Folk Project holds Spring Acoustic Getaway
Joanne Cronin of Boonton does not play a musical instrument. She says that she sings “a little,” and she dabbles in writing poetry.
But for two weekends each year, Cronin gets to hobnob with a variety of musicians, singers, and established songwriters.
Cronin is a regular attendee of the Acoustic Getaway, the semiannual weekend sponsored by The Folk Project. The workshops and performances for musicians and music-lovers are held at a camp with cabins near Hackettstown.
“It’s one of the highlights of my year,” says Cronin. “You get to forget about nonsense like politics and jobs and things like that. You get to wrap yourself in a cocoon of music.”
The spring 2015 edition of the Acoustic Getaway takes place this Friday through Sunday, May 23 through 25. The weekend is already sold out, but starting July, reservations will being taken for the fall Getaway, scheduled for Oct. 9 through 11.
Cronin first attended the event (formerly known as the Folk Project Festival) in fall 1981. “I can count the number of festivals I’ve missed since then on one hand,” she says with a laugh.
That type of dedication is one of the reasons why the Acoustic Getaway has become one of the Folk Project’s most popular events, according to Mark Shaffer, who organizes the Getaway with his wife, Robin.
Each Getaway offers workshops and scheduled concerts, which are usually punctuated by impromptu jam sessions.
The workshops are geared toward the nuts-and-bolts of different aspects of a performer’s life, from tips on songwriting to suggestions on how to use the Internet to promote your own music.
“I make a beeline to the workshops about songwriting,” says Cronin. “That’s what interests me, unless it’s about something like tunings of a guitar.”
Cronin’s interest is typical of non-performers. “We set up the programs to include a non-players option every hour (of the vent,” writes Mark Schaffer in an e-mail.
Schaffer adds that some non-players have gone on to become performers over the years. “These are people who never, ever expected to (play),” he writes.
“For example, every spring we loan ukuleles to non-players for the whole weekend, give them a lesson, and let them practice,” Schaffer notes.
The Spring 2015 Acoustic Getaway features several established artists who have played the Minstrel, the Folk Project’s Friday night concert series in Morristown.
The line-up includes singer-songwriter Lucy Kaplansky, Pat Donohue, Claudia Schmidt, and Stuart Fuchs.
The chance to mingle with these artists is another one of the Getaway’s appeal, according to Pamela Robinson of New Providence. She attended her first event in fall 1993 and has attended several since then.
Robinson says the Getaway allows her to peak behind the curtain that usually separates the artist from the audience.
“As a non-musician, I find it fascinating,” she says. “You get to sit with a professional musician and find out what makes (him) tick. You find out why they write what they write about. You find out how everyone has a different process.”
The fact that attendance is limited to 150 people makes the event even more special, Robinson says. “It’s such an intimate gathering. You get to interact with the performers in a way you don’t get at the larger festivals.”
FOLK PROJECT FALL 2014 ACOUSTIC GETAWAY
WHAT: Weekend music retreat, consisting of acoustic concerts and workshops for musicians and non-performing music lovers. Performers at the event include Lucy Kaplansky, Pat Donohue, The Wiyos, Claudia Schmidt, and Stuart Fuchs
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 23, through 5 p.m. Sunday, May 25
WHERE: A camp with cabins near Hackettstown
TICKETS: Weekend passes priced at about $200. (Discounts for Folk Project members, and reduced prices for children.) Meals included in ticket price, with on-site lodging available. Further discounts offered for commuting attendees. Limited to 150 attendees by pre-registration only.
INFORMATION: 201-207-8696 or www.folkproject.org/festival