2010 Kerrville Folk Festival
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Sunday wrapped up the final day of the 39th Kerrville Folk Festival. This little town approximately two hours outside Austin is renowned for this recurring festival run by the Texas Folk Music Foundation. Extending over 18 days and 3 weekends, nearly 30,000 attendees make the trip out to the Quiet Valley Ranch, where things are anything but silent. Camping at the ranch is popular among both the musicians and the fans, resulting in lots of offstage campfire songs being played late into the night. It’s a little like the older, more relaxed hippie brother of Austin City Limits Festival. You’ll know you’ve come to the right place after you pass that Mini Mart on Highway 16, and you find yourself in a sea of tie-die shirts (and possibly, as was the case this year, some leopard print overalls). Former gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman was also in attendance, smoking a signature cigar on Saturday, June 12, when I attended.
Word to the wise: if you’re a lady who is a little squeamish about porta potties, you should opt for a pit stop at the Mini Mart beforehand because the facilities at Quiet Valley are primitive. In addition to music, the festival has several food booths that include vegetarian options. Besides CDs, jewelry, and clothing, a range of other novelties are for sale, including tarot card reading, face painting, and chair massages. In keeping with the nature-friendly vibe, there are also no paper cups sold at the festival, so to wet your whistle you have to either buy a Kerrville Folk Festival keepsake cup or bring your own drinkware.
This year’s lineup included such notable names as the Indigo Girls, Band of Heathens and Jimmy La Fave, but there are always fresh new voices at the festival. I was most moved by the lovely harmonies of the Red Molly trio, the youthful enthusiasm of Anthony da Costa and the sad songs of Slaid Cleaves, who also played a few songs of his fittingly titled new self-released album, “Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away.”
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Is it sad that I am in my late 20s, but I still think the idea of getting my face painted sounds fun? Hope not. This festival sounds really fun. I’ll have to check it out this year. I was always intimidated by it, but if I can make it through ACL every year, I bet I could handle this one too.
Wow! Slaid Cleaves is really talented!
[...] from Maine moved with to Austin in 1991 and the following year won the New Folk competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival, which takes place this month from May 26 – June [...]