Page 8 May 14, 2015 TORRANCE TRIBUNE By TerriAnn Ferren Last Sunday afternoon, Andy and Renee’s 25th Annual Dylanfest took place in Torrance on May 3rd from noon until 8 p.m. Talking to the people who attended, you would think they all participated in the very first gathering. This musical celebration began very humbly in Andy Hill’s backyard in Torrance 25 years ago with the idea of getting a few musicians together to play exclusively Dylan songs from his vast playbook. Once a year, Andy Hill and Renee Safier and their band Hard Rain gathered over fifty fellow musicians, friends, family and neighbors for an event called Dylanfest. Maybe the feeling of a giant picnic with really great music is what most people think this event has become, but it is much more than that. For eight solid hours, the only songs played at the event are from the genius Bob Dylan. Other artists have sung many of Dylan’s songs, and some people are surprised to discover Dylan as the composer. They may not like Dylan as a singer, but few turn away from his composing. As I entered the event on Sunday, the music vibrating from the stage washed over me. I presented my ticket (that I bought on-line) and was given a wristband. Then I spotted Patrick Summar, Renee Safier’s husband, and he told me, “This is a big upgrade and people talk to us and ask us why we didn’t do it here for years - plenty of room, clean, better acoustics, it’s great. It’s growing every year and we run it all by volunteers. In the old days, it was just Andy and Renee and friends and family. We have people from New Jersey, Alaska, and Massachusetts.” Everyone gets into the act. One side of the plaza was lined with tents where wonderful grilling aromas hit me – reminding me I hadn’t eaten. Chef Michael Shafer, owner of The Depot and The Buffalo 25 Years of Dylanfest Fire Department, expertly oversaw the food, and he and his crew, including his son, were working on filling the orders from hungry festival attendees. All of a sudden I was starving! Sitting in the back by a tree I spotted Ron Kovic. He told me he has been coming to Dylanfest for quite a few years, “…even Andy Hill and Renee Safier. before it became really well known - I can remember one of the earliest Dylanfest’s in Andy Hill’s backyard – so I have been coming since the very beginning. It was very intimate, the yard was full, not a lot of people – and we never dreamed over time that it would ever become as big as it has. It is just wonderful too, just as wonderful as it was 25 years ago in that backyard. It just keeps growing every year.” Andy Hill was just finishing singing “And The Walls Came Down,” originally sung by The Traveling Wilburys, (which included George Harrison, of the Beatles, Jeff Lynne, of ELO, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan) when I caught up with him in the artists tent on the left side of the stage. He was munching on a bagel when I approached and boldly asked him how it felt to be doing the Dylanfest here in Torrance again and he told me through that big smile of his, “We are having a great time. It is the best venue we have ever played for the Bob Dylan Festival. It is just what we need – a nice big area, a nice big stage, and a sunny day.” Andy’s son, Chase was in the tent also and told me, as he smiled broadly, “Well, I have taught my dad everything he knows. I remember back when you used to play at the school [St. Anthony] and I remember I used to go play basketball while he played music and then I had to sing. I remember the song that I would sing – I heard it on Youtube one day and he [Andy] said, why don’t you try singing that - it has some weird lyrics in it - and it was Wagon Wheel, which we will be playing.” I also caught up with the beautiful Renee Safier during a break, and she told me, “Well it feels extraordinary, overwhelming and both Andy and I feel incredibly humbled and grateful for all the people - not only for all the people who come, but also for all the people who come and play. We have known some of these people for over 25 years; it is just incredible to me. People have come from Canada, Mexico, Arizona, Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Chicago, Denver, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Colorado, Dallas, and Virginia, it is just crazy – some people used to live here but some people we met while touring and have hosted house concerts, or been to house concerts. What is amazing is how it has grown over the years.” Renee told me that it went from a fourhour gig with just their band and a couple of guests, to the backyard, to a smaller club, to an outdoor club, to a park, and now it is at the Torrance Cultural Arts Center. The amount of volunteers it takes to put on this music festival is amazing. Renee said, “I am humbled and sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now, Malaga Bank sponsored for all the outdoor signage, Chef Shafer from The Depot and the Buffalo Fire Department not only did the food, but he did the really cool sign out front – he made it himself! Paul Limberg [did] our new signage on the stage. Sandi Behar spearheaded the Program for the event and Maureen Bray did the design. Bill Colantuoni did all the design for the posters, t-shirts, and mugs. There are no major sponsors, only the community pitching in to help and keep the tradition alive. Musicians do it for free - they come and rehearse to pay homage to this great songwriter.” All over the plaza, I saw people reuniting and making new friends. Marjorie Harris Newman told me, “I was at the very first Dylanfest 25 years ago. I remember sitting around in the room talking with the band members about doing this. So I had a period of time where I couldn’t come ‘cuz I moved out of town. But, I came last year, for the first time in about eleven years, and then this year for the 25th year. I flew in from Chicago and am playing saxophone – I think ten or eleven songs. It didn’t start out this way – we thought hey, what if we did a whole night of Dylan songs? We could dress up in costume…and then it grew and grew and grew. It is incredible to see all these people.” This was indeed a reunion as well as a music festival. People were very friendly and I met Jeff Flynn and Tonya Picerne. Tonya told me “I was at the first Dylanfest at Andy’s house TerriAnn in Torrance Call toll-free: 1-800-409-2420 Are You Still Paying Too Much For Your Medications? You can save up to 93% when you fill your prescriptions at our Canadian and International prescription service. Get An Extra $10 O & Free Shipping On Your 1st Order! Call the number below and save an additional $10 plus get free shipping on your rst prescription order with Canada Drug Center. Expires June 30, 2015. Oer is valid for prescription orders only and can not be used in conjunction with any other oers. Valid for new customers only. One time use per household. Order Now! 1-800-409-2420 Use code 10FREE to receive this special oer. Compare our prices and see how much you can save on your medications! Their Price Bottle A Manufactured By PfizerTM. Our Price CelebrexTM $761.35 Bottle B Typical US brand price for 200mg x 100 Manufactured By Generics Manufacturers Celecoxib* $64.00 Generic equivalent of CelebrexTM Generic price for 200mg x 100 Please note that we do not carry controlled substances and a valid prescription is required for all prescription medication orders. Call Toll-free: 1-800-409-2420 Prescription price comparison above is valid as of November 1, 2014. All trade-mark (TM) rights associated with the brand name products in this ad belong to their respective owners. *Generic drugs are carefully regulated medications that have the same active ingredients as the original brand name drug, but are generally cheaper in price. Generic equivalents are equal to their "brand" counterparts in Active Ingredients, Dosage, Safety, Strength, Quality, Performance and Intended use. It may vary in colour, shape, size, cost and appearance. Marjorie Harris Newman. See TerriAnn, page 9 Andy Hill, Fuzzy Thurston and Renee Safier.
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