Northwest Folklife

2008 Northwest Folklife Benefit Concert

The Saturday night Benefit Concert was a celebration of urban Indian culture in the Pacific Northwest, featuring Native American artists practicing a broad spectrum of contemporary music. Peter Ali (Yaqui/Berber) demonstrated his virtuosity with Native flute music, Swil Kanim (Lummi) performed a concert of innovative and moving violin works, and the Little Big Band finished things up with their special blend of ryhthm & blues.

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_204.mp3Peter Ali — Native American Flute
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_205.mp3Little Big Band — Native Words, Songs, Stories
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_206.mp3Swil Kanim — "The Violindian"

A Taste of Bluegrass

The Saturday Bluegrass Show is a Folklife tradition. For the past few years Northwest bluegrass afficienados have packed the Bagley Wright Theatre on Saturday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the hottest acts in the region.

There was no reason for disappointment this year, as the hard-driving sounds of five of the Northwest's hottest picking crews filled the air. These live sets are hot!

 

Photo by Reed Carlson

 

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_211.mp3Dewgrass — Bluegrass Music
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_212.mp3Badger Mountain Dry Band — Progressive Bluegrass
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_213.mp3Down the Road — Bluegrass and Oldtime Country
4. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_214.mp3Noparta Nothin' — Bluegrass, Ain't that Somethin'
5. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_215.mp3Loose Digits — Tight Acoustic Music!

Bluegrass Bonanza!

As if three hours of bluegrass wasn't enough, we put together a second showcase of hot Northwest bands this eveningin the Rainier Room. Loose Digits worked a double shift, filling in for a missing band. They were joined by bluegrass swing giants Ida Viper and the unstoppable Captain Gravel.

 

Photo by Helen Bommarita

 

 

 

 

 

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_237.mp3Loose Digits — Tight Acoustic Music
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_238.mp3Ida Viper — Western Swing & Bluegrass
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_239.mp3Captain Gravel — Fire Breathing Bluegrass

Fisher Green Stage

Sunny skies, hot weather and green grass enticed audiences to the Fisher Green Stage on Saturday where they enjoyed a line-up of great international artists. The open spirit of Folklife came through in the music of The Old Bay Warblers and Williams & Bray, playing country and bluegrass music. Bagpipe virtuoso Jori Chrisholm astonished the crowd, and the Grammy-winning Tingstad & Rumbel played a soothing set. Haugaard and Hoirup were back this year from Denmark, bringing with them a remarkable repertoire of Danish dance tunes.

Photo by Helen Bommarito

 

 

 

 

 

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_231.mp3The Old Bay Warblers — Old Time, New Time
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_232.mp3Williams & Bray — Bluegrass Plus
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_233.mp3Jori Chisholm — Bagpipe Revolution
4. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_234.mp3Spare Rib & The Bluegrass Sauce — Foot Stompin' Bluegrass
5. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_235.mp3Tingstad & Rumbel — Grammy Award-Winning Artists
6. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_236.mp3Haugaard & Hoirup — Danish Violin & Guitar Duo

Folk Punk Attack!

The Northwest is home to a network of vibrant and tight-knit communities whose members are actively reinterpreting folk music within the aesthetic of punk rock. Four bands joined forces on the Fountain Lawn to represent this revolution on stage. blackbird raum is a larger than life jug band whose folk-punk anthems are irresistible. Chervona reshapes gypsy jazz into raw funky energy. Rum Rebellion are rowdy pirates from Portland. Sid & Fancy are the rawkinest bluegrass band you'll ever hear.

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_221.mp3blackbird raum — vitriolic punk jug band
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_222.mp3Chervona — Gypsy Folk Jazz
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_223.mp3Rum Rebellion — Portland Folk-Punk
4. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_224.mp3Sid & Fancy — Bluegrass Punk-Rock

Indie Folk House Concert

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_207.mp3Ora Cogan — Twighlight Morninglight
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_208.mp3June Madrona — Volcanoes and Unicorns
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_209.mp3Luminous Craft — Indie Folk
4. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_210.mp3Polka Dot Dot Dot Dot — A'capella Cute Explosion

Latin American All-Stars

Our Saturday evening concert in the Charlotte Martin Theatre featured outstanding Latin American artists playing music from across North and South America and the Caribbean. The young players in Mariachi Huenachi started things off with a songs from Mexico. Sin Fronteras followed with pan-South American folk influenced by the nuevo canciòn movement. Indigenous Andean music was next, from the group Quichua Mashis, often found busking in Seattle's Pike Place Market. The concert ended with Correo Aereo's eclectic mix of Latin fiddle and dance traditions.

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_218.mp3Sin Fronteras — Live & Listen Without Borders
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_219.mp3Quichua Mashis — Music of the Andes
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_220.mp3Correo Aereo — Hot Latin American Music
4. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_217.mp3Mariachi Huenachi — Traditional Mariachi Music

Vera Stage

The Vera Project and Northwest Folklife have a lot in common. Both are nonprofit arts organization committed to creating space in Seattle for arts communities to connect with each other and flourish. Vera is a space that enables Folklife to experiment with innovative, boundary-crossing programs. Saturday's groups, for instance, touched every corner of the musical spectrum, from old-time and maritime-flavoured punk from The Pasties and The Wages of Sin to Ensemble Sub Masa's Eastern European jamming and Baay Bia's West African hip hop. Bark Hide & Horn, from Portland, finished up the evening with a set of songs about 1950s National Geographic articles. Truly a Northwest Folklife highlight to be remembered.

1. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_225.mp3The Heard — Have You?
2. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_226.mp3Grace & Savage — Atmospheric Art-Folk
3. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_227.mp3The Pasties — Seven-Piece Folk/Punk Craze!
4. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_228.mp3Ensemble Sub Masa — Carpatho-Balkan Hoedown Music
5. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_229.mp3The Wages of Sin — World Metal
6. https://s3.amazonaws.com/testing-folklife-audio/audio_performances/recordings_230.mp3Bark Hide & Horn — Naturalist-Core Folk-Rock