Although the conference kicked off on Wednesday, the official welcome and keynote were delivered Thursday morning. By then, the all-night guerilla showcases that so characterize the conference had already begun, as had the informative talks instructing artists on ideas for furthering their careers. As the week rolled on, these talks and panel discussions covered everything from handling finances to booking tours in Europe, dealing with radio and internet, forging your career in a way that is copasetic to preserving the environment, being a woman in the industry, and several other issues.
Panel Discussions
Possibly the best panel talk I sat in was a talk on environmental practices in CD manufacturing, venues and festivals. Kathy Partridge and Erin Hamayda from the Shelter Valley Folk Festival in Canada talked about how they were able to reduce the amount of garbage produced by their festival (nearly 2,000 attendees over three days) to 12 bags, by recycling and composting pretty much everything.Lindsay Gillespie from Music Manufacturing Services (MMS)—a CD manufacturing company based in Toronto—has made available a CD tray made from potato starches, among other things. Groovehouse Records representative Bryan Kelley discussed how his CD manufacturing group, based in Los Angeles, has the majority of its staff working remotely from home, while the office was built using very stringent environmental standards. Dalis Allen from Kerrville Folk Festival was there to discuss the lengths to which their festival is going to try to reduce their footprint. They have saved 60 tons of trash being sent to landfills simply through insisting their festivarians use only re-usable cups.
Another excellent, thought-provoking panel discussion addressed the place traditional music has in a contemporary world. Much of the discussion led to defining traditional music and debating whether there’s a difference between traditional and contemporary music.
Keynote Address
But, first, the keynote address on Thursday morning. Eliza Gilkyson started it off with a lengthy, poignant address that tackled how and why she became a folksinger. Citing her influences (Joan Baez, Phil Ochs) and the work of her father Terry Gilkyson, she said, "How was I going to be anything but a folksinger?" She likened folksingers to the great bards of classical times, as the job of both is to be "the eyes and ears of the street." Later, she also addressed the importance of bringing politics into folk songs, saying that, of all artists, folksingers must present a "strength and unified voice to stop the empire out of control."When she had finished her eloquent speech, former Attorney General Janet Reno addressed the crowd, identifying the North American Folk Alliance as "one of the great contributors to America’s strength at this time."
Food and Drink
With that, the conference swung into full gear. By Thursday night, the Memphis Downtown Marriott was overflowing with people, music was coming from every nook and cranny as guitar players found fiddlers and mandolin players. Fliers and posters announcing official and unofficial showcase times were covering every surface. Beer and wine counters popped up at every turn, as did a counter selling snacks and burgers. With all that goes on at Folk Alliance, it’s not a difficult feat to forget a meal or two.
Guerilla Showcases
Upstairs, on the top three floors, every room and suite showcases a new artist every 10-30 minutes. Agencies, venues, organizations and even some individual artists host these acts, and there were snacks ranging from pizza to apples and mixed nuts on every table. Even though the showcase schedule is clearly printed in a "pocket guide" (you’d have to have a big pocket for it), the best thing to do is to just ride the elevator to the top and wander the halls until something catches your fancy, as some of the best artists at Folk Alliance are people you’ve never heard of before. Outstanding artists I discovered just wandering through the upper floors included Jenni Alpert, Melissa Greener, Chris O'Brien, Greg Klyma, David Stoddard, Emmet Scanlan & What the Good Thought, Betty Soo, Rose Cousins, and so many others.
Official Showcases
Meanwhile, downstairs, official showcases take place in the hotel's several conference rooms that are named after various cities in Tennessee. There are showcases hosted by radio shows, BMI, and other sponsors. Incredible relatively unknown and up-and-coming artists like Anthony DaCosta, the Belleville Outfit, John Cruz, Po' Girl, Meg Hutchinson were showcased during these. Eliza Gilkyson played an exquisite set on Friday night, which capped off with a whistle-along.
