Central Ohio Folk Festival Goes Online

broadway place near oakland park, Columbus OH

22 May, 2021

Description

2021 Central Ohio Folk Festival – A Fun Interactive Virtual Celebration You can Enjoy from The Comfort of Your Own Living Room ! As the old saying goes, “The Show Must Go On.” And so, virus or no virus, the festival will happen this year — online. Ticket sales have just opened up for the event! Saturday, May 22 from 11 am to 9:30 pm, this annual celebration of everything “folk” will be unique, engaging, and interactive with something for everyone! And, like so many things these days, you’ll get to enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. The festival will be HEADLINED Saturday evening by Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, an Americana duo that creates riveting, honest-emotion music. As one reviewer put it: “They bring a lot to the table, they bring the table itself — plus the house, the still, the church, the sawdust-covered floor, and abiding, unconditional love, all carried in two voices harmonizing across hills, hollers, porches.” Larry Campbell is perhaps best known as a member of Bob Dylan’s tour band from 1997 to 2004 and musical director, band leader and co-writer with the Levon Helm Band for another 7 years. Teresa Williams is known for 2 roles in highly acclaimed national touring productions -- as Sara Carter in “Keep on the Sunny Side” and the title role in “Always…Patsy Cline.” She’s also been a vocalist for Emmylou Harris, Jackson Brown, and Phil Lesh. On the virtual broadcast stage, 7 great bands will perform, representing a wide range of roots music genres: folk, bluegrass, old-time, Americana, jazz, French classic, and swing. Expect stellar performances from: *** The Shazzbots (family/kids music). For 10 years, the Shazzbots have spread their folk rockin’ tunes to children and the young at heart. They’ve created 3 full-length albums, a triple Emmy-winning TV show, and thousands of wholesome, entertaining, and educational concerts. *** RJ Cowdery (singer/songwriter). Fans say it’s uncanny how RJ’s original sensitive songs seem to take a peek directly into their own lives. She’s appeared on NPR’s Mountain Stage. Her song writing has won the Kerrville New Folk Contest, the Mountain Stage New Song Contest, the Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Contest, and others. *** The Wayfarers (old-time mountain music). With thumping washtub bass, driving guitars, sawing fiddles, and rich vocal harmonies, the Wayfarers serve up a steaming plate of nostalgic Americana. They’ve released 4 albums, been featured on the national PBS-TV series “Song of the Mountains,” and shared the stage with big names in bluegrass and country music – Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, and others. *** The Relentless Mules (bluegrass). This high-energy Columbus-based band has spent the last decade pounding out such infectious tunes that fans can’t help but tap their feet, and, in some cases, get up and dance. Outstanding instrumentalists with tight vocal harmonies that can’t be beat. *** Daniel Dye & The Miller Road Band (Americana). Buckeye Music Magazine dubbed Daniel Dye an “extraordinary singer-songwriter.” But with this act, you get so much more. That’s because Daniel leads a band of classically trained siblings and cousins who add viola, cello, melodica, mandolin, and vocal harmonies that are heart-warming and soulful. *** Whinestopper (folk, Americana, & swing). With a blend of guitars, bass, accordion, and 4-part vocal harmonies, this Columbus band’s music spans the decades. For example, their repertoire includes “All of Me,” from the 1930s, “Jambalaya” from the 1950s, “Circle Game” from the 1960s, and “Hallelujah” from the 1980s. *** Starlit Ways aka Chris and Rose (folk, jazz & pop). This acoustic duo features Rose from West Africa and Chris from Columbus, so their concerts have an international flair. They perform an eclectic range of music from originals to jazz-age classics (some in French) to modern tunes. Multiple interactive music workshops will also be staged, giving young and old alike the chance to learn to play folk instruments. Among the topics: beginning ukulele, basic guitar fingerpicking, advanced guitar, old-time fiddle, bluegrass banjo, and more. Also featured in a Kids’ Zoom Room will be special interactive concerts for children, led by veteran musicians Joanie Calem, Barry Weaver, and Roger Parish. In between those performances will be arts and crafts sessions. Kids will be shown how to make and decorate drums out of common household items like empty shoe boxes or pizza boxes and how to make rhythm shakers from plastic bottles and dry cereal. The website broadcasting the festival will be available via ticket access only. On Eventbrite, you will need to pre-purchase a $15 individual ticket or a $25 ticket that will cover the whole family. With a family ticket, you can log into the festival with as many devices as your household has, so, for example, children can experience the children’s activities on one device, while adults can participate in a workshop on another device. Each ticket gives access to ALL festival events on that day, including the evening Headliner concert. Tickets available at:. For more info, visit: This is the 24th annual festival produced by the Columbus Folk Music Society. It is co-sponsored by WCBE 90.5 radio.