The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

The final seven artists slated to perform at the 25th annual Sisters Folk Festival September 30 to October 2 are in the final lineup, announced last week.

The full lineup includes more than 30 folk, jazz, bluegrass, and blues artists from around the country, with recent additions David Wilcox, Abby Hamilton, Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas, Strain + Worth, Dave Hause, Justin Farren, and Jenner Fox Band rounding out the list.

More than three decades into his career, singer-songwriter David Wilcox continues to push himself, just as he always has. Wilcox, by so many measures, is a quintessential folk singer, telling stories full of heart, humor, and hope; substance, searching, and style. Lest anyone think that he’s lost his touch, Wilcox pulled no punches on his most recent release, 2018’s “The View from the Edge.” Not only does the album find him delving into mental health, family legacies, spiritual contemplations, and topical concerns, the song “We Make the Way By Walking” also won him the grand prize in the 2018 USA Songwriting Contest.

Kentucky singer-songwriter Abby Hamilton has garnered a reputation as a can’t-miss live performer, opening for acts like Wynonna Judd, Shakey Graves, Kelsey Waldon, Valley Queen, Arlo McKinley, and Justin Wells, as well as performing at festivals including Railbird and Masters Musicians. With influences ranging from the classic country divas to Bruce Springsteen, Hamilton wins over audiences with her clever lyrics and entrancing vocals.

The musical partnership between consummate performer Alasdair Fraser, “the Michael Jordan of Scottish fiddling,” and brilliant Californian cellist Natalie Haas spans the full spectrum between intimate chamber music and ecstatic dance energy. Over the last 16 years of performing at festivals and concert halls across the world, they have truly set the standard for fiddle and cello in traditional music. They continue to thrill audiences internationally with their virtuosic playing, their near-telepathic understanding, and the joyful spontaneity and sheer physical presence of their music.

Drawing from a variety of roots in delta blues, vintage soul, and melodic folk with a modern flare, Christopher Worth & David Jacobs-Strain are an inimitable acoustic duo, Strain + Worth. The two began playing together in 2018 after jamming around a songwriters’ fire, and soon after were invited to play a variety of main stage sets at festivals across the West Coast. After discovering an undeniable musical chemistry, they hit the studio to create what would become “Rhududu Sessions Volumes 1 & 2.” The recordings are classic and poetic in both lyric and melody, with songs that come alive through the deftness of their respective performances.

Fresh off the success of his pre-pandemic, 2019 album “Kick” comes Dave Hause’s fifth solo album, “Blood Harmony.” At its core, the title is an ode to the musical partnership between Dave and his brother Tim, but there are multiple layers of meaning relating to Hause’s role as a musician, a brother, a husband, a son, and a dad. As such, “Blood Harmony” is a reassertion of what family means to him. Even more so because it’s coming out on the label owned by he and his brother of the same name.

Speaking on his latest musical endeavor, Hause says, “The germ of the album, the beating heart, is that I’m in a true family. I have a grounded reason to work and a bunch of people that I want to make proud with the work that we do. It’s a family business.”

Sacramento native Justin Farren writes multidimensional songs that are both enchanting and seemingly effortless. With his fourth album, “Pretty Free,” Farren has masterfully crafted and recorded 11 original songs in a shed in his own backyard – songs that are uniquely personal but endlessly inventive and highly relatable, filled with the kind of sudden twists and turns that you never see coming but will never forget. In the last few years, he’s won a bevy of awards including the Kerrville New Folk Competition, Songwriter Serenade, and Wildflower. He’s shared the stage with David Wilcox, Anna Tivel, Sam Baker, Matt Costa, and Pierce Pettis, among other folk legends.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Central Oregon artist Jenner Fox comes from a family of river guides. He followed the family river trade and recorded his debut album to make some extra money selling CDs on the boat ramp after rafting trips. Five albums later, after a decade of cutting his teeth on the river and road, Jenner tells the stories of people and places with unparalleled compassion and respect. His artful tone, poetry, and fluency on his guitar do something only the brave ones do: let us in. Jenner will be performing and hosting a late-night jam with his band, including members of the string band Polecat.

The festival will be held at seven venues throughout downtown Sisters, including Sisters Art Works, The Belfry, Sisters Depot, Open Door, Sisters Saloon, Oliver Lemon’s, Village Green Park, and a “KidZone” at Fir Street Park on Saturday, Oct. 1. Three-day all-events passes are available for purchase at https://sistersfolkfestival.org/festival-ticket-info/ and are priced at $200 for adults and $85 for youth 17 and under. The full festival schedule and single-day passes will be announced later this month. Follow @SistersFolkFestival on Instagram and Facebook for updates and additional information.