I have struggled to find a way to write
about one of my favorite things this year. The Master Musician's
Festival will kick off this Friday evening with a local talent that I
am familiar with. Kelly Rae Burton has grown up before my eyes and,
with the help from her husband, Eric, has shown some tenacity in the
pursuit of her dream. I like that. Dreams matter.
But, to return to my point. The
Somerset Commonwealth-Journal has done much better than in previous
years in reporting on this independently, home-grown festival that is
now turning into an event. I have also noticed that the Lexington
Herald-Leader has taken notice and has begun some coverage of the
event. I am going to be looking to see if Walter Tunis will attend.
I admire his writing and acumen in his coverage of musical talent.
In the past it has been enough to just comment on the acts and toss a
few personal observations into the mix but this year that will be
redundant. Instead I will try to comment on what this festival means
to me and to the Somerset-Pulaski County area inclusively.
There have been several events locally
promoting the festival and, in addition, there have been some at
certain venues in Lexington. To me that shows some promise and
awareness of what it takes, in addition to great talent, to make a
local event known outside its locality. The festival has become
known to enthusiasts for its use of native talent and use of both
traditional and progressive music that may drift a bit from
conventional radio music. The use of those assets gives listeners a
chance to hear music that is extremely original either before it
becomes popular or on it's way up.
I don't think that our community
understands what a tremendous effort it takes to make this popular
event possible. While Tiffany Finley Bourne is the public face of
the festival there are dozens in the background who are working
diligently. I won't say tirelessly because it wears one out
implementing the festival and then cleaning the location up
afterward. This would be a good time to give a shout-out to Somerset
Community College for providing the location, which is beautiful, for
the festival to use. What a great gift to our community!
And it takes a lot of money. I am not
privy to the inner workings of the festival board but I can infer
that the use of advertising and the willingness of local businesses
to support this festival is critical to it's success. The proceeds
from the gate are always just a part of the revenue necessary for
events such as this. If the festival depended on the gate revenue
for funding the tickets would be much higher. Our community owes a
debt of gratitude to those civic minded individuals and music lovers
who give their time, a precious commodity, to this effort that is
generating favorable reviews for our community.
What is really important is that people
will give of their personal time to support an event that brings such
rewards to their community. I have bemoaned previously the lack of
civic engagement in the affairs of our community. Apathy among the
citizenry is a burden to a community and very difficult to overcome.
The costs of such apathy extend far beyond appreciation of such local
events and it permeates the local governments making them less
responsive and more secretive. This festival is not the only event
that is breaking that cycle but it is the longest lived. Those who
began and sustained this festival deserve the sincere appreciation of
every person in the Lake Cumberland Area. It is important to note
that almost all of the events that accomplish this purpose have been
driven by private individuals or organizations who have taken
responsibility for administration and for seeing that the work is
continued. To their credit, the local governments have recognized
the benefits and have been supportive financially and in other ways.
But of the festival itself. This years
lineup is one that I am not particularly familiar with but I have
tried to pay some attention to some of the acts that will be here in
order to get an idea of what they bring to our area. Our area is
rich in musical talent itself so an average or mundane performance
will not go unrecognized. Counting Crows has seen the top of the
charts but also brings a rollicking performance to close out the
festival. St. Paul and the Broken Bones has played locally and will
bring a soul flavor that should get the crowd on their feet. Sunday
Best and Apache Relay are regional talents that are now beginning to
be noticed out of their own stomping grounds. On a personal note, I
had never heard of the Avett Brothers before they graced our stage
but when they began I noticed that people of a younger generation
were apparently much more familiar with their music. It was only
then that I payed attention and found that they were rising stars.
Now they command the main stage and, I presume, would never return
for what they were paid before. So, I am keeping an open mind and
will attend with the likely probability of hearing music that lights
my fire. Music is like that, it is universal in it's language and
appeal.
I have only one cause for trepidation.
One of my favorite parts of our festival has always been the use of
musicians that bring our unique culture to the forefront. I love
hearing traditional mountain and bluegrass music along with Celtic
and other early forebears of our heritage. Hearing how the tradition
has persevered over the hundreds of years to influence current music
and yet, in it's own way, managed to retain the music of ages past. I
long for that.
But, I have always been surprised by
something at the Master Musician's Festival and I anticipate that
this year also. In our advancing years we tend to become locked to
the past and what we are familiar with . I am trying to not allow
that to take hold of me and to keep an open mind.
As usual, My Take is that this year's
festival will be one of pure enjoyment and surprises. Be there or be
square.
No comments:
Post a Comment