Thousands of music lovers are expected to converge on Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, near bucolic Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, Aug. 16-19, 2018 for the annual Philadelphia Folk Festival. Now in its 57th year, the event, produced and presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, a nonprofit arts organization, is the longest continuously running outdoor music festival of its kind in North America.
Among the notable artists slated to perform during the festival are Balsam Range, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, David Bromberg Quintet, Joe Crookston, Jeff Daniels, Mary Gauthier, John Gorka, Patty Griffin, Eileen Ivers, Christine Lavin, Martha Redbone, Tom Paxton and The DonJuans, Riders in the Sky, The Seldom Scene, The Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Alexis P. Suter Ministers of Sound, Tempest, Trout Fishing in America, and Molly Tuttle.
A number of talented Canadian artists are also on the bill — including Melanie Brulee, Matthew Byrne, Elage Diouf, Earle and Coffin, Jay Gilday, Terence Jack, David Myles, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Dana Sipos, and The Small Glories. From the UK are Scottish folk-roots rockers Skerryvore (my favorite new musical discovery during the 2018 Folk Alliance International Conference) and Gloucestershire duo The Black Feathers. Limerick, Ireland’s Hermitage Green makes its Philadelphia Folk Festival debut, as do Australian singer-songwriter Tom West and Tuvan throat singers Alash.
Also of note are Michigan-based band The Accidentals (named among Yahoo Music’s 10 Bands to Watch” in 2017), Washington, DC area-based singer-songwriter Crys Matthews (grand prize winner of the 2018 NewSong Music Competition and winner of the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs Contest at the 2017 Northeast Regional; Folk Alliance Conference), Austin, Texas-based singer-songwriter Matt The Electrician, and rollicking, high-energy folk-rockers Scott Wolfson and Other Heroes.
Among the up-and-coming local touring artists who will showcase their talents during the festival are April Mae & the June Bugs, Michael Braunfeld, Meghan Cary & Analog Gypsies, Orion Freeman, Marion Halliday & Trickster Sister, Aaron Nathans & Michael G. Ronstadt, and Brittany Tranbaugh. A Friday morning album release celebration for Kicking Down Doors and Tin Bird Choir will take place on the Camp Stage.
As the names above suggest, the Philadelphia Folk Festival features an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary music that stretches the boundaries of folk, helping to broaden its appeal and reach a new generation of listeners. National and international touring artists of note as well as emerging ones are on the bill.
In partnership with the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), a regional affiliate of Folk Alliance International, the festival will also showcase the talents of three up-and-coming young artists/acts –the previously mentioned Benjamin Dakota Rogers and Earle and Coffin, as well as Lula Wiles, a female Americana trio recently singed to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings– during a NERFA Presents Young Folk song swap on Saturday morning.
In addition to musical performances and workshops on eight stages – including an accordion workshop, contra dancing with Groovemama, a Martin Guitar Jam, and a late Sunday afternoon Klezmer dance party — there will be an array of children’s activities in the shady Dulcimer Grove – including craft-making and performances by The Give & Take Jugglers and a number of children- and family-oriented artists. As in years past, many artisans will display and sell their creations in an open-air juried crafts area.
There’s also a festival within the festival for those who opt to camp onsite and enjoy some late-night musical revelry. The 40-acre campground – chock-a-block with tents — is home to a unique late-night scene, with singing by campfires and jamming into the early morning hours. David Dye, host of the syndicated World Café radio program, will host a special Thursday night concert on the Camp Stage — featuring multi-ethnic Latin pop songstress Gina Chavez, contemporary blues guitarist and singer-songwriter Toranzo Cannon, and Scots folk band Talisk — exclusively for all-festival camping ticket holders.
Both day and full-festival passes are available for purchase. Children under 12 will be admitted free with an adult, while discounted tickets are available for youth, ages 12-17
For more information about the Philadelphia Folk Festival and to order tickets, visit www.pfs.org/philadelphia-folk-festival/.
Editor’s Note: As president of the NERFA board of directors, I have the honor and pleasure of hosting the “NERFA Presents Young Folk” showcase on Saturday morning, Aug. 18, at 11 a.m.
Like/Follow Us!