Labor Folk Festival Planned at USM’s
L-A College
March 2004
Students at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College will be hosting
the “First Androscoggin Labor Folk Festival” to
be held at the College Saturday, April 3. The event will feature
noted performers Andy Cohen, Dale Robin Lockman, and Lex Romane.
This effort is being undertaken as a class project for the
course “Labor, Literature, and the Arts,” with
instructor Barry Rodrigue, Ph.D. The course explores the ways
in which working people’s lives have been depicted through
fiction, poetry, visual arts, and/or music. “We also
examine the unique impact of labor unions, rural worker’s
organizations, and other labor support associations on the
cultural life of North America,” noted Rodrigue. “This
festival is a natural and exciting outgrowth of what we have
been studying in the course’” he added.
The event is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. with an open
mike session of poetry, songs, jokes, and stories. A contra-dance
(beginners and experts welcome!) will be held from 3:00 -
4:30. Lex Romane and Dale Robin Lockman will then provide
entertainment from 4:30 - 6:00, followed by a potluck supper.
The day’s festivities will be capped by internationally
known folksinger and blues man Andy Cohen from 7:00 - 9:00
p.m.
Andy Cohen has been playing one kind of old-time music or
another since he was barely tall enough to reach the piano
keys. His best-known virtuosity is in the blues - the good
old, honest, down-to-earth, licks-filled acoustic blues. He
is lucky (and old) enough to have learned directly from some
of the greats, including Jim Brewer, Pink Andersen, Honeyboy
Edwards, Rev. Dan Smith, Daniel Womack, and many more. He
is also a scholar of the works of Rev. Gary Davis. Proficient
on the 6 and 12-string guitar he is a talented player of fiddle,
5-string banjo, piano, mandolin and autoharp, and he is the
only performing Dolceolist anywhere. Great grandfather to
the Casio, the Dolceola is a chord zither with a keyboard,
vintage early 1900s. It is played like a piano, and sounds
similar to a harpsichord. Andy's broad repertoire includes
old-time string band music, gospel, Celtic fiddle tunes, country
songs, piano rags, southern mountain music, and English Music
Hall material.
Robin Lockman is a member of the folk trio Mom's Home Cookin'
as well as a solo singer and multi-instrumentalist who plays
guitar, banjo and Appalachian dulcimer. Her musical delight
is uncovering forgotten songs, old and new, and dusting off
these treasures with great care, voice, a sharp wit and extensive
song repertoire. She brings her audiences songs of love, work
and laughter.
Romane is known in and around New England as one half of
the jazz/blues band Lex & Joe's Blueswing. A talented
jazz and blues guitarist, Lex's muscial roots are in the folk
tradition and he has returned to that genre with the release
of his solo recording "Diggin' Dusty Diamonds",
which is receiving critical acclaim and far-reaching radio
airplay. His live performances are remarkable for his full,
clean guitar sound and his gutsy, expressive singing style.
Lex's original songs tap into the soul of the workingman and
reflect the struggles and challenges of the common man with
humor, depth and insight.
The folk festival will be held at L-A College at 51 Westminster
Street in Lewiston. Members of the public are encouraged to
attend and should feel free to come at any time. Attendees
will be asked to pay an admission fee of $5.00, with children
under 12 admitted free. Tickets may be purchased in advance
in room 169 (Barry Rodrigue's office) or from students in
the class. Tickets will also be available at the door. Anyone
interested in the potluck supper is asked to contact Barry
Rodrigue at 753-6574 or rodrigue@usm.maine.edu
for more information.
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