Festival boasts strong
lineup despite budget
buffaloexchange.com buy sell trade
The annual event will remain
similar to previous years,
bringing back old favorites
and attracting some new acts
Aaron Shakra
Pulse Reporter
On the surface, the Willamette
Valley Folk Festival, now in its
33rd year, won’t appear much dif
ferent from previous years when it
returns to campus on Friday. How
ever, what won’t be as apparent
are the challenges programmers
faced this year.
UO Cultural Forum Program Di
rector Justina Parsons-Bemstein
said while the festival’s budget has
remained a constant #15,000 in re
cent years, costs for producing the
Folk Festival last year reached
#45,000, with additional money be
ing underwritten by the Cultural
Forum. Parsons-Bemstein said she
decided coordinators should be able
to use their budgets for their own
areas of programming this year.
“I do think that the spending did
get out of hand from the past, and
it’s been reigned in,” Parsons
Bernstein said. “Support needs to
come from other entities — that’s
too heavy a bill for us.”
Folk Festival Producer Amy
Bowers said planning for the Folk
Festival has been a yearlong
process, and retaining the celebra
tion’s familiar format — five stages
and three days — was important.
“I was kind of on a mission,”
Bowers said. “I would have disap
pointed the community and my
self if it was a two-day festival.”
Bowers said because she could
not reduce the costs of the festi
val’s stage and security; it left her
with the task of having to barter
with musicians to perform for re
duced pay or for free.
"! was kind of on a
mission. I would have
disappointed the
community and myself
if it was a two-day
festival."
Amy Bowers
Folk Festival producer
“A lot of it was negotiating with
musicians,” she said. “As far as
stage and security, you can’t really
adjust that.”
Parsons-Bernstein said she was
confident in this year’s lineup of
performers. She mentioned two
groups specifically: Solo Dos en Ti
juana, performing on Friday at 8:30
p.m. on the main stage, who she de
scribed as “Tom Waits-ian”; and the
Kathak Indian Dancers, whose style
serves as the underpinning of fla
menco, performing on Saturday at 5
p.m. on the main stage.
Variety band The Sugar Beets
will close out on Saturday, per
forming at 9 p.m. on the main
stage. The Sugar Beets have played
at the Folk Festival for a number
of years. Drummer Brian West, the
band’s newest member, said it is
important for the group to have
something fresh and exciting to
play each year.
“Even though we’ve done it for
many years, it’s all we think
about,” West said. “We don’t want
it to be the same band every year.”
West hinted at the possibility of
the band members wearing cos
tumes and said he hopes festival
goers will check out the indoor
events — such as those in The
Buzz Coffeehouse — because the
Folk Festival isn’t all about the
main stage. The Eugene Weekly
printed the Folk Festival schedule
free of charge, and radio-station
KLCC is broadcasting music.
Bowers said although this year’s
scant budget may create difficul
ties for next year’s festival plan
ning, she remains optimistic.
“It’s going to be tough — you’ve
just got to be resourceful,” she said.
“Hopefully, everything works out.”
Contact the Pulse reporter
at aaronshakra@dailyemerald.com.
Ill
Entertainment Calendar
Friday, May 16
8 p.m. — Loretta Lynn
(country), Silva Concert Hall,
Hult Center, Seventh Avenue
and Willamette Street, 682
5000, $32-$42
8:30 p.m. — Middle
Eastern Dance Guild
of Eugene (traditional and
interpretive dance), Cafe
Paradiso, 115 W. Broadway,
484-9933, $4 cover
9 p.m. — Cynthia Mullis
(jazz saxophone), Luna, 30
E. Broadway, 344-6948, $6
9:30 p.m. — Bus Driver &
Radioinactive as The
Weather, Awol One, Andre
Afram Asmar (hip-hop),
WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth
Ave., 687-2746, $8 advance,
$10 door
9:30 p.m, — Little Charlie
and the Nightcats (rock),
Wild Duck Music Hall, 169W.
Sixth Ave., 485-3825, $12,
ages 21 and over
Saturday, May 17
8 p.m. — “The Complete
Works of William
Shakespeare (Abridged)”
(theater), Soreng Theater,
Hult Center, Seventh Avenue
and Willamette Street, 682
5000, $20-$35
8:30 p.m. — Shelley James
Musicbox (soulful danceable
pop rock R&B), Luna, 30 E.
Broadway, 344-6948, $7
9 p.m. —- Tony Kaltenberg
(solo guitar shaman with
percussive trancy
fingerstyle) Cafe Paradiso,
115W. Broadway, 484-9933,
$10.50 advance
9:30 p.m. -— Drumattica,
Deflower, Avery Bell (rock),
WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth
Ave., 687-2746, $7 cover
Sunday, May 18
3 p.m.— University
Symphony (classical), Beall
Concert Hall, 961 E. 18th
Ave., 346-5678, $3
students and seniors, $5
general admission
9:30 p.m. — Swingin’ Ut
ters, Youth Brigade, Pistol
Grip (punk rock), WOW
Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave.,
687-2746, $ 10 advance,
$10 door
Tuesday, May 20
9 p.m. — Bluegrass Jam
Oam session), Sam Bond’s
Garage, 407 Blair Blvd.,
431-6603, free
Wednesday,
May 21
9 p.m. — Oregon Wind
Ensemble and UO
Symphonic Band
(symphony), Beall Concert
Hall, 961 E. 18th Ave.,
346-5678, $3 students
and seniors, $5 general
admission
9 p.m. — The Roots with
Cody Chestnut and Skillz
(hip-hop), McDonald
Theatre, 1010 Willamette St.,
345-4442, $22.50
9 p.m. — Living Daylights
Oazz funk), Sam Bond's
Garage, 407 Blair Blvd.,
431-6603, $5
Thursday, May 22
8:30 p.m. —Justin Hopkins
(acoustic), Cafe Paradiso,
115 W. Broadway, 484-9933,
$5 door
C|\ot folk?
Why, yes we do! The finest local
and regional folk acts appear every
Saturday on the Market Stage. Add
in superb shopping from local
artisans and fabulous food made
fresh on site and you’ve got a great
way to spend any Saturday...
Local Crafts • Great Food • Live Entertainment
Every Saturday • 10 am - 5 pm • Rain or Shine • 8th & Oak
www.eugenesaturdaymarket.org
Continuing Education at PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY ptesvnts
M @ memorial coliseum
Tickets are $29, $20, & $15
A limited number of tickets are available
to students for $5 with student discount.
{Student 1.0. most be presented at the
time o? sale one ticket per student,
no phone or Internet orders on student
tickets). Seryice charges are additional
I I
Jkr% : > ; Iifeftf h '
Oil I : UJILII
miCHRGL mOORE
Tickets are available at the RSU Box Office. Rose Quarter Ticket
Office, at ail Ticketmaster locations including Fred Meyer and PORT! AND STATE
ticket master kte’s store& «n the Web at rosequarter.com or tickettnaster.com, UNIVERSf H
or by calling 503-224-440G. Groups please call 503-963-4400.