Storyhill Fest 2014

"Your fans are like a cult." So said Grace Pettis, one of the artists at this year's Storyhill Fest in Deerwood, MN. It's not entirely untrue; fans of the folk duo Storyhill are crazy loyal and supportive. Many of their fans have been following Chris and Johnny for over 20 years since their days at St. Olaf College. Even though I'm a relatively new fan, only jumping on the bandwagon upon hearing their eponymous Red House record seven years ago on the dear departed MPR Morning Show* (specifically, it was the song "Give Up the Ghost" that turned me into an instant fan), I completely get it. There's something about the songs that they write and the harmonies that they create together that's positively addicting. If there is a Storyhill cult, it's the only one I ever want to belong to. We can all live together in a beautiful location in the wooded lakes area of Minnesota, communing with nature and each other, eating good food and drinking good beer, making and listening to music. We'll worship the lake, the stars, and the music. But until the cult is officially formed, there is Storyhill Fest, where you can experience all of the above and so much more. Now in the sixth year of its Minnesota incarnation, five of which I've attended,** Storyhill Fest is two full days of music from over a dozen incredible artists from the local and national folk music scene. My iTunes library is filled with music I first encountered at Storyhill Fest, and my life is richer for it.

Held at Clearwater Forest Camp just outside of Brainerd on one of the hundreds of beautiful lakes in the area, there is more to do than just the music, including camping, hiking, kayaking, swimming, and yoga. Accommodations range from campsites to cabins to rooms at nearby Ruttger's Lodge. Interactive songwriting and guitar playing workshops allow budding musicians to learn from the artists. The festival attracts families who come year after year, and the kids all seem to find each other, forming roving gangs of teenage boys and little girls. It's the perfect late summer Minnesota backdrop against which the music plays out. My favorite activity is the nightly campfire. Artists and fans gather around a roaring fire to share stories and music, just like people have been doing for thousands of years. Sitting next to the lake under a starry sky, listening to all this incredible music by these talented artists, interspersed with the call of the loons and the pop of the fire, is truly one of the most magical things I've ever experienced.

Read about this year's artists below, and click on their names to be taken to their websites where you can find more info about how to purchase their music and see them perform live.

The May North's George and Stephanie

The May North
Storyhill Fest began with a short evening of music on Friday (which I did not attend for various lame reasons). Past Fest faves, the utterly joyful ellis (who sadly I did not see at all) and Connor Garvey (who happily stuck around for the entire festival and sang at the campfires) gave a concert, followed by a dance with music provided by the country-style band The May North. Lucky for me, a last-minute scheduling change put them up on the festival stage as the first artists of the first full day of music. Husband and wife duo George and Stephanie (on guitar and fiddle) performed without the rest of the band, and it was quite enjoyable and a great beginning to the fest. George sang lead on most of the songs in his deep, gritty voice, with shades of Eddie Vedder (how does a folky like me know about Eddie Vedder, you ask? his heartbreakingly beautiful soundtrack to one of my favorite movies, Into the Wild, of course, but I guess he was in some band too). Stephanie occasionally added some lovely harmonies to their originals like "Whiskey in the Rain" and traditional songs like "Sitting on Top of the World."

Sarah Sample and Edie Carey lull the crowd

Edie Carey & Sarah Sample
These two songstresses got together to make a lullaby album, but as they say, it's not just for kids, it's for "anyone who needs to be lulled." And in this crazy, busy, over-stimulated world, who doesn't? Performing songs from this album, they were like folk sirens in pretty black dresses. Each one of them possesses a gorgeous voice - Sarah (who performed at Storyhill Fest 2012) with a breathy voice reminiscent of Jewel, Edie with a warm luscious tone - and together they create harmonies that are just enchanting.

Moors and McCumber with just
a few of the instruments they play

Moors and McCumber
These guys are super cool and one of my favorites of the festival. Playing no less than seven instruments between them (guitar, fiddle, mandolin, keyboard, harmonica, ukulele, and Irish bouzouki, a mere subset of all that they have in their repertoire), their music is an intriguing mix of styles, "a little blues, some bluegrass, a little smokey hills, and a skosh of Celtic." Which just happens to be a few of my favorite things. With their friendly and comfortable banter, beautiful harmonies, and incredible musicianship, James and Kort provided one of the highlights of the fest. After the fest they left immediately for Ireland to lead one of Johnsmith's Inishfree Music Tours - nine days hiking the Irish countryside and listening to music. I would love to join them some day; it's been ten years since my own musical tour of Ireland and I've been itching to go back.

The Barn Birds, aka
Chris Kokesh and Jonathan Byrd

The Barn Birds
It's an all-duo day at Storyhill Fest, and here's another one with two individually fantastic artists who come together to create something greater than the sum of its parts. Comprised of Jonathan Byrd and Chris Kokesh, The Barn Birds play guitar and fiddle, respectively, and sing in old-timey harmony. Chris is a lovely singer and fiddler, and there's no one like J Byrd. He's a true modern day cowboy poet, with lyrics that are profound in their simplicity, wearing his signature orange pants, cowboy boots, and cowboy hat, that only he can pull off. His campfire song/speech/science lesson about how the world is made up of molecules vibrating at different frequencies, a subset of which create music, and that when you sing you harness the greatest power in the universe, was truly profound and the most meaningful sermon I've heard in quite some time. Follow him on Facebook for more of his entertaining and well-written stories.

John and Molly of Communist Daughter

Communist Daughter
Day two of Storyhill Fest began with another duo. John and Molly left "the four hairy sweaty guys" that make up the rest of this Minneapolis band at home. These two are yin and yang, tall and short, he loves to talk while she refuses to talk on mic, he has a gritty grounded sound and she's more ethereal. Somehow it works and they create something beautiful together. John studied songwriting with Storyhill's John Hermanson, and has a few TV credits to show for it.

Aaron Howard

Aaron Howard
These next two solo artists are new young singer/songwriters produced by Storyhill's Chris Cunningham, and seem to have a sweet bromance between them. They're very different in personality, style, and sound, but both have something to say that's worth listening to. Aaron's songs are raw, honest, real, delivered with passion and charm. He sang several songs from his forthcoming coming of age album as well as previous albums, and closed his set with "Hallelujah." It's a song that everybody sings, but somehow Aaron managed to make it his own, and brought the house down as they clamored for more.

Wes Kirkpatrick

Wes Kirkpatrick
I first heard both Aaron and Wes at the campfire the night before, which is a fun way to experience a new artist. When asked to play a song at the campfire, Wes joked that he could do "sad or sadder." His songs are personal, heartfelt, and earnest, with a tinge of melancholy and wistfulness. But I love a sad song, and his are beautifully sad, sung in a smooth and soulful voice. And his self-described "rambling and awkward" stage banter is actually quite charming. Wes' buddy Aaron backed him up for a song or two, so they weren't completely left out of the duo theme of the fest.

Grace and Pierce Pettis
keeping it in the family

Pierce & Grace Pettis
Like the final season of Mad Men, the Pettis family hour was split into two, perhaps not intentionally to spread out the goodness, but that was the effect. Not only has Pierce had a long career as a folk singer/songwriter, but he's also raised a passel of folky children, including daughter Grace (who also appeared at Storyhill Fest 2011). Their father/daughter harmonies, cultivated over a lifetime, are perfection, and they have a fun and easy chemistry. They traded off singing their own songs, each other's, or covers. After a sudden rainstorm moved the show indoors (kudos to the sound crew and volunteers for making the transition as smooth as possible), they continued the set, culminating in an absolutely fantastic rockin' rendition of Bob Dylan's "Crash on the Levee."

Lucy Kaplanski entertains the crowd
that is "soggy and packed in like sardines"

Lucy Kaplanski
Even though the sun broke through the clouds to set spectacularly across the lake, we stayed indoors as the weather watchers kept their eyes on another possible storm cell. One of Storyhill's labelmates, Lucy released her first album with local label Redhouse Records 20 years ago. She writes personal, touching, relatable songs, informed by her hometown (New York City, aka the greatest city in the world), her family, and a doctorate in Psychology. She has a natural and comfortable onstage presence, and sings with a rich, warm, earthy voice. Several of her songs brought a lump to my throat, including the title song of her most recent album Reunion, about the importance of families and generations past.

Storyhill
The name of this festival is Storyhill Fest, so obviously we all came to hear the one-of-a-kind music created by Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson, which we did at the end of each night. They each do great things independently - Chris produces many great artists, including some of the above, at his recording studio in Montana, Johnny is a member of I don't know how many other bands - but when they come together, they create magic. It's really difficult to describe just how much their music means to me; perhaps only my fellow cult members*** can truly comprehend it. Their lyrics are laden with nature images so clear that listening to their songs, I can close my eyes and see the mountains and smell the clean fresh air. And the harmonies they create are out of this world. But don't take my word for it, take Garrison Keillor's, who referred to them as "setting a new high standard for male duet harmony." Watching them perform together is such a joy. They have the kind of camaraderie and comfortable rapport that only comes with knowing each other and making music together for almost thirty years. It sometimes feels like witnessing a therapy session as they reminisce (and disagree) about memories long past. It's truly remarkable that they are still performing songs they wrote when they were teenagers or college students, alongside new songs written for their upcoming album, and they're all still such great songs, no matter how many times you've heard them.

one of the benefits of staying in the VIP lodge is a private intimate
informal concert with Chris and Johnny, in which they sing pretty
much any song they're asked to, if they can remember it

The second night's concert began outdoors but was moved back indoors when the rain came back (after Chris and Johnny took the opportunity to sing "Good Rain" unplugged). The set-up from the previous concert was already taken down, so volunteers and fans quickly set up rows of chairs, and Chris and Johnny sang with no sound system. I always say that my favorite musical sound is the unamplified human voice, whether at concerts or in musical theater, so the sudden rain turned into a blessing, as we got to hear about a dozen songs with nothing between the music and our ears but vibrations. The night turned into a singalong; turns out the camp cafeteria is a great space in which to sing "Love Will Find You" with a few hundred of your closest friends.

All of the artists that perform at Storyhill Fest are so talented, and follow the example set by Storyhill - hardworking, dedicated, friendly, approachable, and willing to share themselves through their music. They really seem to love being there and playing music together. Even if I can't quite put it into words, Storyhill's music touches me and gives me comfort or inspiration or whatever I need. And that's my ultimate judge of any art, whether music or theater.

With rising costs and a desire to keep the festival affordable and intimate for fans, while still compensating the artists for their time and talents, the future of Storyhill Fest is uncertain this year, as it often is. Everyone involved wants to continue the tradition, and I trust that they will find a way to do so, even if that tradition morphs and changes over time. I don't know if I'll ever again experience an informal concert in the light and airy lounge of the Leaning Tree Lodge, or sit by that lake under the stars with my favorite musicians singing into the crisp fall air just a few feet away from me. But here's what I do know (which I learned from my favorite Fringe Festival show this year, Failure: A Love Story): "just because something ends doesn't mean it wasn't successful." And I can say without a doubt that whatever happens in the future, Storyhill Fest is successful, in every way that counts.

Steady on.


*The spirit of the MPR Morning Show still lives on in Radio Heartland, available for 24-hour online or HD2 radio listening. They play many of the above artists.
**You can read about my experiences at past Storyhill Fests by clicking on the following dates: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013.
***If any of you other Storyhill cult members would like to see their set list for both evening concerts and the private VIP concert, click here. Since I've only been a cult member for seven years, there were a few songs I wasn't sure about or couldn't identify, so please feel free to correct me.


A few more photos from the festival:

a welcome sight after a two-hour drive

sirens Sarah and Edie against the backdrop of Eagle Lodge

evening descends upon The Barn Birds

Communist Daughter under the blue sky

the sun breaks through and shines on Aaron

buddies Aaron and Wes

don't you wish your family was as talented as the Pettis family?

the Storyhill Band is back together

what we've been waiting all day for - Storyhill's evening show

the rain created a wonderful opportunity for a
singalong with Chris and Johnny

oh the magic that can be created with guitars and campfires

Storyhill Fest 2010

While this blog will mostly focus on theater in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, I did warn you in my Origins post that I might occasionally write about music. This is one of those times. I spent labor day weekend at StoryhillFest - a folk music festival in the Brainerd lakes area of Minnesota (one of my favorite spots on the planet, by the way). The festival is named after one of my favorite groups, Storyhill - two guys, their guitars, great songs, and beautiful harmonies. They gathered around them some of the most talented singer/songwriters/musicians I've ever seen in one place. This is only the second year of the festival in Minnesota (they've been doing it longer in their native Montana), and as the very capable and witty emcee said, it has to be one of the best kept secrets in Minnesota. If people knew what great music was being made here, they'd be turning people away. I hope it's successful enough to continue for many years, but I also hope it never gets so big that it loses it's intimate community feel. In addition to Storyhill's performance each evening, nine other artists performed at the festival, only one of whom I had heard before, and all of whom I enjoyed. I managed to limit my initial CD buying to four, although I think there will be a few more to come in the next few days. Here's a short summary of each artist, click on their name to be directed to their website. Connor Garvey was the brave first artist to take the stage on the first day, when the camp chairs were only half full. He had two musicians with him - Tom Murphy on mandolin and Jeff Mitchell (who also sang lots of great songs at the campfire) on electric guitar. Connor's website says his "songs are like placing folk-funk guitar and ukulele, soulful vocals, and paradoxical metaphors in a juicer - you've never tasted it before, but it's intriguing and delectable so you have to keep drinking." What more can I say? Except that his songs are hopeful, funny, and thoughtful, and I found him completely adorable. I didn't buy his CD the first day, trying to pace myself, but in the end I couldn't resist his youthful charm and red hair. By the way, Tom is an amazing mandolin player and at the campfire he could play along with anyone on any song, even if he'd never heard it before!

Next up was Carrie Elkin. I knew before her first song was over that I would need to buy her CD. She has a voice so clear and pure that, combined with her insightful songs, it cuts right to your soul. I love that her voice is so powerful she actually had to back away from the mic at times, otherwise the sound system might have combusted with the sheer power and passion of her voice. Following her was her partner in life and, sometimes, music, Danny Schmidt. They both sang back-up for each other in addition to several solo songs. Danny is an amazing songwriter; my favorite was about a broken stained glass window, which he called "a humanist story in a church song." It's an amazing piece of songwriting; I want to study it like a poem. The last act before Storyhill was Anais Mitchell, accompanied on some songs by Rachel Ries on percussion and keyboard and Jefferson Hamer on electric guitar. Anais has an amazingly indescribable voice, so I won't even try. See (hear) for yourself: I just downloaded her newest CD Hadestown, "a folk opera based on the Orpheus myth and set in a post-apocalyptic American depression era," which I find very intriguing. Rachel is also a talented singer/songwriter; she and Anais recorded a lovely little EP called Country. Storyhill concluded the concert part of the day, and after that everyone moved over to the campfire. I'll talk about both later, but the interesting thing to note is that my first impressions of the next day's artists were singing around the campfire, which is kind of a nice way to first hear someone. Day 2 was the day of Johns. The first one to take the stage was John Mieras. The interesting thing about John is that he doesn't really look the part of a folk singer, he just looks like an average guy. Which he is; he recently quit his 9-to5 job to do what he really loves - music. So when he took up the guitar at the campfire I thought, who's this guy? And then he started to sing, and he just blew me away. He has a really pretty voice, especially in the upper range. I bought his 7-song CD partly because I like his voice and songs, and partly because I want to support him in continuing to pursue music. Justin Roth was the only other artist besides Storyhill that I knew before the festival. He performed during a service at my church a few years ago, and I so loved his song "Shine" that I bought the CD. Turns out I like his new stuff even better, so I pre-ordered his upcoming CD (my four CD total is growing daily). He's an amazing guitar player and had led a guitar workshop earlier in the day. As you can see in the below picture, he played an entire song on the neck of the guitar. I didn't know you could do that! He's also a very talented and clever songwriter and a great singer.

The next artist was another John - Johnsmith. Again, I'm not sure I can say it better than his website: "Johnsmith is a Bard. The role of the Bard in every society is to hold up a mirror to that society, to convey and reveal - through the mysterious alchemy of music and words and performance - the secret inner language of the heart." I think that applies to all the artists at the festival, but especially to John. He sang a really lovely song at the campfire called "Safe Home," which he wrote while in Ireland and very much reminded me of my trip there.

Taking a break from the Johns, the next artist was Meg Hutchinson. Another lovely voice and beautiful, thoughtful songs. One I especially liked is called "The Gatekeeper" and is about someone who works at the Golden Gate Bridge and has the task of stopping suicide attempts, which he does by asking two questions: "How are you feeling?" and "What are your plans for tomorrow?" She joked that her job is to write cheerful songs about depressing topics. I'm not sure I'd say cheerful, but uplifting and inspiring, yes. Hers is one of the four CDs I bought at the festival. How can I describe Johnathan Byrd? He's a character, just look at his photo below! Not everyone can pull off orange pants, cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat, but he can. His music veers a little bit more towards country, and his songs can either be funny or heart-breaking, or anywhere in between. The last song I heard from him was as he was leaving the campfire on the final night to drive to Chicago. I don't remember exactly what it was (I was up way past my bedtime so it's all a little foggy), something about a pony I think, but I do remember it was achingly lovely. And now we get to the main attraction and reason for the festival - Storyhill, aka Chris Cunningham and John Hermanson. They met as kids in Montana and have been making music together ever since (with a few interruptions). They went to college at St. Olaf and Johnny still lives here in Minnesota, so I think it's fair that we claim them as our own, or at least share ownership with Montana. ;) I first heard of Storyhill when their self-titled CD was released on Red House Records a few years ago. They played it frequently on the dear departed MPR Morning Show with Dale Connelly and Jim Ed Poole (aka A Prairie Home Companion sound man Tom Keith). It was the gorgeous harmonies on the song "Give Up the Ghost" that convinced me to buy their CD, and once I listened to that I was hooked. I've seen them a few times in concert since, and I knew if they were organizing this festival it was going to be great. I was not wrong! I don't know what else to say about these guys, very talented individually and together. And obviously with a great ear for talent, judging by the people they invited to their festival. Here's a video I recorded of one of my favorite songs, especially when performed live, "Steady On." I think they're contractually obligated to end every concert with this song. ;) Chris and Johnny on stage:

After the day's concerts were over, all of the musicians headed over to the campfire (which was conveniently located next to the lodge where I was staying). This was definitely the highlight of the weekend. It's one thing to listen to a CD, with everything cleaned up and auto-tuned (although there's less of that with folk music), another thing thing to hear someone sing live, but to hear the unamplified human voice is something really special. Whatever concert I go to, if the artist puts down their mic, it's always my favorite moment of the show. There's just something so raw and beautiful and primal about it, especially in the light of the campfire. I can imagine that hundreds of years ago, on that very spot, Native Americans were sharing songs and stories with each other in that same way. Maybe I'm still sleep deprived from two nights in a row of staying up past 1 am, but it was a truly magical experience. I think the artists did it as much for themselves as the attendees, and I felt like I was pressing my nose to the glass and watching these musicians in their element. The only thing close to it that I've experienced was when I was in Ireland, and you go to a pub in a small town and the entire town shows up, all taking turns sharing their music and a little part of their soul. That's what this was like.

I think what I love most about StoryhillFest is that it gave me a new source to find great new musicians that I love, something I've been missing since the Morning Show was cancelled. I have a great deal of admiration for and more than a little envy of people who make a living doing what they love, whose work is their life's passion. These people are modern-day troubadours, traveling the country and sharing songs and stories. I can't wait until next year to discover more new favorites!

A few more videos of Storyhill:

"Better Angels"

"If I Could"