Report the Fifth

"It was distinctly old-fashioned, it was not particularly profound, but most of all, it was infectious." -Ivan Doig

It might be against the law out here to blog about Montana without quoting Ivan Doig, so there you are.

And so it is done. The 72nd annual National Folk Festival concluded its merriment this evening and almost immediately the crews began dismantling the tents and stages. It ended where it started, up at The Original with Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper bringing the show to a rousing, coming-around-the-bend, kick ass conclusion. You could feel the general sigh of relief from the organizers and volunteers that no one had been killed or maimed and that the weather, for the most part, cooperated.

For me, the day started off with breakfast with George Everett, executive director of Mainstreet Uptown Butte (http://www.mainstreetbutte.org/), and an old acquaintance Mac Donofrio. The last time I saw Mac was at another musical event in Montana some decades back. It was at the National Fiddler's Convention in Polson where a group of us woke up with hangovers after sleeping all night on the banks of Lake Polson. According to the story, either Mac or I remarked that even on our worse day we could overcome the other which erupted into an epic wrasslin' match that is still talked about today in certain circles.

Mac then relayed the story of a friend coming out to visit with his daughter who had just received her license. Traveling in their brand new car, the father, in a magnanimous gesture, let the daughter drive. They were descending one of the steep mountainous inclines out here at about 65 mph when the father, feeling in an instructive mood, told his daughter she could shift into neutral and coast down. The car ended up in reverse, flipping it and they made the rest of the descent with the roof shooting sparks. Fortunately, no humans were injured. The poor girl was just worried about the damage she had done, but the wise father remained calm and unconcerned, taking it in stride.

After returning to the motel, I showered and prepared for today's activities. They began at The Original listening to Benedicte Maurseth, a Hardanger fiddler from Norway. The sounds she brings forth are dark and haunting and her voice soars and turns like a mountain wind.

Mac was there and we decided to walk down to the Family Stage together to see Elizabeth LaPrelle. I had already seen her, but wanted to listen to more. This kind of singing is not one you can often find to hear. Her voice is a marvelous instrument.

We grabbed some pizza at the Broadway and headed up to the Quartz stage where the two women we had just seen were appearing together. Putting those two voices together proved to be an inspired idea and they received a standing ovation.

We stayed there for the group from Quebec, Genticorum. Three young guys from Canada singing foot stomping French tunes. They are superb musicians and singers who mix the songs with humorous introductions.

A short break, then off to see Bua, a fantastic Irish band that worked the audience with reels and superb stage presence. At the end, adults were lifting children onto the stage until a little Lord of the Dance erupted on the apron.

Mac peeled off and I went back to the room. George came down in the golf cart to haul my oxygen deprived carcass up to The Original. I told him I went in the Buddhist tent and got too close to the mandela painting that the monk was finishing up and sneezed. A cloud of colored sand flew into the air. I said, "Don't let anyone tell you those monks are pacific. They were all over me in a flash. They're wiry little fellows and I barely got out alive. Did you hear anyone calling Security?" He just laughed at my little fantasy as he always does, but I think I saw him glancing at his radio.

Back up at The Original Dale Watson was honky tonking and did one encore before Michael Cleveland took the stage and took the whole thing home. What a grand event! And even though The National Folk Festival moves on to Nashville next year, Butte plans to continue with its own Montana Folklife Festival. If this year is any indication of what they are capable of bringing together, I would say mark your calendars now and consider making reservations as early as possible. With your help, Butte can continue to build a gold mountain atop its dark and rich history.