On occasion, about 4-6 times a year, I have the good fortune
to spread the word about a musical event I feel is significant, has some special
quality, or presents just the right mix of components that it will likely
generate something very memorable. When I talk to friends about these things or
throw up a Face Book post, I sometimes use the words “You Don’t Want To Miss
THIS!” Of course, many folks do either because they were washing their hair, or
never bothered to read my post or email. When they hear me talk about the event
after the fact and share some details about what transpired, they say something
like “Damn! I wish I knew about it”, or “Damn, I meant to go to that”. Of
course I remind them that they had notice and probably own a calendar they could
have noted it on, but I realize that we all have busy lives and can’t do
everything.
Sometimes these events are publicized well in advance, but
don’t make it through to all the right circles, but some of the things I share
don’t get any advance notice at all, and those are really hard to plan for. For
instance, I might get a text message during the day that ‘So and So will be
sitting in at our gig tonight’, or I’ll walk into a club and somebody will say
“Hey, guess who I ran into at the post office today?”, sure enough, an hour
later they walk through the door. Many times, it just happens, and you have to
be in the right place at the exact right moment. Many times I have been sitting
at the Harmony Café in Woodstock and somebody will walk in, a few heads turn, a
few smiles are exchanged, and a few people, like me, are saying to each other
“Hey, is THAT…..?”. Yeah, it is. (OK, I know you want names, right? In the last
year or so I have ‘run into’ John Sebastian, Eric Weisberg, Marc Horowitz, Ryan
Cavanaugh, Rosie Newton, Richie Stearns, Maria Muldaur, Tom Pacheco, Tony
Trischka and a few others. If you don’t know who these folks are, you can Google
any of them.)
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| Pete Seeger at center stage, Jay Unger and Molly Mason backing him up on stage left, Mike Merenda sitting on the rail. |
I told you that so I can tell you this: Just a little less
than a month ago I attended a kick-ass little local Festival called The Summer
Hoot. This was one of those events where I spread the word as best I could in
the weeks prior, but only saw a few folks I knew. If you weren’t there, then you
really missed something. It’s right here in the heart of the Catskills, so don’t
whine to me about long drives. I know some who drove from Boston (OK, Cambridge)
for this event, and it was very much worth their while.
To begin with, there were 33 stage slots scheduled between
Friday evening and Sunday night. Not only were they all filled, but there were a
few more squeezed in as well. In addition to that, there was a full screening of
“Ain’t In It For My Health” on Friday Night, a song circle with campfire on
Saturday, followed by a Square Dance and jam on Saturday night, and the
opportunity to rub elbows with some fine musicians. This was, for sure, a
Musician’s Festival, as they all had a good time sitting in on each other’s sets
and making some really memorable music. I almost forgot to mention that in
addition to the 2 stages, there were also some small mini-concerts going on in
the Hoot Store all weekend with groups of 20 or much less. Talk about intimate.
The food was great and the setting, lodging, and camping opportunities provided
by the Ashokan Center, it’s wonderful staff, and all the volunteers could not be
beat. For a first time run, it sure was close to perfect. As for the lineup,
well I am not going to list everybody here. You can go see the whole list and
schedule RIGHT HERE. Natalie Merchant was certainly a big draw on Saturday, as
was The Dirt Farmer Band for the close on Sunday. I have to say, that for me,
the highlight of the entire event was seeing, and singing along with Pete Seeger
again on Sunday afternoon. It’s always a special treat to see Pete, and in such
a wonderful venue on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I couldn’t think of anyplace
I would have rather been. I should also add that this was a very family friendly
event and we had little kids all over the place. There was plenty for them to do
as well. At times it was hard to tell who brought the most children, the
audience, or the performers, but I could see clearly that the kids were having a
great time as were their parents.
Although this was the first Summer Hoot, it was not the first
Hoot. That happened back in February of this year, and I missed that one, but am
told it was a great time for everybody. The next Hoot will be in February on the
7th, 8th, and 9th, a great time to come out and shake off
the cabin fever that will no doubt grab you by then. The dates for next
Summer’s event have not been set yet, but will most likely be in mid-August. You
can be sure that I’ll let you know when the dates are set because I can’t wait
to get this one on my calendar. Just don’t say I didn’t tell you about this
one.
Festivals such as this take a lot of courage to pull off, and
they also require a hell of a lot of work to make happen. For sure, The Hoot
fits in this description and it’s continued success depends on a lot of support
from the community, the volunteers, the performers, and especially the
organizers. The Hoot is the brain child of Mike & Ruthy Merenda, who felt
that with all the local talent we have in our little region, there should be
some platform for the local artists to perform with each other and share that
music with the communities in which they live. Theirs is a vision we can all get
behind with very little effort. I hope you come out to The Hoots of the future.
I don’t think you’ll have any regrets. Better live music you are not gonna find
anywhere for twice the price.
On a personal aside, I would like to thank Mike & Ruthy
for making me feel instantly welcome and part of the team as one of their last
minute volunteers. I watched them work continuously all weekend keeping it all
running smooth, doing their own sets and sitting in on many others, while at the
same time keeping Willy and Opal (their wee ones) happy, fed and content. All
the while, they never lost that big smile on their faces and the enthusiasm they
carried was infectious. Sometimes it’s not all about the music (did I just say
that?), sometimes it’s about having a good time working together to achieve
something good and wholesome for the benefit of others. The Hoot, for me, was
one of those times.
Keep the beat,
Tom
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