This brand new guide to musical festivals
written by Jon Pruett and Mike McGuirk is an incredible resource for anyone
seeking road trip adventures in North America. While the authors have
included information for special events in Australia and Europe, the primary
focus of The Music Festival Guide: For Music Lovers and Musicians
is on festivals in the United States and Canada. This work includes events
that pretty much run the gamut of musical offerings each year. Twenty-three
genres of music ranging from avant-garde jazz to zydeco, including classical,
bluegrass, folk, reggae and world music, shape the scope of the book.
The authors have profiled over 600 festivals and provide information about
how and when to attend as well as application information for musicians
seeking to perform at the listed festivals.
In addition to the index by genre of music, there
are lists of festivals by month and by state and provinces. What I found
truly astounding about this guidebook is that the authors apparently visited
every one of the listed festivals and have provided engaging details about
the events that could only be acquired in person. Take the Hodag Country
Festival in Rhinelander, Wisconsin that holds a "clean campsite"
contest each year, or the Champlain Valley Folk Festival in Ferrisburgh,
Vermont, that features four hours of contra dancing every night. The authors
also compiled twelve tips that every festival-goer should include in their
preparations before setting off for their festival destination of choice.
Each of the listings provides a brief discussion of the types of musical
performers to be expected, the range of ticket prices, and suggestions
for local accommodations including camping options.
Some of the festivals profiled are huge events like
the Ford International Jazz Festival held every Labor Day weekend in Detroit
and Mountainfest, a country music extravaganza held in Merrit, British
Columbia, each summer. Others are as small as groups of performers entertaining
locals on porches in back-wood cabins like the Riverbend Bluegrass Festival
near Ocilla, Georgia, in October. Some are relatively new events, while
others like the Maritime Fiddle Festival in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia have
been held for over fifty years.
After reading this book, I really want to attend
next October's Puckerama in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a free festival that celebrates
the art of whistling. Others I found intriguing include the Frostbite
Music Festival held outdoors in mid-February in Whitehorse, Yukon, Reggae
on the River in Piercy, California, and the Blistered Fingers Family Bluegrass
Festival in Sidney, Maine. The only criticism I have is that the authors
did not include one the festivals I have always wanted to attend -- the
fiddling festival in Galax, Virginia. Perhaps they will add it in a future
edition. The prose is fun to read and the entire guide is a superb resource
for musicians and roadtrippers alike.
Mark
Sedenquist
3/20/05
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