Most of you know by now that there is nothing more anticipated in my life than the annual summer trip to Hillsdale, NY, for Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. This year, the fest is July 20-23, but as always, I'll be driving up with my entourage on Wednesday, the 19th, and coming home Monday the 24th. There are so many good reasons to come to the fest, even if you're not a big folk fan (I wasn't when I went for the first time. That changed).
The festival has such a hopeful, liberal atmosphere. The people are great, friendly, and you'll be welcomed right away. I sure was. I went for the first time in 2003 because the Edhead list was buzzing about how great the fest is. Being a big Eddie From Ohio fan, I figured it'd be worth it to camp with other Edheads and enjoy the experience. I didn't even think about the fact that I'd have four whole days of amazing music to enjoy. I was just looking forward to camping, meeting people, and seeing another EFO show. I think I came home from my first fest with 8 new CDs. That was when I really morphed into the live music junkie that you know today. Every great act at FRFF toured with another great act that hadn't been there, and my eyes were opened to a whole new world of great music - music that makes my heart happy, because it's well-written by people who are true musicians, who write from their hearts, not from a marketing plan. It's amazing. I'm not a fan of every act that plays the fest, but there really is something for everyone. There's always at least one "big star" at the fest - my first fest had Dar Williams and Arlo Guthrie. Last year Ani Difranco played. This year Shawn Colvin is making an appearance. But the lesser-knowns are actually my favorites.
So...here's what my plans look like for the fest:
Leave Charlottesville early Wednesday morning. It's about a 7 hour drive, so we like to get an early start. We're willing to carpool, but we don't have a very big car, though if we get enough people going with us, we could rent a van. Or just take two cars. But my vote is for the van. Anyway, whatever vehicle is taking us there will depart on Wednesday morning. We always run out of gas and get hungry at the same place in Pennsylvania - seriously, by 100% coincidence, we've stopped at the same gas station on the way up every year. We eat pizza around 12:30 and get going again. We arrive at the fest and hug Shelly and Kat at about 4, because they'll be the only ones there. Others will trickle in for the rest of the afternoon, and setup will go smoothly because Shelly has done an AWESOME job of planning for us. Around dinnertime, those of us who are there - about a dozen of us last year - will pile in our cars and drive to Great Barrington for "Bowling in the Hills" night. We all camp together as Edheads (fans of Eddie From Ohio), and our activities are themed based on their song titles (one of which is "Bowling in the Hills"). We'll bowl, get drunk (except the DD's, of course), and eat crappy food. Then back at camp that evening, we'll catch up with everyone in the lobby and start planning out our festival. Thursday brings the official start of the fest, but there's nothing on the mainstage until 6 o'clock, so we'll wander around checking out the vendors and catching up with the folks who roll in that day. Someone is always cooking at the campsite, so as long as you contribute in some way, you can get in on the free food there. But the food in vendor city is DELICIOUS, and well worth the six dollars or so they'll charge you per entree. Seriously, it's some of the best food I've ever had.
Thursday's mainstage acts are usually a bunch of unknowns and people who've never played the fest before, so it's kind of low-key, but this year, Shawn Colvin is playing a set on Thursday night. I'm very excited about this, even though the only song of hers I know is "Sonny Came Home," which I used to hate - but I like it now:) After the mainstage winds down (at 12), most people will come back to camp to hang out before turning in. But the diehards will head up the hill to the Budgiedome, an unofficial-but-integral part of the fest where the best after hours music is found. I don't have the stamina for the Budgiedome, but Jeremy goes most nights.
Two or three people will be assigned tarp duty each morning - this is one way to earn your free food - you wake up at some ungodly hour and get a good position in line for the daily tarp run. They allow you to set up your tarps at the stage at 7am, I believe, and it's a mad dash to get the best spots. This is the only part of the festival where people aren't totally nice and cool. You have to be tough to get a good spot. We Edheads have always been pretty skilled in the tarp run, so you're guaranteed good seats if you're with us. But don't piss Shelly off or she won't let you sit with us:)
Last year on Friday, there was a lull in the performances where none of us were really interested in what was on stage, and it was miserably hot, so we all got in our cars and drove to this wonderful swimming hole in Massachusetts (which is a two minute drive away, we're right on the state line). That was sooooo nice. I hope we go every day this year:)
Friday night's lineup is usually pretty great, and the Friday evening activities are usually similar to Thursday's. Saturday is THE BIG DAY. Tarp run again in the morning, and then all day long there's just awesome, awesome music on all four stages (Dance, Family, Workshop, and Main). Most of the fan favorites will play on Saturday night, including EFO. Then Shelly runs "Cannexican Night" at camp. The Mexican part is the food and drink, the Canadian part is that we all speak English. The band and their pals usually join us at camp after their set, and we party into the wee hours. Last year, Mike and Robbie of EFO brought their instruments and jammed with us ALL NIGHT LONG. Well, Mike did. Robbie took off around 1 or 2am. It was the best experience ever. EVER.
Sunday starts with the Gospel Wakeup Call on the mainstage, where you'll hear some of the most beautiful music and most powerful voices - Julie Murphy Wells is the leader of this pack. She's amazing, and FRFFers live for her "Great Day." She wrote it just for the fest. People start to leave after that, but there's still a full day of music on Sunday, so I always stay to the bittersweet end. And I always cry. I HATE leaving FRFF:( I hate it when other people leave, too, since I'm always one of the last to get out of there. It's so sad! On the last night, those of us that remain will always go out to the pizza place - is it Four Brothers? I can't remember - anyway the Kennedys are always there, too, and we talk about all things wonderful and eat the most giantisimo servings of Italian food, and go back and have a quiet final evening at camp. On Monday, those of us that have stuck it out will eat one last meal together at the diner by the highway, and then we say our teary-eyed goodbyes and part ways.
Other highlights that I didn't fit in - the Dance tent. There are lessons and advanced dances. I always participate in the beginner/intermediate stuff and try to watch a lot of the advanced stuff. My cousin got me into the advanced square dance, and I actually did okay - I had so much fun! The dance tent is a great place to hang out. The vendors are great - it's hippie merchandise as far as the eye can see. All my favorite clothes are FRFF purchases. You'll also get plenty of opportunities to hang out with the artists. A lot of the bands camp right along with us, and they're there enjoying all the music, too. That's always fun.
For more information, you can check out the official website at www.falconridgefolk.com. You know you want to come! Tickets are cheap, too:)
I could talk about FRFF for days straight - if anyone has questions, by all means, ask away.
Peace.
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