After six years, the MeadowGrass Music Festival and Memorial Day weekend now go hand in hand.
Twenty-two local, regional and international musicians and bands are ready to fire up under the yellow- and white-striped tent at La Foret Conference and Retreat Center in Black Forest. They'll pick, strum and rock from early Friday afternoon through Sunday night.
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This year's acts include The Duhks (pronounced ducks) from Canada, Colorado's own Elephant Revival, The Mother Hips from San Francisco, the ever-popular The Haunted Windchimes from Pueblo, Chadwick Stokes, Caitlin Rose and Birds of Chicago.
'I have some vague guidelines in my head,' says Steve Harris, MeadowGrass executive director, about his band selection process. 'I try to find a third local bands, a third regional bands and a third national or international. I signed up a good mix.'
Last year, the festival attracted about 1,000 people per day to its 430 acres of ponderosa pines and grassy areas and came close to breaking even financially, Harris says. He expects a bigger crowd this year, and thanks to advance fundraising, he feels confident the three-day event will make some money.
'It's been rewarding for me,' Harris says. 'There are so many people who are so supportive of this.'
The Duhks headline Friday night. The five-piece roots and rock band has been through several lineup changes since forming in 2002, but banjo player Leonard Podolak remains the backbone of the group. His father, Mitch, founded the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
'It had its up and its downs,' Podolak says of growing up in that musical climate. 'It didn't leave me with much choice for a career path. I was inspired by so many amazing artists. I wanted to be on the stage as opposed to behind the scenes.'
The Duhks have a new album, 'Beyond the Blue,' scheduled for release in June. It's the first since a two-year hiatus and rejiggering of members.
'It's edgy. It's an experimental folk record,' Podolak says. 'We go from big full sounds to really broken sounds. We were trying to come up with different sounds.'
MeadowGrass is a family-friendly event, with activities for kids, including visitors from the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center and the Cheyenne Mountain ZOOMobile. The Millibo Art Theatre returns with the Big Bubble Play Area on Saturday and Sunday, with 50 gallons of bubble mix, four wading pools and 20 bubble wands. There'll be workshops by some of the visiting musicians and 5:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday screenings of the 2005 documentary 'The Last Dispatch,' about indie rock band Dispatch (Stokes was a founding member).
'The acoustic music scene is nurtured and loved in Colorado,' Podolak says, 'and there are so many expending energy on presenting it or going to see it. The culture for acoustic pickers is great.'
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Contact Jennifer Mulson: 636-0270, jen.mulson@gazette.com
Meadowgrass Music Festival
When: Friday through Sunday
Where: La Foret Conference and Retreat Center, 6145 Shoup Road, Black Forest
Tickets: $50-$60 single day pass, $100 three-day pass, camping sites are sold out; ticketfly.com, http://ift.tt/Tz1SRQ
MUSIC LINEUP Friday
1:30 p.m. - Andy Clifton & Co.
3 p.m. - A. Tom Collins
4:45 p.m. - Steve Poltz
6:30 p.m. - The Duhks
8:30 p.m. - The Haunted Windchimes
10 p.m. - Grant Sabin & the Full Moon Band (in Ponderosa Lodge) Saturday
11 a.m. - Barrel House String Band
12:15 p.m. - Josh Dillard & the Streaks of Lightning
1:30 p.m. - Chimney Choir
3 p.m. - Cary Hudson
4:45 p.m. - Ark Life
6:30 p.m. - Grass It Up
8:30 p.m. - Chadwick Stokes
10 p.m. - Elephant Revival
Sunday
11 a.m. - The Mitguards
12:15 p.m. - Here's to Fightin'
1:30 p.m. - Taarka
3 p.m. - Willis Alan Ramsey
4:45 p.m. - Birds of Chicago
6:30 p.m. - Caitlin Rose
8:30 p.m. - The Mother Hips
10 p.m. - The J. Miller Band (in Ponderosa Lodge)
WORKSHOPS Saturday
1:30 p.m. - Steve Poltz
Sunday
Noon - Birds of Chicago
1:30 p.m. - Willis Alan Ramsey (tentative)
3:30 p.m. - Caitlin Rose (tentative)
MUSIC LINEUP
Friday
1:30 p.m. - Andy Clifton & Co.
3 p.m. - A. Tom Collins
4:45 p.m. - Steve Poltz
6:30 p.m. - The Duhks
8:30 p.m. - The Haunted Windchimes
10 p.m. - Grant Sabin & the Full Moon Band (in Ponderosa Lodge) Saturday
11 a.m. - Barrel House String Band
12:15 p.m. - Josh Dillard & the Streaks of Lightning
1:30 p.m. - Chimney Choir
3 p.m. - Cary Hudson
4:45 p.m. - Ark Life
6:30 p.m. - Grass It Up
8:30 p.m. - Chadwick Stokes
10 p.m. - Elephant Revival Sunday
11 a.m. - The Mitguards
12:15 p.m. - Here's to Fightin'
1:30 p.m. - Taarka
3 p.m. - Willis Alan Ramsey
4:45 p.m. - Birds of Chicago
6:30 p.m. - Caitlin Rose
8:30 p.m. - The Mother Hips
10 p.m. - The J. Miller Band (in Ponderosa Lodge)
WORKSHOPS
Saturday
1:30 p.m. - Steve Poltz
Sunday
Noon - Birds of Chicago
1:30 p.m. - Willis Alan Ramsey (tentative)
3:30 p.m. - Caitlin Rose (tentative)
Entities 0 Name: Chicago Count: 5 1 Name: Duhks Count: 5 2 Name: Caitlin Rose Count: 5 3 Name: Willis Alan Ramsey Count: 4 4 Name: Steve Poltz Count: 4 5 Name: Ponderosa Lodge Count: 4 6 Name: Podolak Count: 3 7 Name: Chadwick Stokes Count: 3 8 Name: Chimney Choir Count: 2 9 Name: Grant Sabin Count: 2 10 Name: Harris Count: 2 11 Name: Taarka Count: 2 12 Name: A. Tom Collins Count: 2 13 Name: Andy Clifton & Co. Count: 2 14 Name: Cary Hudson Count: 2 15 Name: Colorado Count: 2 16 Name: Josh Dillard Count: 2 17 Name: Canada Count: 1 18 Name: MeadowGrass Count: 1 19 Name: Leonard Podolak Count: 1 20 Name: Mitch Count: 1 21 Name: Retreat Center Count: 1 22 Name: La Foret Conference and Retreat Center in Black Forest Count: 1 23 Name: San Francisco Count: 1 24 Name: Winnipeg Folk Festival Count: 1 25 Name: Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center Count: 1 26 Name: Stokes Count: 1 27 Name: Pueblo Count: 1 28 Name: Shoup Road Count: 1 29 Name: La Foret Conference Count: 1 30 Name: Cheyenne Mountain Count: 1 31 Name: Jennifer Mulson Count: 1 32 Name: Steve Harris Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1maDvTC Title: Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival ignites the weekend Description: The folks behind the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival decided the best way to celebrate its 25th anniversary this Saturday and Sunday was to aim high. "We went out for the biggest entertainment we could get," said "Catfish" Jeff Newby, self-described marketing maniac for the event and a member of the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise, which puts on the festival as its annual fundraiser.
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