God willing, the actual purpose of my enormous time investment and, alas, personal health sacrifice at last week’s Folk Alliance International Conference will soon materialize. Until then, I’ll share a blind item.
Jake Blount’s official showcase was packed. I fruitlessly inquired about empty seats as I shuffled from the back of the room toward the stage. I wound up sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with fans who claimed spots on the floor up front. Discomfort was rendered irrelevant by Blount’s brilliance.
Blount opened his enthralling set with a lament about the Middle Passage delivered over a grim drone. I soon became aware of discontented harrumphing from a man seated immediately behind me who apparently didn’t care for Blount’s unconventional approach.
The protest wasn’t out of place. I was almost certainly among a small minority at the conference who wanted to hear sonic disruption. I turned to identify the malcontent at the conclusion of Blount’s set. I was amazed and delighted to discover the dissenter was an octogenarian folk legend.
For the record, here’s a ranked listing of the artists responsible for my ten favorite performances at the conference: Jake Blount, Verónica Valerio, Sara Curruchich, Jennifer Knapp, Kris Drever, Kitty Macfarlane, OKCello, Barnaby Bright, Harry Manx and Talibah Safiya.