Text and Photos by Peter Vankevich
The three-day Ocrafolk Festival went out, to riff on American poet T.S. Eliot, not with a whimper but a bang.
The festival has a traditional coda of having the performers on stage for a final all-star jam — no rehearsals and most never having performed together.
“I’m not sure where we are heading with this,” said a smiling Gary Mitchell, the festival organizer and a member of the host band Molasses Creek.
But it headed in various directions before ending with a rip-roaring finale.
Bob Zentz along with partner Jean McDougall Zentz was first up to perform a song he wrote many years ago. But as it was just one week shy of his 80th birthday, he had to wait until the audience sang happy birthday.
Zentz, who Mitchell said coined the name “Ocrafolk,” has been a part of the festival since it started. He is a legend in Norfolk with his Ramblin’ Conrad’s Guitar Shop & Folklore Center that he ran for nearly 25 years.
The Clement Brothers of Massachusetts, who nearly missed their performance due to a canceled flight, did a wonderful rendition of “Graceland” as the other musicians joined in.
But the star of the jam was Lipbone Redding who was asked to perform two songs and bring the festival to a close.
He exudes a contagious joy and has an amazing vocal ability to create a one-man-band by incorporating various percussive and trumpet sounds into his singing.
The jam went beyond the scheduled one hour with Redding leading everyone in his rousing song “Love is the Answer for World Peace,” during which he waved the musicians by name onto the stage, giving them the opportunity to shine with virtuoso guitar leads, mandolin and banjo picking, singing, drumming and clogging.
There was also an African kora, played by Diali Cissokho, and a European melodica by Allison Wiener.
It was hard to tell who was enjoying it more, the audience or the musicians.
“It’s been brilliant,” noted Cindy Davia of Beaufort as she watched Sunday afternoon. “There’s a great variety of culture, harmony and new acts.”
The festival was founded in 2000 by Mitchell and Dave Tweedie and their then-trio Molasses Creek as a music, storytelling and art event along Howard Street. Now produced by the nonprofit Ocracoke Alive with Tweedie as its executive director, it has grown considerably with a mix of music: folk, bluegrass, rock, jazz, Gospel, African, Latin and classical.
In addition to host Molasses Creek, other local musicians performing were Martin Garrish and Friends that included young drummer/guitarist Dallas Mason and former islander Lou Castro, the Aaron Caswell Trio and Brooke & Nick.
Storytelling has always been a component with this year featuring Donald Davis, Philip Howard and Rodney Kemp, all of whom have participated for years. There was also a spoken word workshop with Ella Ralston.
Other activities include fish printing, a drum circle, juggling, puppeteering and an instrument “petting zoo.”
Jef the Mime (Jef Lambdin) with his juggling and the Paperhand Puppets Saturday afternoon parade add every year to the unique character of the festival. There was also a square dance, a Saturday evening ghost talk and early Sunday morning yoga.
In addition to the performances, local and regional artisans had booths selling a wide variety of artwork, fine crafts. fragrant soaps and more. Some island nonprofits and the National Park Service also had tables.
Every year the performers are a mix of those who have performed in the past and new acts. Cassie and Maggie McDonald, sisters from Nova Scotia, returned after a seven-year absence, bringing their mix of traditional and contemporary maritime music, sung in English and Scottish Gaelic.
“We are so glad to be back. This was one of our very first festivals and one of our most memorable,” said Cassie McDonald before reprising “Buain A’Choirce” (Reaping the Oats) a milling song that weavers would sing as they worked. Many remember them performing it on their first visit.
Popular returning favorites Humberto (Berto) Oliveira Sales and Madeline Holly Sales have added a percussionist, Matt Wyatt, renaming them as Beleza Trio. Berto also teamed up again with guitarist Vincent Zorn to perform Brazilian and Spanish music: Latin Gypsy rumba, flamenco and bossa nova.
The Rev. Robert Jones Sr. was a new performer who made a new set of fans. Proudly hailing from Detroit, Michigan, he is a blues singer, a pastor and has an extraordinary gift for weaving storytelling into his songs.
He drew laughs imitating the way “Amazing Grace” is sung in white and Black Methodist churches and also a bluesy version of the Black Baptist churches.
“When I was a young boy, I used to get in trouble because I would imitate the preacher, or I imitate some older person,” he told the audience. “I wasn’t doing it to be disrespectful. It’s that I loved the sound of a voice or a phrase.”
His skill includes being able imitate other performers’ music styles, such as when he imitated how Willie Nelson sings.
Another new group was The Biscuit Eaters, who are the Wilkerson family, a seven-piece, old time bluegrass band out of Surry County. They were a big hit Saturday morning inside the Berkley Barn, which was filled with dancers, and they also performed at the square dance. The Wilkerson members are parents Meredith and Jason and their children, the youngest is fiddler Molly just 5 years old.
Louis Allen was back introducing the acts as he has since the festival began. One would be hard pressed to find a more entertaining and colorful emcee in North Carolina. Allen also performed at the Sunday morning Songs That Matter session.
Sunday morning turned spiritual with early morning yoga led by Desiree Adams and Yoga Nidra with Redding, followed by Freeform Movement with Saltare Sounds.
Outside on a weather-perfect morning, the traditional Gospel Sing was led by Adams, Louis Allen and Mitchell.
It followed with “Songs that Matter” with Mitchell, Rev. Jones, Jeanne and Bob Zentz and Louis Allen performing songs and explaining why they chose them, that included old favs like “If I Had a Hammer,” “Where have All the Flowers Gone,” “Deportee,” “100 Miles” and a poem by Maya Angelou put to music by Jeanne Zentz.
Those visiting had to make some hard decisions as performances were in three stages on the Berkley Manor grounds and workshops, where performers discuss their crafts and answer questions, were nearby on the Ocracoke Preservation Society grounds. Fortunately, the performers had more than one stage appearance throughout the three days.
Executive Director Tweedie noted the energy from the spontaneous collaboration among the musical sensibilities.
“You know it’s going to be a great festival when you bring in all these incredible musicians each doing their own thing but when it comes together and the collaboration happens on the spot, it just sends it to a whole new level,” he said. “That was something that was really special this year.”
While visual art instruction is offered in Ocracoke School, Tweedie told the audience on Sunday that students get some performing arts instruction through the after school program and the programming Ocracoke Alive does throughout the year thanks to proceeds from the festival.
Island visitor Tresha Thorsen noticed the camaraderie among the musicians and those working behind the scenes, and the joy on audience members’ faces.
“The festival feels like a gift for the county, state and region,” she said, “a bit of come-together to celebrate what’s possible for the world.”
Connie Leinbach contributed to this story.
