The Texas Contingent at Woody Fest 2009, Part One

[Jenni Mansfield Peal]

It became more obvious the further into Oklahoma we drove:  We're not in Texas anymore, baby.  Was it a different roll to the prairie?  A different blue in the sky? We drove from the border past casinos and neat little OK towns up I-75, then through absolutely uncomplicated farmland up 48 to I-40, then east to Okemah.  

The highway map we got at the OK Welcome Center was mind warping:  The same size Texas map covers five times the distance.  An inch on the OK map is twenty minutes; on the TX map an hour.  So what looked like a day's journey turned magically into an enjoyable drive about the length of the movie "Reds."

I'll sum up this story first:  The Woody Fest, originally "The Woody Guthrie Free Folk Festival," was thrilling and this little brown duck is hooked.  Woody Guthrie is a hero because he gave his voice through song to good sense, emboldening fancies and dismissal of earthly authority over the mind, body, and spirit of people - all people. He sang about many kinds of freedom, and he did so at a time when Americans were struggling under economic hardship, war, and great divisions of wealth as well as clouds of old world peasant shame and new world boom blindness.  As a performing artist, he introduced folk music to a new large audience.  His dusty songs stood in stark contrast to the popular music of the 40's and 50's, still ruled by Tin Pan Alley (in style and approach - even Broadway and Hollywood were still hashing and re-hashing TPA musical ideas), with a voice of gritty realism and political idealism that provoked the complacent dream of conservative America, never sounding like anything but a native son.

Woody's songs side-stepped the musical establishment of the day, but his records and those of the folk musicians he influenced sold enough to show Billboard that consumers were willing to buy whole two-sided records with multiple songs recorded by artists they really wanted to hear.  Single or double song records had made gold with radio play and promotion and that trend escalated with Rock and Roll.  But folk music soon had a significant popular voice too, and all of us song writers and folk singers who sing about what we know, what's right, and what we feel can thank Woody for that.

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So there we were, a whole bunch of us, July 8-12 2009, to play music in celebration of Woody Guthrie's legacy, in Okemah, OK, at the kind invitation of the town.

Okemah is Woody's home of childhood and young adulthood.  This year's festival is the 12th, and it's still free, run by volunteers.  The town hosted a larger attendance this year than last, I heard, and when I say "host" I mean it.

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The Rocky Road Tavern, commonly known as "Lou's" was always a cool, cool place to relax, listen to songs, and perform some.  There under the spreading elm and cottonwood trees Bob DuPree ran a festival-long open mic and I've never seen anything like it.  Bob managed to get probably over a hundred acts, singles and more, up and off of that stage with respect and good amplified sound.  And never a discouraging word! When time allowed, he played his own songs with a gentle voice and firm guitar.  Lou and all the crew took care of us with cold beverages and good food.

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A2 - Alan and Anni Litt - Lit up the stage in their sets on Thursday and Friday (thanks for the photos, Tom Peal.)  Their Thursday set was all original, with Anni giving us the incendiary "Spreading the Groove" and Alan sharing his beautiful song, "Please Help Me Lord."  Friday, they shared some of their favorite cover songs.  A2 keeps building their performance and musicality and adding original and other material:  their spots at Woody Fest were a new high in their music for this listener.

Mullah Marvin and the Texas Taliband of Blues and Revue crowded the stage for a set Wed., Thurs., Fri., and Sat. Dallas swamp music was unstoppable and received with attention and amusement. Thanks once again to Bob DuPree for getting us herded up there and amplified.

On Saturday, the TTOB was visited by a celestial being who smelled like a campfire and shared a song (Ranger Randell Fields of Sons of Hermann Hall Electric Campfire fame.)

Thanks for reading! Upcoming blogs: Red Dirt Music, and The Texas Contigent at Woody Fest Part Two!
Jenni

[Arcadia]

hola jenni!! I knew about Woody G. through Dylan more than twenty years ago but I didn´t put attention to the lyrics, I´ll try it!... gracias for sharing the trip and the shows with us, amazing beautiful photos!!!!! it is possible a link to the music? did you also sang there?

[jimboloco]

wow what a revelation jennn
i thought you were an incarnation of
tex tiles!

these are marveloous snaps of midwestern (sorry) ers
playing like real western ers

there's nothing like real community
and you bring it to us here

love that woody and now
just the 12th anniversary celebration
so it looks like it will be an ongoing thang

my brother and kin live in Useless Texas
my old stomping grounds

love that prarie hospitality for sure
and it is magical and inspiring
to see-hear local yokels
becoming magnificent
they look awesome
musical
satori