Kent State Folk Festival: Failed coverage (almost)

Written by Ty Kellogg

When I originally agreed to cover some of the Kent State Folk Festival ‘Round Town activity, I envisioned running amuck in downtown Kent, hopping from coffee shop to coffee shop, bar to bar, shaking hands and talking music with the people who are responsible for the craft the festival celebrates. However, this didn’t happen. 

David Ullman
© Lesley.anne.k photo | design

I rolled into Kent from the northwest area of Columbus, hitting town about around 8:30 p.m. and running on fumes after a work trip. I parked my car and met up with a gal that I haven’t seen in years, and we proceeded to strike the town in our effort to encompass the folk festival feeling. 

Our first stop was Scribbles, an independently-owned coffee shop on Water Street. Playing that evening was David Ullman, a furrow-browed, sweatin’, sad bastard of a singer-songwriter who has played the Kent-Akron-Cleveland circuit for years. To listen to Ullman, one must have an attuned ear because Ullman is a very intelligent songwriter who is willing to experiment, as shown by his use of a loop pedal and electric bass. But don’t let his shy and polite demeanor fool you;  he can go from a sweet whisper to a lion-like roar in a matter of seconds. 

The room was hot and steam was rising on the windows during the comfortably brisk September evening. The bodies were packed like sardines. People in chairs were sitting on each other’s laps and sitting on the floor, against the wall and behind the counter. When someone left the room, there was an instant rush to fill the seat, and then two more people would emerge to lean against the wall I leaned upon. My date and I left the room as Ullman orchestrated the crowd into his frenzied sing-a-long, “Mulletman.”

Listen Up! WJCU to interview Ty Kellogg at 7 p.m.

Ty Kellogg will be playing his "nitty gritty dirt" tunes and interviewing with Holly on WJCU's A Beautiful Mess at 7 p.m. Take a listen as he talks about his upcoming show at Beachland Tavern with David Ullman and Chad Hill.

Click here for WJCU stream information.

UPDATE (7:40 p.m.) – Ty, thanks for the shout out to The Rhythm Report and those who support local music on the show tonight. Stay tuned, folks! Kellogg's got one more song to play.

Photo: Ty Kellogg's CD release show at Hambden Grange in April 2011.

Ty Kellogg in Concert with David Ullman and Chad Hill
Wednesday, September 7
Show starts at 7:00 p.m.

Beachland Tavern
15711 Waterloo Road
Cleveland, Ohio

Purchase tickets here.

Hear "Chain Gang" off Kellogg's self-titled 2011 release. The Rhythm Report covered Ty Kellogg earlier this year prior to his album release show in April 2011. Read more here.

"Chain Gang" Ty Kellogg

Ty Kellogg to release second full-length album April 2

A cool spring breeze is blowing up from Appalachia and on it the tintinnabulation of a bronze-stringed guitar plucked by Ty Kellogg. Raised in Geauga County, Ohio, Kellogg does not hail from the misty mountains of the eastern United States but that is where he’s found the muse for the music he creates.

Kellogg is releasing his second full-length album on April 2. The self-titled folk country record, originally planned for release in 2010, features 10 songs, nine labeled and one untitled “hidden track.” He calls it "dirt" music, nitty-gritty tunes from another time in which the vocals aren't clean but gruff and a twang of the guitar may result from a misplayed chord.

"It's about how into the music are you," Kellogg said.

Kellogg shared with The Rhythm Report a sneak preview of a song on the album called "Chain Gang," a call-and-response work song inspired by Tom Waits and Cool Hand Luke, the 1967 film in which Paul Newman plays the role of a man imprisoned in a harsh Florida prison camp for popping off the tops of parking meters. Kellogg actually used chains to recreate the sound of leg iron dragging in the dirt on the side of a road. It is like listening to a record pulled from an early 20th century archive; one almost expects to hear the pop and crackle of the 45.

"This song will likely never be played live," Kellogg said. "It would be to hard to recreate its sound in a live show."

However, music fans can hear it here by clicking the video below and, if they're lucky enough to pick up one of the albums at Saturday's show, can add it to their own collection.

The album release show is being held at The Hambden Grange in Chardon and starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Special guests will include members of Gypsy Dave & the Stumpjumpers of Pennsylvania, The Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers of New York, Rebekah Jean, Leah McCoy, Bluebird and many more. Rumor has it, Kellogg and his band of misfit musicians will be equipped with banjos, a mandolin and a cross between the two called a banjolin, an upright bass, harmonicas and even a tuba to put on a show that is sure to be a boot-stompin’ delight.

“I’d like to think, even if someone doesn’t like folk music, they’ll be entertained,” Kellogg said.

Preview: "Chain Gang" Ty Kellogg

Article written by Priscilla Tasker, editor and creator of The Rhythm Report