Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s ‘Most Wanted’ Emerging Artists Named

The Boxcar Lilies, Darlingside, Connor Garvey and Roosevelt Dime have been invited to participate in the Most Wanted Song Swap at this summer’s Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. They were chosen in balloting by 2013 festival goers from among 24 artists/bands who performed in last year’s Falcon Ridge/Grassy Hill Emerging Artists Showcase.

The Boxcar Lilies, an Americana trio from western Massachusetts, has been wowing audiences and earning critical accolades for nice vocal harmonies and quality songwriting since forming in 2009 and releasing its debut album two years later. Singer-songwriters Katie Clarke, Jenny Goodspeed and Stephanie Marshall accompany themselves on guitar, clawhammer banjo, concert ukulele, electric bass and washboard.

“We’ve been coming to Falcon Ridge as individuals with our friends and families for over a decade,” says Marshall. “To be able to perform on the main stage as The Boxcar Lilies is such an honor. We are really looking forward to sharing the stage with the other most wanted artists.”

Here’s a link to a video of The Box car Lilies singing “Sugar Shack” last year at Falcon Ridge:

Darlingside is a Massachusetts-based indie folk quartet. With four distinct voices clustered around a single microphone, the group’s tightly-arranged tunes feature strains of bluegrass, classical, and barbershop. Accompanied by an arsenal of classical strings, guitars, mandolin, and percussion, these four close friends swap instruments from song to song.

“We are thrilled and honored to be returning to Falcon Ridge in 2014 [since] the experience at the festival in 2013 was one of the highlights of our summer,” said Darlingside’s Auyun Mukharji.

Here’s a link to Darlingside’s official video for “Blow the House Down”:

Portland, ME-based singer-songwriter Connor Garvey, who describes his music as acoustic funky folk-rock for the good-hearted, has been drawing audiences and critical acclaim with his inventive, rhythmic guitar work, clear, soulful vocals and songs that capture people’s attention with humor, honesty and grace – songs that challenge us to hope, grow, laugh and see beauty in all of life’s metaphors.

Here’s a link to a video of Connor Garvey performing “Monster”:

Roosevelt Dime is a five-piece Brooklyn, NY-based band that blends elements of rollicking acoustic jug band blues, classic New Orleans soul, old-time Dixieland and neo-folk to create a sound that its members have dubbed Kings County Steamboat Soul. Featuring banjo, electric and washtub basses, percussion, trumpet and woodwinds, this is a band that’s bound to get your feet stomping and your toes tapping.

Here’s a link to a video of Roosevelt Dime performing “Wishing Well” live in concert (courtesy of Gordon Nash):

Last year’s Most Wanted Song Swap featured Long Island-based folk harmony trio Gathering Time, Storrs, CT-based Americana-roots band Poor Old Shine, and the Hudson Valley, NY-based folk-pop trio The YaYas.

Among the Northeast’s most popular music festivals, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, now in its 26h year, takes place August 1-3 at Dodds Farm on Route 7D in Hillsdale, New York, located in the foothills of the Berkshires near the tri-state corner of New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The festival features dozens of artists performing on several stages (including a dance tent), children’s music and activities, and a wide array of crafts, food and other vendors. Late-night unplugged music can be found at the AcousticMusicScene.com tent at Pirate Camp and at other campsites.