JamBands.Com - July 1999 - Grassroots Festival Is The Real Deal

Grassroots Festival Is The Real Deal
by Isaac Josephson

Let's see a show of hands for how many people think Woodstock '99 is nothing more than a bloated revenue machine conceived by corporate sponsors and fueled by false festival nostalgia.
Alright, perhaps that's a bit strong. But on that same weekend (July 22-25), roughly 100 miles southwest of the Woodstock site, the Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival - arguably closer in spirit to the original Woodstock - will be showcasing more than 60 musicians from around the globe with proceeds going to local charities like AIDS WORK, a Tompkins County AIDS care and prevention center.
Now in its ninth year, the GrassRoots Festival sports a lineup bursting at the seams with roots rock, Cajun, Zydeco, stringband, Latin, worldbeat, African and other roots music. Here's festival co-founder and guitarist for Donna the Buffalo Jeb Puryear with the inside scoop:
How did you initially get involved with the Festival? What about it keeps your interest after nine years?
The GrassRoots spread out of a benefit concert performed at the State Theater in Ithaca in 1990 with three bands: Donna the Buffalo, the Horse Flies and Neon Baptist. This was a very successful show and very exciting, but had the drawbacks that individual shows have that festivals don't: That is, mainly there's no momentum from year to year for individual shows, and outdoor festivals have a great opportunity for expansion and inclusion.
This festival is really a two-pronged event: We have the music festival part and the benefit part. Being music people and festival-goers, our main focus and brand of political activism is in creating an intense artistic environment that molds people's consciousness and raises sensitivity to their own natural desire to be festive, create community, accept differences in others, so on and so forth...
One reason we stay involved is that what we envisioned in the beginning came true. The benefit part comes from the idea that you can go to such an event that creates community in your community and supports that community financially.
How has the festival grown from year to year in terms of attendance, and artistic/charitable scope?
The festival has grown from 2,000 people to about 10,000 over the last eight years. In artistic scope we really kind of shot out of the gate with a very strong line up with the 10,000 Maniacs, African, Cajun, Reggae, Zydeco, old-time stringband music and roots rock bands. This basically let people know we were serious. Of course, over the years, artistically things have definitely refined and progressed.
The festival charitably has also grown mainly by being a stronger organization that can provide sustained funding for >AIDS WORK and other area non-profits. I can think of only one other festival - the Clearwater Festival - that works as hard as you have to work to make a festival like this go and gives away its profits. So we're very proud of that.
How did you hook up with AIDS WORK?
We hooked up with AIDS WORK because we had close friends who were working for or at the agency. That was back when we did the theater show in 1990 and they needed the support.
What does it mean for Donna The Buffalo to be the "host band?" Is everyone else in the band really into the Festival?
It has meant a great deal to Donna the Buffalo, for sure. In the beginning it was more of a band thing, but it really proved to be too much work for people who lived out of town or were otherwise too busy. So it quickly evolved into being mainly me, my mother and my brother Jordan (who was in Donna the Buffalo until a couple of years ago). But in a way there's a spirit to our group of musical friends and this community going way back that really created Donna the Buffalo and manifested the energy to do the festival.
What was the artist selection process like? Why did you choose the artists that you did?
We have a committee that selects what they like. We try to cover the spectrum of roots music - African, Latin, Cajun, Old-time, roots rock, Reggae and Zydeco. Anything else that comes in that they like, we put it on. Overall I would say if there is a thread it would be the attitude of what's being played has to not be an ego-mess. This keeps the festival a peaceful and happy place to be.
Are the artists coming from all over the country? The World? What are some of the more exotic ones - ones that music lovers wouldn't get much of a chance to hear elsewhere?
Well, it seems that a lot of the African groups are not being able to afford to tour America quite as easily as they could in the late '80s, so we're very glad that we were able to book Thomas Mapfumo who is from Zimbabwe. We have also been bringing the highest quality Cajun and Zydeco bands from Louisiana. I'm a firm believer that bringing in people from different regions allows you to get a breath or an imprint on their reality that is quite a gift and very entertaining.
Who are the big artists this year?
Thomas Mapfumo, Solas, Keith Frank & the Soileau Zydeco Band, Donna the Buffalo, the Campbell Brothers, Justin Hinds, the Flying Clouds, Tim O'Brien, Jim Lauderdale, Walter Mouton & the Scott Playboys... no one terribly famous, but all of them terribly good.
The year you had Ani DiFranco, that was before she reached the commercial status she's at now. Are there any artists on the bill that might be coming up on the national scene like that in the future?
In 1991 we bought Ani DiFranco a bus ticket to come to the festival so it is interesting how things change. I called her booking agent and she's quoting $40,000 or something like that. We also had Rusted Root play here for several years in a row, which was fantastic. As far as this year, it is hard to tell. I will have a better notion after the festival.
I noticed you had official food vendors. Will it be inexpensive? Will "lot" vending be an option as well?
The food prices are definitely not inflated, and it will be very good. Middle Eastern, vegetarian food and we also have the American Legion doing the standard hamburger-hot dog thing.
No, on the "lot" vending.
What sort of people come to the Festival?
Yellow, pink, purple, brown, red. low-income, middle class and well-to-do hippies, red-necks, socialists & capitalists. And they all have a great time listening and dancing.
We have a great thing going on here. It's really about high-quality music, musical inspiration and a feeling that transcends the everyday thing, so the everyday thing is a better thing in the future. So come and enjoy.

For more information and a band lineup, check out http://www.grassrootsfest.org. The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival is a not-for-profit event.