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Photos from Prior Festivals
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Akanthos, led by founder Tommy Hill, brought its exciting
Spanish-flavored music to the 1999 San Francisco Free Folk Festival.
Akanthos is a young band born out of a desire to create and
perform well-written original music. The variety of musical
backgrounds of the band's members has given rise to a diverse
repertoire.
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Justin Talley's saxophone provides a jazzy/soulful quality to the music of Akanthos.
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| Ballet Folklorico Ensambles de San Francisco performed and
taught the rich, varied dance traditions of Mexico at the 1999
San Francisco Free Folk Festival. Ballet Folklorico Ensambles
de San Francisco was founded in 1989 by dancers who want to
share and promote the ever-evolving traditions of Mexican folkloric
dance.
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Local period dance band Brassworks accompanied dancers in
the Old California Ballroom Dance workshop.
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| Crónán,
a new Traditional Irish band, whose members - (left to right,
Rebecca Marculescu, Jack Gilder, Chris Knepper, and Junji Shirota)
are longtime favorites on the local Irish scene.
Crónán's songs are performed in true Traditional Irish style,
with hauntingly beautiful melodies. Tunes - jigs, reels, hornpipes,
waltzes and airs - come from a living tradition from three hundred
years ago to, oh, last week. |
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The Dunsmuir Scottish Dancers will perform on
the main stage and teach Scottish Country Dancing at the San
Francisco Free Folk Festival. The Dunsmuir Scottish Dancers
are a demonstration dance team affiliated with the Royal
Scottish Country Dance Society. The group is pictured performing
at the 1998 Festival. Photo: Don Jackson, 1998.
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The
Ellis Island Old World Folk Band was formed in 1980 in Berkeley,
California. The band is proud to be a part of the revival of
the Klezmer music tradition—the "jazzy" Jewish dance music
developed in Eastern European ghettoes, and modernized in America
as it passed through the gates of Ellis Island at the turn of
the century. The repertoire of the Ellis Island Band, while
rooted in this Klezmer tradition, also included traditional
melodies from Russia, Poland, Greece, and Italy, with an occasional
journey through songs from a more modern era. The Band is dedicated
to the preservation, performance, and presentation of this rich
musical heritage. Band members include: Jim Rebham, accordion,
Steve Scott, bass, Helen Placourakis, violin, Carol Ginsburg,
flute and vocals. Kyla Danysh, violin, and John Kasley, guitar.
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| The Gateswingers played America's favorite 20th Century dance
melodies at the 1999 San Francisco Free Folk Festival. (Pictured
are band members Carol Ginsburg, Ron Klein, Dana Kemp and Bill
Slessinger.) The Gateswingers
approach their music with wholehearted enthusiasm and a real
love for the music. They're dedicated to keeping traditional
jazz alive, especially by seeing that young people have the
opportunity to both hear and play this fundamentally joyful
music. The Gateswingers will be playing an evening dance on
Saturday night.
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Music is everywhere at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival.
David Kalins and Lorraine Sohlberg played hammer
dulcimer where they could find space, which happened to be in
a hallway. Jamming goes on all day.
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Laurie Vela takes a break from leading workshops
to try out a song.
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Connie Maracle and Saul Fenster step out,
while enjoying one of the many dance workshops offered
throughout both days of the event.
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| Activities for kids and families are featured at the San Francisco
Free Folk Festival. The Mad Mollies (pictured here with delighted
young workshop participants) will lead a dance workshop for children.
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Rebecca
Riots, (left to right, Lisa Zeiler, Andrea Prichett and
Eve Decker)
charismatic female acoustic trio, known for their fresh radical
folk music. Rebecca Riots were at the 1999 Festival for their
third consecutive year. Their music is characterized by riveting
vocals, powerful lyrics, soaring harmonies, dynamic musical
arrangements, and a warm, engaging, often humorous stage presence.
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Lisa Redfern, a singer-songwriter whose clear, beautiful voice
is often compared to Judy Collins and Carly Simon, performed
at the 1999 San Francisco Free Folk Festival. Redfern's contemporary,
original songs have been featured on her own five solo albums
and on more than ten other recording projects, including a PoetMan
Records Acoustic Rainbow Radio CD Sampler.
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Steve Seskin,
one of America's most versatile and successful songwriters,
performed some of his favorites at the 1999 Annual San Francisco
Free Folk Festival. Seskin has written songs that have been
performed by artists ranging from Peter Frampton to country
star John Michael Montgomery. He also is a popular performer
at acoustic venues and festivals throughout the US and Canada.
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| Shahrzad
Dance Academy led by Shahrzad Khorsandi, brought the grace
and beauty of Persian Classical Dance to the 1999 San Francisco
Free Folk Festival. In addition to a performance by children
and adults from the Shahrzad Dance Academy, Shahrzad will lead workshops in Classical Persian
and West African Dance.
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Stump-Tail-Dog (Ray Frank and Dan Engle) played their special
mix of Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, Australian and American
music at the 1999 San Francisco Free Folk Festival. Stump-Tail-Dog,
based in Sonoma County, perform fiery reels, rollicking jigs,
dreamy waltzes, slow airs, lively hornpipes, moving songs and
soulful ballads.
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| Laurie Vela entertained children with Laurie's Stories and
performed her own songs (and others) at the 1998 and 1999 San
Francisco Free Folk Festivals.
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The World Harmony Singers perform choral music from African,
South American, European, and American Gospel traditions, and
is an outgrowth of a new choral program at the Mountain View
Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA). Daniel Steinberg,
the founder and director, has been a teaching and performing
musician with many Bay Area folk ensembles, including the Hillbillies
from Mars, for over twenty years. With the establishment of
this chorus, he brings to fruition his vision of community building
through music. Members come from the southern and central Peninsula,
and as far away as San Francisco and the East Bay. The chorus
is open to everyone, with no prior singing experience required;
for information on joining in September, email dss@opcode.com
or call CSMA at (650) 961-0342.
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| Everyone participates at the San Francisco Free
Folk Festival. Festival director Cheryl MacDonald took a break
from her duties to participate in a fiddle workshop. Photo: Don Jackson, 1998.
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