Takoma Park Folk Festival

Strolling Banjoist Frank Cassel Returns to Farmer's Market, Folk Festival

By Kevin Adler
Reprinted from the Takoma Voice

If it's springtime, it must be time for the Farmer's Market and for Takoma Park's banjo troubadour, Frank Cassel, to start plucking his tunes for children and their parents. Almost immediately upon taking up the suggestion of City Council Member Larry Rubin that he perform at the Farmer's Market four years ago, Cassel became a magnet for youngsters out for a stroll with their parents.

While Cassel might be best known in town for his Sunday performances, his roots in the Takoma Park music scene actually go back more than a dozen years to the Takoma Park Folk Festival. Soon after moving to Takoma Park from Hyattsville in the mid 1980s, Cassel started performing his mix of traditional tunes and children's classics at the Festival's child-oriented Grassy Nook Stage. Within a few years, Cassel became a member of the all-volunteer staff that organizes the Festival each year, and eventually he co-chaired the Festival with Sid Minnerly and Fran Tall for a couple of years before "retiring" to focus on building his professional music career.

But his retirement was short-lived, as he returned as a performer four years ago, having perfected the strolling-picking-singing routine that delights audiences throughout the region. This year, Cassel will again be highly visible and highly mobile at the Festival, which will be held on Sunday, September 10.

"I really enjoy walking around the Festival while I'm performing," says Cassel. "I try to bring music to people in all the areas—the people waiting on line for something to drink are a grateful, captive audience. I enjoy taking a look at the crafts and the rest of the Festival while I'm performing, too."

Cassel moved to Takoma Park on the advice of musician friends who urged him to become part of the music community anchored by the House of Musical Traditions and its Monday night folk series. "After I made the move here, I sent my stuff to the Folk Festival only about a month ahead of the event," he says. "I was disappointed not to get in—in fact, I was 'hot' about that because I thought I was so special—but I realized once I got on the Program Committee how competitive it is."

But once he did get involved, Cassel credits the Festival with helping raise his profile as a folk performer in the area, and he says that unknown local musicians should try to take advantage of the same opportunity. "This Festival has a national reputation, and when I was on the Program Committee, we'd hear from people from across the country who wanted to play here," he says. "Although performers aren't paid, we are well-compensated in terms of publicity and a good audience."

Prior to the Festival, WAMU radio's Mary Cliff plays music from many of the performers on her radio show, bringing some people onto the airwaves for the first time. At the Festival, performers are allowed to bring CDs and tapes for sale and encourage new fans to sign up on mailing lists. Also, the Publicity Committee and the Program Committee work together to create a free program each year that provides the names and booking information of all performers. And the Festival's award-winning Web site provides photos, short biographies, and links to performers' Web sites.

For musicians considering applying for this year's Festival, Cassel offers some advice. First, apply on time. Second, include a brief cover letter that indicates where you have performed and why you would like to perform at the Festival. "Even if you've only done non-paying gigs, like Open Mike Night at Taliano's, put it in," says Cassel. Third, make sure that the music tape or CD that you send fully represents your repertoire. Fourth, include quality photographs. "Musicians sometimes don't realize how important a decent picture can be - especially in this case because the Committee then sends out those pictures to local newspapers and magazines to publicize the event," says Cassel.

For information on how to apply to perform at the Festival, go to the Festival's Web site at www.tpff.org, or contact Pam Larson, program chair, at 301-589-0890 or email music@tpff.org. "Musicians should follow Frank's advice," says Larson. "This year's Program Committee has just begun to sift through the many applicants and committee invitees to create six stages, each with its own personality and diverse musical offerings. We also need experienced stage managers and emcees—another way performers can contribute their experience and talent to the Folk Festival."

The Festival also is seeking volunteers to help with the many activities involved in creating this year's event. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Laura Wilson at 301-585-7984, or e-mail volunteer@tpff.org.