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Dayton Music

Music Video Monday: August 22, 2011

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Steven Gullett performed with some great names in Dayton music: the Mystery Addicts, American Static and Snake Oil among many others. He also hosted Canal Street Tavern’s Musicians Co-op for 3 years and continues to pursue a solo career from his new(ish) home base in Los Angeles.  Today’s video features a song from Gullett’s latest album, Secular Jukebox, available for sale online and to stream on SoundCloud.

The video itself comes from New York based director Catrin Hedström and is part of a project called They Call Us Animals.  The footage comes from a video Hedström was encouraged to make by a band she loved.  However, she ran into a problem because she didn’t have the rights to the music.  Read the whole story here. Catrin Hedström has offered the video footage (to which she does have the rights) for free and has invited musicians and creators to make something with her footage and share it on her site.

Any Dayton bands up for the challenge? If so, be sure to send a link to your finished video to daytonmusicATdaytonmostmetroDOTcom and we’ll feature it in a future Music Video Monday.

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbnFh7F1-N0′]

Crazy Joe with Ricky Nye, Inc. and Wheels to Perform at WYSO’s Community Concert

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"Crazy" Joe Tritschler

Get your dancing shoes on, WYSO’s free community concert is Sunday, August 21st at Riverscape MetroPark featuring Crazy Joe with Ricky Nye, Inc. and Wheels.

“This year’s WYSO Community Concert is a joyful celebration of Miami Valley music,” say WYSO Music Director, Niki Dakota. “From the very young stringband, Wheels, to the established powerhouses of Crazy Joe and Ricky Nye, it is an honor to present these talented members of our community.”

“Crazy” Joe Tritschler is a roots music guitarist, singer, songwriter, and occasional drummer, who has toured nationally and internationally with his own Mad River Outlaws as well as roots music legend Deke Dickerson. He has released several recordings with ATOM Records and his own O-Scope Recording Company. He has a unique musical vision that includes early rock & roll, rockabilly, and original country with dashes of soul, jazz, and heavy rock.

Formerly know as “The Swingin’ Mudbugs,” Ricky Nye, Inc. features Ricky Nye (piano, vocals) along with Brian Aylor (drums) and Chris Douglas (upright bass), playing elegant blues and ballads, New Orleans stylings and traditional boogie woogie.

Wheels

Opening band Wheels delivers high energy Americana music that mixes traditional Bluegrass with progressive rock and roll. This young band has performed at many local and regional venues and recently celebrated the release of their debut album, Fields on Fire.

“The concert is a chance to revel in the musical richness of our region. And a chance to come together and show appreciation to those that make it all possible: our listeners,” says Dakota.

The concert begins at 6pm. Food will be sold at Riverscape’s Café Vélo, and Archer’s Tavern will be selling alcoholic beverages. Admission is free and families are encouraged to attend.

The Dayton Band Playoffs Enter Round 3

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16 bands have become 8 as Round 2 of the Dayton Band Playoffs come to a close.  Round 3 begins on August 21st and runs though the 25th.  The semi-finals with occur in early September with the finals on September 24th.

Here’s a handy list of the Round 3 shows:

August 21st – Gathering Mercury vs. Sport Fishing USA
August 22nd – Market Street Dream vs. Amnesia
August 24th – Blue Moon Soup vs. Authors & Audio
August 25th – Life After Liftoff vs. The Outliers

Ohio Heritage Fellows New and Old at the Ohio State Fair

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Julie Henahan and Edwin George

On the opening day of this year’s Ohio State Fair (Thursday, July 28), the Ohio Arts Council and Cityfolk presented this year’s Ohio Heritage Award to Native American painter and storyteller Edwin George. Unfortunately, fellow awardee and Indian composer Kanniks Kannikeswaran was not able to attend due to an injury. OAC Executive Director Julie Henahan presented the award.

Tony Ellis and the Musicians of Braeburn on the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources stage

Following the presentation, former OHF awardee Tony Ellis performed with his ensemble The Musicians of Braeburn. Ellis started his career with Bill Monroe’s Blue Grass Boys in the 1960s and his uniquely personal compositions for banjo and fiddle have earned him numerous honors. His music has been included in several Ken Burns documentaries, as well as on TV shows as diverse as Party of Five and Spongebob Squarepants. Somewhere in the midst of this long career, Ellis caught the ear of comedian and banjoman Steve Martin. Recently, Martin interviewed Ellis for the July 2011 of the The Banjo Newsletter. Follow the link to order a copy for $5 and read the interview. From their press release:

Steve Martin, who has garnered worldwide acclaim as a comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician, recently added music journalist to his resume. Martin interviews banjo player and composer Tony Ellis in the July issue of The Banjo Newsletter. In a wide-ranging conversation, Martin queries the Ohio-based banjo player about his influences, and how his style has evolved from the early 1960s, when he spent more than two years on the road with the legendary Bill Monroe & his Blue Grass Boys. Martin also talks with Ellis about how his music has inspired Martin’s own banjo playing, particularly Martin’s composition “The Crow”, featured on his 2009 Grammy-winning album The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo.

Martin, who has long been a fan of Ellis’s music, says in the interview, “I came upon your music by accident, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is the kind of music I remember being introduced to when I first started playing in the 1960s.’ The way folk musician’s play; those individual styles. When I heard your song “The Wild Fox”, it just sounded great, and it made me fool around in double C tuning. I immediately wrote my tune “The Crow”—and
my new banjo career was off and running…”

Here, Steve Martin plays Tony Ellis’ composition “Father’s Pride” for Diane Keaton when she was honored at an event at the Kennedy Center:

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lQq5rVedcw&feature=player_embedded’]

Learn more about Tony Ellis in this segment from the PBS documentary program Our Ohio:

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwWy4skM80k&feature=player_embedded’]

By Way of Sunstorm wins Tattooed TV Battle of the Bands

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On Saturday night a massive crowd packed the interior and patio of Blind Bob’s (and a good bit of 5th Street in front of the venue) for the finals of the first ever TattooedTV Battle of the Bands.  Originally designed to be a competition between three bands, previously eliminated Ludlow Falls was invited to come back onto the bill for the finals as a wild card.  Once the show and the voting was over, here’s how things stacked up:

1st Place: By Way of Sunstorm

2nd Place: God Bless and Asher Jones

3rd Place: Ludlow Falls

4th place: Black Cloud Syndrome

Aug. 5 First Friday has everything from skatedecks to a scavenger hunt

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Looking for a different way to explore downtown? The Aug. 5 First Friday is rolling in with a night of live music, art shows and entertainment.

Broaden Your Horizons

First Friday will be the continuation of the First Friday Passport Program. Pick up a First Friday Passport at RiverScape and other participating locations (click here for a list) to win prizes from AAA Miami Valley, which each month will award two prizes of one-year classic AAA memberships, with free renewals for existing members. Everyone who enters for the monthly prize now through Dec. 2 also will be entered into a drawing for a grand prize of a $1,000 travel gift certificate.

The passport must be stamped by at least four locations, and visitors can get all four stamps during one First Friday or complete it another month. Once completed, they simply fill out their contact information and drop their passports in any of the First Friday Passport boxes that will be at all participating locations.

Get a Clue

The Aug. 5 First Friday is also the premiere of the First Friday Scavenger Hunt, an event hosted by volunteers from the young professional organization updayton. Teams of friends and families are invited to enjoy an evening packed with clues that include stops at some of downtown’s swankiest restaurants, venues and art spaces. Follow the clues to the final destination ― the First Friday After Party, where complimentary beer, wine and light snacks await everyone who completes the hunt. Clue sheets also will be inside First Friday passports.

Skateboards, Sculptures and Still-Life

Another featured event is the “The Art of Skate,” an art exhibit featuring skate decks and paintings celebrating skating culture past and present. Held at the Yellow Cab Building, 700 E. Fourth St, more than a dozen artists contributed to the project, including Amy Kollar Anderson, Rev. Chad Wells, Mike Guidone and Jason Goad, along with two California artists. The exhibit will be open until midnight, and the skate decks will be raffled later in August.

New to the city’s arts scene, the Dayton Arts Project will present local artists’ work, followed by a performance of choreography, dance and media at Sinclair Community College’s Blair Hall Theatre. Featured artists include Damon Sink, who will create new live music in a collaboration with choreographer Rodney Veal; choreographer Ashley Sass, who will present her work, Momentum; Tom Watson III, presenting his Stem/ReAssemblage series; and Ben Quinn, who will display five new large works in a mixed-media exhibit.

Additional art shows include:

  • The Blue Sky Project’s final exhibit will be showcased at 8 N. Main St. In this eight-week summer artist-in-residence program, five professional artists from throughout the world have worked with area teens in a collaborative art-making process that resulted in the new works of contemporary art that will be on display.
  • The Cannery Art and Design Center, , 434 E. Third St., will host Doug Benedict’s “Found Object Steel Sculpture,” along with live jazz, wine and hors d’œuvres.
  • Color of Energy, 16 Brown St., will present an introduction to the Record Gallery, a new store featuring collectible music items, along with new works by Mike Elsass and Bob Rhodes.
  • Color 2 Gallery, 519 E. Fifth St., will host Mike Elsass’ reception for the graduates of Stivers.
  • Dayton Visual Arts Center, 118 N. Jefferson St., will host its 20th Annual Open Members’ Show in the gallery. A selection of artists from the Members’ Show will give brief gallery talks about their work.
  • Elaine Balsley Fine Art, 523 E. Fifth St., will feature artwork by Stivers School for the Arts graduates.
  • Gallery 510 Fine Art, 510 E. Fifth St., will feature new figurative wood carvings by Marvin Olinsky and new still-life paintings by Nancy Hatton.
  • K12 Gallery, 510 E. Third St., will feature the work of TEJAS summer art camp students, as well as work by local painters in an exhibition centered on landscapes and showing films created by students throughout this year in K12’s first Film Fest.

Hitting the Right Note

In the Garden Station, 509 E. Fourth St., the Dayton Creative Circus Collective will host Free Music First Friday featuring a rare Dayton appearance by The Hiders from Cincinnati. After its 2006 debut, the band was named by NPR’s World Café as an “artist to watch.” Tim Pritchard of the local band Floods will open at 8 p.m.

More live music will be featured throughout the Oregon District. Check out the Trolley Stop, the Oregon Express, the Tumbleweed Connection and the Dublin Pub for a variety of performances all night. Additionally, Practice Yoga will be hosting the WYSO-FM Rev. Cool Around the Fringe Dance Party, and several participating First Friday locations will be playing the long-running radio show.

Rock Out

Local musicians Blind Karma will play the First Friday @ 5 show at RiverScape MetroPark. The concession will be open and beer will be sold during the performance from 5-7 p.m. The concert will wrap up in plenty of time to head to the galleries and other arts venues taking part in the First Friday art hop.

…And There’s More!

Celebrating its grand opening will be Clash Consignment Co., 113 E. Third St., which features items for adult women and men, including an eclectic and funky mix of vintage to modern clothing, jewelry, shoes and other accessories. The store also carries original work by local artists, and will be hosting DJs during First Friday. New to First Friday is District Antiques, 122 Van Buren St., which specializes in antiques, collectibles, home furnishings and artwork. Patrons will receive 15 percent off new items and 10 percent off consignment items during First Friday. Martha Mellon Interior Design Studio also will offer free 30-minute in-store design consultations. Visitors are asked to bring their room measurements, photos, fabric samples, and toss pillows and other accessories to help with the design consultation. A variety of roaming performers will provide entertainment (weather permitting). This month, catch The Dropbacks juggling duo, the Circle Nerdz breakdance crew, solo saxophonist Tyrone Martin, and accordion and violin duet Nathan Rogers and Liz Landis.

From approximately 8 to 11 p.m., many of downtown’s buildings will be lit for amateur and professional photographers who would like to capture night shots of the city in preparation for this year’s Downtown in Focus photo contest, held in conjunction with the Sept. 16 Urban Nights. Visit DowntownDayton.org for contest details.

Visitors also can get outdoors during First Friday for Courteous Mass, which will meet at Don Crawford Plaza in front of Fifth Third Field at 5:15 p.m. for a bike ride through the event action. Gem City Circle Walks will host two historical walking tours led by longtime local history buffs Leon Bey, Nancy Roach and Curt Dalton. An Oregon Arts District walk will begin at 5 p.m. and the “Ghosts, Cemeteries and Murders Walk of Downtown Dayton” will begin at 7 p.m. Each walk is $10 and advance reservations are required by contacting Bey at 937-274-4749 or [email protected].

In addition, all the restaurants, retail shops, bars and clubs, and other establishments throughout downtown will be open during First Friday. For regular updates about this event, follow First Friday on Facebook or text “FirstFridayDayton” to 90210.

First Friday is presented by the Downtown Dayton Partnership with support from AAA Miami Valley, the Oregon District Business Association, Clear Channel Dayton, Heidelberg Distributing Co., Five Rivers MetroParks, Culture Works and WYSO-FM 91.3.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website has a complete list of downtown’s arts and cultural amenities, as well as a dining guide, parking map and much more. Click here for a complete list of events taking place downtown.

Add address – also, check for addresses throughout. Since this doesn’t start with the list, as in the release and brochure, there may be other places the address needs to be included.

First Friday band likes pop, rock, ‘unexpected elements’

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When Greg Bell plays a show with his band, Blind Karma, he goes for impact.

“My first job is to do something that will astound my band mates to break that ice on stage,” he says. “Then we can address the audience as a unit.”

From Bell’s description of the band’s performances, it is clear it set out to entertain, no matter the cost.

“I don’t mind looking foolish if that opens the door to get the audience involved,” he says. “Generally, if I see someone shoe gazing, I will do something so ridiculous they can’t shoe-gaze anymore.”

Audiences can expect this outgoing presentation when Blind Karma performs at the Aug. 5 First Friday @ 5 summer concert at the RiverScape MetroPark pavilion .

Formed in 2008, Blind Karma is a trio of Daytonians who bring crowds to its feet with a variety of cover songs from as early as the 1960s. Bell says the band likes to play rock and pop music, but also tries to include unexpected elements in their concerts.

Although the band has original material, they are currently only playing covers. They pull their material from a variety of decades as to find something that appeals to everyone in the audience.

“I’m always hoping for that little extra something to remind the audience how special that song, that time period was,” Bell says.

Off the long list of songs on Blind Karma’s setlist, Bell declines to list a favorite to play live (“That’s like asking me to choose amongst my children!”) but admits “Time” by Pink Floyd is especially meaningful to him.

“It’s one of the most beautiful, moving songs,” he says. “I want to do it justice and play it with conviction. It has the potential to be an emotionally charged song.”

As far as venues go, Bell looks forward to playing in Dayton for a variety of reasons: playing downtown at RiverScape MetroPark, working with sound engineer Monika Shroyer and participating in a community event, such as First Friday.

Bell recognizes Dayton as a grounded place to perform — each venue has unique strong points and the and want to create the best experience possible for the audience.

“There is a direct connection here in town of people wanting to do the best we can with what they’ve got,” he says.

You can catch Blind Karma when they play the August 5 First Friday @ 5 concert from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at RiverScape MetroPark Pavilion, 111 E. Monument Ave. The concession will be open and beer will be sold from 5-7 p.m. The concerts will wrap up in plenty of time to head to the galleries and other arts venues taking part in the First Friday art hop.


Get Gigs

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.

Music Video Monday: July 25, 2011

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Ever since Jesse Remnant and the Trainwrecks released their first album, The Human Cannonball (Squid’s Eye), I can’t get enough of their tunes.  Since then, the band has renamed itself Human Cannonball and has been working on a new album, Let’s Be Friends.  This week’s video is for a song from that album called “Overtime.” Enjoy!

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWFHFOJIn0I&sns=fb’]

Dayton Music Fest 2011 Lineup Announced

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It’s hard to believe that Dayton Music Fest is less than two months away.  If you’re confused, you may have missed the news that DMF has moved to September 9th & 10th.  But never fear, there’s plenty of time to plan for what’s sure to be a great weekend for music, and that’s easier (or harder depending on your perspective) now that the festival lineup has been announced.  There are a lot of good choices, so plan carefully:

FRIDAY, SEPT 9

OMEGA MUSIC (Free all-ages showcase)

CANAL STREET TAVERN (18+)

SATURDAY, SEPT 10

SOUTH PARK TAVERN *

TROLLEY STOP (21+)

TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION (21+)

BLIND BOB’S (21+)

OREGON EXPRESS (21+)

CANAL STREET TAVERN (18+)

For more including maps to the venues and information about volunteering, visit the Dayton Music Fest website.

Round 2 of the Dayton Band Playoffs Begin on Sunday

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The 29th Annual Dayton Band Playoffs are well underway.  Round 1 began with 23 local bands, and starting this Sunday, July 24th, 16 of those bands will perform in the coming weeks to advance to the next round of the Playoffs.  This year’s Playoffs are especially exciting due to the mix of performers.  You’ll see brand faces alongside some familiar ones on the Canal Street Tavern stage, and your attendance and subsequent vote helps determine who’s moving on to Round 3.

Here’s a schedule of the Round 2 shows:

Sunday, July 24th – Gathering Mercury vs. The Trace
Thursday, July 28th – Brighton Rock vs. Sport Fishing USA
Friday, July 29th – Market Street Dream vs. We Were Animals
Sunday, July 31st – Armetana vs. Amnesia
Wednesday, August 3rd – Blue Moon Soup vs. The Minor Planets
Thursday, August 4th – Authors & Audio vs. Gunner Watson
Sunday, August 7th – Good English vs. Life After Liftoff
Thursday, August 11th – The Rude Boys vs. The Outliers

All of the Round 2 shows begin at 9:30pm and cost $5.

And for those of you who prefer your competitions bracketed…

Music. Dance. Hiking Boots?

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"Translations: an exploration in birdsong, sound and movement" BLUE SKY PROJECTTranslations:

an exploration in birdsong, sound and movement

Blue Sky Project

When first perusing this press release, I was not really certain into which section of DaytonMostMetro.com to place this article.  When I first spoke with fellow onStageDayton contributor Rodney Veal about this, my assumption was that this project he was so excited about would be featured in the “oSD” section.  Maybe, however, it belongs in the “Dayton Music” section as the project prominently features a very accomplished violinist, Shaw Pong Lui from Boston, participating through a residency here in the Gem City with the Blue Sky Project.

BIRDSONGAs I uncovered more details about the project it seemed that maybe it should be in the “Arts & Entertainment” section since it seems to equally features the creative choreography of Rodney Veal, alongside Liu’s musicality.  The further I read, the more difficult this classification task became.  Here is a collaboration between a dancer, a musician AND nature.  The performance takes place along the trails of Aullwood Garden MetroPark with the dancers and musicians mimicking the sounds and sights of the trails.  Perhaps we need to put this in “Active Living.” The audience has to build up a bit of a sweat during this particular concert, as they will have to traverse the trails.  They even warn you to wear hiking shoes!

iBird Explorer AppThen you throw in the iPod aspect.  Holy Cow!  Do we even have a “Technology & Arts” section?  Audience members can participate in the performance through the use of a special birdsong app! ? !  This is pretty cool.

Alright.  Looking at this, pondering the various aspects…the birds, the trees, the dance, the music…I am making an executive decision here: “Life.”

(fully expecting our illustrious publisher to override this decision and choose the perfect classification for this article)

Official Blue Sky Project Press Release:

Dayton, Ohio — Musicians, dancers and birders will come together for an unusual open-air art event in one of the Miami Valley’s most distinctive woodland parks.

The Blue Sky ProjectThe Blue Sky Project, in collaboration with the University of Dayton and Five Rivers MetroParks, will present “Translations: an exploration in birdsong, sound and movement” 6 p.m. Saturday, July 9, and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 10, at the Aullwood Garden MetroPark, 955 Aullwood Road, Englewood, Ohio. It’s free and open to the public.

Violinist Shaw Pong Liu and choreographer Rodney Veal created the work, which invites audience members to walk along trails throughout the garden, encountering violinists mimicking birdsongs, dancers improvising on the shapes of trees and birders with iPods contributing the real songs of birds.

“The point of the piece is to get people to slow down and pay attention to the environment,” Liu said. “We lead such busy lives, it is rare to take time to attune to the environment, and truly listen. Through this creative exploration of a hidden gem in the Dayton community, we hope to inspire others to listen and see their environments more deeply.”

Liu said the piece is very much in the spirit of the garden’s founder, the late Marie Aull, who opened and donated the garden to the public, and placed inspirational quotes throughout, encouraging visitors to enjoy nature and meditate on its beauty.

Participants include professional musicians from the area, dancers from the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company and the Dayton Ballet, and birders familiar with the region’s birds.

Liu said the some paths go over rugged terrain and recommended appropriate footwear. iPhone users may also participate by downloading iBird Explorer Lite, a free app, before the performance.

Liu’s role as community artist/investigator for Blue Sky is new for the organization, a juried international summer artist residency now in its seventh year and its third based in Dayton, that brings internationally recognized artists to the area to work with young people on public, contemporary art.

The new position was prompted by Liu’s work in 2010 with Blue Sky and the community connections she made, according to Peter Benkendorf, founder and co-creator.

“Collaboration and community are central to both Blue Sky Project and the University of Dayton. It’s exciting to see Blue Sky expand through an artist who is taking the Blue Sky model beyond collaboration of program participants, and out to the larger community,” said Benkendorf.

It’s a good fit for the University, according to Paul Benson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, because it combines the University’s commitment to community and its interest in infusing the creative process into education.

Blue Sky also makes good use of ArtStreet, an innovative living and arts community on campus, where the artists both live and make art in the facility’s studios, Benson said.

“We are pleased to support Blue Sky as well the new community artist/investigator position as part of our ongoing commitment to expand the arts on campus and in the community,” he said.

“Translations” is the second major collaboration for Liu and Veal. Their 2010 production “Of a River” transformed the Schuster Center Wintergarden with dancers, musicians and 600 yards of silk.

Shaw Pong LiuLiu is a Boston-based, classically trained violinist who performs internationally and creates innovative shows involving improvised music, narration and audience interaction. Her ongoing project, “A Bird a Day,” explores birds, sunrises and music at www.abirdaday.org.

Rodney VealDayton native Rodney Veal is a choreographer and interdisciplinary artist whose work has been featured at the Ohio Dance Festival, among others. Veal teaches at Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton and Sinclair Community College. A solo show of his work, “Reveal: Five Zones on Beauty,” opens July 23 at the Springfield Museum of Art.”

For information on Blue Sky and the “Transitions” performance, including an alternative venue in case of rain, visit http://www.blueskydayton.org

.

Cardinal (actual):

Cardinal (violin):

SANCTUARY composed by Shaw Pong Liu (4/28/2011)

[yframe url=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jih2Z6-OXKQ&feature=channel_video_title’]

Why Music Matters

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Picture of CDs

Music is Life

Hello friends. My name is Art Jipson and I am a new music columnist here at DMM.

Recently someone asked me why I spend so much time thinking about, listening to, preparing a radio show, and writing and blogging about music. It is a reasonable question. Ladies and Gentlemen, Dr. J is well… a doctor. I teach at a university and the expectations are that I will publish, teach, and do service for the university and the broader community. This means that there are always too few hours in the day. Now, this is not a cry session – look how super busy this fellow is every day, oh no – we all are busy. We all have numerous expectations placed on us through family, community, work, and more. So, the question arises again: Why should any of us spend so much time with music everyday?

This is a far harder question for me to answer then I would have originally thought. But in the end a simple thought comes to mind. Music can change the world – it can change people, groups of people, and movements of people. And this is meant in not some silly, way too easy sense of “let’s go out and change the world with a festival about world peace.” Although for the record, we support world peace, it does sound like a nice idea.

Close your eyes for a second and think about your favorite song or favorite tune. Feel free to hum it while you read on…

Music can change you. The feel, the rhythm, clever lyrics, or the overall gestalt of a great song – all of this can transform the listener from one feeling or aspect to another. Music can mobilize for social change. The music of the 1960s had transformative properties and did mobilize the anti-war effort, peace movement, and, of course, the civil rights movement. Even if the protesters in the end may have become stockbrokers, music can encapsulate the alienation, isolation or happiness and joy that a person is feeling. Or take them there. Bob Dylan is one obvious example of this. Amazing song writer and the limitations of his voice only increase the urgency and impact of his words.

Music can transport you. New vistas, new territory, new ideas, and new perspectives are all possible as a result of music.  The power of art is that it can help you explore and be changed through the exploration.  Music can show us combination of sound and ideas that we may never have expected.  Creative ideas, mash-ups, mixing, new textures, scratching, electronica, a powerful vocal, all have fantastic efforts to address new combination of sound, clips, and music. Who could have guessed that Robert Plant would make one of the best albums of his career with Alison Krauss?

Music is always available and new discoveries abound. There are so many great musicians, bands, projects that new music is a constant of new social media.  But let’s be honest for a moment, new music is a constant of the old media as well.  Go to a show, go to a new musician showcase, go walk down the street where bands play on a Friday night – and wherever you live – you know where that street is located and there will be players singing old and new songs.  One of my favorite new discoveries, Dayton’s own The Rebel Set, was a band that we recently discovered.  And I remember thinking: “Where have you been my whole life?” And the answer is right here for you to discover. Turn off your television, forget the big pre-formatted radio stations (you know what I mean) and discover the music that is just off the usual path.

Music matters. Still not sure what I mean? Try an experiment: Spend a day without listening to music. How do you feel? Then spend a day listening to music. How do you feel now? There are numerous studies that demonstrate how your affective life – your emotional landscape – can be directly shaped by the music that you experience. And my guess is that most of us listen to music far more than we realize. Music would be conspicuous by its absence.

This is why music matters for me. Perhaps you have some other thoughts, please let me know – I look forward to the dialogue about music. And while you are considering these ideas, listen to some new music today – especially some of the amazing music being made right here in the Miami Valley.  I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

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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Music Video Monday: June 20, 2011

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Griffin House is a Springfield native whose 2004 release, Lost and Found put him in the national spotlight when it was featured on CBS Sunday Morning.  House is returning to the Miami Valley this weekend for a show at Canal Street Tavern on Saturday, June 25th.  Tickets are $10 at the door, and the show starts around 9:30pm.

Here’s a video House’s 2007 Flying Upside Down album.

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