When we try to imagine the folk music of our parents' generation, it's interesting to notice how things have evolved. During their rise in the '60s, folk artists presented themselves alone on stage with only an acoustic guitar and possibly a harmonica to help tell their stories. They strummed their guitars as background to their words without maneuvering them as the creative force of the song - the lyrics did that.
Fast forward to the present - more specifically, this past Saturday night at the Somerville Theater. The 12th Annual Songstreet Folk Festival presented six different acts, all supposedly fitting under the category of "folk" music. While none completely fit into the classic mold of a '60s folk singer, many were still highly entertaining and talented.
The young, up-and-coming Edie Carey, Magical Blend Magazine's proclaimed "Acoustic White Girl of Soul," was the evening's first performer. While her act consisted of just herself and an acoustic guitar, her style was more musically oriented than the artists of the '60s. The focus was not solely on her words, but the combination of those words with her guitar melodies, creating a fresh-yet-deep result.
Carey's funny, cute interactions with the audience and her voice - which could range from sweet to soulful - were the standouts of her performance. Carey was a delight to watch, with her mix of personal and inspirational songs.
The mood of the concert completely changed when Christopher Williams stepped on stage, immediately launching into a song played on a bongo-type drum with a toilet brush. After discarding the brush, Williams used both hands to create complex, intense rhythms, still playing background to his beautiful voice. Most of his songs had a spiritual sense to them, though when he switched to acoustic guitar for a few numbers the songs evoked a more classical storytelling style. Throughout the performance, Williams' energy remained high, through his voice, his playing, and his dance-like movements on the stage. His strong voice was most notably exhibited during his a cappella rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "As Long As I Can See the Light."
Decked out in long sequined dresses, identical twins Chris and Meredith Thompson included guitar, conga drums, and a flute in their act. The unique duo's songs were fast-paced and intense, and like Williams (who came onstage for one song), had a spiritual quality. Their instrumentation ranged at times from Latin flavored to bluegrass, their dancing and rapid playing once again exhibited intense energy, and their wit was charming - even if you didn't really like the music style.
After intermission the mood shifted a bit as Deb Talan took the stage. Her songs varied greatly between acoustic and electric stylings (the great "sin" of Bob Dylan by folk purists during 1965), yet all were very polished and unassuming. Talan had a style all her own. She and co-writer Steve Tanner, who joined Talan on a few songs, had obvious and endearing chemistry as songwriters and friends. Some of their songs were beautiful, sweet love songs, which captured the audience, while some exhibited Talan's ability to rock out and be a bit bluesy.
Mary Lou Lord, who hails from Salem, MA, was the artist with a style closest to traditional folk music - up to this point, she was the only one who strummed her guitar as background to flowing, vivid love stories. She allotted much of her set to vocalist Rachel Davis, a girl with an absolutely incredible voice, who sang songs ranging from Robert Johnson's bluesy "Crossroads" to an a cappella rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Despite a recent collection of critical acclaim, closing act Kevin So, adorned in black leather pants and a sparkly shirt, was fairly weak. Starting out with two extremely fast-paced and energetic songs, the audience might have had a false sense of what he had to offer. Sure enough, So sat down at a keyboard for his third number, singing all too passionately a cheesy, "Let's all get along" type song. So was a charismatic performer, but he not do anything that could be classified as "folk." The terrible simplicity and quality of lyrics was ridiculous. How has this man won so much praise? Granted, his two acoustic songs are pretty good, but if he thinks he's "expanding" beyond the range of folk music by trying to be Bob Dylan (whom he refers to as "my good friend" in one of his songs), he fails painfully.
Although the show clocked in at four hours, it was enjoyable to see different styles of music be so well-received by audiences. Look out for some of these artists - this will not be the last you'll hear about them.
