Cultural Event Critique of Musikfest 2010
Alfred J. Haines
Humanities 100, Section 010016
Dr. Cynthia Bryson
Due September 5, 2010
2 Musikfest 2010
Where: Bethlehem, Pa.
When: August 6-15
What: A multicultural musical event covering ten days in historic Bethlehem town center.
Once a year the sleepy town of historic Bethlehem is roused to near bliss when the streets come to life with sound. The police barricades and hand painted 'Park Here” signs are the first indication that something is about to awaken in this remote college town. The backdrop for this event is the Moravian College which was founded in 1742 by followers of John Amos Comenius, the 17th century Moravian bishop. Many of the original buildings line the streets along the route of tents and displays, each displaying plagues with descriptions of events that make that place unique. I was able to enjoy three of the ten days mostly with my wife, Diane, one night my teenage daughter even joined us. The distance and my work schedule prevented me from spending even more time at this wonderful event. I have taken notes about the bands and activities that I attended, and some I had only seen in passing. There were more bands and booths than anyone could visit in the little time that was available. My first stop was on at six fifteen when I heard the sound of Jolly Joe Timmer's Polka band. Good old time Polish Polka with dancing in the main tent, my mom would have loved this! The band wore Polish outfits and the music was right out of my moms 45 collection. I got here late, nearly halfway though the 90 minute set, and stayed to the end. It was fun to dance to this olde time music, many of the tunes remembered from my childhood. I danced to the beat with one of the elder ladies while my wife watched on in disbelief. At seven, we headed over to the Limpopo International Band. I got here around seven thirty because no one knew exactly where it was (and I grabbed a Gyro and a Dark beer), but I found it. The music was energetic and lively. I have never seen an actual African band before. The music was easy to listen to and I enjoyed it very much. The show was not well attended, about two hundred people, in an area for twice as many. They wore outfits from Kenya which were very colorful and were an art form in themselves. The stage girls danced in an unusually moving style that added to the experience nicely. After the show we visited booths displaying their wares, mostly hand-made crafts made in the Bethlehem area.
One Saturday, we started early and arrived at a few minutes after twelve. My wife and daughter , her friend Justin and myself planned to make a day of it. The first stop for Diane and I was on Main St. while the two teens grabbed a handful of food tickets and went down the hill to the food tents. A large tent in the middle of the street was packed to overflowing as people stood along the curb to listen to Ben Mauger's Dixieland Jazz Band. The sweet sounds from inside that tent filled the air for some time as we moved to the swinging beat. His jazz tunes from the 20`s though to the 50`s provided the swing and jazz that was made popular in New York well into the 50`s. After a break we came back for his second show, we enjoyed it that much. From three to five we wandered around drifting into tents with bands playing many different types of music from Folk to Latin before heading down to the food tents for an authentic German Abendbrot[1].
It is almost impossible to get German Cuisine in the mountains of Pa., so this was time for an olde-time treat. I ordered, Tagessuppe[2] from the Speisekarte[3] and it turned out to be Ochsenschwanzsuppe[4], My Dads favorite, while Dee just pointed to the Linsensuppe[5] and said I'll try that. she thought it best that I order after that, I know Dee's tastes well and understand the German names for some foods. She was in the mood for pork so I suggested the Kasseler Rippchen[6] with Bratkartoffeln[7] fritters and Weißkohl[8]. I tried the Sauerbraten[9] with the Bratkartoffeln fritters and Weißkohl. The teens took one look at the food on the grill and ran to the Pizza tent next-door, I'm told they had shared a Calzone[10] and Pizza. We adults had Dunkelbier[11] with our meal while the teens found a tent that sold 'Monster' drinks and we all passed on the desert. This was the best food I had had all year and I fancy myself a fine chef. I rate the food a ten and the Dunkelbier was great, a real imported beer that I didn't know.
Off to the last show of the night, Zen for Primates, I never heard of this Jazz band but have been told they are popular in the area. The music was original and very good. Who would have thought that Sax, Violin and a cello could sound this good. The sound was like Miles Davis and Joe Turner mixed into a Dali landscape. Each tune sounded familiar yet I know I had never heard them before. Dee had a stunned look on her face but I couldn't tell if it the tunes or the beer that was getting to her. We sat for two hours and the teens came looking for us to go. We agreed to call it a night around ten thirty and by the time we walked, uphill, back to the car it was more like eleven and so came an end to our eleven hour musical adventure.
My next stop back to Musikfest 2010 was on Thursday night by myself for the show I had waited all summer for and the rain was not about to dampen my spirit! Styx and Blue Oyster Cult at the Sands RiverPlace, part of the Sands Casino and a little bit of a distance from the main Musikfest 2010 location. I got there around five only to find about a thousand people ahead of me in line, the doors opened at six. BOC started playing around seven and hit us hard with there hits, “Burnin’ For You”, “Don’t Fear The Reaper.”, “Godzilla” and an unexpected cover of 'Come on Feel The Noise" by Quiet Riot! The music was unexpectedly hard and very loud! This made not only my ears ring but my head was about to explode from the sound pressure for around an hour. There was a long intermission between shows, which felt like hours but I later realized it was only 40 minutes.
The house went dark, a hush came over the crowd like the mist from a Stephen King novel. The spotlight hit the stage like lightning and Lawrence Gowan's voice covered the crowd like a Sirens song, we were spellbound. The opening medley were of lesser know tunes but did include Paradise, which I had hoped would have been longer. The bands music has gotten harder over the years and they left out the slow songs like 'Babe', that bothered me a bit. The high point of this spectacular show for me was of course was when Tommy Shaw got the spotlight for a fantastic acoustic intro of “Crystal Ball”. I now know what heaven can be like for a music fan. The list of songs included “The Grand Illusion”, “Blue Collar Man”, “Lady”, “Too Much Time on My Hands”, “Lorelai”, “Mr Roboto”, “Miss America”, “Suite Madam Blue” and “Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man)”! Alone in a spotlight Gowan ended the show with short cover songs (CCR’s “Who’ll Stop the Rain?” hit the spot while standing in the rain soaked lawn) before launching into “Come Sail Away”. The eleven minute encore of “Renegade” with Young and Shaw playing dueling guitar solos like in the old days of Clapton and Beck. This was an amazing show that I well remember forever but as a long time fan of STYX I was disturbed by the bands showing their hard side by sacrificing the slow songs I love so. This performance was not at all what I expected from this cutting edge progressive band, it was more hard rock with an emphasis on hard.
I made to home by midnight, after the long twenty-five mile ride, listening to 99.9FM- The Hawk all the way. The DJ was raving about the show and how BOC had a guest performer, Rudy Sarzo, that has played with bands like Quiet Riot, Whitesnake and Ozzy Osbourne’s band. This explained why BOC played 'Come on Feel The Noise" so well. He went on to say how forty three hundred people stood in the rain to experience the best band of Musikfest 2010 and played 'Babe' from a live CD for those of us that felt ripped tonight. This has been an exciting week in the Lehigh Valley and as Musikfest 2010 came to a close we left with only our memories of the unusual food and music from around the globe.
Resources:
Some band bios from the Musikfest 2010 website at http://www.musikfest.org/lineup/bands/:
Joe Timmer of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He has a radio show, television show, polka band, music store and picnic grove all strongly promoting polka music including Polish, German and Austrian styles (IPA).
Limpopo International Band
One of the best bands and one of the biggest assemblies in Africa. This band consists of ten band members including stage show ladies. This cosmopolitan band has staged shows in east Africa and is touring America this summer. Currently based in Nairobi Kenya, music lovers are invited to experience a unique musical concept that is different from any other musical group (Celebitrix).
Zen for Primates
Zen for Primates is back, spreading mature mirth and musical mayhem on two warm summer nights in Bethlehem. It's always a cabaret whenever they show up with their unique sound. With the mysterious T. Roth on vocals, stories, bells, whistles, and the contents of his fish fronting complex and tight musical weavings from Mike Krisukas on guitar, Jodi Beder on cello, Shelagh Maloney on (don't call it a fiddle) violin, and "Saxman" Pete Fluck on reeds of all sorts, sometimes several at a time, and with frequent participation on the part of the audience, Zen for Primates is not just music, it is a Show.
Pictures:
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[1] Abendbrot - Dinner
[2] Tagessuppe - soup of the day
[3] Speisekarte - menu
[4] Ochsenschwanzsuppe - oxtail soup
[5] Linsensuppe - lentil soup
[6] Kasseler Rippchen - smoked pork ribs
[7] Bratkartoffeln fritters - roasted potatoes
[8] Weißkohl - cabbage
[9] Sauerbraten - marinated beef
[10] Calzone - a turnover stuffed with tomato and mozzarella
[11] Dunkelbier - dark beer
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[pic] Styx's James Young, left, and Tommy Shaw at MusikfestPhotos by Abbey Drey/The Morning Call
