Music of the People

If folk music conjures images of another era — perhaps of hippies and sit-ins — the Sarasota Folk Club wants you to know that the music form has changed. Sort of.

Although it still maintains a hearty dose of its 1960s revivalist roots, the music you’ll hear at club’s upcoming folk festival has evolved to mirror what its purpose has been all along — to reflect the conversations of the present.

“Essentially folk music is the music that is of the people,” says Eileen Kozloff, director of the Sarasota Folk Festival. “To me folk music is what people are doing, listening to and creating at this point in time.”

The Sarasota Folk Festival, which will be held March 21 and 22, at Oscar Scherer State Park, carries out that idea by bringing in dozens of local and national folk musicians to perform.

“If we don’t get the youth, if we don’t accept the transition between old-time folk and this bridge to the next generation, we’ll die out.” – Eileen Kozloff, director of the Sarasota Folk Festival

Beginning in 2000 with a collaboration between the Sarasota Folk Club and the Crowley Museum and Nature Center, the festival moved to its current expansive camping location from Crowley in 2009.

“This is one big reunion for most of the attending musicians,” says Kozloff. “It’s just a harmonious cacophony of sound.”

And to understand how the folk of today is different from its ’60s-inspired parent, one needs only to look at the musical lineup for this year’s festival.

The headlining bands include Roy Schneider and Kim Mayfield, the former being a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice”; Lon and Lis Williamson, a Florida couple playing together for more than 30 years; The New 76ers, a young acoustic trio from Tallahassee; and Radoslav Lorković, a multi-instrumentalist from Croatia who has performed all over the world, from the Canary Islands to Carnegie Hall. The festival also highlights regional artists such as Bing Futch, a master of the mountain dulcimer, and The Hummingbirds, an alternative country Tampa duo.

“I think a lot of the music we play is semi-pop music,” says Jim Dunn, who has been the festival’s soundboard operator and acoustics guru for the last 10 years. “You’d be surprised how few people try to cover or copy any Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary or Kingston Trio. We are trying to differentiate ourselves from that.”

The diverse mix of artists at the festival reflects the direction of folk music as it moves away from its traditional roots and transitions into a new Americana.

“If we don’t get the youth, if we don’t accept the transition between old-time folk and this bridge to the next generation, we’ll die out,” says Kozloff.

Jammin’ Out
The music being played at the Sarasota Folk Festival maintains folk’s inherent aspect: the voice of the people. Whether it’s a protest song from the turbulent 1960s or a coffee shop ode to an unrequited love, folk music has always been a reflection of the moment.
As a testament to that, the festival works to cultivate a musical conversation.

Unlike other music festivals featuring one major stage/performance space, the Sarasota Folk Festival is akin to a two-day musical colony all about sharing. Three stage spaces, a jam space, workshop tent, a children’s space and a dozen food and craft vendors will occupy the park adjacent to its nature center, parking and camp sites. It’s a collaborative village that encourages mingling and — most importantly — jamming together. There isn’t a divide between the 36 musicians and acts scheduled to perform and the estimated 2,000 attendees.

“There’s a jam tent, and you’ll see a lot of performers and people not performing bring their guitars and play together,” says Carolyn Dunn, vendor coordinator for the festival. “There will be a workshop space with people talking about their craft, giving tips and advice.”

Dunn and her husband moved in 2005 to Sarasota from Burlington, Vt., and have been active members of the folk club as well as assisted in the technical needs of the festival.

Calling herself “the bass-playing grandma,” Carolyn, with her husband on guitar, has been playing music for years.

Similarly,  Kozloff is one of the many folk music and acoustic instrumentalists who calls Sarasota and its folk club home.

A transplant from Harrisburg, Pa., the multi-instrumentalist who specializes in autoharp and mandolin moved in 2011 to Sarasota and joined the club. Managing the festival since then, Kozloff views the annual acoustic extravaganza as a unique music festival in the area.  

And, the festival is a natural extension of Kozloff’s lifelong love affair with music.

“I was telling a friend of mine this morning that one of my report cards in kindergarten said I enjoyed making up songs and teaching them,” she said. “It was sort of a natural thing from the earliest record.”

Kozloff grew up in a musical household. Her family listened to music from an extensive 78 rpm jazz and classical music record collection.

“We use to sing in the car, even musical theater,” says Kozloff. “Me coming to folk music allowed me to play with a bunch of different genres.”

She learned to play piano first. The piano evolved into a lap dulcimer, then the autoharp, mandolin and now the guitar.

“One string instrument influenced the next,” says Kozloff. “Because folk music is of the people, I think it’s participatory. It’s not like you’re in a concert hall. You’re integrated into the music and the people at the same time.”

For a long time, Kozloff was a self-described “living room musician” and played strictly for herself and wrote songs that she never shared. She didn’t perform onstage until the late 1980s.

“I followed the folk music at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, and I’d be around the campfires — I didn’t start performing until then,” says Kozloff. “You have to learn to share the music.”

Unlike other music festivals featuring one major stage/performance space, the Sarasota Folk Festival is akin to a two-day musical colony all about sharing. Three stage spaces, a jam space, workshop tent, a children’s space and a dozen food and craft vendors occupy the inner realm of the park adjacent to the educational nature center, parking and camp sites. It’s a collaborative village that encourages mingling and — most importantly — jamming together. There isn’t a divide between the 36 musicians and acts scheduled to perform and the estimated 2,000 attendees.

“There’s a jam tent, and you’ll see a lot of performers and people not performing bring their guitars and play together,” says Carolyn Dunn, vendor coordinator for the festival. “There will be a workshop space with people talking about their craft, giving tips and advice.”

Dunn and her husband, Jim, moved in 2005 to Sarasota from Burlington, Vt., and have been active members of the folk club as well as assisted in the technical needs of the festival. Jim Dunn has been the festival’s soundboard operator and acoustics guru for the last 10 years. He makes sure the sounds coming from each of the three stages do not muddle together.
 

Calling herself “the bass-playing grandma,” Carolyn, with her husband on guitar, has been playing music for years. The Dunns want people to know that the folk of today is different from its ’60s-inspired parent. The headlining bands include Roy Schneider and Kim Mayfield, the former being a contestant on NBC’s “The Voice”; Lon and Lis Williamson, a Florida couple playing for more than 30 years together; The New 76ers, a young acoustic trio from Tallahassee; and Radoslav Lorković a multi-instrumentalist from Croatia who has performed all over the world, from the Canary Islands to Carnegie Hall. The festival also highlights regional artists such as Bing Futch, a master of the mountain dulcimer, and The Hummingbirds, an alternative country Tampa duo.

“I think a lot of the music we play is semi-pop music,” says Jim Dunn. “You’d be surprised how few people try to cover or copy any Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary or Kingston Trio. We are trying to differentiate ourselves from that.”

The diverse mix of artists at the festival reflects the direction of folk music as it moves away from its traditional roots and transitions into a new Americana.

“If we don’t get the youth, if we don’t accept the transition between old-time folk and this bridge to the next generation, we’ll die out,” says Kozloff.

The music being played at the Sarasota Folk Festival maintains folk’s inherent aspect: the voice of the people. Whether it’s a protest song from the turbulent 1960s or a coffee shop ode to an unrequited love, folk music has always been a reflection of the moment.

“Essentially folk music is the music that is of the people,” says Kozloff. “To me folk music is what people are doing, listening to and creating at this point in time.”

Five questions with Eileen Kozloff

Q: Who is your folk hero?
A: I would have to say that Joan Baez and Bob Dylan were probably huge influences on me in terms of wanting to get music out as a force of expressing political commentary and to address the rights of man. They awakened a social consciousness in myself and others at my age.

Q: What other type of music do you listen to — anything surprising?
A: I love really multi-genre music. As a piano player, Bach is one of my all-time favorites. And in the jazz world I just admire so many. I really enjoy bluegrass and good blues like B.B. King. I can even appreciate rap if it’s well-written. Something that would have good timing and be well-rhymed and possibly executed with a singer with a good interplay.

Q: If you could perform a duet with anyone, who would it be?
A: Well, of course Joan, but I love Emmylou Harris and I’d probably want to sing a duet with Mark Knopf. A trio with Emmylou and Mark Knopfler — I have chills just being asked that question.

Q: Are there any instruments you feel are misunderstood?
A: I think the autoharp is misunderstood because people think of it as not a fully developed instrument and that the people playing it aren’t serious musicians. It’s still changing. The autoharp is now made by wonderful luthiers, and they’re in the hands of some great players. Mike Seeger was part of my world intimately, and he played the autoharp. Brian Bowers has used the autoharp. The popularity of that instrument has just to come into its own.

Q: What are three words you would use to describe folk music?
A: Inclusive, expressive and accessible.

48 HOURS OF FOLK
3 stages
4 headlining acts
32 showcase performers
23 food, craft and educational vendors
1 charity hugging booth

FOOD FOR FOLK
The Florida Music Food Initiative is a collective of musicians who will have their instrument cases open at the festival and will perform for money that goes toward the Florida Association of Food Banks and The Florida Coalition for the Homeless. In addition, any non-perishable food items donated to the group will go to All Faiths Food Bank.