PLAIN FOLK

by Michelle Titus
Younger Folk Are Surprise Festival Fans!

As a parent of two adolescents, let’s just say our musical tastes are very different. There is the constant battle in the vehicle over radio station choices as we’re driving around the city. The girl (I dare not mention any names here) is a fan of the current pop diva of the day or the repetitive commercial music that makes me shudder. The boy is mostly taken with music by groups that must be played very loud and who shout lyrics that I cannot understand. Wait a minute! Didn’t my parents used to say that about Queen and Van Halen?

I explain to them about the importance of meaningful lyrics in songwriting and how to pick out different instruments in a song. I mention the emotion of the singer that is so important when “delivering” a song but I don’t believe they get it.

These children attended the occasional summer music festival in their younger years and could tolerate the music but most often hung out at the children’s area. Taking them to a festival these days takes more coaxing as the playground and craft tent do not have the same appeal. Last summer I managed to convince each of them to attend a different festival. The girl and I went to the South Country Fair in Fort MacLeod and she actually removed her headphones and listened. We were both shocked when we heard the gravelly deep voice of an apparent Southern bluesman who turned out to be a 6’6” blonde fellow from Okotoks named Darren Johnson. His Beans and Cornbread song became her favorite memory of that weekend.


The boy’s experience at the Canmore Festival a few weeks later went from:
Day 1 - “Why did you make me come…?” to Day 2 – “Cool! I can freely wander around in the sun, eat good food and find some music I like!” to Day 3 - “I will study this festival program to plan my day around three stages to hear my favorites.” With his festival chair slung over his shoulder, he had soon become a seasoned pro. Sitting at one of the small stages in the front row, watching Harry Manx in an incredible workshop jam with other accomplished musicians--this was his memorable festival moment.

My friend David’s teenage nephew attended the Calgary Folk Festival this year and witnessed a magical display of talent with legendary Kris Kristofferson singing more than thirty songs penned over his long career. His comment was, “This old geezer is better than anyone I’ve heard today!”

Wow, maybe they do get it!

It’s not likely any of them will admit to friends that they went to a “folk fest” or that they enjoyed it but I know they understood a bit of what I was explaining. I hope we’re contributing to their love of music by exposing them to a variety of live music I would recommend this to any parent. There is something for everyone at a folk music festival!