2022 Folks Festival Program

Welcome Festivarians!

We have been looking forward to the slowing of the St. Vrain, relishing the day it would fall into an easy rhythm beside songs and stories, making space for all of us to be still and listen. And at last we are here. Welcome to the 32nd Annual Summit of the Song. From the sparkling waters you’ll splash in this weekend arise tales of our past and truths of our present: our loves, our losses, our shared triumphs. We have gathered to celebrate voices from far and wide. From Ireland and the United Kingdom to numerous regions in the United States, we can find comfort in their harmony.

As you relax on your tarp, shake yourself from sleep with early morning yoga, or cool off in the river, take a moment and introduce yourself to your neighbors. Few friendships develop as quickly, or last as long, as those born among Folks. We

challenge you to perform one random act of Festivarian kindness each day. Vocalize your gratitude. Tell someone why you appreciate them. Remember how lucky we are to be here together, and take care of yourselves.

Drink plenty of water, slather on sunscreen (a few times a day, even!). Don’t forget to eat, and always bring your rain jacket. You never know when the weather can go sideways around here, it’s part of the fun of Colorado summers. We hope you take this time to slowly unwind, be present, and savor the last days of summer. You’re home now, let us take it from here.

With love,

The Folks on Planet Bluegrass

Our Partners

Rules & Guidelines

First things first, feel free to sit on any open tarp (especially up front) until its owners return. Make a few friends and do some dancing, that’s what we’re all here for!

Some reminders while we have you here:

• Tarps may be no larger than 10’ x 10’. We will be checking!

• Climbing the hillsides and cliffs is strictly prohibited.

• There is no lifeguard watching your kids in the river. Be sure to monitor your children carefully!

• Sunshades and high-back chairs are only allowed in designated areas. All high-back chairs must be behind the sound booth. If we can roll a basketball under your chair, we will ask you to move it behind the sound booth. We really will! Theo brings a basketball for this exact purpose. He really looks forward to it every year.

• Umbrellas, shade tents, and other view-obstructing items are allowed only along the river and back perimeter of the festival grounds.

PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF OTHERS—do not stand in the festival seating areas, and do not smoke in the audience! Instead, wander over to the smoking tent near the river, and deposit your butts in the proper receptacles. Sustainable Festivation, ya know?

Lost and Found is located at the Main Festival Box Office.

Tarp Line Policy

Festivarians may begin assembling for the next day’s line numbers along the pedestrian walkway outside of the Main Box Office no earlier than 11pm. At around midnight, the number line will be led through the customs gate, where we will distribute random numbers and mark wristbands to show receipt of a number. These numbers will be shuffled randomly. Each person may receive no more than one number.

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.

Seltzers

Spiked

Gluten

Spiked

Libations

Beers

Cocktails

Cider

Chiles

Sauvignon Blanc

Good news, Festivarians! With over 70 primary care, specialty, and urgent care physicians, we offer top-quality, head-to-toe health care in 5 Boulder County locations. Meet our new doctors:

Felicia Longenecker, MD Internal Medicine

Emily Reznicek, MD Family Medicine

Teuta Shemshedini, MD OB-GYN

Allen Ruan, MD Pediatrics

F a m i l y Te n t

Most activities are free, but we ask that parents please accompany their kids at all times.

Come find the Family Tent along the river behind the Wildflower Pavilion!

While you’re over there, check out the Instrument Petting Zoo (courtesy of HB Woodsongs). This is a place for kids and their parents to discover, strum, and play a variety of instruments. HB Woodsongs’ knowledgeable staff of instrument zookeepers provide the instruments, you provide the curiosity. Open 11-4.

And be sure to join our friends from the Wild Bear Nature Center in their tent in Harmony Greene. Their goal is to inspire a lifelong connection with nature and community through creative exploration of the outdoors. Check it out!

Join us for an hour of yoga each morning!

Friday at 8:30am, Saturday at 7:30am, and Sunday at 7:30am

Campsite Challenge CLEAN

With over 1,200 campers in Lyons this weekend, (more than half the size of our town), it’s critical that we remain mindful of our camping footprint. In collaboration with Leave No Trace and Eco-Products (the supplier of the free compostable bags for your campground compost), we will be rewarding campsites that excel in creative, sustainable camping.

To nominate your campsite or one of your neighbors, submit an entry form at the Canyon Booth explaining how the campsite exhibits cleanliness, sustainability, and creativity. Stop by the Canyon booth each day to view the campsite entries and vote for your favorites!

We will select 2 winners per day- one random, and one staff choice. Prize packages will include gear from Mountainsmith, Klean Kanteen, Upslope, Canyon, and other goodies from our partners.

After the pack-out on Monday we will select grand prize winners to receive a pair of 3-day passes and camping for the 2023 Folks Festival. Typically we stop there, but this year we really wanted to do it up, so Mountainsmith tossed in a surprise camping package as well. They did this at RockyGrass and it was next level. Don’t miss out!

Sustainability A CONVERSATION

Against the backdrop of current events, we have sadly seen other festivals and venues not able to keep their doors open and missions intact. It was painful to cancel all of our festivals in 2020.

Thankfully, in 2021, we were incredibly fortunate to receive the Colorado Arts Relief Grant, which helped sustain us through a festival season at reduced capacity. We are forever grateful for our State Representatives being such dedicated advocates for the arts.

“The grant allowed us to bring music back to the Festivarians around the state and bring artists to the stage that hadn’t been able to play,” notes Craig Ferguson. “It was powerful to feel the impact the festivals have on so many different people. It was a good reminder that what we do is meaningful.”

Recently, we’ve been reflecting on what it means to be sustainable with a new perspective. What’s become clear is the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Environmental sustainability has always been woven with intention into the fabric of our festivals. Many of the actions that Planet Bluegrass takes are voluntary. Thanks to a culture we call “Sustainable Festivation,” each Festivarian remains an empowered partner in our quest to lessen impacts. Steve Szymanski has championed this effort over the past twenty years, and recently accepted Folk Alliance International’s “Clearwater Award'' on behalf of our environmental stewardship and leadership in the music festival industry. Steve says, “It feels like a new beginning in a lot of ways, and I truly hope this inspires new efforts to meet today’s challenges.”

While there’s no denying that our natural environment is stressed like never before, the sustainability of our communities and our very social fabric face new challenges as well.

We recognize that our society is suffering from polarization, and our team has been engaging in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training to understand how to be better community members and advocates. The festival experience is a unique opportunity to draw people together under the common umbrella of love for music. In that light, we encourage you to take time to talk with your fellow Festivarians about things that matter. By listening closely and engaging in meaningful conversation, we hope you find an understanding and create a harmony all your own.

Mabon WHAT IS

You keep hearing it: Mabon. May what? Mabon! It’s pronounced MAY’-bahn, and since you asked, we’d love to take you on a journey to uncover the heart of Mabon, and learn why we chose to hinge our autumn concert series on its tradition and history. Let’s do it!

Many cultures participate in fall harvest celebrations to rejoice in the abundance of their hard work and contemplate the harder months that lay ahead. The fall festivals typically take place in late September, coinciding with the autumnal equinox–the day of the year when the sun and moon are equally divided, sharing the sky. Soon the moon will overtake us, bringing shorter days and blustery winds. But for right now, we are balanced.

Fall festivals are still celebrated all around the world. The Bavarians call it Oktoberfest, while in China and Vietnam it is referred to as the MidAutumn Festival. In the Celtic tradition it became known as Mabon, named after the son of a Welsh god. Today Mabon serves not only as a physical celebration, but as a unique spiritual reflection point. Sitting at the fulcrum of light and darkness, abundance and scarcity, it is the perfect time to pause and reflect on the duality that challenges us everyday as we search for balance.

Mabon’s essence perfectly aligns with the drive behind the Planet Bluegrass experience: to bring folks together against the mayhem and discord

that surrounds us. To find, even for a moment, that we are all interconnected, and it is not our similarities that make us strong, but our differences. For example, what's better than singing the same note together? It's blending unique voices to form a chorus and harmony, of course! This cannot exist without diversity of tone, sound, and mind.

Planet Bluegrass hosted its first Mabon celebration in the early 2000s. It was a musical commemoration in which thanks was given for all of the memories made and collected throughout the festival season. We vowed to carry them with us through the winter. It has been a few years since we gathered with this intention, and we are eager to do so again.

“The resurgence of Mabon is Planet Bluegrass’ continued search for harmony at a time when we are divided more than ever,” notes festival president Craig Ferguson.

Spurred by our mutual love of, well... each other, we’ve teamed up with Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) and curated a three night Mabon celebration and harvest concert series,

happening September 16th, 17th, and 18th on the Ranch. We’ll supply the food and drinks as long as you’re on board to bring the dance moves and general merriment.

We can not think of better guides in this period of reflection. I mean seriously. EmmyLou Harris, Regina Spektor, a variety of Watchhouse performances, Waxahatchee, The Lil Smokies, Andrew Marlin, Yasmin Williams, Big Richard, and Thee Sacred

Souls? Yeah, we’re ready for a full-on energetic reset.

Emily and Andrew share in our enthusiasm. “We’ve been lucky enough to play so many festivals and events and have always loved the ones hosted by Planet Bluegrass. We haven’t been able to sit in on the curation side until now and we’re so grateful for the opportunity to reach out to artists whose songs have meant a lot to us over the years, or just recently. Autumn solstice feels like the perfect time to cozy up and sink into some feely songs together.”

We hope you can join us as we say so long to summertime, and bask in the hopeful unity of collaborations with friends new and old!

Thanks for taking that journey down memory lane with us. We’ve told you what Mabon means to us… what does it mean to you? Don’t worry if you don’t have an answer now, come check it out in September and tell us after!

“The resurgence of Mabon is Planet Bluegrass’ continued search for harmony at a time when we are divided more than ever.”

Songwriter Showcase

We open the 32nd Annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival with our internationally-revered songwriting competition. The Songwriter Showcase is open to performing songwriters who are not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. Past winners include Kira Small, Robby Hecht, Caroline Spence, and 2019 winner Alexa Wildish.

This spring, artists from around the States submitted original songs to be considered by our panel of music industry experts. After carefully listening to more than 300 entries, our judges selected ten finalists. Each will perform two songs for us on the Main Stage Friday morning.

Scoring Criteria:

• 50% Quality of Composition Depth, insight, cleverness

• 25% Quality of Vocal Rendering Vocal quality, pitch, tone

• 25% Quality of Delivery

Instrumental technique, charisma

Showcase Finalists

1st Place: Main Stage set at 2023 Festival, Taylor Guitar and $400

2nd Place: $500

3rd Place: $400

4th Place: $350

5th Place: $250

6th-10th Place: $150 each

Each of the ten finalists will perform in a “Showcase Finalists In-The-Round” set in the Wildflower Pavilion. Join in on these intimate performances and discover your new favorite songwriter. Purchase their music in the Country Store to show your support!

The winners will be announced from the Main Stage following the contest finals.

HALLEY NEAL Nashville, TN

2019 Winner Alexa Wildish

DAPHNE GALE Los Angeles, CA

TIM OSTDIEK Longmont, CO

RAY SMITH Rollinsville, CO

SHANNA IN A DRESS Nashville, TN

SIENA CHRISTIE HERTAFELD Parkdale, OR

CAROLYN SHULMAN Denver, CO

LACEY WILLIAMS Santa Clara, Utah

SADIE GUSTAFSON-ZOOK Nashville, TN

TAYLOR TUKE Nashville, TN

Friday AUGUST 12TH

10:00am

Gates Open

10:30 - 12:30pm

Songwriter Showcase

12:45 - 1:45pm

Rachel Baiman

2:00 - 3:15pm

Mick Flannery

3:45 - 5:00pm

Courtney Hartman

5:30 - 6:45pm

Rodney Crowell

7:15 - 8:30pm

Sarah Jarosz

9:00 - 10:30pm

Yola

SCHEDULE

Saturday AUGUST 13TH

10:00am

Gates Open

11:00 - Noon

Megan Burtt

12:15 - 1:15pm

Andrea von Kampen

1:45 - 3:00pm

Cedric Burnside

3:30 - 4:45pm

Carsie Blanton

5:15 - 6:30pm

Robert Earl Keen

7:00 - 8:30pm

Ani Difranco

9:00 - 10:30pm

Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers

Sunday AUGUST 14TH

10:00am

Gates Open

10:45 - 11:45am

Moira Smiley

Noon - 1:00pm

Tall Tall Trees

1:30 - 2:45pm

Chatham Rabbits

3:15 - 4:30pm

TK & The Holy

Know Nothings

5:00 - 6:15pm

The Wailin’ Jennys

6:45 - 8:00pm

John Craigie

8:30 - 10:00pm

Indigo Girls

Friday

AUGUST 12TH

12:30 - 1:15

Maggie Wing & Steve Krause

1:30 - 2:15

Shanna in a Dress & Jill Brzezicki

2:30 - 3:00

Katie Wise & Bhakti Explosion with JJ Jones

3:15 - 3:45

Alexa Wildish

4:15 - 4:45

Justin Roth

5:00 - 5:30

Mary Gauthier

SCHEDULE

Saturday

AUGUST 13TH

Noon - 12:30

Bill Nash & RJ Cowdery

12:45 - 1:45

Showcase Finalists In The Round

2:00 - 2:30

Connor Garvey

2:45 - 3:30

Megan Burtt

Tools For Expanding

SongForms

3:45 - 5:00

Showcase Finalists In The Round

5:15 - 5:45

Rebecca Folsom

6:00 - 6:30

Arthur Lee Land

Sunday

AUGUST 14TH

11:45 - 12:15

Jenn Cleary & Friends Kids Show

12:30- 1:15

Mark Gibson & John Linn

1:30 - 2:30

Showcase Finalists In The Round

2:45 - 3:15

Chicago Mike Beck

3:45 - 4:15

Paul Reisler

4:30 - 5:00

Steve Seskin

5:15 - 5:45

Ellis

Rocky Mountain

Folks Festival Artists

Rachel Baiman

12:45 - 1:45pm

It’s day one, how are we feeling? Personally, we’re on cloud nine. We typically begin each Folks Festival with the winner of the previous year’s Songwriter Showcase. We didn’t have a Showcase last year, so who should kick off the fest? It was a fairly easy decision. Once we had Rachel on our mind we just couldn’t shake the idea. Originally from Chicago, Rachel moved to Nashville at eighteen and has spent the last decade working as a

musician in a wide variety of roles. From session musician to bandmate and producer, she is known in the bluegrass and old time world for her work with progressive acoustic duo 10 String Symphony with Christian Sedelmyer. Her latest album Cycles is a reflection of a desire to hold fast to the people we love in the wake of so much uncertainty. Rachel is an artist with a mission and we are so pleased to welcome her as a first time Folks Fest performer!

Mick Flannery

2:00 - 3:15pm

Friday Friday Friday

Courtney Hartman

3:45 - 5:00pm

You’ve heard the adage: pay extra attention to the quiet ones, because most of the time their voices speak sharper and with more range than the loudmouths. It’s a cliche, yes, but all cliches have a grain of truth to them. It’s safe to say that while County Cork singer-songwriter Mick Flannery is outwardly reserved, his songs are fluent in expressing layered aspects of the human condition and all of its flaws, triumphs, and general uncertainty. With musical influences

Guitarist, singer, writer, and producer Courtney Hartman is best known for her work beneath the surface writing and recording with artists throughout the folk community. Born in Loveland (our own backyard!), Courtney’s musical journey has been both unique and empowering. Her scope as a guitarist knows few boundaries, and her collaborative spirit has her working with legends like Bill Frisell and Anais Mitchell, and contemporaries like Robert Ellis, Sam

like Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits weaved into his creative identity, Mick absorbed, learned and honed the craft that would send him on his way into the world. The path was smoothed somewhat when, at the age of 19, he became the first Irish songwriter to win the Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition. We are thrilled to have this double-platinum selling artist and overall rockstar here with us this weekend.

Amidon, and Taylor Ashton. Her debut album Ready Reckoner was written amidst a 500-mile walking pilgrimage, and her newest album Glade, which emanates from a place of quiet, follows her return to her childhood home. Everything she touches turns to gold, like a warm delicate light calling to you softly in the darkness. Her set this weekend will feature some faces that Coloradans are sure to recognize. Go on and grab a spot by the front before they’re all gone!

NO PARABENS NO PHTHALATES NO PETROCHEMICALS NO DANGEROUS ADDITIVES JUST PLANTS

Rocky Mountain

Folks Festival Artists

5:30 - 6:45pm

It’s hard to find a more storied career than that of singer songwriter Rodney Crowell. Hailing from Texas, he was part of the Lone Star posse that included legends Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earl. With fifteen number one hits under his belt, he penned such classics as “Song for Life” and “Leaving Louisiana in the Broad Daylight.” His songs have been covered by Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Keith Urban, Bob Seger, Etta James, the

Grateful Dead, John Denver, and Jimmy Buffet. Insane, right? And that’s barely a dent in the list! His spectacular success has led to the expression, “Your favorite song was probably written by Rodney Crowell.” He continues to write, record, and tour both as a solo artist and in joint projects with long-time collaborator Emmylou Harris. Their 2013 album Old Yellow Moon won a GRAMMY for Best Americana Album. It just doesn’t get any better.

7:15 - 8:30pm

Friday Friday Friday

9:00 - 10:30pm

Sarah Jarosz first played on Planet Bluegrass when she was twelve years old. A student in the RockyGrass Kid’s Academy, she blew everyone away with her confidence, poise, and the deftness with which her fingers floated across the strings. It was clear immediately that she was destined for great things. No surprise, the Texas native was a talented multi-instrumentalist by her early teens. Since then, she’s continued to steal audiences’ hearts with her

You’ve got to give the people what they want. In this case, it’s easy to know what that is: a Friday night being serenaded by six-timenominated Grammy knockout Yola Carter. We are more than happy to oblige. Seriously, it’s our pleasure. Reaching both exquisitely high and seemingly effortless low vocal registers, Yola encapsulates stunning emotional breadth and the ability to bewitch her audiences from the first note from her guitar.

captivating stage presence, soaring vocals, and compelling songwriting. 2020’s World On The Ground took home a Grammy for Best Americana Album, and 2021’s Blue Heron Suite received a nomination for Best Folk Album, making her a four time winner and ten-time nominee by the age of thirty. We’re thrilled she took a detour on her American Acoustic tour with Punch Brothers and Watchhouse (can you believe how good that lineup is?) to be here this evening.

It's a love affair between fans and critics alike (we’re clearly smitten). Yola’s sophomore album Stand For Myself is like a window into her own mind, life experiences, and politics. She declares it is only when we stand for ourselves, and acknowledge our complexity, that we can be truly alive. This is her first performance on the Folks Festival Main Stage. Relax into this one, sweet Festivarians. Let Yola show you the way.

Rodney Crowell

Rocky Mountain

Folks Festival Artists

11:00 - Noon

Megan Burtt is an internationally touring singer songwriter whose talent has amassed national recognition. A winner of our own Songwriter Showcase in 2010, Megan has garnered praise as she’s traveled, accumulating songwriting contest wins from the Kerrville Folk Fest, Mountain NewSong Competition, and Westword Music Awards to name a few. She’s toured as a headlining artist, and as support for acts including Gregory Alan Isakov, Brett

Dennen, Stephen Kellog, and LeAnn Rimes. On top of it all, she’s a member of the Americana-roots band Gingerbomb. You would be correct in assuming this band is made up of all redheads. It’s just as vibrant as you’d imagine – in color and energy. Alas we weren’t blessed with superior flaming locks, otherwise we feel confident they would have asked us to join. Why wouldn’t they have…? Good things are coming, let Megan’s comforting tone ease you into Saturday.

12:15 - 1:15pm

She’s a ten, but she’s a mega talented actress and musician who just starred in and composed the soundtrack for a film set to come out this October. It’s an easy thirteen point five in our book (did we do that right? We’ve never played this game before). Anywho, Andrea von Kampen’s recent album That Spell is an emotionally evocative powerhouse. It’s cinematic and sweeping—with literary references, reflections on nature and above

all the ability to transport you to a memory, a place in time or somewhere you saw in a dream with vivid lucidity. Like a film director, she works as an aural auteur building scenes with her rapturous voice and the plaintive plucks of her guitar strings. She absorbed the work of vocal jazz icons like Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald as well as folkpop legends Paul Simon and James Taylor. She’s got good taste, what can ya say?

1:45 - 3:00pm

Hailing from the hill country of Mississippi, blues guitarist, singer/ songwriter, and two-time Grammy Award winner Cedric Burnside seeks to illustrate through his music both the heritage and the hereafter of his region’s lush sonic culture. Son of drummer Calvin Jackson and grandson of blues legend RL Burnside, Cedric strives to tell stories that transcend what it means to be African, to be American. He ponders what it means to hurt, to love, and to find connection

and absolution in the deep south. With stripped down precision, Burnside draws upon readings of Lao Tzu as well as his own rich life experiences to create a pulsing, percussive gospel rhythm. What resonates is the space his music provides for breath, for acceptance, and for love. His most recent record I Be Trying is a heartfelt, personal exploration of what it means to find the Blues, and the journeys we all make toward a deeper sense of understanding.

Megan Burtt

Andrea von Kampen

Cedric Burnside

Folks Festival Artists

Saturday

3:30 - 4:45pm

Carsie Blanton writes anthems for a world worth saving. They’re great songs perfectly suited for bad times (which none of us are having right now, but good to keep in mind for the future). Inspired by artists including Nina Simon, Randy Newman, and John Prine, Carsie delivers every song with an equal dose of moxie and mischief, bridging her audiences together in joyful celebration. Her newest (and seventh overall) album Love & Rage was released in 2021.

As the title suggests, she is a passionate radical and open hearted protestor. Her style dances between genres, flitting from sultry pop to punk-tinged Americana, all the while reminding us that the fight for racial and gender equality can (and should) have joyous moments. And of course it should! Carsie holds great strength in her ability to approach fragile topics with a fresh perspective and large dose of empathy. It’s musical medicine at its lushest.

5:15 - 6:30pm

On the cusp of an unexpected retirement from the road, this might be the last time you ever hear Robert Earl Keen play live, so make sure you listen well. It’s not easy to sum up a career, let alone a life’s ambition. Keen has been wowing audiences since the early 1980s when he won the Kerrville New Folk Songwriting Contest. With 21 records to his name, he followed up that win by writing the anthem “The Road Goes on Forever ... and

the Party Never Ends.” It’s a fiveminute ballad that ignores the limitations of commercial radio —and it became an enduring hit! In case you needed more proof that he has blazed a peer, critic, and fan-lauded trail that’s earned him living-legend and pioneer status in the Americana music world, POLLSTAR ranked him on its Top 20 Global Concert Tours. It’s quite an accomplishment. We’re honored to have him here with us.

7:00 - 8:30pm

1994. 1995. 2006. 2010. 2014. 2019. 2022. What do all of these years have in common? They’re the years we were lucky enough to see feminist icon Ani DiFranco on the Folks Festival Main Stage. One of the first artists to create their own record label in 1990, Ani is the mother of the DIY movement. Despite her rebellion against the music industry, she remains one of indie music’s most prolific artists—selling over 5.5 million albums and winning

numerous awards (including a Grammy). In addition to her musical success, Ani has tirelessly worked for reproductive rights, racial justice, ecological sanity, gender equality, and prison reform. Her 2019 memoir No Walls and the Recurring Dream details the unconventional path that led Ani to become a trailblazer, while maintaining an artistic integrity that has made her, in Pete Seeger’s eyes, “the torch bearer for the next generation.”

Carsie Blanton

Robert Earl Keen

Ani Difranco

In Loving Memory In Loving Memory

Griffin Charles Ferguson, fondly referred to as “Griff,” passed away on May 26th, 2022 in a motorcycle accident. Griffin was a beloved son, brother, friend, protector, and professional firefighter dedicated to serving his community.

Griffin had a special affinity and love for animals of all kinds. As a child he could often be found cuddling and caring for cats, dogs, chickens, and any critter that seemed in need of a helping hand. Griffin worked at the Planet Bluegrass Farm, caring for the horses, alpaca, and ducks that made their home there. He was inseparable from his hunting dog and best friend Ranger, whom he trained diligently. Through his passion for hunting and dedication to conservation, Griffin sought the silence and tranquility of places people seldom traveled: the

remote Bush of Alaska, the idyllic Sandhills of Nebraska, and the peaceful blue waters of Dome Lake in Wyoming. These landscapes shaped him from boyhood, and left a lasting impact that he carried with him through his life.

Griffin loved fiercely, intensely, and without question. He was quick with a quip, swift to support his family and friends, and even faster with his request that you please rub his back since you’re already sitting right there. We were lucky to have him and love him. We miss him every day.

Rocky Mountain

Folks Festival Artists

9:00 - 10:30pm

This one’s always an honor. A man with one of the most diverse, collaborative, and adventurous careers in contemporary music, Bruce Hornsby draws from a vast wellspring of American musical traditions. Although his 1986 song “The Way It Is” became a hit in almost every other country before the United States (which honestly still boggles us to this day), he became a household name in 1986. With a list of collaborations longer than a CVS receipt, including

noteworthy performances with Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger, Stevie Nicks, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bon Iver, Shawn Colvin, and Béla Fleck, Bruce’s fingers sweep over the keyboard with the confidence of a man who has successfully ventured into bluegrass, jazz, classical, and electronica and made it to the other side unscathed. A touring member of the Grateful Dead from 1990-1992, his influence cannot be denied.

10:45 - 11:45am

What’s your favorite mythical creature? Ours is Moira Smiley. She’s a musical polyglot and vocal shapeshifter of epic proportions (that counts, right?). She accompanies herself with banjo, accordion, piano and percussive movement. When she’s not leading her own group, Moira Smiley & VOCO, she’s touring. Her recordings feature sparse, vocally driven collections of warped traditional songs, original polyphony and body percussion. She is a

well-known choral composer and arranger with millions of singers around the world covering her works. In 2018, she released a solo album and choral songbook called Unzip The Horizon , in which she ponders freedoms we all ignore. Moira Smiley spent the last week sharing her knowledge of the craft with our Song School students. No week on Planet Bluegrass digs as deeply, or impacts as many. It’s a pleasure to experience her distinctive sound.

Tall Tall Trees Noon - 1:00pm

Tall Tall Trees is the musical id of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mike Savino, a pioneer in the realm of experimental, DIY banjo music. Accompanied by his trusty Banjotron 5000, a highly customized, electrified banjo and effects pedal setup, Savino has wowed audiences since the 2009 debut of his self-titled album with his eclectic and innovative blend of bluegrass, folk, and world music. His work seems to actively evade comfortable definition; upon first

listen one will recognize the high spirits of Roger Miller, the tenderness of Cat Stevens, the melancholy introspection of Eliot Smith, the anthemic psychedelia of Pink Floyd, and a deep, abiding respect for Earl Scruggs. This vast range of influence seems to hold a mirror up to our world and offer a sense of hope in the face of the challenges posed to us today. We could all use a little more hope for calm in this rapidly changing modern world.

Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers

Moira Smiley

Rocky Mountain

Folks Festival Artists

Chatham Rabbits

1:30 - 2:45pm

One of North Carolina’s most beloved roots music outfits, Chatham Rabbits has swiftly emerged from the vast Americana scene in the Southeast. Husband-and-wife duo Sarah and Austin McCombie prefer rustic, minimalist acoustic arrangementsmainly clawhammer-style banjo and guitar that showcase the deftness and maturity of their songwriting. There’s something about a husband and wife harmonizing that makes us feel things. If Chatham Rabbits’

harmonies and toned back instrumentation elicit the same emotional response as our friends in Watchhouse, well then by gosh you have a good ear because their 2019 album All I Want from You was recorded with the help of Andrew Marlin! While the McCombie’s perfectly embody the sound and spirit of old time music, they are able to recast it in a way that feels new and fresh at the same time. It’s a real treat. We’ll let them take it from here.

TK & The Holy Know

Nothings

3:15 - 4:30pm

Most nights, you’ll likely find TK & the Holy Know Nothings songwriter and lead vocalist Taylor Kingman on stage (or at the bar). With Tyler Thompson on drums, Jay Cobb (of Fruition) on lead guitar, Sydney Nash on keyboards (among others), and Lewi Longmire running around between bass, pedal steel, lap steel, flugelhorn and mellotron, their twangy grooves would be at home in any honky tonk. Their debut album Arguably OK introduced us

to their distinct brand of unbound rock & roll infused with the wideopen, outsider nature of Western country. You can find The Incredible Heat Machine (their newest album) in its magnificent entirety on the streaming platform of choice. If you Google it, you’ll probably also find a few sweet deals on home heating systems as well. It’s a win win either way! Their lyrics demand attention whether they are sung tongue-incheek or about a heavy theme.

The Wailin’ Jennys

5:00 - 6:15pm

These ladies can sing. But rather than being a band with a lead vocalist and a couple of back-up singers, the Jenny’s blend and bend their voices to go amazing places. Starting in 2004 as a happy accident of solo singer/ songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into one of today’s most revered international

folk acts. You may have first heard them on Prairie Home Companion where they were regulars. But since then the group has laid down marker after marker for their blend of Americana, pop and traditional folk material wrapped in striking harmonies. The group is Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse, who joined the Jennys in 2007. To hear these ladies is a slice of heaven. Find a comfy cloud and listen in.

Rocky Mountain

Folks Festival Artists

Sunday

John

6:45 - 8:00pm

Equal parts charismatic, witty, and skilled with a guitar, John Craigie offers a schooling in storytelling. The Stranger calls him “…the lovechild of John Price and Mitch Hedburg with a vagabond troubadour edge.” Whoever wrote that deserves a raise, we honestly couldn’t have put it better ourselves. Influenced by Bob Dylan and The Band, Craigie has a cool, laid back vibe akin to Jack Johnson, who was an early supporter of his work. With classics like “I Almost

Stole Some Weed From Todd Snider,” John uses his sharp wit and keen observational humor to win over his audiences. He ponders the important things, like whether Freddie Mercury knew “Bohemian Rhapsody” would be the ultimate song for Karaoke. In 2022’s Mermaid Salt, Craigie uses his natural storyteller’s flair to adapt moments of solitude into stories. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll most likely swoon a bit. Embrace it. This guy’s the real deal.

Sunday

Indigo Girls

8:30 - 10:00pm

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers are the raw, real, and revelatory Indigo Girls. One of the finest folk duos of all time, the Indigo Girls have spent over 35 years performing together. Engaged in outspoken political and social activism, they are perpetually on the hunt for the next great challenge. Their newest studio album Look Long hit shelves in 2020. Currently on tour with Brandi Carlile, it’s been four years since the pair last graced the Folks

Festival stage. If you were there, you most certainly remember it. A few songs in Colorado unleashed a rainstorm for the ages. I myself had to seek shelter at the supermarket in town lest I be swept away. Their set was cut short and we were all sad. It is with the deepest of gratitude that we close out the 32nd Annual Folks Festival with Emily and Amy. The more music we absorb from these two, the closer we are to fine.

Dates to Remember