Legends and folk lore

While the nationally celebrated festival has always featured an
eclectic blend of renowned and up-and-coming artists, this
year’s concerts are particularly exciting. The billing of
roots superstars Difranco and Harris, with other notable performers
such as new-folkster Martin Sexton and bluegrass icon Ralph
Stanley, ensures that each night’s festivities will please
any fan of acoustic music.

When literary alternative-folkster Difranco takes the stage
Friday night, she will be performing alone, offering Ann Arbor
audiences a different perspective on her music than the full-band
performance she gave at Hill in March 2002. Difranco’s
current solo tour is in support of her latest record Educated
Guess, a sparse and ambitious album released on her own
Righteous Babe records two weeks ago. While Difranco is known for
her ability to connect with her audience while onstage as
bandleader, this solo performance will give her legions of faithful
fans an opportunity to enjoy a larger dose of her personality and
furious guitar work.

Playing immediately before Ani Difranco tomorrow night is Martin
Sexton, a folky yet soulful troubadour whose live performances and
records have earned him the adoration of critics and fans alike.
Freewheeling and delightfully dynamic, Sexton has performed at
colleges, clubs and theaters throughout the country since leaving
his native Boston in 1991. His double-live album, Live Wide
Open, gives the listener a good idea of his bluesy voice and
inventive songwriting in the live setting.

Headlining the festival Saturday night is Emmylou Harris with
Spyboy, the latest band to support arguably one of the most
influential female artists in American music history. After getting
her start in 1971 with Gram Parsons, Harris has gone on to release
album after album of elegantly rustic country and folk-rock. Fresh
from supporting Dave Matthews and Friends this winter and Neil
Young this past fall, Harris is performing this weekend in support
of her latest record, Stumble Into Grace, which finds her
experimenting with indie pop and world music.

Also performing on Saturday night is 76-year-old Ralph Stanley,
one of bluegrass’ most important artists. He’s released
dozens of records since practically inventing the bluegrass genre
with a handful of other pickers like Bill Monroe, and his music was
recently introduced to new audiences through its inclusion on the
soundtrack for the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” No
doubt near the end of a legendary career, fans of Americana
won’t want to miss his performance this weekend.

The only act performing both nights is the Old Crow Medicine
Show, a band steeped in the legacy of Ralph Stanley and Appalachian
string music. While their basic sound is most often associated with
the first half of the 20th century, the Medicine Show brings a
decidedly updated and hip twist to their jug band, old blues and
fiddle tunes. Working for the label that launched the U.S. career
of adult contemporary stars Coldplay, the Old Crow Medicine
Show’s recent recordings are more reminiscent of the Grateful
Dead’s country rock numbers. This body of work and their
reputation for boisterous live shows earned them a spot performing
at the celebrated Bonnaroo festival and opening for bluegrass band
of-the-moment the Del McCoury Band.

While the music at this year’s festival is reason enough
to attend, an opportunity to support the Ark and to take a look and
listen at the newly renovated Hill Auditorium is itself worth the
price of admission. Restored to look like it did upon opening in
1913, Hill Auditorium is sparkling after an almost two-year, $38
million overhaul. With a new state-of-the-art sound system,
improved sight lines and a gorgeous new paint job, the grandest
musical venue in the Midwest is the perfect space to host the Folk
Festival.

For more information on this weekend’s festival, including
complete performer schedules, visit
“http://www.a2ark.org/folkfest2004.html”>www.a2ark.org/folkfest2004.html