A folkin’ good time
Forrie J. Smith of Yellowstone tips his hat to the 2023 Klamath Folk Festival crowd. Forrie is joined by J. Michael Harter in the cowboy hat on the left and Prescott Harter on the right tuning his guitar. (Image: Brian Gailey)
Silver Lake’s own Wampus Cat performs on the Courtyard Stage of the 2023 Klamath Folk Festival. (Image: Brian Gailey)
UPDATED: 12:39 PM, 9/1/23, to include a statement from Rod Kucera, president of the Klamath Folk Alliance.
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KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – The Klamath Folk Festival may have come and gone, but the hours of entertainment by twelve acts on two stages will not be soon forgotten. The cowboy poetry and music of Forrie J. Smith of the hit TV series Yellowstone headlined the festival.
This would be Smith’s musical debut in front of a live audience - J. Michael Harter and Prescott Harter accompanied him.
From the very beginning of his performance, in true Western fashion, Smith would swing his way onto stage and into the audience's heart. He performed his original poetry, Well Oiled Machine, and The Wind. Smith added stories of how his music came to maturity and included accounts of life on the TV set.
The cowboy was a bit nervous for his first gig but soon settled into the stage and entertained the zealous audience.
“With the 2023 Klamath Folk Festival, it really feels like we turned a curve and really opened a lot of people's eyes to the fact that Klamath Falls has quite the burgeoning music scene,” said Nick Depew, event organizer of the Klamath Folk Festival.
The large audience was primarily local; however, many traveled beyond 2 hours for the event. Ticket receipts show that guests came from twelve states to see the festival, with the farthest traveling from The Peach State, Georgia.
The festival was held last Saturday at the Ross Ragland Theater. In addition to Smith, over five hundred in attendance had the opportunity also to watch Fellow Pynins, Dirt Miller, Daniel Bocchi, Tommy Graven, Mother Crow Sister Raven, and Second Hand Sage all played the festival's main stage.
Outside in the Ragland courtyard, the sounds of Wampus Cat, Eric Leadbetter, Summer Grace, Kyle Staunton, and Jodie Jean Marston could be heard filling the downtown air.
The Klamath Folk Alliance annually presents the Klamath Folk Festival, the organization's most significant fundraising opportunity.
"The Klamath Folk Festival was a great success and absolutely amazing show this year,” exclaimed Rod Kucera, president of the Klamath Folk Alliance. “The quality of the acts on both stages was incredible. The Klamath Folk Alliance Board of Directors did a wonderful job filling all of the positions needed to create a great festival. We couldn't have done it without my good friend and consultant, Nick Depew. His guidance and knowledge of the music industry were invaluable in bringing this to fruition."
The Klamath Folk Festival is traditionally held the forth week of August. This date is strategic for festival organizers as it lands just before Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. As one of the last significant stops from the north, Burners often stop in Klamath Falls to catch the festival and pick up supplies before heading into the desert.
Planning for the 2024 Klamath Folk Festival is already underway.
