The Philadelphia Folk Festival
The Old Poole Farm, Schwenksville, PA,
August 27-29, 1999

The oldest continuous folk festival in the United States, the Philadelphia Folk Festival continued to grow during its 38th year. 1999 will be long remembered as the year that the event was extended to include everything from salsa music by Virginia-based band Bio Ritmo and traditional Cajun music by Balfa Toujours, to Jewish dance music by Brave Old World and shape note singing by Cordelia's Dad.

The festival began with a Friday afternoon showcase of new talent that included a turbo-charged set by "hillbilly" band, Still On The Hill; well-crafted songs by Vance Gilbert, Stacey Earle and Willy Porter; and songs of freedom and struggle by the Philadelphia-based vocal trio, The Freedom Sound. Evening concerts, held on the mainstage on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, began with a bagpipe set by Dennis Hangey. On Friday, the show featured Townes Van Zandt-influenced singer/songwriter David Olney, poetic singer/songwriter Dar Williams and Dylanesque singer/songwriter Steve Forbert, who performed a set of his "greatest hits." The evening was rounded out by Balfa Toujours, klezmer band Brave Old World, and traditional Scottish folk duo The Wrigley Sisters. The high point came with an electrifying, take-no-prisoners set by Celtic-rock band Tempest.

The mainstage was the site for afternoon concerts on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's afternoon show featured Texas singer/songwriter Ray Wylie Hubbard and veteran songster John Prine accompanied by upright bass and electric guitar. Sunday's concert featured a traditional folk trio comprising Hazel Dickens, Ginny Hawker, and Carol Elizabeth Jones and a memorable performance by flatpicking guitar wiz Doc Watson, accompanied by second guitarist Jack Lawrence.

Saturday's evening show kept the momentum going with performances by the folk duo Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen, Lead Belly-inspired bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart, Irish-American fiddle virtuoso Eileen Ivers and her band, salsa group Bio Ritmo, and shape note singers Cordelia's Dad. The concert concluded on a jovial note with sets by Loudon Wainwright III, who poked fun at everything from Tonya Harding to the worrisome state of the globe, and Toronto-based quartet Moxy Früvous, who seemed like an animated cartoon come to life.

Sunday's evening mainstage concert introduced the a capella singing group Four Shadow and Newfoundland band Great Big Sea, and included unforgettable performances by festival veteran Janis Ian (whose five-song set included her hits "Society's Child" and "At Seventeen" and showed off her Jimi Hendrix-influenced guitar playing on a medley of her original tune, "Good Day To Die" and Hendrix's "Foxy Lady"), and folk-blues singer-guitarist Chris Smither. Dry Branch Fire Squad guitarist, vocalist, and humorist Ron Thomasson set the pace with his southern drawl-inflected humor and bluegrass picking. Country music songstress Suzy Bogguss made her festival debut with a Nashville-tinged set that included songs by Ian Tyson and Nanci Griffith.

A series of workshops on Saturday and Sunday, presented on three small stages, brought together several performers to share their views of such themes as blues, ballads, pipes and whistles, harmony, and sacred harp singing. A dance stage offered a variety of dance styles including Cajun, klezmer, contra, and square dancing. The Philadelphia Folk Festival continues to be a family event with children's music performers Dave Fry, Rik Palieri, and Toucan Jam and storytellers Jim Albertson, Aunt Peggy, and Stretch Pyott presented in the Dulcimer Grove.
— Craig Harris (Waltham, MA)

Also in this issue:
Cropredy Festival
O'Carolan Harp & Traditional Music Festival
Ben & Jerry's Newport Folk Festival
Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Cape Cod Festival
Wayne Hancock
Beginish / Eileen Ivers Band