We had a GREAT summer
21 Sep
It’s been an amazing summer for Tania Elizabeth and I, from the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia to St. Olav’s Festival in Trondheim, Norway, from Edmonton Folk Festival to Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, Vancouver Folk festival to Sisters Folk fest….all in all, we played 9 festivals this summer, and loved every single one of them. Folk festivals are a gathering of the tribe, of the folk music community in the regions where they are held. It’s always a joy to see everyone and get caught up on what’s been going on with old friends since I’ve seen them last, make some new friends, and listen to great music.
Vancouver Folk Festival, Stage Shot
In Norway, we made our way around Trondheim by foot, and came across a few amazing sites, a couple of them I took pictures of and posted below. One is an old fashioned organ grinder on the street with his grand daughter imitating him, and the other is a shrine erected to the victims of the mass killing on the island off of Oslo. Both are shot with my i-phone, which takes decent pictures, especially with the Hipstamatic app.
We played St. Olav’s Festival in a venue they called an “open church”, a nine hundred year old church that stays open for homeless street people and lets them sleep there. Our host called himself a street minister, and he works beautifully with the people who end up there, holding an open mic for the community, playing piano, and being an all round example of love in action. It was wonderful to watch him with the folks who gather, the broken hearted, the alcoholics, the mentally ill, the wounded dreamers, the lonely, the lost and wandering souls. He is true minister, and I admire his mission. It was great to meet him, and to play for his audience. I learned a few things about what a true church can be for people who really need one.
Norwegian Organ Grinder with his Granddaughter
Street Minister and the 900 year old Open Church
We left and went on to the the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, and I was able to show up a week early and teach at the songwriting school, which was a blast. It’s always nice to be in one place for a while, and I love teaching out there in Lyons CO., It’s a great week for the teachers as well as the students, we all re-set out engines and get our heads on straight about writing and being creative. The setting is pure Rocky Mountain beautiful, the songwriters are there to learn and connect with each other, and there’s enough time to get some all of it done. If the students had half as much fun as I did, then they were doing just fine. This is such a wonderful way to spend a week of summer, it always renews me and reminds me I have much to be grateful for.
Tania and I loved the afternoon show we played at the festival after the school ended, and a photographer got a great shot of her feet on stage, with the stomp boards she is using to get some percussion sounds.
Tania's Feet
Me and Tania Elizabeth, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival 2011
We went on to play and teach at Sisters Folk Festival in Sisters Oregon, another fantastic festival and wonderful song school, then worked our way down the West Coast, picking up our dear friend Lori McKenna in Sacramento who came with us for a few days, playing LA and San Francisco with us, and making the journey all the better. We have a shot of us in Chinatown in San Francisco, with a guy busking on the street near the restaurant where we had dim sum.
Mary, Lori, and Chinatown Busker
Summer’s not quite over yet, as I am in New Mexico now, preparing for a musical train trip with Over The Rhine and Richard Shindell. The trip begins in Albuquerque, NM, an, meanders through Colorado, and winds up in Chama, NM. Along the way, there will be jam sessions, open mics, parties, concerts, great food, boisterous celebration, high jinks, and revelry. The road goes on and on for us…we will be off to Europe again in two weeks, then on the East Coast of the US for some dates. More soon…..
That bed and breakfast in Cambridge sounds so cozy me and the wife were planning a trip there next week will check it out
Tonights concert was just fabulous. The two of you created a great atmosphere. Voices and fiddle together with the stompboard sound and the guitar made the concert an incredible experience. Hope to see both of you again.
Last friday we attended the concert you and Tania gave at Metropool in Hengelo, Netherlands. It was a truly mesmerizing performance and this gig has already become one of the most memorable concerts we’ve ever attended. I’ve been a fan since Drag Queens and Limousines so I was happy to be able to introduce your music to my wife Carla during this great concert in our hometown. She has become a fan of you and Tania instantly. We hope you will release a live duo album someday !!
Wishing you love and happiness,
Rob and Carla
Beautifully written newsy post. Loved how you and Tania walk with the people, rather than just watch them. Great to read about a church that is for the people rather than judging them. Safe journeying for you both.
hi Mary, I am a huge fan of yours and wish you would please come to Philadelphia. My doggie, cody, loves your music also. I just saw k.d.lang last Thursday in Phillie for the fourth time. She was, as always, really great. Please, please Mary come to Philly. I am a cousin of Buddy Miller’s mother Elaine.
love from your biggest fan,
maryellen i.e. m.e. xx
Hello Mary, just wanted to send a note to let you know the Last of the Hobo Kings was a great tribute to a wonderful man. Steamtrain Maury was a friend of mine. He was a great conversationalist and truely a warmhearted guy. Thank you for writing a nice song to play and remember. I’ll watch for you in southeast Michigan. James Ingle Tecumseh, MI
Hey, Mary, just a note to say Thanks for your usual good summary. I note your schedule regularly, as faithful fans do. So enjoyuable to know you had some times with Lori, sharing performances, good times. So glad to know you’re “doing what you love to do.” Love and prayers. Mary E.
We need you here in Ontario, Canada! Toronto, Kitchener, Guelph, Hamilton, London? Anywhere would be just fine.
We’d love to come back to New Orleans, I think we might find our way back to the Museum of Southern Art at some point, so stay tuned!
Hey Mary when will you be heading to New Orleans to play any gigs? Would love to catch you live.