Richmond Folk Festival not just banjos and straw

Colin Hannifin
Columnist

Richmond is gearing up for its annual foray into the exciting and refreshing world of folk music. Friday, the fourth-annual Richmond Folk Festival will kick off three days of folk. The festival, which offers free admission, showcases over 30 artists and is expected to bring over 200,000 visitors to Richmond.

The folk festival is one of the unique events that set Richmond apart. Born from the National Folk Festival, which Richmond hosted from 2005-2007 (The National Folk Festival moves every three years.), the Richmond Folk Festival not only delivers quality music, but a chance for Richmond residents and VCU students to experience the music that was a vital part of the early part of our country. While so many are familiar with today’s hits that stream over the airways day in and day out, many haven’t heard the tunes that will flow from the stages this weekend.

Many are quick to discount the festival, claiming they don’t like the sound of the folk fiddle or the strum of the banjo. But those people don’t understand what folk music truly is. While folk has been popularized as the music of Bob Dylan and, more recently, Conor Oberst, the true markings of folk aren’t clever lyrics and simple sounds. Rather, folk music is very much a cultural phenomenon. It’s the music of a people, the music the common people listened to and subsisted on, not the high-brow music of the upper class. Every culture has its folk music, from the music of the American frontier that we commonly refer to as folk, to that of sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Asia, or Western Europe.

The Richmond Folk Festival does its best to highlight all kinds of folk music. Yes, there will be the typical American staples of folk music – the fiddle, banjo and guitar. But there will also be music of Mexico, monks from Tibet, Chinese-inspired opera, funk and Irish folk music – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. You don’t have to like the traditional American frontier folk music to appreciate the music that will be on display this weekend. You just have to love music and have an open mind.

If nothing else, it’s a chance to experience free, family-friendly fun and learn something along the way. I attended last October for the first time, and I immediately regretted that I didn’t make the short trek to the waterfront in my first two years at VCU. I saw a gentleman in his late 80s who made the trip from the mountains of West Virginia to play the songs he grew up with on his fiddle and a group that made the trip up from New Orleans to play the songs of the streets of the Big Easy. I focused on attending the acts I felt I would most enjoy and saw a number groups of which I have never heard, playing songs I’ve never known, and they were exceptionally good.

As you continue studying for your midterms this weekend, take a break and make your way downtown to the waterfront, and see everything the Richmond Folk Festival has to offer. Spend some time under the sun, enjoying the wonderful weather of fall, and listen to the music that helped establish cultures around the world.