2015 Folks Festival program

A solitary purple columbine adorned the program cover of the 1st Annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival. That single flower captured our dreams of summertime beauty and sensitivity.

On this silver celebration, we’re surrounded by sunflowers (including the 25-petal specimen in Diana Dandeneau’s commemorative artwork), adding a trait we didn’t anticipate: resilience. Resilience of songs and stories as an expression of our lives.

Resilience of a festival setting that has relocated to Lyons and survived a historic flood. And the shared resilience of a community of artists and Festivarians that come together for 3 inspiring days every August.

day morning we’ll honor the spirit of the many Folks who have passed over the last quarter century.

Last winter our partners at Sunsense turned our Wildflower into a sunflower, by installing 52 solar panels on the south roof. This weekend Sunsense is providing a free solar phone-charging station inside the Festival. As you fill your reusable beer cup with New Belgium’s Summer Bliss this weekend, know that your beverage tips will help fund solar panels for We’re thrilled to welcome home many of the musi- 6 new affordable homes in Lyons. cians who have helped create this summit of the song, hailing from Australia, England, Argentina, To further bolster the resilience of our planet, we’re Canada, and every corner of our country. On Sun- continuing our transition away from waste diversion by offering reusable sporks instead of compostable utensils. We encourage you to carry them home alongside your beer cup.

Plant yourself on an empty tarp space (and begin a lasting friendship when the owners return). Enjoy the free daily yoga sessions. Slather on the sunscreen.

Share a song in the campground. Drink lots of water.

And cherish these final magical days of summer together. We’re so glad you’re here.

LOVE,

THE FOLKS ON PLANET BLUEGRASS

1990 – CRAIG FERGUSON DREAMS UP “SUMMIT OF THE SONG” IN A CHICAGO HOTEL ROOM | 1

There is no lifeguard watching Please use only low-backed chairs your kids in the river. Please mon- in designated areas. If we can roll a basketball under your chair, we itor your children carefully. will ask you to move it behind the Feel free to sit in any open tarp sound booth. Umbrellas, shade (especially up front) until the tents, and other view-obstructing tarp’s owners return. items are allowed only along the river and back perimeter.

Please do not smoke in the audience. Wander over to the smoking Please be respectful of others tent near the river and deposit and do not stand in the festival your butts in the proper recep- seating areas. tacles. Please.

Lost and found is located at the Once placed on, wristbands are festival box office. non-refundable and non-transferable. If you remove, tear, damage, No dogs are allowed at the festival, or lose your wristband, we will in the campground, or in the parking lots. If you leave your dog in your not replace it. car, we will call Animal Control and Climbing the hillsides or cliffs is safely remove your dog from the car strictly prohibited. by whatever means necessary.

Tarp Line Policy • Festivarians may begin assem bling for the next day at midnight • At a designated time after midnight Planet Bluegrass will randomly distribute numbers to everyone in the line; one num ber per person • The next morning, Festivarians will be admitted into the fes tival in this randomly-assigned order, followed by first-come first-served

Billy Strings & Don Julin • Planet Bluegrass • TRI Studios • Pete Seeger • David Bromberg • Smithsonian Folkways • Jorma Kaukonen • Dave Matthews Band • Bill Staines • Greg Brown • Rising Appalachia Claudia Schmidt • Hot Tuna • Grateful Dead • Lucy Kaplansky • Richard Shindell • Justin Roth • Gregory Alan Isakov • KC Groves • Reed Foehl • Mollie O’Brien • Otis Taylor • Cassie Taylor • Yonder Mountain String Band • Grant Farm • Finnders & Youngberg • Hot Rize • Mountain Standard Time • Jeff Austin Leftover Salmon • Railsplitters • Jerry Douglas • The Earls of Leicester • Taarka • Keller Williams • Jaime

Thanks, Folks!

Michaels • Jayme Stone • David Gans • Jake Schepps • Strangebyrds • Bruce Molsky • Crow and the Canyon Tellico • Eliza Gilkyson • Tin Men • Pete & Joan Wernick • Guy Davis • Dave Carter & Tracy Grammer Firefall • Dan Sheridan • Lucy Wainwright Roche • “The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records” • “The Anthology of American Folk Music” • Sweet Honey in the Rock • Rusted Root • Chris Daniels • Doc Watson

Mastering great music for over 30 years!

Tom Chapin • John McCutcheon • Chesapeake • Dock Boggs • Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen • Woody Guthrie • Debra Cowan • Mike Seeger • The Seldom Scene • Bryan Sutton • “Dear Jean: Artists Celebrate Jean Ritchie” • Joe Jencks • Emma’s Revolution • John Cowan • Bumper Jacksons • Arthur Lee Land DAVID GLASSER

DOMINICK MAITA

JAMES TUTTLE

ANNA FRICK

JON GOLD

CHARLIE PILZER

RANDY LEROY

www.airshowmastering.com To book a session, contact Karen Maye: karen@airshowmastering.com • 303-247-9035

2 | 1991 – 300 PEOPLE ATTEND 1ST DAY OF FOLKS FEST IN ESTES PARK, 3-DAY PASS COSTS $25

FOR YOU

FOR THE WORLD

16TH Featuring Iron Horse Bluegrass (Best of Pickin' on Series), Featuring Euforquestra, Danny Schafer,Band Caribou Mountain Collective, Poorboy, The Mason Howlings with Jason Downing, Blue Grama Bluegrass, Punch Drunk Monkey Funk, The Holler!, Elise Wunder, Bill Smith Funky, Pattie Fiasco, Mason Howling (Featuring Jason Downing) and more.

The Holler!, Finnders & Youngberg Bluegrass and more.

SustainableLivingFair.org

250 150 exhibitors

renowned speakers

family activities & yoga

50 75 workshops

$10/$5

students

12 & under free

beer garden & local food

Coloradoan, Chipotle, Eldorado FC PAN, West, KRFC 88.9, Old Town Yoga, Service Credit Union, Motion, Coloradoan, Eldorado Water, FCPAN, GO West,Water, KRFC, Public ServiceGo Federal Credit Union, Reel Motion Media, RUNA,Public Scene, Shaped Music, 99.9 The Point,REEL Tri-102.5, Zone 4, RUNA Begin Again

N E W LO C AT I O N ! N E X T T O T H E N O R T H S I D E A Z T L A N C O M M U N I T Y C E N T E R

SEPTEMBER 20-21 | LEGACY | FORT COLLINS O L D F O R T C OPARK LLINS

SEPTEMBER 12-13 |

H E R I TA G E PA R K

| FORT COLLINS

With your help, the Planet Bluegrass festivals have become models of Sustainable Festivation. As we continue to refine and expand this communal effort, here are four areas we’re focusing on this year.

WASTE AND REUSE

Three years ago we took the next step toward “zero-waste” by removing all landfill trash containers from the inner festival grounds, allowing us to achieve a 90% landfill diversion rate inside the festival. We encourage you to pack-out any non-recyclable, non-compostable trash. The Sustainable Festivation crewmembers at each waste station (members of the Lyons High School band) will help you sort your waste and direct you to the appropriate waste containers.

Even better than compost and recycling is reuse.

This year we’re replacing single-use compostable utensils with reusable sporks (a spoon, a fork, and a knife in a single long-lasting utensil). Buy yours for $1 from any food vendor and reuse it throughout the festival. Or if you’d prefer a full setting, we’re selling 5-piece bamboo sets (spoon, fork, knife, and chopsticks) at the Country Store with a handy case and carabiner.

We’ve extended reuse into our wine booth again this year by switching from bottles to high quality cask wines. By using reusable wine kegs we’re saving hundreds of glass bottles while offering higher quality premium wines.

Our reusable beverage cups are designed to last many years. Take yours home with you for future festivals; or if you must dispose of it, leave it at one of our waste stations for fellow Festivarians to repurpose.

FOOD AND WATER

We encourage everyone to “drink local” using our free locally-filtered water stations (next to the beverage booth and behind the box office). If you forgot to bring your reusable bottle, we’ll be selling longlasting Klean Kanteens at the Country Store.

Backstage, where we serve over 350 meals per day to artists and staff, we continue to source most produce from Colorado farms. Our partnership with Colorado’s Red Bird Chicken allows us to offer chicken that is treated humanely and raised hormone- and antibiotic-free.

LOCAL ECOSYSTEM

Thanks to flood recovery donations from New Belgium Brewing, last spring we planted several hundred new native trees and shrubs along the river corridor and throughout the property. Please tread lightly near this new vegetation (marked by pink ribbons); these plants are an important part of restoring our riparian ecosystem after the 2013 flood.

We do our part to protect our local ecosystem throughout the year by fertilizing the Ranch with 100% chicken manure while using no herbicides or pesticides on the property. The sod under your feet, which we planted on the festival grounds after the flood, is a special strain of Texas Bluegrass that requires 2/3 less water than our pre-flood sod.

4 | 1992 – FAILING LIGHT GENERATOR CANCELS MARC COHN’S HEADLINING SET

ENERGY AND OFFSETS

Our festivals and offices have been 100% wind-powered since 2004, thanks to our partnership with Renewable Choice Energy. This year we’re again purchasing carbon offsets to neutralize the emissions created by all our artists’ travel and lodging as well as the shuttle buses in Lyons.

Last fall our partners at Sunsense Solar donated their time and expertise to install a 13.2kWh solar panel array on the south roof of the Wildflower Pavilion. Funded in part by contributions from Keen Footwear, this array of 54 SunPower modules is the largest solar project in Lyons to date, and the first Lyons project to utilize net metering to feed excess power back into the grid. With an anticipated annual production of 20,000 kWh, this system is expected to prevent the emission of 15.5 tons of CO2 per year.

1993 – DRAMATIC WEATHER LIMITS TRAVEL TO 3RD FOLKS FEST IN ESTES PARK | 5

8TH 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 BioBags for your campground compost), we will again be rewarding campsites that excel in creative, sustainable camping.

To nominate a campsite (yourself 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.

Each day we select 2 winners —one random, one staff choice—for prize packages that include:

2. Stop by the Leave No Trace booth each day to view all the campsite entries and vote for your favorites.

• Planet Bluegrass merch

• New Belgium beer • Klean Kanteen reusables

Leave No Trace congratulates the 2014 winners: Camp Riah Bear (Denver, CO)

Planet Bluegrass will select the Grand Prize winner (of 2016 Folks Fest on-site camping passes!) after the campground pack-out on Monday.

6 | 1994 – FESTIVAL MOVES TO LYONS, JANIS IAN LEADS 1ST SONG SCHOOL

A year ago, a huge sense of relief swept over Planet Bluegrass. The 500-year flood that devastated our community in September 2013 could not keep us from presenting our summer festivals. After a tireless 10 months of rebuilding, we welcomed Festivarians back to Planet Bluegrass with open arms—and even a few improvements.

While the recovery of Planet Bluegrass is essentially complete, our town continues the long work of rebuilding. Many residents are still displaced; our parks still need repair; and many other projects are underway to rebuild Lyons stronger than ever.

So Planet Bluegrass has now turned our attention to helping rebuild Lyons. The flood blasted away many homes—homes that could not be rebuilt in the new floodway. As our first project, Planet Bluegrass has joined with Habitat for Humanity and the Town of Lyons to develop up to 6 permanently affordable “habitat homes” in our town.

In June, Planet Bluegrass purchased the former Valley Bank property (on 2nd & Park Street) that had been vacant since the flood. We have begun the rezoning process that will ultimately provide 6 new homes to replace those that were lost in the flood.

Future site for Habitat for Humanity homes

And here’s how Festivarian Nation is going to help…

The tips you left at last year’s New Belgium beer booth were donated to help rebuild the fire station lost in the flood.

This year, your beer booth tips will help fund the installation of solar panels on Lyons’ new Habitat for Humanity homes. (Thanks to our ongoing partnership with Sunsense Solar, who helped bring solar power to the newly rebuilt Wildflower Pavilion.)

With every cold pint of Summer Bliss, you are helping to bring permanently affordable housing back to Lyons AND these new homes will be sustainable—with a carbon footprint significantly less than the homes that were washed away.

1995 – GREG BROWN DEFINES THE FESTIVAL’S NEW ERA OF SOLO TROUBADOURS | 7

“It’s kind of tough to describe ‘folk music’; for us, it seems to start with a guy or gal with a guitar, and then maybe somebody joins in singing or playing, maybe feeling the same way, maybe not. And then, all of a sudden, there’s some folks playing music.

I guess that’s why we’re calling it the FolkS Festival.”

With that spirit of singing, feeling, and connecting, we began the opening page of the 1st Annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival’s program in 1991. Over the ensuing 25 years, we’ve remained true to that original vision, inviting our favorite songwriters from around the world (musical and geographic) to our “summit of the song.”

Of course the Festival has survived changes: dramatic weather and technical glitches in Estes Park; moving to our current Lyons home in 1994; a catastrophic 500-year flood in 2013. But through it all, the Folks community has remained dedicated to this very special gathering of songs and stories (like the ones below) every August on Planet Bluegrass.

PIERCE PETTIS

LUCY KAPLANSKY

As a performer at the 1st Annual Folks Festival in Lucy played the first of her 5 Folks Festivals in 1995.

Estes Park, Pierce found out midway through his performance that a program misprint listed his The Folks Festival is my favorite festival anywhere. set as 2 hours long (rather than his anticipated 75 They do everything right, including having great minutes). Festival Director Craig Ferguson recalls: sound and great food, and the staff (all of whom “We’re watching the set thinking, geez, he’s getting are sweet and down-to-earth) make every artist tired up there.” feel special and important. There’s just a wonderful, warm, peaceful vibe.

I remember being at the first Estes Park festival with my friend John Gorka and having a blast! Since it’s only one stage, all the performers hang They were selling beer floats! Sounds awful—a out together—the famous hang out with the scoop of ice cream floating in beer. But actually not so famous—and it creates a real feeling of pretty good. Rocky Mtn. Brewing Co. was a sponsor camaraderie. One year my husband and I hung and they would put a scoop of ice cream in their out with Cheryl Wheeler, who we hadn’t spent time sweet Porter and it sort of worked (though I don’t with before. A lot of beer was consumed over the like to think about it too long). evening, and by the end of it the 3 of us were fast friends and Ms. Wheeler had renamed me “Lucyka “There’s just a wonderful, warm, Plansky,” a name which has stuck with me all peaceful vibe.” these years. (John Gorka still calls me “Lucika.”)

8 | 1996 – GILLIAN WELCH MAKES FOLKS DEBUT

“I’ve dangled my feet in the river that runs past the stage, for no other reason than because I was home.”

VANCE GILBERT

PETER HIMMELMAN

Vance has been an important member of the Folks Festival and The Song School for 20 years.

Peter delivered the first of his 9 improvisational Folks Fest sets in 1997.

I came to play the Festival and teach what I knew as a sharp new singer-songwriter on the folk scene back in ’95. I came armed with a guitar, my ego, a voice, and a few half decent songs, hoping to take any and everything by storm.

The thing about the Folks Fest is that these guys don’t know what they’re doing. And I mean that in the most laudatory sense.

And I learned. I have learned that you take the immeasurable amounts of good offered here and you hope you leave a tiny bit of good of your own.

I’ve skipped and hopped and hooted for students that nailed an open mic performance after a week’s work with me. I’ve played the best festival mainstage sets of my career on that perfect stage.

I’ve made lifelong friends. I’ve wept and mindlessly pulled grass up from the dirt while listening to Steve Earle play “Billy Austin.”

Apparently they don’t know that the trend in concerts, in the whole music business for that matter, is to become one commoditized, sanitized, and commercialized for-profit business.

They don’t seem to understand what outcasts they’ve become by remaining steadfastly fresh and spontaneous: by creating a space where the power of music as something akin to a spiritual awakening still exists; by allowing people a window on what we could do, if only for a moment, were we allowed a place in time (in the midst of the beauty of nature) where the power of music could flourish to nurture our souls and make our hearts feel reborn.

I’ve grown up. I’m a better musician, teacher, and man because of the Folks Festival and those that make it so. I’ve dangled my feet in the river that runs past the I love the Folks Fest. And I’m glad as hell they stage, for no other reason than because I was home. don’t know how to follow the trends.

1997 – MAIN STAGE COMPLETED, PETER HIMMELMAN CELEBRATES “HARPOON MAN” | 9

“Today, I’m a deeply grateful member of the wonderful community that has formed around this incredible event. I feel blessed to be a part of this tribe...”

MARY GAUTHIER

A 5-time veteran of the Folks main stage, Mary has also taught at The Song School every summer since 2011.

In 2000 I had just walked away from my day job and gone into music full time. And I was beside myself with excitement when I found out I was invited to play the festival. I came in greener than green; I was a nervous wreck, and I left with gratitude that the good folks who book this event were willing to take a chance on me when I was just getting started. I had no idea what I was doing, but it sure was exciting up there!

incredible event. I feel blessed to be a part of this tribe, and it’s an especially sweet feeling, given that we almost lost it all in the flood.

To everyone who makes this event possible, I say thank you. Thank you for creating this amazing campus and community and sharing it with all of us. To me, it feels like home.

11

O

AMDA PEN I - 9LY PM

I feel like I’ve grown up here over the years— grown as an artist and as a songwriting teacher.

Today, I’m a deeply grateful member of the wonderful community that has formed around this

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10 | 2000 – BATHHOUSE COMPLETED, MARY GAUTHIER MAKES FOLKS DEBUT

PARENTS, PLEASE ACCOMPANY YOUR CHILDREN WHILE IN THE FAMILY AREA. Join us in our expanded family area (next to the kids beach behind the Wildflower Pavilion) for a variety of fun, planet-minded activities throughout the day – 10:30am ‘til 5pm. And don’t miss Django Jones’ kids concert at 11am on Saturday in the Wildflower Pavilion.

COLORADO MOUNTAIN CLUB

WILD BEAR MOUNTAIN ECOLOGY CENTER

Visit the CMC booth for their daily schedule of youth-oriented outdoor adventure activities. Try out the slackline, hula hoops, play mountain safety games, and discover 10 essential wilderness survival tips. Take your knot-tying skills to new heights, while safely ascending a tree.

Create your own hand-painted wood cookie necklace, a great souvenir of your fun time at the 25th Folks Fest! Discover the invertebrates in the creek and learn about local wildlife.

Remember, if the bear is sleeping, be sure to stop back at another time.

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.

The staff of zookeepers provide the instruments; you provide the curiosity.

2001 – DEB TALAN (THE WEEPIES) WINS SONGWRITER SHOWCASE | 11

We begin the 25th Annual Rocky Mountain Folks Festival with our internationally-recognized songwriting competition. The Songwriter Showcase is open to writers and performers of original music who are not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal. Past winners include: Deb Talan (of The Weepies), Liz Longley, Caroline Spence, and our 2014 winner Connor Garvey.

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 450 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, cleverness • 25% Quality of Vocal Rendering vocal quality, pitch, tone • 25% Quality of Delivery instrumental technique, charisma

SHOWCASE FINALISTS JOEL ANSETT

CARTER SAMPSON

MARIA BROSGOL

JUSTINA SHANDLER

BRAD CUNNINGHAM

BEN SHANNON

DREW KENNEDY

NICHOLAS WILLIAMS

JAMI LYNN

IRA WOLF

Denver, CO

Oklahoma, OK

Albany, NY

Coral Gables, FL

Kansas City, MO

New Braunfels, TX

The winners will be announced from the main stage following the contest finals.

Spearfish, SD

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.

Pittsburgh, PA

Jacksonville, FL

Nashville, TN

1st Place: 2016 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 | 2002 – THE WAIFS BEGIN FOLKS-AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION, JOHN PRINE HEADLINES

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Main Stage FRIDAY TH AUGUST 14

SATURDAY TH AUGUST 15

SUNDAY TH

10:00am Gates Open

10:00am Gates Open

10:00am Gates Open

10:30 - 12:30pm Songwriter Showcase

11:00 - Noon Connor Garvey

12:45 - 1:45pm Taarka

12:15 - 1:30pm Session Americana

10:45 - 11:45am Honoring 25 Years of Folks

2:00 - 3:15pm Mary Gauthier

2:00 - 3:15pm The Pine Hill Project: Lucy Kaplansky & Richard Shindell

3:45 - 5:00pm Peter Yarrow 5:30 - 6:45pm Shane Koyczan & The Short Story Long 7:15 - 8:30pm Kasey Chambers 9:00 - 10:30pm Sufjan Stevens

3:45 - 5:00pm Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers 5:30 - 6:45pm Martin Sexton 7:00 - 8:30pm Mary Chapin Carpenter & Shawn Colvin 9:00 - 10:30pm Jason Isbell

AUGUST 16

Noon - 1:00pm Heather Maloney 1:30 - 2:45pm The Family Crest 3:15 - 4:30pm The Waifs 5:00 - 6:15pm The Wood Brothers 6:45 - 8:00pm Richard Thompson 8:30 - 10:00pm Gillian Welch

Wildflower Pavilion FRIDAY TH

SATURDAY TH AUGUST 15

AUGUST 16TH

12:30 - 1:15pm Jenn Adams & John Linn

11:00 - 11:45am Kids Show with Django Jones

1:30 - 2:15pm Bill Nash & Annie Wenz

Noon - 12:30pm Arthur Lee Land

11:15 - 12:15pm Mike Beck, Jill Brzezicki & Shannon Wurst

AUGUST 14

2:30 - 3:00pm Justin Roth 3:15 - 3:45pm Paul Reisler 4:00 - 4:30pm Caroline Spence 4:45 - 5:15pm Vance Gilbert 5:30 - 6:00pm Amy Speace *Showcase Finalists InThe-Round

12:45 - 2:00pm* Maria Brosgol, Brad Cunningham, Drew Kennedy & Nicholas Williams 2:15 - 2:45pm Django Jones

SUNDAY

12:30 - 1:30pm* Jami Lynn, Carter Sampson & Ben Shannon 1:45 - 2:15pm Tom Wasinger 2:30 - 3:15pm RJ Cowdery & Christopher Smith

3:00 - 4:00pm* Joel Ansett, Justina Shandler & Ira Wolf

3:30 - 4:15pm Mai Bloomfield & Robby Hecht

4:15 - 4:45pm Rebecca Folsom

4:30 - 5:00pm Steve Seskin

5:00 - 5:45pm Shane Koyczan

5:15 - 5:45pm Ellis

& The Short Story Long

TAARKA FRIDAY

12:45 - 1:45pm

Led by the husband-and-wife duo David Tiller (mandolin) and Enion Pelta-Tiller (violin), Taarka is a group defined by unique perspective.

Their influences are broad, ranging from Western and Eastern folk traditions to jazz, rock, bluegrass, old-time, gypsy, Celtic and Indian roots. Perspective is the difference between a tragic story and a happy ending: after being displaced from their Lyons, CO home in September 2013, the Pelta-Tillers have described

If you had first seen the list of awards received by Mary Gauthier (pronounced “go-shay”)—Independent Music Awards’ “Best Singer/Songwriter,” Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards’ “Best Country Artist,” No Depression’s 6th best album of the decade (for 2005’s Mercy Now)— you would be surprised to learn she didn’t write her first song until age 35. Unlike other artists who seek inspiration in all directions, Mary must be “called to write.” Perhaps it

PETER YARROW FRIDAY 3:45 - 5:00pm

watching the flood as “amazing” and even “awe-inspiring.” This humility is reflected on their newest release, Making Tracks Home, an album that indirectly chronicles the grieving process and the journey back home. While not every song recounts the couple’s water-woes, the aquatic motif on the album is undeniable. We’re thrilled to invite this dynamically diverse duo onto their hometown’s biggest stage for the 25th Folks Festival.

is the ghosts of her past knocking on Gauthier’s door of creativity, but Mary is unafraid to answer. Her songs are full and genuine, at times painting Truth dark, and at others rendering it in shades of lightness. No matter the tone, however, Gauthier’s robust body of work is accessible to both the casual listener and troubled soul in recovery. With unflinching bravery, Mary Gauthier shares her craft with us, an ongoing rumination on what it means to be alive.

Few songwriters have contributed as much to the fabric of American art, culture, and politics as Peter Yarrow.

As a founding member of Peter, Paul & Mary and writer of classics like “Puff, The Magic Dragon” and “Light One Candle,” Peter has been a central figuring in bringing the folk renaissance of the 1960s to the hearts and homes of the American public for generations. Peter’s musical creativity has always gone hand-in-hand with his commitment to social justice and

MARY GAUTHIER FRIDAY 2:00 - 3:15pm

equity in society: as an early leader in the civil rights and peace movements, to his own Operation Respect, which helps foster compassionate and nurturing environments in schools. At the very active age of 77, Peter remains more energetic than ever: “This is a crucial time in U.S. history, where the avenues of possibility are opening up like never before.” Prepare to be inspired as we welcome this true American legend to the Folks Festival stage.

16 | 2003 – NORAH JONES & INDIGO GIRLS LEAD BIGGEST FOLKS FEST LINEUP YET

SHANE KOYCZAN & THE SHORT STORY LONG

friday

5:30 - 6:45pm

Watching Canadian spoken word artist Shane Koyczan, we’re confronted with the unanswerable question of which is more astonishing: the contrapuntal layers of syllables; the revelatory honesty of words; the virtuosity of vocal acrobatics; or Shane’s rare gift for connecting a listener in-the-moment with a piece’s rich emotional truth.

As a virtuosic live performer and author (5 books, a graphic novel, an opera, 4 albums, Youtube videos viewed by tens of millions), the 2000

16 years into her career, the music of Kasey Chambers seems buried in Australia’s bones, as vital to the land as the red rock where her music began. Born in Mt Gambier, South Australia, country music was a way of life for Kasey: listening to her parents’ Hank and Emmylou records, performing as a 10-year-old with her family’s Dead Ringer Band, traversing the arteries of Australia’s pubs and festivals as a teenager. Kasey’s solo debut The Captain earned her Australian

SUFJAN STEVENS friday

9:00 - 10:30pm

National Poetry Slam champion has become an international superstar of spoken word. Combined with the music of Short Story Long vocalists/ instrumentalists Maiya Robbie (guitar), Glenna Garramone (keyboard), Jordie Robinson (cello) and Jesse Lee (bass), Shane inspires us to hold our tarpmates more closely, laugh and cry more openly, live more deeply. A note for sensitive ears, Shane’s performance will include poetic use of PG-13 language.

ARIA (Grammy-equivalent) Awards for best country album and best female artist. Now with 11 ARIAs and millions of albums sold in Australia alone—and still surrounded by her musical family—Kasey returns with her Nick Didia-produced (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen) 10th album, Bittersweet, a hard-edged, altcountry affair. “It’s filled with my heart and soul and dirty electric guitars,” says Kasey, “just the way life should be.”

Over the last 15 years, Michiganraised, Brooklyn-based Sufjan Stevens (pronounced “SOOF yahn”) has crafted dazzling masterpieces: chamber folk explorations of 2 US states (including Paste’s album of the decade Illinoise), a collection of sacred and biblical songs (Seven Swans), surreal electro-pop (Age of Adz), programmatic tone poems (BQE), a ballet score, even a hip-hop collaboration. But through it all the restlessly creative artist considers

KASEY CHAMBERS friday 7:15 - 8:30pm

himself “fundamentally a narrative folk singer, first and foremost.” Sufjan’s breathtaking new album, Carrie & Lowell, is an emotionally devastating song cycle inspired by the 2012 loss of his mother, that is cathartic, universal, and ultimately uplifting in its feelings of forgiveness. To close this 25th Folks friday, Sufjan and his quartet further deepen this profound music, adding layers of vocals, guitars, percussion, and unexpected musical grandeur.

18 | 2004 – JOHN BUTLER AND RAY LAMONTAGNE PLAY AFTERNOON SOLO SETS

CONNOR GARVEY saturday 11:00 - Noon

After spending the 2014 festival season on a competition-hustling tour, Connor Garvey has returned to Planet Bluegrass to reap the benefits of his achievements—winning last year’s Songwriter Showcase being only one of his many impressive accolades. Armed with the belief that “songwriting is a method for bringing community together,” and is “a way for people to explore greater depths within their own lives,” Garvey has built a diverse musical catalog. In a

Session Americana is a rock band in a teacup, or possibly a folk band in a whiskey bottle. With five full-time members and a host of other parttimers, Session is more than just a one-trick pony: every time you see them perform feels different, sounds different. Multi-instrumentalists / singers Ry Cavanaugh (guitar), Billy Beard (drums), Jim Fitting (harmonica), Dinty Child (accordion), and Kimon Kirk (bass) are often joined by an assortment of friends

THE PINE HILL PROJECT

LUCY KAPLANSKY & RICHARD SHINDELL

saturday

2:00 - 3:15pm

single album, he’s capable of evoking smiles and moving even the most wizened listener. If you’re wondering what makes such emotional puppetry possible, look no further than Garvey’s optimistic lyrics, upbeat rhythm, and affective facial expressions. While the combination of consistency and diversity may seem as incompatible as oil and water, Garvey expertly nails the concoction, moving from folksy jazz maverick to heartbreaking storyteller effortlessly.

(including former Lyons resident Jefferson Hamer) to round out their sound. The musicians perform in a circle, facing each other, but the experience is so intimate that each member of the audience feels as though their chair is in that circle, too—if they can manage to stay in their chair at all. Rise from your tarps. This old-fashioned, freewheelin’ musical circus is certain to have Festivarians dancing, clapping, and singing on this Saturday afternoon.

SESSION AMERICANA saturday 12:15 - 1:30pm

An expatriate New Yorker now living talking about a duo album for nearly in Buenos Aires, Richard Shindell is a as long. Last summer an extraormeticulous craftsman of song whose dinarily successful Kickstarter 8 studio albums and 2 live record- campaign made this possible, raisings have been revered by critics and ing their initial goal in 24 hours and fans alike. Lucy Kaplansky started out ultimately reaching over $85,000. singing in Chicago bars; then, barely Joining together as “The Pine Hill out of high school, she took off for Project,” their recording Tomorrow New York City where her beautiful You’re Going is an Americana masflair for harmony quickly made her terwork of great songs, gorgeous everyone’s favorite singing partner. harmonies, and stunning producTogether, Richard and Lucy have tion which we can’t wait to share been collaborating for 25 years—and with you on the Folks Fest stage.

20 | 2005 – KASEY CHAMBERS DEBUTS AT FOLKS

Nov. 6–8

2015

Andrew Duhon

Mary Gauthier

John Fulbright Jonatha Brooke

Dar Williams

Ray Wiley Hubbard

Bruce Cockburn Cara Luft & The Small Glories 10 String Symphony • 3hattrio Anne McCue

435-259-3198 MoabFolkFestival.com

2007 – WILDFLOWER PAVILION CONSTRUCTED | 21

NICKI BLUHM

& THE GRAMBLERS

saturday

3:45 - 5:00pm

Nicki Bluhm is all about giving the gift of joy—and she wants her band’s discography to reflect that. The San Francisco Bay Area-based group’s influences run the gamut of roots and folk artists from Dolly Parton to The Mamas & The Papas to Fleetwood Mac, yet manage to maintain a wholly unique style of honey-country folkpop with old-school rock influences.

Backed by The Gramblers—Tim Bluhm (keys, guitar), Deren Ney (lead guitar), Steve Adams (bass), Dave

To be the microphone in front of Martin Sexton is to transmit the most ridiculously dynamic vocalist to play this Festival: nimbly moving between vintage soul, concertinasweet falsetto, vocal trumpet licks, groovy beatboxing, glorious gospel choirs, and edgy rock cries. A native of Syracuse, NY, Martin honed his performance chops busking on the streets of Harvard Square in the early ‘90s, selling 20,000 copies of his 8-track-recorded demo from

MARY CHAPIN CARPENTER & SHAWN COLVIN

saturday

7:00 - 8:30pm

Mulligan (rhythm guitar), and Mike Curry (drums)—Nicki & Co are as hard working a group as you’ve ever seen, spending over 200 days on the road in a typical year. Showcasing 4 equally capable songwriters, the group’s newest album Loved Wild Lost is seasoned with class, featuring the stringed accompaniment of Magik*Magik Orchestra (Death Cab for Cutie) and gritty, sincere lyricism, hypnotizing in its tangibility and sweetness.

his guitar case. In each of his 5 Folks Fests since debuting in 1997, Martin has induced more sweaty dancing, more bluesy howls, more jaw-dropping nods of disbelief that one man and a guitar can stir Festivarian Nation to such a fervor.

With a guitar case filled with his 8th album, Mixtape of the Open Road, the happily and fiercely independent songwriter returns home to Folks Fest to take us on a big-hearted journey across his own musical landscape.

A native of Princeton, NJ Mary Chapin Carpenter began playing her own songs in D.C. clubs before she was out of her teens. Shawn Colvin, raised in Illinois and Ontario, reached national attention as a member of Greenwich Village’s Fast Folk cooperative. In 1989 both artists released landmark albums—Carpenter’s State of the Heart and Colvin’s Steady On—beginning 2 remarkable careers, marked by Grammys (8 between them), dozens of top 20 singles,

MARTIN SEXTON saturday 5:30 - 6:45pm

platinum-selling albums, and beloved live performances. On this 25th Folks, each brings to Lyons interesting new projects: the orchestral reinvention of Carpenter classics, Songs from the Movie; and Colvin’s exquisitely curated collection of songs from her heroes, Uncovered. On this Saturday evening, we welcome 2 of our favorite songwriters for a fun and flowing musical conversation between longtime friends, sharing songs and stories from their vast musical catalogues.

22 | 2008 – FESTIVARIANS ENDURE 2 DAYS OF EPIC RAIN AT “SOAKS FEST”

AUG 13 RHIANNON GIDDENS AUG 14 MICHAEL MCDONALD AUG 15 ROBERT CRAY BAND AUG 17 SILENT FILM: THE TRAIL OF 98

©Jonathan B. Auerbach

AUG 21 STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES AUG 23 66TH ANNUAL BARBERSHOP HARMONY FESTIVAL AUG 25 CLASSIC FILM: THE GREAT DICTATOR W/ CHARLIE CHAPLIN SEPT 1 PUNCH BROTHERS SEPT 12 CLEO PARKER ROBINSON DANCE ENSEMBLE: PASSAGES SEPT REEL ROCK 10 17–18 SEPT 19– THEATRE-HIKES: 10 WAYS OCT 25 TO SURVIVE THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE

©Jonathan B. Auerbach

SEPT 19 JOHN HIATT & THE COMBO / THE TAJ MAHAL TRIO SEPT 24 EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL

©Stephen Collector

SEPT 25 DOCUMENTARY FILM: NAS—TIME IS ILLMATIC OCT 9 DOCUMENTARY FILM: WRENCHED OCT 17 FIFTY SHADES OF STORIES ON STAGE OCT 19 SPACE SERIES: A TOUR OF THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSE

©Jonathan B. Auerbach

OCT 23 CAHALEN MORRISON & ELI WEST NOV 20 PAUL KIMBIRIS AND THE DARK SIDE OF PEARL

©Jonathan B. Auerbach

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JASON ISBELL saturday 9:00 - 10:30pm

If Jason Isbell’s 2013 release Southeastern narrated the haunting pain of vanquishing inner demons, then 2015’s Something More than Free is a story about hope, redemption and moving forward. Now an expecting father, Isbell is careful in his conscientious reflection of parting ways with a past filled with empty bottles. Justin Townes Earle said of the musician, “When I sit around and talk with Jason, he can sound, just as I can, like a dumb

We have dedicated many of our Folks sunday mornings to a spiritual musical offering, from the Drepung Monks to shape-note hymns. On this glorious Colorado morning, we open with a celebration of the everlasting power of song. For 25 years, this festival has been an important part of the deeply human tradition of Troubadours, as generations of songwriters have sung-out their personal truths from this stage. While many have returned this weekend to share

HEATHER MALONEY SUNDAY

Noon - 1:00pm

redneck. But put him on paper, or behind a guitar, and he can fly.” It’s true that Isbell’s artful lyrics are poetic in their own right. But layered with ingenious, memorable melodies, the resulting concoction is sincerely infectious, yielding an onslaught of adoring, album-of-the-year-contender press. With comparisons to John Prine, Willie and Merle, Isbell has been lauded as the next literate country legend, a Southern storyteller whose truth resonates with us all.

this historic anniversary, still many dear friends live on only in our memories. So on this Folks gospel morning, we’ve gathered members of our Folks Fest and Song School family to sing from the sacred songbook of those artists who are no longer with us— folks such as Richie Havens, JJ Cale, Jesse Winchester, Dave Carter, Utah Phillips and Bill Morrissey. Through the legacy of song, their spirit lives on, resonating off the St. Vrain River once again.

Heather Maloney once told the Boston Globe that she was not “looking to pioneer the genre Buddhist Rock.” But her honest, inquisitive lyrics carry undeniable airs of zen realism. She’s been called a Lucinda Williams–Nancy Sinatra hybrid, and she playfully refers to her sound as “adventure folk.” Maloney’s explorative approach is the love child of academics and veneration: she spent 2 years studying opera, improvisational jazz, and classical Indian music—then

HONORING 25 YEARS OF FOLKS

SUNDAY

10:45 - 11:45am

lived for 3 years in a Buddhist meditation center pondering silence. She emerged as a folk-inspired indierocker with a dream of recording something radical. With her latest album, Making Me Break, she has realized that dream alongside an all-star team including Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses). Maloney’s music is a lesson in authenticity and innovation, asking deep questions and begging listeners to consider possibilities outside their comfort zone.

24 | 2010 – 20TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL ACHIEVES 1ST COMPLETE SELL-OUT

AVAILABLE NOW!

in the Folks Fest merch tent

2011 – BOB WEIR, JACKSON BROWNE HEADLINE SUCCESSIVE EVENINGS | 25

THE FAMILY CREST SUNDAY 1:30 - 2:45pm

Orchestral indie-folk band The romantic ballads, leading NPR Music Family Crest are the epic yangdolin to declare The Family Crest their to the unadorned yinjo of the solo “Favorite New Artist of 2014.” Distilling singer-songwriter. In 2009, singer their ambition to a tight 7-piece live Liam McCormick and bassist John band—McCormick (guitar), Seeterlin Seeterlin set out to rediscover the joy (bass), Charlie Giesige (drums), Laura of communal music via a Craigslist Bergmann (flute), George Samaan ad for like-minded San Francisco art- (trombone), Owen Sutter (violin), and ists. That initial recording featured 80 Charly Akert (cello)—The Family are musicians. Their sophomore album, no less grandiose. On this Sunday Beneath The Brine, brings together 400 afternoon they bring a singular focus members of the “extended family” in and infectious urgency to the spirit singalong anthems and sophisticated of musical community.

Twenty-three years after sisters Donna Simpson and Vikki Thorn set off from their family’s Western Australia fishing camp to play music, teaming up with Josh Cunningham en route, The Waifs have come to appreciate the places they left behind. On their seventh full-length, the emotionally raw but musically buoyant Beautiful You, the 3 songwriters celebrate the many roles “home” plays in life: through intercontinental moves to America (where 2 of

THE WOOD BROTHERS SUNDAY

5:00 - 6:15pm

the 3 Aussie’s now live) and enduring connections with their simple, rural upbringing. Though they’ve now achieved international stardom and a handful of ARIAs (Australian Grammy equivalent), The Waifs remain humble: “We’ve made simple songs that resonate with everyday people.” Backed by their longtime rhythm section of Dave Ross Macdonald (drums) and Ben Franz (bass), we’re thrilled to welcome the beloved folk-rockers back for their fifth Folks.

“Performing songs for a crowd of strangers can make everyone in the room feel like a part of something bigger than themselves,” says Chris Wood. “For many of us, music is the only way to feel that kind of ecstatic connection.” For Colorado-raised real-life brothers Chris and Oliver Wood, cultivating this kind of unique connection comes naturally. Between Oliver’s gravelly vocals and bluesy guitar strummin’, Chris’ virtuosity on the upright bass (also showcased in

THE WAIFS SUNDAY

3:15 - 4:30pm

his trio Medeski, Martin & Wood), and multi-instrumentalist Jano Rix’s oneof-a-kind noisemaker the “shuitar,” the Wood Brothers’ sound is simultaneously relatable and moving. The Wood Brother’s folksy instrumentation and vulnerable lyrics celebrate the humble, intimate moments in everyday life. Harkening back to the days when live recordings were the norm, the trio’s no-forgiveness approach will be showcased on their forthcoming release, Paradise.

26 | 2012 – LYLE LOVETT & HIS LARGE BAND CLOSE SUNDAY NIGHT

RICHARD THOMPSON SUNDAY 6:45 - 8:00pm

Named one of Rolling Stone’s Top 20 Guitarists of All Time, Richard Thompson (OBE) is also one of the world’s most acclaimed and prolific songwriters. A co-founder of the genre-defining Fairport Convention as a teenager in the ‘60s, Richard has recorded more than 40 solo albums—with then-wife Linda, with his electric trio, alone with his acoustic guitar—and received Lifetime Achievement Awards for Songwriting on both sides of the Atlantic. His

As our final ode to our silver anniversary, please welcome the beloved duo of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings.

They met at Berklee College of Music; Gillian was studying songwriting, while Dave studied guitar. Together, they moved to Nashville where most of their work together has been produced—including 2011’s acclaimed The Harrow & The Harvest. Since then they have influenced and inspired new generations of country and folk singers, songwriters and players. Gill

latest, Still, produced by Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, is an eclectic blend of dark blues, Celtic and American traditions, and somber thematic motifs. This may be only Richard’s third time on the Folks stage, but his songs have made appearances at nearly every Festival. As you watch him from your tarp this evening, remember to take a few breaths—with his dizzying energy, virtuosic instrumental chops, and sharp British wit, he has the tendency to take listeners’ breaths away.

and Dave will add another accolade to their career accomplishments as they accept the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award For Songwriting from the Americana Music Association this September, just a couple days before the release of the highly anticipated second album from the Dave Rawlings Machine. We’re honored once again to put a bow on this 25th Festival with the sound of these two artists, who feel quite at home in the folk tradition.

GILLIAN WELCH SUNDAY 8:30 - 10:00pm

28 | 2013 – SEPTEMBER’S HISTORIC 500-YEAR FLOOD DEVASTATES PLANET BLUEGRASS

8TH ANNUAL

MABON CONCERT

FEAT. ADAM AIJALA & BEN KAUFMANN Saturday, September 19, 2015 • 8pm

43RD ANNUAL

TELLURIDE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL June 16-19, 2016

ROCKYGRASS ACADEMY

2016 TICKETS

July 24-28, 2016

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 Warner Field and Town Park. All other 2016 tickets go onsale in early December.

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44TH ANNUAL

ROCKYGRASS July 29-31, 2016

THE SONG SCHOOL August 14-18, 2016

26TH ANNUAL

ROCKY MOUNTAIN FOLKS FESTIVAL

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August 19-21, 2016

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2014 – DREPUNG MONKS BRING POST-FLOOD HEALING TO LYONS | 29

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