Rod Kennedy can't contain his excitement. I try to throw some more questions into the mix, but he gently halts me. "Wait a minute," he says, "I've got more." He has more people he wants to name, people who will grace the stage this year at the 25th edition of the Kerrville Folk Festival. Recognition is not lost on this list. In fact, it's a very impressive grouping, arguably the best the festival has ever had.
"Opening night," says Kennedy, "Will be some of the original 1972 performers, including Michael Martin Murphy, [Steve] Fromholz, Ray Wylie Hubbard and a bunch of other people who played here 25 years ago." Kennedy keeps a stream of big names flowing amid mention that this year's festival has been expanded from 18 to, appropriately, 25 days.
"There will be a reunion of Ernie Sky & the K-Tels on Friday night," he says. "That was a band that was prominent in the Austin music scene about a decade ago." More and more names, and when I ask if Kennedy has any anecdotes to go along with those names, he moans.
"Thousands," he says, suppressing a weary chuckle, "In fact, I'm writing a book that should be out around Thanksgiving of '97. I don't have a publisher yet. We're still talking. I have an agent and I have several people helping me build bridges between myself and national publishers."
But he digresses: "We've got Sara Hickman, Lucinda Williams, and Butch Hancock on a Saturday night. We have Nanci Griffith closing after Gale Davies and Michael Johnson on the first Sunday."
He pauses, suddenly recalling some of the difficulties he's had to deal with over the years. "We overcame a million dollars in losses during the first 19 years," he says matter of factly. "We had several years with heavy rains, including the year that it rained 15 inches in 14 days out of our 18." Then, just as suddenly, it's back to the names...
"On a Monday, we've got Those Crazy Russians, Gary P. Nunn, Robert Earl Keen. We've also got Eliza Gilkyson, Mumbo Gumbo, Kevin Welch, and Peter Rowan on a Saturday."
Wait. Did he mention the difficulties? "We're emerging from our bankruptcy, finally," Kennedy says coolly, "We're very pleased to still be here and still be healthy and financially stable." For that stability, Kennedy credits his three Texas-based (two in Austin) corporate sponsors: Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, and Schlotzsky's.
"We're happy to have them in the family," he says. "It gives us some stability so everybody can come out and enjoy our 25th anniversary."
But the music, the music: "We've got 29 first-timers this year. We've got people who've been on our waiting list for four years who are finally getting to play. We've got some new folk winners from last year who are playing the big festival this year. We're also looking forward to seeing some people back this year who were first-timers last year. We've got Dar Williams and Catie Curtis coming back for the second year in a row. We've got the first appearance at Kerrville of Ruben Ramos & the Texas Revolution. Hans Theesink from Vienna, the most prominent white blues man on the European continent will be here. Abra Moore is making her debut. Timbuk3 is coming back. Riders in the Sky are coming back for the first time in many years."
For those of you used to torching a stick with your music, try to employ a little discretion at the festival. Sheriff's Department Officials, hired by the festival for crowd control purposes (they are expecting capacity crowds of 6,000-plus on several days), will be lurking about the amphitheater, just as they were last year when undercover officers arrested four people for possession of marijuana.
"Charges only stuck on three people," says Kennedy as a chuckle rises from his throat. "They were just smoking pot on the front row of the theatre and one of the guys handed a joint to one of the undercover guys."
But cops or no, Kennedy can't predict whether the Kerrville Folk Festival will go beyond its Silver Anniversary and reach the Gold (50 years).
I'll do it for another decade, probably," he says, "I don't know if I'll pass it to someone else or shut down. I might go another decade after that. But I don't want to be 76.... " He stops -- then bursts out laughing. "Music keeps me young, though. I'm 66 now and feel like a teenager." n