2006年VOA标准英语-North Carolina's Merlefest Again Draws Big

By Katherine Cole
Washington
12 May 2006

Attention live music lovers: Festival season is now underway, in cities both large and small. For example, until mid-September, the region between New York and North Carolina will feature at least one big event each weekend. You'll find all kinds of music represented at these gatherings¹: Jazz, Celtic, Blues², Country and Rock. There also are plenty of Roots music festivals scheduled. VOA's Katherine Cole reports on one of the largest, Merlefest, a four-day tribute to the late Merle Watson, son and musical partner of guitar legend Doc Watson.

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Love of music is what caused more than 82,000 fans from as far away as Japan and Australia to converge³ on the small town of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, during the last weekend of April. What draws these folks is the chance to see musicians like Bela Fleck⁴, Emmylou Harris and John Prine. The memory of guitar player Merle Watson, and respect and love for his father, not a large paycheck, is what brought the performers, including Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna founder⁵ Jorma Kaukonen.

 

 
Jorma Kkaukonen
  

"Merlefest is just unbelievable," says Kaukonen. "I would really like to encourage everybody, no matter where they may be found in this world, to come to Wilkesboro and see Merlefest, because it's the greatest.

What is so special about this festival?

"It's a little bit hard to quantify without sounding sappy, but it just seems you get a really interesting community going on here," Kaukonen says. "We have great musicians from all over the world. Mostly from the United States, but from all over the world. And everybody just loves doing all the stuff that's required of us. And it's just really neat."

And when asked if there was anybody in particular that he really wanted to see at the festival?

" Hmmm, there were so many," he replied. "I was really thrilled to see Eliza Gilkyson, because I had never seen her live, and I was thrilled see that. The Lee Boys, gospel singers from Miami. Wow! Unbelievable! And just everybody. There are no bad shows here."

Eliza Gilkyson was one of the artists taking part in a very special Saturday evening performance. Called "Ribbon of Highway, Endless Skyway," it featured Eliza, Jimmy LaFave, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, singing the songs of folksinger Woody Guthrie. Slaid Cleaves⁶ was also a part of the show. One of the songs he performed was "This Morning I Am Born Again," a song with lyrics⁷ by Woody Guthrie, but never put to music until Slaid did so a few years ago.

Pete Seeger performs at 2006 Merlefest  
  
Another highlight of Merlefest 2006 was the chance to see legendary⁸ folk singer Pete Seeger perform. Saturday afternoon, the 87-year-old took the stage with his brother Mike, and grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger to pick a few songs, and talk about his life.

"I did not want a professional musician," Seeger said. "I liked to sing, but I thought the music business was full of hypocrisy⁹. I did, though, go sing in the schools and in summer camps. And then some of the kids grew up and went to college. And I, during the 'frightened 50s' when the blacklist was in the popular music business, I just went from college to college to college to college to college to college to college. The most important job I ever did. I could have kicked the bucket in 1960. My job was done! After me, a whole bunch of young people came along: Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and a whole lot of others. And now, it's out of control."

Merlefest began in 1987 as a tribute to Merle Watson, who died in a farming accident two years earlier. Unlike many festivals, Merlefest is a non-profit event. The money raised goes back into the local community. Art Menius, Merlefest's Marketing¹⁰ Director, says that money is of major importance to the community.

"Merlefest started to fund the 'Eddy¹¹ Merle Watson Memorial Garden For the Senses,'" he said. "But since then, it's become the primary fundraiser for Wilkes Community College. And over the first 18 years, the festival has contributed $5.7 million to the college."

And the local community benefits as well.

"It's a tremendous economic driver for the area," Menius says. "Each year, Merlefest has had an economic impact of $14-$15 million in northwestern North Carolina."

The news is even better this year. A preliminary estimate showed the 2006 edition will give an almost $16.5 million boost to the local economy.

(L to r) Joe Smothers¹², T. Michael Coleman, Doc Watson of Frosty Morn  
  
In all, nearly 90 acts performed on Merlefest's 13 stages, with most playing more than once. But it is the opportunity to see the legendary Doc Watson in action that has always been one of Merlefest's biggest attractions. This year, the 83-year-old guitar wizard performed 11 times, sometimes solo, sometimes with a band. Doc says he always enjoys his reunion with Frosty Morn, Merle's band. The group gets together once a year to tell stories and play songs for a delighted crowd.

1 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

2 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

3 converge   

vi.会合；聚集，集中；(思想、观点等)趋近

参考例句：

• The results converge towards this truth.其结果趋近于这个真理。
• Parallel lines converge at infinity.平行线永不相交。

4 fleck   

n.斑点，微粒 vt.使有斑点，使成斑驳

参考例句：

• The garlic moss has no the yellow fleck and other virus. 蒜苔无黄斑点及其它病毒。
• His coat is blue with a grey fleck.他的上衣是蓝色的，上面带有灰色的斑点。

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 cleaves   

v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This wood cleaves easily. 这木材好劈。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The water cleaves the banks away like a knife. 河水象一把刀似的，把两岸削掉。 来自辞典例句

7 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

8 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

9 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

10 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

11 eddy   

n.漩涡，涡流

参考例句：

• The motor car disappeared in eddy of dust.汽车在一片扬尘的涡流中不见了。
• In Taylor's picture,the eddy is the basic element of turbulence.在泰勒的描述里，旋涡是湍流的基本要素。

12 smothers   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的第三人称单数 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• Mary smothers her children with too much love. 玛丽溺爱自己的孩子。
• He smothers his hair with grease, eg hair-oil. 他用发腊擦头发。