influences with that of the subjects of study.

What does this mean as a tip for educators?

In sum, because experiential education is associated with a more learner-centered method of education, it has gained popularity and credibility worldwide as a tactic for leadership development (Gookin, 2006). Experiential learning provides an examination of complex systems and social situations that are among the driving forces in andragogical, or adult learning, settings.

It may be valuable for the facilitator to take note of the collective wisdom and knowledge in a group of leadership development students, and approach leadership (and any other complex subject) with an air of humility, respect, and collaboration. Because the best leader in the room, or the person with the most to teach, may be one of your students.

References

Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Lewin, K., & Lippitt, R. (1947). The research center for group dynamics. In Sociometry Monographs No. 17. New York: Beacon House.

Lewin, K., Lippit, R., & White, R. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology, 10, 271-301.

Lunar Eclipse, Sat., Dec. 10, 5:45am

Project Learning Tree to grow stewardship, student by student

The Project Learning Tree  is a program of the American Forest Foundation that uses the forest as a window on the world, engaging the next generation of America’s thought-leaders and decision makers.

A recent analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics determined that American students lag behind their international counterparts in science and math.  Studies consistently show that when integrated into the core curricula or used as an integrating theme across the curriculum, environmental education increases student engagement in learning, improves student achievement and raises test scores.

Find out more at the link Who We Are.

 

 

My own personal news column

I am beginning to understand the value of the blog. It is the tech version of the journal, right? Wrong.

If this were a journal, I would be tucking it back on my bedside stand, never to be seen by anyone. OK, maybe I would show my wife, but that’s it.

A blog is more like a personal newspaper, which is why I have rewritten this comment at least a dozen times. Frankly, I can’t just think up a story; I have to research and write like a journalist. That’s not easy!

Fortunately, it is not the Associated Press, or Reuters (both sources that I follow daily). This is just little ol’ me, trying to stay current and relevant in an age of tech independence and freedom. What is amazing to me is that this tech curve has been as steep in my lifetime as it was in my grandmother’s (who remembers the first time she heard a radio broadcast).

Some subjects I will be addressing in this blog include: communication, relationship building, training and development, organizational change, sustainability, pedagogy, andragogy, leisure, recreation, play, environmental justice, leadership, parenting, music, experiential education, and adventure sports.

If you have a recommendation for me to cover a story, I would love the opportunity to practice my journalism skills. Send me a message.

Blogging Virgin

This will be my first voyage into the blogosphere, as the kids call it these days.

I am very comfortable with writing, less so with publishing, especially in colloquial, loose, gabby format. However, I think that this may just be the way of the future, and a ray of hope for writers.

I am an avid user of social media. Some of my favorite activities include perusing Pulse on the iPhone while riding the RT to and from work. About 10 minutes is enough to get a feel for the news of the day. I try to verify as I dig through workday drudgery as well, to stay as current as I can on the items of import.

If you know me, you know that I am never short for words, and sometimes to a fault. Blah, Blah, BLOG…this could be a bad thing for my health!

Oh, well, until next time…