Published: Friday, May 23, 2008
Culture's the star at Folklife
A rapper from Tulalip and a flutist from Snohomish will perform at the festival this weekend.
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Kisar Jones-Fryberg of Tulalip, who performs as Komplex Kai, will be onstage Sunday at this year's Northwest Folklife Festival.
The Northwest Folklife Festival isn't about big names or tent-pole acts.
No, the massive four-day event is about thousands of individuals coming out of their basements and garages to play during Memorial Day weekend.
"There are no headliners at Folklife and there never have been," said Devon Leger, a festival program coordinator from Shoreline. "The intention is to take over the Seattle Center and everyone can share their culture."
Still, each year, the festival settles on a cultural focus. This year, organizers turned toward urban American Indians, with the spotlight falling on a rapper from the Tulalip Tribes and a flutist living in Snohomish, among others.
As a member of the Tulalips, Kisar Jones-Fryberg performs as Komplex Kai, drawing inspiration for his conscious rhymes in part from life on the reservation.
"I definitely want to see native hip-hop rise, you know what I'm saying?" Jones-Fryberg said. "Because that's really a section of the genre that hasn't been tapped into before."
During his 8 p.m. Sunday performance at the festival, the 21-year-old promises to get rowdy, playing songs off his latest disc, "What's Done Is Done."
"We go savage," he said in a deep baritone. "That's how we do it from the res. They used to call us savage back in the day, but they didn't really know the meaning of the word, so now we put the words on track and jump on stage and show them."
On a different note, flutist Peter Ali plans to play during the festival's 7 p.m. Saturday benefit concert. While the festival itself is free -- donations are accepted -- admission to the benefit costs $10 in advance or $15 at the box office.
Ali, who lives in Snohomish, traces his heritage back to his mother. She was Yaqui, an Indian tribe from Mexico and the southwestern United States. Still, Ali doesn't play Yaqui-styled flute.
"I guess I could call it Yaqui if I liked to, but what I play is not like anyone else," he said. "I would call it contemporary."
His loose and melodic style relies on improvisation.
"People will ask, 'Gee, what's the name of that song?'" the 51-year-old recalled. "I say, 'I don't have names for my songs. However they make you feel, if it puts you in a good place, you can call it what you want.'"
Outside American Indian performers, world music often takes center stage at the festival. Senegalese Afropop, traditional Zimbabwean music and Polynesian dance are on tap.
Still, fans of traditional folk won't be left blowin' in the wind, thanks to acts such as the New Folksters, playing at 1 p.m. today.
A number of other bands from Snohomish County intend to perform. They include Piper's Creek, a Snohomish act that plays a blend of Scottish and Irish music, and Jewbilee, a so-called Jewgrass band from the Everett area that reinterprets traditional Jewish music with an eye toward jazz, bluegrass and swing.
Piper's Creek plays at 11 a.m. Saturday and Jewbilee plays at noon Monday.
All told, the festival, which launched in 1972, is expected to attract as many as 250,000 people from this afternoon through Monday night. More than 800 acts could perform, meaning somewhere around 6,000 musicians will take the stage.
"It's huge," Leger said. "It's the largest community arts festival in the nation. There's nothing that compares to it."
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com
No, the massive four-day event is about thousands of individuals coming out of their basements and garages to play during Memorial Day weekend.
"There are no headliners at Folklife and there never have been," said Devon Leger, a festival program coordinator from Shoreline. "The intention is to take over the Seattle Center and everyone can share their culture."
Still, each year, the festival settles on a cultural focus. This year, organizers turned toward urban American Indians, with the spotlight falling on a rapper from the Tulalip Tribes and a flutist living in Snohomish, among others.
As a member of the Tulalips, Kisar Jones-Fryberg performs as Komplex Kai, drawing inspiration for his conscious rhymes in part from life on the reservation.
"I definitely want to see native hip-hop rise, you know what I'm saying?" Jones-Fryberg said. "Because that's really a section of the genre that hasn't been tapped into before."
During his 8 p.m. Sunday performance at the festival, the 21-year-old promises to get rowdy, playing songs off his latest disc, "What's Done Is Done."
"We go savage," he said in a deep baritone. "That's how we do it from the res. They used to call us savage back in the day, but they didn't really know the meaning of the word, so now we put the words on track and jump on stage and show them."
On a different note, flutist Peter Ali plans to play during the festival's 7 p.m. Saturday benefit concert. While the festival itself is free -- donations are accepted -- admission to the benefit costs $10 in advance or $15 at the box office.
Ali, who lives in Snohomish, traces his heritage back to his mother. She was Yaqui, an Indian tribe from Mexico and the southwestern United States. Still, Ali doesn't play Yaqui-styled flute.
"I guess I could call it Yaqui if I liked to, but what I play is not like anyone else," he said. "I would call it contemporary."
His loose and melodic style relies on improvisation.
"People will ask, 'Gee, what's the name of that song?'" the 51-year-old recalled. "I say, 'I don't have names for my songs. However they make you feel, if it puts you in a good place, you can call it what you want.'"
Outside American Indian performers, world music often takes center stage at the festival. Senegalese Afropop, traditional Zimbabwean music and Polynesian dance are on tap.
Still, fans of traditional folk won't be left blowin' in the wind, thanks to acts such as the New Folksters, playing at 1 p.m. today.
A number of other bands from Snohomish County intend to perform. They include Piper's Creek, a Snohomish act that plays a blend of Scottish and Irish music, and Jewbilee, a so-called Jewgrass band from the Everett area that reinterprets traditional Jewish music with an eye toward jazz, bluegrass and swing.
Piper's Creek plays at 11 a.m. Saturday and Jewbilee plays at noon Monday.
All told, the festival, which launched in 1972, is expected to attract as many as 250,000 people from this afternoon through Monday night. More than 800 acts could perform, meaning somewhere around 6,000 musicians will take the stage.
"It's huge," Leger said. "It's the largest community arts festival in the nation. There's nothing that compares to it."
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com
Story tags »
• Community festivals • Customs & Traditions • Culture (general) • Snohomish • Tulalip • MusicComments
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