The Official Woody Guthrie Birthday Party!

The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival July 13-17 2011

It is ALL about the music!
In the "real" folk world, this is a star studded event. Why this festival, and such an important birthday to celebrate in music history has gone under the radar for so long is baffling. This festival is jam packed with our finest songwriters in the country, but they are not famous. This is a 4 day FREE festival packed with amazing music. Just how Woody would want it.

This Small Town Overfloweth
For 5 days in July, the population of a small town in Oklahoma more than doubles. The 2.6 square miles of Okemah, OK the birthplace of Woody Guthrie is home to an annual free festival, simply named the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, lovingly shortened to “Woody Fest”. This is the annual birthday celebration that takes place in Woody’s honor (he would have been 99 this year). This festival is organized in the spirit of all that Woody represents, not only is admission FREE, but all the musicians perform for FREE! This is not just a music festival, this is a weekend of friends and families from all over the globe paying homage to an icon in our American folk music history.

The festival started in 1998 by the Woody Guthrie Coalition with the blessing of the entire Guthrie family. Arlo played the inaugural year and has since played 12 of the 14 years. Some past headliners and festival performers include Pete Seeger, Jackson Browne, Judy Collins, David Wilcox, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Tom Paxton, John Gorka, Peter Yarrow, Steve Earle, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Eliza Gilkyson, Dave Carter, Vance Gilbert and the impressive list continues. It needs to mentioned again... these artists perform for FREE.

A few of the annual performers and honorary festival alumni of hand picked Guthrie Disciples include Jimmy Lafave, Joel Rafael, Ellis Paul, Don Conoscenti, The Burns Sisters (Who also tour with Arlo), Terry "Buffalo" Ware, The Red Dirt Rangers, and the incomparable David Amran just to name a few. These road warriors keep their busy tour schedules open every year around July 14th in order to make their pilgrimage to Okemah.



There is no lack of Guthrie’s on hand this weekend; Woody is well represented by his sister Mary Jo Guthrie, who holds a pancake breakfast for $5 which includes live performances by several of the festival performers and lots of singing along. Just a small part of the beautiful community that is formed here, all the money from this event goes to Huntington’s Disease research; the disease which Woody died from at the age of 55 after many years in the hospital. Woody’s daughter Nora, as well as granddaughters Sarah Lee, Kathy and Annie are also present, the latter three perform during the festival.

The atmosphere at Woody Fest is very different; it feels a bit like a time warp. Downtown Okemah is a dusty little town that can fit inside Fenway Park, and store fronts have not changed in decades. You stroll leisurely, say hello to people, stop to greet a friend you haven’t seen in a year, and chat about your travels or the sublime musical experience you just witnessed. The Brick Street Café and the historic Crystal Theatre are the main attractions situated two short blocks from each other. It is between these two venues where the festival goers spend a majority of their day as performances are happening at each venue every hour from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm. You’ll pass buy a young trio, with their acoustic guitar, mandolin and banjo busking on the street with hope to get noticed by one of their hero’s or the festivals decision makers. But mostly, they are there for the pure joy of playing and sharing music. This festival is truly a diamond in the rough!

When you’re told of a free festival with performers donating their time you probably think to yourself, well this can’t be very good. In this day and age we think we have to pay $150 to see a great concert. Or attend a festival like Bonnaroo for a cost of over $500+ all expenses in.

Most of the Woody Fest performers are not hitting the radio charts or selling millions of albums, but they are some of the most extraordinary, critically acclaimed songwriters, poets and troubadours who are touring and performing all over the world.

The audience is for the most part serious music lovers with a musical palette dedicated to great songwriting and a love for everything Woody Guthrie. As a musician invited to perform, it seems the most important criteria for selection is to have significant writing chops. We are talk’n serious wordsmiths. Be prepared to gasp, cry, and rejoice over lyrics. No fancy lighting show or over the top choreography here, this festival is all about the music; A well sung line of a stunning love ballad or a politically driven song gets the standing ovation at this festival. The musicians perform their own music, but have no fear there is no lack of Woody Guthrie sing-alongs! Throw a greatest hits CD into the player on your way to brush up on the obscure verses of “This Land is Your Land” you’ve never heard, “Deportee”, “Minor Key", and "Oklahoma Hills". (See below for a CD recommendation.) Of course, this would not be a true folk festival without some Dylan, Mitchell, Baez, Ochs and Seeger squeezed into a set or two.

John Fullbright at The Crystal Theatre. An emerging song writer creating lots of buzz, hails from Woody’s home town of Okemah performing an original song "Jericho" with Jess Klein.


Here’s the best part, the comradely nature amongst the musicians and the attendees is so special. All the performers attend the shows, as well as play on each others sets and sit amongst us mere mortals to chat about music or how hellish hot it is. I’ll say it again; it is all about the music here, no overpaid rock stars or lavish green rooms. It’s a hoot to see all these performers jumping on songs with each other, and they love it to, which creates lots of jovial frivolity on stage. These musicians are so top-notch; they are playing one another’s songs without a lick of a rehearsal! Talk about improv, it is all over this festival!

At 6:00 festival goers start parading to the Pastures of Plenty filling the massive grassy field with their blankets and chairs to hunker down for 4 hours of music on the main stage. The attendance rises to about 5,000 for the main stage show. The Oklahoma sky is always so dramatic and it usually cools down enough to make evening’s festivities easy to enjoy.

The Final event on Sunday at noon is the Hootenanny at the Crystal Theatre. Many of the festival musicians perform with each other taking turns singing lead or harmonies while backed by the incredibly talented festival band. It feels a bit like an "old time radio hour" and is just a good ole hoot’n holler’n time! This is a simple festival with the quality all invested in great performances by simple folk. My guess is it’s everything Woody would have wanted it to be. You sing, dance, laugh, care about other human beings, celebrate life, love and the pursuit of the American dream! (Play background music of “This Land is Your Land” while reading that last paragraph.)

The Festival is coordinated by the Woody Guthrie Coalition who dedicates many hours all year long to uphold this important legacy. I would be remiss to not mention the spot-on job all the volunteers do to make this festival such an enjoyable experience.

A special event in Tulsa helps to raise money for the free festival.David Crosby and Graham Nash will perform on Wednesday July 13th with a special performance in Tulsa at the Cains Ballroom. This is the only ticketed event with ticket prices ranging from a mere $41-$85. The proceeds from this event help to offset costs for the free festival.

Here's a list of a few of the extraordinary performers to look out for in this years lineup in Okemah:

The beautiful and stunning K.C. Clifford One of Oklahoma's rising stars. Her husband David Broyles also an Okie performs with her.

Award winning wordsmith Shawn Mullins

Remarkable Texas songwriter Kevin Welch and his son Dustin Welch

Sultry songstress from Austin via NYC Jess Klein

Okemah's own 22 year old wunderkind John Fullbright

Sam Baker there are no words to describe his brilliance. Over the past several years Sam has become the bright star of Woodyfest, his performance at the Crystal Theater is always packed.

Click Here For The Entire List of 2011 Performers

And... It's FREE!

Purchase Ribbon of Highway Endless Skyway. This is a beautiful Woody Guthrie Tribute album. Featuring Bob Childers, Jimmy LaFave, Joel Rafael, Slaid Cleaves, Eliza Gilkyson, Sara Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Ellis Paul, Kevin Welch, Michael Fracasso with special appearances by Pete Seeger and Fred Hellerman.

Watch the Video: Jimmy Lafave and a bunch of festival performers sing "Oklahoma Hills"



Ellis Paul sings "Gods Promise". Nora Guthrie invited many contemporary musicians including Billy Bragg and Wilco to put music to lyrics of Woody's that were never finished; This is the song Ellis chose. Woody wrote this song while he was in the hospital for Huntington's disease. The video was filmed at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, MA.



Sam Baker and Audrey Auld perfom "Odessa" at the Hootenanny


For a complete list of the 2011 performers check out the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Website

Off The Beaten Path-Extraordinary Live Music Venues in Rural America

Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, Maine has it figured out from both the fan and musician perspective.

Carol Noonan: songwriter, musician, former troubadour, critically acclaimed recording artist, venue owner and promoter. In another chapter of her life she was a touring performer so she understands what it takes to create an extraordinary night for both the performers and the audience. In turn, she and her husband Jeff execute this with grace several times a month, presenting some of the most talented songwriters and troubadours in the country.

Stone Mountain Arts Center (SMAC) is in the middle of rural Maine. The first time I went there with a musician we thought to ourselves, NOBODY will be at this show. You can't even find it (nope, not even on the GPS). I know Mainers are used to the curvy narrow back roads, and this is probably nothing new to them; but at the time, the venue was still on the new side and we were concerned. I'll cut to the chase; the show was sold out. In the past five years SMAC has presented such performers as the Indigo Girls, Arlo Guthrie, Marc Cohn, Ellis Paul, Dar Williams, Susan Werner, Jerry Douglas, Roseanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Richie Havens, The Smothers Brothers, just to name a few. I might add... successfully, they are consistently packing the room. Click Here to see the impressive list of past performers.

The Musicians Perspective, A Weary Troubadours Palace

The restored 200 year old timber barn off a narrow dirt road nestled in the foothills of the White Mountains is one of the best venues I have been to in this country. I'm willing to bet, if you were to poll every musician that has toured through there, they would easily list it in their top five.

SMAC takes all the right steps to insure the performers have a great show.

“The Welcome Wagon”

When you arrive, while pulling into the gravel parking lot, there is someone walking out to your vehicle to greet you and help carry in gear. Just like your dog, it’s as if they never left the window waiting for you to return. It's usually the sound person, who acts as the guard to the palace ready and waiting.

An unassuming exterior leads you into a beautiful rustic venue with a majestic air. Warm hellos from all the staff welcome you in and by the time you have clicked open the latches of your guitar case, they have already offered to bring coffee, water, a glass of wine, or a snack to rejuvenate your energy after the drive. The performers are truly treated like royalty, but in a very casual, laid back “Maine” sort of way. The sound people here are professional, friendly and take a lot of pride in the great engineering skills they provide. They are always prepared; never, have we arrived and they are still getting ready looking for cables or powering up the board or hauling monitors.

The large stage is big enough to easily accommodate a 6 piece band and a baby grand piano. But it still retains its intimate feel when a performer is solo on stage. They achieve this with white lights daintily strewn and a simple yet stunning backdrop of 3 tall windows framed in white wood and a stencil carving of a tall tree to emulate a stained glass window. Music is the religion here and it does have a bit of old country church feel to it.

The green room is a cozy home away from home. I can honestly say that I could live there, and would like to. There are couches and comfy chairs, TV with DVD and VCR and a stack of movies to watch, pool table, a stereo which includes a turn table and inventory of about 100 plus vinyl records. The most impressive amenity is a basket filled with guitar strings, picks, capos, 9 volt batteries, lozenges, and other little tidbits of necessities that a traveling musician might need. There is nowhere nearby to run and get this stuff so SMAC makes sure you are not totally screwed if you left your capo on the stage in Boston the night before. They also have delicious pots of hot coffee with hand pottered mugs, and a refrigerator filled with refreshments; both healthy and the not so healthy to satisfy everyone in the traveling group. There is even a little back porch to take in a little bit of the woodsy Maine scenery and relax in the country air.

They serve a simple but well prepared buffet style meal of fresh salad, delicious fresh pasta, perfectly cooked protein of some kind, fresh veggies and a few bottles of wine. It’s hard to leave that green room, trust me.

What have they done here? Besides satiate the artist with delectable munchies? They have completely set the artists up to have an amazing show. The weary travelers are given the opportunity to get in, sound check, be confident that they will sound great, refresh themselves, iron clothes, nourish themselves with something other than fast food, change their strings, take care of their voice, relax and get balanced for the show.

When the artist has a great show the venue has a great show, and the audience has a great show. Everybody wins! The artists want to come back to Stone Mountain not just because it’s the only place to play in the area, but because they love it. They talk about their experience; their fans talk about their experience and they come back to see other shows and bring friends because they trust it will be a quality night. Thus, it’s worth the risk to go and discover new artists at SMAC when they know the experience will be superb. Word of mouth seems to have contributed greatly to the success of this venue.

From The Fans Perspective; Let Them Eat Cake!

As welcoming as they are to the artist, they are equally welcoming to the audience members. Everyone is greeted and shown to their tables. They serve dinner, wine and beer. The meals are from out of a gourmet food magazine yet still has the "comfort food" feel you would expect from a country kitchen, and the prices are very reasonable. The seating is comfortable, the service is excellent, and they do not serve during the performance. There is always a 15 minute intermission when everyone can grab some more wine and beer for the second set.

SMAC takes pride in creating a quality and fun experience for the musicians and the audience. They have special dinner and accommodation packages with local B&B’s so you can turn your concert experience into a beautiful weekend getaway.

Recently,SMAC launched a free concert series to introduce up and coming talent to their already dedicated audience. Click Here to Read about “Waltzing for Dreamers”. This is so smart, and in the true spirit of being a promoter to help cultivate new acts and new audiences.

Carol and Jeff continue to create great events for their solid customer base, while always bringing in new audience members. Only thing missing is on line marketing using social networking, and a website that is a little more organized which also allows you to interact with music and video so you can check out their upcoming acts. If they get this together, their business is certain to bust open the barn doors. This venue is worth traveling to for a show.

I have run venues before and am certain there is an immense amount of hard work that goes into making this venue such a great place to see shows. But they make it look so darn easy!


You can read all about the history of the barn and upcoming shows here


Check out this Keb Mo live performance to see the great experience you get at SMAC.





Photos by Lynette Najimy