Warm melodies
Bluegrass, folk festivals on tap in
New England
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By STEPHEN IDE
The Patriot Ledger
Each summer brings an amazing collection of quality folk and bluegrass musical talent to festivals in the Northeast.
This summer is no exception, with performances by popular contemporary singer-songwriters like Ellis Paul, Greg Brown and Eliza Gilkyson and legends like banjo great Earl Scruggs, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Richie Havens.
Rhode Island Irish group Pendragon and Canadian songwriter James Keelaghan will perform at the New Bedford Summerfest, fast becoming the festival to attend in New England.
The July 3-4 Summerfest gathers talent of all walks, from Celtic acts to singer-songwriters, on small stages spread through the historic downtown of New Bedford. At $14 for the weekend and more than 30 performers, this show is a steal.
Banjo stylist Earl Scruggs will be a featured act at the July 15-18 Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, clearly the premiere bluegrass show in the Northeast. Many folks today may know Scruggs’ “Beverly Hillbillies” theme song, performed with Lester Flatt. The three-finger picking style used by most bluegrass musicians today was developed by Scruggs, a first-generation bluegrasser who once played with Bill Monroe and his Blue Grass Boys. Scruggs is a must-see.
Grey Fox, hewn from a hay field in tiny Ancramdale, N.Y. (near where Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York meet), plays host to traditional and progressive bluegrass bands. This year marks the return of jam bands Railroad Earth and The Waybacks, along with a surprise entry: ’70s throwbacks acoustic Hot Tuna, featuring Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady.
While it’s in the neighborhood, Hot Tuna also has a show planned for the July 16-17 Green River Festival in Greenfield, Mass. Country-folk phenoms Gillian Welch and David Rawlings will perform on July 17 at the festival. If you’ve never seen or heard the duo before, they are a treat. Welch-Rawlings have the ability to make new songs sound old, with Rawlings enigmatic guitar picking weaving between Welch’s tender vocals.
Highlighting the roster at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is ’60s folk legend Richie Havens, whose 27th album (excluding numerous collaborative works), “Grace of the Sun,” is due out just before the show. Havens, who rose to prominence after his memorable spirited performance at Woodstock in 1969, still plays music with verve and conviction.
Though significantly smaller in scale than its Texas counterpart, Falcon Ridge has become the Kerrville of the Northeast for folk musicians and fans. Nestled on a farm in Hillsdale, N.Y., it is known for its all-night campfire sing-alongs and multiple stages, where musicians swap songs and share music each day.
Closer to home, The Lowell Folk Festival, which bills itself as the largest free folk festival in the nation, offers a selection of world music and more you are unlikely to hear elsewhere. This year’s show, July 27-25, features a Puerto Rican salsa band; Anglo-American gospel music; Irish, Quebecois and polka bands; an Armenian ensemble and bluegrass great J.D. Crowe.
Young families enjoy the Lowell fest and not just because it’s free. Children are drawn to the rhythms and unusual sounds of world music, and craft demonstrations help keep young minds occupied. And you never know who might emerge as the next big act; before achieving international fame, bluegrass group Alison Krauss and Union Station played Lowell.
Crosby, Stills & Nash take top billing on Aug. 7 at the Newport Folk Festival (You can catch them earlier at the Fleet Pavilion on July 22 or the Cape Cod Melody Tent on Aug. 3). The show is part of this legendary group’s 2K4 USA Tour. Along with Neil Young in the ’70s, the group bridged the gap between folk and rock and helped inspire a generation of songwriters and musicians.
There are plenty of performers of note at this prestigious festival, including Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle and Wilco. But don’t miss legend Doc Watson, the North Carolina blind Grammy winner steeped in old-timey, bluegrass and country styles – and one of the fastest acoustic guitar flatpickers around.
Texas balladeer and rocker Robert Earle Keen is a natural for Labor Day weekend’s Rhythm & Roots Festival, which offers a variety of music, from rock to reggae to zydeco. Keen’s observant songs are about everyday people faced with life’s daily challenges, about families and their peculiarities, hard luck, tough times and feel-good songs about enjoying the ride.
Endearing political and social commentator Tom Paxton makes his first appearance at the Boston Folk Festival in September. The king of the self-proclaimed “short-shelf-life song” always gets folks laughing and singing along. His songs, like “The Marvelous Toy” and “Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound” have touched the hearts of children and adults for decades.