- 1) When / where / how can I get a Performer Application? When is the deadline?
-
- A: We'll send out the performer application
along with a newsletter to all members in mid to
late January. The Application will be posted here on the Alaska Folk
Festival web site. The due date (when the
Applications must be received by us) will be late February or
early March, about five weeks before the start of the Festival.
The application will give the exact "in-our-hands-by" date. At
that point, all applications are treated equally. Late
applications go to the bottom of the pile and have an almost zero chance of getting into the
schedule.
-
-
- 2) Do I have to send an audition
tape?
-
- A: There are no auditions, audition tapes,
etc. required. Please don't sent your "promo pack." Just fill out
the application and describe your act as requested there. Make
sure it gets to us by the due date. The Festival board will get
together right after the due date and arrange a
schedule.
-
-
- 3) How much will I get paid to
perform?
-
- A: Because we are a free festival,
we do not pay performers. If you want to come to Juneau and play on stage you will be doing so at your own expense.
EVERYONE who comes to the Alaska Folk
Festival to perform jam, party, listen, or otherwise participate,
whether professional, amateur or just someone who loves the music,
comes on their own nickel. This means they pay for their own
travel to the Festival, arrange and pay for their own lodging and
food.
-
-
- 4) How can I get to be a guest
artist? Should I send you my promo pack?
-
- A: We don't choose a Guest Artist based on
their promo pack, so please save your money. We research, seek out
and select our guest artists. They are chosen based largely on
their connection to musical roots in America. We want Guest
Artists who will demonstrate their music and heritage as well as
entertain us and teach us. Check out the link for Guest Artist
Criteria for more details on what we look for.
-
- 5) Am I guaranteed a spot if I
send in my application?
-
- A: Unfortunately, no; performance spots are
NOT guaranteed just because you apply. Each year we have many more
performance applications than performance space in our schedule,
so not all acts get a chance to be on stage. There is NO guarantee
that you will get a performing spot. The tentative schedule will
be your notification. Some years as many as 25% of the performer
applicants will be put on standby; of those, 10 or 15 may
eventually get offered a spot in the schedule as acts
cancel.
-
-
- 6) Do I have to be an Alaska
Folk Festival member to perform?
-
- A: You do not need to be a member of the
Alaska Folk Festival to perform, watch, jam, anything. The Alaska
Folk Festival is free to performers and audience members, alike.
BUT, being a member of the Alaska Folk Festival is, in fact,
something that you should WANT to do. Here's why:
-
- Many people still erroneously believe that
since the Festival is free to come to, it must not cost anything
to put on. Nothing could be further from the truth.
-
- The venue rentals and the Guest Artists (fee,
travel, room and board) alone cost the Festival more than $20,000
(in 2003), for just those items. The Festival spends another
$5,000+ on professional sound engineering, equipment rental,
printing, etc. In addition we invest $15,000 or more in
merchandise to sell at the Membership Table.
-
- Memberships (of people like you and me) pay
for most of the Festival costs, about 75% in fact. The remaining
25% of the Festival's expenses comes from Membership Table
Merchandise income, from sales of tee-shirts, posters and such.
Some income comes from concerts during the rest of the year.
That's it. No grants.
-
- In fact individual memberships supply about
75% of the money that goes to pay for the Festival, folks like you
and I. Performers and audience members who love the should WANT to
be a member. That's the only way to make sure there will be a next
Alaska Folk Festival. $15 signs you up, though more is always
helpful. There is a membership form on the web site.
-
- Oh, in case you were wondering, the AFF Board
is all volunteer. There is no paid AFF staff.
-
- So, as a summation: the all volunteer AFF
board (7 people) work their tails off for free for several months
before the Festival organizing it; hundreds of folks (250+)
volunteer to do the many tasks needing doing DURING the Festival;
hundreds of people (800+ addresses) donate money by becoming
members to help pay the expenses; performers (500+) come to play;
and, voilá, we have the Alaska Folk Festival.
-
- OK, so it's not that simple, but without the
hundreds of volunteers AND the hundreds of members, there would be
no Alaska Folk Festival.
-
- So, do you have to be a member to perform? No.
But, this said, when it comes time to create the Tentative
Schedule, we have had , for the past 15 years, more performers
applying than performance spots. Who do we place on Standby and
who do we give a performance spot? That is ALWAYS a difficult
decision. There have been times when we have to chose between two
essentially identical acts for one performance spot, one an AFF
member and the other not a member. In these cases, we tend to give
first chance to the AFF member, giving them the spot on the
schedule. The other act will be placed on Standby where they could
STILL get into the schedule if someone cancels (which does not
preclude them getting into someone else's act). This does not
happen often, but does happen.
-
-
- 7) What happens after the
Performer Application due date? When do I know anything about the
performance schedules? What is the Tentative Schedule?
-
- A: Very shortly after the Performer
Application due date, the Festival Board meets and hashes out the
schedules. We create a Tentative Schedule which we send to all the
performers who applied, usually about week after the due date.
Seeing your act's name in this schedule means you got in.
This schedule also has other important information of utility to
performers.
-
-
- 8) I'm bummed. I didn't get in
to the schedule. Why did I get put on Standby? I put in for two
acts, but one got put on Standby. What happened?
-
- A: Being put on Standby is a hard thing to find out. "Why me?"
The short answer: Because we always have more application than
performance spots in the schedule, everyone does NOT get into the
schedule. But, why you, specifically?
-
- When we meet to create the concert and dance
schedules, we are looking to create interesting shows for the
audience to watch at each concert. We are looking for variety. We
are also seeking to get as many different performers on stage over
the course of the Festival as we can. We do not want stage hogs
who the audience sees time and again. Beyond this, why a
particular act goes on standby is based largely on the laws of
chance. For example, if we get five different kazoo bands that say
they can only perform on Friday night, we are likely to put three
or four of them on standby. Out of 15 acts an evening (most
evenings) to have 1/3 of the acts all sounding the same is bad
programming. We want, and the audience deserves variety; after all
they help PAY for the Festival with their memberships. In the case
of the kazoo bands, the acts that are removed are taken out of the
show by randomly pulling out their application. Another issue with
these kazoo bands is that they could only perform on in one
concert. This ties our hands because everyone can't perform on the
same evening. Out of town acts are frequently in town only on the
weekends. Sometimes an act will be in town for the weekend but say
they can only perform in the evenings and not the afternoons. If
an act really wants to perform, they will not limit themselves and
will give us all possible performance options to place them in,
including weekend afternoons. Scheduling is a balancing act where
the AFF Board does its best to be fair to everyone. We wish
everyone could get a performance spot, but that isn't
possible.
-
- 9) How can I maximize my chances
of getting in the schedule?
-
- A: 1) Be as complete as you can when filling
out the Performer Application.
- Some applications come to us with so little
information (no list of performers, no description, etc.) that we
wonder if they are actually serious about performing. Often such
applications go into the Standby pile pretty early in the
scheduling meeting (Which, by the way can take four hours, or
more, some years.) We worry that the act is not serious and will
cancel. It is much better for everyone if we schedule acts that
will NOT cancel. Treat your application to perform seriously. Be
realistic. If you know in your heart that you are "iffy," please
don't apply.
-
- 2) Give us as many performances as possible to
place you in.
- We ask you when you CAN'T perform. Don't
decide you don't WANT to play on this day or that, even if you
COULD perform then. If we have the chance of putting you in any of
the nine concerts, your chances of getting in the schedule are
MUCH better than if you say you can only perform in one particular
concert. Out of town performers are frequently only in town for
the weekend. In their case, the afternoon concerts are half of the
performance chances. Out of town acts who really want to perform
on stage should make sure we know they will perform in the
afternoon or evening. If you limit the concerts you'll let us
schedule you for, you may end up in the standby pile.
-
- 3) Only apply for one act.
- Since we try to get as many different folks on
stage as we can, we do not appreciate performers putting in for
two or more acts. If you are in two acts that have essentially the
same set of performers, you need to decide which of the acts you
really want and only apply for or stay in that one, not
both.
-
-
- 10) OK. I'm on standby. What
happens next?
-
- A: It's hard to be placed on Standby. Why your
act got put there is largely a matter of chance, but that does not
lessen the disappointment. What happens next? Over the five weeks
between the scheduling meeting and the start of the Festival, a
number of acts will contact us saying they have to
cancel.
-
-
- 11) How many acts will
cancel?
-
- A: That's hard to say, but averages around a
dozen. Also, hard to say is WHEN the acts will cancel. Some acts
cancel as soon as they see their name in the Tentative Schedule,
in early March, and realize they can't come. Some don't let us
know until very late, even during the Festival.
-
-
- 12) Who gets taken off the
Standby List and offered chance to play?
-
- A: That depends on WHEN the spot opens. If the
cancellation is on a Monday night, most out of town people will
not be available, for example. If you have told us, on your
performer application, that you are only available Friday,
Saturday and Sunday and an opening appears on Thursday, obviously
you can't fill it. If you have told up you can only perform Friday
or Saturday evenings (but not Saturday afternoon) you limit your
chances, and may not get a substitution offer. Also, since we
strive for a variety of acts at each concert, if you could fill a
spot with your glockenspiel act, but that concert already has four
glockenspiel acts, we might opt for a different substitution
rather than have five glockenspiel acts.
-
-
- 13) I'm a solo act, a
singer/songwriter. I can play any time. Can't you fit me
in?
-
- A: Being a solo act makes your prospects on
Standby MUCH easier. Though we don't want a schedule full of solo
acts, groups will lose their enthusiasm for rehearsing if they
find themselves on Standby and may well have given up by the time
we could get to them to offer them an opening. Groups or solos
acts that play anyway will be hanging in there, even for a last
minute offer to fill an opening. One advantage solos
singer/songwriters have over other acts is that even if they don't
get offered a spot to perform, there is the Songwriters Showcase.
Saturday and Sunday afternoon, songwriters can sign up to perform
a couple of their songs at the Showcase in a coffee house
environment with an appreciative audience.
-
-
- 14) What's the point of coming
to the Alaska Folk Festival if I don't get a chance to perform on
stage?
-
- A: Since the Alaska Folk Festival is a week
long music party, a 15 minute set is only a tiny part of what goes
on here. Even if you do not get your own set, you might end up
getting invited into someone else's set. And, there is still a lot
of fun to be had in the almost continuous jamming all around town
and the new friends you'll make, not to mention the 40 hours of
concerts, the 13 hours of dances, two days of workshops, the
Songwriter's Showcase and the separately organized Coffee and Jam
dance/potluck and more, all happening during the Festival's week
long run.
-
-
- 15) How long will my set
be?
-
- A: Every act that gets in the schedule has one
15 minute performance set (counting set-up), in Centennial Hall.
Or, if you are doing a dance set, you will have 50 minutes for
your dance music (counting set-up). We do schedule the guest
artists to perform longer sets.
-
-
- 16) What do you mean "15 minute
set counting set-up?" What if I have a big act that takes a long
time to set-up?
-
- A: Your entire time on stage from when the
stage crew starts setting up for your act to the end of your last
tune/song should be 15 minutes or less. Given the popularity of
performing at the Alaska Folk Festival, in order to get as many
performers and acts across the stage as we can, we have settled on
15 minutes sets. The "clock" starts when the stage crew has
finished clearing the previous act and starts setting up yours.
You don't have time to waste. Get on stage. Start making musical
sounds so the sound engineers can get you dialed in. When you are
set, the MC will introduce you and away you go. At this point, you
may have been on stage for 2-3 minutes depending on your set-up,
longer if you are disorganized or have a complex set up, leaving
you with a maximum of maybe 12 minutes for you music AND any
between song talking you might do. When you have been on stage for
13 minutes, a RED light will turn on at the front of the stage.
This is your "Two Minute Warning." If you are in a song, it should
be your last. Don't start a song after the red light has come on
unless it is real short.
-
-
- 17) I wrote these really great
songs and want to describe them to the audience. Is that
OK?
-
- A: Bob Dylan said, "If you have to explain a
song, it ain't worth singing." Be that as it may, you should
realize that talking can eat up a surprising amount of your set
time, if you are not careful. If you are going to talk a lot, you
can't sing/play as much. All your talking is part of your act,
part of your 15 minutes. When you rehearse, time your music, AND
time your talking. Based on experience, we recommend that you keep
the total (music and talking) to about 12 minutes. That gives you
three minutes for the Stage Crew to set you up and for anything
unexpected. Do not cut the 15 minute time limit too close or
you'll find yourself going over.
-
-
- 18) So, how many songs can I
actually play in my set?
-
- A: With set up and talking, you should plan on
no more than about 10 minutes of music (three average 3 minute
songs). If you plan carefully, have a quick and easy set-up and
yack very little on stage, you might get by with 12 minutes of
music, but that is risky as it is easy to end up going
overtime.
-
-
- 19) Why this rigorous time
limit?
-
- A: The goal is to be fair to all the other
performers. Each performer has the same time to fit their act
into, 15 minutes. If a performer goes long that does two unfair
things: 1) It pushes back the ending time of the LAST acts of the
concert, meaning smaller audience for the last acts than those who
went earlier, because people start to go home as the hour gets
late. 2) This unnecessarily late ending time ALSO adds to the work
time of the technical volunteers, many of whom work long hours
during the Festival and all for free. The volunteers usually have
day jobs and need to get their sleep to function efficiently at
the next concert.
-
-
- 20) What happens if I end up
going overtime?
-
- A: That really depends on how much you go over
time. Don't sweat a few seconds. Two or three minutes (or more)
and you will probably be sent a warning letter. In the past we
have told some overtime acts that they can't perform at the next
Festival. The 15 minute time limit is a matter of courtesy and
fairness to all the other performers.
-
-
- 21) I'm performing at the next
Festival. What happens when I get to the concert hall? How does
this performing thing work at the Alaska Folk Festival, anyway?
Where do I go? What do I do?
-
- A: Show up AT LEAST an HOUR before your
performance time, so that you don't miss your performance spot
because the concert is moving faster than anticipated. The STAGE
MANAGER will be looking for you; and, you need to make contact
with that person. They will fill you in on procedures and where we
are in the concert schedule, answer questions and have you fill
out a Stage Diagram Form. When it is your time to perform, the
Stage Manager will get you on stage while the Stage Crew is
setting up for your act (based on your Stage Diagram Form) and the
sound crews are turning up mics. The MC will introduce you. The
performing part is up to you.
-
-
- 22) Where do I find the Stage
Manager?
-
- A: There are several places. 1) At one end of
Centennial Hall (the Festival's main venue) there are several
small meeting rooms around a small lobby. One of these rooms may
have child care going on in it, but the rest are warm-up rooms for
performers. Find an empty room (or, you might have to share). The
Stage Manager will make the rounds of the rooms looking for
performers. Another place to make contact with the Stage Manager
is to hang out at the Membership Table in the main lobby (with all
the tee-shirts). Let the folks there know you are looking for the
Stage Manager. They will help flag them down. A third place to
make contact is in the performing hall, where the Stage Crew and
monitor sound board are. Actually, on the WEEKEND AFTERNOONS, the
Stage Crew area is THE place to find the stage manager, as all but
one of the meetings rooms will be packed with workshops. 3) When
the Stage manager finds you, they will update you on where things
are in the schedule and hand you a Stage Layout Form to fill
out.
-
-
- 23) What is the purpose of the
Stage Diagram Form?
-
- A: The Stage Diagram is one of your main ways
of communicating your stage needs to the stage crew and the sound
engineers. You'll list performers, mark on the form WHERE people
will be standing/sitting, WHAT they will be playing, WHERE people
will be singing/talking, who needs a DI, etc. The stage Crew will
set up the stage for you as you diagram it, so get this step
right. A poor stage diagram will slow down the stage set-up,
eating into your stage time. The stage crew tries to work as fast
as possible to minimize the time they take on stage. Any and all
information about your act that the Stage Crew can get before they
set up for your act will help. If you need to talk to the Stage
Crew Leader because you have some special needs, out of the
normal, that's fine. If there are things you want the sound
engineers to know, the Stage Diagram Form is the place to note
them. The more organized YOU are, and the more info you give the
Stage Crew/Sound Crews, the quicker your set-up will be. Since
set-up IS part of your 15 minutes on stage, shortening the set-up
gives you more performing time.
-
-
- 24) How will I know when I
should go on stage?
-
- A: Since you have already made contact with
the Stage Manager and filled out the Stage Diagram Form, the Stage
manager knows where to find you. When the act just before yours
goes on stage for their 15 minute set, the Stage Manager will come
get you and walk you to a position back stage just outside the
concert hall. When the act on stage has finished their last piece,
you'll be ushered into the concert hall during the applause. The
act on stage will come down one set of stairs and you'll go up
another. The Stage Crew will already be on stage clearing away
from the last act and starting the set up for yours.
-
-
- 25) What should I do while the
stage crew is setting up?
-
- A: It is very important for the Sound
Engineers that you start to talk, strum, etc., as soon as a
microphone is place in front of you. They can start dialing you in
so that when the Stage Crew is done and the MC introduces you,
everyone is ready to roll. Also, as you are making noise the Stage
Monitor Sound Operator will be turning up the stage monitor
speakers. You should start hearing yourself through them. This is
a very good time to make sure everyone can hear everyone they need
to hear. If you want changes in the monitors, let the operator
know. They are off at stage left. Smile and wave at
them!
-
-
- 26) The Stage Crew had a
problem with my set up. Will that count against my 15 minutes of
stage time?
-
- A: If the problem was due to you having an
overly complex set-up or equipment problems, yes, that is YOUR
time ticking by. Check your guitar cables, pickups and such BEFORE
you come to Centennial Hall. Get things fixed/replaced, if need
be. On the other hand, if the problem was a goof or inefficiency
by the stage crew, that will NOT count against your stage time.
Close counts in the 15 minute timing deal. It will not be measured
to the second. So, relax. Rehearse well. Enjoy your stage
time.
-
-
- 27) How will I know when my 15
minutes is up?
-
- A: If you have a watch, make a note of when
you go on stage. That will help. In any event, as soon as the
Stage Crew starts setting up for YOUR act (clearing pieces of the
previous act do not count against you), the monitor board
operators will start a 15 minute timer. When their timer reaches
13 minutes, a RED LIGHT will turn on at the center-front of the
stage. This is your TWO MINUTE WARNING. If you are in a song, go
ahead and finish it, but DO NOT start another. Revel in the
applause and move off stage for the next act. If the red light
comes on just before you start your last song, you have a
decision. How long is that last song?? Don't leave a long song for
last as you might either not get to sing it; or, if you sing it,
you'll end up going over time -- not a good thing to do in front
of everyone. TIME YOUR ACT when you rehearse, with all music and
between song talking you might want to do included in your timing
(talking takes up an amazing amount of time of time). Put short
tunes at the end of your set to give you flexibility. Keep your
entire act (music and talking) to a maximum of 12 minutes and you
should be fine. Set up will likely eat up the rest of your 15
minutes.
-
-
- 28) What does it cost to attend
the Festival?
-
- A: There is no charge to perform at the
Festival and admission to the concerts is also free. BUT, we
strongly encourage everyone to become a MEMBER of the Alaska Folk
Festival. Even though this is a volunteer run, "free" festival, it
still costs $30,000+ a year to put on. The money to make the
Festival happen comes mostly from memberships, both performers and
audience members. If you enjoy the Alaska Folk Festival,
support it with your
membership.
-
-
- 29) Can you help me find
lodging?
-
- A: The Festival's volunteers have a lot to do
just to get the Festival off and running, so they don't have the
time or energy to help people find lodging. There are several
downtown hotels with the Prospector Hotel, Goldbelt Hotel and the
Driftwood Motel being the closest, just a couple minutes walk away
from Centennial Hall. Located a five minute walk away in the
center of downtown are the Alaskan Hotel & Bar, Westmark
Baranoff, Silverbow Inn. Other close hotels are the Alaska Suites
and the Driftwood, still within 10 minute walking distance. As
well, there are quite a few Bed & Breakfasts in downtown
Juneau. Go to the accomodation
finder on the Juneau Convention and Visitor
Bureau web sit where you'll be able to
find all commercial lodgings in Juneau. To be closest to the
Festival chose "Downtown" from the location list menu.
-
-
- 30) Where can I get more
information about the Alaska Folk Festival?
-
- A: This web site is one of the best places for more information.
There is a lot of useful information to be found, so browse around. There is also a MEMBERSHIP FORM that you can print out and mail in
with your check or fill out the web form and use your credit card.
-
- Still have questions? You can leave a message
on the Festival's voice mail number 907-463-3316. If you expect us
to call you back, make it easy to reach you by giving times when
you can be reached. Also leave a detailed specific question so we
can leave an answer on your message machine. We are all volunteers
and would rather not waste time playing "phone tag."
-
- End of FAQ
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