Day 2: April 19, 2013
Good Ol' FOLK
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If I'm near Nashville with an uncommitted morning, there's a very good chance I'll head for the Loveless Cafe. The biscuits alone would make a considerable drive worthwhile and, in the right court, a full breakfast might be considered a legitimate reason for speeding. I couldn't quite make up my mind today so ordered the sampler.

I've attempted to visit Dickson's Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in the past but it's been closed. When I realized that Dickson was only about thirty miles from Loveless Cafe and that I had some time, that's where I headed. The building that houses the museum was constructed in 1912-13. There is quite a variety of displays on local and regional history including one hotel room furnished as it would have been a century ago.

The thing that brought Dickson to my attention a few years ago was the online mention of a faded mural on a downtown building. The mural is of the Tennessee portion of US-70/Broadway of America with an unusual east-to-the-left orientation. The first couple of people I mentioned the mural to at the museum didn't really know what I was talking about. In their defence, it's a fact that the mural is extremely faded. When I did meet someone who was aware of the mural, they shared a rumor that the owner of the business inside the building would like to restore the mural but didn't own the building so could not. Before leaving town, I took fresh pictures of the mural and this time stepped inside. The business would indeed like to refresh the mural and maybe, some day, with a little luck and encouragement, she will.

Back in Nashville, a little time remained before I needed to be at the film festival so I decided to snap a few pictures of where I'm staying. It's the former campus of the Scarritt College for Christian which is now operated as the Scarritt-Bennett Center. The dorm-like rooms are rather spartan but are reasonably priced considering the location next to Music Row and not too far from downtown. There are no TVs or phones and two rooms share a bath but all that is OK by me and the wi-fi works fine. Here's my room including a view from the window. It's an extremely pleasant setting.

This is what I came for. Actually, I came for a single movie and saw two. My only previous experience with film festivals were college campus affairs where you could see lots of movies for little or nothing. Here the rate was twelve bucks a showing. A $45 NaFF membership brought that down to $8 and tickets were free with a $399 membership. I shelled out $24 for tickets to FOLK and a second movie that fit my schedule and sounded somewhat interesting. That second movie, Good Ol' Freda, turned out to be very interesting -- and very good. It's the story of the Beatles secretary, Freda Kelly. Freda has never sought fame and fortune and just recently gave a full set of Beatles autograph to someone who had aided her daughter's career. She's telling her story now for her grandson. The story is interesting; Freda more so.

I came to see FOLK. It's a look at three singer-songwriters and the current folk music scene. All three, Hillary Adamson, Raina Rose, and Dirk Hamilton, make music for its own sake and consider themselves fortunate to make a living -- sometimes barely -- with it. One of the women, I forget which one, describes it as "a great life but not a very good living". It's not a formula feel good movie. The musicians don't conquer all and emerge victorious but they do conquer some and it does feel good to see the passion that they, and a whole bunch of others, have for their music.

This was the movie's world premier. Dirk is in Italy and couldn't attend but many of the people in the movie were there and several headed over to Family Wash after the showing. Hillary & Stuart Adamson and Raina Rose & Anthony da Costa each did a short set and I spoke briefly with FOLK director Sara Terry before calling it a day.


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