Twenty Years on the Farm

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Appel Farm Music Center celebrates its 20th anniversary music festival, which has grown from a small folk festival to an all-out music showcase.

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jun. 5, 2008

Appel Farm Music Festival is expecting up to 10,000 people on June 7.

In 1988, about 800 people trekked out into the southern New Jersey woods of Elmer, many with their small children in tow, to gather around a single stage on the grounds of the Appel Farm Music Center. They were treated to a day of folk music from the likes of Don McLean, Tom Rush and Livingston Taylor.

What a difference a couple of decades make.

On Saturday (June 7) anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 people (depending on the weather) will descend on the farm, gather around two main stages and be treated to eight hours of rock, jazz, folk and a lot of music styles in between. They'll hear rock bands like New Jersey's own the Smithereens, alternative sounds from They Might be Giants, hit-making singer/songwriters like Suzanne Vega ("Luka") and Marc Cohn ("Walking in Memphis") and an eclectic mix of music running from violins to acoustic rock cellos. Yes, acoustic rock cellos.

Maybe the only similarity will be the hundreds of small children beside them.

"In 20 years, we've certainly seen the festival grow in size," says Sean Timmons, artistic director for Appel, who was there for that first Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival in 1988. "But I think the bigger change is in the program. The early festivals were about folk music. But as we've grown, our audiences began expecting variety and we've expanded the types of bands we book."

While folk music is still well represented at the festival, Timmons says that the crowds would never have grown unless the festival diversified its performers.

"We've always been about highlighting the singer/songwriter, and we still are," he says. "All the bands this year fit that theme. But you just can't have eight hours of guys coming out with guitars and singing. There's a sameness to the day. Our audience wants to hear something new, something interesting. We want to surprise them."

The festival does count on its headliners, such as the Smithereens, Cohn and Vega, to bring in the big crowds. But it is the lesser known artists that may be the true gems of the festival. This year's bill includes acts such as folk singer Lucy Kaplansky, Celtic rock band Enter the Haggis, cello rock group Alfred James Band and violin-vocalist Christina Courtin, to name just a few.

At a time when the mainstream music industry is suffering, festivals like Appel Farm's help keep music alive. Well, at least interesting music.

"People discover music in so many different ways now," Timmons says. "Through the Internet, through word of mouth. I think most people are finding things because their friends turn them onto it or they look to find things they can tell their friends about. I think that's what we offer. One of the greatest things is the lines you see to buy CDs after an artist plays. They've never heard of them before, but they want to share it with people."

The festival also includes a Children's Village with storytelling, juggling, comedy and arts and crafts, open noon to 4pm. The festival will also sport an array of food vendors. And in a special twist, anyone celebrating their 20th birthday or 20th wedding anniversary this year will be admitted free. (Valid photo ID or marriage license required.)

Appel Farm Arts & Music Festival
Where: Elmer, Salem County
When: Sat. June 7, 11:30am-8pm
How Much: $35-$45
On the Web: appelfarm.org

Festival headliner Marc Cohn.

Headliner Marc Cohn

The pain of divorce, writer's block and the pressure to follow up a mega hit like "Walking in Memphis" -- they all had haunted Marc Cohn's life at one time or another since he broke onto the music scene in 1991, winning the Grammy for best new artist.

But all of that seemed to be fading away as he launched a successful month-long tour in 2005. That is until an August night in Denver. That night, Cohn's life changed again.

Cohn was the victim of a random carjacking. He was shot in the head by an assailant, with the bullet lodging near his left temple. Still, Cohn never lost consciousness and walked out of the hospital the next day. Three weeks later, while recovering at his home in New York, another tragedy hit. Only this one affected the whole country -- Hurricane Katrina.

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