Get down, get funky at the 8th Annual Summer Folk Art Festival at House Of Blues, May 10 - 11. Cover art by Ken Pease.
8th Annual Folk Art Festival At House Of Blues
By Dariel Bendin
I’ve said it before, the Summer Folk Art show put on by the House of Blues is one of my favorite events of the entire year. The 2008 folk fest is taking place the weekend of Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11. It will be set up in the courtyard of the club from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m., and admission is free.
In case you’re not sure what folk art (sometimes called outsider art) really is, here’s an official definition from Jeff Cory, who is executive director of INUIT, the Center for Intuitive and Outside Art: “work by self-taught artists, who are also inspired by their own unique personal visions rather than by the mainstream art world.”
Parent company, House of Blues Entertainment, is one of the world’s largest collectors and supporters of folk art.
Let me give you just a taste of who and what is in store for you at the show.
New to the festival this year is Ken Pease, who specializes in crazy, colorful and creative images of musicians. In fact, this Florida artist has created artwork for a good number of folk, blues and jazz festivals. He also creates personalized children’s books, and at his website (www.tropicalzombies.com), you can download free stories, songs and poems that your kids will love. [MORE]
The Blue Crab has its day in Little River, SC, as they celebrate the 27th Annual Blue Crab Festival May 17 - 18, 2008.
27th Annual Blue Crab Festival May 17 - 18
By Dariel Bendin
Mmmm, I love the Blue Crab Festival. This is the time of year when the Little River waterfront comes alive with music, activities for the kids, arts and crafts and those sweet and succulent crustaceans – our world renowned blue crab. What better way to spend a day than down at the waterfront, under the giant twisted oaks, kicking back, munching on a soft shell crab sandwich – the likes of which most people in the country have never been lucky enough to taste?
This year, which marks the twenty-seventh year of the annual event, the festival takes place Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Cost for the festival is still just $4 a person ($3 in advance, tickets available at the Little River Chamber on Hwy 17).
Live music will be plentiful, with some of the best beach bands around represented. Craig Woolard Band kicks off the entertainment on Saturday, starting at noon. If you’ve never seen this group, you’re in for a treat. CWB features the lead vocals of Craig Woolard (former lead singer of the Embers). If you’re a NASCAR fan, you may remember Craig singing the national anthem at Darlington in May 2005. Awesome! [MORE]
Mike Farris performed Sat. May 3 at the historic Train Depot in Myrtle Beach, courtesy of South By Southeast. (Photo by Ed Rode)
Mike Farris — Sharing His Salvation
By Dariel Bendin
Mike Farris. Solo, at the old train depot in Myrtle Beach, courtesy of South by Southeast on Saturday night, May 3. This was one of the most enthralling nights of music I have ever experienced.
With his head down and his face almost entirely hidden by a corduroy hat, he was the picture of vulnerability. Until he began to sing. Performing mainly off Salvation In Lights, his 2007 release on INO Records, Mike Farris delivers raw energy, intensity and joy in every note.
Singing his original, “Streets of Galilee,” which was written in the vein of an early gospel song, his voice went right through me. The old spiritual, “Mary, Don’t You Weep” is one of my favorite tracks on the CD. Farris’ vocals on it were earthy and pure and full of emotion. With Sam Cook’s “Change Is Gonna Come” he gave us another powerhouse vocal performance. Boom, boom, boom – they were exploding like fireworks on a summer night.
At 37 years old, Mike Farris has had a seemingly easy road to success. His career began in the early 1990s with The Screamin’Cheetah Wheelies, a classic rock group signed with Atlantic Records. The band’s “Shakin’ the Blues” was a Top Ten hit. The popular Wheelies were opening for Cheryl Crow, Blues Travelers and other big names. A stint fronting for Double Trouble, post Stevie Ray Vaughn, followed – another good gig. By 2003 he had released Goodnight Sun, a bluesy sort of rock album that showcased his soulful voice as well as his songwriting.
But, for Mike Farris, as for so many of us, things were not all as they seemed. He was suffering from a serious drug and alcohol addiction, and had been for almost 20 years. [MORE]
