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Cityfolk Festival

Cityfolk Festival Reunion: Celebrating Dayton’s Past Concert Event One Last Time

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Cityfolk Festival ReunonTo many around the Dayton area, the three-day Cityfolk Festival was one of the high points of the summertime.  Alongside the extraordinary events that are sprinkled throughout the year, one of the most anticipated to attend was the Cityfolk Festival.  The event was created after the National Folk Festival ended its three-year stay here in town.  The festival brought artists from around the world and would share their diverse artistic traditions.  The performances stressed the importance of building partnerships and engaged collaborations of all ages.  From the early days of being in downtown to setting up at Riverscape-Cityfolk Festival was one of the many bright spots that shined on the Dayton community.

Unfortunately the funding for the festival and other programs that Cityfolk put together suffered due to the low attendances.  One contributing factor was the weather conditions the past couple years.  Some major companies that contributed and sponsored the music stages during the occasion left town.   These factors all came into play when the committee decided to pull the plug on this year’s festival.  It devastated and disappointed a great deal of festival goers.

For Sunni Russo, the Cityfolk Festival was special to her.  Coming from New Jersey and moving here 20-plus years ago, Russo started volunteering at the information booth, and then moved to the musical side of the show.  “They used to record the performances for archiving.  So, my volunteer job was to sit with the sound guy, make sure the tape recorder was going and try to record the name of the songs,” says Russo.  Russo got the position of running the music stages in 2003, a position she would run for the next 11 years.  Russo, like the many that had the opportunity to volunteer and/or be in a higher role, were devastated that Cityfolk folded.

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Coordinator Sunni Russo pictured on the right

When Russo got word that Cityfolk was finished, she was talking to one of the other volunteers that she worked closely with made a comment
that would spark an idea.  “One of the guys-Charlie Parker, he worked stage tech over the years, said would it be cool if we just showed up the third week of June on Courthouse Square and  wear our favorite t-shirts and talk about good times.  A little light bulb went off in my head.”  The suggestion of Parker will now become reality on June 22nd.  At the Courthouse Square in downtown Dayton, the Cityfolk Festival Reunion will be taking place from 1-7pm.

Throughout the Cityfolk Festival Reunion, the event will feature musical acts from past and present.  Paige Beller and Danny Voris will be performing while past Cityfolk acts Corndrinkers, Son del Caribe will be returning.  Also joining the musical acts is the Stivers Jazz Combo.  Food vendors Hunger Paynes, Brock Mastersons Catering-Events, El Meson Express, and for dessert Ritters Frozen Custard will be at the festival.  The Zoot Theatre Company will be having a station set up for the children.  The kids will be able to construct finger puppets or get their faces painted. Also set up for the children will be the “Community Canvas”-canvases will be set up for them to paint whatever strikes them at that moment.  If you want to bring your own cooler, Russo mentioned that they will be permitted.  For the attendees, it’s encouraged to bring your own seating.

Cityfolk Festival Reunion is shaping up  to be an extraordinary day for people to celebrate and embrace the good times that the original Cityfolk Festival brought so many years.  Russo mentioned that there are some talk of possible having the reunion return next year, but for now she just wants folks to enjoy this year’s occasion.  “The whole goal is for everyone to come and have a good time.”

Cityfolk Festival Reunion music schedule:

1:00 – Paige Beller

1:45 – Danny Voris

3:00 – Stivers Jazz Combo

4:00 – Corndrinkers

5:30 – Son del Caribe

Where: Courthouse Square, Main and Third St., Dayton

When: 1 to 7 p.m. June 22 (Sunday)

Cost: Free

More info: [email protected]

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Will Have Cityfolk Swinging Saturday Night

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desktopCelebrating their 20th anniversary on the music scene, famed neo-swing outfit Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will hit Dayton this weekend to headline the Cityfolk Festival from 9:30 – 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 29.

Founded by lead singer/guitarist Scotty Morris and drummer Kurt Sodergren in 1993 Ventura, California, the band was at the forefront of the ‘90s swing revival. Much of the credit for that craze—which suddenly found horn-heavy bands like the Brian Setzer Orchestra, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Royal Crown Revue, and the Squirrel Nut Zippers selling millions of albums—can be traced back to the indie cult film Swingers, Jon Favreau’s 1996 character study of throwback lounge lizards in modern-day Los Angeles. For years, BBVD played every Wednesday night at Hollywood’s Brown Derby, and Favreau tapped the band to lend some tunes to the soundtrack and cameo in the film. The band shot to nationwide fame, and their songs from the film, “You & Me and the Bottle Makes Three” and “Go Daddy-O,” were being blasted by teens, seniors, and every age group between.

The band never looked back and maintains a busy schedule, releasing numerous albums since (including the platinum selling Americana Deluxe and their most recent, 2012’s Rattle Them Bones), making television appearances, and touring constantly, playing more than 150 dates a year. They’ve played for three of the last four presidents and at both Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Other highlights include halftime at Super Bowl XXIII with Stevie Wonder and Gloria Estefan in 1999, sellout shows at Lincoln Center and the Hollywood Bowl, stints with symphony orchestras all over the country, and, since 2008, an annual performance at Walt Disney World’s Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. The band is currently working on its second full length Christmas album, a follow up to 2004’s terrific Everything You Want For Christmas to be released later this year.

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Glen “The Kid” Marhevka

“Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is a great live show band,” said trumpeter Marhevka. “The tunes are great all by themselves, but the band live onstage takes it to a whole new level. Every member of the band is a great performer with lots of energy. We’re not just bunch of cats behind music stands. We’ve got wireless mikes and we’re all over the stage. It’s a really fun, uplifting, high-energy show.”

California native Marhevka picked up the trumpet in fifth grade, playing in marching and concert bands and majoring in classical trumpet in college (“Because they didn’t really have jazz majors yet,” he said) and landing in Big Bad Voodoo Daddy soon after.

“Our original trombonist, Jeff Harris, is the only member who’s not still with us,” Marhevka began. “We played together when we were in school, in a Jamaican band and a ska band, actually. When this band was getting started, they needed a trumpet player, and he mentioned my name. I met the guys and we hit it off. It was 19 years ago, and I was in my early 20s but I looked about 19 myself. I went on a road trip with the guys and we headed up to Northern California. We stopped before the gig at a pretty nice restaurant, and everyone else got fancy food and I ordered a hot dog and fries, and Scotty looked at me and said, ‘Wow, you really are the kid, man.’ I started calling myself that onstage and people would yell it out, and the audiences loved it, so it kind of stuck.”

Of the newly formed swing bands that went big during the 1990s, only BBVD and the Brian Setzer Orchestra remain prominent in exposure. Marhevka attributes the band’s staying power to the integrity of the musicians.

“I think you can imagine it’s pretty hard,” he said, “to keep any group together, and to do it for this long with a band this large feels pretty amazing. We have a group of guys who wanted to play a certain style of music and kept playing it, but even when we were super popular and selling big and playing movie premiere parties and on all the late-night shows, it was never about wanting to become the ‘next big thing’ or even get as popular as we were during that period. We’ve dedicated ourselves to honoring the music from the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s, that great, rich period in American music. It turns out we have something cool and maybe even special, and we just want to get better and better at what we do—keep touring and creating new music and having fun without rehashing the same thing over and over.

“I don’t think we’ve really thought about it any more than that,” he said. “We just finished 20 years with the same guys that started together, and we want to do 20 more.”

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy plays the Main Stage Cityfolk Festival from 9:30 – 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. The Cityfolk Festival takes place at RiverScape Metropark (111 E. Monument Ave., Dayton) from Friday, June 28 – Sunday, June 30. Daily admission is $7 for adults, $3 for children 2-12, and free for children under 2. Discounted weekend passes are available for $17 per adult and $6 per child. Purchase at the gate or at cityfolk.tix.com. For more information and complete festival lineup, visit cityfolk.org.

CityFolk Volunteer Registration Now Open

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Volunteer for the 2012 Cityfolk Festival, you’ll have fun and get a pretty cool t-shirt, too!

The Cityfolk Festival depends on the help of nearly 1,000 volunteers to make the Festival hum. The festival will run from Fri, June 29th through Sun, July 1st this year.  Volunteers greet Festival visitors at the entrance gates, pour beer as part of the Beer Crew, make sure the artists and staff are well fed as members of the Hospitality Crew, and much, much more. There’s a volunteer job for everyone!

If you’re willing to work at least one 3 hour shift, they need your help! All volunteers receive training and a free Cityfolk Festival Volunteer t-shirt. This year they’re using a new registration system that will make it easier for you to check on your shifts, and will remember you from year to year. Simply click here to get started.

Want to know the schedule first? They’ll start announcing artists at the end of March, and share the schedule in May.

2011 Cityfolk Festival in Review

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Thank you, Dayton, for helping to make our fifteenth festival another great one! Relive the fun at our Photo Gallery or YouTube channel.

Big Sam of Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Thank you to everyone who helped Make the Music Happen! We met our goal of $40,000!

Thank you to everyone who bought something to drink at the Festival. We set a new record for beverage sales! (Thanks to Mother Nature too, for the hot weather that inspired such consumption.)

Thank you to everyone who volunteered! About 450 people filled over 900 slots — that’s a lot of beverages served, trash cleaned up, artists and festivalgoers greeted, and merchandise sold! Our small paid staff of six people is especially grateful to the volunteer Festival Directors, who pour hours of their spring and summer into making this Festival happen. There is no way we could see to all the details without their skill and dedication.

Jane’s Best Bets (6/29 – 7/4)

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Photo Credit: Alli Shillito

Can you believe the 4th of July is already upon us?  Let’s have a great red, white, and blue week!

On Wednesday, you will be able to enjoy a special Beer Tasting with Beer Guru Charles at Rumbleseat Wine.  Sports fanatics should plan to watch the Dragons as they play the Lansing Lugnuts at Fifth Third Field.  If you have a constant craving for live music, listen to k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang at the Fraze Pavilion or make your way to Yankee Trace for Jazz on the Green.  And if you love musicals but prefer to stay indoors, make sure you have your tickets to see The Lion King at the Schuster Center.

On Thursday, head to The Moraine Embassy for After Work Thursdays.  If it’s your date night, take your honey out for a delicious dinner at Coco’s Bistro, where they will be offering 1/2 Price Wine by the Bottle.  If you haven’t yet been to a Pecha Kucha, I encourage you to go to the Yellow Cab Building for Volume 7.  It will be a great idea sharing party, with short presentations by a wonderful and diverse group of people!  (For more info, check out the article here.)   And finally, all of you who would like to hang out in Margaritaville should be sure to get your tickets to see Parrots of the Caribbean as part of the 7th Annual Concert for Literacy at the Fraze Pavilion.

On Friday, put your gardening skills to good use at RiverScape with RiverScape Gardeners.  Although you may not be taking that Italian vacation this summer, you can still see Reflections of Italy at Elaine Balsley Fine Art.  In the evening, you will want to be downtown for First Friday, which is a monthly art hop held at several locations throughout downtown.  (For more info, you can click here.)  If you’re a biker, enjoy the summer weather and participate in the Courteous Mass Ride, starting at Fifth-Third Field.  Also there, you will be able to catch the Dragons game where they will be playing the Bowling Green Hot Rods.  In addition, the Cityfolk Festival will be going on at RiverScape.  Or for a blast from the past, head to De’Lish for An Intimate Evening with Chico DeBarge.  And if for some odd reason you’re not downtown, it is perfectly acceptable only if you are wearing your boogie shoes and getting down tonight with KC & The Sunshine Band at Fraze Pavilion.

On Saturday, RiverScape is the place to be.  Consider “Riding the River” with their kayak rentals, or joining in the fun at the Cityfolk Festival.  Over at Fifth Third Field, the Dayton Dragons will be playing the Bowling Green Hot Rods.  Or, you can catch The Lion King (please don’t actually take him home) at the Schuster Center.

On Sunday, the Cityfolk Festival will still be going strong.  There are also a variety of celebrations around the Miami Valley, including the Fairborn Family Block Party, the Star Spangled Celebration at Vandalia Sports Complex, and the Annual Fireworks Buffet at the Dayton Racquet Club.  Also, if you’re downtown, be sure to see the City of Dayton Fireworks!

On Monday (hopefully you have the day off work!), there are several 4th of July celebrations in the area, such as the Americana Festival – Street Fair (Centerville/Washington Township), the Fairborn 4th Parade
at Fairborn Plaza, the Beavercreek 4th of July Festival at Rotary Park, and Kettering’s Go 4th Celebration at Delco Park.  And if you’re not at one of them, hopefully you’re celebrating the day by cooking out with family and friends!

And now it’s time for the Dumb Joke of the Week. Drum roll please…

What did one flag say to the other flag?  Nothing, it just waved.

These are just a few best bets from the DMM Calendar.  There are plenty more events listed there, so if you haven’t, I encourage you to check it out today!  Also, if you have an event to share or promote, please submit it– it’s great marketing and better yet, it’s FREE!  And finally, if you have a dumb joke to share, I’m all ears!

Have a great week Dayton!

Exploring the History & Culture of Cityfolk

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Photo by Andy Snow provided by Cityfolk

You gotta love the music and the food and the drinks and the art available to enjoy over the course of the Fourth of July weekend at Cityfolk Festival – it’s a great party. But the weekend is something more. It’s a snapshot of our community; diverse cultural groups throughout the region all celebrated for their uniqueness while being featured in one unified festival. As a volunteer supporting Cityfolk through the You Make the Music Happen campaign, I’ve had the opportunity to meet the new Executive Director of Cityfolk. Kathleen Alter is a woman with a lot of energy, drive and passion to keep the Cityfolk Festival alive in Dayton and bring greater awareness and participation to the many, many, many other programs Cityfolk offers throughout the year.

So, as Juliet and the DMM music crew provide great features on the music of the Cityfolk Festival, now seems to be a good time to learn a little more about the history and culture of Cityfolk and the Fest. So, I asked Kathleen some questions about the history of the organization, her perception of the Festival and what it takes to make it successful.

Q: Which came first for Cityfolk: festival or organization?

The organization came first and was incorporated in 1981. The organization will celebrate it’s 30th season in the 2011/2012 season.  The first festival was in 1996 and came to Cityfolk as part of the National Folk Festival. It took place on Courthouse Square.

Q: How did the organization of Cityfolk get its start?

In 1980, five Dayton residents created a series featuring an Irish music concert, Greek dance workshop, Appalachian square dance, African drumming and dance workshop, and the creation of a mural in a neighborhood park. The grassroots effort attempted to bring together the cauldron of cultures that call Dayton home to showcase diversity in the arts. The combination worked, and the organizers realized that the success of the first year pointed to an important need existing in the community–the need for the arts and creative expression of all of Dayton’s ethnic and cultural groups to be displayed in a professional manner. (Adapted from Cityfolk History document)

Q: How did Cityfolk come to host the festival?

Traditionally the National Folk Festival came to a city, stayed for 3 years and moved to another location. When it left in 1998, Cityfok decided to keep producing a festival due to the great reception it received here. So 1999 was the first year the Cityfolk produced a festival. In 2003 the festival moved to its current location at Riverscape.

Q: How is Cityfolk different than any other local concert promoter?

Cityfolk’s mission is to bring the best in ethnic arts to Dayton. That doesn’t always mean the top names are brought in. Many promoters look at what artists will sell tickets and if they aren’t a big name won’t bother with them. Cityfolk has a reputation for recognizing top talent. Many of our artists are award winners for their talent (many of these awards are important but rather obscure in the main stream) Therefore, the artist may not be a big name but if they have a big talent we look to promote them.

Q: What is the goal for the Festival?

Cityfolk believes that a festival is so much more then drinking a beer and listening to a band. Festivals add to the quality of life and provide a sense of community for a city.

  1. We hope that people will come down and have fun, but also realize what a great community Dayton is.
  2. We hope that people will broaden their sense of music. We feature Celtic, bluegrass, jazz and world music at our festival. We hope that someone will realize they love a new genre of music that they were previously not aware of or thought they wouldn’t like.
  3. We hope that the festival will expose new people to Cityfolk and make them aware of all the other events we do during the year.
  4. We hope that the festival is a financial success with the suggested donation campaign.

Q: What’s the biggest challenge with the festival?

Two challenges:

  1. Paying for it. The festival costs approximately $350,000 to produce. Funding at the local, state and federal level has fallen significantly in the last few years so it gets harder to find funding each year. We are always looking for new, alternative sources of funding. The income from the festival not only pays for the festival but for events the rest of the year. This is the reason we are doing the suggested donation this year. We certainly do not want to start charging for the festival as that might alienate too many people who truly can’t afford to attend so we are hoping that a suggested donation will appeal to those who can afford to help.
  2. Advertising it on a very small budget. We are always looking for ways to spread the news about the festival to the outlying towns like Kettering, Centerville, Vandalia, etc.

Q: Cityfolk is often associated with the festival – what do you want people to know about the organization outside of the festival?

This is probably my biggest frustration. People know us through the festival or concerts or education, but very few people know about everything we do. We have such a range of activities and collaborate with so many organizations that if people know everything it would blow them away.

(Writer’s Note: Look for one all-inclusive Cityfolk brochure and a more active advertising campaign to learn about all that Cityfolk does – and check out their Web site.)

Now a little more about the woman at the helm of Cityfolk…

Q: What drew you to apply for the job at Cityfolk?

I saw that the organization had a festival and my background is producing festivals, and I love festivals. I also really loved the education program that Cityfolk did as I feel education is a big part of the arts. I really loved that the organization was a community organization and worked to bring in arts that the community wanted to see. My first interview with them was a phone interview with Jerry Brunswick (president) and Matt Dunn (president-elect) and I got a really warm feeling from then and sensed that the board was very open-minded to changes that might need to be made in order to keep the organization thriving. It seemed like the right job from the moment I read the job description.

Q: What are you most looking forward to at the Festival?

Good weather and people who realize the value of the festival and want to help support it.

Q: What would make this year’s festival a success in your mind?

Success can be on a lot of levels. Certainly I would like the festival to be a financial success, which means bringing in enough money to cover festival costs and have enough left over to help fund the events through the year.  I also hope that new people discover the festival and the music that we present and find one more thing about Dayton that they like. I hope that many people choose to make that a meeting point for their friends and have a really great time.

Q: What do you see for the future of Cityfolk?

The organization is in the process of deciding what the future of the organization is. I would like to see the festival and education programs continue to expand in content and geography. I would like to see more membership. I would like to see the concerts offer even more genres of world music and possible branch out to different venues out of downtown in order to reach more people.

Q: What’s your favorite Dayton spot you’ve discovered?

I love the Wine Gallery and 5th Street in the Oregon District. I love Taquiera Mixteca. I love Hills & Dales park (and can’t wait to discover the rest of the Five Rivers Metroparks). I love Oakwood and Dorothy Lane Market. Sorry, too hard to pick just one.

Q: Anything else we should know about you?

I have lived all over the world growing up and most of the time I choose to live in larger cities so I had some second thoughts about moving a city the size of Dayton. Since I have been here I have been overwhelmed with the kindness and warmth that people have shown me. I don’t think I have ever lived in a city where people would go out of their way to say welcome and ask if I needed anything. It has truly warmed my heart and made me love Dayton in a very short time. Not to mention, that there is always something to do in this city.

Don’t miss the Cityfolk Festival this year! Line up of musicians available here. Sign up through the standard volunteer form or learn more about how to volunteer for the Make the Music Happen campaign.

Friday, July 1
6:00 – 11:00 PM

Saturday, July 2
1:00 – 11:00 PM

Sunday, July 3
1:00 – 10:30 PM

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