Music’s unplugged roots might seem a far cry from today’s auto-tuned, bass bumping pop music, but this weekend you don’t have to dig too far to find them.
Traditional acoustic music will once again be played at the 33rd annual Old Songs Music Festival, which kicks off Friday, June 28, at 3 p.m. and ends Sunday night at the Altamont Fairgrounds. There are three larger concerts held each day and during Saturday and Sunday, there will be around 120 performances, dances and workshops. Performances will feature the genres of folk, blues, world, bluegrass, old-time, Gospel and Celtic music, but listening to music is only part of the festival.
Old Songs is a “musical petting zoo” that allows anyone to get their hands on a variety of folk instruments, including in an Artisan Area, which includes instruments makers. In between activities, you can also visit a diverse range of food concessions offering many different cuisines.
Roger Mock, art director for Old Songs, said the festival started after the Fox Hollow Folk Festival in Vermont ended in 1980 after it ran annually for 14 years.
“That festival was a real gem at the time, people went to it especially for traditional music as opposed to the singer-songwriter movement that was growing at the time,” Mock said. “That community has stayed central to our festival and has grown over the years … generations have been to it now.”
Andy Spence started Old Songs along with her husband, Bill, in 1981. The community around the festival is what has keep it going for more than three decades, Mock said.
“It has a very strong community sewn through it. It is like a magical little community that happens overnight and then goes on for three days.”
At the festival, you’ll likely hear the same style of music you would have heard years ago, Mock said, because it’s still music that’s “under the radar” and is generally not played on most radio stations or television.
Typically, around 3,000 people attend the festival, with peak attendance topping out around 4,000 in recent history. Mock said people wouldn’t feel “overwhelmed” going to the “nice little festival.”
But what really sets Old Songs apart is interactivity. Through workshops, singalongs and dances, the audience gets a chance to be a part of the festival and not just spectate.
Lea Gilmore, who is performing Sunday, will also lead a series of Gospel Choir sessions that culminate with the attendees performing a few songs at the festival. She, along with other performers, is also a leading a Gospel Sing. This will be Gilmore’s third time at the festival, which she said is an “amazing gathering of musicians and talent.” Gilmore said the festival is above all simply just fun.
“I’m looking forward to just being surrounded by so much great music from all around the world. The audience is so appreciative of the music,” Gilmore said. “They come to this festival to hear all different types of music … there is something for everyone here.”
Gilmore is a classically trained pianist and an award-winning blues, gospel and jazz singer. She has also appeared in more than 45 musical and dramatic theater productions.
One fond festival memory she has is watching the gospel choir perform on stage even as the electricity went out.
“There was so much joy, so much pride and I will never forget that feeling of oneness and unity that was created during that moment,” she said. “It was just a magical feeling. We often hear so much bad news, so to have a weekend of just joy from different cultures is like a utopia.”
Gilmore also remembers an older woman coming up to her after the performance and thanking her for “changing her life.” The woman told Gilmore that she could now express herself and not be ashamed to do it.
“We are doing a lot more than … just singing some songs,” Gilmore said.
Tickets are now on sale, with discounts offered for seniors and students. Adult tickets for Friday and Sunday are $40. Saturday tickets are $70, but a $30 refund is offered to anyone who leaves before 7 p.m. If you are planning to attend all three days, all-festival tickets can be purchased at a discounted price. Children 12 years old or younger get in for free.
For full information on performances, workshops, ticket information and more about Old Songs Festival, visit www.oldsongs.org/festival.