TalkAwhile - The Folk Corporation Forum

I take it you guys haven't booked any holidays for the second weekend of August for next year? Just in case you understand!

However, to ask a proper question...

In your various incarnations, you have played many festivals all over the world, including Hong Kong, if memory serves. So which festivals are your faves (taking as Cropredy as read, as we wouldn't want you to deprive yourself by accident of a booking next year) and why?

Thanks

Hi Donna

Great question!
   I would almost have to catagorise them because there are so many factors to take into consideration when talking about festivals.
   I think the most important factor, is that the band come off the stage feeling that they have given it their all.In order to have acheived that, by definition the audience has to have been 100% with us from the very first notes.This has nothing to do with how much you get paid,how big the festival is,or the level of backstage hospitality.Some of the smallest festivals can put the biggest grin on your face.

   However to answer your question properly
   Cropredy 2000 will never leave me.That has to be the most important gig this band has ever done.It ticked all the boxes and more.It was also the start of a huge amount of support and encouragement on all levels from FC themselves and indeed their fans.Also you can't fault the advertising slogan I think it is the most friendly festival there is and the highlite of a lot of peoples year mine included.
   You mentioned Hong Kong.That will always feature up there,not because they were fantastic gigs but just because it's just a fab place to be.It was kind of self indulgent going there because although the audience were great and the gigs were fun,we were a new band and were in the business of building mailing lists,climbing festival bills etc.None of which were going to happen for us in Hong Kong.I think I took the veiw at the time that if it looked like we were being flown half way round the planet this early in the day then perhaps others would take us more seriously.Who knows if that worked?
   One of my favourite festivals of recent years is New Bedford Summer Fest MA.
   This is the musical equivalent of Who's Line Is It Anyway, everyone gets thrown together sink or swim!
   I can't wait to see what they make of Gerry Colvin this year!
  Cheers GT    

Nice to see the confirmation that you were having as much fun as you appeared to be from the audience last year. You provided one of my musical highlights from last year: the haunting accompaniment you supplied for Day in the Life. Did you invent that on the spot, or was that a melody you had been messing with prior to that?

Unfortunately i missed LJE's appearance in New Bedford. What was the lineup for that appearance?

May I pass this quote along to Alan & Helene? I'm sure they would appreciate hearing this.

It was the opening jam with the Kennedys and Women In Docs. I posted a clip of it to youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2GFDlj3qaU