//  Reports from Newport, and more OVToo.    - MF


From: MMONTGOMERY@WELLESLEY.EDU
Subject: Nanci at Newport Folk Festival (in Newport, of course!)

Well, I am just back from the Newport Folk Festival, in Newport (not to be 
confused with the touring version), and although dead tired, I just have to 
share this day and Nanci's part in it.

I've read the varying responses to OVT with mixed feelings.  One one hand, 
I agree with some of the criticisms, but, on the other hand, I love some of 
the tracks.  Like most of you, it seems, I just want more pure Nanci.  
After today, though, I think I understand where Nanci is coming from with 
this album a lot better.

Today, Saturday, was day 1 of the outdoor part of the NFF.  The plan, 
apparently, was to recognize Texas singer-songwriters for their 
contribution to folk music.  It ended up recognizing Nanci over and over 
again.  

The lineup, as Lucinda Williams pointed out, seemed like a reunion from the 
Austin of years ago: Lucinda, Nanci, Eric Taylor, Lyle Lovett, and Rodney 
Crowell, plus the newer music of Alison Krauss, who definitely fits in with 
this crowd.  As you can imagine, in this group, Nanci was in her element.  

She first appeared after being invited onto the stage by Eric Taylor early 
in the day.  She joined him on two songs, and I agree with the earlier 
comment about their chemistry.  They work so well together onstage, I can 
understand how they were married.  In the next set, Nanci joined Rodney 
Crowell for "I Still Miss Someone."  During both these brief appearances, 
Nanci seemed relaxed, like she was really having a great time - together on 
stage with her friends.  

No Nanci during Lucinda's set, but Lucinda was dynamite.  I will be buying 
her new album now for sure!  Alison Krauss was also excellent, although 
difficult to hear at times thanks to fluctuating vocal levels.

Finally, Nanci's set, the next to last of the day, came.  After her first 
song, she apologized to anyone in the audience who was disappointed not to 
hear more of her songs, but said "We're having a hootenanny!"  The BMO was 
strong as always, with Frank Christian on guitar.  The setlist, as far as I 
can remember it (the middle songs may be out of order):

Speed of the Sound of Loneliness
Not My Way Home
Wall of Death
Gulf Coast Highway
Three Flights Up
These Days in an Open Book (joined by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls)
Who Knows Where the Time Goes
Dress of Laces (joined by Eric Taylor and Lyle Lovett)
Wasn't That a Mighty Storm
If I Had a Hammer

When she brought out Eric and Lyle for Dress of Laces, she introduced Eric 
as "an old friend.  We were married once" and Lyle as the one who learned 
from Eric, who slept on their floor.  It truly seemed like a happy reunion 
between three old friends.

On the last two songs, Nanci was joined by everybody:  Eric Taylor, Lyle, 
Amy Ray, Allison Kraus, Rodney Crowell.  She had the crowd on their feet, 
dancing and clapping and singing along on the lawn.  It was the highlight 
of the day.  This scene made me realize that the OVT songs come alive in 
live performance, where all the voices sound not cacophonous, as they 
occasionally do on the album, but rich and lively and very, very real.  
When I listen to the album now, I will always think of Nanci onstage with 
all her talented friends, bringing the crowd to life.

Nanci seemed almost euphoric throughout her set, effortlessly responding to 
the crowd, establishing a great rapport.  She was obviously having a lot of 
fun, and it was contagious.  She seemed genuinely happy to be in Newport, 
and to be surrounded by the voices of Texas.  I think that this album was 
what Nanci needed to do at this moment, and I think now I can respect and 
appreciate that.  If she were to retire right now, her own body of songs is 
itself incredibly impressive, and if she needs time to wirte more songs, I 
can give her time

I was at the show with a friend who has a passing familiarity with Nanci's 
music, but is not a fan and had never seen her in concert.  After her set, 
he was left almost speechless.   He said after one song, he was so 
enthralled he forgot to clap.  He couldn't believe how good Nanci was.  He 
praised her voice and her stage presence.  This too was telling to me.  
Although her voice is rougher than it once was, we have for comparison OFSE 
and her earlier albums, with their crystal clear vocals.  My friend could 
make no such comparison, and he thought Nanci's voice sounded great.  
What's good about Nanci far outweighs what isn't.  I'm sure most of us look 
different than we did ten years ago, and Nanci's voice has undergone a 
similar aging process.  It's not the end of the world.  While I would love 
to see crystal-clear Nanci in concert, at least I have her recordings.  
After the show, my friend was still raving about being "blown away by" 
Nanci's set.

Lyle Lovett closed the day.  He brought Nanci out to sing back-up on one 
song, and then Eric came out and the three of them did a song that he and 
Eric wrote together.  I'm not sure of the title, but the chorus was 
unforgettable: "Fat babies have no pride."  Lyle introduced Nanci as "his 
old friendfriend for a long time, not old!"  Nanci came out and joked about 
being old.  Lyle spoke affectionately of meeting Nanci for the first time 
as a journalism student, and then playing a song for her afterwards (she 
joined in! and he thought "This is great").  He also recalled sleeping on 
Nanci and Eric's floor in Austin.  Before the fat babies song, Lyle told 
about writing it with Eric, and during the song, he revealed that he and 
Eric had been driving from Houston to somewhere else in Texas in Nanci's 
brown Ford pinto station wagon ('74) and they almost got run over by an 
eighteen-wheeler.  This started them talking about things that they hated, 
and they decided they hated songs that people sing along to, so they 
decided to write a song that no one would sign along to, and if they did, 
they would feel dumb.  It was a long and very funny story, and Nanci and 
Eric just laughed.

Although I am no doubt a biased concert-goer, Nanci's set was the best of 
the day.  As I hope my long-winded description has shown, though, Nanci was 
a big part of the day as a whole.  I think the folk festival showcased the 
best of OVT; its communal quality, a quality to which the cd does not do 
justice.  I decided only two days ago to go to Newport, and I'm amazingly 
glad I did.  Seeing Nanci in this setting was great.  I'm counting the days 
until Harborlights in September!  Now, if only she could bring Eric and 
Alison and Lucinda and Rodney and Lyle and Amy with her

Marianne

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From: LaraLee123@aol.com
Subject: Nanci in Newport

I'm a relative newcomer to Nanci's music.  I was first introduced to OFSE and
OVBM just about two years ago.  I've been hooked ever since.  The more I hear,
the more I find to love.  As you can probably imagine, I'd been dying to see
her live.  After learning that Nanci's Boston concert had been canceled, I got
on the 'net to see what I might be able to find out about other performances.
Since I've never had the opportunity to see her perform and was very anxiously
awaiting her Boston concert, I was doubly disappointed to learn that this
would be her last tour.  Fortunately, I found out that she'd be performing at
the Newport Folk Festival this weekend.  On the spur of the moment, I decided
to make the trip.  I felt a little trepidation at first because I'd heard that
she'd be performing less than an hour and I recalled that OVT hadn't grabbed
me the way some of her other albums did.  Needless to say my expectations
weren't very high, but I went anyway hoping my expectations would be proved
wrong.  And they most certainly were!!   
I was initially a little disappointed when she announced she would not be
playing much of her own stuff, but I quickly changed my mind.  Her live
renditions of "Dress of Laces," "Wasn't that A Mighty Storm," "Wall of Death,"
and "If I Had a Hammer" gave me a new appreciation for OVT.  I won't be able
to listen to the album quite the same way again.  Her performance was
everything I hadn't dared to hope for.  As she brought the short set to a
close with "Wasn't that a Mighty Storm" and "If I had a Hammer" she was joined
onstage by Lyle Lovett, Eric Taylor, Amy Riatt, Allison Krauss, and a couple
of others.  She had the crowd on its feet, singing and dancing along.  It was
a mighty storm indeed!  (Although I personally think she may have taken an
analogy a little far when she compared Ken Starr to Senator McCarthy in her
intro on Pete Seeger's "If I had a Hammer," her comments drew applause and
cheers from the audience.  But I digress.  Sometimes it's hard to keep a lid
on the political scientist in me!)  
All in all, it was a good performance.  Even though she didn't sing any of my
favorites, I couldn't say that I was disappointed.  She helped me discover a
couple of new favorites.

_________________________________________________________________
 
From: Rob Schrull (RSchrull@gbla.com>
Subject: Newport Night and Day

Hi Folks:

Haven't posted here in some while.  Just thought I would drop in and say hi
to you all.  Just spent this Friday and Saturday in Newport. Had an
absolutely delightful dinner with James at the Black Pearl, outside dining
area beside the ships, full moon for the lighting and the great smells of
the sea.  The chowder is so good there, James and I had another serving.

The folk festival seemed well attended the next day. Outside of being
pretty hot in the direct sunshine, it was a glorious day and the harbour
was beautiful to look upon. Hung around in the shade backstage however,
after taking only a short walk in the crowd. Just too hot...and the sound
was nearly as good it seemed. Got to see and meet a heap of folks. Even Ben
and Jerry were back there. Seemed like nice guys.  

Bruce (Nanci's sound tech) took a nice picture for me from his position on
stage. It just was such a beautiful thing to see the bay from the stage.
You could capture a glimpse of it from the floor of the stage, but
definately a much better perspective from standing on stage.  I'll put it
up temporarily to share with you at www.gbla.com/nancigriffith/temp.htm

Guess that's all. This time with James and the BMO in Newport, got me to
thinking of the folks and friends I have met along the way on this list and
the episodes at times in my life as a result of this. Made me think I
should say a warm hello.

My best to all of you,
Rob 

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From: "Tina Shackleford" (tshack@sprynet.com>
Subject: Re: Nanci review

: From: James Troiano:
: 
: Hi: Someone quoted my negative comments about a review in the Knoxville
: paper. My concern was not that the critic did not like ithe album but
: that he dismissed it in one sentence; "an example of writer's block."
: That is why I compared it to a review in the Boston Globe where the
: critic actually analized the songs-- he pointed out what was bad and
: what was good in his opinion. Merely to dismiss a work with a soundbite
: is not informative and serves no real purpose.  Thanks, JIm.

That someone was me.  Actually Shawn Kimbro posted the URL to the full
article and then quoted one sentence (the infamous "soundbites") for each
album.  The actual article had quite a few sentences, really, and some
thoughtful commentary on the three albums reviewed.  Take the time to read
the whole thing; it's far from dismissive.

http://www.knoxnews.com/today/detours/7294.htm

_________________________________________________________________
 
From: Bell/Wrightson (onemansmusic@mindspring.com>
Subject: Gifts

I guess this is just a me too...but my thanks as well to Gin,
"Halesbop," Mark et al.  Once again Nanci has had a vision, heard
something in her mind and
heart, and struggled to give that to us.  The baby sees the chair and
tries to stand and walk to it...do we hate him because he stumbles? 
Return him to the stork????  Not that I consider OV2 a stumble.

Our great artists provoke, delight, confuse, entice, anger us.  Our bad
artists play it safe and we say "Awwww" at the pictures of cute puppies,
or listen to them re-write the same song over and over.  We do not learn
if we see/hear the same thing every day.  It is too easy to "like" --
how many times have we liked a song, bought the CD and the rest was
dreadful.  Someone who creates an enormous body of work though...and to
be able to share in that as we watch it progress, strive and search
for...that is a gift indeed.

Just morning musings,

Sarah W.

_________________________________________________________________
 
From: "DeYoung, Andy G." (agdeyoun@utmb.edu>
Subject: terri hendrix and pvt ryan

Excuse the intrusion (I've said my peace about OVT, and I like the CD),
but I just thought that I could interrupt the discussion and share with
y'all a show I attended down here on The Rock (Galveston, TX).  Terri
Hendrix and Lloyd Maines performed on Friday night, and all 15 of us in
this other "hole in the wall" (15 includes the 2 bartenders, Terri,
Lloyd and late straglers from the Strand section of Galveston), left
with smiles on our faces.  What a terrific show! If you haven't picked
up Terri's "Wilory Farm", you are really missing a treat. The bar is
about two years old, owned and operated by one of Townes van Zandts'
former band members (Rex ?).  Townes appeared to help dedicate it in
late 1996.  His pictures and posters adorn one entire wall.

I know I'm a late comer to Nanci (1996 is pretty late I guess), but
through y'all I've discovered other up-and-comers.  Thanks to Hans
Janssen and Shelly Brisbin, (for Kimmie Rhodes and Cheryl Wheeler
recommendations, respectively) and the Nanci Net in general, I feel
connected and able to appreciate new artists on their way up.  All I can
say is that Terri is a really class act.  Give "Wilory Farm" a spin, and
catch her in concert if you can.  

To put all other disagreements in perspective (and I beg Mark F. for
forgiveness if I'm violating web rules), I saw "Saving Private Ryan"
today. Remembering my late dad's recounting of his experience at Utah
Beach on 6 June 1944 and the 4th Infantry Divisions' march across France
and Belgium, I left numb and "shell-shocked". There wasn't a sound when
the movie ended, just a lot of tears. But then there was the music in
the car on the way home.  I think Nanci's "Speed and the Sound of
Loneliness" set a perfect tone, and it is gaining on me as my favourite
Nanci-performed song. While there is absolutely no connection between
the song and the movie, it just seemed "right" at the time, particularly
the opening strains. 

Sorry for the ramling, but there it is. 

Later,
Andy DeYoung

_________________________________________________________________

From: BobbyK (bobbyk@connect.ie>
Subject: Am I the only one ...??

Hi there people :-)

I haven't posted in quite a while so I'm coming out of lurkdom as they
say to ask a simple question...am I the only one in the whole world ( of
Nanci fan's at least ) who hasn't heard the new album yet? Well , unless
ya can count a quick 15 minute overview on the Virgin Record Store
listening post at our local Shopping Mall (It sounded great ,but  boy ,
did I get some strange looks .. "..what IS that guy doin' with those
headphones " ). I then spent a little longer reading the track listing
and wishing I hadn't spent that =A320 on new software ....Oh well ,
another week or so and I'll be in the money again :-) . By the way ,
I've seen a lot of Cricket bashing on the list recently , and I'll have
to say that on my way out of the store I picked up a copy of their last
album , the one with Nanci guesting , for only =A31....!! Yep , that's
right , =A31....which I think is about 70 cents ....and ya know it's a
really fine album , and the Nanci duet is really good ...so if anyone
out there sees it in the bargain bin I would wholeheartedly recommend it
, very countyish , with a splash of Cajun and a whole lot of Rockabilly
nashville style ....my bargain of the year.....now if only I could find
OV2 for a similar price .....

Till the next time
Counting the days until November
BobbyK
Dublin , Ireland.

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From: BMiller224@aol.com
Subject: What Kind of Hammer?

I haven't attempted to post on the NanciNet for a while.  But some of the
discussion the last few days made me nostalgic.

Several people who commented in recent weeks on "If I Had a Hammer," of which
Nanci does a pleasant, singalong version on the OVToo album, which previously
appeared in the 2-CD Pete Seeger tribute earlier this year.

On 98-06-28, Lisa Day wrote:

(( I protested last week about the aNGel's shaking fist before her performance
of the song at the Salt Lake City concert, and I feel like I did what another
anonymous NNetter once called "walking into the Church of Nanci and
peeing in the holy water." >>

I post on the America Online Nanci Griffith board, and I drew a few flames
there earlier this year when I pointed out that the debut performance of "If I
Had a Hammer" was by Pete Seeger at a protest rally in 1948.  He was
protesting the arrest of the members of the directing board of the American
Communist Party under the Smith Act, which was used to prosecute them for
acting as agents of a foreign power - the Soviet Union, of course.

They were eventually convicted and did prison time.  One member of the board,
the African-American writer W.E.B. DuBois, was not prosecuted because of his
age.  (DuBois was honored on a US postage stamp earlier this year.)

Seeger was a Communist Party member for several years of his life, as was
Woody Guthrie (who also just appeared on a US postage stamp).  Pete has talked
in public about both their participation.

One guy on AOL went postal when I brought this up, saying it showed what a
horrible person Seeger is and accused me of canonizing him for having been a
Communist, etc., etc.  Actually, I brought it up because I thought it was an
interesting twist, since "Hammer" now has almost a goody-goody image.  But it
clearly was born as a hard-hitting protest song, which is how it was perceived
at the time.  Someone commented recently on the NN that Nanci appeared to have
left her Social Consciousness phase behind.  I'm not sure if the inclusion of
"Hammer," "Deportee" and "Hard Times" on this album supports that notion.

As I wrote on AOL, does all this make "If I Had a Hammer" a "Communist" song?
Not at all.  In fact, the most hardcore Republican tax reformer could imagine
that the "hammer of justice" and the "bell of freedom" called above all for
rich people to pay lower taxes.  It adds some kind of context to understand
the viewpoint inspiring the artist - but that is not the same as defining or
limiting the meaning of the song.

And anyone who thinks theyre going to be infected with Communist ideas from
listening to a Pete Seeger record or to Nanci Griffith's version is thinking
about like Pat Robertson fans who imagine you can catch demons by listening to
rock music.

In David King Dunaways excellent 1981 biography of Seeger, "How Can I Keep
from Singing?", he quotes Pete - presumably from an interview for the book -
talking about the song in a somewhat different vein than in the liner notes to
the Seeger tribute CD where Nanci's version was issued earlier this year:

(( Why was it controversial?  In 1949 only "Commies" used words like "peace"
and "freedom."   The message was that we have got tools and we are going to
succeed.  This is what a lot of spirituals say.  We will overcome.  I HAVE a
hammer.  The last verse didnt say "But there aint no hammer, there aint no
bell, there aint no song but honey, I got you."  We could have said that!
The last verse says "I HAVE a hammer, I HAVE a bell, I HAVE a song." Here it
is.  "Its the hammer of justice, its the bell of freedom, the song of love."
>>

If this seems a little weird 8 = years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, its
worth remembering that when President Kennedy wanted to set up the Peace
Corps, some of his advisers objected to the name.  They said the word "peace"
was too much identified with the Communists.  Yes, the Cold War produced some
strange ideas.

In an interview published this year, in the April-May 1998 issue of
"WorkingUSA," Pete concluded his answer to a question about the McCarthy years
by saying, in obvious reference to some of his own earlier judgments:

(( Let me end this rambling answer with something I read the other day.  Think
about this and let it roll around in your mind:  "You learn more from being
wrong for the right reasons than from being right for the wrong reasons." >>

And let me end this rambling post with that as well.

Bruce Miller
San Bruno, CA

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From: Mike Baker (dancingmike@erols.com>
Subject: Re: NanciNet #98808

Oh no!

David Bromberg is on the Newport tour and he won't be in Columbia this
coming Sunday? He's one of my all time favorites and I haven't seen him
in years.

Well, you've guessed that I'll be there, so any of you Nanciheads who
want to hook up, just send me an EMail. Unfortunately Merriweather Post
Pavillion isn't nearly as nice as Wolf Trap, so who knows how we'll hook
up. I'll figure out a way.

By the way, I've enjoyed "Other Voices Too", though I haven't
overanalyzed it. Just as I liked it's predecessor, it's another tribute
to the singers and songwriters in Nanci's heart. Last time I thought she
concentrated on the songs and lyrics and this time she's given equal
time to the singers who've been influences/inspirations and just good
buddies with. That makes it good for me. 

I think we all should pay homage to those who came before us and set the
standards we aspire to. I'm in the computer business and I've paid
homage to to my predecessors, especially Admiral Grace Hopper who gave
the name to an icon of our industry, "the bug". I saw her speak many
times and several times I was able to shake her hand and tell her of my
admiration. I think it's nice that Nanci does some of the same stuff,
only with more beauty, styel and musical talent.

See you (anybody?) at Merriweather this Sunday!

Mike Baker
dancingmike@erols.com

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