The Unfortunatley Incomplete Festival Review: New London Music Festival’s “Traditions”
It’s nice to be home. The familiarity of the restaurants, the stores, and the people, is cozy. And while I do miss my temporary home up in Syracuse, I’m enjoying my time spent down in good ol’ Connecticut.
Let me tell you a little bit about the city next to my hometown. The place is New London. A small city on the Thames River and Long Island Sound. It is home to the Coast Guard and Eugene O’Neill. And I am in love with this place.
I want to be a part of something that’s growing and I wanted to be involved in a community filled with things that I enjoy. New London has been the place for me to fulfill that desire. Music, theatre, art, films, and food keep the city thriving.
Festival season is kicking into high gear all around the country, and New London has jumped on board with two events. For several years now, New London has hosted two events, Traditions and I AM Festival, under the New London Music Festival. I AM Festival is the generally bigger festival that is held on the waterfront, and it has had acts like Jay Reatard, Girl Talk and Kidz in the Hall share the stage with local bands like Fatal Film and Above Below. A festival that stays true to it’s roots, no doubt.
And on the other hand is Traditions. Played at the Hygienic Art Park (the Hygienic Art Gallery’s garden/stage combo), Traditions is a self-described celebration of folk, Americana and sea music. And this year’s lineup, like I AM Festival, mixes local greats with national and international acts.
Traditions started at 2pm with:
From this picture, it looks like a young Kramer, a creature from Splice, and Jason Mraz all started a bluegrass band. And even if they did, I don’t think they could have possibly have put on a better hour-long set than the actual Wiyos. The three-person act, their first trio show in about 2 years, energized the early afternoon crowd that were baking in the 90-degree weather. With a great old-timey sound, the Wiyos entertained people from ages 13 to 90. They mixed up their set with covers like the “Milwaukee Blues” to their own original songs like “Air Baggage Handlers Suck.” They had a very Vaudevillian act that served as a great opener for Traditions. If there was one thing I learned from the Wiyos, it’s that there should be way more kazoo and homemade instruments in contemporary music. They busted out into a polka song during their set where Michael Farkas (center) played a kazoo and a trunk topped with jar tops, silverware, and other percussion pieces. My girlfriend and I got some t-shirts and their newest CD Broken Land Bell out of amazement.
At about 3:30 pm came these guys:
Originally scheduled to play the 3pm time slot was the duo of local musicians Jim Carpenter and Daphne Lee Martin. Unfortunately, Daphne was feeling a little too under the weather to perform, so Jim brought in his band the Hoolios to take her place. The Hoolios are a 6-person, good old fashioned rock band. Just a bunch of guys who play great music together and like to perform. They brought their local flavor to the familiar New London audience who had to have seen these guys perform at one time or another. The Hoolios were also the first band to get someone off of their feet and dancing, as soon as the skinny, Santa Claus looking mandolin player (Sandy Allen) took out his washboard. The Hoolios had a roots rock sound with a hint of Gospel that reminded me of The Band. Check out their Myspace for more info.
And as if I wasn’t enjoying myself enough, 4:30pm brought
My goodness, was this band great. I’m a sucker for folk music and this was something that hit the spot, so to speak. A very personable group of musicians, the David Wax Museum seems to have their stuff together. Shameless self-promotion, an energetic performance, amazing music and overall joy from them as well as from the audience. They had everything right. The David Wax Museum is known for performing not only new American folk music, but also Mexo-American music as well. By using native Mexican instruments, they had a very organic sound that was much appreciated by the crowd. And I know that everyone was in awe when Suz Slezak busted out a Quijada, a donkey’s jaw bone with loose teeth that can be played a number of percussive ways. The David Wax Museum, along with all the other performers, brought their own unique touches to pull off a very successful Traditions Festival.
Unfortunately, this is were I had to leave. You see, my sister had a dance recital that required my attendance. And I really, really wish that I could have stayed to see the final performers of the night. But I could not.
However, the least I can do is give you a little more info about the bands that performed so you can hopefully see them and indulge in the performances that I missed.
Nordet
I did get to catch two songs from their set, luckily. Nordet is a group of four men from France who sing sea shanties, a perfect match for Traditions. As true to early European sea music as you could possibly get nowadays, Nordet performed their songs in the language of Breton and sang beautiful a cappella songs, as well as songs that featured instruments like the lute and the accordion.
My envy starts here. I’ve heard of Over A Cardboard Sea before and I was pretty bummed I didn’t get to catch any of their set. They’re a nostalgia act from Portland, ME, and I LOVE stuff like this. I can only hope that they come back to New London or up to Syracuse sometime soon.
My jealousy grew even more when I found out I would be missing this band as well. Brown Bird is a neo-folk, Americana band that I have missed perform on at least two other occasions. Traditions was running a little lat by the time Nordet came on, so I was hoping that my sister’s recital would end in time for me to catch some of their music. Alas, it did not make it. However, I purchased their new album The Devil Dancing and it will only make me more excited for the next time they tour near me. If I can make it to that show.
New London legends the Can Kickers rounded out the night with some swamp-Yankee punk; bluegrass style. The Can Kickers’ spastic music have been blowing up New London for years, and Traditions gave them a great opportunity for a long-awaited homecoming. I got to see the last song of the Can Kickers set and seeing that made me wish I had gotten to see a lot more. There were even a couple of teenagers pogo-ing in front of the stage.
Seeing those kids dancing at the end of the night made me think of the older woman dancing in the early afternoon. That age difference shows me how wonderful music is and how it can bring people together. The New London Music Festival brought in some great acts for Traditions; from a group all the way from Europe to a group all the way down the street. I look forward to more great events like this in my community. And as they come about, my ramblings will be on here. Hopefully in a more complete form.
by Kyle Kuchta, your less clever than Jeanette with creative names Co-Music Director.
Brown Bird is awesome! Now that I have looked them up, I intend to check out all of these artists. Thanks for the awesome post, Kyle!