October 5th 2002.
A young festival for old music. 'Take Root', held for the first time in 1998, is a festival with American music in Assen, which hooks onto the increasing popularity of 'roots' and 'alternative' country. Meanwhile, according to the organiser Johan Kleine, the maximum has been reached with an audience of more than 2000 people. Take Root celebrated her fifth anniversary, Saturday, with a solid, varied programme.
Assen. Man-sized cacti, covered wagons and watering-troughs for horses. "It looks like Texas here", says singer Fred Eaglesmith. For the Americans it must be precisely like it would be for a Dutch artist to perform- say in Japan- between tulips, windmills and wooden shoes. Desmelt in Assen is a strange, uncanny and kitsch-like location for a festival that focuses on the purity of the American music.
The 'roots' refer to country, folk and blues without additional ornaments. Take Root is not a festival for spoiled artists, it is a festival for the ordinary people. Blue jeans, leather jackets and chequered shirts. The beer is cheap and the food consists of hamburgers and French fries, the average age of the visitors is situated between thirty and fifty.
Of course there are also great stars. Tony Joe White's presence is a guarantee for a large audience. But even he keeps it simple. One man on one chair, one guitar, large sunglasses and a drummer (Marc "Boom Boom" Cohen, Leo). It could barely be more nude than this, and although it might not entirely be his environment, there in the large hall of DeSmelt, the veteran makes a crushing impression with his deep fading voice and the composed music with a tension that touches you skin deep.
Take Root does not solely live on big names such as Tony Joe White. The festival shows courage by also programming less digestible food for the Americana-lovers. The heated, unpolished emotions of Chris Flemmons with his rattling Baptist Generals were not done any justice by an astonished and indifferent audience, but they do offer a new and heartbreaking view on the rootmusic. Unique was the performance of underground-hero Daniël Johnston. With snow-white tennis shoes, jogging pants and Take Root T-shirt that was tightly stretched around a bulging belly, he represents the total opposite of a star. He plays his guitar as out of tune as he sings, and he has to fight to grab the correct accords and to hold on to the rhythm. Those who can listen beyond this, are able to perceive a very sensitive and fragile man with a sharp and exceptional view on life. "Last night I dreamt of a man who got the death-penalty because he tried to commit suicide" he tells us along the way.
Compared to this, the other men performing with guitars in the same stuffy and characterless 'Acoustic Hall' - Willie P. Bennett, Lonesome Bob, Chip Taylor - are very ordinary, proper musicians, with songs the way songs are supposed to be and wonderful country-voices the way voices should sound. Especially these solid, crafted songs make these men way more interesting than the standard, somewhat superficial rock of the Swiss Reto Burrell and the Springsteen-adepts of Marah.
How fascinating and overwhelming rootsrock can also sound, was demonstrated by the closing act performed by Slobberbone. The well-tuned band sets down a staggering tight show and had no difficulties what so ever with the large, empty hall in which Fred Eaglesmith and band almost drowned due to the poor acoustics. It is straight on, direct and inevitable.
Slobberbone was the perfect closing of a strong festival. Take Root has grown to a national, and even international, important happening. It is time to get rid of the grotesque cacti and to search for a location that is as appealing as the festival itself.
"He is playing a cover of Tina Turner" is heard amongst the public when Tony Joe White plays the song Steamy Windows. A joke, of course. The master himself, Mister White, composed this super hit for Tina Turner, in fact he only plays a beautiful version of his own song.
'Root' is American for 'origin' and on the fifth Take Root festival deep roots are excavated. Next to Tony Joe White, by the way also the man behind Rainy Night In Georgia, another composer of worldwide hits stands on stage. Chip Taylor is a distinguished grey man with glasses, performing in the Acoustic Hall. A genuine song-tailor. Not so much a performer, but that does not really matter when you have written songs such as Angel In The Morning and Wild Thing. Taylor plays both of them -the first only half and the second in everything but a wild country-version. And the public is asked to sing along. "Singing along one couplet of Wild Thing once in your life saves you from having to visit a shrink".
October 7th 2002
Nieuwblad van het Noorden
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