By: Lauren Knapp
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Crooked Still - Photo by Sara Montour
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Tweeners: Crooked Still
Having attended The Winnipeg Folk Festival twice before, I was aware of what I was getting myself into when I purchased my ticket from an extremely friendly Canadian Ticketmaster employee in late June. Again this year, I was unacquainted with most of the musicians on the line-up and knew I would not be able to fully indulge in all of the music, food, and parties the festival had to offer. But as in years past, I knew WFF would expose me to some new favorites.
This year, I felt the non-main stage performers outshined some of the big names like Steve Earl and Bruce Cockburn. Thursday night's tweeners, lesser known groups who play three or four songs while the stage is being prepared for the main acts, established the precedent for the next three days.
Crooked Still had the good luck to be asked to fill a tweener spot on the opening night of the festival, a fortuitous appearance they were only asked to make earlier that day. The four-piece urban bluegrass group, featuring cello, double-bass, banjo, and female vocals, is a relatively new band hailing from Boston. They were introduced as having an average age of 25 years, but as they commenced their first tune, Darling Corey, it was evident that what they may lack in years, they more than make up for in natural talent, passion, and, I daresay, old fashioned good looks. Apparently many of the festival-goers agreed, as they had sold out of their CDs by the following night.
Crooked Still's full performance, Saturday afternoon, delivered what their brief tweener act had promised and much more. With natural stage presence and refreshingly upbeat old school folk repertoire, the group shined, showcasing each member's personal style and skill. Vocalist Aoife O'Donovan captured our attention with her remarkably clear, straight, and sweet voice, reminiscent of Alison Krauss. Gregory Liszt's permanent grin and easy swaying style, made it difficult for me to take my eyes off the captivating banjo player. The mostly silent Corey DiMario on the double-bass had a strong yet understated presence, constant and steady like a bass player should be. And finally, Rushad Eggleston charmed and impressed us with his bizarre sense of humor and excellent and inventive bowing technique.
Of course, it was the whole these parts created which was so delightful. The crowd couldn't help but sway and tap their feet to the particularly hummable melodies. The more ambitious of us danced the concert away - an impressive act considering we were plagued with nearly 100 degree weather when the sun was shining. Crooked Still was an all-around enjoyable band, capturing the old familiarity of American folk music. They will hopefully be touring through the Twin Cities around October/November.
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Fruit - Photo by Sara Montour
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Workshops
As I mentioned, one of the pleasures of attending the Winnipeg Folk Festival is the extensive exposure one receives to new music. While most artists play at least one solo show, usually lasting an hour, they also have the privilege of playing with similar artists in one or more of the various-themed workshops. Most workshops are creatively titled and highlight things participants have in common such as improvisational vocal technique, percussion methods, female voices, protest songs, or songs of heartache, just to name a few. Two particular workshops standout: Kiwis and Kangaroos featuring Australian and New Zealander artists, and How Low Can You Go? Featuring double-bass players and one cellist.
Kiwis and Kangaroos featured the four young women representing the Australian continent, Mihirangi, an enchantingly powerful chanteuse and Fruit, an inspirational three member folk/pop group. Fruit opened the workshop with the festival hit, "Mama," which they had featured earlier at their solo performance. Mel Watson turned heads with her bold and physical performance. Her two counterparts enhanced and supported the singer, matching her intense musicality and energy. Of course, this being a workshop, it was only a matter of seconds before Mihirangi graced us with her breathtaking voice and loop pedal, on which she laid back up vocals and beats. The four women easily blended and could entertain a crowd for hours with their clear and powerful voices alone, but it was the energy the four women built together which was truly inspiring.
Having seen Fruit perform a year ago at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in upstate New York, I knew to expect a high caliber performance. As a band, Fruit creates a whirlwind of energy which often spirals until the entire audience feels so unabashedly happy that Fruit merely says the word and everyone is on their feet singing their hearts out. Mihirangi echoed their feel good style and touched each of us as she bounced across the stage, laughed at how star struck she was to sing with Fruit, and threw herself into the complex songs she created with nothing more than her voice and loop pedal. The Kiwis and Kangaroos workshop is something the Australian and New Zealander bureaus of tourism could exploit.
While the vocal stylings of Fruit and Mihirangi were inspiring and a little bit of soul food, How Low Can You Go featured some of the excellent instrumentalism I can never seem to get enough of in folk music. The workshop featured three bass players who have grown into their instruments divergently. Mark Rubin leads a Klezmer band called Rubinchik's Yiddish Ensemble, Willie Duprey indulges in the country and bluegrass sounds of Texas in the South Austin Jug Band, and Rushad Eggleston and Corey DiMario, of Crooked Still, entertained us with percussive playing and highly imaginative lyrics.
It was Rushad Eggleston, however, who particularly caught my attention. With his inventive bowing techniques, which he claimed to develop as a shortcut of sorts when he was too tired to practice. Although he is clearly an accomplished musician, technically speaking, it is not the improvisation I remember, but the performance of a song he wrote for his other musical project, The Wild Band of Snee. I cannot recall the title, but it struck me as very similar in style to the songs on the bands' album, The Playhouse of the Universe. I continuously struggle to describe Eggleston's music, but a few words do stick out: Jabberwocky, Zelda, playful, and the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyworld. The song was at least half comprised of invented, onomatopoetic language and told the story of a man stuck in a tree. As soon as my roommate and I learned that Eggleston had brought The Wild Band of Snee albums, we rushed to the CD tent to secure our copy before they were sold out.
The workshops at WFF have exposed me to music and musicians I might otherwise not have come across. They facilitate enchanting moments between musicians, at times ridiculously bad jokes, and allow people to partake in folk music, as that which is created by all participants, musicians and listeners alike.
Fruit will be playing at Beaner's Central in Duluth on Sunday the 16th.
The Wild Band of Snee will hopefully be touring to the Twin Cities next October/November.
Location Info:
Winnipeg Folk Festival
Artist Info: Crooked Still, Fruit, The Wild Band of Snee
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