![](https://www.davefrymusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/DSC08207-225x300.jpg)
On stage at Father Folk
One of my favorite summer gigs is a freebee out south of Reading, PA, in a grove beyond some corn fields in the middle of nowhere. Father Folk Festival is a yearly summer weekend, with camping and late-night jamming, a comfortable sound stage and dedicated volunteers that put on this “word-of-mouth only” festival, a genuine community event. The group doesn’t want folks to get out of hand. A wise move. I’ve been blessed to play here for over ten years.
The acts on Friday and Saturday are a mix of friends putting together sets together, a few professionals and some folks who just want some stage-time once a year, all of which makes for a very friendly, non-competitive atmosphere that I enjoy. This audience is particularly intelligent and my challenge is to grab their attention and maintain it for my set.
I started with Don’t Call Me Early and surprised myself by following with a rocker Nadine. By then, the audience had settled in, no longer chatting among themselves, and the grove was mine. At this point I called on my A set with Giant, We Are Welcomed, Giants, How Legends Are Made and finished with Lessons From Pete. I had planned on featuring Happy Traum’s Golden Bird, but decided to go with the hits. Drat. My Martin really sounded good today, and gave me great pleasure, as always, to pound on this beast.
Early in the set, I saluted the Gray Beards and Old Hippies who are now annual familiar faces, and, after my set, as I sat next to my bud Chris Simmons (his first appearance), accepted a bunch of compliments from folks and friends. It was a draining performance, pretty hot on stage and I was somewhat fatigued from playing earlier at the farmers’ market, but I felt really satisfied with my set. The respect from this audience was quite gratifying and the setting unique. A summertime treat!
I packed up my CDs, gave a few away and drove back to home late afternoon. Looks like some car troubles in the future. No money today, but feeling good about my music. I look forward to next year.