Arcade Fire goes to Glastonbury

Arcade Fire seem to have been faintly horrified by the Glastonbury experience. "There's something charming about how disorganised and hippy it is even though it's on that level," says Butler, his Texas drawl modulating into a tone that suggests he didn't think there was anything charming about it whatsoever, "but it was a fucking nightmare. It was like a mudpit. You have to drive your truck through the middle of the crowd of -" he pauses, as if grasping for the words to describe the ghastliness "- of shit," he finally decides.

People are like, throwing up and hitting doors and things like that. I can understand wanting to get high for the first time and wanting to run round the fields, you know, but that's not necessarily the most engaging experience to me."

Parry nods:"We were just, like, what in God's name is this? Why would I be here if I wasn't playing?".

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Like Woody said...

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Notes towards a festival in Rwanda

A few years ago, I worked with several other artistic directors at western Canadian folk festivals on a touring project with the Mighty Popo . Popo had moved to Canada from Rwanda during the dark years there, but returned often to look after his father and other family members.

The tour involved Popo and his contemporary Canadian band with a group of traditional Bhat-wa artists (sometimes referred to as Pygmies). It was a very powerful experience for everyone involved, which then led to some conversations between Popo and I about his dream to start a festival in Rwanda based on his experience of Canadian folk festivals.

These are some notes I made after our discussion on that project, which I had planned to present to colleagues at different festivals ...

INTRODUCTION
Rwanda is a place many people know of around the world, but Canadians have a unique connection with it. The horror of what happened there is still a chilling, vivid memory even from this distance in time and miles.
It’s impossible to imagine what a survivor of that time feels waking up there now. How does an individual or nation re-imagine themselves and build a future for their chidren in the light of their own history?

Rwandans will find their own answers, as individuals and as a nation.
We can help make their journey a little lighter.

THE GOAL a new annual cultural festival in Rwanda

THE PLAN Canadian folk festivals become founding partners with Rwandan-Canadian musician Mighty Popo and the Rwandan government in this initiative.

THE METHOD Festival staff, contractors, volunteers and audience members will work with the Rwandan crew at each event. The core team will work with the festivals here and and organizations in Rwanda. Together, we create a new annual festival informed by the spirit and the expertise these festivals have developed over 30 years.

Their expertise in event management, based in the participation of thousands of volunteers has a global reputation for excellence. The programming is challenging, trans-cultural, and trans-generational, and these non-profits are respected as successful, mature cultural organization, and successful

- bring selected artists and administrative/tech people from Rwanda
– they do a 3-4 week tour the summer before the festival is scheduled there.

- travel party spends a week in each festival city/community
- each staff shadow the person doing the work here that they are going to do there.

- artists, admin tech do media interviews / perform / publicize / fundraise / w.h.y. in the days leading up to festival. The Rwandan team’s perspective on work informed by methods at 3-4 events by 3-4 different teams.

programming at festivals
- live music, dance, spoken word…
- includes (facilitated) talking session each where the audience meet the Rwandan crew
- “what’s this about, what’s it like now… can this happen?, etc
- article in program book, info on website about this initiative

fundraising & revenues

- each event adds a loonie surcharge on each tricket sold that year (loonie?) – “a buck a dance” for Rwanda to help get it started. (? commitment to match it from somewhere?).

- sufficient number of participating presenters for a 3 year commitment, but need not be same festivals each year.
- Rwandan crew can count on $1/ticket first year/then 80 cents year 2 /60 cents year 3.
- project has a booth at each festival – volunteers work with Rwandan crew
- information about Rwanda now, and about the proposed event.
- pictures, brochures, video presentation
- private/audience donations? track thru festivals (tax receipts, etc)
- retail possibilities? Instruments, crafts, other?

- other potential funding? French/ Belgian / euro other?

- Canada Council Touring – possible tour funding for 50% (artists plus one) of domestic travel and per diems
- artistic budget contributes pro-rated share of travel and modest fees/wage that summer.

Part 2

- Canadians in Rwanda- artists - ? one roots/folk band / Popo (and rhythm section?), one electronic producer) ** perform at Rwandan festival?
- core tech/programmer/admin trio
- 2 trips to Rwanda? - once to scope / learn / suggest
- once to bring supplies, etc and work event September of the year following Rwandan tour
- keep local audiences, others current on the news on preparations online, newsletters, etc

- bring some audience? Interested people at each festival/elsewhere – package travel deal to come and watch? discount rate for experienced volunteers? (accoms, other cultural events, etc)

- their contributions can help underwrite travel (w/artists, core crew and audience- enough to charter?)
- afterwards, an interesting fundraiser - artists/staff/audience attendees talk about it, video from the event, music…
- festival programming, performances, updates- explore potential direct connection- audience/volunteers- how can they be involved and cotribute something other than money?

- what else might be useful for the festival there and others (schools, orphanage, women’s centres) – laptops? books? …

- get an endorsement/honorary/participatory agreement with Romeo Dallaire?

- document w/ video, artist diaries etc – share with supporters
-live video on internet from Rwanda during festival- events for supporters in Canada
- show supporters’ faces/event back to audience at the festival in Rwanda?

Benefits for Participating Festivals

Do something amazing together that will make an ongoing difference in people’s lives
- a message of hope and commitment
New level of dialogue among festival orgs and inside each festival community
Access to new artists from Africa, esp. Rwanda, Burundi
New model of organizations working together
National/local media
Enhanced international profile
Opens doors to new dialogues with existing & potential supporters, private/public/individuals
Differentiate folk festivals from other cultural events – less self-obsessed, more constructive

as I say, these were just rough notes from the plane ride home, but it's an exciting idea and one that could really do a lot of good for everyone involved....

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Don van Vliet is an one of the reasons
I believe music and art can change lives,
because he changed mine. The sounds he heard in his head still sizzle my mind on the musical grill decades down the road.

Part Howlin' Wolf, part McLuhan, part Joyce and part head case, he worked with some brilliant musicians over the years who brought his music to life and the world is a better place for it.

He gave up on rock music long ago,
and devoted more time to his visual art.
The demand remains very strong.














If you'd like to get a painting,
word is they start somewhere
around 12 and a half large (US).

You can learn about music and new ways
to approach it for free- by listening to his music,
naturally, and by reading this advice.

He was thinking about guitar players,
but I think much is applicable
to other musical instruments too.
Maybe even to life itself...

Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments For Guitarists

1. LISTEN TO THE BIRDS...That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.

2. YOUR GUITAR IS NOT REALLY A GUITAR...Your guitar is a divining rod. Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one.

3. PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A BUSH...Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush doesn't shake, eat another piece of bread.

4. WALK WITH THE DEVIL...Old delta blues players referred to amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts demons and devils. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.

5. IF YOU'RE GUILTY OF THINKING, YOU'RE OUT...If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

6. NEVER POINT YOUR GUITAR AT ANYONE...Your instrument has more power than lightning. Just hit a big chord, then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field.

7. ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CHURCH KEY...You must carry your key and use it when called upon. That's your part of the bargain. Like One String Sam. He was a Detroit street musician in the fifties who played a homemade instrument. His song "I Need A Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another church key holder is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty making you want to look up her dress to see how he's doing it.

8. DON'T WIPE THE SWEAT OFF YOUR INSTRUMENT...You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music.

9. KEEP YOUR GUITAR IN A DARK PLACE...When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure to put a saucer of water in with it.

10. YOU GOTTA HAVE A HOOD FOR YOUR ENGINE...Wear a hat when you play and keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a wet paper towel around it to make it grow.

No matter how much you know
or you don't about Mr. van Vliet,
you can learn a LOT here...
including where to buy a painting if you like...

http://www.beefheart.com/index.html

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Planet Accordion

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