[FM] Folk Alliance

[Scott and Paula Moore]

In the spirit of the recent thread on awards -- sorry I started that --
here's one ballot for the best of the Folk Alliance conference:

Rachel Bissex/Hot Soup! best button award:
Still on the Hill.
(Homemade paper badges that listed showcase times.)

Best 2000 album:
Berkley Hart, Wreck and Sow. 
(This San Diego duo has songs that refuse to leave my head.)

Honorable mention for 2000 releases:
Hot Soup!, Soup Happens;
Small Potatoes, Waltz of the Wallflowers;
Brett Perkins, Last Bus Home (even in his absence, he delivered);
Steve Key, Scatter Seeds (demo)

Hottest vocals:
Siobhan Quinn; Jonell Mosser; Stephanie Corby.

Hottest room:
Literally, anywhere in the Sheraton on Thursday night.

Best percussion:
Jeff Berkley.
(He had bookers handing him cards after sitting in on the very hip Chris
Rosser/Tom Prasada-Rao showcase.)

Best show:
Chris Chandler, 1 a.m. Thursday night, Prime CD.
(Some of his material is brilliant -- and no matter what others say or
what you might think of his material, you really should see him once.
Plus, the manic accordion player with him was fabulous.)

Best workshop:
Paul Reisler, melody writing.

Best lines:
Paul Reisler, in the melody workshop, after asking if anyone recognized
a particular song: "Of course not, it's one of mine."
Cliff Eberhardt, after a performing before a sparse crowd: "Don't they
know who I used to be?"
Joe Giacoio, introducing a slap-happy guitar number by saying he wrote
it after taking too much "Viagra." He meant "Vivarin."

Weirdest promotional item:
Condoms, mint flavored.
(Who had the time or energy? Of course, maybe if they gave away some
Vivarin, and Viagra...)

Best collaborations:
Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem (Dave Dick, Brooks Williams and Jim Henry).
Reba's Kick Ass Men (Sherpas' Tom Prasada-Rao, Michael Lille and Tom
Kimmel, plus Johnsmith).
Chris Rosser, with Don Porterfield and Joe Ebel.
Tom Prasada-Rao, Chris Rosser and Jeff Berkley at Three Moon Cafe.
Mark Erelli and Jim Henry.
George Wurzbach, Dave Nachmanoff and Julia Alstatt.
The Fox Run house band.

Some of the new (to me, at least), memorable songs:
Berkley Hart, "Barrel of Rain"
Steve Key, "Bull and Ree"
Y'all, "Baby Tree"
Amy Carol Webb, "Can't Kiss Me"
 
Worst career move:
Cliff Eberhardt, accidentally breaking a capo he borrowed from Mustard
Retreat's David Tamulevich, his booking agent.


For pictures of the conference, http://www.erols.com/mooresp/fa.html


Scott Moore
http://www.erols.com/mooresp