Main Stage 2022
MC’s: Tommy Jordan and Ash Raymond
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12:00 Rebecca Sunshine Band
Rebecca Sunshine Band formed from a group of friends who love getting together for a weekly jam session in Rebecca's living room. The band loves playing music of all kinds, but kids are the most fun audience of all! Rebecca Sunshine Band plays fun, interactive music that will get everyone singing and dancing! Join us for awesome jam for kids of all ages; get ready to sing and play along with old favorites and new-to-you tunes, too! We'll bring instruments for everyone to play!
1:00 The Ain't Sisters
The Aint Sisters have transcended their origins as outlaw street performers to grace the stages of the Southeast and beyond. The power duo of Arrie Bozeman and Barb Carbon front the band weaving together a deep and diverse catalog of original songs with tight harmonies and smart lyrics. Dynamic musicians and songwriters, they share an equal propensity for irony, humor, ferocity, and heart-on-sleeve authenticity. https://theaintsisters.com/
Danielle Howle
True connection can only come about through pure, honest expression. It comes from knowing how to find a truth within, and having the courage to unabashedly share it. As an artist-poet, Danielle Howle is a natural storyteller through song. She makes the biggest impact by sharing simple truths. Her music comes from a place of self-awareness, and is on a perpetual journey of self-discovery. She balances powerful style with conversational lyrics, sharing her honest experience of life. http://www.daniellehowle.com
2:00 Bichos Vivos
Rooted in the Brazilian northeast region, Forró is party music driven by the accordion, triangle, and Zabumba (big traditional drum), rounded out by guitar, bass, percussion, flute, violin, and vocals. The closest equivalent here in the US is Zydeco with its infectious and highly danceable rhythms. These are deeply soulful songs that also make people swing their hips and dance through the night. Bichos Vivos is Robert Moser on vocals, Lucas Tavares McAuliffe on guitar and vocals, Philip Kohnen on accordion, Natalie Smith on flute and vocals, Keiko Ishibashi on violin, Freeman Leverett on bass and vocals, Todd Mueller on zabumba, Tony Oscar on percussion, and Alex Dillon on percussion.
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3:00 Athens Mountain Singers
The Athens Mountain Singers perform vocal music from the Balkans and the Appalachians. Full of unique and surprising harmonies, their arrangements range from haunting and lyrical to bone-shatteringly powerful. The group consists of Amy Bonnaffons, Lydian Brambila, Claire Campbell, Jesslyn Shields, SJ Ursrey, and Alys Willman.
3:30 Hog-eyed Man
Hog-eyed Man explores a treasure-trove of traditional old-time music from the pre-radio era in the Appalachian mountains, when ghosts of Scots-Irish tunes mingled with distinctly American sounds. Raised in western NC, fiddler Jason Cade grew up learning an older style of playing from musicians near his childhood home. Upon arriving in Athens, he teamed up with multi-instrumentalist Rob McMaken in 2013. Since then, they have made 4 critically-acclaimed albums and are wrapping up their 5th with Los Angeles-based label Old Time Tiki Parlor. Cade has received numerous awards for his fiddle playing and the band’s recordings have become a national and international sensation in the old-time music world. They are often joined on stage by a community of oldtime music friends from all over the country, and today they will be joined by Packway Handle Band’s Tom Baker. https://www.hogeyedman.com
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4:00 Tribute to Art Rosenbaum
Art Rosenbaum died Sunday morning, September 4, 2022, leaving a huge hole in the music and art community in Athens and around the world. We will have a tribute to him and his life and legacy at 4:00 on the main stage.
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Art played folk music for over 60 years. He grew up in Indianapolis, studied and lived in NYC where he was part of the folk scene of the 50s and 60s, including Friends of Old Time Music. He wrote first instruction manual specifically on traditional 5-string banjo styles (1968) followed by several books and videos on banjo styles and tunings. He has done field work since the 1950s authored three books on traditional music he and Margo Newmark Rosenbaum collected in Georgia, and his boxed set, Art of Field Recording (Dust-to-Digital) won a Grammy for Best Historical Recording. Besides banjo Art plays guitar and fiddle and sings sea chanteys and other songs unaccompanied. He has performed widely in the U.S. and Europe. Art was a founding member of the North Georgia Folk Festival and has done the poster and t-shirt drawing over the years. artrosenbaum.org
5:00 Veronika Jackson
Veronika Jackson has taken the acoustic folk guitar and the history of her culture as an African-American woman, and has generated her own original, authentic and exciting style of music. She is a rare and unique performer. Her smooth and strong interpretive vocals are very expressive. Her clear, simple rhythmic clean way of piedmont blues-style guitar picking compliments her performances. She has been told that her music says something, it educates and also inspires. https://veronikaJackson.com
6:00 The Lucky Jones
The LUCKY JONES is a three-piece, rockin' rhythm and blues band from Athens, GA! This will be their second appearance on the North Georgia Folk Festival stage.
www.facebook.com/theluckyjones
7:00 MrJordanMrTonks
MrJordanMrTonks is a collaboration between longtime Athens musicians, Tommy Jordan on acoustic guitar and banjo and William Tonks on dobro and electric guitar. Individually, they could play with anyone, anywhere. Together, the effortless blend of their wide range of musical experiences and styles results in a synergy that always leaves listeners wanting more. Their performances reveal a joyful and relaxed musical relationship between two exceptional musicians. Flagpole Magazine calls them “two of Athens favorite pickers”. As it turns out, William was hired to play a solo set at the 2010 Folk Festival and asked Tommy to join him for a few songs for what was actually their first show together.
http://www.MrJordanMrTonks.com
8:00 Cicada Rhythm
Born and raised in Georgia, this talented pair imitates and modernizes folk music to a rejuvenating degree. The sound of Andrea DeMarcus and Dave Kirslis exhibits skilled and articulate guitar picking honed in the dive bars of Atlanta over rolling Julliard-trained bass lines. Expect chilling harmonies, unbridled enthusiasm, some wholesome tunes and a sincere performance. After several years of trying to get our schedules together and one rainout, we are really pleased to have Cicada Rhythm join us for the festival. Cicada Rhythm
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Fire Circle Stage 2022
MC: Cortez Garza
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2:00 Tin Cup Prophette
Amanda Kapousouz, aka ‘tin cup prophette’, loves playing traditional Irish music. She first learned a few fiddle tunes from her friends in the band Jump, Little Children in the 90s. After a move to NYC shortly thereafter, she learned from great Irish musicians at seisuns around the city while busking for a living on the subway platforms. She also went to bluegrass / old time / and jazz sessions around the city to broaden her horizons, but ultimately kept landing at Mona’s on Monday nights for the traditional Irish (and super late night) seisuns. Amanda went on to play Irish festivals around the country with several bands and has made several scrappy recordings of her repertoire. This past March, Amanda’s dreams came true when she and her husband traveled to Ireland for the first time on a guided tour with her favorite fiddle guru, Kevin Burke. She continues to play annually at Normal Bar for St. Patrick’s Day, but hopes to play a little more frequently moving forward. Amanda keeps herself tied to the musical community through her work rehairing / repairing / restoring bows for stringed instruments in Athens. www.atincup.com
3:00 Marion Montgomery & Glyn Denham
Marion & Glyn play a mix of blues, ballads and Americana. Marion handles the guitar and slide guitar while Glyn tackles the Dobro and harmonica.
4:00 Fester Hagood
Fester Hagood is an Athens, Ga native who has been spent 20 plus years writing his unique blend of Folk, Country Rock, and Catfish Grunge, while traveling the South spreading the good word of original, live music. A songwriter, producer, and host of several songwriter showcases, he is on the verge of releasing his new concept album, God Love Whiskey and the Devil in a Small Town, the long- awaited follow-up to the cult classic, Live From Rock Bottom. Reverbnation.com/festerhagood
