This year marks the fifth annual Lake Erie Folk Festival, presented Feb. 21-22 at the Shore Cultural Centre, a former high school that has been transformed into an innovative arts center in Euclid, Ohio. With the festival a little more than a week away, this seemed like the perfect time to provide a sneak peak at the event.
Located within the heart of the Lake Erie snowbelt, winter
may seem like an odd time to host a music festival. But not to Laura Lewis, the
Artistic Director for the Lake Erie Folk Festival (LEFF), who cited some precedent
when asked why this was a good time for such an event.
“I asked the same question about the Kent State Folk
Festival when I first started coming to the area in 1991,” Lewis said. “I'm
from Virginia where snow brings everything to a halt. But the Kent State Folk
Festival happened regardless of the snow and cold, and provided a welcomed
break from hibernation for the music community.”
Considering that the Kent State Folk Festival was
discontinued in 2013, Lewis added, “I think LEFF has stepped in to provide that
break.”
The 2020 Lake Erie Folk Festival kicks off at 10 a.m. on Friday,
Feb. 21, with a school program for students of all ages, called “Pass It On,”
featuring Carolina Blue, an award-winning bluegrass band from Brevard, NorthCarolina.
“We think it's so important to expose young people to
authentic musical traditions,” Lewis said. More information can be found at lakeeriefolkfest.com/2020-friday-school-program.
That evening, from 7 to 9 p.m., the members of Carolina Blue
will host a Bluegrass Band Lab, leading workshops on intermediate and advanced
violin, bass, banjo and mandolin.
“This is a great opportunity to learn from a band steeped in
the tradition of Bill Monroe and garnishing awards right and left,” Lewis
added. Registration information can be found at lakeeriefolkfest.com/bluegrass-band-lab.
The main event for LEFF is Saturday, Feb. 22, with free
community workshops, presentations, jams, dances and concerts, from 1 to 6
p.m., all leading up to the Grand Finale concert at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at
noon with concessions available throughout the day.
Highlights of the daytime events include workshops on
playing old-time banjo, fiddle and guitar featuring Mark Olitsky, Riley
Calcagno (The Onlies), Susie Goehring and Dave Rice; presentations on different
banjo styles; a guided old-time jam; and a variety of free concerts. Check out
the full schedule of the daytime events at lakeeriefolkfest.com/plan-your-day.
The Grand Finale concert will feature Carolina Blue, Distinguished
Gentlemen of Spoken Word, Harmonia and Luca Mundaca. For more information and
to purchase tickets, visit lakeeriefolkfest.com/evening-concert.
To celebrate this being the fifth year of the Lake Erie Folk
Festival, Laura Lewis answered these five questions.
What does it mean for you to have this festival reach the
milestone of five years?
The festival has been popular since the first event in
2016, and that's been such a gift. It's a lot of work to produce and the event
is fueled by the leadership of the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association,
lots of volunteer manpower and a small staff at the Shore Cultural Centre.
There has been so much support ... large and small donations, artists donating
their time and volunteers working for hours before, during and after the event.
Five years is such a satisfying milestone to reach!
What does this event mean for Northeast Ohio's old-time
community?
Attendees and volunteers from the old-time community are
really the backbone of the festival. Each year there are old-time workshops
that help spread the tradition of old-time music to newcomers. There's an
organized old-time jam led by experienced players who provide a nurturing
environment for those learning to play. You'll also see spontaneous jams
throughout the building. Finally, Studio Strings, a violin shop in Medina, is a
sponsor of the festival. They'll be there with a table full of instruments and
are also donating a fiddle that will be raffled off during the evening concert.
Folks can buy raffle tickets during the daytime events and do not need to be
present to win.
This is a banjo blog, so what does the festival offer for
banjo players?
Last year we had an amazing focus on old-time banjo with
musicians Richie Stearns, Mark Olitsky, Lukas Pool and Doug Ungar in
attendance. This year we'll have a compare and contrast of banjo styles for
those who may not know the difference between bluegrass, old-time and Irish
banjo. Local banjo hero Mark Olitsky will again give a workshop. And old-time
lovers will have a treat when Riley Calcagno on fiddle, Mark Olitsky on banjo
and Susie Goehring on guitar give a Community Concert in Room 158 at 5:15
to 6:00 p.m.
Why are the community workshops important for LEFF?
I'm on the board of the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association,
and the organization's goal is to foster and preserve folk music "through
the creation of inspiring experiences that stimulate a personal love and
appreciation of folk music." The community workshops are taught by
experienced and dedicated musicians with the express purpose of passing on
traditional music. All of the daytime events are free, and they offer
experiences for newcomers, fans, dancers and players from novice to
experienced. Even the time between workshops is valuable as people come
together to visit. The daytime events are the heart and soul of the festival.
What are you most looking forward to at this year's
festival?
Each year we feature national or internationally touring
artists alongside great regional talent. What I find most inspiring are the
discoveries I see happening when different cultures come together. Audience
members in awe of Tuvan throat singers or Indian dancers ... African American
steppers checking out the steps of a champion Irish step dancer... school kids
hearing French Canadian music for the first time. This year the cultural
experiences on the evening concert include Luca Mundaca, a Brazilian singer-songwriter;
Harmonia, a band that plays Eastern European music; The Distinguished Gentlemen
of Spoken word, young African American men who do performance poetry; and
Carolina Blue, a traditional bluegrass band from North Carolina. What a
smorgasbord!
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