a blog about music, visual arts, entertainment and everything in between
by tamara hilmes, intern

Champlain Valley Folk Festival

Rain, rain, go away, the sun'll come out tomorrow, don't you rain on my parade...is anyone else getting sick of this weather? After spending last week at home in the Midwest (some of you may have noticed my brief hiatus from the blogosphere), "where the sky is not cloudy all day," I have to say, it's quite depressing to return to the extremely cloudy and rainy state that Vermont has become. Despite the gloomy scene framed in my window, I refuse to let this influx of gray put a damper on my summer activities. And I'm not the only one--the folks over at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival taking place at Kingsland Bay State Park this weekend aren't throwing in the towel just yet. The three-day music festival begins this afternoon, Friday, July 31, and continues through Sunday. With over 127 separate events including musical acts, contra dances, workshops and sessions, so much planning has gone into this festival that a raincheck is simply not an option.

Vermont has always harbored a strong folk music tradition, and this weekend Addison County will celebrate this melodically symbiotic relationship with three days devoted to fiddlers, accordion players, banjos pluckers and more. But with 127 different events to choose from, how will you ever decide which ones are worth your while? Though you will likely not be disappointed regardless of which you choose to attend, this Addison Independent intern has decided to create a guide to ease your decision-making process, a little something we like to call

BEST BETS

from the Champlain Valley Folk Festival

Rather than merely posting the overly complex and stress-evoking grid-like schedule found on the Festival web site, check out the calendar below for times and locations of all festival events, listed by day. And for the really faint of heart, just take a peek at the following suggestions for how to make the most of this fabulously folksy festival:

Friday, July 31

CROWFOOT

This Boston-based trio blends three strains of traditional folk music into one melodic mix of Grand Isles meets Quebec with sounds straight from the Appalacian trail. Along with weaving together a number of influences, the band also threads a wide array of instruments through their music. From ba njo, to cittern, to flute, accordion, banjo, piano, cello and fiddle, these three seem to do it all.

Check out their myspace here.

Saturday, August 1

APPALACHIAN CLOGGING

with Paula Bradley

5:00-5:30 p.m., Lakefront

Sunday, August 2

FELLOWS WITH BELLOWS

12:00-12:45, Champlain

Robert Resnik, host of "All the Traditions" on Vermont Public Radio, sho ws off hi s accordion skills along with N. Williams and D. Barthiaume. If you thought you were great at multitasking, just wait until you see these guys pushing buttons, playing keys, creating separate rythyms with both hands, all while moving the bellows in and out.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS