FOLKS FESTIVAL
artist s S AT U R D AY
ben folds 9:00 - 10:30pm
S U N D AY
ysaÿe barnwell: sacred songs
11:00 - Noon
S U N D AY
son of town hall 12:15 - 1:15pm
24
A celebrated singer-songwriter, beloved for countless cult-classics, Ben Folds is one of the major music influencers of our generation. He’s created an enormous body of genrebending music: from Ben Folds Five (the legendary & facetiously-named trio) and multiple solo albums to a classical piano concerto and beyond. Ben is an outspoken champion for arts education and music therapy, serving on the Artist Committee of Americans for the Arts and chairman of the
national ArtsVote 2020 initiative. Last month, Ben published his first book, A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons. The book’s stories embody the message he has been singing about for years: Smile like you’ve got nothing to prove, because it hurts to grow up and life flies by in seconds. So, hold on tight to this Folks Saturday night, Festivarians—you won’t want to miss a musical moment of Ben Folds’ Planet Bluegrass debut. –A.R.
Ysaÿe is one of the few performers that has both the experience and the credibility to lead us in singing Sacred Songs. Dr. Ysaÿe M. Barnwell toured with the internationallyacclaimed singing group Sweet Honey In The Rock for more than 3 decades, appearing on more than 30 recordings. She has performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to concert halls in Africa, Europe, and New Guinea. Throughout the years, she has spent much of her time off stage
working as an actress, commissioned composer and arranger, author, songwriter, master teacher, and choral leader in the African-American cultural performance tradition. Lucky for us, she has brought her deep understanding of African-American history and vocal traditions to The Song School 5 times. A national treasure, it’s astounding to watch her turn a field of Festivarains into a gospel choir. Are you all ready this beautiful Sunday morning? –S.S.
It’s time to invoke your imagination: Your tarp has transformed into a Victorian-era seaport. London’s Ben Parker and Santa Fe’s David Berkeley have just moored their junk raft (“The Son of Town Hall”) in Lyons after crossing the mighty Atlantic in search of new lands, new inspirations, and squandered fortunes. For the next hour, Ben and David, hatted and clothed in period-ish attire, will share their colorful tales of the sea, bouncing from one failed
endeavor to another. Their historical backstory might’ve relegated them to lighthearted performance art, except their songs are flat-out, jawdroppingly gorgeous. You see, while on their raft, the two learned to sing together like angels (“Maybe it was all the cheap rum,” confides Ben). The result is the Festival’s most uniquely unforgettable set, filling our hearts with laughter and tears, drunk on adventure and the tragic beauty of the human condition. –B.E.
In a wide sea of eyes, I see one pair that I recognize —Ben Folds