Indie Folk House Concert
Northwest Folklife was proud to welcome artists to the Festival for the first time this year in the form of a "house concert" held in the intimate Center House Theatre on Saturday afternoon. An expectant crowd packed into the seats to bathe in Ora Cogan's haunted blues and jazz-based songs, June Madrona's intensely beautiful acoustic folk, impressionistic songwriting from Luminous Craft, and the organic luminesence of Polka Dot Dot Dot.

These emerging artists won over the audience with their warmth and musical talent, and insured that progressive folk music is in good hands in the Northwest.

A Taste of Bluegrass
The Saturday Bluegrass Show is a Folklife tradition. For the past few years Northwest bluegrass afficienados have packed the Bagley Wright Theatre on Saturday afternoon to catch a glimpse of the hottest acts in the region.

There was no reason for disappointment this year, as the hard-driving sounds of five of the Northwest's hottest picking crews filled the air. These live sets are hot!

Thanks to Trisha Tubbs for once again coordinating a fine show!

Latin American All-Stars
Our Saturday evening concert in the Charlotte Martin Theatre featured outstanding Latin American artists playing music from across North and South America and the Caribbean. The young players in Mariachi Huenachi started things off with a songs from Mexico. Sin Fronteras followed with pan-South American folk influenced by the nuevo canciòn movement. Indigenous Andean music was next, from the group Quichua Mashis, often found busking in Seattle's Pike Place Market. The concert ended with Correo Aereo's eclectic mix of Latin fiddle and dance traditions.

Folk Punk Attack!!
The Northwest is home to a network of vibrant and tight-knit communities whose members are actively reinterpreting folk music within the aesthetic of punk rock. Four bands joined forces on the Fountain Lawn to represent this revolution on stage. blackbird raum is a larger than life jug band whose folk-punk anthems are irresistible. Chervona reshapes gypsy jazz into raw funky energy. Rum Rebellion are rowdy pirates from Portland. Sid & Fancy are the rawkinest bluegrass band you'll ever hear.

Vera Stage
The Vera Project and Northwest Folklife have a lot in common. Both are nonprofit arts organization committed to creating space in Seattle for arts communities to connect with each other and flourish. Vera is a space that enables Folklife to experiment with innovative, boundary-crossing programs. Saturday's groups, for instance, touched every corner of the musical spectrum, from old-time and maritime-flavoured punk from The Pasties and The Wages of Sin to Ensemble Sub Masa's Eastern European jamming and Baay Bia's West African hip hop. Bark Hide & Horn, from Portland, finished up the evening with a set of songs about 1950s National Geographic articles. Truly a Northwest Folklife highlight to be remembered.

A big thanks to Hollow Earth Radio, an independent internet radio station in Seattle who broadcast live from the Vera Project during the Folklife Festival.

Fisher Green
Sunny skies, hot weather and green grass enticed audiences to the Fisher Green Stage on Saturday where they enjoyed a line-up of great international artists. The open spirit of Folklife came through in the music of The Old Bay Warblers and Williams & Bray, playing country and bluegrass music. Bagpipe virtuoso Jori Chrisholm astonished the crowd, and the Grammy-winning Tingstad & Rumbel played a soothing set. Haugaard and Hoirup were back this year from Denmark, bringing with them a remarkable repertoire of Danish dance tunes.

Bluegrass Bonanza!
As if three hours of bluegrass wasn't enough, we put together a second showcase of hot Northwest bands this eveningin the Rainier Room. Loose Digits worked a double shift, filling in for a missing band. They were joined by bluegrass swing giants Ida Viper and the unstoppable Captain Gravel.