“It was my favorite festival before I ever got involved,” says Gary Mortensen, the current director of the Austin String Band Festival. “It's just a size that is very comfortable. Some of these festivals have grown and grown to the point where it's an overpowering experience. And we get between 350 [and] 400 people each year and there's plenty of room – plenty of room to camp, plenty of room to sit down and listen to the performances. So there's no pressure at all. It's extremely relaxing, and some of the festivals these days are not that relaxing anymore due to their size.”
The Austin String Band Festival is now in its 17th year, and this is Mortensen’s second year as director (though he was a fan for years before taking that role). And this year’s fest is part of the 50th anniversary celebration for its parent organization, Austin Friends of Traditional Music.
“It's a group that promotes all kinds of traditional music performance and workshops and such as that,” Mortensen explains. “There's been a strong emphasis I think over the years on what's called old time music. But we get into various genres, especially at the festival where we'll have bluegrass, Cajun, gospel, Western swing music, blues. So we cover all the things you might think of in the general area of folk music. Traditional music, we call it.”
Mortensen says that, even after 17 years, the festival remains small and low-key. “It's been held at the same venue, Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood – which is just a few minutes outside of Austin, a beautiful campground right on Onion Creek. So [it’s a] great place for camping and jamming and a wonderful concert venue as well."
The festival takes place October 18- 20, with music all music on all three days and music workshops on Saturday.
“We have several bands representing the old time genre,” Mortensen says. “and we'll have bluegrass music… Cajun… Western swing... plenty of blues music… and a great 1920s jazz band. Plus a lot of dancing. A lot of this music will have called dances, square dances and that kind of thing, and dancing to the Cajun band and the Western swing band.”
Mortensen says that, in addition to the music performed by the bands onstage, there will also be plenty of music provided by amateur musicians throughout the campground. “Many of our attendees camp and provide their own music in the campground,” he says. “Some could get there several days in advance and just grudgingly make their way up to the stage to hear the occasional concert.”
Being a part of the Austin Friends of Traditional Music and organizing the festival are parts of a lifetime love for Mortensen. “I've played music all my life and plan to do that until my heart stops beating,” he says. “And this event has got various kinds of music, all of which I have some degree of interest and passion for. So it keeps me going, keeps my musical interests alive, and it's an opportunity for me to help out the community that I has done so much for me.”
The Austin String Band Festival is October 18 - 20 at Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, TX.
