Deerhunter @ Neumos
The 2008 Northwest Folklife Festival kicked off Friday with a number of unforgettable performances. One could really go on for hours recounting all the highlights. There were performances capitalizing on the year’s cultural theme of “Urban Indians,” including the benefit concert, featuring Swil Kanim and Little Big Band; Monday’s Native American Blues showcase, featuring the exquisite musicianship of Cheyenne River Blues; the various talks and stories from local Native Americans on the narrative stage, which ran the gamut from cultural and spiritual discussions to talks about basketweaving; Friday’s discussion on “Why do Indians live in cities?”
Then there were the performances not affiliated with the cultural theme—bands who have been rocking Folklife’s stages for decades, and intriguing showcases that focused on varying styles and cultures. Friday saw a memorable bellydance showcase, Saturday’s highlight was a fiddling showcase and one called “World Beat Manifesto.” Sunday’s greatest highlight was “Indigenous Hip-Hop” featuring Komplex Kai and Oklahoma’s Culture Shock Camp. Monday’s “Big Jewish Show” highlighted klezmer music and other styles influenced by Jewish tradition.
The Wanderers—a duo in the tradition of the mid-60s folk revivalists—celebrated their 20th year on the Folklife stage with their Monday afternoon performance. Local grassrockers Creeping Time (together for 10 years) played their final set ever, much to the delight of the bouncers, twirlers, and straight-up boogie-ers. Monday also saw the alt-country stylings of Westerly and Anna Coogan, the Pike Place Buskers showcase featuring exceptional old timey tunes by Slim Pickens and others, and several showcases highlighting new folk singer-songwriters.
Folklife presents stages sponsored by various organizations and community radio: Victory Music, KBCS, KUOW, and others. There was ska, blues, jazz, country, Filipino dancing, square dancing; elephant ears, Tibetan food, crab cakes. Then the whole festival ended with the Vaudevillian romp of Miss Mamie Lavona the Exotic Mulatta and Her White Boy Band, followed on another stage by Clinton Fearon’s reggae. There’s not much left to desire when Folklife is all said and done. It’s hard to imagine this free festival topping itself, but they’re sure to do so next year.