Folk Alliance International 2014

[heatherkay]

I didn't have tickets, but I hit up the opening night of this conference at Crown Center last night. This is a legitimate international affair -- I met musicians from the Netherlands, Scotland, Australia, and Canada, as well as the more mundane music generating cities. "Folk" appears to be pretty broadly defined, including stuff you would expect (bluegrass, old-timey, singer-songwriter) and stuff that you might not (reggae, jazz, flamenco, roots-oriented pop or rock).

The energy in the hotel was amazing, and this will be a great thing for KC if it continues here. The whole thing is founded by one of the guys that founded SXSW, and it really did feel a lot like SXSW felt back in the 90s. It looks like the single-day showcase tickets are sold out, but they might still have the 4-day wristbands available. Be on the lookout for hungover, out-of-town musicians in the vicinity of the Crossroads. Take pity on them and steer them toward coffee and reasonably priced lunches.

[grovester]

I heard some tickets will be available at the door.

[heatherkay]

Yeah, they have a "limited" number (not sure what that translates to) that will be on-sale starting at 5:00 each day. They were pretty lax about checking for tickets last night, but that was kinda the "opening reception." Not sure if they will be cracking down today.

[brewcrew1000]

This conference will be here until at least 2018

Would you do the Northern or Southern Van Tour. http://www.folkalliance.org/conference/see-kansas-city/

[cknab1]

They told us there might be $25 tickets at the base of the escalators in the Westin lobby. As you said, starting at 5:00. We are going to try and go Friday and Saturday nights.

And the Brassiere in the Westin lobby has extended their Happy Hour from 5:30 to midnight Thursday and Friday. some half price drinks and apps. Believe me at the Brassiere, that really helps.

[heatherkay]

This conference will be here until at least 2018

Would you do the Northern or Southern Van Tour. http://www.folkalliance.org/conference/see-kansas-city/

Well, it's committed for that long, but if they don't get people registering and attending shows, then there's no guarantee they'd keep having it.

I'd do the southern tour, just because a lot of the stuff on the northern route is walkable/easily busable from Crown Center. One of the musicians I ran into last night had already made it to a bunch of the stuff in the loop. If it's Sunday, I'd the northern route, maybe, to go see Knuckleheads.

[WinchesterMysteryHouse]

http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/archives ... nce?page=2

[loftguy]

http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/archives ... nce?page=2

Found myself at Crown Center to meet friends staying there for a farm commodity conference. I had known the folk alliance convention was going on, but I had forgotten.

Crown Center was filled with the hippest of the hipsters. Lots of groovy hats, beards and striped socks of every kind. Tiny t-shirts and torn, faded, slightly oversized Levi 501's with rolled cuffs over gnarled boots. Cutest bunch of tune benders around.

I ended up just hanging in the hallways and outside the meeting rooms. The music was spilling out of the educational sessions and a lot of impromptu and orchestrated jams were erupting.

Next year I'm going to plan to make more of this convention a part of my calendar.

[heatherkay]

The whole thing was un-fucking-believable.

[Demosthenes]

Next year I'm going to plan to make more of this convention a part of my calendar.

Yes me too. I feel like I really missed out on something special . It is so truly amazing that we have this in Kansas City.

Btw it says the alliance opened up a folk store on Delaware in the River Market. Does anyone know if this was just a pop-up boutique or if it will stick around? Four Square calls this shop the world headquarters of the Folk Alliance International.

[heatherkay]

It's a permanent store, and has been there for at least 6 months. I read somewhere that they are considering moving to the Boone Theater in the Jazz District.

[rxlexi]

I didn't make it to the conference this year but can attest to the energy in the area. Sipping a coffee at Parisi in the days leading up to the weekend, Union Station played host to a number of hipster folk music types of all ages. These folks were having a great time, enjoying the space and each other's company, walking across the pedestrian bridge to the Freighthouse restuarants, etc. This event is a major coup for the region, and I would love to see the Alliance really lay down some roots here.

Further, downtown (loop) on Saturday had another one of those wonderful, "synergistic" kind of things going on, with the folk conference and various other events in the area (umkc roos game which I attended, and PBR at Sprint, to name two). Folks walking everywhere, hotels packed, on a cold February evening. A beautiful thing.

[bobbyhawks]

I didn't make it to the conference this year but can attest to the energy in the area. Sipping a coffee at Parisi in the days leading up to the weekend, Union Station played host to a number of hipster folk music types of all ages. These folks were having a great time, enjoying the space and each other's company, walking across the pedestrian bridge to the Freighthouse restuarants, etc. This event is a major coup for the region, and I would love to see the Alliance really lay down some roots here.

Further, downtown (loop) on Saturday had another one of those wonderful, "synergistic" kind of things going on, with the folk conference and various other events in the area (umkc roos game which I attended, and PBR at Sprint, to name two). Folks walking everywhere, hotels packed, on a cold February evening. A beautiful thing.

It seems like another lifetime ago, but just around 7 years back, people who had worked downtown for years were reluctant to walk more than a block. I remember when the P&L first opened, a few of my older co-workers insisted on driving from 12th and Wyandotte to the P&L, and then called to say they weren't coming to Raglan Road because parking was too confusing. Now, people in that same demographic don't bat an eye at walking down the street. It is sad to say that getting people to walk three or four blocks is a win, but the changes downtown have moved the needle, however small.

Ghost town was a polite term on a Tuesday night (and sometimes during a Tuesday day), but now it isn't completely uncommon to see a well populated grocery store and a concert or two nearby drawing later pedestrian traffic. The unfortunate label of downtown consisting of mainly the P&L is slowly dissolving, and I think folks are realizing that there are things in the P&L that aren't as annoying as advertised, just as there is way more to downtown than the P&L.

[Demosthenes]

It seems like another lifetime ago, but just around 7 years back, people who had worked downtown for years were reluctant to walk more than a block. I remember when the P&L first opened, a few of my older co-workers insisted on driving from 12th and Wyandotte to the P&L, and then called to say they weren't coming to Raglan Road because parking was too confusing. Now, people in that same demographic don't bat an eye at walking down the street. It is sad to say that getting people to walk three or four blocks is a win, but the changes downtown have moved the needle, however small.

Ghost town was a polite term on a Tuesday night (and sometimes during a Tuesday day), but now it isn't completely uncommon to see a well populated grocery store and a concert or two nearby drawing later pedestrian traffic. The unfortunate label of downtown consisting of mainly the P&L is slowly dissolving, and I think folks are realizing that there are things in the P&L that aren't as annoying as advertised, just as there is way more to downtown than the P&L.

They would drive from 12th and Wyandotte to PNL? Wow, that is remarkably pathetic. Literally a couple blocks through the most dense blocks in KC. How in the world would you plan on driving? Haha funny stuff.

You are right though. Downtown is sooo different today than it was 7 years ago. People love to talk shit on Power & Light but this city would be a much different place without it. I see it as maybe THE catalyst for the resurgence of not only downtown but the city in general. It opened up the city to a whole world of suburban people that were down right terrified of downtown before hand. In almost an instant it seemed that all of this changed. People I went to high school with that were scared of downtown at the time now live in high rises in the loop. It is really crazy! Downtown is without a doubt THE spot to be in Kansas City

[loftguy]

It seems like another lifetime ago, but just around 7 years back, people who had worked downtown for years were reluctant to walk more than a block. I remember when the P&L first opened, a few of my older co-workers insisted on driving from 12th and Wyandotte to the P&L, and then called to say they weren't coming to Raglan Road because parking was too confusing. Now, people in that same demographic don't bat an eye at walking down the street. It is sad to say that getting people to walk three or four blocks is a win, but the changes downtown have moved the needle, however small.

Ghost town was a polite term on a Tuesday night (and sometimes during a Tuesday day), but now it isn't completely uncommon to see a well populated grocery store and a concert or two nearby drawing later pedestrian traffic. The unfortunate label of downtown consisting of mainly the P&L is slowly dissolving, and I think folks are realizing that there are things in the P&L that aren't as annoying as advertised, just as there is way more to downtown than the P&L.

They would drive from 12th and Wyandotte to PNL? Wow, that is remarkably pathetic. Literally a couple blocks through the most dense blocks in KC. How in the world would you plan on driving? Haha funny stuff.

You are right though. Downtown is sooo different today than it was 7 years ago. People love to talk shit on Power & Light but this city would be a much different place without it. I see it as maybe THE catalyst for the resurgence of not only downtown but the city in general. It opened up the city to a whole world of suburban people that were down right terrified of downtown before hand. In almost an instant it seemed that all of this changed. People I went to high school with that were scared of downtown at the time now live in high rises in the loop. It is really crazy! Downtown is without a doubt THE spot to be in Kansas City

Thank you Kay Barnes...

[brewcrew1000]

I still feel like this event doesn't get the recognition it deserves, when the conference moves to Montreal in 2019 do you know if the HQ will move as well or is that staying in KC?

[kboish]

http://www.kansascity.com/entertainment ... 83864.html

This article says only the convention is leaving. HQ will stay as will what has become an annual Folk Festival in CC.

The Folk Alliance International Conference will leave Kansas City in 2019, but the organization and its headquarters aren’t going anywhere. Nor is the annual Kansas City Folk Festival.

“We have such an amazing team here,” said Aengus Finnan, the alliance’s executive director. “We’ve grown from a staff of two, three years ago, to a staff of seven plus two interns. It’s been a real joy to find that level of passion and skill, and I have no interest in trying to do that again in another city. There’s no reason to. The team is just too tight.”

[grovester]

I think by "moving", the plan is to rotate the conference, so perhaps it will be back.

[KCtoBrooklyn]

I think by "moving", the plan is to rotate the conference, so perhaps it will be back.

Yeah. When they announced the conference come here, it was known that it was just for a few years and would be on a rotation. Still, I hoped they might decide to just keep it here.

I'm glad to hear about the Folk Festival. Hopefully that can turn into something great.

One thing that struck me about the conference is that it seemed somewhat contained to the Westin. Even though the organizers set up some outside events, I got the impression that with all of the showcases and other events happening in the hotel practically 24/7, many attendees rarely ventured outside. I will be curious if the streetcar changes that this year.