Richmond Folk Festival draws big acts, bigger crowds

Nick Bonadies
Spectrum Editor

You’d be hard pressed to find a better cross-section of Virginia’s music-loving populace than at the third annual Richmond Folk Festival this past weekend – and maybe harder pressed to find someone not having a blast of it.

The annual festival, a continuing tradition from the International Folk Festival which visited Richmond from 2005 to 2007, drew a crowd of all conceivable ages and backgrounds over the weekend – in surplus of last year’s 160,000, according to festival representatives.

“I feel like everyone I know is coming,” VCU senior Cole Hutchison said.

“It’s fun, it’s close to home, it’s free,” said junior Michelle Palmer.  “You get to see a lot of cool music that you wouldn’t really get to see normally – they’re not normally coming to Richmond, or if they are, they’re playing really expensive shows.”

From Friday to Sunday evening across six stages and over 30 acts – not counting impromptu fiddle orchestras, kazoo parades and the like – festival goers enjoyed gorgeous weather by Brown’s Island and the American Civil War Center. In addition to live music and dance, the festival boasted a sprawling local crafts market and various collaborative demonstration performances from the musicians.  Demonstrations, to name a few, included “The African Influence,” “Musical Dialogues” and “World Fiddles.”  Each artist’s work was available on CD at vendors sponsored by local record store Plan 9.

“Taken at first glance, it’s very interesting – the whole mixing of cultures into a single space so people can learn more about different things,” Kenny Farino, a history major, said.

Popular acts included Boukman Eksperyans and their propulsive Haitian “mizik razin” (“roots music”); Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials, an old-school Chicago blues outfit; and funk fusion local favorite No BS Brass!, who led a mass of festival goers in an impressive marching kazoo parade.  Capoeira Luana, with a contagious joy and passion, brought the traditional Brazilian marriage of dance and martial art to a large-form audience.  The biggest crowd draws, like Boukman Eksperyans or New York-based salsa band La Excelencia, sent later-evening audiences packing dance floors on the Brown’s Isle stage.

Aside from having “gone green” this year, Richmond Folk Festival continues to draw public attention, as well as attendance, from being completely free to attend.

“Essentially, it’s one hundred percent community support,” festival representative Denise Bird said. “It’s sponsorships, it’s donations from the crowd … not only monetary donations, but donations of people’s time and effort and services that we wouldn’t normally be able to offer.”

Dennis Kilbourne, member with the orange-clad “Bucket Brigade” who collected the festival’s five-dollar suggested donations, commented that people are generally glad to help keep the festival free for everyone.

“People who can’t afford to don’t have to give anything.  Some people drop twenty, forty dollars in the bucket,” Kilbourne said. “I like the idea, rather than people coming in and having to pay a fee.”

Miki Hirose, trumpeter with La Excelencia, said he relishes an opportunity to play for a free audience.  “I shouldn’t say this, but really, an outdoor concert should be free.   Recently, people can get audio tracks from the Internet really easily, for free – and they’re satisfied with that.  But live music is completely different, and I really believe it’s much better – I’d really like all the people to be willing to come out to a live show.”

If you didn’t make it out this weekend, fret not – the Commonwealth Times did.  Check out these photos for an up close and personal look.

For more information on the Richmond Folk Festival, including artist links, Festival history, and volunteer and donation information, visit their website at www.richmondfolkfestival.org.