The New Bedford Folk Festival is the place we usually find ourselves during the 4th of July weekend. We’ll be eager to see old musical friends Beppe Gambetta, John Gorka and Lori McKenna. Fiddler Jeremy Kittell is returning this year. Last year Jeremy stole the spotlight. Adept at playing bluegrass, Celtic, folk, pop or even jazz, he was the man everyone wanted to have sitting in on their set. It will be a thrill to see him again. In addition, it’s been a while since we’ve seen Antje Duvekot or Brooks Williams, so all things considered, this will be a trip well worth making.
We first saw Leon Redbone at Fox Hollow Folk Festival in the ’70s. Here he is, still going strong at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, along with people like Dan Bern and Josh Ritter. With others such as Martin Sexton, The Flatlanders, and Dr. John, we’d have to say that the star power here runs pretty deep.
The spirit of Woody Guthrie is alive and well in the person of Pennsylvanian John Flynn, no matter where he goes, but it’s even more appropriate at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. He’s joined by dedicated followers Jimmy LaFave, Ellis Paul and Vance Gilbert, all (including John) former featured artists for this publication. Another former feature, the angelic-voiced anti-hunger activist K.C. Clifford, is (we think) a newbie at this event.
When you look at the linup every year for the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, you know you’re seeing the mother lode in this genre for the northeast region. Del McCoury, Jerry Douglas, Tim O’Brien, Chris Thile and Michael Daves … it gets deeper and deeper all the time. We hear the new location isn’t as picturesque as its former home, the Rothvoss Farm in Ancramdale, N.Y., but that isn’t stopping anyone.