0 f a '0 as folk greats converge on Ann Arbor for 0 The folk tradition lives on The Though the teens with lopsided haircuts and Dead Milkmen T-shirts may be more visible on the streets of this town, the folk music com- mui;ty is at least as large as the .k: ;unk set. And ten times more Oy just about any evening of the week, wind your way down Main Street to the cozy quarters of Ann Arbor's premiere folk music club, the Ark, and prepare to be enter- tained. The Ark brings in an aston- ishing variety of talent from both around the world and around the block. Storytellers, blues singers, balladeers, pickers, grinners, and virtuosos all find a place on the Twelfth Annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival Ark's postage-stamp stage. On some nights, the quarters are too cozy for comfort. If you're brave enough to buy tickets for a Richard Thompson performance, be prepared to spend the concert wedged back between a wooden post, an overly amorous pair of lovebirds, and a scratchy ragwool sweater. There's always room for one more at the Ark. Other nights, though, the Ark has its troubles drawing a crowd. Some performers are simply more com- mercially viable than others. The Ark heroically invites these risky, but culturally and artistically impor- tant acts, to its humble venue year after year. Since heroism rarely goes unpunished these days, financial woes are standard operational proce- dure at the Ark. So in order to remain afloat, the Ark throws an annual fundraiser. Everybody who's been to one, how- ever, knows that the events bear a closer resemblance to a party than a stodgy old telethon. The Twelfth Annual Ann Arbor Folk Festival takes place Saturday at Hill Audito- rium. Connie Regan and Barbara Free- man, the Folktellers, serve as the Folk Festival's southern-fried em- cees. Close your eyes, and let them whisk you away to Fairytale land on the back of their horse-drawn carriage return to his hands, which BY D. MARA LOWENSTEIN, MARK SHAIMAN, AND MARK SWARTZ may be playing one of three instruments, or perhaps to his face, another "talent" of his. You can never be sure exactly what to expect from Hartford, except, of course, a good time. Dave Bromberg loves Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor loves David Bromberg. Master mixmaster of music styles, he is a perennial favorite at the Folk Festival. And every year the Ark invites him back. Bromberg has an impressive backlog of live albums to support the throngs of praise for his showmanship. In concert, you get the man in 3D, color, and stereo. (See related story page 11). Riders In the Sky begin all their concerts with a "Mighty fine and a great big Western 'Howdy,' all you buckaroos and buckarettes." This campy trio employ cowboy outfits, a plug-in cardboard campfire, cut- out/stand-up cardboard cacti, and corny fun to pull off their renditions and creations of classic western, saddle- sitting music. Drawing the audience into their music, Riders In the Sky once invited the younger members of the crowd onstage, but warned them not to trip over the sound cables, as "It would be easy to fall and liti- gate against Riders In the Sky, but it wouldn't be the cowboy way." The group is composed of three strong personali- ties. Bill Monroe (Ranger Doug) is the self proclaimed "Idol of American Youth" and a past blue grasser. Monroe, who sings and plays guitar, is a former historian for the Country Music Foundation, and a free-lance writer. Fiddler Woody Paul, alias "King of the Cowboy Fiddlers," has a Ph.D in theoretical plasma physics from M.I.T, and has fiddled for Log- gins and Messina. Finally, there's "Too Slim," the "perfect side kick" creator of "varmint dancing," and a jazzy bass player. Riders In the Sky perform old favorites by masters of "cowboys in the saddle" music, such as Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Bob Wills, and Bob Nolan. In addition, they've created a repertoire of their own "classic" and soon-to-be-famous originals. With nine albums to their credit and over 1600 performances under their belts, Riders In The Sky have created a "bale" of fun which has landed them both permanent membership at the Grand Ole Opry and multiple ap- pearances on Hee Haw. Interspersing their music with funny/corny tales and bouts of "varmint dancing," Riders In The Sky leaves audiences smiling - just as Roy, Dale and the now dead and stuffed Trigger did, singing "Happy trails to you, until we meet again. Happy trails to you, keep smiling until then..." Heather Bishop has learned that being outspoken, eclectic, honest, and a lesbian won't get you on the charts. The alternative to being open and honest about herself is an alternative that Bishop won't, or more accurately, has insisted on, not choosing. Exploring the traditions and styles of country, folk, blues, rock, and reggae, Bishop has been creating an alternative and varied repertoire for the past 13 years. Before emerging as a performer, Bishop built a few homes (she grew up in Canada, the daughter of a car- penter), mastered electrical wiring, and has taught these "hands-on" skills to women in a special training course in Winnipeg, Canada. Bishop brings to her music a sense of honesty. Her honesty pervades her "adult" music and is the backbone of her "children's" music. An avid fan of children, Bishop keeps her political beliefs out of her "children's" lyrics, feeling that children's music should be happy and wonderously fun. Bishop hopes to win this cuttingly critical audience. "If you're not cutting it Heather Bishop pr for them [children] they're gone. But i good, clean energy much." Bishop records L Pearl Records. Witl she has been able tc own pace, and beco too much "radio pla) of die-hard fans. Clive Gregson to singer you'll ever se musical genius. Tol brant and vibrating. stage that is palpabl( Working from a ballads, and folksy!r sets that rely solely virtuosity. Clive wi from "folk, rock 'n' Appreciation for after a first hand, p and Christine's vita translation of the re a. 'I ' . , .: Y :.: One of the fastest rising musical stars today, James Keelaghan mixes together the old and the new in his music. of storytelling whimsy. The Folk- tellers have been collecting stories in the mountains for over fifteen years, and they've developed the folklore craft into high art. (See related story, page 11.) Highlighting the fest is John Prine, who "combines simple music with down-to-earth observations about life and turns it into art." This is a basic staple of a folk music artist, but some do it better than others, and Prine is Prime. A fellow mid-Westerner, Prine hails from Maywood, Ill., where he got his start at an open-mike night at a local bar. Steve Goodman (who wrote the folk standard "City of New Orleans") happened to see him one night, and returned with Kris Kristofferson an- other night. He took the small town singer and made him a national at- traction. Songs like "Please Don't Bury Me," "Souvenirs," and "Illegal Smile" show his versatility between the ballads and the humorous tunes that fill Prine's albums. But after working for big labels, he found their way of doing business not to his liking: "They're used to putting out one kind of music and I just can't crank out songs for the radio." So Prine started his own label - Oh Boy Records - and has lived happily ever after. "It got to the point when I was on the labels, I couldn't wait to get finished and out on the road. Then I didn't care if I made another record for three, four years... This, for me, was a positive move." The life, and love, of a folk singer is the stage, not the studio, and Prine's appearance at the Folk Festival is another positive move - for him and for us. The song "Gentle On My Mind" put John Hartford on the map and two (of his three) Grammy's under his belt. He first received national attention on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Glen Camp- bell Goodtime Hour. It was Camp- bell who made a hit of "Gentle," and its four million air plays have given him enough financial security to do as he pleases. Hartford spends his time performing and piloting a riverboat on the Mississippi. Hartford's stage show is as di- verse as his lifestyle, but don't ex- pect him to stay on stage for the du- ration of his set. Hartford is known to enter the audience and do his act in the crowd. Though his head is topped with a bowler, you'll find your eyes wandering to his feet as he tap-clogs in tennis shoes on a 4' by 8' piece of fresh plywood - "A" grade on each side to insure the elec- trically amplified thumps resonate in the right key. Then your eyes will John Hartford's stage show often leaves the stage and takes to the audience. John Prine is a h PAGE 8 WEEKEND/JANUARY 27 1989 WEEKEND/JANUARY 27 1989