Pickin' on tradition: An introduction to the Sugar Maple festival
Evan Murdock
The festival's tent at Lake Farm County Park last year.
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In a town that doesn't hesitate to show its affection for bluegrass, folk, Cajun, or country music, the Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival is looking pretty strong going into its sixth year. The annual event (which returns Friday and Saturday to Lake Farm County Park) consistently manages to feature respected artists from across America's genres of acoustic music, as well as workshops that allow musicians like Madison-raised guitarist Joel Paterson to share their craft in greater depth. Granted, names like this year's headliner J.D. Crowe And The New South might not mean much at first to those new to these kinds of music, but that's why Sugar Maple is a good place to start exploring. Decider spoke with Bob Batyko, who helps to organize the festival as a member of The Four Lakes Traditional Music Collective, to get a better introduction.
So how do you define "traditional"?
The festival aims to incorporate many different traditions, and it generally doesn't have too much of a purist air about it. (In the past, for example, it's even included some African music.) This year, featured acts include a Cajun band from Louisiana (The Savoy Family Band); a folksinger who draws on his Native American heritage (Bill Miller); a Western-swing trio from Texas (Shotgun Party); and old-time and bluegrass bands, to name just a few. So it's more about exploring different strains of acoustic music than it is about placing boundaries on what's "traditional" enough to be accepted. J.D. Crowe And The New South have a pretty old-fashioned bluegrass foundation, but also incorporate rock influences and songs from contemporary artists. Don't hold your breath for an electric cello or anything, but it's "traditional" without being too rigid.
Shotgun Party, "Little Heart"
Do the organizers do just one thing a year?
While Four Lakes' ultimate goal every year is to put on the festival, the small organization usually holds a few off-season concerts throughout the year to keep the festival's name out there, raise money, and bring in artists that couldn't make the festival. The few additional shows that happen continue to provide a window into roots music—in October 2007, for instance, the Four Lakes folks brought Louisiana's eclectic Red Stick Ramblers to the High Noon Saloon. Last November, they hosted a show at The Frequency with Special Consensus, a bluegrass band that once included Robbie Fulks, who returns to the festival this year.
Is there a difference between "old-time" music and "bluegrass"?
For all we know this might be a bit like starting a debate over how to define "rap" vs. "hip-hop." According to Batyko, "bluegrass music would have banjo playing like Earl Scruggs, and the fiddle player would be much more driving and up-front. In old-time, you'd [play the banjo clawhammer-style] and it's more of a dance style of music."
J.D. Crowe And The New South, "Another Town"
What's this "fiddlers in the round" event on the festival's schedule?
Simply put, a showcase of some of the different fiddle styles employed in the festival's lineup, from bluegrass to Western swing to Cajun. "They might do a song that they all do, and you can hear the different styles, but then I'm sure they will each talk about it," Batyko says.
Are these workshops for geeky musician-talk?
"I think it's more of a learning opportunity and a chance to see someone in a smaller area," Batyko says. For example, when Marc Savoy of the Savoy Family Band does his accordion workshop, "it's not so much that he's gonna teach anybody how to play a tune as much as he's gonna talk about the Cajun accordion. I think it'll be more of a generalized kind of time." If all this sounds like too much sitting and talking for you, both days of the festival conclude with a dance (old-time on Friday, Cajun on Saturday).
Joel Paterson Trio, "Sunny Side Of The Street"
