The National Folk Festival announced today the first group of artists who will be performing in downtown Greensboro from September 8 – 10, 2017. The 77th National Folk Festival in 2017 marks the event’s third year of its three-year residency in Greensboro.
Approximately 300 artists—musicians, dancers, storytellers, and craftspeople—will take part in the National Folk Festival, with more than 30 different musical groups performing on as many as seven outdoor performance venues throughout downtown Greensboro. The eight artists announced today include:
- Dale Ann Bradley – Bluegrass: Five-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year award, Dale Ann Bradley is acknowledged as one of bluegrass music’s greatest singers.
- Feedel Band – Ethiojazz: classic Ethiojazz marries traditional Ethiopian pentatonic melodies and rhythms with the jazz, funk, and soul sounds of African American artists like Benny Carter and Maceo Parker.
- Marshall Ford Swing Band – Western swing: With their classic “hot fiddling” and “rhythmic syncopation mixed with playful vocals,” the Marshall Ford Swing Band has been called “the perfect Austin, Texas musical experience.”
- Mary Jane Lamond & Wendy MacIsaac – Cape Breton singling and fiddling: Lamond and MacIsaac thrill listeners with “a delicate balance between…the melancholy of Gaelic song and the joy of fiddle music.”
- Sri Lankan Dance Academy of NY – Traditional Sri Lankan dance: from Staten Island’s vibrant Sri Lankan community, this group is introducing American audiences to the intricate footwork and the acrobatic leaps of Kandyan dance.
- The Beat[box] Goes On: Rahzel, Nicole Paris and Ed Cage – Beatboxing: The head-turning vocal abilities of Rahzel, Nicole Paris and Ed Cage have redefined the possibilities of human voice. Born in New York City’s working-class African American communities in the late 1970s, beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion considered the “fifth element” of hip hop culture.
- The Fairfield Four – African American gospel quartet singing: The Fairfield Four is the most distinguished traditional African American a cappella gospel quartet working today, celebrating 96 years of bringing the gospel message to audiences worldwide.
- Tremé Brass Band – New Orleans brass band: Central to the musical traditions of New Orleans are the African American brass bands that play for traditional funerals and street parades. Among the most beloved is the Tremé Brass Band, known internationally through their recordings and tours as well as their role in Spike Lee’s Katrina documentary When the Levee Breaks.
Art Menius 