- WELCOME TO "NORTH CAROLINA WEEKEND",
I'M DEBORAH HOLT NOEL.
IT'S NEVER TOO EARLY TO START PLANNING A SUMMER GETAWAY
AND IF YOU'RE A MUSICIAN OR MUSIC-LOVER
WHO APPRECIATES THE FOLK AND AMERICANA TRADITIONS,
WE HAVE JUST THE IDEA FOR YOU.
JOIN US IN THE BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS
NEAR ASHEVILLE FOR A PREVIEW OF THE
SWANNANOA GATHERING.
♪ AMONG WIND-SWEPT VAGABONDS,
♪ STEAM TRAIN WAS THE KING
- I BELIEVE THAT FOR MUSIC TO BE GOOD
IT SHOULD BE TRUE, TRUE TO FEELING, NOT FACT.
AND WHAT MATTERS IS IF WE NAIL DOWN
THE TRUTH IN A SONG AND SING IT TO SOMEONE
WHO'S FEELING ALONE AND LOST, IT'S A LIFELINE
THAT WE SEND INTO THE WORLD.
- [NARRATOR] EVERY SUMMER FOR OVER 25 YEARS,
THE CREATION OF COMMUNITY THROUGH MUSIC
HAS ATTRACTED HUNDREDS TO THE SWANNANOA VALLEY.
- THE SWANNANOA GATHERING IS A SERIES
OF SEVEN WEEK-LONG WORKSHOPS IN VARIOUS
TYPES OF FOLK MUSIC AND DANCE HELD OVER
A FIVE WEEK PERIOD OVER THE SUMMER
ON THE CAMPUS OF WARREN WILSON COLLEGE.
WE DRAW STUDENTS FROM ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.
I THINK THERE ARE EIGHT DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
REPRESENTED THIS WEEK.
A COUPLE OF WEEKS ARE BASED ON A GENRE
OF MUSIC.
SO WE'LL HAVE A CELTIC WEEK, FOR EXAMPLE,
WE HAVE AN OLD-TIME WEEK, AND WE HAVE
CONTEMPORARY FOLK WEEK WHICH IS KIND OF
A SINGER-SONGWRITER PROGRAM.
THE REST OF OUR WEEKS ALL FEATURE
A SPECIFIC INSTRUMENT LIKE TRADITIONAL SONG,
THAT'S THE VOCAL PROGRAM, GUITAR WEEK
WHICH IS HAPPENING NOW,
FIDDLE WEEK, MANDO AND BANJO WEEK.
- LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES.
- I LIKE ALL TYPES OF MUSIC, SO I REALLY LIKE
THAT I CAN TAKE A JAZZ CLASS AND A BLUEGRASS CLASS
BACK-TO-BACK.
- [NARRATOR] JOHN TOSCO FOUNDED
THE TOSCO MUSIC PARTY WHICH FUNDS
SOME OF THE SWANNANOA GATHERING'S YOUTH SCHOLARSHIPS
FOR YOUNG ARTISTS.
- [JOHN] I'VE BEEN COMING TO THE GATHERING
FOR 15 YEARS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOMETHING THAT I'M LEARNING EVERY TIME.
IT'S A JOYFUL THING.
- IN ADDITION TO CLASSES,
DANCES, AND NUMEROUS JAM SESSIONS,
STUDENTS ENJOY CONCERTS, FEATURING THEIR INSTRUCTORS.
WHICH HAVE INCLUDED SOME OF FOLK
AND TRADITIONAL MUSIC'S MOST ACCOMPLISHED PERFORMERS.
- THE CAMPUS IS BEAUTIFUL, THE MUSIC IS WONDERFUL.
EVERY YEAR THERE'S ALWAYS SOME SPONTANEOUS
UNPREDICTABLE MOMENTS THAT HAPPEN MUSICALLY
THAT ARE AMAZING.
IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER WHAT LEVEL YOU'RE AT,
YOU'LL GET SOMETHING.
EVERYBODY'S SUPPORTING EACH OTHER
IN SORT OF STRETCHING BEYOND WHAT THEY
THINK THEY CAN DO AND FINDING SOMETHING NEW.
IF YOU AND I ARE SINGING TOGETHER,
WE MIGHT NOT KNOW WHO EACH OF US
IS VOTING FOR, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER.
A LOT OF THOSE POLARIZATIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING
MORE AND MORE IN OUR CULTURE JUST FALL AWAY.
- THERE'S NO COMPETITIVENESS, YOU DON'T WIN
ANYTHING HERE.
WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DO GREAT ART.
THERE'S BEAUTY IN THE HILLS AND IT'S
EXPRESSED IN PEOPLE'S VOICES.
♪ I'M GONNA SIT BACK AND WATCH IT RAIN ♪
- THESE ARE THE WAYS THAT CULTURE
GOT PRESERVED, STORIES GOT PRESERVED,
AND THE DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF DIFFERENT REGIONS
GOT PRESERVED IN THE FLAVOR OF THE MUSIC.
AND IF WE FORGET THAT, WE'LL FORGET OUR ROOTS.
- THAT'S WHAT WE'RE IN THE BUSINESS OF,
IS TRANSMITTING CULTURE FROM ONE GENERATION
TO THE NEXT.
PASSING ON OUR FOLK HERITAGE.
AND IN THE COURSE OF THAT EACH WEEK
THERE'S A GROUP OF STRANGERS THAT MEET
ON SUNDAY AND BY FRIDAY THEY'RE ALL
HUGGING ONE ANOTHER AND TEARFUL
THAT THEY'VE MADE SUCH CLOSE CONNECTIONS
AND GOOD FRIENDS.
- I TEACH TWO CLASSES EVERY YEAR.
MY FIRST CLASS IS JUST ESSENTIALLY
ABOUT BEING AN ARTIST.
HOW TO PERFORM, HOW TO NOT BE AFRAID.
THE SECOND CLASS IS REALLY MORE
OF A DISCUSSION GROUP.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING SWANNANOA HAS OVER
ANY OTHER CAMP I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED,
IT'S THAT SENSE OF COMMUNITY.
IT'S REALLY ASTONISHING.
♪ SWANNANOA, I'M LONGING
♪ FOR MY HOME SO FAR AWAY
MY ATTITUDE WHEN I WALK INTO SWANNANOA
IS THAT EVERYBODY HERE IS AN ARTIST
AND ARTISTS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE GENEROUS
WITH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH THE WORLD.
- [NARRATOR] THIS BELIEF SEEMS TO FIT SEAMLESSLY
WITH THE MISSION OF THE GATHERING'S HOME.
EARNING A DEGREE FROM WARREN WILSON COLLEGE
REQUIRES WORKING AN ON-CAMPUS JOB
AND PERFORMING COMMUNITY SERVICE.
♪ IN THE MOUNTAINS, IN THE MIST
♪ IN THE WHITE CLOUDS, THEY KISSED
♪ IN THE SWEET GUM'S PERFUME
♪ IN MY HAIR
THEY REALLY GO HAND-IN-HAND.
THEY'RE BOTH DRIVEN BY THE PARTICIPANTS
AND THE STUDENTS AND THE TEACHERS
BUILT THIS HOUSE.
THAT'S BACK TO THE OLD DAYS WHEN YOU ACTUALLY
BUILT SOMETHING AND LIVED IN IT.
IT'S A RARE THING, IT'S A WONDERFUL THING.
♪ OH MY DARLING
♪ I'LL BE HOME TO STAY