Madison, IN….An impressive lineup of nationally known folk music artists is scheduled for the Sixth Annual Ohio River Valley Folk Festival in Madison, Indiana, on May 20-22. In addition to nationally known artists, there are also performances by regional musicians. “Our goal is to provide a balanced line-up of talent,” said Selection Committee Member Kriss Luckett. “We want to showcase classic and well-known folk musicians as well as up-and-comers, while also drawing from our very deep pool of regional talent. One of the best things about attending festivals is getting to see artists you love AND getting to see performers you’ve never heard.”
The 2011 Ohio River Valley Folk Festival performers include Mickey Clark & Blue Norther – winner of the Academy of Western Artists 2009 Album of the Year. Adrienne Young, a Nashville based performer with a quiet passion and intelligence, is also on the schedule. She is on numerous “best of” lists, including a “Best Country Single of the Year” citation from the Nashville Scene, third place in the Amazon.com list of “best folk recordings of the year,” and sanction from the Los Angeles Times as “the Americana find of the year.”
Paul Thorn hails from Tupelo, Mississippi where he was raised among the same spirits (and some of the actual people) who nurtured a young Elvis generations before, Thorn has rambled down back roads and jumped out of airplanes, worked for years in a furniture factory, battled world champion boxer
Roberto Durán, opened for Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, and John Prine among many other headliners, and made some of the most emotionally restless yet fully accessible music of our time.
The “all g’Earl” string band Uncle Earl has emerged as one of the leading lights in the ongoing old-time renaissance. They play Americana music with new ideas, songs, and arrangements. Their albums, combined with the group’s infectious live shows, garnered rave reviews from such influential media outlets as the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Mojo, No Depression, The New Yorker, and Relix.
Saturday night headliner, David Bromberg is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Bromberg has an eclectic style, playing bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock & roll equally well. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time.
Folk Festival organizers have redesigned their website to include a complete listing of musicians, storytellers, family activities and folk artists at the festival. “This new and improved website gives exciting new life to the Ohio River Valley Folk Festival,” said website coordinator Marissa Austin, of the Rivers Institute at Hanover College. “Its sleek design and user-friendly features are sure to help draw a crowd to this great event.”
The Ohio River Valley Folk Festival is held on the banks of the beautiful Ohio River in Historic Madison, Indiana, and is dedicated to music, art, storytelling and food that celebrate our roots and traditions. The event will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 20 through May 22. In addition to music, there are folk art demonstrations, storytellers, food and beverages. Advance ticket sales begin in March and include $10 of food and beverage coupons.
For more information about the Ohio River Valley Folk Festival, to order online or find a list of Madison businesses that will offer advance sales, go to www.ohiorivervalleyfolkfestival.com or call 800-559-2956.
Friday, May 20
6:00 pm Mickey Clark and Blue Norther
8:00 pm Adrienne Young
10:00 pm The Greencards
Saturday, May 21
Noon Music Workshop (in the Storyteller tent)
1 pm The Tillers
3 pm The Wiyos
5 pm Paul Thorn
7 pm David Bromberg Quartet
9 pm Uncle Earl
Sunday, May 22
1 pm BlueGrazz Junction
2:30 pm Greg Ziesemer and Kris Luckett
4 pm Hogeye Navvy
6 pm Carrie Newcomer
