Multifest...

Since there is no Regatta in Charleston this year, why not go to Multifest?

Ok, so far, there's not a lot to see.

On the upside, at least the food is decent --even if there's not much else going on. I have no idea who The Whispers are. Never heard of them, which isn't all that surprising. I grew up listening to redneck classic country, redneck classic rock and heavy metal then moved into punk, stoner rock and alt. country after a brief flirtation with bubblegum pop in the mid 1980s (I was hoping to get laid).

I'm sure I'll get a strongly worded e-mail about all their fine accomplishments and contributions to music. They were probably giants about thirty or forty years ago. I am and will always be a philistine.

The only little problem I have with Multifest is that as white bread as Regatta often was (and it was), Multifest is primarily an African-American event with a half-hearted nod to a few other communities. Credit where credit is due: a couple of years it looked like they reached out a bit (belly dancers, a booth for an Islamic center handing out copies of the Koran, somebody selling some vaguely Asian food), but the major entertainment is usually soul, R&B and some flavor of Hip Hop --which is fine. I'd love it if they'd bring in Public Enemy, but so would a lot of middle-aged white guys who still listen to Rage Against The Machine and get nostalgic for smart, aggressive and political rap.

Fat chance on that one, whitey, if their budget affords The Whispers as their headliner (by now, I've read their bio, their wikipedia page, and will venture, regardless of their many fine hits, I still have never heard of them).

Still, a little more diversity on the stage would be nice. I won't be going for the music. I'll get some fried fish or maybe some ribs. If I luck out, they'll have a reggae band plunking away on a Saturday afternoon.

That's not terrible and given the long haul to next year's FestivALL, you have to soak up whatever passes for a party in Charleston.

Vandalia

I'm not a huge fan of traditional music. I prefer it in small doses. A couple of bluegrass tunes in an afternoon or a single 18th century Scottish ballad and most of the time I'm good. No more needed for a month or so. I have the same feeling for Death Metal, though alcohol can sometimes deaden the pain of extended exposure.

Others go nuts for the stuff and they are welcome to.

Still, whether I'm a fan of old time music or not, Vandalia Gathering is one of my favorite festivals in the state --which isn't difficult, given my ongoing lack of enthusiasm about many of the others. Vandalia has a solid core, which is the traditional music, and the other stuff (arts, culture and food) sort of builds up around it. They've got their one thing down. That's what they do. Everything else is sort of secondary. This, they say, is why the Sternwheel Regatta worked in the old days, because it was really about the damned boats and the debauchery on the river. The music, the booze and the food on the boulevard sprang up around it. When they lost the sternwheelers, the party was over. The festival went into an endless tailspin of suck.

That's what they say... I liked a couple of the shows during Regatta years back, but really, I always thought what killed the thing was turning it from a half-assed mardis gras into a citywide birthday party for an eight year-old nobody likes.

Anyway, my feeling is Vandalia lasts as long as the state continues to pay for it and as long as the festival stays away from trying to be all things to all people. Inclusion is over-rated. The second they open up their new rock stage (for the kids) with special appearance by "Bon Scottscock" that'll be the end.

What I like about Vandalia is I don't have to try very hard to get it. It is what it is. While the music may not be my particular brand, it's usually decent and there's a lot of enthusiasm among the players and the fans. It's a good time and nobody tries to pawn anything off about it as something it's not --at least, it seems pretty much on the up and up.

Anyway, if you haven't made the trip up for Vandalia, you should --and what the hell, get some ramps and maybe a square of cornbread. You might as well soak it up. Go whole hillbilly for a day.