Winterfolk event goes back to its roots
This month marks 10 years since Harold Hensley presented the first Winterfolk at what was then a newly opened Dayton venue called Yellow Cab Tavern. The ninth installment is on Saturday and features solo performances by Daniel Dye, Derek Gooley, Sarah Asher and Khrys Blank and a headlining set from Harold Hensley & Still Life Drive.
“This started as a fundraiser for that space,” Hensley said. “We had to get a weekend alcohol permit because they didn’t have their liquor license yet. Now, look at Yellow Cab and where they are. This would’ve been the 10th year if it hadn’t been for COVID. It blows my mind. Over the holidays a friend of mine said, ‘Ninth annual, do you feel old?’ I’m like, ‘I am old, thanks for pointing that out.’ It doesn’t seem possible this could be 10 years since we started this thing so it’s a really big deal.
“Just the fact Yellow Cab continues to let us do this and to do it for this long is a miracle as well,” Hensley continued. “It’s humbling that people keep coming out every year. They trust my judgement on throwing this group of artists together. I feel very accomplished because a lot of these things don’t last. The longevity is not there.”
With January being a historically slow time for shows, Winterfolk is an early-in-the-year anchor for Yellow Cab.
“The way I’ve always looked at it, this seems like this is the weekend when people start coming out of the house again,” Hensley said.
“No offense here but everybody is sick of being crammed in the house with family. They have the fever to get out, have a beer and see some music and zone out for a minute. You’re running out of turkey sandwiches and you’re like, ‘I can’t just abandon my life. I should probably go down to Yellow Cab and see these songwriters.’ This year we have a bunch of new blood, so it’ll be a good time.”
Hensley, formerly of the Repeating Arms, will be joined by his band, Still Life Drive featuring Dan Spaugy, Matt Spaugy, David Payne and Dan Stahl.
“We’re the only full band and we’ll be doing my solo stuff,” Hensley said. “I’m looking at this Winterfest as going back to the roots of the Dayton folk scene, the singer-songwriter scene or whatever you want to call it. I grabbed some folks who have really inspired me lately. We’ve got some great singer-songwriters and a lot of them will be joined by special guests.”