The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters Folk Festival rolled out its final bookings for the 2019 festival which will take place September 6-8 throughout Sisters. There are additional offerings and new announcements to be made for the week of the festival as well.

The festival will feature Red Dirt Boys, Emmy Lou Harris’ legendary band, featuring Phil Madeira & Will Kimbrough. Phil Madeira and Will Kimbrough will also play additional sets of their own original music. The musical trio, The Sweet Remains, will be performing at the festival, and in partnership with the Sisters Movie House, will share their original film “The Independents” on Wednesday, September 4. Greg Naughton of the band wrote and directed the original film. There will be a suggested donation for the evening’s event.

As part of a new offering, Sisters Folk Festival has confirmed a handful of artists as the “Folk Fest Family,” including songwriter and award winning poet, Beth Wood, the soulful songs and multi-instrumental prowess of Keith Greeninger & Dayan Kai; the engaging and uplifting music of Ellis; the powerhouse guitar player, songwriter, and harmonica player David Jacobs-Strain & Bob Beach; Wisconsin songwriter and veteran teacher Johnsmith; the deep well of contemplative songwriting and singing of Jeffrey Martin; and the fine guitar-playing and percussive band Sway Wild, featuring Mandy Fer and Dave McGraw.

All these artists will also be teaching at the Americana Song Academy and sharing their music at the festival with patrons. The Folk Fest Family artists have all made significant impact on the development of the festival organization, teaching at the Song Academy, working with youth in the songwriting camp for high school kids, as guest artists in the schools, and investing deeply in the Sisters community—many for more than a decade.

“The Folk Fest Family is about honoring those artists who have made a deep contribution to our community, beyond just the festival and kids, but who have helped us become who we are,” said Creative Director Brad Tisdel. “These artists care about the health and vitality of the organization and the well-being of all involved in the community. They connect, are at one with us, and we acknowledge their contribution. This year we are inviting these artists back to share with us their talent, heart and exquisite music they share throughout the world.”

Another new offering will be the Founder’s Choice festival artist, so named because the booking is a tip of the hat to Dick Sandvik and Jim Cornelius, who conceived of the original Sisters Folk Festival in 1995 and have helped shape it ever since. The Founders Choice artist this year is the Vandoliers, a rowdy Southern rock band that will bring the energy of their engaging original music to the festival.

There are some rare openings available at the Americana Song Academy, which is held at Caldera during the week prior to the festival. For more information about the academy, Sisters Folk Festival 2019 tickets, festival artists, performance schedules and information on becoming an SFF volunteer, visit http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org.