Fesno is home to a vibrant music scene that incorporates many different genres. One that is often overlooked, however, is folk music.
Fresno’s folk music community is a vibrant one. Dozens of concerts a year are brought to town, free workshops and bimonthly dances are held, and a recording label has been established for local artists in the folk genre.
The Fresno Folklore Society is the driving force behind this activity. Founded in 1977, the FFS is a non-profit organization whose mission is, according to its website, to “promote the music and dance of many cultures,” as well as preserve “the folk arts, especially traditional music, in California’s Central Valley.” They accomplish this mission in several ways. A free “Folksinger 101” workshop happens every Monday night at The Brick Wall, a venue just two blocks away from Fresno City College.
The workshop, hosted by long-time FFS member Steve Ono, teaches basic folk music guitar skills. It is recommended that a person have a basic working knowledge of the guitar, but advanced technical or vocal skills are not required. “It would be nice if you could carry a tune, but folk music doesn’t even require that,” said Ono. “What folk music really requires is that you have something interesting to say.”
Many of the performers that the FFS bring to town have very interesting things to say. In April of this year, for example, legendary folk singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, preservationist, and activist Peggy Seeger played an FFS-sponsored show at Frank’s Place. Other notable performers include singer-songwriter Dan Hicks and renowned bluegrass quartet the Larry Stephenson Band.
The variety of music represented in FFS-sponsored concerts is just as astounding. Past concerts have featured a flamenco ensemble, an Irish piper, and an old-time banjoist. The current fall series includes a Peruvian guitarist, a master storyteller,a fiddler, singer, and songwriter from Canada’s Ottawa Valley. Tickets to any event cost only $15 for students, and a complete line-up can be found at fresnofolklore.org<http://fresnofolklore.org>.
The FFS also sponsors bimonthly group dances at California Arts Academy. On the first Saturday of the month, a free evening of English Country Dance is held. On the second Saturday of the month, the square dance-like Contra is featured. The Society suggests a donation of $6 for Contra dances.
Fresno Folklore Recordings is the newest undertaking of the Folklore Society. “Basically, what we’re doing is some restoration of older material, we’re also doing some new recording, and we’re also doing some contract work for other local non-profits,” said Ono. The label’s goal is to provide local artists in the acoustic and traditional genres with a quality, easily accessible, community-based recording opportunities without great cost.
According to the label’s website, folklorerecords.com<http://folklorerecords.com>, “Any genre of traditional or modern acoustic music of any ethnicity will be considered for signing.” The criterion for what constitutes “traditional or modern acoustic” is relatively broad. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be traditional folk music,” said Ono, “We’re just not interested in heavy metal or rap, per se. Mind you, if somebody came in with some urban folk, like acoustic instruments with rapping over that and no effects, that’d be Okay.” Anyone interested in participating in this project is strongly encouraged to contact the FFS through their website, fresnofolklore.org<http://fresnofolklore.org>.
The overall goal of the Fresno Folklore Society is to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the Central Valley. “Everybody’s got some kind of musical heritage, and we just want to encourage people, particularly young people, to claim it as their own,” said Ono. “One of the things that we want people to understand and, hopefully, get involved in is that this is the culture of our nation. ”
