{"id":2036,"date":"2020-11-27T22:14:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T22:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=2036"},"modified":"2020-11-27T22:19:50","modified_gmt":"2020-11-27T22:19:50","slug":"ftv-random-pmmf-memories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/?p=2036","title":{"rendered":"FTV: Random PMMF Memories"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0My annual ritual of summarizing the backstage events of the Porcupine Mountain Music Festival dates back more than a dozen years.\u00a0 I was organizing some of the articles that I keep filed chronologically, so naturally I started re-reading some of these ghosts of PMMFs past.\u00a0 With the COVID-19 pandemic scuttling our favorite local festival this past summer, I thought a little retreading a few favorite PMMF moments might help close the gap until PMMF resumes.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Going all the way back to PMMF #2 would be a good place to start.\u00a0 This was the first festival that I volunteered at and the first festival that featured a group more or less recruited by WOAS-FM.\u00a0 Having made contact with Trees front woman Lindsay Tomasic in Los Angeles, I found out that she and her band were originally from Houghton.\u00a0 Once their slot was confirmed, I asked if I could do their introduction on the main stage.\u00a0 It was a thrill to be able to introduce Trees and the other bands who graced the main stage that day.\u00a0 Our first face to face meeting with Lindsay and her crew took place backstage and we have kept in touch ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Another band I was looking forward to hearing that year was Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams.\u00a0 Unfortunately, they encountered airport connection troubles and it became my job to give periodic updates on where the band had last reported in from.\u00a0 When word finally came down that they wouldn\u2019t be able to make their first festival slot on Friday (they were also scheduled for Saturday), Trees was asked to do a second set giving me the opportunity to introduce them twice.\u00a0 When I finally got to meet Slambovian leader Josiah on Saturday, he began telling me about their traveling difficulties to which I replied, \u201cYeah, I know.\u00a0 I was the guy who was keeping everyone abreast of where you were based on your frequent updates.\u201d\u00a0 He laughed and said it was frustrating, but it got to be kind of funny when they had to keep calling to say, \u201cWell, no, we haven\u2019t gotten a flight yet.\u201d\u00a0 Traveling to the wilds of the Upper Peninsula can give one the idea that we certainly are at the end of the Earth.\u00a0 Throw in a little Time Zone confusion and it becomes an even more interesting place to visit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Depending on which definitive historical source you would like to believe, I find the one making the UP part of the Eastern Time Zone a business decision the most plausible.\u00a0 When the boom times arrived, most of the mining concerns were owned and funded by groups located in far flung places like Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, and New York City.\u00a0 One popular idea states the businessman who owned the mines and processing plants wanted their properties to be on the same time as the eastern cities and stock exchanges.\u00a0 Geographically, Ontonagon is located near the center of what would normally be the Central Time Zone.\u00a0 Confusion on the whole time zone issue was multiplied when the Michigan\/Wisconsin border counties asked to be on Central Time to make it easier to conduct commercial transactions between the two states.\u00a0 Not all of the PMMF artists coming north through Wisconsin get the memo about the Time Zone thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When Peter Mulvey drove up from Milwaukee for his main stage slot, he gave himself some extra time to motor north.\u00a0 He was feeling great as he turned west on Memorial Highway 107, at least until his phone updated to the local standard, EST zone.\u00a0 Mulvey suddenly realized that he wasn\u2019t an hour early.\u00a0 He drove up to the festival grounds right when he should have been taking the stage.\u00a0 The band that had been scheduled for the upper stage (the Singing Hills stage where I was working) had already been transferred down to the main stage and we were trying to figure out what to do in order to fill their slot.\u00a0 A few minutes before showtime, Mulvey was delivered by golf cart and sheepishly told us the story of his time faux pas.\u00a0 When I promised him I wouldn\u2019t make an jokes about telling time when I introduced him, Peter said, \u201cOh heck no, I screwed up and am going to have a lot of fun making fun of myself, so don\u2019t pull any punches.\u201d\u00a0 While it caused us a few anxious moments not knowing if we had an act for our stage, Mulvey put on one of the best solo performances I have ever heard at the Porkies.\u00a0 Yes, he cracked a lot of time jokes, but he played some of the most inspired, soulful songs and I couldn\u2019t wait to pick up a couple of his albums.\u00a0 Had he been on time, he would have played the main stage and I would never have gotten to meet or hear him.\u00a0 Peter wasn\u2019t the first nor will he be the last to get caught in the CST – EST time portal vortex, but it still remains one of my favorite memories from the PMMF.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0As a fan of good old paper maps, I have seen my share of \u2018GPS oops\u2019 events to last me a lifetime.\u00a0 Twice we had Singing Hills Stage artists come in close to the wire because their GPS gave them directions to beautiful downtown Mass City.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t travelled much using GPS for navigation so I can\u2019t exactly explain how directions to the Porkies can divert them to Mass City, but the fact it has happened more than once tells me it wasn\u2019t just user error.\u00a0 The funniest one was the drummer for a trio (who went on as a duo until he finally arrived mid-set) who later said, \u201cI was here last year with a different band.\u00a0 I knew it was sending me in the wrong direction but I went anyway!\u201d\u00a0 We left his drums in the car and set him up with just a mic on his snare drum.\u00a0 The group\u2019s leader didn\u2019t bat an eye when he joined them, but he managed to tell the crowd that perhaps in the future they would just bring the one drum so they could all ride in one car.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In the dozen years I performed the emcee duties at the Singing Hills stage, I only made one major flub introducing a band.\u00a0 With no great reason other than I had their name stuck in my head from seeing their biography in the announcer\u2019s notes, I proudly introduced \u2018The Rag Birds\u2019 only to turn around and see the horrified looks from the band who was about to play.\u00a0 \u201cAh, we like the Rag Birds, but we are The Whistle Stop Review\u2019 their lead singer said to correct my faux pas.\u00a0 All I could think of to say was, \u201cWhy, yes you are!\u00a0 Let me try that again!\u201d\u00a0 The band was terrific about it and (naturally) they gave me a good natured ribbing about it when we cleared their stuff from the stage.\u00a0 As I left the festival grounds that night, I encountered the band\u2019s guitar player and greeted him with a jolly, \u201cHey, aren\u2019t you with the Rag Birds?\u201d\u00a0 to which he jauntily replied, \u201cNo, but I have heard that somewhere before.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Marty the sound guy had even more fun with my \u2018oops\u2019.\u00a0 As I was sitting on a stool waiting for Anna Egge to return after her soundcheck, I heard Marty\u2019s voice coming through the stage monitors.\u00a0 This talkback feature allows him to talk to the band as they set the monitor levels without running the discussion through the main P.A. speakers.\u00a0 \u201cKen, Ken, do you know what the name of the next act is?\u201d\u00a0 I looked out and Marty had a mile wide grin on his face.\u00a0 \u201cYes, Marty.\u00a0 It is Anna Egge.\u201d\u00a0 Marty inquired, \u201cIsn\u2019t it \u2018Aw-nah Egg\u2019?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cNo, Marty, I asked – it is \u2018AN-na Egg-ee\u2019.\u201d\u00a0 When the band finally showed up seconds before showtime, I asked Anna if I could have a little fun with her introduction.\u00a0 She looked at me quizzically but said, \u201cHey, knock yourself out.\u201d\u00a0 I went into my usual background rap about her credentials and ended up by saying, \u201cWould you please welcome to the Singing Hills Stage, \u2018Anna LEGGE\u2019 – oh, I mean \u2018EGGE\u2019!\u201d\u00a0 Marty almost fell off his chair at the soundboard and in all the years we worked together, it was the only time I can remember getting a \u2018leg up\u2019 on him.\u00a0 I turned and told the band, \u201cSorry, but that was for Marty!\u201d and they smiled without really understanding what had transpired between their sound check and introduction.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There have been so many great acts that it is difficult to rank them in any kind of sensical order.\u00a0 Musically, the artists represent genres from all over the map.\u00a0 Personality can be another thing all together.\u00a0 As great as some of the musicians are at what they do, they display the same range of personalities that one encounters with \u2018regular folk\u2019.\u00a0 Some are easy to relate to while others seem to come from some other reality.\u00a0 Part of the job working backstage is to engage with the artists to find out what they need before they go on stage.\u00a0 Most are easy to please, but every once in a while, one encounters a performer with issues.\u00a0 I am not being critical here because touring is a stressful way to make a living.\u00a0 It would be unfair to me to speculate if it is \u2018normal\u2019 behavior or \u2018tour induced\u2019 behavior that causes some artists to be a little \u2018off\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Without mentioning names, I was sitting on the back stairs of the Singing Hills Stage during a solo female performer\u2019s set.\u00a0 Marty the sound guy had come backstage to ask about a small problem that had occurred during setup.\u00a0 Just as he turned to leave, the artist on stage stopped and told the audience, \u201cI am sorry, I was distracted by the talking backstage and lost my place.\u201d\u00a0 She started again but by then Mary the stage manager was backstage more than a little irate:\u00a0 \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d\u00a0 Marty rolled his eyes and said, \u201cWE didn\u2019t do anything – we were talking about the problem from the soundcheck.\u00a0 SHE lost her place and blamed us.\u201d\u00a0 Mary calmed down, shrugged and left it at that.\u00a0 One part of me was tempted to do the artist\u2019s walkoff by asking, \u201cWhat was your name again?\u201d but in this case, professionalism seemed to be the valid path.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mary has to have a lot of faith in the festival volunteers because her job with Armadillo Sound keeps her hopping between two stages.\u00a0 At a more recent festival, the male half of the group The War and The Treaty had a dramatic moment built in where he dropped to his knees on stage while emoting the lyrics of a song.\u00a0 Mary happened to come stageside just then and nodded toward the stage and mouthed, \u201cWhat happened?\u201d\u00a0 I whispered, \u201cHave you ever seen James Brown do the schtick where he falls to his knees and they put a cape around him, lead him off and then he shakes it off to continue performing? \u00a0 This is their \u2018James Brown\u2019 moment.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cOh,\u201d she said, \u201cI thought he was having a medical event.\u00a0 I wondered why you guys were just standing here watching.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Buckwheat Zydeco is one of my absolute favorite PMMF performers, God rest his soul.\u00a0 With his son playing the organ, the band came out and did the soundcheck without Buckwheat (aka:\u00a0 Stanley Dural, Jr. 1947-2016).\u00a0 After they were introduced, the band began their headlining slot by warming up the audience before Buckwheat came on stage.\u00a0 We had already finished\u00a0 clearing up the Singing Hills Stage so as was my usual habit, I stopped stageside to catch at least the beginning of the headliner\u2019s set.\u00a0 Right on cue, Buckwheat came out of the backstage area resplendent in his sequined coat and stylish hat.\u00a0 On the way to the stage, he stopped and shook hands with everyone wearing a PMMF volunteer shirt and lanyard.\u00a0 In each case, he made eye contact and said, \u201cThank you so much for being here.\u201d\u00a0 This was the same kind of \u2018old time professional road warrior vibe\u2019 I had felt when BB King shook every hand in sight leaving the stage of Hedgecock Fieldhouse at NMU several decades earlier.\u00a0 A confident performer like that has no trouble selling records because they have an aura of \u2018here we are, thanks for being here, now we can have a good time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Another band I was looking forward to hearing was Donna the Buffalo.\u00a0 I was nursing a bum knee so the best I could do when they unloaded their bus was to give directions and stay out of the way.\u00a0 The younger guys grunting their organ up the backstairs to the stage had their work cut out for them.\u00a0 It looked like they had one roady\/sound guy with them and the rest of the set up was done with a couple of the band members.\u00a0 They hit the stage and played a wonderful ninety minute set.\u00a0 They were just getting into the last song when security reported that there had been a motorcycle accident on M107 right outside the festival grounds and the police had asked if we could keep the crowd in place until they had things cleared up.\u00a0 Emcee Harold approached Tara and Jeb to ask if they could extend their encore a bit while I explained what was up to the rest of the band.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In another example of how a professional band deals with things, Tara and Jeb went back on stage and started a little violin and guitar \u2018discussion\u2019.\u00a0 This went on for nearly ten minutes and no one in the crowd had moved an inch.\u00a0 Eventually, the rest of the band filtered back on stage and proceeded to extend the ten minute solo spot into a 25 minute long jam.\u00a0 Every now and then, Tara would look backstage and I would shrug and wave my hand as in, \u201cNope, not yet.\u201d\u00a0 When security reported all was well, I gave her a thumbs up, the band did a big finish, said goodnight, and they were off to the merch tent to sign CDs.\u00a0 They never said a word to the crowd about why they were almost thirty minutes longer than normal and everyone went away feeling like they had just seen something special.\u00a0 I was impressed how they handled the whole affair like it was something they did all the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Here is to all those artists who make their living on the road.\u00a0 We are truly looking forward to having the COVID 19 pandemic under control so we can resume something akin to normal.\u00a0 I can\u2019t say it will happen for sure, but if the PMMF is able to resume in August of 2021, I will be there with bells on – hope you will be there too.<\/span><\/p>\n

Top Piece Video:\u00a0 This is Donna the Buffalo’s show closer, normally.\u00a0 Jeb (in hat) and Tara (violin) did an extended jam at the PMMF they headlined.\u00a0 They were asked to keep the crowd in place so police had time to clear up an accident that happened just outside of the festival grounds.\u00a0 They were game and never said a word about playing nearly 30 minutes longer than they were contracted for!\u00a0 Professional!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0My annual ritual of summarizing the backstage events of the Porcupine Mountain Music Festival dates back more than a dozen years.\u00a0 I was organizing some of the articles that I keep filed chronologically, so naturally I started re-reading some of these ghosts of PMMFs past.\u00a0 With the COVID-19 pandemic scuttling our favorite local festival this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,12,7,6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bands-musicians","category-from-the-vaults","category-humor","category-local-music-news","category-new-music","category-woas"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2036"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2039,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2036\/revisions\/2039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2036"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2036"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woas-fm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2036"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}