I am a big fan of the Northwest Folklife Festival. I have been for years, and it just keeps getting better. It really is the perfect festival, as far as I’m concerned: It’s free (although you really should donate a few bucks on your way in if you can), it’s a bus ride away from my house (and most places in Seattle), and it’s packed wall to wall with local and international artists that have not been hyped to the gills and aren’t booked at every other festival in the country. It doesn’t involve driving for ten hours or being forced to pay five dollars for a bottle of water or having the sweat of strangers smeared on your face, and at the end of the day you can go home and sleep in your own bed before heading back for more the next morning. (I think there’s some other festival going on Memorial Day weekend, but I’m sure it’s not remotely as interesting.)
This year, in addition to their always brilliant programming of traditional folk music from America and around the globe, Folklife is dedicating a whole stage to some of the new roots and folk-influenced sounds sprouting up around the Northwest. But this isn’t just a weekend of bearded wannabe train-hitchers, either. They’re really stretching the idea of roots and folk with artists like Brad Dunn, Led to Sea, Corespondents, and many many more. Ultimately, it seems they’re working their way (and easing their audience) toward the realization that all music is folk music, damn it – at least that’s how I see it. Ball of Wax is thrilled to be a part of this phenomenon: The Indie Roots stage is hosting a Ball of Wax showcase on Sunday, May 29th from 12:30 to 4, with performances by BoW alums Shenandoah Davis, Joshua Morrison, Sunday Evening Whiskey Club, Pickwick, and, um, me. It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to show a little bit of the depth and breadth of the BoW coterie, even within the confines of the Folklife Festival (there are of course loads of Ball of Wax bands that just wouldn’t be appropriate in the Folklife setting, no matter how broadly you define “folk” or “roots”).
By way of previewing some of the musical riches that will be on offer on the Indie Roots Stage, the fine folks at Folklife (apologies for the alliteration) are presenting a concert this Friday at the majestic Columbia City Theater featuring a smattering of the artists playing that stage, representing a few of the outfits presenting showcases: American Standard Time, Hearth Music, and Ball of Wax. Get your tickets here, and come on by at 8pm to check out performances from Led to Sea, Mighty Ghosts, Corespondents, and The Crow Quill Night Owls. I’ll be there shilling for Ball of Wax and enjoying some fine, fine Northwest music. Come say hi!