Hey if you didn't get to the Adams Avenue Roots and Folk Festival this weekend then you missed two days of incredible music. The festival was certainly full of great arts, crafts & food for sale put on by the Adams Avenue business association. The music by our local musicians, regional and national artists was one of the best unprecedented presentations of free music offerings in San Diego. Many of them the best singer/songwriters and musicians from all over San Diego. The music curator who got this bunch together was Lou Curtis (owner of the Folk Arts Rare Records) and SDSU professor Joel Henderson. The Troubadour graciously became the official program for the festival. The Troubadour is the premier music newspaper on music in San Diego, published by Kent Johnson and Liz Abbott. Now this will be the longest blog post I have ever done and it will be the most detail and be picture packed and video too as well so be prepared. 
On Saturday it started at 11am and the evening of music ended at 9pm. There were five stages presenting the talent in strategic locations along the festival. The Hawley Stage on the north side of Hawley Blvd and Adams avenue. The next was at the beer garden on the south side of Mansfield Street and Adams Avenue. The next two stages were in the Normal Heights Methodist Church in the Sanctuary and social hall. The fifth and final stage was the park stage across from the church off school street and next to The Troubadour Tent. There were 32 bands or singers scheduled to play and I originally went to just check out the festival itself not sure I was going to stay. But after listening to a few new bands I changed my mind. But I will not tell you about every performer who was here Saturday and Sunday because with five stages it is impossible to view them all, although many artists got to go to different stages at different times. That did not mean I would be able to see them all though anyway. I got to the festival by noon because the busses were running on very strange detoured routes. I overheard many festival attendee bus riders saying: "that they have this festival every year and still MTS never has it mapped out till the day of the event and it is constantly in flux the whole day through with each driver". Obviously this is something the Adams Avenue Business Association should check into for next year's festival.
The first musicians I was able to check out were "The Portuguese Mandolin Duo. Now I really like a well played Mandolin so I listened to them for a while, but I was looking for friends I was hoping would join me and for artist friends I knew would be showing up. Even though the festival had been going on for a couple of hours already there weren't many people there. I was worried I made a mistake coming, through a few phone calls, I found out my friends were going to be a no show for the entire day. But I decided to make the most of it. It was at this time I remembered I had my trusty digital camera with me so I was getting prepared to break it out and take a lot of photo's.
I wandered over to The Troubadour tent over by the park stage and introduced myself to Kent Johnson, whom I only knew as Phil Harmonic a local musician I had seen at a couple of acoustic shows. Little did I know beforehand that that was only a stage name and that he was one of the publishers of the newspaper. So I really wanted to meet him especially since I would like one day to work for The Troubadour. I eventually also met the other publisher, his wife Liz Abbott Now artists that were showing up were being directed to The Troubadour tent so the in turn could usher them next door to the Carl Sabatino Morning show to be interviewed for this popular internet radio station. Many of the artists who got interviewed weren't even playing in the festival.
And some like Anna Troy here. She was here way before her set was supposed to happen. To help with the running expenses of the newspaper. Many of the artists The Troubadour sees and write about donated a small amount of CD's for sale to contribute to the newspapers cause. The Troubadour has been writing about San Diego's Music Scene for years.
While hanging out at the Troubadours tent I got to hear Tanya Rose & The Buffalo Chip Kickers. They were really good and really knew how to play their instruments well but weren't my cup of tea so, after hobnobbing with my dream employers, I took off for other stages. I Stopped by every stage but wasn't finding anyone I was interested in at the time, I did not have a schedule yet so I was just floating around. I ended up listening to Delmer Holland & The Blue Creek Ramblers.
From there I went over to the Beer Garden to See Cindy Lee Berryhill. I have seen her before and she is the one who eventually sold me on the idea of listening to Country Alternative. She didn't sit me down and convince me. It's just after hearing her lyrics and her singing, that coupled with her bassist Marcia Claire. Another favorite artist I have seen in various venues with Jeff Berkley who was also playing with Cindy Lee this afternoon.
He is the other proponent who convinced me there was some country that I would really like. So I got a seat, but then got up to talk to Marcia and when I went back, there was no seat available. At this point the beer garden had only been popular for people to get beer. The other artists who had played earlier did not have the turn out this lady had. She packed them in and there was even several rows of people outside the beer garden hanging off the tarp and threatening to tear the whole deal down. Everyone really enjoyed her set with zeal.
Next hour there wasn't anyone I hadn't already seen or wanted to see at that moment so I decided to walk the festival. There I met up with a music friend of mine named Dave. His stage name is Doctor Dave and I talk to him at many venues as well as message back and forth at MySpace where most of the locl musical community likes to hang out at online. He introduced me to a friend of his Jason, who is in his band. To this day I have never been able to get out to one of his gigs, its usually too far for me to get to by bus. I told him I would meet up with him later in the day, because I wanted to go see Anna Troy at the Hawley stage.
Anna Troy is only 22 years old but don't let that fool you? I have not seen many women who sing the blues. She does it with a passion that belies her age and If you ask me, I think she was the most talented singer in the whole festival. I have heard her before so maybe I am prejudiced. I like the blues a lot and I don't think many do it so well. She had another talented artist during her set named Billy Watson. I had never seen him play before and he was accompanying Anna with some percussion instruments but his main arsenal was a suitcase full of Harmonica's and he really knows how to use them. I have not seen anybody use that many harmonica's since Lee Oscar from the band "War". I took literally dozens and dozens of pictures of Anna with my trusty (or not so trusty) digital camera.
Luckily it was daytime, because this camera never takes a good picture in a low light environment. Which is why I do not have any pictures of Gregory Page, because like he says himself he feels an aversion to playing in the day. It feels unnatural. But more about him later. My last picture of Anna here is my favorite shot, it has a dramatic backdrop but I wish my camera was better. When I was a photographer with all of my Nikon cameras I always knew I was gonna get a shot I liked but with this digital camera I never know.
After Anna's set I went to check out The Troubadour tent again and decided to buy several CD's because they were selling them for $5 dollars a piece a real deal for most of them.When I did I met up with another music friend and all time favorite Sven-Erik Seaholm. Lately I have been seeing his acoustic side but he also plays with a band I really like called "The Wild Truth". But I didn't talk with him for too long and just got a good picture. My friend Dave had shown up and was talking to Liz and I was becoming interested with the performer on the park stage by the name of Jocelyn Celaya a Hispanic beauty.
Another 22 year old who was transplanted here in San Diego from Oklahoma. She sings very well but mostly plays guitar. Classical guitar, flamenco, finger picking and she has some kind of prototype guitar that no one else in the world has! I don't know why its special I missed that although I did get to see it up close and it is all black and made of the same stuff as a bulletproof vest is made of! Kevlar. I know its not to keep her from getting shot, but it must have some kind of properties that enhance the sound. Here is a few seconds of shaky video showing her play a recognizable tune.
After talking for a second to Jocelyn I rushed over to the Church to get a picture of the incomparable Gregory Page. I had spoke with him earlier about setting up a shot that I have seen in my head for a painting I want to do, and he said meet him at the church at 7. So I rushed over before 7 but unfortunately he was busy and ended up trying to take the picture while he was performing. I knew that there was a slim chance of that working. My camera hates indoors and low light. I took my photos but couldn't stay to hear all of his set because I had a date with a bus. My day at the Adams Avenue Roots Festival was done. But there is always tomorrow! And I think I will end this really long blog here and write about Sunday tomorrow. Which will be shorter and no pictures. I'm out!
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