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
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