Mary McCaslin's Roundup

Aug 17, 2000

SECOND ROUNDUP

The response to the inaugural edition of the Roundup was truly gratifying, to say the least. So it is with many thanks and one apology that I start this second installment.

A week or so ago, there was a short piece in the Sentinel about computer spell checkers and how they will often change the correct spelling of a proper name. This was indeed ironic because I managed to miss the spelling our computer insisted on using for Tracye Lea Lawson’s last name in last month’s column. Lawson became “Lausanne”.

Actually, we did foil every other attempt the computer made to change spellings it somehow perceived to be incorrect. I’m telling you, watch out, there’s a ghost in every machine and they’ll turn on you in a heartbeat! My apologies to Tracye. I don’t think we will unleash the spell checker again for a while...

Greg Arrufat has been the production co-ordinator for many of the large outdoor music festivals here in Santa Cruz County since the first KPIG Fat Fry was held in 1993. He is also my husband and his position has afforded me a back stage view of what it takes to put on these events from start to finish. For almost three decades I have toured the U.S.and Canada and spent my fair share of time backstage at many folk festivals - but as a performer, not an observer.

Musicians are quite aware of how important the sound and lighting technicians are to every festival (also concerts and club shows). While their importance should be obvious to all, techies seldom receive much more than a mention in passing from the emcee filling time between performers.

Regularly overlooked is the contribution of the stage crew - the men and women who erect and tear down the festival stage, and those who work as loaders. In our neighborhood, these are usually the same people. I think of them as the backbone of the festival.

Watching from my seat backstage at the most recent Fat Fry, I was profoundly impressed by the loaders who, for two days straight, lifted a seemingly endless stream of instruments, amps and road cases in and out of arriving and departing vans and trucks. These items were carried or rolled up a ramp attached to the back of the stage and later brought back down and re-loaded into the vehicles. Regardless of size, every piece was handled with extreme care. (These people would not qualify as airline baggage handlers!) It occurred to me that I was witnessing a very special poetry in motion.

If it weren’t for the hard work of the techies and the stage crews there would be no large outdoor festivals as we know them today and most indoor music events would be much more intimate affairs.

Here are a few of the musical attractions coming to our neighborhood: The Mood Swings (what a great name!), are four women vocalists and two male musicians who perform hits from the `30s and `40s, including songs by Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael and Cole Porter. They will be performing on Saturday, Aug. 19 at the Pasatiempo Inn, starting at 7:30. There is no cover charge. This will be their last performance before the band takes a maternity leave. Stop by for a helping of musical nostalgia.

Henflings in Ben Lomond will be presenting Terre and Maggie Roche, who are two-thirds of the fabulous Roche Sisters on this Thursday, Aug. 17 and singer-songwriter Tom Russell on the following Wednesday, Aug.23. He happens to be one of my all time favorites, who has truly captured the Old and New West in his songs.

On Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19 and 20 there will be a Shape Note Singing extravaganza hosted by the Santa Cruz Shape Note Society. Shape Note Singing is an early American music form with roots in the Celtic song tradition. The songs sung at this event will be taken from the 1991 edition of the Sacred Harp Hymnal, which includes songs from the colonial to the present. The notes in the book are of different shapes according to the pitches they represent. This helps the singer to be able to immediately follow and sing the melody of any song in this book.

The highlight of the weekend will be on Saturday night when the Santa Cruz Shape Note Society celebrates the release of its exercise tape (drum roll, please), Shape Up With Shape Notes. The tape release concert takes place at the Holy Cross Mission Adobe next to Holy Cross Church.

Call Shelley Phillips at 426-9155 for information about this coming weekend’s events or about the Santa Cruz Shape Note Society.

We attended the wonderful Riders in the Sky concert at the new Bret Harte Opera House at Roaring Camp. What a splendid place to hold Sunday afternoon family concerts, which is just what Snazzy and West Abbey Productions plan to continue doing. So keep an eye out for more to come...

Remember the Heart, Spirit & Groove Festival is coming up on Saturday, Aug. 26. Scheduled for the main stage are Michelle Shocked, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Elvin Bishop, Fantcha and the Waybacks. Our deepest sympathy goes out to Elvin during this terrible time. Call 459-0522 for information.

Well, I think that’s about it for now. I want to include a list of the open mics held in the Greater Santa Cruz Area in the next column. Please email or write to me at the addresses shown below with any information about locations and times of local open mics.

And I plan to begin a series on local radio personalities next time. See you then.