Aces, straights and flushes, that's the game my Daddy played. If the gambling went till morning, that's how late my Daddy stayed. He bought shoes for all us kids with the money that he made. Aces, straights and flushes, that's the game my Daddy played.
Some say my Daddy was a good-for-nothing man, But he'd come home each morning with the money in his hand. There was chicken on the table, and the rent was always paid. From those aces, straights and flushes, the game my Daddy played.
from Aces, Straights and Flushes (lyrics by Bruce Utah Phillips & Nancy Katz; music by Kate Wolf)
June 23-26 • Black Oak Ranch • Laytonville, California 1
Build to edge of the document Margins are just a safe area
2
2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
W
elcome to the 21st annual Kate Wolf Music Festival, once again bringing the finest in musical traditions to the wooded hills of Mendocino County. In order to make this a welcoming and positive weekend of fun and music, we rely on an extensive crew of dedicated staff and volunteers. We appreciate the work of all these folks, and the support of our sponsors, coming together to make an unforgettable experience for you, the life support of our gathering. We want to send a shout out to the Black Oak Ranch community for opening their gates once again to share the peace and magic of their beautiful land. Please do your part by respecting their space, and your festival neighbors. What better way to celebrate a true sense of community, and a woman who embodied that spirit, than to share time, music, and space in a peaceful, positive, and caring way. Over the years, kindness, gentleness, friendliness, patience, and understanding have proven to be the backbone of this gathering as
an incredibly diverse group of folks come together to share the unique experience that awaits all who venture out to the festival. We hope you enjoy this time and spread that joy to others in your own community. In the words of the great Jimmy Durante, “Make someone happy, make just one someone happy, and you will be happy too.” Then there are the lyrics from the wonderful Louis Armstrong song, “When you’re smilin’ keep on smilin’, and the whole world smiles with you. When you’re laughing, oh when you’re laughing, the sun comes shining through.” And remember, when you do leave, please make sure to double check if all your belongings are with you and make sure to drive home safely! We look forward to seeing you next year at the 22nd Annual Kate Wolf Music Festival!
Cheers,
Back Roads Productions & the Festival Staff
Staff & Editorial Content Terry Hallowes
Cloud Moss
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Bob Barsotti
COVE R A RT BY A L L I S TE EG A R D E N
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P RO GRAM P RO DU CT I O N BY NO RT H COAST JO U R N AL
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Danny Scher
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Yvonne Hendrix 3
Sponsors, Vendors & Map KATE Wolf Music festival Produced by Back Roads Productions in association with Cumulus Presents
Sponsored In Part By Lagunitas Brewing Company, Betty Moss, Frey Vineyards, Warming Trends, Studio Slips tom Covers & Bags Cus
Food court - tim konrad
NonProfit BOOTHS
KPFN • Environmental Healing Consultant • EPIC • Friends of the Eel • IUD Awareness • KYBU Radio Station • Love hope Strength Foundation • Hospitality House • Long Valley Communications • Rangjung Yeshe Gomde • Salmonid Restoration Federation • KMUD • Call to Inspire • Center for Sustainable Energy
Healing Farms Medical Cannabis
Once again this year we will be featuring The Healing Harvest Farms Medical Cannabis Dispensary on site during the festival. They are a local community based collective serving Northern Mendocino County with the finest sun grown organic medical cannabis products for those with a doctor's recommendation. In order to access their facility a valid doctor's recommendation and an over 18 picture ID will be required. For those without a current recommendation, there will be a doctor on hand that can sit with potential patients to determine if a recommendation is in order, and once decided can issue that recommendation on the spot. We welcome Healing Harvest Farms to their second year of participation at the Kate Wolf Music Festival!
Wavy Gravy
We are fortunate to have Wavy Gravy bestow his extraordinary MC talents upon the KWF stage each year. Wavy’s unique outlook and incredible enthusiasm for the musicians that grace our stage make for a one of a kind MC. Clown nose and walking fish are an added bonus.
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
215 BOOTHS
Healing Harvest Farms • Emerald Triangle Analytics • Willits Medical Care Clinic • Care By Design • Absolute Xtracts
Red Tail Hawk Stage
(Main Stage)
Zones
To Leggett
1. 2. 3. 4.
S1 Utahpia Stage
Main Entrance to Site
S2 Alder
S3 Revival Tent
Points of Interest A. Box Office
D. E. F. G. H. K.
ILY
Te
Cottonwood CA
MP
Cr
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Message Board 3
S. Camp Store Toilets (porta-potties) Water Tank
8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Y1
01
Food Court Alter-Abled Parking/Camping Kids Area Clothing Required Beach Clothing Optional Beach
Maple Oak To Laytonville
Stages S1. Red Tail Hawk Stage (Main Stage) S2. Utahpia Stage S3. Revival Tent S4. Arlo Hagler Stage
Fox & Hound Catering • The Big Chief • Sho ‘Nuff Dem Biscuits • Camp Winnarainbow • Juice Joint • Cafe Mam • Herbal Junction • Nomad Street • Pizza Gago • Smokin' Moses • Ultimate Souvlaki • Asia • Lydia's Organics • Sankofa • Comet Corn • Nectars Juice Bar • The Green Grocer • Frozen Fantasies • Spiros Gyros • Morning Star Ranch • India Gourmet
food BOOTHS
HW
Festival Artist Merchandise Craft Vendors, Beer/Wine
Madrone
k
Lost & Found, Message Board 2
Totem Pole Showers Activist Alley and Craft Vendors Fire Crew Fire Circle, Hobo Jungle Camping Central
US
KREW CAMP Laurel
n
il e
B. Tiki Poles (two) C. Security, ATM, Medical, Ice
FA M
M
Will Call, Message Board 1, Phone, Crew Check-In
Cedar Arlo Hagler Stage
Including Family Camp and Quiet Camp (Tents Only)
5. Riverside Campground 6. Teen Activity Area 7. Music Meadow
Ash
S4
Main Entrace Gate to Site Temporary Parking Day Use Parking Meadowlands Camp Ground
QU IE
Pine TC
AM
P
Willow
craft BOOTHS
Nobody’s Business • Silver Chic • Starseed Solargraphics • Global Village Gallery • Hisel Pottery • 2NFrom • M. David Mandolins • Paleotechnics • Jacobs Leather • Embody Alchemy • Dancing Tree Studios • Sten Hoiland Wire Sculpture • Pacifica Adventures • Dolce Vita • Kendra Grace Designs • Bam Bu • Malinke Imports • Jeeba Jewelry • Mostly Sweet Jewelry • Bliss Slings Fair • Natural Herb Gardens • Kona Pipes • Quest by Magdalena • Beautiful Leaves and Things • Dana Blair Designs • Nirvana Jewel • Saraba African Arts • Art by Amanita • The Fiddle Guy • Light Sound Dimension • Spiral Silver • Global Good Fair Trade • Lobos Del mar • Sew It Seams • Kashi • Swadeshi Leatherworks • Paradigm • Hoof and Horn Leather • Sarada Designs • Jessi Brooks • Kat’s Creations • Synergy Clothing • Mila Design Studio • Ragged Thistle • Sol Solutions • Kritter Klips • Baizaar • Medicinal Threads • Gypsy Jenny’s • Mama P's Wholesome Grinding Co. • Vintage Dead • Knitty Kitty • Sacred Light Studio • Cool Shoes • After the Gold Rush • Organic Attire • Embody Alchemy • In Stone 5
Rules & Information: Welcome to this year’s Kate Wolf Music Festival. You will enjoy four days of outdoor fun and great music at Black Oak Ranch. To maximize everyone’s health, safety and fun, please observe the following guidelines. There will be security people working for the safety and wellbeing of this event, so please do as they ask. They are here for us all. Remember this is the dry time of year. 1) NO FIREWORKS 2) In the music bowl: Smoke (anything) only in the designated areas. General courtesy to all. Everywhere else: No Smoking while Walking (Fire Hazard). 3) NO INDIVIDUAL FIRES OF ANY KIND. No BBQs. Individual gas powered stoves are allowed (after clearing a six-foot space around your stove). 4) We are surrounded by Private Property on ALL sides. Please respect our neighbor’s land and their right to privacy. STAY WITHIN OUR MARKED BOUNDARIES. 5) NO PETS allowed. No Exceptions except Seeing Eye, or other service dogs. 6) No private vending anywhere on-site. Anyone caught selling Alcohol or Drugs, will be ejected and may be subject to arrest. 7) USE LOW BACKED CHAIRS inside concert area and remove all personal belongings from the concert area overnight. The music meadow will re-open at 8:00 am when you can reset your chairs. In the line forming overnight at the Music Meadow entrances, you must remain in line with your belongings. Possessions left unaccompanied as place holders will be removed by Security. Plastic tarps are not allowed in the Music Meadow. Each person is allowed to bring up to four seats. Please remember, any empty chair may be occupied by any person until the chair’s owner returns.
Festival Etiquette
Please remember that empty chairs, in any location, may be occupied by any person at any time, until the owner of the chair returns to re-claim it.
8) The “Alter-Abled” section of the bowl is reserved for patrons with various physical needs and/or restrictions and an accompanying helper(s). Due to limitations of this section’s size please respect this space for those folks that will benefit most from its use. 9) No video cameras allowed in the main music bowl. 10) Please use common sense and courtesy when playing music in the camp late at night. Any music (at other than a stage) deemed to be excessively loud after 1:00 am will be asked to have its volume reduced by overnight security. 11) Lost and Found is located at Security Central. 12) RV owners – Generators may only be used to charge your system during daylight hours, starting after 10:00 am. As you wander around day or night, be careful of obstacles, as this campground is a natural woodland area and natural hazards may be present. Please note that camping involves exposure to the elements, nature’s creatures, rough terrain and an absence of artificial lighting. You may, therefore, be exposed to bug bites, sunstroke, your neighbor’s virus, or tripping, especially if you wander about off the designated fire roads, or in the dark. Your entry to the campground constitutes your voluntary and knowing assumption of these and all other risks and your agreement that Back Roads Productions, the owners/lessee/occupiers and others in control of the ranch have no responsibility to you for any injury, loss, or damages you may claim from occurrences during your stay on the property. We recommend the use of a flashlight at all times after dark. Be mindful of the effects of alcohol and drug use; look after your brothers and sisters. Out of concern for those who wish to sleep, please keep the late night noise down. If you are having trouble with any matter you cannot deal with, we would be pleased to assist. We love this land and know that you do too, so be sensitive to Mother Earth. Pick up and take care.
If you need to go into town during the festival, please contact Security Central for the best in/out access.
Tune IN
Tune into 88.9 Sunset Radio while onsite to listen to stage performances, festival information, interviews and archival Utah Phillips material.
Solar charge station
For those in need, visit our free solar cell phone charging station located next to the ATM in the food court.
MADRONE Elie REALTY Brian Owner/Broker 707-923-2119 OFFICE 707-559-5911 HOME 707-223-9070 CELL brian@madronerealty.com www.madronerealty.com 6
2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
BRE# 01046373 867 Redwood Dr. Garberville, CA
Showers
This year, in an effort to provide a more enjoyable festival experience, we have enlarged our shower facility to include six shower stalls per side, doubling our previous capacity. We appreciate all efforts to keep the showers clean. Please keep your shower brief, as many people want to use the facility, especially in the morning. Your efforts in accommodating everyone will be appreciated by all.
Fire Safety Comes First
As you all know California is experiencing an extreme drought this year and since we are located in the center of a rural area, it is of utmost importance that everyone pays attention to fire safety while on site at Black Oak Ranch. In order to provide a safe environment for a few thousand campers we have made arrangements with the Myers Flat Volunteer Fire Department to bring their beautiful fire engine here for the weekend so we can have a crew on hand for whatever emergencies come up. In addition we have a contract with the Long Valley Fire Protection District for their assistance in medical and fire emergencies. We also have a small 4×4 Toyota fire tender with a 150 gallon water tank available for quick access all over the festival grounds. If you see a fire, report it immediately to the fire or security crew, or any staff you see. There are a series of red fire barrels located along the main roads near street signposts in the campground. Next to these large barrels are 5 gallon buckets filled with wet burlap sacks. In an emergency these buckets can be carried directly to the fire source and the wet burlap sacks can be thrown on the fire, as well as the water in the bucket. The large barrels are for re-filling the 5 gallon buckets if more water is needed. Please never use these barrels or buckets except in emergencies! It is important that they are in place when they are needed. Let’s all do what we can to make these options never become necessary. The fire policy at Black Oak Ranch is no open “flames.” This means no candles. No charcoal BBQ’s, but gas cook stoves and gas lanterns are ok when you clear a space all-around of at least 6 feet underneath the stove to prevent sparks from catching fire. No campfires, fireworks, fire juggling, flaming sword swallowing, burning bushes, you get it, NO OPEN FLAMES PERIOD!
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Greening Initiative: Deposits on reusable plates and cups In our ongoing efforts to present as green a festival as is possible, over the last few years we have endeavored to convert our beer cups from disposables to reusables. We have tried a few different approaches and this year we will be bringing back the same system we used last year. When you go to the beer garden to purchase a beer you have two options. First option is to buy a beer for $6 (same price as last year) and give us a deposit of $2 for your reusable plastic cup. When you finish your beer you can return the cup for a $1 refund or for a ticket that you can use for the deposit the next time you want a beer. At the end of the weekend you can return the ticket to the beer bar for a $1 refund. The second option is to purchase a 21st anniversary commemorative Kate Wolf Music Festival bamboo cup for $6 7 and avoid the $3 deposit. There is a limited supply of these commemorative cups, which you can use all weekend and take home when you leave. This cup will cost $7 empty or $13 full of beer. The thought behind these options is to provide a clean, healthy alternative to disposable cups. The operation to wash, dry and re-supply cups to the bar all weekend long comes at a fairly hefty price, which we are trying to partially cover by keeping a portion of the deposit. If you would rather re-use your cup all weekend long, there is no additional charge per beer. If you would rather not keep track of your cup all weekend long, you can avail yourself to our deposit/ reuse program. In our food court we are again using a system of reusable plates, “flatware and cups where you pay a deposit each time you get a plate or cup at a food booth. When you return the dishware to the cleaning station you can get a ticket – good for the deposit the next time you go to a food booth and order food.
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
At the end of the festival you can bring your tickets to the refund booth located at the dishwashing station in the food court for a $1 deposit refund. The portion not returned will go to covering the costs of lost dishware and the dishwashing crew. Over the years we have looked for ways to stay in the forefront of green festival operations. This pathway has lead us to things such as running all of our generators on locally produced biodiesel made from recycled grease from local businesses. In our desire to use less water we have been using a dust suppressant called Dust-off, made from seawater and approved for use by organic farms. This allows us to refrain from using many thousands of gallons of water on our roads and keeps the festival site much more dust free than water ever could. Our cleanup crew are adept at sorting through all garbage to remove recyclables from the refuse stream, keeping landfill to a minimum. Many of our crews use bicycles in their efforts to move around the site. We encourage patrons to bring their bikes as well, providing bike racks at the entrances to the music meadow where you can lock up your bike while enjoying the show. Pedicabs are available for a fee from our friends at Pedicab People Movers who can move you all over the festival grounds as needed. They are located right next to the fire crew camp by the Tiki poles. We offer an online ride share program for those wishing to share car space when coming to the festival too. All of these things add up. We appreciate your help in trying to make the Kate Wolf Music Festival as green as it can be. Thanks for all of your efforts!
Build to edge of the document Margins are just a safe area
Creek Information
The creek that runs along the western edge of the festival grounds is called 10 Mile Creek, and is a salmon bearing stream that traditionally sees annual migrations by spawning Steelhead, Chinook, and Coho salmon. The owners of Black Oak Ranch have been working closely with a variety of agencies and groups endeavoring to study the creek and it’s inhabitants in order to help in keeping this stream a healthy place for all. In recent years drought has exacerbated the problems facing the flora and fauna along the riparian zone so we are asking everyone to be especially sensitive and watchful when entering and using the creek this weekend. Do not go into the trees and bushes that line the creek, only use the access points we’ve established for entering and exiting. If you are looking for more water, turn right when entering the creek and go about 50' to 100' downstream and you will find a much deeper pool than the one by the beach. Keep an eye on kids and each other so we can all be safe. 10 Mile Creek - p. Barlow
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Artist & Event Schedule THURSDAY
ARLO FOREST STAGE
8:00 am 12:00 pm 5:45 pm 7:05 pm 8:55 pm
MAIN GATE OPENS MUSIC BOWL OPENS Carolyn Wonderland Chris Smither The Brothers Comatose
5:00 pm 6:20 pm 7:55 pm 9:20 pm
Clan Dyken (Kate Wolf song set) Mendocino Quartet Amy McCarley Achilles Wheel
FRIDAY
RED TAIL HAWK MEADOW STAGE
10:00 am 2:00 pm 3:45 pm 5:45 pm
MUSIC BOWL OPENS Blame Sally Mike + Ruthy Band Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin w/The Guilty Ones Calexico Trampled By Turtles
1:00 pm 2:50 pm 4:45 pm
Joe Craven & The Sometimers Sweetwater String Band Chris Smither & Carolyn Wonderland (in-the-round) Coffis Brothers (Everly Bros. set) Eric Bibb, Ruthie Foster, Linda Tillery, & Sam Baker (in-the-round) Keith Greeninger
6:45 pm 8:35 pm
SATURDAY
10:35 pm
8:00 am 11:45 am 12:05 pm 1:50 pm 3:55 pm 5:05 pm 6:05 pm 8:30 pm 10:55 pm
MUSIC BOWL OPENS Las Cafeteras Lunch Break Eric Bibb Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir Dinner Break Ruthie Foster Harry Belafonte The Head and The Heart
11:20 am 12:50 am 2:50 pm 4:30 pm 6:45 pm 9:40 pm 12:00 am
Frankie Boots and the County Line Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum Eilen Jewell Jack Tempchin The Wood Brothers Elephant Revival Whiskey, Brothers! The Poor Man's Comatose
SUNDAY
7:50 pm 9:55 pm
8:00 am 11:30 am
MUSIC BOWL OPENS Kate Wolf song set (Mike + Ruthy, L. Lewis, E. Jewell, Misner & Smith, M. O'Brien, J. Tempchin, Cultural Heritage Choir) Lunch Break Eilen Jewell Elephant Revival Dinner Break Nicki Bluhm & The Gramblers The Wood Brothers k.d. lang, neko case, laura veirs Closing Song
10:50 am 12:45 pm 2:35 pm
Sam Baker & Carrie Elkin Danny Cllick & The Hell Yeahs! Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum and Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore Mike + Ruthy Band (Band in a box) Blame Whiskey
12:40 pm 1:40 pm 3:30 pm 4:30 pm 5:45 pm 7:40 pm 9:45 pm 11:00 pm
4:40 pm 6:50 pm
12:30 pm 1:50 pm
Tai-Chi w/Bob Klein (long form –all levels welcome) Hatha Yoga w/Devorah Blum (all levels welcome)
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
BACK OF MUSIC MEADOW 10:20 am 11:35 pm
Tai-Chi w/Bob Klein (long form –all levels welcome) Hatha Yoga w/Devorah Blum (all levels welcome)
REVIVAL TENT RIVERSIDE STAGE
11:40 am 12:00 pm 3:20 pm 5:15 pm 7:00 pm 9:00 pm 10:00 am 12:30 pm 2:20 pm 4:00 pm 5:40 pm 7:00 pm 8:10 pm 9:35 pm 9:45 am 12:10 pm 2:00 pm 3:35 pm 5:05 pm 6:40 pm
SATURDAY
8:30 pm
8:15 am 9:25 am
Sign-ups for open mic Open mic Coffis Brothers Painted Horses Love Choir (Beatles, songs of 60’s, 70’s, sing-a-long)
4:45 pm 8:05 pm 9:55 pm
Sweetwater String Band Joe Craven & The Sometimers Bootleg Honeys
Sign-ups for open mic Open mic Bootleg Honeys (Kate Wolf song set) Linda Tillery Joe Craven (music improvisation for everyone) workshop Gene Parsons & David Hayes
1:00 pm 3:00 pm 4:50 pm 7:00 pm 9:00 pm
Painted Horses Amy McCarley The Brothers Comatose Achilles Wheel Las Cafeteras Poor Man's Whiskey - Eagles set
(when Red Tail Hawk stage ends)
Community Choir Workshop w/Mr. Music Ukulele Jam Circle Joe Craven (born to be wild/ everything's music) workshop Keith Greeninger, Paul Kamm, Carrie Elkin (in-the-round) Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore City Folk John Craigie Rainbow Girls
12:50 pm
Love Choir - Gospel Sing-A-Long John Craigie & Sam Chase (in-the-round) Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir (Kids) Jack Tempchin Alisa Fineman & Kimball Hurd Achilles Wheel (on Hwy. 61- Blues from the Delta to Chicago) Misner & Smith
12:40 pm 2:40 pm 4:30 pm 6:50 pm 8:50 pm
Frankie Boots and the County Line Rainbow Girls Danny Click & The Hell Yeahs! Sam Baker & Carrie Elkin Keith Greeninger
Tai-Chi w/Bob Klein (long form –all levels welcome) Hatha Yoga w/Devorah Blum (all levels welcome)
8:15 am
Tai-Chi w/Bob Klein (long form –all levels welcome) Hatha Yoga w/Devorah Blum (all levels welcome)
2:55 pm 5:05 pm 7:15 pm 10:00 pm (when Red Tail Hawk stage ends)
SUNDAY
3:40 pm 4:15 pm 7:00 pm 8:35 pm 9:50 pm
UTAHPIA BACK OF MEADOW STAGE
9:25 am
Alisa Fineman & Kimball Hurd (Kate Wolf sing-a-long) Misner & Smith Clan Dyken Blame Sally Mike + Ruthy Band Coffis Brothers
Kid-Zone & Entertainment Schedule THURSDAY
Arts & Crafts (ages 3-10 / also: milo fun, doodleboard, storybooks, board games) Toe and Fingernail Painting Captain Encouragement Creative Crafts (ages 11-17)
2:05 pm - 3:25 pm 3:00 pm 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Face Painting Kids Open Mic (12 years and under) Captain Encouragement Arts & Crafts (ages 3-10 / also: milo fun, doodleboard, storybooks, board games) Toe and Fingernail Painting Creative Crafts (ages 11-17) Various fun circus tricks with Camp Winnarainbow instructors (may include juggling and magic) Kid Folk-Music from around the world for kids of all ages with Mark and Bear Dyken Hay Bale Slide
-11:00 am -12:00 pm -11:30 am - 1:00 pm 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm - 5:00 pm - 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
Arts & Crafts (ages 3-10 / also: milo fun, doodleboard, storybooks, board games) 11:30 am -12:45 pm Hay Bale Slide Face Painting 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Face Painting Kids Open Mic 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Decorating “Peace� Flags Creative Crafts (ages 11-17) 3:00 pm Captain Encouragement Music with Benedettiville Various fun circus tricks with Camp Winnarainbow instructors (may include juggling and magic) Arts & Crafts (ages 3-10 / also: milo fun, doodleboard, storybooks, board games) Toe and Fingernail Painting Creative Crafts (ages 11-17) 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Hay Bale Slide Music
-11:00 am -12:00 pm -11:15 am - 1:00 pm -12:45 pm 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm - 5:00 pm - 5:30 pm 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Arts & Crafts (ages 3-10 / also: milo fun, doodleboard, storybooks, board games) Face Painting Kids Open Mic & Games (12 years and under) Creative Crafts (ages 11-17) 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Face Painting Hay Bale Slide Bootleg Honeys Various fun circus tricks w/Camp Winnarainbow instructors (may include juggling and magic) Arts & Crafts (ages 3-10 / also: milo fun, doodleboard, storybooks, board games) Creative Crafts (ages 11-17) Music with Benedettiville Hay Bale Slide
SATURDAY
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm 4:00 pm 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
FRIDAY
Please stop by the Kid-Zone to view any added activities or posted schedule changes
9:00 am 10:00 am 10:00 am 11:00 am
SUNDAY
1:00 pm 3:00 pm 3:00 pm 3:00 pm 5:00 pm 9:00 am 10:00 am 10:15 am 11:00 am 11:15 am 3:00 pm 3:00 pm 3:00 pm 4:00 pm
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
Build to edge of the document Margins are just a safe area
Hobo Jungle
CAMPFIRE NIGHTLY A Kate Wolf Music Festival tradition, the word is out that some of the most touching, funny and creative songs are heard every night around the campfire down by the creek (see site map on page 5) after the main stage ends. Bring your instruments, songs, and your No– Doze for this sing–a–thon of some of the best music you’ll hear—yours! Everyone gets to sing. Some great stories are shared as well. We do ask all attending the Hobo Jungle to remember that some folks like to sleep, and the tent camping area isn’t too far from the fire, so this year when a song comes to a close instead of clapping and hollering your approval, try snapping your fingers, or waving your hands above your head, in quiet appreciation. Hobo jungle - tim konrad
The Book Juggler Books • music • movies offering
10% OFF for all Kate Wolf Music Festival attendees from June 23June 27
open 7 days a week 182 S. Main Street • downtown willits • thebookjuggler.com
Build to edge of the document Margins are just a safe area
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Artist Bios
&
Stage Times Achilles Wheel
Artists Continued J
ACHILLES WHEEL
thursday, 9:20 PM - Arlo Stage friday, 7:00 PM - Utahpia Stage Sunday, 6:40 PM - Revival Tent - on Hwy. 61 Blues from the Delta to Chicago “If these guys are playing anywhere I can reasonably get to, I go. They are simply not to be missed.” – Deborah Grabien (No Depression) Achilles Wheel is a high energy Roots and World music/Rock and Roll band from Nevada City/Placerville California, featuring award winning songwriting played on numerous stringed instruments and twin drum kits with other assorted percussion. In the wake of their breakout performance at the 2012 Kate Wolf Music Festival, the band has been burning up stages all across California ever since. With the release of their 3rd studio recording Devil In The Yard, which is currently getting airplay nationwide as well as in Europe, Achilles Wheel further dispels the myth that jam oriented bands can’t write great songs. The quality of the band’s songwriting combined with stunning musicianship earned them spots at the last 2 year’s California Worldfest shows, The Strawberry Music festival, The Redwood Mountain Faire, The Redwood Ramble, Dead On The Creek, Railroad Earth’s Hangtown Halloween and a sold out show at Sierra Nevada Big Room in Chico, California. The fiery epicenter of Achilles Wheel’s sound is Jonny Mojo on lead guitar and vocals, surrounded by Paul Kamm and Shelby Snow on rhythm, bass and vocals, and Gary Campus and Mark McCartney on drums and vocals.
ALISA FINEMAN & KIMBALL HURD
Saturday, 12:50 PM - Utahpia Stage - Kate Wolf sing-a-long Sunday, 5:05 PM - Revival Tent “Alisa and Kimball are easily among the best of the next generation of singer-songwriters.” – Tom Paxton “Beautiful voices, moving lyrics... I could listen to Alisa and Kimball sing all night.” – Jim Messina (of Loggins and Messina) Monterey Bay-based and long-time favorites in the San Francisco Bay area and at our Festival, Alisa and Kimball have earned national acclaim for their songwriting and world music repertoire. Known for her ‘deep, emotional singing voice,’ Alisa’s background in sacred music adds a compelling world music component to this duo’s lush repertoire. She is perfectly complemented by multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter Alisa Fineman & Kimball Hurd
Kimball Hurd, best known for his role in City Folk. His instrumental prowess adds dimension to the duo’s performances with vocal harmonies and an array of tasteful musical accents on guitar, mandolin, mandola, dobro, banjo and slide guitar. Their appreciation for the ordinary miracles of everyday infuses their songs, which sing to a sense of place, possibility and deeper meaning in all of us.
AMY MCCARLEY
thursday, 7:55 PM - Arlo Stage friday, 3:00 PM - Utahpia Stage “These things don’t happen all that often – it’s always a surprise, a very pleasant one, when you immediately feel connected to the songs, the arrangements and the artist. That happened to me when I first heard Amy McCarley. [She’s] taking you on a musical journey you’ll most likely never forget!” – Bill Bowker, Music Director KRSH 95.9FM Santa Rosa, CA She is resigned and resilient, vulnerable and strong. Rising roots star Amy McCarley is not exactly — and yet, every last thing — you might expect of a talented singer songwriter. No Depression called her voice “a nuanced instrument best paired with a strong lyrical hook.” And boy, can she write one. Take “Fools Lament,” for example, with verses that wind their way expertly toward a simple, brilliant chorus, “There ain’t no way to change fake to real.” There is nothing fake about McCarley, whose voice and vibe delivers the goods from the stage as well as the studio. Her 2011 self-titled debut led her home state of Alabama to name her an Artist to Watch. The anticipated follow-up, Jet Engines (2014), has garnered positive reviews and made its way onto various “Best Of” lists. In February, LoneStar Music Magazine included the project among its Top Americana Albums. Bill Bowker/KRSH added it to his Top 10 Americana Albums of 2014. Co-produced by Grammy-winning Guitarist Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives), Jet Engines was recorded in Nashville’s Tone Chaparral Studios. “The record happened in one day of tracking,” says McCarley of recording with Vaughan and Tone’s George Bradfute. “What we captured that first day wound up winning out over any modest technical improvements I was able to make after the band had gone.” From the Bakersfield-influenced “Here I Am” to the smoldering, alt-country “Hands Tied,” Jet Engines covers a wide range of roots music that has been embraced by fans. The album spent months on the Amy McCarley
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2014 Americana Music Chart and has led to ongoing, national tours in its promotion.
BLAME SALLY
Friday, 2:00 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage Saturday, 7:15 PM - Utahpia Stage Sunday, 6:50 PM - Arlo Stage - with Poor Man's Whiskey “…while their individual voices are appealing, their harmonies are addictively creamy.” – Joe Brown, San Francisco Chronicle Datebook “Harmonizing femme-folk integrity with pop playfulness isn't as easy as they make it sound; this is sweet, charming stuff” – San Francisco Magazine Featuring four of San Francisco’s most celebrated female songwriters, Blame Sally creates an eclectic and undeniably original brand of folk pop that plays on the “indie edges of Americana”. Emotionally charged, highly melodic and irresistibly compelling, this powerhouse quartet is made of four unique voices and musical backgrounds. All four women are exceptional songwriters, instrumentalists and vocalists. Blame Sally has forged a cohesive sound through their beautiful intricate harmonies, and melodic rhythms that is instantly recognizable and compelling. With their decade plus of live performances and recordings, they have established a legacy of song combining country, folk, rock, Celtic and strains of classical music, which has “brought originality together with a roots sensibility and pop accessibility.” This local folk-rock quartet with an attitude, combines acoustic textures with Americana harmonies and an independent spirit.
THE BOOTLEG HONEYS
Thursday, 9:55 PM - Utahpia Stage Friday, 3:20 PM - Utahpia Stage - Kate Wolf song set “Fresh original songs delivered with angelic harmonies” – Jim Corbett “Mr. Music” Since the summer of 2013 The Bootleg Honeys have quickly become one of the Bay Area’s favorite live Americana acts. Their sweet and lively sound features impeccable three part harmony and musicianship, as well as a hefty collection of finely crafted original material that will pull your heartstrings and get your boots stompin’. December 2015 brought the release of Paint it Red, their debut full length album featuring 11 original Blame Sally (ABOVE), The Bootleg Honeys (below)
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
songs, which is already receiving regular air play on Sonoma County radio and beyond. In 2016 founding members Katie Phillips and Alison Harris welcomed singer songwriter Karen Joy Brown into the Bootleg family. While still performing as an acoustic trio, the Honeys are often joined by drummer Mark Tarlton and multi-instrumentalist Erik Stieg, for what makes a truly rockin’ 5 piece band.
THE BROTHERS COMATOSE
Thursday, 8:55 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage friday, 4:50 PM - Utahpia Stage Saturday, midnight - Arlo Stage - with Poor Man's Whiskey “If you don’t get up off of that thing when you listen to this band, then you’re a zombie.” – New Folk Radio Consider the “comatose” part a little tongue-in-cheek, because there ain’t nothing about this rugged quintet that will put anyone to sleep. It’s fronted by the brotherly duo of Ben and Alex Morrison, so that part of the name fits right; but their rowdy string-band rhythms will keep you up all night. Six years after their acclaimed 2010 debut, the Brothers are confidently breaking the bluegrass mold with their brand-new album, City Painted Gold. The Brothers Comatose aim at converting the entire West Coast into their Living Room Music Party. Their shows exude a foot-stomping, shout-along, drink-along ease that was once a staple in every music-playing, front-stoop-possessing home in the land. Their shows can’t help but remind folks that music is collective, is for dancing, is for sharing, and for whatever else you might do with friends and family in your own living room.
LAS CAFETERAS
Friday, 9:00 PM - Utahpia Stage Saturday, 11:45 am - Arlo Stage “Urgent, relevant music” – BBC “Creative, Socially Conscious, it’s perfect”- NPR Las Cafeteras create a vibrant musical fusion with a unique East LA sound and a community-focused political message. Their Afro-Mexican rhythms, zapateado & inspiring lyrics tell stories of a community who is looking for love & fights for justice in the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. A remix of traditional Son Jarocho sounds, Las Cafeteras add Afro-Caribbean marimbol and cajón, poetry in English and Spanglish, and
The Brothers Comatose
Artists Continued J instruments like jarana, requinto, a donkey jawbone and a wooden dance platform called the Tarima. The success of their first studio album It’s Time launched the band to new heights, placing them on stages with Mexican icons Café Tacuba, Lila Downs, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s & the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. They’ve since toured North America from the Santa Barbara Bowl in California to the Lincoln Center in New York; from the Montreal Jazz Festival to Art Basil in Miami.
CALEXICO
Friday, 7:50 PM - Utahpia Stage “Urgent, relevant music” – BBC “Creative, socially conscious, it’s perfect” – NPR Calexico is no stranger to negotiating borders. For the better part of two decades, eight albums, and countless trips around the globe, Joey Burns and John Convertino have crossed musical barriers with their band, embracing a multitude of diverse styles, variety in instrumentation, and well-cultivated signature sounds. Under fences it digs and over mountains it climbs, sometimes into untrodden terrain, sometimes towards a more familiar landscape, and sometimes simply walking that fine line to soak up sustenance from all sides. These are men from the desert, yes, but there has always been so much more to Calexico than just heritage and heat. Now, with Edge of the Sun, Burns and Convertino find themselves straddling that celestial division of light and dark, taking inspiration from a trip to a place surprisingly unexplored by the band before, and with the benefit of many friends and comrades to help guide the way. “When I step back from this record I see the spirit of collaboration,” says Burns. “As we began working on it, we started inviting people and it was a natural thing. We’ve always welcomed guests; it’s in our DNA. John and I are really good at hopping in to play with people and improvise but we’re also sensitive to what artists need.” Negotiating borders and the spaces within, then inviting others inside those edges: that may be the recipe for Calexico’s success. As its empire expands and the familiar pieces join with fresh ideas and a new cohort to pass under wires and across fields and time, Calexico now finds itself here in 2016 on the solar precipice, navigating the edge and trying to find hope in that balance of darkness and light. Las Cafeteras (ABOVE), Calexico (below)
CAROLYN WONDERLAND
Thursday, 5:45 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage Friday, 4:45 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Chris Smither (in-the-round) “A dollop of Janis Joplin, a slice of Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a big load of soulful individuality… that’s Wonderland, a seething-hot Texas singer-guitarist. And she can write, too! … No wonder Dylan is an avowed fan.” – Daniel Gewertz (Boston Herald) A musical force equipped with the soulful vocals of Janis and the guitar slinging skills of Stevie Ray, Carolyn Wonderland reaches into the depths of the Texas blues tradition with the wit of a poet. She hits the stage with unmatched presence, a true legend in her time. Carolyn grew up the child of a singer in a band and began playing her mother’s vintage Martin guitar when other girls were dressing dolls. She’s gone from being the teenage toast of her hometown Houston to sleeping in her van in Austin amid heaps of critical acclaim for her fine recordings. Along with the guitar and the multitude of other instruments she learned to play – trumpet, accordion, piano, mandolin, lap steel – Wonderland even thows in a whistling solo on occasion. Her breakthrough album release was 2008’s Miss Understood. From appearances on PBS’s Austin City Limits to top slots at major festivals around the world, Wonderland’s album quickly reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Blues chart and her live shows left a trail of screaming fans in its wake. The follow up, Peace Meal, was produced by a stellar cast including longtime supporter and inspiration, Ray Benson, and two-time Grammy winner Larry Campbell (the force behind The Band drummer Levon Helm and his recent comeback) and founding Monkee, Michael Nesmith.
CARRIE ELKIN
Saturday, 4:00 PM - Revival Tent - w/ Keith Greeninger, Paul Kamm (in-the-round) sunday, 10:50 aM - Arlo Stage - w/ Sam Baker sunday, 6:50 pM - Utahpia Stage - w/ Sam Baker “We have never seen a performer so in love with the act of singing. Onstage Elkin was simply a force of nature.” – Maverick Magazine With her Red House Records debut release, Call It My Garden, Carrie Elkin has emerged as one of the defining new voices in the world of Texas singer-songwriters, being celebrated by Texas Music Magazine as one of their artists of the year. She’s an artist full of contrast and contradiction.
Carolyn Wonderland
Carrie Elkin
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With a voice that’s somehow both gritty and pristine, the Austin Chronicle calls it “an earthy combination of strength and compassion reminiscent of the winsome beauty created by a young Nanci Griffith” while Bob Harris of the BBC throws in comparisons to Patty Griffin and Iris DeMent, and calls her voice “spellbinding from the opening track.” That contrast is reflected in her writing, as well, which is at once devastatingly intimate and embracingly universal. It’s this ability to make greater connection from the minutia of life that makes Elkin’s songwriting so compelling. Or, as Flying Shoes UK puts it, her songwriting creates “the sense of vivid connection to her vision of the world.” The voice, the stories, the images, the grace and infectious enthusiasm, it’s a complete package. But it’s the power of her live performances that really have been creating an incredible buzz around this young artist. Maverick Magazine said it best, after a recent festival performance: “I have never seen a performer so in love with the act of singing. That’s the gospel truth, and from what I’ve subsequently learned, I’m not the only one to believe or state that. Onstage Elkin was simply a force of nature.” A force of nature. On stage, Elkin can turn a delicate trickle of a note into a tidal wave of ten emotions at once. Like life at it’s most alive.
CHRIS SMITHER
Thursday, 7:05 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage Friday, 4:45 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Carolyn Wonderland “Smither trades on the big truths, the immutable, imponderable questions that only the bravest poets ask, caring less about answers than about what we can learn by asking.” - Scott Alarik (The Boston Globe.) New Orleans singer-guitarist Chris Smither’s music usually is labeled blues or folk, but his songwriting transcends both those tags, mixing emotional depth and keen intellect in a way that’s rare in any genre. He’s also one of the great living masters of fingerpicked acoustic guitar, with a cascading, rhythmic style that enlivens wittily haunting songs such as “No Love Today” and “Can’t Shake These Blues.” At 71, he’s achieved elder-statesman status in Americana circles but remains one of the more criminally underrated artists of his generation. From Boston Music Awards to five-star reviews in Mojo magazine and earning a spot on Rolling Stone Senior Editor David Fricke’s Personal Top 10 list of best New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival performances in 2014, As Smither marked his 50th year of music-making in 2014, the New Orleans-raised Chris Smither
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
Clan Dyken
troubadour looked back at his career with Still on the Levee, a two-CD retrospective from Signature Sounds.
CLAN DYKEN
Thursday, 5:00 PM - Arlo Stage - Kate Wolf song set saturday, 5:05 PM - Utahpia Stage “One of the greatest rock and roll bands in the free world.” -Wavy Gravy In 1987 Clan Dyken released its first recording for sale to the public. To celebrate and document more than twenty years of recording and touring Clan Dyken has released Retrospective, a three disc set with remastered songs from the first recordings to the most recent release. With the release of the CD Love Is, Clan Dyken continues to produce a unique, danceable, stylistically varied music that is well known and loved at home in California -they were voted “Best Band in Calaveras County” in a recent newspaper poll and beyond. They have played over 1500 live shows, toured the US from Hawaii to the East Coast, and played across the ocean in England, France and Italy. Clan Dyken has released eleven albums on their own Forward Productions label. Songs from those recordings are featured in films and heard on radio around the world. They are perhaps best known as the activist band that has played in clear cut forests, proposed nuke dumps, nuke test sites, Indian reservations and many more cutting edge venues, often using solar generated electricity, and /or plant fuels, for recording and performing. The band is fiercely independent; having self-produced all of their material, many festivals, events and projects of various sorts. The music reflects this experience in content and form. The band has seen many incarnations through more than 25 years and eleven record releases. The lineup includes Bear on guitars, vocals and other primitive instruments, Mark on drums and vocals, Somer Moon on vocals and Bear’s son, Silas on bass.
THE COFFIS BROTHERS
Thursday, 7:00 PM - Revival Tent Friday, 6:45 PM - Arlo Stage - Everly Brothers set saturday, ater red tail hawks ends - Utahpia Stage “Growing up together on the West Coast has given this band a chemistry and energy that might take others years to achieve.” - Music News Nashville The Coffis Brothers
Artists Continued J The Coffis Brothers & The Mountain Men are a rootsy rock n’ roll band born and raised in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Every bit as influential as their early surroundings, songwriters Jamie and Kellen Coffis’ blend of folk, blues, R&B and straight ahead rock are evidence of an upbringing spent listening to all of the right records from Tom Petty, Neil Young, and The Beatles. Released in February of this year, Wrong Side of The Road is The Coffis Brothers second full length album. Recorded at Gadgetbox Studios in Santa Cruz with engineer and producer, Andy Zenczak (Camper Van Beethoven’s Greg Lisher), the album features contributions from friends of the band like Jim Lewin (Great American Taxi, Todd Snider), Ryan Avellone (The Brothers Comatose) and jazz vocalist Tammi Brown (Stanley Jordan). Getting out and playing for fans both old and new has always been first and foremost for The Coffis Brothers. It was after all, these fans that funded Wrong Side of The Road on Kickstarter – pledging over 150% what the band needed. It’s not only concertgoers that are taking note either. Jamie and Kellen are joined by Kyle Poppen on lead guitar, Aidan Collins on bass and Henry Chadwick on drums. Their debut self-titled full-length album was released in 2011 and was followed by 2012’s Waiting For You EP.
DANNY CLICK & THE HELL YEAHS!
Sunday, 12:45 PM - Arlo Stage Sunday, 4:30 PM - Utahpia Stage “...lots of artists try to do the same thing, but Click gets into the heart of the matter with honesty and passion.” - Art Thompson (Guitar Player Magazine) Until a few years ago, Danny Click was one of Austin’s best-kept secrets, a musician’s musician who’d won the respect of some of alt-country’s biggest names but hadn’t yet found widespread recognition. That changed when Click’s latest CD, Life Is A Good Place, was released in April 2011 and spent more than 12 consecutive months on the Country, pop, and Americana radio charts. The first single, “Wait My Turn”, reached #1 on Nashville’s Indie World Country Chart, and the second single, “I Feel Good Today”, topped out at #14 on the NMW national Country chart. In the San Francisco Bay Area, where Click now resides, he’s built a large and passionate fan base that includes musical greats Carlos Santana and Elvin Bishop, both of whom have joined him on stage for impromptu jams. Click and his band The Hell Yeahs, featuring a round-robin roster Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs!
of top-shelf musicians including Bonnie Hayes on keyboards and Kevin Hayes (Robert Cray) on drums, have played more than 200 sold-out shows over the past two years, as well as opening for legends Sonny Landreth and JJ Cale. In April 2015, Danny and band finished a brand new studio album with legendary producer Jim Scott which was released worldwide on Sept. 18 and promises to kick it up a serious notch.
DAVE ALVIN & PHIL ALVIN W/ THE GUILTY ONES
Friday, 5:45 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “Whether the brothers suggestively croon about love or chastely celebrate the afterlife, play down and dirty or cleanly pick out the notes, they manage to joyfully make up for the missing years.” – PopMatters “Lost time is not found again.” This ancient idiom is at the heart of brothers Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin’s long, tumultuous relationship. However, in Dave’s own words, “Sometimes Fate, or God or the Universe, gives you a rare chance to prove an old saying is wrong.” The brothers’ new album, appropriately titled Lost Time, does just that. Over Lost Times’ twelve tracks, Dave and Phil pay homage to a number of artists and songs that had an early, formative influence, in Dave’s words “the masters of the Blues, the most transcendental form of American music.” Everyone from Lead Belly to James Brown is represented, but the figure who looms largest on the album, and in the brothers’ own musical journey, is Big Joe Turner. The Alvins met Big Joe as teenagers, and he would mentor them for the remainder of his life. They remain his humble students, and cut four Turner songs for Lost Time. If their GRAMMY-nominated 2014 album Common Ground was the sound of a partnership rekindled, Lost Time is a four-alarm fire. Dave’s guitar work slithers and stings as never before, and Phil’s feral howl cuts to the core. Dave and Phil both sing and play guitar throughout ‘Lost Time,’ and are joined by a crack band including Lisa Pankratz (drums), Brad Fordham (bass), and Chris Miller (guitar).
EILEN JEWELL
Saturday, 2:50 PM - Arlo Stage Sunday, 1:40 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage sunday, 11:30 aM - Red Tail Hawk Stage - (Kate Wolf song set) “It’s not an overstatement to say that Eilen Jewell is Johnny Cash reincarnate… Jewell packs a punch that doesn’t bruise until after the
Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin w/ The Guilty Ones
Eilen Jewell
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meaning of her work sets into listeners’ bones.” – Kate Everson (Country Standard Time) “Packed with vivid lyrics, steel guitars, and hot licks…tailor-made for sweltering, stagnant summer nights.” – Eric Renner Brown (Entertainment Weekly) Eilen Jewell emerged on the folk and roots music scene a decade ago with vivid storytelling, gorgeous song-craft and a melancholic and playfully sultry melodic style; she has one of those rare voices that sounds like it’s singing just for you. She’s recorded five albums since, among them Butcher Holler, a critically-acclaimed tribute to Loretta Lynn which underscored the roots of her own sound in tough, traditional coal-miner’s daughter style country music – and Sea of Tears, which showcased her versatility with hints of ‘60s surf guitar and an unforgettable cover of the classic “Paint It Black.” Her return to the studio and touring has been four years in the making and eagerly anticipated by her fans, and she didn’t disappoint with the spirited Sundown Over Ghost Town – a rich and affecting musical tour of the haunting memories and lost innocence of her home town of Boise. Her lyrics are characterized by evocative grace and compelling imagery, set amidst an aural landscape as open as the expanses under the big Midwestern sky. The more we hear from Jewell, the clearer it becomes that there’s virtually nothing she can’t set her hand to and pull off with aplomb.
ELEPHANT REVIVAL
Saturday, 9:40 PM - Arlo Stage Sunday, 3:30 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “Just an incredible band…love everything about their sound…very original, very progressive but still has the old time feel to it…” – RT Carter (ASCAP) (International Folk Alliance) The five souls in Elephant Revival are Bonnie Paine (washboard, djembe, musical saw, stompbox); Bridget Law (fiddle, octave fiddle); Charlie Rose (banjo, pedal steel, guitar, horns, cello, double bass); Dango Rose (double bass, mandolin, banjo); and Daniel Rodriguez (guitar, banjo, double bass). This Nederland, Colo., quintet are, needless to say, quite a sound to be experienced — especially when they fall into the pocket of a groove containing elements of gypsy, Celtic, Americana, and folk. Sitting in the audience during their performance, one music blogger was moved to write, “Elephant Revival serenaded the crowd with arabesque Elephant Revival
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
melodies, harmonies and rhythms that braided and coiled into a sublime aural tapestry. Their instrumental dynamics, verse, and even the harrowing story that inspired their appellation, invoked the majesty, mystery and sorrow of Mother Earth.” It’s a paradigm worth spreading, and that’s what Elephant Revival members intend to continue doing as they carry their music around the world, speaking one song at a time.
ERIC BIBB
friday, 8:35 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Ruthie Foster, Linda Tillery, & Sam Baker (in-the-round) Saturday, 1:50 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage A performance by Eric Bibb is an enriching experience — both musically and spiritually. His music, like his personality, is intimate, assured and passionate, drawing listeners into the moment more as participants than spectators. In the words of “House of Blues Radio Hour” host Elwood Blues, “You are what the blues in the new century should be about.” Without question one of the most important acoustic blues artists of his generation, Eric Bibb is also one of the most prolific recording artists in the roots music world. A career spanning five decades, 36 albums, countless radio & television shows and non-stop touring has made Eric Bibb one of the leading bluesmen of his generation. A Progressive preservationist, a fiery singer with true soul, gospel and folk roots, enjoyable and accessible, his blues is honest and powerful. One critic wrote: “He has all the ingredients for stardom – handsome good looks, a voice as strong and soulful as they come, the guitar chops to hold his own against the best and he writes compelling, sensitive songs. His blues are clean, beautifully sung, soulful and upbeat.”
FRANKIE BOOTS AND THE COUNTY LINE
Saturday, 11:20 aM - Arlo Stage Sunday, 12:40 pM - Utahpia Stage “As smooth as the leather in a '74 Cadillac Eldorado.” – Brian Griffith, Program Director KRCB “Boots is an effective singer with just the right dollop of rasp in his inflection; he can be plaintive when required, but excels at bending notes and drawling out vowels for more emotional material. Live, Frankie Boots and band have a reputation for being upbeat... they're pushing our favored local music forward, and they're among the best doing so.” – Gabe Eric Bibb
Artists Continued J Meline (The North Bay Bohemian) Frankie Boots And The County Line are a folk-rock/Americana band roaring out of the San Francisco Bay Area with a penchant for painting vivid images of late nights, lost love, and the grittier side of life. Towards the end of the last decade Frank gave up a promising career in the illustrious world of bartending to pursue a life of even longer nights and shorter tempers in the music industry. The cosmos, in their infinite wisdom, soon sent him The County Line and their visceral sound sprung from a primordial soup of horns, pedal steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, keys, guitars, bass, and drums. Whether it be country, rock, blues, gospel, bluegrass, or any other true form of great American music, the band throws it all into the recipe for a dish that’s always served hot. Frankie Boots And The County Line’s captivating live performances keep a crowd jumping and their magnetic songs earned them the North Bay Bohemian’s award for best Country/ Americana band in the North Bay two years in a row.
GENE PARSONS & DAVID HAYES
Friday, 9:00 pM - Revival Tent David Hayes (Van Morrison, Jesse Colin Young) and Gene Parsons (of the Byrds) are both career singer-songwriter-instrumentalists. They are, individually, veterans of the bands listed above, and each has released several solo albums. Gene and David were each already a veteran of hundreds of recordings and thousands of stage appearances before they bumped into each other in the early 1990’s near their homes in Mendocino on California’s rugged North Coast. Seemed only natural that they would get together and play. They did. On a break from touring with Van Morrison, David invited Gene to play a local benefit with him and some other friends from the Mendocino music community. While practicing, a special musical connection was made and a duo was born. Their work together was, of necessity, only occasional until both had retired from their demanding session and international touring schedules. In 2006, the pair began gigging regularly. It’s been over 10 years for this partnership now and in performance their friendship is as evident as their exceptional musicianship. Watching Gene and David together is to experience two gifted, journeyman songwriters and musicians. These seasoned performers each bring humor Frankie Boots and the County Line
Gene Parsons & David Hayes
and many instruments to the stage, along with their great love of song and a very special joy in making music.
HARRY BELAFONTE
Harry Belafonte: In conversation, with Eric Bibb. With musical contributions from Ruthie Foster, Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, and Eric Bibb. Saturday, 8:30 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “Harry Belafonte is a part of history and the people he has met – across musical, political, social and acting boundaries – are like a who's who of 20th-century history. Eleanor Roosevelt, President Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela have all sought his counsel.” – Martin Chilton (The Telegraph) “In these days of national and global uncertainty, with the numbers of poor steadily rising, there are lessons aplenty in the life of Harry Belafonte…” – Wil Haygood (Washington Post) An actor, humanitarian, and the acknowledged "King of Calypso," Harry Belafonte ranks among the most seminal performers of the postwar era. In addition to his famous love of calypso, his output spans multiple genres including folk, blues, gospel, show tunes, and American popular standards. Always a student of music, his love of the growing American jazz scene led to his first live performance being backed by the Charlie Parker band, including Parker, Max Roach and Miles Davis. Belafonte has received two Grammy awards (best folk performance for Swing Dat Hammer, 1960 and best folk recording for An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba, 1965), has two recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (the single of “Day-O” and the LP Belafonte at Carnegie Hall) and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2000. He also has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award, and in 1989 received the Kennedy Center Honors. In 1994 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts, and in 2014 received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for an individual's outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes, at the Academy's 6th Annual Governors Awards. Also that year he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in Boston. Throughout his career he has been an advocate for political and humanitarian causes, such as the Civil Rights Movement, of which he was an early supporter and confidant of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the anHarry Belafonte
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ti-apartheid movement in Africa. Since 1987 has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He is also an Ambassador for juvenile justice issues for the American Civil Liberties Union. Harry Belafonte also had a long and successful acting career. Beginning his training at the Dramatic Workshop of the New School of Social Research, Belafonte studied under renowned German director, Erwin Piscator and counted Marlon Brando, Walter Matthau, Bea Arthur, Rod Steiger and Tony Curtis as classmates.It is with great pleasure that we welcome this wonderful 89 year old man to our Main Stage on Saturday night, as he weaves us thru a fascinating and colorful history.
THE HEAD AND THE HEART
Saturday, 10:55 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “Their music pulses effervescently both explosively danceable and intuitively intelligent. With Americana roots and strong vocal harmonics that swell like a river, this band finds its anchor in solid songwriting that has even the jaded humming along by the second listen.” – C. Schafer (Amazon Editorial Review) It wasn’t that long ago that the members of Seattle’s The Head and the Heart were getting acquainted with another at the local pub Conor Byrne, strumming their acoustic guitars, stomping their feet and singing in harmony as they attempted to attract the attention of customers. That unbridled energy informed their earliest original material, which was honed in local performances before eventually being captured on the band’s 2011 debut album for hometown label Sub Pop. Then, something unexpected happened. That music began to reach audiences all over the United States and the rest of the world, and The Head and the Heart went from playing open mic nights to selling out headlining shows in prestigious venues. And slowly but surely, ideas began to form for the band’s second album, imbued with the experiences of traveling the world and cultivating a listenership with a deep connection to the music. There’s a reason this Seattle folk-pop sextet’s 2013 sophomore record rocketed up the Billboard charts, and inspired unwavering fan devotion. The music has all the right elements: lush melodies, enchanted textures, and textbook examples of a hum-along chorus. Above all else though, there is a purity of emotion. Even when their lyrics flow somber, that earnest spirit keeps the mood from sinking too far thus striking a perfect balance between the head and the heart. The Head and The Heart
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Jack Tempchin
2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
JACK TEMPCHIN
Saturday, 4:30 PM - Arlo Stage sunday, 11:30 aM - Red Tail Hawk Stage - (Kate Wolf song set) sunday, 3:35 PM - Revival Tent “Jack is a guy who doesn’t get enough credit. What a great songwriter he is!” said Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh...” – George Varga (San Diego Union Tribune) “He's a great songwriter... He paints pictures with simple words.” – Don Henley (KLOS Interview) Jack Tempchin is a legendary hit songwriter whose two compositions, “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Already Gone”, are now synonymous with the Southern California Sound. Both songs are on Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975, awarded Best-Selling U.S. Album of the 20th Century by the RIAA. Tempchin has five Eagles contributions total, including “The Girl From Yesterday” from the ‘Hell Freezes Over’ reunion release, plus “It’s Your World Now” and “Somebody”, both on their latest double disc release, Long Road Out Of Eden. Over 40 years into a stellar career that continues to blossom, Jack is writing some of the best music he’s ever composed. He entered the studio to record his latest album, and emerged with not one, but two distinct bodies of work. The 4-song EP, Room To Run, is the initial offering that is a great companion piece to the 11-song Learning To Dance LP. Despite his storied musical history, Tempchin says, “I’m looking at myself as a new artist. These are all new songs and I’d like to be accepted based on them. I don’t believe in living in the past. I have millions of songs rushing through my head today, and a real passion for recording them and playing them live.”
JOE CRAVEN
friday, 7:00 PM - Revival Tent - Music Improvisation for Everyone workshop Saturday, 2:20 PM - Utahpia Stage - Born to be Wild/Everything's Music workshop “Joe Craven is magical” – San Francisco Chronicle “His music combines so many diverse elements that it is practically its own genre.” – Audiophile Review There’s no doubt that Joe Craven, a master of the mandolin and violin, mind-boggling percussionist, story-teller and emcee is the kind of artist who will turn heads and then turn them again all the while adding Joe Craven
Artists Continued J considerable artistic depth and merriment to Roots and Blues 2016. Joe Craven’s resume is simply as impressive as they come as a recording artist, performer, and teacher. Joe’s talents were evident in his alternately slicing and sweet violin and percolating percussion playing which was a focal point of the David Grisman Quintet for 17 years, including all of the choice sessions Grisman, Craven and company cut with Stephane Grappelli and Jerry Garcia. Craven took his skills and spent another seven years working with banjo master Alison Browne and just for good measure added his talents to the acoustic super group Psychograss that included a number of other members of the Grisman alumni-association, (Mike Marshall, Todd Phillips, Darol Anger) as well as Tim O’Brien and Tony Trischka.Along the way Craven has also recorded four solo discs, with his Django Latino outing considered an absolute gem that found him interpreting the music of the Hot Club of France with a number of Latin flavors.
JOE CRAVEN & THE SOMETIMERS
thursday, 8:05 PM - Utahpia Stage friday, 1:00 PM - Arlo Stage Joe Craven & The Sometimers featuring Bruce MacMillan and Jonathan Stoyanoff, have created a “no genre left behind” policy of music making while leaping from a springboard of Americana. A 30 year veteran in the biz, Joe comes impressively credentialed and the 3 of them hold poetic license to operate heavy machinery. Their analog/power tool box includes both upright and electric bass, various guitars, Dobro, lap steel, mandolin, octave mandolin, fiddle, more cowbell and who knows what else. This new NorCal roots music trio is celebration for a new framework of POP music, as in “Pursuit of Possibility” music. Give ’em a listen and you just might do a little dance while you’re at it! Jonathan Stoyanoff is a much in demand bassist who is a fan of, trained in and very proficient at, a wide variety of vernacular music. He has played and/or shared bills with Larry Coryell, B.B. King, Robert Cray, Huey Lewis, Dave Mason, Jackie Greene, Ozomatli, Spearhead, Maceo Parker and many more. Bruce MacMillan is a wonderfully intuitive musician dedicated to the holy temple of American Roots Music. His passion for the history and variety of America’s musical heritage has resulted in a versatility across many musical genres. From Blues to Bluegrass, Country to Jazz and Rock & Roll, Bruce plays with wonderful energy and artistry. Joe Craven & The Sometimers
John Craigie
JOHN CRAIGIE
Saturday, 8:10 PM - Revival Tent Sunday, 12:10 PM - Revival Tent - w/ Sam Chase (in-the-round) “Craigie’s wit is humble and smart. Each story he told and song he sang brought his audience into an intimate space where the formality of a music venue disappeared and everyone was then in a living room...” – Glide Magazine If John Prine and Mitch Hedberg had a baby, the resulting product would resemble something very close to Portland, OR singer-songwriter John Craigie. Musically comparable to Prine, with the humor and wit of Hedberg, the humble, gracious, and hilarious Craigie is one of the best storytellers of our time. It’s no wonder that Chuck Norris sends him fan mail, and Todd Snider brings him gifts on stage. The vagabond troubadour has charmed audiences in all 50 states and throughout much of Europe, with a DIY spirit seldom seen these days. While touring solo and with the likes of Todd Snider, the Shook Twins, Nicki Bluhm, and ALO, Craigie has taken the stage at festivals, sold out venues, intimate house concerts, center camp at Burning Man and even Gregory Alan Isakov’s farm. Although based in Portland, Craigie’s true home is on the road, and just like that he’s on to the next town, playing and singing and telling stories to everyone who wants to listen. He’ll make you laugh and make you cry, all in the same song. With a fan-base that is more of a continually-expanding circle of friends, John Craigie’s true passion is connecting with people through shared experiences, stories, and song.
KEITH GREENINGER
Friday, 10:35 PM - Arlo Stage Saturday, 4:00 PM - Revival Tent - w/ Paul Kamm & Carrie Elkin (in-the-round) sunday, 8:50 PM - Utahpia Stage “Greeninger’s approach to the marriage of word and melody hit me like a sledgehammer -- an undeniable case of hook, line and sinker.” – No Depression Few among us could distill our essence with such elegant simplicity. What Keith Greeninger brings to music, and life for that matter, is authenticity. As a result, there are no barriers between Keith, his music and his audience. This bond stems from Keith’s underlying philosophy Keith Greeninger
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that music is first and foremost a gift and a medicine to take part in together. As a singer-songwriter, Keith paints intricate portraits of the human condition with powerful melodic images, deep engaging guitar rhythms and husky, heart-wrenching vocals. Keith has toured the national Folk and Americana circuit extensively for over two decades. He’s performed at festivals and legendary venues, appeared on countless national radio shows, and shared stages with dozens of the country’s best-known artists. Keith’s records and personal appearances have garnered him a legion of devoted fans, and the respect, admiration and appreciation of music critics far and wide. With nothing more than a guitar in hand and a song with a story to tell, Keith completely captivates his audiences. He is that rare performer for whom people lean forward in their seats, absorbing every note and every word. They just don’t come any more authentic, or humble for that matter… “I’m just trying to write a few words that mean something to you“ – Keith Greeninger, from Glorious Peasant
LAURIE LEWIS & TOM ROZUM
saturday, 12:50 PM - Arlo Stage Sunday, 2:35 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore “It's possible to be a strong female presence in the Bluegrass music world, but you have to be really strong. Laurie is one of the greatest Bluegrass artists, woman or man, because of her consistency over decades, the depth and width of her subject matter, her commitment to the Bluegrass form, and her technical command. Oh yes, and her strength.” – Darol Anger “A quintessential stylist who creates mandolin breaks with the same passion and precision Monet put into his brush strokes, Tom Rozum ought to be recognized as a mandolinist of the first order.” – Mandolin Magazine Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum are widely regarded as being among the preeminent bluegrass and Americana artists of our time. They have recorded over twenty albums, including their Grammy-nominated album The Oak and the Laurel. Their latest release, The Hazel and Alice Sessions” delves into the repertoire of two trailblazing women of bluegrass music. Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
LINDA TILLERY
friday, 5:15 PM - Revival Tent friday, 8:35 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Eric Bibb, Ruthie Foster & Sam Baker (in-the-round) Linda Tillery is a Grammy nominated vocalist, producer, percussionist, arranger and cultural historian. Since she first appeared on stage at the tender age of 19, she has been considered as one of the Bay Area’s most soulful and dynamic singers. During the 1980s, Tillery branched out in many directions, recording three albums under her own name while becoming a central figure in the Oakland’s R&B and “funk“ scene and the emerging genre of Women’s Music.“ Her second solo recording, Linda Tillery, won a Bammy (Bay Area Music Award) for “Best Independently Produced Album” and Tillery was twice named “Outstanding Female Vocalist” at the Bay Area Jazz Awards. Tillery has metamorphosed into an authority on the African Diaspora in song. Her current mission is to help preserve and share the rich musical traditions of African American roots music. In 2014 and 2015 respectively, Ms. Tillery received a Community Leadership Award from the San Francisco Foundation and was honored by the Women’s Cancer Research Center as a Compassionate Healer.
LINDA TILLERY & THE CULTURAL HERITAGE CHOIR
saturday, 3:55 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage Sunday, 2:00 PM - Revival Tent “I cannot rave enough about the vocalists. Each and every one of them is talented enough to be a star on their own.” – Dorothy L. Hill (BluesSource.com) Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir is a Grammy nominated, percussion driven, vocal ensemble whose mission is to preserve and share the rich musical traditions of African American roots music. Their music is rooted in the Deep South and strongly connected to their West African and Caribbean origins. This mission is pursued through academic research, review of historical recordings, documents and video footage and most importantly – live performance. Performing together since 1992, the Cultural Heritage Choir creates dynamic rhythms and sparkling energy on stage. Their vocals are lush and vibrant, their lyrics are poignant and uplifting. Through stick, song, dance and story, the CHC
Linda Tillery
Linda Tillery & T
Artists Continued J transports the audience to a place in time when the roots of American popular music, were just being sewn by the “involuntary immigrants” from Africa’s western regions. Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, have become world renowned for their breathtaking performances and commitment to the authenticity of African-American roots music.
MENDOCINO QUARTET
thursday, 6:20 PM - Arlo Stage The four members of The Mendocino Quartet share a deep love of music and a joyful performance style. When they take the stage, prepare for toe-tapping, knee-slapping, hand-clapping, finger-snapping and maybe your boots on the dance floor! David Hayes on upright bass and vocals: a member of the Van Morrison Band for most of the last 4 decades, David is also a veteran of Jesse Colin Young’s band and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. David is also a popular musician-for-hire who has played with Ray Charles, Tom Waits, John Lee Hooker, and dozens more. David has over 250 recordings to his credit and has circled the globe many multiple times on tour. Gene Parsons on guitars, banjos and vocals: a multi-instrumentalist with the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, Gene is also a veteran of hundreds of stage and studio performances including with artists such as The Rolling Stones, Randy Newman, Arlo Guthrie, Sheryl Crow and numerous others. Gene is also the inventor of the String-Bender. Originally designed for his friend and musical compatriot Clarence White, the String-Bender is one of the most sought-after customized adaptions for electric and acoustic guitars the world over. Gwyneth Moreland on accordion, guitars and vocals: an acclaimed songwriter and vocalist whose solo work and tours have taken her to stages all across the U.S. and a featured spot on shows such as NPR’s “Music City Roots: Live at the Loveless Cafe.” Gwyneth released her third full-length album Ceilings Floors and Open Doors in late 2014 and it was immediately embraced by Folk radio. Steven Bates on guitars, mandolin and vocals: leader of the Steven Bates Band, a favorite in clubs from Hollywood to his hometown on the Mendocino Coast, Steven is in-demand for dozens of performances every year. Steven is also a veteran of many studio sessions with producers such as Bill Bottrell and Calvin Turnbull and with musicians all along the West Coast.
The Cultural Heritage Choir
THE MIKE + RUTHY BAND
Friday, 3:45 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage saturday, 10:00 PM - Utahpia Stage sunday, 11:30 aM - Red Tail Hawk Stage - (Kate Wolf song set) sunday, 11:30 aM - Arlo Stage - (Band in a box) “…honoring the great musical traditions of the past while at the same time welcoming, with open arms, the future of what music can be” – Folk Alley “Everything is masterfully performed as Mike Merenda and Ruthy Ungar sing about the charms of hard work, homemade wine and free parking. Amid the barn dance reverie created by fiddle, pedal steel, horns and more, Ruthy's versatile alto is the most glorious instrument of all.” – ABCnews Americana stand-outs Mike + Ruthy have assembled a new band and, as was the case with their last one, The Mammals, fans and critics alike are showing a lot of love. Their debut album, Bright as You Can, was released in June 2015 and top critics had this to say: “One of the year’s standout Americana albums” (Boston Globe), “In the vanguard of today’s vibrant folk revival” (PopMatters), “honoring the great musical traditions of the past while at the same time welcoming, with open arms, the future of what music can be” (Folk Alley), and much, much more. He’s a songwriting guitar-slinger with a knack for clawhammer banjo. She’s a fiddler and uke-chanteuse who grew up in the American roots underground, the daughter of GRAMMY-winning fiddler, Jay Ungar. These two believe in the transformative power of a great live show. They write top-tier songs, and perform for audiences worldwide with a charm and on-stage ease that might make you think they’re your new best friends. Of their own roots music festival the two founded in 2013, their late friend and mentor Pete Seeger wrote, “Dear Mike + Ruthy, Your Hoot was one of the best song-gatherings I’ve seen in all my 94 years. I hope next year I can be there for more than one day.” Woody Guthrie’s guitar killed fascists. This family carries the torch.
MISNER & SMITH
Mendocino Quartet (ABOVE), The Mike + Ruthy Band (below)
saturday, 2:55 PM - Utahpia Stage sunday, 11:30 aM - Red Tail Hawk Stage - (Kate Wolf song set) Sunday, 8:30 PM - Revival Tent “Misner & Smith make a strong case for music with intricate simplicity Misner & Smith
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and lyrical dignity. This duo is a treasure that needs to be shared.” – Jose Segue, Hicks with Sticks “Many listeners will feel their hearts have been found after discovering this promising duo.” – Shauna C. Keddy, No Depression Misner & Smith – that’s Sam Misner and Megan Smith. Sam plays guitar, Megan plays mandolin and upright bass, and when the two of them sing together, their blended voices ring with commitment and vitality. Maverick Magazine has praised their “superb harmonies” and the website Hicks with Sticks has called them “a Bay Area treasure to be shared . . . with a touch for taking simple ideas and infusing them with unexpected meaning, metaphor, and imagery.” Their latest album, Seven Hour Storm, is a collection of 11 originals that show off their sterling musicianship, poetic songwriting, and gorgeous harmony vocals. Sam and Megan met at a Shakespeare festival in 2002 and appeared together in a production of Woody Guthrie’s American Song in Nevada City in 2004. They discovered a mutual love of American roots music, harmony singing, and down-to-earth songs that tell compelling stories. Since then, they’ve balanced their acting careers with a musical collaboration that has produced four albums, Halfway Home, Poor Player, Live at the Freight & Salvage, and now Seven Hour Storm. Their song “Madeline (Paradise Cracked)” won the Song of the Year award from the West Coast Songwriters Association in 2007. Two years ago, they returned to the Freight for a triumphant run of the Woody Guthrie show in honor of Woody’s 100th birthday, and this July they came back to celebrate birthday 102. Working as actors as well as musicians must be quite a juggling act, but when Sam and Megan are on stage, they make it look easy and fun – and their subtle and sensitive songs are a treat worth savoring!
MOLLIE O’BRIEN & RICH MOORE
Saturday, 5:40 PM - Revival Tent Sunday, 2:35 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Laurie Lewis & Tom Rozum Mollie O’Brien and her husband, guitarist Rich Moore, have for nearly 30 years quietly made it their mission to find, mine and reinvent other artists’ songs. They are geniuses at the craft of interpretation in the way that great singers, since the beginning of popular American music, have made the songs of their era their own. As songwriters they add their own tunes to the canon of American roots music they inhabit and show us they’re completely at home with their musical selves. Mollie O’Brien & Rich Moore
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Mollie has long been known as a singer who doesn’t recognize a lot of musical boundaries, and audiences love her fluid ability to make herself at home in any genre while never sacrificing the essence of the song she tackles. She is a singer at the very top of her game who’s not afraid to take risks both vocally and in the material she chooses. Rich, while known to produce some of the funniest onstage running commentary, is also a powerhouse guitar player who can keep up with O’Brien’s twists and turns from blues to traditional folk to jazz to rock and roll. He creates a band with just his guitar and, as a result, theirs is an equal partnership. To quote the one and only Cher, “In this business, it takes time to be really good.” Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore are proof that age is no obstacle to making timeless, original and inventive music.
NEKO CASE, K.D. LANG, LAURA VEIRS
Sunday, 9:45 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “Case has a moonbeam for a voice: imposing in timbre, opalescent in tone, and always surprising in its sheer force.” – Pitchfork.com “k.d. lang has a golden voice that could fill the Grand Canyon.” – New York Times “Veirs’ imagery is as captivating as her husky, cloudy voice and her sophisticated arrangements…” - Mojo Several years ago on a whim, k.d. lang sent an email to Neko Case and Laura Veirs that said, “I think we should make a record together.” The three musicians were very different and barely more than acquaintances-—but they liked and admired each other, and it instantly felt right. “She lit the flare,” says Case. “She shot it into the air and we said, ‘Let’s do this.’ Laura and I both responded immediately. There was no question.” The result is case/lang/veirs, a true collaboration between three phenomenal, self-driven artists: avant-rock icon Case, legendary musical nomad lang, and indie folk star Veirs. The women wrote all 14 songs and shared lead vocals equally, sometimes even within the same track. Full of stunning harmonies and spellbinding rhythms, case/lang/veirs travels through aches and eras, torch songs and tributes to the undersung. They worked over two and a half years in Portland, Oregon, where lang and Veirs both live, sometimes in lang’s loft with a view of Mount St. Helens, others in Veirs’ dining room or backyard studio. The album was written from the ground up without any real plan beyond a desire to make music together and a faith that it would reveal itself. “I just wanted
Neko Case, k.d. lang, Laura Veirs
2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
Nicki Bluhm & T
Artists Continued J to do something different, something fun,” says lang, who started the initial writing with Veirs. “At first we thought what can we possibly write about, we don’t even know each other,” says Veirs. “There were no themes. So k.d. and I were having trouble writing and went on a walk. We saw this firework stand and we started looking at the names of the different fireworks, and one of them was called ‘Delirium.’ We were like, ‘that’s a good song title,’ and we started building.... We grappled with how to proceed in the beginning, because we thought scheduling with Neko, who lives in Vermont and is always on the road, would make it hard to get enough good songs written. We thought, should we do a cover record? But we all felt the strongest thing to do would be to try to write, so we persevered.” “The combination of spirits, the combination of artistry, is very unique, because we have definite similarities, but we are very, very different, and it creates a really interesting thing,” says lang. “It’s a truly collaborative record where our individual essences are firmly in place.”
NICKI BLUHM & THE GRAMBLERS
Sunday, 5:45 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “…music that’s like an enchanting friend you’ve known for a short while but feels like you’ve known forever.” – Chicago Tribune Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers’ much-anticipated sophomore album, Loved Wild Lost, arrives spring of 2016. The band teamed with producer Brian Deck (Iron & Wine, Modest Mouse, Josh Ritter) on Loved Wild Lost and it’s their first time working with an outside collaborator. The result is their most compelling collection of songs to date. The richly layered sound forms the ideal foundation for Bluhm’s soaring vocals and increasingly powerful songcraft. Further color comes from San Francisco’s Magik*Magik Orchestra (Death Cab for Cutie, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Walkmen), whose complex arrangements serve to amplify the indelibly universal themes of Loved Wild Lost.
THE PAINTED HORSES
Thursday, 8:35 PM - Revival Tent Friday, 1:00 PM - Utahpia Stage “It's music that makes you slow down your hectic, stressed-out urban existence, a soothing meditation on all the natural wonders taken for granted on a daily basis." - Nicholas Schneider (The Bay Bridged)
The Gramblers
The Painted Horses
Poor Man’s Whiskey
The Painted Horses are a rising folk band from the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. Denys Kozakis and Natosha Wengreen discovered their mutual love for songwriting and singing harmonies and started the project along with their good friend and musical partner Jon Payne on bass in 2014. The band regularly performs as a trio, but have also been known to perform with a full band depending on the show and for recordings. The Painted Horses strong songwriting and harmonies seem to connect them mostly with a folk genre that is unique and seemingly all their own. 2015 was a big year for The Painted Horses, as they continued to grow their fan base throughout various California cities. Highlights of 2015 include the bands NPR Tiny Desk concert submission being featured as an editor’s favorite, doing multiple video session for Jam in the Van and Humboldt Live Sessions, and a debut album/song feature on CMT’s the Edge.
POOR MAN’S WHISKEY
Friday, after Red Tail Hawk Stage set ends - Utahpia Stage - The Eagle's set Saturday, midnight - Arlo Stage - with The Brothers Comatose Sunday, 6:50 PM - Arlo Stage - with Blame Sally “In the end, they are an original distillation, a tasty burn that goes down with a kick and lingers beautifully when it hits your gut.” – Dennis Cook (Jambase.com) Northern California’s outlaw music bards bring a reputation for high-energy live shows and an incomparable fusion of bluegrass/old time, country, southern rock, and old school jam to stages and festivals worldwide. Poor Man’s Whiskey has been growing exponentially in the past 5 years selling out venues across the country such as the legendary Fillmore in SF. This “High-Octane Hootenanny” will certainly delight those interested in a foot-stompin good time. Poor Man’s Whiskey has evolved into a ragged, spontaneous beast pulling from equally deep wells of story-telling originals, expertly crafted covers and zany on-stage shenanigans. PMW has released 6 studio albums and have a stunning repertoire to choose songs from creating a new show every night.
RAINBOW GIRLS
Saturday, 9:35 PM - Revival Tent sunday, 2:40 PM - Utahpia Stage Rainbow Girls
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“...They play with soul, spirit and energy, are talented and versatile musicians, have beautiful voices and write stunning and catchy songs.” – Richard Shashamane (Norwich Blog) “…they will take you on a soul searching journey to paradise, leaving you with a warm glow…” – Nick Shaw (Private Blog) Rainbow Girls is a collaborative of four songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, vocalists, and California natives whose wide spectrum of genres is hard to classify, but something along the lines of funky, bluesy, soulful, psychedelic pop with roots in folk and rock n’ roll. With soaring harmonies and a slew of instruments they share and swap throughout their set, the ladies of Rainbow Girls pump out original after original of your favorite new songs, whether it be acoustic or electric. The ladies came together at an underground open mic in Santa Barbara, CA in December of 2010 and spent the following summer busking and couch surfing around Europe. Since then they have released two studio albums, toured the US and Europe extensively, and simultaneously developed two different forms of performing: 1) an electric, rock n’ roll, foot stomping spectacular enticing people to get naked, let loose, and dance wildly; and 2) an acoustic back porch set based around their harmonies and folkier roots.
RUTHIE FOSTER
saturday, 6:05 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage friday, 8:35 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Eric Bibb, Linda Tillery & Sam Baker (in-the-round) “There's no denying the power of Foster's monstrous voice...” – Paste Magazine “I love Ruthie Foster. That's my little sister. A phenomenal woman, yes indeed. She's great.” – Mavis Staples American blues singer Ruthie Foster descends from a line of strong women. Hailing from Gause, Texas, northeast of Austin, she’s part of a widespread family of gospel singers, and, to this day, when she gets nervous onstage (yes, she still does), she’ll reference her early influences, from “the sisters in the amen corner” to the music she fell in love with. And from houses of worship to houses of blues, Foster is always a rafter-rattler. With a soul-filled voice honed in Texas churches, she can move audiences to tears or ecstasy — sometimes in a single song. Her last two albums, 2009’s The Truth According to Ruthie Foster and Ruthie Foster
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
Sam Baker
2012’s Let It Burn, moved the Recording Academy to deliver Best Blues Album Grammy nominations.
SAM BAKER
friday, 8:35 PM - Arlo Stage - w/ Eric Bibb, Linda Tillery & Ruthie Foster (in-the-round) sunday, 10:50 aM - Arlo Stage sunday, 6:50 pM - Utahpia Stage “Baker captivated me. His songs are closely observed narratives of eccentric and marginalized people finding meaning in seemingly defeated lives–almost like Leonard Cohen’s, if Cohen had been a Baptist raised in West Texas.” – Marc Eisen (The Daily Page) Sam Baker is a man of few words. Always beautifully chosen, and fully wrought. Words placed like plants and objects in a Zen Garden. His website is stark: white, black, sepia, and shades of gray. Baker turned inward, to relearn the use of his body and brain after a Peruvian train bombing almost killed him in 1986. It’s taken years to heal. Time to reconnect. The road back was arduous, but it opened up new vistas in art, poetry, and music. Mercy, released in 2004, was the first in a trilogy of compelling albums with sparse instrumentation and poetic delivery. It was followed by Pretty World in 2007 and Cotton in 2009. Each piece is imprinted with a theme: everyone is at the mercy of another one’s dreams, how beautiful are these days, and talk about forgiveness. Baker approaches life with a positive attitude – “Life is a gift. I went through a lot of bitterness, a lot of anger. But those things are toxic. Gratitude for what remains is more helpful than resentment for what was lost. Ultimately, I came to understand that these days are wicked short and terribly beautiful. All I’ve got—no matter what I hold in my hands, drive around in, or put in the bank,- all I’ve got is this one breath, and if I’m lucky, I get another.”
THE SAM CHASE
sunday, 12:10 pM - Utahpia Stage - w/ John Craigie (in-theround) “The singer is the kind of guy you want to have a beer with, maybe invite him to your wedding; I bet he would have the place roaring in less than two shakes of a lamb’s tail. A very sincere, genuine roar...” – Danny Sebahar (The Pops) The Sam Chase
Artists Continued J The Sam Chase has a voice like a Nun on the lam with a mouthful of cigarettes and curse words in a lonely bar, drunkenly dancing next to a broken jukebox. His songs are scribbled, not written, on lipstick and sweat stained motel bedsheets because he likes the way the ink bleeds. His guitar runs on diesel and leaks like the morning after too much Whiskey. His is a show you’ll probably want to tattoo on your body so everyone will know that you knew him before he was cool. Hailing from the hills of San Francisco, California, The Sam Chase was chosen the Best Band of SF Weekly’s Best OF The Bay Readers Poll of both 2013 and 2014, and Sam, himself, was chosen Best Singer-Songwriter in SF Bay Guardian’s Best Of The Bay Readers Poll of 2013. Once asked who he would play with and where he would play if he could put together his own dream show, Sam’s answer was “Me and Bruce Springsteen riding Falcor the Lucky Dragon (The Neverending Story) in the middle of a war zone and bringing peace to the land through our music.”
SWEETWATER STRING BAND
Thursday, 4:45 PM - Utahpia Stage friday, 2:50 PM - Arlo Stage “The Sweetwater String Band are an incredibly together unit, and understand their music and each other. Their playing and their harmonies are intuitive, and they display a great deal of respect for what they are doing...” – Gideon Thomas (No Depression) Sweetwater String Band is a 4-piece, cello driven “soulgrass” band founded in the Eastern Sierra of California in 2008. Their music blends Chatham County Line style lyricism with Yonder Mountain String Band style energy, wrapping audiences in an enthusiastic yet introspective atmosphere. Since 2012 the band has completed several successful tours of the West Coast, Desert Southwest, and Colorado, including recent festival appearances at RapidGrass, YarmonyGrass, Lost Sierra Hoedown, Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, Millpond Music Festival and Humboldt Hills Hoedown, as well as numerous venues and concert series including this year’s Ouray Mountain Air Music Series where they performed for over 1,000 people. Their music often deals with serious issues such as mountaintop removal coal mining, workers’ rights, and the attempt to find middle ground in todays divided political arena. This seriousness is balanced by ghost stories, drinking songs, heart ache, and tales from the long, lonesome road. The band has released two full length albums Sweetwater String Band
of all original material (Debut, 2011 and River of Rhymes, 2014) featuring the songwriting of Scott Roberts (mandolin/vocals) and David Huebner (cello/vocals), with Jeff Meadway on guitar and Patrick Ferguson on bass.
TRAMPLED BY TURTLES
friday, 9:55 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “There is something generous about the way they play. They make room for each other, they serve the song, yet at times seem to ride the chaotic edge of stringed oblivion. It is the sound of joy; the kind of joy that the truth gives you, even when it’s a hard thing to hear.” – Alan Sparhawk (Producer) Trampled By Turtles formed in 2003 in Duluth, Minnesota. From their beginnings on the Midwestern festival circuit, they have reached new heights with each album. The release of 2012’s Stars And Satellites saw the band play to more fans than ever, sell close to 100,000 albums, make their first national television appearance on The Late Show With David Letterman, and have their first concert feature, Live at First Avenue, broadcast on Palladia. This year, the band will once again headline Red Rocks Amphitheatre in addition to holding their second annual Festival Palomino in the fall. On Wild Animals, Trampled by Turtles’ seventh studio album, themes of impermanence run deep, both lyrically and sonically. The quintet’s hybrid folk sound continues its evolution pushing the band further into the grey area between genres that defies pigeonholing. Lead songwriter Dave Simonett has been especially affected by change over the last few years. He relocated from Duluth to the city of Minneapolis. “When I lived in Duluth, I think I took connection with uncivilized nature for granted. There, I had to drive 20 minutes and I was in the middle of nowhere, and I did this almost daily,” says Simonett. “This was a very important ritual for me. Solitary time in a nearly untouched landscape is my version of church, so I think there is a bit of loss of religion in a lot of my work these days. I’ve always been a little obsessed with our struggle to stay connected to our simple animal side, the part of our nature that lived off the earth, hunted live game, worshipped trees and mountains. I believe a lot of sadness is caused by feeling disconnected with the rest of nature. A lot of what is instinctual for us is beaten down and frowned upon in modern society. It has to be confusing for the subconscious.”
Trampled By Turtles
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Build to edge of the document Margins are just a safe area
THE WOOD BROTHERS
saturday, 6:45 PM - Utahpia Stage sunday, 7:40 PM - Red Tail Hawk Stage “One of my favorite things about this band is their versatility…They shift from gritty blues to soft folk to gospel and deliver each genre with sincerity.” – No Depression Paradise, an album about longing and desire and the ways in which the pursuit of fulfillment can keep it perpetually out of our reach, is The Wood Brothers’ most sophisticated work to date and also their most rocking, with bassist Chris Wood playing electric on tracks for the first time. Recorded at Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye studio in Nashville, Paradise captures the latest chapter in the ongoing evolution of a band—and a family—navigating the joy and challenges of a life in music. Dubbed “masters of soulful folk” by Paste, The Wood Brothers released their debut studio album, Ways Not To Lose, on Blue Note in 2006. You’d be forgiven at the time for expecting it to be something of a side project. Chris Wood already had legions of devoted fans for his incomparable work as one-third of Medeski Martin & Wood, while his brother Oliver toured with Tinsley Ellis before releasing a half-dozen albums with his band King Johnson. Almost a decade later and with drummer Jano Rix added as a permanent third member, it’s become quite clear that The Wood Brothers is indeed the main act. Hailed previously by the New York Times for their “gripping” vocals and by the LA Times for their “taught musicianship,” the live setting proved to be a remarkable showcase for the brothers’ live chemistry and charismatic magnetism. Paradise marks the first album written with the entire band living in Nashville. The wood Brothers
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2016 Kate Wolf Music Festival
A Tribute
to dearly departed musical friends John Trudell & Dan Hicks
“L
ive from Alcatraz… it’s Radio Free Alcatraz.” As broadcaster and spokesperson for the two-year United Indians of All Tribes’ Alcatraz occupation, political activism was only one of the unique characteristics of John Trudell. Compare that to the eccentric antics of Dan Hicks, who had few musical boundaries, drawing on country, call-and-response vocals, jazz phrasing, and humor, to create a distinctive body of work, and you have just two of the many who deserve this year’s Kate Wolf Tribute page. Both performed at multiple Kate Wolf Festivals over the years. One of Hicks’ last performances was with us at Kate Wolf last year. Trudell could often be seen backstage enjoying all the music throughout, whether or not he was performing. Both were fans of life,
with their individual distinct manner. John Trudell, an Omaha, Nebraska high school drop out, joined the US Navy, and then went on to political activism for the American Indians. He eventually became the national chairman of the American Indian Movement, at times not without controversy. He, along with Willie Nelson, were co-founders of Hempstead Project Heart, and performed numerous benefits for the Seva Foundation and their Native American programs. He was not only an accomplished musician, but a poet, actor and broadcaster. Dan Hicks, a son of a career military man from Little Rock, Arkansas, who moved his family and only child to Santa Rosa, performed with local dance bands at age fourteen, and as a teenager had a rotating spot on a Santa Rosa radio show, Time Out for Teens.
This led to his studying broadcasting at San Francisco State College, taking up the guitar as part of the flourishing folk scene in the late 1950’s, and then joining the San Francisco band, The Charlatans, as its drummer. In 1967 he left to form his own band, the critically acclaimed Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks, where he was the guitarist. His brand of music earned him a devoted cult following. Consequently, there were many configurations of Dan Hicks’ bands, including the Acoustic Warriors. He claimed that he did not want to be a bandleader, but preferred the life and routine he had in Mill Valley for over fifty years. Once again, the talents of John Trudell and Dan Hicks make us proud that we live in a society that tolerates controversy, artistry, and humor, all in the spirit of Kate Wolf. •
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