Interview Transcript from Illawarra Stories Wollongong City Libraries Oral History Project – Susan Richardson
Interviewer: Jo Oliver
Interview Date: Unknown
Jo: Now talking with Susan Richardson, ah who I understand is known as Seattle Sue [Laughter]
Susan: Yeah!
Jo: So, tell me, um, how did you come to be involved in the Illawarra Folk Festival?
Susan: Well this is my 3rd time here, 3rd year in a row and I come to participate in the Honk Oz festival, and so because it’s such a long flight, you gotta stay awhile [Laughter] because it takes so long to get here, so um, so 3 years ago I came to Honk Oz and I was here for a few weeks, a couple of weeks, and so they said well just come to the folk festival like Ok so here, here I was playing with The Hoop band which is a pick up band.
Jo: Right! And how did you first hear about the Honk Festival all the way in Seattle?
Susan: Yeah, ah well Honk, Honk festivals began in ah the States and ah Seattle has one it’s going on for 12 years now so I was in a, I found a Honk Band and I joined and I had no idea what it was [laughter] and ah it’s really different from anything I’ve been used to, so I’ve been to Boston, which is the original one and then ah what they do is that’s over the weekend and then they put you in a bus and send you to Providence Rhode Island they call that one Pronk [Laughter], ah and then if you’re on the tour, you get on the bus and you go to New York and finish up you know at the Festival Honk, New York. So, I did that, been to Honk Texas in Austin, Texas and of course, Seattle, and ah I’ve wanted to go to others but couldn’t because of work so, ah but they’re all over the world now.
Jo: OK.
Susan: Yeah!
Jo: And how long’s this one been going …the one in Wollongong?
Susan: Ah, Honk Oz, I think this is the 6th year.
Jo: Ok, and is this the only one in Oz, the Wollongong one?
Susan: Yes.
Jo: Ok.
Susan: As far as I know.
Jo: Right.
Susan: Well, there was one in ah, Western Australia in Fremantle, but I think it only lasted a couple of years and there, there’s um, ah some organising issues so they’re trying to get back to that.
Jo: Ok.
Susan: Yeah.
Jo: And what is involved in Honk Festival?
Susan: Honk!
Jo: In Honk yeah [laughter].
Susan: Honk is sort of a grassroots. It began with a sort of ah, ah a band that can play on the street so you have to be mobile, so it’s something like a New Orleans’ style. They call it 2nd line band so it’s this ah band that can roam the streets and play without having to be plugged in.
Jo: Ok.
Susan: So, it’s typically like a brass band like, a marching band that doesn’t march [Laughter], it’s hard to explain.
Jo: No, no.
Susan: But it’s kind of yeah it, yeah.
Jo: Yeah, and what do you, what instrument do you play?
Susan: I’m a drummer.
Jo: Ok.
Susan: Yeah.
Jo: And you have a drum that you can carry?
Susan: I do yes, yeah. So I, ah also, in addition to a Honk Band, I also play in a samba band which is, ah, just a batteria, which is just drums so it’s very, and that’s even very different, so that is in the Brazilian style of Rio Carnivale ah where they just have hundreds of drummers and then they’ll have hundreds of people in a, a parade that, it takes, they’ll have to 3500 people and it takes an hour to get through and they tell a story and they have costumes and dancers in the batteria, ah and they have singers and they have floats and it’s just this massive cultural celebration every year and it’s very highly competitive and it’s a very different kind of music.
Jo: Yeah, sounds interesting. And are you improvising in Honk? or is there ….
Susan: All the time!
Jo: OK [laughter].
Susan: Pretty much I show up and just make it up as I go [laughter].
Jo: Right, right.
Susan: Especially for drummers, because drummers typically don’t have a lot of music written, whereas the other, um, instruments have notes that they have to follow, so it’s the melody drummers, just like, Yeah, just make it up! [Laughter],
Jo: Ok. Yeah! And is there a group of you from Honk here at the Illawarra Folk Festival, or it just individuals?
Susan: Ah, ah, the Femme Fatales’ is a Honk Band, it also plays ah, other venues around town during the rest of the year ah, this I believe this is their 1st time at the Folk Fest, so I, when I come into town, I play with the Femme Fatales.
Jo: Right!
Susan: And, ah also the Hoop Band, which is a pickup band, which is for, ah, anybody like myself that’s an orphan. I don’t have a particular band. I’m here, I’m just here by myself.
Jo: Right.
Susan: Ah, it’s open to anybody that wants to join and play.
Jo: Right.
Susan: So that’s at Honk Oz and they always play here at the Folk Fest.
Jo: Hum, hum. And how does that work? Does somebody start off playing a tune? Is that?
Susan: Well Ken Field is from Boston and he’s very familiar with Honk, so he comes out every year. He’s been doing it every year of Honk Oz and he organises ah, the band and they have a couple of rehearsals and it’s got music and so most people already know how to play, just join in and we come and go. You don’t have to do, if you do this one, you don’t have to do that one or it’s just whoever shows up and just play together and it it’s amazing what happens.
Jo: It’s totally organic!
Susan: Yeh, it is, totally.
Jo: And how long does it usually go for, any length of time or?
Susan: The Hoop Band is specific to Honk Oz, and then the Illawarra Folk Fest and it doesn’t happen again for the rest of the year until the next festival.
Jo: Oh!
Susan: So!
Jo: So, what’s it like for you being in Australia? Is there anything distinctive about playing with other musicians in Australia or being here?
Susan: Well, I would say after attending several Honk festivals in the States ah, which is amazing, just the musicianship is Amazing! Um, I like this one, this is probably my favourite because it focuses on the kids and they have a kid’s workshop which I actually was able to, to participate in and, and help with and volunteer with this year. It’s amazing what they do with the kids in 2 days, you know a couple hours each day. Ah, and then it’s a very family oriented because, you’ll parents that are playing an instrument and then the kids playing the instrument and um, even in the same band like The Con Artists so it’s unusual compared to the other Honk festivals I’ve been to where the kids just aren’t involved as much.
Jo: Yeah, yeah. Mmm and I guess that will um help to um make it keep going because they’ll be younger people coming through.
Susan: Yes!
Jo: Yeah, yeah, so are you going to keep coming, are you coming next year? [Laughter].
Susan: Well as far as I, eh I keep planning on it, it’s a, a really nice intimate, family-oriented feeling and even though I didn’t know anybody when I first got here, I feel part of the family now.
Jo: Yeah, lovely.
Susan: So, it’s really nice Yeah, yeah and made friends. Yeah.
Jo: And do you stay anywhere particular when you come out or different places?
Susan: Yeah, well I um was billeted with Mel Wishart, ah everybody knows Mel. [Laughter], and ah so that was a wonderful experience and so I’ve stayed, this is the 3rd year I’ve stayed with her ah, and then typically I’ll go stay with somebody else while we’re on at the Folk Fest.
Jo: Yeah!
Susan: To give her a rest.
Jo: Yeah [laughter].
Susan: You know and ah, and then so it’s ah, it’s just whoever volunteers and I stay there and, and we all play music together typically or
Jo: Yeah.
Susan: Something like that.
Jo: So, it’s a lovely social thing as well?
Susan: Yeah, go to Austi Beach [laughter] and swim in the pool [laughter].
Jo: Yeah.
Susan: Get you know the neighbours, yeah!
Jo: Fantastic.
Susan: Yeah.
Jo: Oh, thank you so much it’s been really interesting hearing about, um, your participation and. Yeah. A different side of it. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Susan: Well, it’s the, the, you know it was actually just a means to, to something else because, um I owned my own business in Seattle for 14 years and I closed it a year and a half ago. So, a few years ago I, I had this strange idea of, you know what would it be like if I closed the business and moved somewhere else because I’ve been in Seattle a long time and Um, this quiz on Facebook came around, it’s like where in the world should you live I’m, and like Oh! Let’s a look at that! So, Auckland came up, New Zealand. I was like, I’ve heard of that place. [Laughter]. So, um I thought well that’s interesting because it’s been compared to the Pacific, Northwest and Seattle very similar. So, a few months later it came around again, yeah, I’ll just let’s try it again and see if I come up with something different. Auckland came up again! So I was like I should look at that and at the time it was dead of winter, in December, I had just moved the business because the rent had gotten too expensive, and we were in this cheap building with no heat and it was cold, and no business because, nobody wants to ride scooters in the middle of winter when it’s cold and wet. And ah I looked at Auckland and it’s like well it was $2400.00 round trip and I’m like, well not this year! [Laughter] And then I found Honk Oz. So, I’m like, that’s it, I’m going to Honk Oz and I’ll take a trip over to New Zealand after that.
Jo: Hmm hmm!
Susan: And so, I came here, fell in love with it and I’ve just been coming back every year since.
Jo: Ok! You never got to Auckland?
Susan: Oh, I did!
Jo: Oh, you did!
Susan: Oh yeah! A matter of fact I even ah got a job. Negotiated a job last year and spent months, um selling off my personal items and stuff unfortunately my work visa was denied for, eh noth-, nothing to do with me but for technical reasons.
Jo: Mmm, yeah.
Susan: So, ah, I’m back again, ah ready and prepared this time and heading to New Zealand again to see if I can make it stick this time. So, then it will just be a easy.
Jo: Just a hop across the ditch as they call it!
Susan: Yeah, it won’t be a 2-day flight! [Laughter]. Yeah.
Jo: Yeah. Ah fantastic! Ah well, thanks so much,
Susan: Yeah.
Jo: It’s been really interesting.
Susan: Yeah.
Jo: Thank you!
Susan: I love coming here it’s, it’s really cool. I’ve never been to anything like the Folk Fest. Maybe when I was a kid I grew up in the south and they had Bluegrass festivals which is a similar feeling but different kind of music. 9:49
Jo: Yeah.
Susan: And ah but I can’t say I don’t even know if there’s anything like it in the States. There probably is, I just don’t know about it.
Jo: Yeah, yeah.
Susan: Yeah, but so this is really fun to come. This year I actually participated in ah, helping out. I volunteered helped make some of the decorations and put them up and it was great, because it’s another way to get to know people.
Jo: Yeah, it’s great!
Susan: Yeah.
Jo: Oh, well thanks again it’s been really interesting
Susan: Yeah.
Jo: Thank you.