We’ve been through a lot together these last 26 years. You might even call us ‘family.’ From the Folks Festival’s roots up in Estes Park to the birth of Planet Bluegrass (both the company and the Ranch!), from the first ever Song School to the historic 2013 flood, you’ve been by our side. Now, we look toward our latesummer gathering of songs and stories along the St. Vrain as some of our favorite times of the year—because it brings us together. For this 2016 family reunion, we’re proud to welcome some of our favorite singer-songwriters from all corners of the world. With artists hailing from as far away as the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Scandinavia, the spirit of global communion is alive and well. Despite the many languages we speak, the world can still be united through music. This weekend as you relax on your tarp, wake up with morning yoga, or cool off in the river, don’t forget to introduce yourself to your neighbor—few friendships develop as quickly or as deeply as those born among Folks. Please tread lightly among the newly planted vegetation on the banks of the St. Vrain. We’re continuing to repair and protect our delicate riparian ecosystem after the flood. Challenge yourself to spend the weekend imagining “sustainability” as it applies to more than just the environment, but also to the resilience of community. Share a cold New Belgium brew with a
friend (our signature beer Summer Bliss is back on tap just for you!), join a late night song circle in the campground, or just smile at someone as you pass. You never know who you may meet…
LOVE,
THE FOLKS ON PLANET BLUEGRASS
In this place of harmony and wonder, and values not of gold fulfill – Dougie MacLean | 1
We encourage you to sit in any open tarp (especially up front) until the tarp’s owners return. Lost and found is located at the Festival box office. Climbing the hillsides or cliffs is strictly prohibited. There is no lifeguard watching your kids in the river. Please monitor your children carefully.
TARP LINE POLICY
Please do not smoke in the audience. Wander over to the smoking tent near the river and deposit your butts in the proper receptacles. Please.
Festivarians may begin assembling for the next day’s line numbers no earlier than 11pm.
Once placed on, wristbands are non-refundable and nontransferable. If you remove, tear, damage, or lose your wristband, we will not replace it.
At around midnight the number line will be led through the customs gate where random numbers will be distributed and wristbands will be marked to show receipt of a number. These numbers will be shuffled randomly; each person may receive no more than 1 number.
Please use only low-backed chairs in designated areas. If we can roll a basketball under your chair, we will ask you to move it behind the sound booth. Umbrellas, shade tents, and other view-obstructing items are allowed only along the river and back perimeter. Please be respectful of others and do not stand in the Festival seating areas. No dogs are allowed at the Festival, in the camp-ground, or in the parking lots. If you leave your dog in your car, we will call Animal Control and safely remove your dog from the car by whatever means necessary.
The next morning, Festivarians should re-assemble in line-number order beginning one hour before gates. Festivarians will be admitted into the Festival in this randomly-assigned order, followed by all Festivarians without line numbers.
2 | We all carry a little of the holy and the broken – David Wax Museum
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SUSTAINING
With your help, the Planet Bluegrass festivals have become models of Sustainable Festivation. As we continue to broaden the scope of our efforts, here are four areas we’ve focused on this year.
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
Last summer, your Beverage Booth tips went toward building 6 Habitat for Humanity homes to help Lyons families displaced by the flood. After a year of negotiations led by Craig Ferguson and Planet Bluegrass, the Town of Lyons approved the project on July 5. Located at Park Street & 2nd Ave, these 3 duplexes are the first new affordable housing approved in Lyons since the flood. We had originally earmarked your 2015 Beverage Booth tips to fund solar panels for this new housing development. But as our displaced neighbors felt increasingly exiled from their community, we felt a sense of urgency in just getting homes built—solar panels or not. So we donated your tips (totaling $16,546!) directly to Habitat for Humanity to fund their core mission of building houses.
B-CORP CERTIFICATION
After successfully completing a rigorous examination of our business, environmental and community practices, in December 2015 Planet Bluegrass became a Certified B Corporation™. B Corp certification is similar to Fair Trade for coffee or LEED for buildings, except for one detail: B Corps don’t just put out good
products—they’re good companies. View our impact assessment at: bit.ly/pbbia Many of our festival partners are among the nearly 2,000 certified Bs worldwide! Head over to the sponsor area to learn more about New Belgium, Klean Kanteen, Renewable Choice Energy, Eco-Products, Dr. Bronner’s and their journeys to sustainability.
LOCAL ECOSYSTEM
Since 2013’s historic 500-year flood, we’ve been busy restoring the St. Vrain River corridor to a healthy state, including debris cleanup, soil redistribution, and vegetation planting. This spring, we planted over 400 new trees, shrubs and other recuperative herbage at our neighboring property just west of the Ranch on Apple Valley Road.
ENERGY & EMISSIONS
Our festivals and offices have been 100% windpowered since 2004. We’ve once again purchased carbon offsets to neutralize our artists’ travel emissions. And the solar panels on the Wildflower Pavilion: in the past 12 months they have generated more than enough electricity to power all our 2016 Lyons festivals!
4 | Training jasmine how to vine up the arbor to your door, and more – The Decemberists
It all started with the crazy little idea that if we hold a festival in a venue as scenic and precious as Planet Bluegrass, we ought to take care of it. (So we can festivate forever!) Soon we caught the bug—no idea was “too sustainable.” We introduced reusable beer cups. We asked our vendors to use compostable cutlery and plates. We eliminated single-use plastic bottles. By 2011, we removed all landfill trash containers from the Festival grounds. After the flood, we introduced reusable sporks to eliminate the waste of single-use utensils. What’s next? As our next giant leap toward “zero waste,” we are eliminating single-use dishes from the vendors. Yes, you read that right: we’re trading 12,000 single-use compostable paper plates for 4,000 reusable ones. Here’s the best part: these same 4,000 plates will continue to serve Festivarians at RockyGrass and
Folks for years to come! In 5 years, our Lyons festivals alone could be expected to burn through 120,000 single-use plates. Five years from today, you’ll still be eating off the very same reusable plates you are using this weekend. We introduced this new program at RockyGrass last month and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. We even discovered the unexpected benefit that the field contained 40% less waste at the end of the night. After collecting input from various stakeholders, we’ve made some improvements with labeling, data tracking, and better matching plate sizes with specific vendors, and we’re eager to introduce reusable plates to Folks Festivarians.
SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
YOU’RE WASHING DISHES FOR 4,000 PEOPLE A DAY? ARE YOU CRAZY?
As a Festivarian, your festivation habits won’t be affected one bit! You’ll approach the vendors, order your food, and enjoy your meal on a reusable plate. When you’ve finished eating, you’ll head over to the nearest waste station. Food scraps will hit the compost; the Lyons High School Band volunteers will collect your plates; and you’re done! On our end, we’ll bring the dishes to The Stone Cup, where we’ll wash them in a controlled environment that meets all safety requirements. Then we’ll pack the plates into food-safe buckets and cart them back to the food vendors, ready for you to get hungry again!
Yes, but that’s beside the point. We found some likeminded festivals (Pickathon and Winnipeg Folk) who were invaluable resources. They helped us plan how many units to stock, how to communicate with our audience, and helped us debate the pros and cons of various strategies.
BUT WON’T YOU BE INCREASING YOUR WATER USAGE?
Making enough paper for one paper plate requires the use of about 8 gallons of water— not to mention the intrinsic water use in packaging and
6 | Sow good seeds everybody, on the mountain, down in the valley – Mavis Staples
“We even discovered the unexpected benefit that the field contained 40% less waste at the end of the night.”
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SPORKS?
While we focus on nailing the reusable plate program, our reusable spork initiative is on a brief hiatus. Cutlery is not subject to the same regulation transportation. The dishwasher at The Stone Cup as plates and bowls, so you’re still welcome to uses about 1 gallon of water per load (and can reuse your own sporks. But since our sporks cannot wash anywhere from 20-40 dishes!). handle commercial dishwashing temperatures, we didn’t want to ask you to do several different things CAN I BRING MY OWN PLATE? with your eat-ware. Next year, you can look forward Unfortunately, no. Because all our vendors are reg- to seeing our new solution for reusable silverware! ulated by the Boulder County Health Department, they need to follow food service safety rules to keep you safe! WON’T YOU HAVE TO REPLACE LOTS We need to provide the plates so we can be certain they OF MISSING PLATES? Thanks to Festivarians’ overwhelming support for have been washed according to local codes. the program at RockyGrass, we think the number WHAT ARE THESE PLATES MADE OF? of missing plates was essentially negligible. We’re so glad you asked! We had a hard time After inventorying the full buckets of plates after choosing. Ceramic was out of the question—too RockyGrass, we decided it wasn’t even worth the fragile. Next, we looked at melamine, a common effort to count individual plates! plastic often used in food service. But 30 seconds into a hasty Google search, melamine’s many toxic WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW? side-effects were enough to cross it off the list. Like any big project, we couldn’t have done this alone. So, Pickathon turned us onto the California-based Our gratitude goes out to The Stone Cup for lending company Bamboo Studio, whose products are made us their dish pit; to our vendors for their willingness from a sustainable mix of bamboo, sugarcane to try crazy new ideas; to Pickathon and Winnipeg and corn. This dishware can even biodegrade in Folk for their guidance; and most of all, thanks to commercial facilities at the end of their lifecycle. YOU for recognizing the importance of reducing our (Though please don’t put them in the Festival festival waste and for inspiring us to keep trying new things in search of the elusive “zero waste.” compost—the aim here is reuse!)
THE NUMBERS 17 4,380 $3.15 412 6 0
NUMBER OF USES REQUIRED BEFORE A BAMBOO PLATE BREAKSEVEN WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF A COMPOSTABLE ONE. (CERAMIC: 118!) TOTAL SIZE OF OUR REUSABLE DISH INVENTORY AVERAGE COST OF ONE REUSABLE DISH APPROXIMATE WEIGHT (IN POUNDS) OF ALL COMPOSTABLE PLATES USED AT ONE FOLKS FESTIVAL NUMBER OF DISHWASHERS CLEANING PLATES THIS WEEKEND NUMBER OF OTHER COLORADO FESTIVALS WHO HAVE CONVERTED TO REUSABLES
We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions as we prepare for the mother of all sustainable festivation: introduction of reusables at the 2017 Telluride Bluegrass Festival! Share your thoughts in our online Folks Festival survey (www.bluegrass.com/ffsurvey) or email planet@bluegrass.com.
What a thing to be a witness to the sunshine – Conor Oberst | 7
A T
N I G H T
“The Planet Bluegrass Ranch in Lyons tends to bring out the best in the artists who play there, so the music often transcends expectations, no matter how high.” —Joel Dyer, Boulder Weekly The Planet Bluegrass Ranch in August is a very special place, with an intimate allure that keeps us coming back for this annual pilgrimage. Lay down in the soft Texas bluegrass and stare at the sky just above the stage, maybe a hair west: you’ll find that the Little Dipper, from its tippy-top point Polaris (the North Star), stretches languidly southward, ladling its celestial magic over our grounds. From the Romans to the Native Americans to the Underground Railroad, global cultures have found comfort in this familiar astral monolith and its unwavering guidance. The ancient tradition of navigating by sky is as time-honored as the passing of song from generation to generation. As your gaze turns upward, you might notice the Grain Moon as it transitions from full to waxing gibbous. Or, maybe you’ll catch the tail end of the Perseids meteor shower: centuries-old flecks of ice hurtling across the sky at 133,000 miles per hour. This divine performance syncs neatly with Folks
Festival nearly every year, and yet it somehow always incites a childlike feeling of wonder, of smallness. Between the babbling St. Vrain, long-legged herons cruising for dinner, and the occasional far-off lightning storm, these 3 late-summer days and nights are positively enchanting. Each year, it feels like the universe has conspired to present Folks Festivarians with the perfect ambrosial backdrop for our legendary singer-songwriters to grace the stage. There is a certain magic in the air, turning strangers into friends and friends into family. It’s what keeps us returning, year after year, to witness the transcendent musicianship onstage. To rekindle the relationships born and nurtured on these hallowed grounds. To stargaze in a pristine paradise, with the most beautifully curated soundtrack. Folks, when you find yourself gazing at the sky this weekend, remember: the North Star has led you home.
8 | The darkness kept your silhouette when light flashed ‘cross the sky – The Lone Bellow
9TH ANNUAL.. HOW GREEN IS YOUR GRASS? With more than 1,300 campers in Lyons this weekend (more than half the size of our town!), it’s more important than ever to be mindful of our camping footprint. In collaboration with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and EcoProducts (suppliers of free compostable bags for your campground compost), we will again be rewarding campsites that excel in creative, sustainable camping. To nominate your campsite or one of your neighbors: 1. Submit a 1-page entry form at the Leave No Trace booth – explaining how the campsite exhibits cleanliness, sustainability, and creativity.
2. Stop by the Leave No Trace booth each day to view all the campsite entries and vote for your favorites.
Each day we select 2 winners —one random, one staff choice—for prize packages that include: • New Belgium beer • Klean Kanteen reusables • Forty Years of Festivation books
Leave No Trace congratulates the 2015 winners: Psychedelic Rainbow Village
After the pack-out on Monday we will select grand prize winners to receive a pair of 3-day passes with camping for the 2017 Folks Festival
I want every bit of you, and I want to stay here, tenderly, tenderly – Quiles & Cloud | 9
Parents: please accompany your children while in the family area.
As we welcome more younger Festivarians into the Folks Fest community each year, join us next to the Wildflower Pavilion and kids beach for a variety of fun, familyfriendly activities throughout the day – 10:30am ‘til 5:00pm.
COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB
Visit the CMC Youth Education Program booth for their daily schedule of youth-oriented outdoor adventure activities. Try out the slackline, hula hoops, and discover 10 essential wilderness survival tips. Take your knot-tying skills to new heights, while safely ascending a tree! Founded in 1912, the CMC is the state’s leading organization dedicated to adventure, recreation, conservation, and education.
SWALLOW HILL MUSIC ASSOCIATION
Strum, beat, and play your way through the Instrument Petting Zoo! The entire family can try out ukuleles, hand drums, guitars, mandolins, banjos, fiddles, mini-pianos and more. Swallow Hill’s knowledgeable staff of zookeepers provide the instruments; you provide the curiosity. Serving the community since 1979, Swallow Hill promotes the joy of learning and listening to roots music through classes and concerts throughout the year.
WILD BEAR MOUNTAIN ECOLOGY CENTER
Learn about local wildlife including the invertebrates in the creek. Create your own hand-painted wood cookie necklace or Earth Flag to take home. Complete the Bingo Discovery Game and earn a special prize. Remember, if the bear is sleeping, be sure to stop back at another time. For more than 20 years, Nederland, CO’s Wild Bear has been providing year-round educational programs to people of all ages in Boulder County. 10 | And leave the valleys of the young, valleys of brunch and tedium – Andrew Bird
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You can put the sun away, I don’t need it for today – Freddy & Francine | 11
We begin the 26th Annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival with our internationally-recognized songwriting competition. The Songwriter Showcase is open to artists who write and perform original music, while not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. Past winners include: Deb Talan (of The Weepies), Robby Hecht, Caroline Spence, and 2015 winner Ben Shannon. Last winter artists from around the world submitted original songs to be considered by our panel of music industry experts. After carefully listening to more than 400 entries, our panelists selected the 10 finalists who will each perform two songs for us Friday morning on the Folks Festival stage. To select the winners, a panel of judges drawn from different facets of the music industry–songwriters, radio DJs, producers –independently evaluate the performers’ songs based on our scoring criteria: • 50% Quality of Composition depth, insight, and cleverness • 25% Quality of Vocal Rendering vocal quality, pitch, and tone • 25% Quality of Delivery instrumental technique, and charisma
SHOWCASE FINALISTS VINCENT COLBERT
LYDIA LUCE
TOM FREUND
JEFFREY MARTIN
CHASE GASSAWAY
CARI MINOR
HADLEY KENNARY
BETHEL STEELE
KORBY LENKER
ANNA TIVEL
Denver, CO
Los Angeles, CA
Venice, CA
Eugene, OR
Austin, TX
Rollinsville, CO
Nashville, TN
The winners will be announced from the main stage following the contest finals.
Fort Collins, CO
Twin Falls, ID
Each of the 10 finalists will also perform in one of the “Showcase Finalists In-TheRound” sets in the Wildflower Pavilion. Please support these talented artists by joining them for these intimate performances and purchasing their CDs in the Country Store.
Portland, OR
1st Place: 2017 Festival Main Stage set, Taylor Guitar, and $300 2nd Place: $500
4th Place: $300
3rd Place: $400
5th Place: $200
6th - 10th Place: $100 each
12 | Take this halo, it don’t fit right, where I’m goin’ I gotta travel light – Ben Shannon
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So meet me by the river on a boat-shaped piece of earth – Darlingside | 13
OF MAIN STAGE FRIDAY
SATURDAY TH
SUNDAY ST
10:00am Gates Open
10:00am Gates Open
10:00am Gates Open
10:30 - 12:30pm Songwriter Showcase
11:00 - Noon Ben Shannon
11:00 - Noon My Bubba
12:45 - 1:45pm Quiles & Cloud
12:15 - 1:30pm Freddy & Francine
12:15 - 1:15pm The Accidentals
2:00 - 3:15pm Cheryl Wheeler
2:00 - 3:15pm Parker Millsap
1:30 - 2:45pm Darlingside
3:45 - 5:00pm David Wax Museum
3:45 - 5:00pm Kathy Mattea
3:15 - 4:30pm DakhaBrakha
5:30 - 6:45pm Passenger
5:30 - 6:45pm Darrell Scott
5:00 - 6:15pm The Lone Bellow
7:15 - 8:30pm Lucinda Williams
7:15 - 8:30pm Mavis Staples
6:45 - 8:00pm Dougie MacLean
9:00 - 10:30pm Andrew Bird
9:00 - 10:30pm Conor Oberst
8:30 - 10:00pm The Decemberists
AUGUST 19
AUGUST 20
TH
14 | Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
AUGUST 21
WILDFLOWER PAVILION FRIDAY
SATURDAY TH AUGUST 20
AUGUST 21 ST
12:30 - 1:00pm Jill Brzezicki
11:15 - 11:45am Foxfeather
11:45 - 12:15pm Mike Beck
1:15 - 2:00pm Jenn Adams & John Linn
Noon - 12:30pm Arthur Lee Land
2:15 - 3:00pm Mouths of Babes
12:45 - 2:00pm Showcase Finalists In-The-Round: Chase Gassaway, Hadley Kennary, Jeffrey Martin & Vincent Colbert
12:30 - 1:30pm Showcase Finalists In-The-Round: Anna Tivel, Bethel Steele & Korby Lenker
AUGUST 19 TH
3:15 - 3:45pm Justin Roth 4:00 - 4:30pm Paul Reisler 4:45 - 5:15pm Amy Speace 5:30 - 6:00pm Vance Gilbert Join us for free yoga inside the festival each morning at 8am.
2:15 - 2:45pm Bill Nash 3:00 - 4:00pm Showcase Finalists In-The-Round: Cari Minor, Lydia Luce & Tom Freund 4:15 - 4:45pm Sarah Sample
SUNDAY
1:45 - 2:15pm Tom Wasinger 2:30 - 3:00pm Robby Hecht 3:15 - 3:45pm Mai Bloomfield 4:00 - 4:30pm Steve Seskin 4:45-5:15pm Ellis
5:00 - 5:30pm Connor Garvey
August 19th through 21st | 15
QUILES & CLOUD FRIDAY
12:45 - 1:45pm
CHERYL WHEELER FRIDAY
2:00 - 3:15pm
DAVID WAX MUSEUM FRIDAY
3:45 - 5:00pm
Closing the circle opened by last year’s Gillian & Dave Folks finale, we open our 26th celebration of songs and stories with the duo of Maria Quiles (pronounced key-less) and Rory Cloud. Growing up surrounded by music—Rory’s mother fronted a folk-rock band; Maria’s parents were ballroom dance teachers—the two met in 2011 at an open mike in a San Francisco cathedral. After winning the 2014 FreshGrass Duo Contest, they caught the ear of Grammy-winner
Alison Brown, who soon produced their 2015 Compass release Beyond the Rain. Though clearly on a path blazed by last year’s closers, Quiles & Cloud are neither Appalachian nor twangy, instead leaning toward contemporary folk and blues. Playing his mother’s Guild dreadnought, Rory’s solos wander bravely into sweet dissonance, while Maria’s vivid lyricism and their shared harmonies give voice to the landscape of modern America. Minimalist and direct.
Raised in Maryland, Cheryl Wheeler began playing the guitar and ukulele as a child. In 1976, she moved to Rhode Island, where she became a protégé of country-folk singersongwriter Jonathan Edwards, for whom she initially served as bass player. Known for her comic as well as emotionally intense songs, artists as diverse as Dan Seals, Peter Paul & Mary, Kenny Loggins, Garth Brooks, Suzy Bogguss, Bette Midler, Kathy Mattea, and Holly Near have covered
her music. But she has to be seen live to be appreciated. Cheryl’s concerts are more like what you would find at a comedy club. She will tell a story that has you rolling in the aisles, and then sing a song that leaves you wiping tears from your eyes. She will talk about some serious current event, and then sing a song that will have you howling with laughter. So sit back on your tarp and enjoy one of our favorite performers—and soon to be one of yours.
“Everything changes, when two becomes three,” sings David Wax on 2015’s Guesthouse. The roots of David Wax Museum stretch back more than a decade, from New England to Mexico. As a Harvard student, David began traveling south of the border to immerse himself in the country’s traditional music. Back in Boston, he met fiddler/singer Suz Slezak, whose love of traditional American and Irish folk music fused with Wax’s MexoAmericana into a lively blend that
NPR hailed as “pure, irresistible joy.” Four albums later, the bandleading duo who began as friends, are now married and touring with their young daughter. What was once an acoustic folk project has grown into an exuberant 5-piece band, rich with percussion (including Suz’s Quijada, made from the jawbone of a donkey) and the vibrant sonics of electric guitar and synths. It’s time to kick up some dust as the Museum comes to life on the Folks Fest stage.
16 | Maybe love is not as gentle as my memory – Cheryl Wheeler
Billy Strings • Bruce Molsky • Claire Lynch • Pete Seeger • T Michael Coleman • Smithsonian Folkways Jorma Kaukonen • Dave Matthews Band • Bill Staines • Greg Brown • Rising Appalachia Quiles & Cloud • Hot Tuna • Grateful Dead • Lucy Kaplansky • Alison Brown • Justin Roth • KC Groves Gregory Alan Isakov • Reed Foehl • The Subdudes • Otis Taylor • Cassie Taylor • Finnders & Youngberg Yonder Mountain String Band • Grant Farm • Hot Rize • Mountain Standard Time • Jeff Austin Leftover Salmon • Railsplitters • Jerry Douglas • The Earls of Leicester • Taarka • Keller Williams
Thanks, Folks!
Jaime Michaels • Jayme Stone • Laurelyn Dossett • Jake Schepps • Crow and the Canyon Ben Sollee • Tellico • Matt Flinner Trio • Tin Men • Guy Davis • Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer Firefall • Dan Sheridan • “The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records” • Sweet Honey in the Rock “The Anthology of American Folk Music” • Rusted Root • Chris Daniels • Doc Watson
Mastering great music for over 30 years!
John McCutcheon • Dock Boggs • Frank Solivan • Woody Guthrie • Mike Seeger The Seldom Scene • Magpie • Bryan Sutton • Joe Jencks • John Cowan • Ordinary Elephant DAVID GLASSER
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Cradled in a crescent moon grin, Michigan and again and again – The Accidentals | 17
PASSENGER FRIDAY
5:30 - 6:45pm
LUCINDA WILLIAMS FRIDAY
7:15 - 8:30pm
ANDREW BIRD FRIDAY
9:00 - 10:30pm
Mike Rosenberg’s “overnight success” took 6 years. When his hit single “Let Her Go” topped the charts in 16 countries in 2013, it seemed as if this masterful lyricist emerged from nowhere. Yet as is the case with most success stories, Mike—better known by his stage name Passenger—put in years of hard work, 4 full-length albums, and hundreds of shows before claiming his indie folk-pop throne. While Passenger’s sweet vocals, addicting hooks, and self-possessed
stage presence are a winning combination, perhaps the feather in the cap of Passenger’s allure is his commitment to philanthropy. After reaching the point where it seemed he’d “made it,” Passenger donated 100% of profits of his subsequent album to UNICEF to help children in Liberia, and he has a history working with the Teenage Cancer Trust. Did we mention Mike’s BFF is Ed Sheeran? Watch out, he’ll be taking over the world before you know it...
Over the course of 12 albums, 3 Lucinda has unflinchingly chronicled Grammy Awards, and countless the dark corners of her life, from her accolades, Lucinda Williams has stunning 1988 self-titled debut, to been maneuvering down a path all 1998’s landmark Car Wheels on a her own. Born in Lake Charles, Loui- Gravel Road, to this year’s remarkable siana as the daughter of beloved poet The Ghosts of Highway 20. Though Miller Williams (recipient of the 1997 she has always moved easily between National Arts Award from President blues, country and folk, Lucinda conBill Clinton), Lucinda’s iconoclastic tinues to stretch, experimenting with upbringing helped her forge a career more jazzy vocal phrasing and literaround remarkably personal songs, ate writing. We are thrilled to welcome hailed for their indelible impression- this American treasure for her longism. In her trademark gravelly drawl, awaited Folks debut. “Here I am with my most unguarded, direct, relatable album to date,” says Andrew Bird, “Go easy on me.” For 20 years, the singer-songwriter-fiddlerwhistler has been meticulously crafting songs—snapshots of his imagination—that encode emotions through clever, cryptic wordplay. From his early Bowl of Fire records steeped in hot jazz, to eclectic loop-based solo creations (showcased on his 2003 breakthrough Weather Systems and his 2006 Folks Fest debut), to
his more recent old-timey Hands of Glory project, Andrew has been prolific, endlessly fascinating, and curiously distant. But with a recent marriage and birth of his son, his latest, Are You Serious?, flies closer to confessional first-person territory, albeit with a playful poeticism that is uniquely Andrew Bird. On this Friday evening we welcome back one of the most lovably mad musical geniuses in modern music, with his heart a little closer to his sleeve.
18 | Everything’s gonna change, everything but the truth – Lucinda Williams
BEN SHANNON SATURDAY 11:00 - Noon
FREDDY & FRANCINE SATURDAY
12:15 - 1:30pm
PARKER MILLSAP SATURDAY 2:00 - 3:15pm
“I try to write the songs that move you with great stories and characters,” Ben Shannon says. On the heels of last year’s Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase win, Ben comes to us today with a brand new album under his belt, Farewell Mountain. With formal training in poetry, Ben’s mastery of language is complemented by his warm vocals and accessible guitar licks. A self-proclaimed linewalker, Ben proudly straddles the boundary between plain-spoken pop
and rousing rock and roll. His songs provide refreshing perspectives on old topics, shining a new light on his native blue-collar Appalachia and beyond. Oft-compared to the groovy yet laidback style of Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz or Citizen Cope, Ben’s relaxed fingerpicking and rhythmic sensibilities are a great way to kick off a day made for dancin’. Sit back and allow Ben Shannon to remind you how he earned this coveted Showcase slot on the lineup.
Although they may not be the only powerhouse couple in Lyons this weekend, Freddy & Francine may be the only to have met on the set of a musical. Lee Ferris (Freddy) and Bianca Caruso (Francine) discovered their melodious chemistry while acting in a production of Hair nearly 10 years ago. After the show wrapped (500 performances later), Lee and Bianca began writing songs together, telling stories of fictional characters in a sound they dubbed “‘50s prom
rock,” and the “Americana soul” of their current CD Gung Ho. Although both musicians are classically trained—he at Berklee, she in L.A.— their time spent in the limelight is apparent through their dramatic onstage dynamics, and a keen sense of how new songs will translate to a live performance. When the pair sing eye-to-eye, their voices interlock with power and passion. It’s an August afternoon, but the sparks onstage might be hotter than the sun.
As a child listening to albums alone in his room, Parker Millsap didn’t realize howling like a Delta blues ghost readying the world for rock’n’roll isn’t how a skinny white boy from Purcell, OK usually sounds. Now at age 23, Parker’s vocal gifts—from fiery high tenor rasp to heavenly sweet choirboy—are as undeniable as his character-driven songs. Whether singing from the perspective of a convenience store robber haunted by his past, or embodying the gay
son of an evangelical preacher, his songs mine deep wells of joy and despair. Parker’s third album, The Very Last Day, continues to attract international acclaim: name-drops from Elton John, the Americana Music Association’s “Album of the Year” nomination, an invite to share the Grand Ole Opry stage with Loretta Lynn. With his trio of fiddler Daniel Foulks and bassist Michael Rose, Parker sways like Elvis and swaggers like a legend in the making.
20 | I’m not afraid of empty, I’m afraid of all alone – Parker Millsap
Healing Musicians in Need
2007 – WILDFLOWER PAVILION CONSTRUCTED | 21
KATHY MATTEA SATURDAY 3:45 - 5:00pm
DARRELL SCOTT SATURDAY 5:30 - 6:45pm
MAVIS STAPLES SATURDAY 7:15 - 8:30pm
Most artists take fewer and fewer risks as they get older, but Kathy Mattea is a striking exception. She didn’t play it safe while she charted mainstream country hits—16 of them reaching the top 10—and she’s not about to start now. With 5 albums certified Gold between 1987 and 1994, and twice named Female Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association, Kathy caught everyone off guard with an album of old-timey Appalachian mining songs
called Coal, which reached #1 on the Bluegrass charts. Kathy delved even deeper into her Appalachian heritage with her next, Calling Me Home. Singer, musician, songwriter, public speaker, activist: Kathy’s music and message have taken her to venues around the world. In recent years she has found a growing audience for the words and ideas she has to offer on a variety of issues, from arts education to finding your creative path to global climate change.
It’s a great day to be alive when Darrell in 4 years. Though the tracks were Scott shares his songs, stories and recorded 15 years ago, they’re only remarkable stringwork on the Folks now being released because Darrell stage. A world-class guitarist who was finally able to add the extra also plays pedal steel, mandolin and touches he wanted, and because banjo, Darrell’s long list of accolades “the songs were too good to remain includes 2 Grammy nominations, silent.” Recently, Darrell has moved an AMA Song of the Year award, to the country, where he installed ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year, and solar panels on his woodshed and songs recorded by everyone from the grows more of his own food. He says Dixie Chicks to Travis Tritt. Darrell’s he’s learning to be more sustainable: tenth studio album The Couchville with limited resources, limited time, Sessions is his first new release and unlimited imagination. In Mavis Staples’ voice, we hear the enduring spirit of freedom, equality, justice. And love. From the deltainflected gospel sound she helped pioneer in the 1950s, to the songs of the civil rights era marching beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to massive hits such as “I’ll Take You There” in the soul-filled Stax era, and her recent Grammy-winning work with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples is one of the most influential and enduring vocalists of our time. At
age 77, Mavis is still Livin’ on a High Note: with her recent M. Wardproduced collection of songs written specifically for her by modern fans including Justin Vernon and Neko Case; and HBO’s acclaimed MAVIS! documentary featuring loving stories from lifelong admirers like Bob Dylan and Prince. We are deeply honored to present this iconic American treasure—a set guaranteed to leave you feeling positively alive and uplifted. Hallelujah!
22 | With pieces of the old dream, they’re gonna light the old flame – Kathy Mattea
Bill Payne (Little Feat) Guy Clark Peter Rowan
November 4–6, 2016
James McMurtry u John Fullbright Jeffrey Foucault u Rising Appalachia Mark Erelli u The Railsplitters Anne McCue u Kaia Kater The Suitcase Junket u Beth Wood Ma Muse Sammy Brue Tickets: $40 —$130 www.MoabFolkFestival.com
Oh, you may think that love takes two, but love’s a gift from you to you – Darrell Scott | 23
CONOR OBERST SATURDAY
9:00 - 10:30pm
MY BUBBA SUNDAY
11:00 - Noon
THE ACCIDENTALS SUNDAY
12:15 - 1:15pm
One must open no fewer than 6 browser tabs to view Conor Oberst’s complete discography. In 2004, when 2 of his Bright Eyes singles topped the charts, unseating Usher and Alicia Keys, Pitchfork wrote: “Bright Eyes Dominates Billboard Singles Chart: Universe Reveals Plans to SelfDestruct.” For a then 20-something musician from Omaha, this could have been the crowning jewel of a career—but Conor’s career was just beginning. Rolling Stone dubbed him
the best songwriter of 2008. After a sparkling run with Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos, and the Mystic Valley Band, he casually formed the Monsters of Folk supergroup with Jim James, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis. He has started not one, but two record labels. He has been called “The New Bob Dylan,” for Pete’s sake. An artist with seemingly limitless depth and creativity, we can’t wait to hear what impending album Ruminations has in store. Maybe we’ll catch a preview tonight?
“There’s a lot of power in the quietness and in the fragility,” says Bubba Tómasdóttir, “once you find a way of unlocking it, or the right setting to let it be heard.” We open this Folks Sunday with the delicate sound of the St. Vrain and the unadorned intimacy of Scandinavian folk duo My Bubba. Sweden’s My Larsdotter and Iceland’s Guðbjörg Tómasdóttir (aka Bubba) met while renting an apartment in Copenhagen, quickly bonding over a love for traditional
music. Soon the two began writing songs, finding subtly inventive ways to blend their voices through an intuitive, unspoken approach to collaboration. The result, captured beautifully on this year’s Big Bad Good, is soft, soulful and sensual, accompanying themselves with minimalist handclaps, a century-old lap harp, and often, just silence. On this Sunday, we invite you to lean-in, and open your ears and hearts to the sounds and spaces of My Bubba.
From 2012-2014, The Accidentals recorded 3 original albums, were guest artists on 15 others, scored 2 films, and landed song placements in commercials, documentaries, and music compilations while playing over 700 live shows. THEN they graduated high school. Despite the fact that they are dripping in accolades, Savannah Buist, Katie Larson, and Michael Dause may not even be allowed into 21+ venues until they hit the stage, even if they’re headlining: a fact
they explore in their song, “Parking Lot.” Almost constantly on tour, The Accidentals can be found posting video updates from the side of the road, collecting honors and devotees as they crisscross the country spreading enthusiasm and cheer. Their music is infectiously upbeat and insightful, hinting at their explosive live performances. If you haven’t heard of The Accidentals before, you may have just found your new favorite band. You’re welcome.
24 | My arms are empty without you – My Bubba
DARLINGSIDE SUNDAY
1:30 - 2:45pm
DAKHABRAKHA SUNDAY
3:15 - 4:30pm
THE LONE BELLOW SUNDAY
5:00 - 6:15pm
Dave Senft (bass), Don Mitchell (banjo and guitar), Auyon Mukharji (violin and mandolin), and Harris Paseltiner (cello and guitar) are all gifted instrumentalists. But if anyone were to claim that their best talent is their sublime vocal harmonies, we wouldn’t argue: gathered around a single microphone, it’s hard to tell where one man’s voice ends and another’s begins. And after 10 years of friendship, it’s possible that these 4 men’s very lives are indistinguishably
entwined as well. Yet despite their affinity for light-hearted wordplay and dark humor, the music from this quartet is best described as serious or cinematic. With influences as diverse as chamber pop and bluegrass, Darlingside writes their music together in a group-streamof-consciousness format. The result is the brilliantly paradoxical tone of sunny melancholy, an exquisitely baroque experience deftly evocative of both mirth and mire.
“Ethnic chaos.” “Folkdrone Björkpunk.” “Slavic doo-wop.” The quartet of ornately dressed Ukrainians—Marko Halanevych, Iryna Kovalenko, Olena Tsibulska and Nina Garenetska—defy easy description. Seated in front of percussion, along with cello, accordion, and other Indian, Arabic, African, and Russian acoustic instruments, DakhaBrakha create a world of unexpected new music: rooted in Ukrainian culture and song, presented with uncompromising power and drama—
as well as raucous dance-inducing energy. Since their 2004 founding at the avant-garde Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art (“DAKH”), DakhaBrakha have been mesmerizing audiences around the world, with Rolling Stone hailing them “Best Breakout” at the 2014 Bonnaroo. This Folks Sunday afternoon we embrace our founding mission as a “summit on the song,” recalling sounds first brought to the 2nd Annual Folks stage by Limpopo, but never heard quite like this before.
Where many musicians relish the chance to employ artistic license and invent their own stories and characters, The Lone Bellow prefers to stick to the truth. “These aren’t things we made up,” says Brian Elmquist (guitar, vocals). “We tried to write some songs that had nothing to do with our personal stories, but we just didn’t respond to them.” That commitment to veracity shines through in both depth of lyric and complexity of harmony. Then Came
the Morning, the most recent album released by the Southern-born, Brooklyn-based trio, was recorded in a church—fitting, since the band itself was born in a church after Zach Williams (guitar, vocals) and Kanene Pipkin (mandolin, vocals) first sang together at a relative’s wedding. Their ornate sound mixes folk sincerity, gospel fervor, even heavy metal thunder, but the heart of the band is harmony: three voices united in a lone bellow.
26 | All songs in the world are for you – DakhaBrakha
upcoming shows C H A U TA U Q U A A U D I T O R I U M
CHAUTAUQUA CHAUTAUQUA COMMUNITY COMMUNITY HOUSE HOUSE OCTOBER 7 DAWN & HAWKES NOVEMBER 4 JIMMY WEBER
AUGUST 23 OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW w/ Dom Flemons
AUGUST 30 COLVIN & EARLE
SEPTEMBER 9
DECEMBER 17 BIFF GORE
JOEY ALEXANDER
JANUARY 12 ANDY GOESSLING
w/ Greg Harris Vibe Quintet
FEBRUARY 10 THE FREEWHEEL TRIO MARCH 24 JEFF BLACK
SEPTEMBER 10 CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE ENSEMBLE Relativity
APRIL 30 CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO
SEPTEMBER 21 AN EVENING WITH PAT METHENY w/ Antonio Sanchez, Linda Oh & Gwilym Simcock
SEPTEMBER 24 THE STEELDRIVERS w/ The Railsplitters
TICKETS
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DOUGIE MACLEAN SUNDAY
6:45 - 8:00pm
THE DECEMBERISTS SUNDAY
8:30 - 10:00pm
For more than 40 years Dougie MacLean has chronicled the people, land and culture of his native Scotland. “If you’re writing for the right reasons, songs happening as a natural diary of life will reflect your life and the place you live in.” Though Dougie began his career as a fiddler in The Tannahill Weavers, he recorded his singer-songwriter debut in 1978, featuring his now-anthemic “Caledonia”—widely considered Scotland’s unofficial national anthem. So began
a career that’s seen Dougie release dozens of albums, create his own label Dunkeld Records, and receive an OBE, induction into the Scottish Music Hall of Fame, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC. Despite his fame, Dougie still lives in a schoolhouse near his hometown of Dunkeld, among the Perthshire hills where his grandfather was once a shepherd. We are thrilled to welcome this legendary songwriter back for a magical Sunday evening of song.
Few bands can so eloquently carry us from a Sunday evening on the St. Vrain to the English countryside to the belly of a whale. For 15 years the Oregon folk-pop troupe has crafted a deeply literate catalog of musical stories—from theatrically epic (2009’s Hazards of Love) to simple and sweet (2011’s Billboard #1 The King Is Dead ), each built around a narrative cast of scoundrels, distant romances, and the emotional breadth of their own lives. Led by songwriter
Colin Meloy, The Decemberists set melodically adventurous tales against the expansive musical backdrop created by guitarist Chris Funk, keyboardist Jenny Conlee, bassist Nate Query, and percussionist John Moen. As a band that once reveled in quirk and outcast mischief, their shows are filled with an undeniable spirit of fun—inviting sing-alongs and inventing guitar duels. We’re proud to cap the beautiful world of the 26th Folks with The Decemberists.
28 | Fill my future with promises that promise to come later – Passenger
TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL ROCKYGRASS ACADEMY
2017 TICKETS Visit Bluegrass.com in October for details about purchasing tickets through our online lotteries, including RockyGrass Academy, RockyGrass on-site camping, and Telluride Bluegrass camping in Town Park & Warner Field. All other 2017 tickets go onsale later this fall.
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See you at the 27th Folks Festival – August 18-20, 2017! | 29
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