MMF 2013--20 Years On

In Anticipation

On Monday tickets for the 2013 edition of the Master Musician Festival go on sale. It will be the twentieth anniversary celebration for a festival that many did not think had the legs to achieve long life. To be truthful, I'm not sure anyone had the vision for an extended run. When I see Gabrielle Mattingly Gray I will have to ask her about that because it was largely her vision that gave birth to the festival. To be sure, it has benefited from the enduring efforts of lots of dedicated people but the birth of the vision stemmed from only a few.

The current board of directors and Tiffany Bourne, the president, have done an exceptional job in continuing the tradition and to celebrate this anniversary they have landed a premier act with the inking of Willie Nelson to appear. Of course, Willie needs no praise from me, he is long past that. He will no doubt go down and one of the most eclectic innovators in music. Those of us who have only become familiar with Willie since Red Headed Stranger were unfamiliar with his itinerant past and his ability to write hit songs for other people. His association with Waylon Jennings is part of outlaw music legend. This will most certainly be a huge year for the Master Musician's Festival.

I mentioned the beginnings of this festival because of the dozens of lesser know performers who have crossed this stage. Some either were famous or have become famous in their own right. When the Avett Brothers performed I had never heard of them. But we have seen not just a few performers that were equally as good and talented as the ones that have become famous. Last year I enjoyed Abigail Washburn as much as anyone. One of my all time favorites is the couple from Berea who performed as Zoe Speaks. Classical night brought us the Ahn Trio and Rachel Barton who actually played the strings off her violin, fiddle to most of us. Could anyone ever forget Odetta and the palpable connection to the civil rights movement?

But is was the connection to a local musician that kicked off the notion of a festival. There have been many more aspiring musicians to come and perform at our festival. Perhaps the most vital and enduring part of this festival is the opportunity it affords to local and area musicians to become seen and appreciated and have their art fostered. Of the many ways that mankind has found to communicate with one another it is arguably music that has the greatest ability to convey the sense of oneself to others. Even in a foreign tongue music can still cross boundaries with its tonality, tempo and melody to lend a note of understanding.

I think that perhaps in this country the music of Appalachia has played a larger role than in most other areas. The isolation of the hills and hollers preserved much of the musical tradition of the old world and now, through the actions of festivals like ours, is now reaching out and spreading the traditions to other people and nations. The magic of modern instantaneous communication can now let a listener or watcher on the other side of the globe experience what you are experiencing in real time. A person sitting in the audience in July could post a video on YouTube and it be seen globally instantly.

This year, likely before the time of this festival, we will have one of the graduates of the local stage appear on a nationally televised show. I reviewed this young man, Brandon Roush, and the band, No Tale Lights a couple of years ago and now they perform as The Dirty Grindstones. Without the local stage it is conceivable that this would never have happened.

There have been so many others with equally amazing talents. The Master Musician this year will be a local performer, Tommy Minton. I have known Tommy since he was a kid and I a much younger man. I have sat in awe at his seemingly natural talent for music and been pleasured by his skill. I have watched him sit around campfires at music festivals and play music with some who were much more famous but no more talented. This festival is his stage along with other lesser known lights.

In my writing I have often spoken of how a festival like this can be effective in projecting how a community is perceived. It is through civic effort and shared work that these things are done in the best way possible. As soon as the lights go out on one season the work is already under way for the next. There is little doubt that having Willie here will bring a record crowd and also some people who have never been to this festival. The Master Musician's Festival has already become more widely known that most would have dreamed at the beginning and this year will shine the light more brightly on the festival in general and Somerset-Pulaski County in general.

This has been and is going to be a year of changes in Somerset-Pulaski County. It is possible now to begin to see what may be a glimmer of our home as a progressive area, something that just a short time ago seemed unthinkable. Effort by civic groups, many unattached to local government in any way, is key to that progressive opportunity.

So, here we are. Still four months out from our festival and anticipation is already at a fever pitch. I am looking forward to seeing Willie but I would say that the press of the crowd will keep me at a distance. But when you go to see Willie take the opportunity to appreciate some of the other performers who love their art just as much as he does. If you see Tiffany or some of the other board members, thank them for their efforts and perseverance. There have been times that the success of this festival was not guaranteed.

My take on the anticipation of this year's edition of The Master Musician's Festival. I am sure I will have more to say later. See you there.

rmoore@somerset-kentucky.com www.rfmoore.blogspot.com