VOA标准英语2010年-Homey Feel of Merlefest Carries On

Merlefest 23 is now in the record books. The festival held in celebration of the music of the late Merle Watson and his father, folk music legend Doc Watson, was held in April in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. VOA's Katherine Cole and 76,000 other guests attended this year's Merlefest, and reports the homey feel of the early days hasn't been lost.

Katherine Cole | Wilkesboro, North Carolina 07 June 2010
 The Gibson Brothers performing on the Cabin Stage at Merlefest 2010

There's no denying the festival's grown a bit since its start.  The first Merlefest, held in 1988, attracted just 4,000 fans who gathered to watch Merle's friends jamming on a few flatbed trucks.  Today, Merlefest lasts for four days, with more than 100 performers playing on 15 stages.

 This isn't a festival that easily falls into any one music category.  At any given time, you can find a stage with bluegrass, folk, gospel, blues², country, Celtic and jazz being played.  The Saturday night headliner this year was Elvis Costello, who performed with a band that included Merlefest stalwarts Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan and Jim Lauderdale.

Jim Lauderdale and Bryn Davies perform at Merlefest 2010

The decision to offer up such a varied³ lineup was a wise one.  Attendance over the festival's four days exceeded 76,000. Last year, the estimated regional economic impact was over $12.8 million. Merlefest is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College, and some of the revenue stays at the College, providing scholarships or going toward the construction of new classrooms.

Festival Director Ted¹ Hagaman explains how Merlefest helps the local community, too.

"So many people in the community count on the festival," he said. "For instance, all of our food vending⁴ is done by non-profits:  Churches, schools, other community organizations.  They count on this festival to provide funding for all the projects they do throughout the year. A good example is our shuttle [bus] service. It is provided by the Boy Scouts⁵.  From that, they are able to take money and send Scouts all over the world."

Even with a lineup that included fan favorites like Sam Bush, Steve Martin, Taj Mahal and The Avett Brothers, it's the chance to see the legendary⁶ Doc Watson in action that has always been Merlefest's biggest attraction.  This year, the 87-year-old guitar wizard performed six times, including a bluegrass set, a reunion with Merle's band Frosty Morn, and a rockabilly set affectionately known as "Docabilly."  What does that sound like? Here's a version of "Workingman Blues" recorded during the 2008 festival.

Doc Watson receives his honorary doctorate⁷ during Merelfest 2010 in Wilkesboro, North Carolina

This year, "Docabilly" included an added treat.  Musician Matt Glaser, Artistic⁸ Director of the American Roots Music Program at the Berklee College Of Music, was on hand to award Doc Watson an honorary degree.

"Doc told an interviewer once, 'Whether I'm playing for myself or for an enthusiastic audience, I can get the same emotions I had when Dad got me that first guitar.'  A true entertainer, I think, doesn't ever lose that feeling," Glaser said.  "And so, for sharing that feeling with the entire world and for his astonishing contributions to American music, we proudly present Doc Watson with the honorary Doctorate of Music degree from Berklee College of Music."

"When I was determined⁹ to earn a living for my darling wife and two children, the music business was awful slow during the folk revival¹⁰.  But I stuck with it," Watson said.  "It's a wonder I didn't get so homesick I'd go home from New York City.  But I didn't.  I decided¹¹ I'd better stick it out and see if I could get started.  I'm thankful that when I came into this world, the good Lord gave me the talent that I have to learn and to love music."

A sand sculpture at Merlefest 2010

Plans for Merlefest 2011 are already underway.  You can get information by visiting Merlefest.org.  That's also where you can find out about the Festivalink.net releases of live sets by Merlefest performers, including a version of "Bonaparte's Retreat" featuring Doc Watson with Sam Bush, John Cowan, T. Michael Coleman and a few other friends.

 

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

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 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

4 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册

5 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。

6 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。

7 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

8 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

10 revival   

n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振

参考例句：

• The period saw a great revival in the wine trade.这一时期葡萄酒业出现了很大的复苏。
• He claimed the housing market was showing signs of a revival.他指出房地产市场正出现复苏的迹象。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。