FOLK a feature-length documentary

Three singer-songwriters, ages 30 to 60, navigate the quirky sub-culture of American folk. A musical tradition that once saw the likes of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan reach stardom, folk today rarely breaks into the mainstream. Instead, folk is heard at house concerts — where a new breed of mini music moguls roll back the furniture and host their favorite artists for a crowd of 20 or 30 friends; at jammed, 24/7 folk conferences — where would-be stars trade social networking tips by day and gig at night down long corridors of hotel rooms turned into micro-clubs seating 5 or 6 people; and in tiny bars and the occasional festival, set well back along the blue highways of America.

FOLK is a verité character study which is part music documentary and part road trip movie — a multi-layered examination of these three artists at dramatically different points in their lives, each faced with the same challenge of how to be heard in the 21st-century version of this distinctly American art form. Featuring: Hilary Adamson of The Flyin’ A’s, Dirk Hamilton the trio of John Elliott, Raina Rose and Anthony da Costa, and Stoll Vaughan.

Want to be a part of FOLK? Pledge to the filmmakers’ Kickstarter campaign!

Quick Q and A with Marshall Crenshaw
 by Kathy S-B  ·  14 November 2011

I’ve been a Marshall Crenshaw fan since the first time I heard “Someday, Someway.” No turning back. He’s a fantastic songwriter with a real knack for quirky and very interesting lyrics. Hope you agree! To learn more about Marshall’s impressive history, refer to his website.

As much as I love this video of Marshall being interviewed on American Bandstand, here’s a clip of him playing the aforementioned “Someday, Someway.” And here’s a more representative video of Marshall Crenshaw as a solo touring musician!

Your self-titled debut album has to be one of the most beloved albums of all time. It’s one of those feel-good albums. It brings smiles all and is so uplifting. Do you find that despite all the music that you’ve recorded since then that that album is your most recognized?

In my own mind I’m not defined by it; it happened a long time ago and I’ve been on some kind of forward-going path ever since. But yes, my first album is beloved, and I’m glad about that. I always play a few songs from it at every show.

One writer says that your music is rooted in classic soul, British invasion, Burt Bacharach, and Buddy Holly. Did you listen to that kind of music when you were growing up in Detroit?

Yes, all of that and everything else you can think of. One of my favorite albums during High School was “Emergency” by The Tony Williams Lifetime, which is kind of beyond category. . . .

Were you being compared to Buddy Holly even before you were cast as him in La Bamba?

Yes, and I was surprised when it happened at first but now I’m surprised that I was surprised. I’m a lifelong fan; I’m even old enough to say that I saw him on the Ed Sullivan Show when I was 4 years old, which I did.

Tell us about the book that you wrote, Hollywood Rock: A Guide to Rock ’n’ Roll in the Movies. Is it a survey of all kind of music that is both on screen and included in the scores of movies?

That was an offbeat project for me but I threw myself all the way into it; it was fun. And I think the book is funny, interesting, and has a point of view; it isn’t just dry descriptions of stuff.

You recently had a big three-day gig at the famous Iridium Jazz Club to honor your favorite Les Paul players. What was it like playing with the Les Paul trio and what kind of tunes did you play?

That was the second thematic multi-artist thing that I put together this year; hopefully I’ll do more. The Iridium is still mainly a Jazz club but it’s also now sort of a shrine to Les Paul; he played there every Monday for 20 years or so. I consider myself a guitar player first at this point; it’s the thing that I’ve been working at the longest. So I was always a big Les Paul fan. At our show we saluted some of the early users of the Gibson Les Paul, like Freddy King, George Barnes, Fran Beecher, et. al. I actually had to borrow a Les Paul to use but am about to get one of my own. The show was a blast, an honor, all that good stuff.

I’m sure that gearheads will want to know about what you play and how you write. Do tell!

How I write? I don’t actually know how or why I’m able to do it; it’s just a matter of concentrating and being patient. As far as gear goes, for the solo shows I use a Guild or Gibson hollow body, like a Jazz box, and also a Danelectro baritone guitar. My amp has a 15” spkr. which is good ‘cause I like a nice big sound on the low end.

Quick Q and A with Chelsea Berry, November 2011
 by Meg Griffin, SiriusXM Radio  ·  10 November 2011

What was the first record you can remember hearing that mattered to you as a kid?

Dan Fogelberg’s “The Innocent Age”

What was the first record you ever bought?

Vance Gilbert’s “Edgewise” (he came to Alaska to teach a songwriting camp when I was fourteen)

How did you acquire your first instrument? What was it?

We were given a Fun Machine electric organ by our church.. There were mice living in it so my parents had it cleaned and refurbished and moved to my bedroom. I had played violin for a couple of years but the violin was borrowed. This was the first instrument that I got to keep! I loved playing it.

What took you from Alaska to the contiguous US?

I went to Montana for undergrad

Where did you study?

Bozeman MT (MSU)

What did you study?

Classical voice

What other job (if any) did you ever willingly consider?

I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was 13. But doesn’t everybody?

What other job did you ever endure?

Every job I ever had that wasn’t music became a job I endured. I was a landscaper, a sea kayaking guide, a ski instructor, a piano salesman. But all I really wanted to do was play music.

How/why did you settle in New England for the time being?

Gloucester MA felt like a safe place to try new things and became an incubator for me.. Lots to learn, lots to rehearse, lots of easy and supportive venues. (and lots of music lovers . . . That certainly doesn’t hurt)

How did you and your mentor Livingston Taylor first cross paths?

I took his Stage Performance class at Berklee a few years ago

What 3 albums would you take to a desert island?

Again. . . “The Innocent Age” (Dan Fogelberg), “Live As I’ll Ever Be” (Chris Smither), and “Raising Sand” (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss)

What artist would you like never to hear again?

Hmm . . . I don’t know!! If something comes up on the radio that I don’t like, I generally don’t stick around long enough to find out who it is. Admittedly, I have the attention span of a gnat when I hear bad music.

What one artist would it be a dream come true for you to collaborate with?

Chris Smither

Favorite female singer?

Carole King

What hopes do you have for your music to be part of some philanthropy? Why?

I want to either join forces with or create a program that empowers young women and at the core of it helps them along the way to loving the body they were born with. I struggled for many years with body image issues and know that I wasted a lot of time that I could have spent making my community a better place.

Search