Kristen

Riverfolk Music & Arts Festival 2008, featuring Vienna Teng:

On Saturday, August 2, I continued my recent tradition of seeing artists perform live I had not see in more than a year.  This time, it was The Raisin Pickers (last seen at the East Lansing Art Festival in May of 2007) and Vienna Teng (last seen at The Ark in April of 2007) at the beautiful Riverfolk Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, MI.

The evening had absolutely perfect outdoor festival weather – dry with the sun slowly setting and a gentle breeze blowing.  Parking was far easier than I’d thought it would be, particularly since I was arriving at about 6:15pm to a festival that had been going on all day.  All of the festival volunteers I encountered were very nice and quite helpful and knowledgeable, and I had no problem buying my ticket, finding the main stage, and finding a place for my blanket among the crowd seated near the front. 

Jan Krist was on the stage when I arrived, so I was able to hear the end of her performance before hearing full sets from both The Raisin Pickers and Vienna Teng.  Ideally, I would have arrived far earlier and had time to browse the artist booths as well as hear Jan’s full set, but my best laid plans didn’t quite lay out in practice as they had in theory.  Even with only hearing a portion of Jan’s set, however, I was immediately struck by her voice.  I could already hear her singing from where I parked my car and walked, so I listened during the time and events that took place between parking and settling in on my blanket, and continued listening through the rest of her set once I was seated.  She is a talented storyteller with an honest and warmly sincere voice that draws your ear even when you might not be giving it your full attention.  I’m very glad I was able to hear at least part of her set, as it was my first exposure to her music even
 though I’ve been hearing her name forever, and I hope I’ll get a chance to hear her again down the road.

Jan was followed by local trio The Raisin Pickers, made up of Mark and Carol Palms and David Mosher.  I call them local because Mark and Carol are from Manchester and were actually very instrumental in making this festival happen, and David is based in nearby Ann Arbor.  Carol plays bass and fiddle, Mark banjo and guitar, and David mandolin, fiddle, and guitar.  All three sing.  They are a tremendous string band with an old-time feel and a repertoire of original tunes and old classics.  Favorite songs performed this night included Shilo’s Hill (a Mark Palms original ballad of a Civil War story), Lady From 29 Palms (a fun swing number featuring Carol’s vocals), and the David Mosher original Passin’ Of A Train (his vocals are simply outstanding, and I love train songs).  Also noteworthy was their rendition of Kitty Donohoe’s Ode To The Pasty (on which those of us who knew the chorus enthusiastically sang along when encouraged), as well as a duet
 between David Mosher and special guest Theresa Smith on what I think was called “You Never Said Goodbye.”  David has a gorgeous voice, and Theresa’s is equally rich and engaging.  I’d seen Theresa and David perform together before and thought their vocal pairing stunningly beautiful, so I was delighted at the surprise opportunity to hear them together again. 

Three contest winners performed short pieces backed by The Raisin Pickers between their set and Vienna Teng’s, and all were incredible.  In particular, the junior division winner played fiddle with tremendous speed and stage presence, and the senior winner played Shove That Pig’s Foot Further Into The Fire on the cello (Yes, I’m serious.).  It was one of the most unique cello performances I’d ever seen, and great fun.

Vienna Teng was accompanied by multi-instrumentalist Alex Wong for this performance, and I stress the “multi” when I say that.  I lost track of the instruments Alex played throughout the set, but I know there was guitar, cajon, xylophone, drum, cymbal, and at least two instruments I can still picture in my head but haven’t a clue as to what they were to describe them here.  He also played a string instrument he was first introduced to that very day by someone who makes them and had a booth at the festival.  I should remember the name of this instrument, but all I do remember is that it reminded me of a mountain dulcimer the way it sat on his lap, but it played it with a short bow.  He absolutely blew me away with his talent and his ability to play different instruments at different times within the same song, and he complimented Vienna perfectly for this show.

It was such a treat to see Vienna perform live again.  I truly enjoy listening to her CDs, but there’s something about her live performance that the CDs don’t quite capture no matter how good they are.  When seen live, her piano sounds just a little richer and sweeter, and her voice just that much more vibrant and compelling.  I found the entire performance captivating.  What made it particularly special, though, were Vienna’s personality and humor, and her genuine appreciation of the crowd and her fans.  She honored three requests throughout the evening, one for a volunteer at the festival and two for different individuals who had previously met her and gotten to sing with her on stage in the past.  So many artists, though they do appreciate their fans, tend to stick with pre-determined set lists, so I was truly touched by Vienna’s willingness to perform particular fan favorites and her genuine sincerity in her dedications.  Favorite songs
 performed included Gravity, Lullaby For A Stormy Night, Harbor, Homecoming, Whatever You Want, and Recessional.  She also did three or four songs from the new CD she’s working on, and it promises to be another tremendous collection of music.  It’s being produced by Alex Wong and is currently slated for a February 2009 release, and Vienna told a few folks after the show that, if all goes according to plan, she’ll be back in Ann Arbor in April or May to perform and promote it.  All in all, it was a fabulous night of music and well worth the trip and the late night out.

In closing, I ask your indulgence for a personal note.  To Jenny:  Many thanks for giving me your ticket stub so I had something for Vienna to sign when I saw her!  The autographed stub is treasured and sitting in front of me on my desk as I type this, and will eventually be framed.  Thanks, too, to you and your family for the company and for making me welcome.  Blessings to you, yours, and most especially Malcolm!

That’s all for now.  There’s more great music ahead, so stay tuned…