Folk Alliance International Conference Day 4: Ending the fest on a high note

Representatives from the American Folklife Center. // photo by Nick Spacek

After a very lazy lay-in morning and spending the early part of the afternoon drinking coffee, writing, and taking a much-needed shower, I wandered over to the Westin to begin the fourth and final day of the Folk Alliance International conference with what felt like it would be a big to-do.

The American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress presented the Archive Challenge, wherein “artists from diverse genres” performed their own interpretations of songs from the AFC archive. Per the AFC, the archive contains “a vast variety of field recordings, ranging from cylinder recordings of Indigenous American songs to the Lomaxes’ pioneering discs, to recent born-digital recordings.”

The width and breadth of the AFC archive means that the performers had a century’s worth of music from which to pick, and I had no idea as to what to expect, although I would’ve been happy with an hour and a half of nothing but Fred McDowell tunes. Plus, this was an open recording session for the Library of Congress, which is the geekiest music thing I’ve ever attended. It was pure music nerd shit, and I was ready.

Thanks to a bequest from folkie Mike Rivers, the AFC archive is offering a $10,000 “Artist in Resonance” fellowship for folks to work with the archive on a project, research, or tour. More information here, with the deadline April 5.

Not only did we get a performance from every artist, we got the history of each song selected. Again: nerd shit. It went by so quickly, too, and I felt like I could’ve watched a whole day of history and music.

The Heart Collectors. // photo by Nick Spacek

The Archive Challenge kicked off with the Heart Collectors doing a sea shanty whose themes of the broad Missouri tied nicely into Folk Alliance’s location. Then came Jessica Ray with a song from Newfoundland, tying into location once again, as Ray hails from New Brunswick. Eliza Mary Doyle followed with the classic murder ballad, “Naomi Wise.” Tim Easton took on Doc Watson’s “I’m Troubled.” Calling Cadence did “A Faded Coat of Blue,” a song which dates all the way back to the Civil War. Rakish did a pair of Mickey Dougherty Irish fiddle tunes.

Rachel Maxann. // photo by Nick Spacek

Rachel Maxann did the Skip James blues, “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,” and the Weeping Willows kept the blues coming with the inimitable “CC Rider,” by way of Lead Belly and Jelly Roll Morton, with Australian country flair. Alana Wilkinson and Karen Fields took on the Carter Family’s “Give Me Your Love & I’ll Give You Mine.” Texas Gladden is relatively unknown, but her song “Always Be A Rambler,” as done by Elias Alexander via loops and samples, became something to behold.

Alana Wilkinson and Karen Fields. // photo by Nick Spacek

Alicia Blue performed a Woody Guthrie song, taken from a chord chart in the archives, entitled “Song of the Deportees,” and to close out the Archive Challenge, ISMAY performed “Oh Love Is Teasing,” a song from the great “Mother of Folk” Jean Ritchie, followed by Rachel Maxann, Alice Hasen, and Josh Threlkeld doing the immortal “A Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” whose opening lines once again turned me into a crying mess before turning into maybe the most joyous version of the song I’ve yet heard.

Stillhouse Junkies. // photo by Nick Spacek

Took a break for dinner and reading through a copy of Folklife & Fieldwork: An Introduction to Cultural Documentation, a booklet from the American Folklife Center, then began the final night of showcases with Colorado acoustic trio Stillhouse Junkies. Their showcase set was the capper on a tour for the Durango act, and the crowd was ready to send them out on a high note. Their high-energy music blends honky tonk, some Western swing, and a touch of blues and watching them move on stage gave me the kick in the pants I needed to get going. All their tunes were new to me, but gave the feeling of being longtime favorites. It’s the vibe I got the first time I heard bands like the Avett Brothers or Turnpike Troubadours–they have their influences so dialed-in, but ran through so much talent, it’s like getting to hear old songs made into new (and gorgeous) harmonies with amazing picking.

OKAN. // photo by Nick Spacek

Were that I could’ve stayed for their full set, but OKAN was starting soon and I had a haul to get to them. Made it just in time for their introduction and then got to see what the full sonic force of this Afro-Cuban Canadian duo was like. The verdict is “Oh. My. God.” The fact that the room was only one-third full was a travesty, but the people in attendance were down for this Juno-winning pair’s music. Pulling from their roots, OKAN aren’t just making music, but honoring their culture and it’s powerful. It also grooves so hard, even my flagging self was dancing in my chair.

Jolie Holland. // photo by Nick Spacek

Then it was another mad dash to see Jolie Holland. The singer-songwriter has been a longtime favorite and getting to see her perform in such an intimate space was something I couldn’t miss. Holland’s captivating voice, combined with an uncanny ability to whistle, has an ebb-and-flow quality you can’t ignore at all, and the number of audience members listening with their eyes closed, just vibing, was pretty high. Anna Moss even joined her on backing vocals and saxophone for “Haunted Mountain” and “Palmyra” and it was a magical double to end with.

Resonant Rogues. // photo by Nick Spacek

A brief intermission and then it was time to finally see Resonant Rogues after running into them all week. And with a band! I could hear them do “Ridgelines” ever day of the week and twice on Sundays and never tire of it. Their Appalachian folk is just the sweetest sound around and I’ll see them every time they come through until they quit or I die. Jesus, they’re good.

Shauit. // photo by Nick Spacek

Shauit soundchecked with Bob Marley’s “Kinky Reggae,” and I was glad I’d randomly popped in to see whomever happened to be playing before Moneka Arabic Jazz. The Innu artist and his band took the sounds of First Nations peoples and Acadian music for a potent blend. He got a ballroom full of people to dance along after teaching the steps to the audience, and it snaked all the way around the ballroom and back, with folks moving and clapping the entire time. They continued my streak of seeing acts with stellar fiddle players all conference long and now I’m going to be on a straight diet of Bob Wills and zydeco music for the next two weeks along with – thanks to their closing number – some high-energy classic reggae. What a mix.

Moneka Arabic Jazz. // photo by Nick Spacek

The front row for Moneka Arabic Jazz’s set was a murderer’s row of musicians. When there are that many recognizable and talented faces showing up for an act, you know you’re in for something special and about to get your mind blown. And that is exactly what happened. A packed ballroom, a crowd dancing in front of the stage, and music from Baghdad mixed up and made funky felt like this was it for Folk Alliance, because who the hell wants to follow something this stunningly good? I almost packed it in and went home after, because it felt like anything less than this would be settling.

Quote the Raven. // photo by Nick Spacek

That said, I took some time, had a beer, chatted with some folks, and decided to end the official portion of my night with Quote the Raven. The Newfoundland duo have come up many times in my excursions into folk music, and so, I decided to finally check them out. Beautiful harmonies, chiming guitar, clever banter, and charming as hell. Quote the Raven’s music is a warm blanket on a cold day, with cats curled at your feet and quietly purring. I was very tired, had just pulled a muscle putting on my camera bag, and it was the balm I needed.

Kadesh Flow. // photo by Nick Spacek

I was going to head off to bed, but Kadesh Flow was performing right afterward, and getting to see one of my favorite rappers in a hotel room during a folk music conference is too perfect an opportunity to miss. Plus, someone (IYKYK) had a flask full of Malort and, as I hate myself, had to partake. Having seen Kadesh numerous times, his flow backed with a band made for exactly the perfect kind of “yeah, let’s just party” vibe with which to end the night and a week of great music.