Regarding Local Festivals
Are there interesting local bands — musicians who have serious professional experience, who actually rehearse, and have original tunes? Of course. Off the top of my head I can think of Absynth Quintet, Ponche and the Rob Diggins/Shao Way Wu duo, and if you go beyond “jazz,” there’s the Humboldt Calypso Band, The Bayou Swamis, The Delta Nationals and Chubritza. None are on this year’s festival program.
The point is, there is nothing remotely “Redwood Coast” about the local festival — pretty much the same groups are in Redding the week before, and in Stockton a week later. Most of the income from the festival goes into producing and advertising it, which might be considered corporate welfare on a small scale. Who benefits most? Motel owners, food purveyors and the merchants in Old Town. What tourist ever ventures to Henderson Center, much less Arcata?
The topic is pertinent because the Oregon Cheese Festival was hosted this year by Rogue Creamery in Central Point (whose blue cheeses are available locally). The Cheese Guild had combined it with six local wineries (most of them young) to make a “wine and cheese” festival. A vast event-tent included tables with a variety of local products. We came and left early, and the whole time, crowds were overflowing the limits of even that tent. In the parking lot I saw about half out-of-state plates.
There were local chocolates, berry soft drinks, jams, salsas and pastries. There were beeswax candles, carved canes, herbal sachets and jewelry. At one of the tables a charming bearded man was flanked by packages of stone-milled flour from the oldest working water-powered stone mill in the West. He had out little wedges of jalapeno cornbread that were intensely corny. “Do you grind grits?” Yes! (Grits are only good when stone-ground fresh; we send to Virginia for them.)
So we drove to the mill, a stone building dating to 1872, and spent an hour watching the clockwork intricacy of such an incomprehensibly large machine — endless wood gears, lest a spark cause a fire. And so on — doing what tourists do, shopping. But we were not there to pay big bucks for mediocre out-of-town music. We were patronizing local, resourceful, creative businesses.
And that’s the difference between a “real” local festival and the “fake” variety. The ones that actually feature local farmers and food processors and artisans versus the ones that are simply the establishment importing mercenaries to fill local hotel rooms. The former is a genuine boon to the area; why do we need the latter?
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44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
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SIX Comments
Comment / By Bodie / April 2, 2009, 4:13 p.m.
What a great article by Joseph Byrd. Way to take these “local” festival behemoths to task! Wake up and smell the locally-roasted coffee.
Comment / By Rose / April 7, 2009, 10:31 a.m.
Actually, many of those bands have quite a following all over the country. Maybe Joseph didn’t go, and maybe it’s not his cup of tea, but I went and they were really excellent and fun. Maybe he doesn’t realize that lots of people came up from places like Santa Monica and other places because this is an excellent festival.
Maybe we should all poo-poo them for not being ‘top-tier’ - maybe we are above all that - boy we sure will be cutting ourselves off to alot of what is good in the world if that’s our view.
A lotta people volunteer a lot of time to make the Festival a success. Too bad to see it being torn down here. Of all places.
Comment / By Jody / April 7, 2009, 12:12 p.m.
Well I come from a city that has music festivals all the time. Detroit is a music epicenter here in the USA and I have been to many festivals, and I must say you can not ONLY have artist that are local to the area. Plus what is the point to only have local artist that you can see anytime anyway? The best way to have a festival is to join up and bring in new act as well has have some local ones too. Who would pay so much to see bands that play here year round?
Comment / By Dirk M. / April 7, 2009, 4:31 p.m.
Silly article, comparing a cheese festival to a jazz festival. Also, since life seems so much better elsewhere, he should consider moving there. Basically, there are many fine bands that perform at this festival, and proceeds go to local worthy causes, which is more than I can say for some other festivals. The writer appears to be negative and bitter, like a jilted lover. Perhaps he is a third tier musician who couldn’t get in to this festival. Poor devil.
Comment / By Rovin / April 8, 2009, 3:56 p.m.
“Can we do better than the Redwood Coast Jazz Festival?”
Who’s the “we” Mr. Byrd? Hundreds of volunteers gave their valuable time to help in producing three days in March that yes, is a boon for downtown and the City of Eureka, when this time period would otherwise be like a ghost-town in terms of revenue. Did Mr. Byrd happen to notice the overwhelming attendance of youths at the Muni on Saturday night or the clinics that the performers put on with the local schools? Is Mr. Byrd even aware that this years festival was missing a venue, or that the budget was cut drastically to even have the it produced?
“….importing mercenaries to fill local hotel rooms”??? You, sir, are an insult and an embarrassment to this community and far too full of your cheese in wine.
Comment / By Thirdeye / April 11, 2009, 1 p.m.
Right issue, wrong target. The RCJF and BBTB have very little to do with what’s wrong with the cultural scene in Humboldt. The problems are insularity, lack of vision, and lazy mindedness. There have been rare exceptions. The Old Town Bar and Grill was a thriving and dynamic establishment before it was done in by family politics. There was a healthy mix of local and out-of-area talent. Cafe Tomo was a similar bright spot for a couple of years. The old Jambalaya was phenomenal until its owners got lazy and apathetic. Brew & Beats was a brief, brilliant presence in its meteoric life. Rumours was starting to happen before it was forced to move. Jazz at the Graves was a breath of fresh air. Nowadays, we have a series of local establishments with a path-of-least-resistance mentality. They’ve been indulging the same local bands and cliques that get less inspired and more boring year after year, or worse, going to a mostly DJ program. More out-of-area talent on a regular and visible basis might light the fire that gets the local scene off its ass.