NERFA has nothing to do with North American trade, it’s the four day mecca for folkies every November in the Catskills. It’s where I go to catch up with old friends and discover new talent, and see how little sleep I can get by on.

Among old friends it was great to see seasoned pros like Buskin & Batteau, Jon Vezner, and James Lee Stanley in peak form.  Newer friends like Kelleigh McKenzie, Joe Crookston, Beaucoup Blue, Bettysoo, and Kevin So were definitely on their game, too. (I told Bettysoo that she and Kevin should go out on a Bettysoo/Kevin So tour together, to which she replied, “I told Nels Andrews that he should d0 a Nels Andrews/Drew Nelson tour!”)

Long Island homies Gathering Time and Joe Iadanza (and his Beautiful Band) did themselves proud, as did my new favorite artist from Brooklyn, Anna Dagmar.  A sucker for harmonies, I definitely dug the Rhythm Angels and Tripping Lily.  Newcomers (to me anyway) I’ll be listening to more include Carsie Blanton (a Philadelphia charmer), Lisa Bigwood and Jude Roberts (both from upstate New York), Drew Nelson (from Michigan), the hilarious Carla Ulbrich (transplanted from SC to NJ), and a passel of Canadians, including Treasa Lavesseur, Allison Lickley, and the veteran John Wort Hannam.

Some of the performances are onstage, but many of the best take place in crowded hotel rooms late into the night. And, it seems, the later it gets, the better they are. I’ll never forget Joe Crookston leading a dozen musicians through his great cover of “The Logical Song,” or Greg Klyma rocking out with bass and drums. Or Jane Fallon inspiring a roomful of people, including Gathering Time, Barbara Garriel, Jay Mankita, and Wyatt Easterling, in a gospel-inflected chorus on an a capella song for her father in the Lucky 13 showcase room.

It was a late night showcase that introduced me to Layah Jane, a 28 year old blonde from Toronto (yet another Canadian!), who took  my breath away on the first night with a song that blended folk, jazz, and reggae. I ended up seeing her, with various friends, four times, and each time she captivated us with the sensual joy of her performance and the rapport with her guitarist and partner, Oliver Johnson.  Ironically, as a judge of the tricentric showcases, I’d given her only average marks, but seeing her made me a believer. See what you think:

Yet it was almost as exciting to hear Joel Mabus (a veteran from Michigan with echoes of Dave Van Ronk) for the first time and realize what I’d been missing right under my nose (or ears).  He also made me appreciate how many of the artists aren’t just wonderful musicians, but great communicators. We are blessed to have them, but in a way they’re blessed to us provide an environment where they can communicate.  So it’s up to us who are DJs or presenters or audience members to keep the cause – and the community – alive.

Share on Facebook