Austin String Band Festival
AUSTIN STRING BANDFESTIVAL
October 14 - 16, 2011
Camp Ben McCulloch, Driftwood, TX
The Austin Friends of Traditional Music present their Sixth Annual Austin String Band Festival on October 14-16, 2011, at beautifully rustic Camp Ben McCulloch in Driftwood, Texas.
This annual camping festival features the very best of local and national performers of old-time,bluegrass, blues, vintage country, and ethnic American music. Whether you come for the day or camp out for the weekend, there will be music everywhere - on the stage, at the workshops, in the picnic areas, in the campgrounds, all day and well into the night. Delicious local and organic foodwill be available for sale at the festival. Great string band music, workshops, and lots of familyfun provide something for everyone. Old time fiddling legend Rich Hartness with Pickled Beats, Portland’s powerful Foghorn Trio,deep-rooted Cajun Country Revival, the venerated Tracy Schwarz & Ginny Hawker, local blues icon Steve James, and many more play this year’s festival.
- Friday, October 14th starts off this full weekend with" Dance ‘Til You Drop Night" for your listening and dancing pleasure, featuring polkas and waltzes from Brian Marshall, followed by two-stepping with Cajun Country Revival. Foghorn Trio will provide an energetic mountain groove for a square dance to round out the evening.
- Saturday, October 15th will be a full day of great music and music related activities. Music workshops are offered in the morning and early afternoon (free with admission). Stage performances begin in the early afternoon and continue until 10pm; mini-sets are held in a nearby performance area during stage set changes to keep the music rolling continuously.
- Sunday, October 16th is the Gospel Jam, a morning gospel sing open to all that wraps up a fun and music-filled weekend.
If you are planning to come to the festival please note the following.
BURN BAN IN EFFECT (will be strictly enforced)
- PLEASE CHECK THE CAMP BEN MCCULLOCH WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS. CLICK HERE.
AND A FEW MORE THINGS
- BRING YOUR OWN CHAIR.
- BRING YOUR OWN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES BUT NOT IN GLASS.
- NO PETS ALLOWED PLEASE LEAVE YOUR PETS AT HOME.
- NO FIREWORKS OR WEAPONS.
PERFORMERS
To hear a sample of the music you'll hear at the 2011 Austin String Band Festival CLICK HERE.
RICH HARTNESS & THE PICKLED BEATS
Pickle more beats! The Pickled Beats are a hard-driving old-time string band from the Carolinas. Fiddler Rich Hartness and banjo picker Brett Riggs evoke the powerhouse hand-and-glove banjo/fiddle style native to NW North Carolina and SW Virginia, where they each spent many formative years with musicianers of previous generations. Brian Schmiel seamlessly twins Rich's melodies and punctuates with his fluid yet percussive mandolin style, crafted as a young teen attending Old-Time festivals. Pan Riggs grew up among fervent gospel singers of the Blue Ridge, and developed her own lively and danceable backup guitar, which anchors and further propels the band. This tight foursome of long-time friends treasures every precious opportunity to come together to make lively music and good cheer.
THE CAJUN COUNTRY REVIVAL
A fresh blend of Cajun music with classic Honky Tonk highlighting the lyrical and instrumental spirit shared by the two genres The Cajun Country Revival is putting the Country back in Cajun music. This dynamic new group harkens back to the sound of that era and breathes new life into the American roots music scene. Comprised of multi-talented musicians from across North America, the Cajun Country Revival is a powerhouse group that plays their music with such a joyful spirit the audience can't help but have fun. Fiddler Joel Savoy has been a driving force in the Cajun renaissance of the new millennium. Founder of the multi-GRAMMY-nominated label Valcour Records and the acclaimed Red Stick Ramblers, Savoy is equally at home playing the old twin-fiddling of Cajun masters like Dennis McGee, as he is playing swing or honky tonk. Taking the stage with him is Cajun legend Jesse Lége on accordion and vocals. A genius on the Cajun accordion and a wonderful singer, Jesse has won every award a Cajun musician can win from the Cajun French Music Association. He was recently inducted into the Cajun Music Hall of Fame, and he's written songs that have become standards in the traditional repertoire, perhaps an artists greatest aspiration in traditional folk music. Joining Jesse and Joel is the dynamic Caleb Klauder Honky Tonk Band from Portland, OR, featuring Caleb Klauder, Sammy Lind and Nadine Landry of the world-renowned Foghorn Trio.
FOGHORN TRIO
The Foghorn Trio features Stephen “Sammy” Lind’s blazing fiddling and roughand-tumble singing interlaced with Caleb Klauder’s hard-driving mandolin picking and dry, dusty voice and adds French Acadian Nadine Landry on vocals, upright bass and guitar with intertwining harmonies throughout.
The Foghorn Trio draws from the same repertoire that has always inspired their work: the tunes and songs of the American South, from the hollers of Appalachia to the bling of 1950s Nashville. Each member is a multi-instrumentalist, with Sammy Lind adding guitar and banjo to his fiddling, and Caleb Klauder adding fiddle and guitar to his mandolin stylings. It’s a whole new world today for folk musicians, and these three traditionalists prove that they’re still riding on the cutting edge, with one foot in the analog past and one foot in the digital future.
In concert, Ginny and Tracy will cover everything from the beautiful unaccompanied ballads of the south to early Bluegrass duets to the songs of The Carter Family. You'll hear fiddle tunes, gospel songs as done in rural families, even some classic country songs. What their concerts will lack is "fillers." Every song they do means something special to them and will invite you to join them in the celebration of your heritage. For the past 15 years, Ginny and Tracy have appeared in concerts and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, and England. Each summer they teach southern traditional singing at several music camps introducing people to the music they love. Recently they have started teaching students in their West Virginia home. For more about Ginny & Tracy see http://www.ginnyandtracy.com/
STEVE JAMES
A well known name among devotees of contemporary acoustic folk and blues; this notoriety based on numerous critically acclaimed recordings, a tireless international tour schedule and a sheaf of published work including articles, instruction books and videos. His instrumental versatility (on guitar, slide guitar, mandolin, guitar-banjo) also makes him a favorite at music camps and workshop programs. He's been interviewed for features in Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Player, Blues Revue and Folk Roots (to name a few), and has been heard on "A Prairie Home Companion", The House Of Blues Network and many other syndicated programs worldwide. A noted traveler, Steve James has toured extensively, playing at festivals,concerts and clubs throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Ireland and theU.K., continental Europe, Australia and Brazil and China. Steve's website is http://www.stevejames.com.
THE CARPER FAMILY
Born on a cold winter night in 2009 to warm the hearts of happy-hour-goers at Austin's legendary Hole in the Wall Bar, the Carper Family brought together three of Austin's most talented young ?country and bluegrass singers and pickers... Melissa "Daddy" Carper [vocals, bass], Beth "Mama" Chrisman [vocals, fiddle], and Jenn “Little Sister” Miori [vocals, guitar] each grew up singing and playing music with their families. By the time they created their new “family band”, each had already led her own band and sat in with some of Austin's finest musicians. But this ?particular collaboration has blended stunning three part harmonies into the finest old country, old-time, bluegrass, and swing tunes. Their boiled-down and intimate presentation highlights the quality of their united and solo voices, as well as drawing out each player’s abilities with her accompanying instrument.In addition to bringing audiences their beautiful renditions of standards, the group also writes original songs that both honor and challenge the solid country traditions at the heart of their heart-felt sound.Already cheered on stages and street corners from Anchorage to New Orleans, the Carper Family looks forward to showing off their singing and playing for fans of good country music everywhere. See more here http://www.myspace.com/thecarperfamily.
BRIAN MARSHALL
"In the nineteenth century, Polish bands used fiddles to create a distinctly Texan sound. The rural sound died out decades ago, but Brian Marshall and His Tex-Slavik Playboys bring it back with grace and verve on Texas Polish Roots (Arhoolie). A Houston native with Bremond roots, Marshall has a fiddle style redolent of the Old Country while containing elements of Western swing as well. The tunes are nearly all traditional, but they're more for dancers than folklorists; these guys are to Texas polka what Beausoleil is to Cajun music."- John Morthland, Texas Monthly. Brian's website is http://www.markrubin.com/brianmarshall/.
THE LOST PINES
One of the fastest rising groups on the Austin music scene, the Lost Pines took less than two years to go from busking on the street corners of South Congress to finishing runner up in the bluegrass category of the Austin Chronicle’s Annual Readers’ Poll. Taking their cues from such contemporary songwriters as Gillian Welch and Tim O’Brien, they use the rich canon of traditional music as a launch pad, melding the themes of unrequited love, economic hardship, and wanderlust with the contemporary realities of city life. With a knack for balancing old with new, fiery picking with soulful vocals and respect for tradition with an eye towards the future, the Lost Pines create music that is both timely and timeless. See more at http://www.lostpinesband.com/.
DOUBLE EAGLE STRING BAND
Double Eagle String Band plays American old time music from the period between the Civil War and WWII. Hot fiddles, mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass, harmonica and great singing create sizzling breakdowns and haunting ballads with an occasional lovely waltz. This is music to dance to! Or, just sit back and listen to be transported to an older, deeper time and place.
RAINS & KEANE
Rains & Keane are investigators of early Texas fiddle music. They have not only been taking the old tunes out and dusting them off but also personalizing them and making them their own. It is with joy and enthusiasm that Rains & Keane attempt to keep this music alive and relevant. Rains & Keane consists of head tune sleuth Howard Rains on fiddle, finger style virtuoso and Rounder recording artist Peter Keane on the guitar and Central Texas banjo guru Jerry Hagins on the 5-string.
MINI-SETS
A number of other bands perform mini-sets on a second stage.
SATURDAY WORKSHOPS
Saturday workshops will be held from 11am - 1pm. Click here is see the list of workshops or to download the workshop schedule and map.
CAMP BEN MCCULLOCH
Opened as a park by the United Confederate Veterans in 1904, Camp Ben was named for a Texas Ranger and Confederate hero. Deep in the heart of many a Texan, the site has seen many wild times: Woodshock, Tribal Stomp, and the much loved Old Settler's Music Fest. Click here for directions and more information. Or visit the Camp Ben website at http://www.campbenmcculloch.com/Home_Page.php.
VOLUNTEERS
We really depend on volunteers like you to make the festival a success. Could you volunteer a few hours in exchange for a free day at the festival? Click here to find out more details.
FESTIVAL PRICES
On-line registration is now closed. You may purchase tickets at the gate - cash or checks only.
General Admission
Friday only…………………… $25 ($20 for AFTM Member)
Saturday only …………………$35 ($30 for AFTM Member)
Weekend …………………… $45 ($40 for AFTM Member)
Youth (16 and under)……………FREE
Student w/ID
Friday only …………………….$15 ($10 for AFTM Member)
Saturday only………………….$25 ($20 for AFTM Member)
Weekend …………………….$30 ($25 for AFTM Member)
Camping is an additional fee
Primitive Site ....................... $15 per night
Site with electricity ... ............ $20 per night
Note: Camping space is available on first come first served basis, click here for more details.
Hope to see you at the festival! Email us at AFTMTexas@gmail.com if you have any questions.
