Where else but the annual Northwest Folklife Festival can you see over a thousand performances representing 100 countries on 17 stages? You can round out your day at the Seattle Center event with arts and crafts, handmade instruments, cuisine, street performers, dance, educational programs, the instrument auction and more! To find out all the NW Folklife Fesival offers go to www.nwfolklife.org/
Read the Blueslamp's 2005 Folklife Blues article
FRIDAY, MAY 28
You can listen to Panther Creek's old country, blues and folk at 3pm on Fisher Green.
KC Kelly opens up the Special Solo Blues Show at Henry Weinhard's Northwest Court at 6:20pm. Stay right there because more solo blues artists follow KC to the stage. Bellingham's Laurette Langille (soulful blues and jazz) at 7pm, PK Dwyer (acoustic jump blues from the Seattle busker and founder of The Jitters and the Throbbing Gems) at 7:40pm, Brian Butler (Seattle blues songwriter and instructor at the Puget Sound Guitar workshop) at 8:20pm and TJ Read (blues singer) at 9pm makes for a full evening of acoustic blues.
You've got a couple of other Friday choices of note including Skagit's Reverand Chumleigh's rare 20's, 30's Reel Music Soundies from 9-10pm at Fisher Green. Or how does 6 women playing Cajun and Zydeco sound? Go listen to Les Femmes D'Enfer perform in Fisher Pavilion at 9pm.
SATURDAY MAY 29
The blues at Folklife kicks off again at 11:40am on Saturday. You've got 3 choices, all at the same time so get used to it, it's Folklife! Spokane's Kathy Colton delivers original folk blues on the Exhibition Hall Lawn stage, New Hamphires Acoustic Mayhem complete with blues harp and harmonies perform on the Fountain Lawn, and Reggie Garrett and Gary Westcott deliver eclectic folk and blues in the Rainier Room.
Feel like Dancing the Blues? Then be at the Exhibition Hall from 2:30-6pm to experience these great blues groups and dance! Berjurin Cassady and Monica Magee give a beginning blues one step lesson at 2:30pm. Now you're all set to boogie to Hettel Street Blues at 3pm, The Blues Orbiters energetic traditional blues at 4pm, Seattle Swing Club at 5pm and that fab keyboard boogie-woogie man Eric Two Scoops Moore playing his originals at 5pm.
Baby Gramps, the original folk blues and jazz guru of Seattle and beyond, performs on Fisher Green at 4:20pm. He's one part Popeye, one part blues and jazzman and one part witty trickster. Always entertaining, this performance is highly recommended!
Seattle folk songwriter Jim Page leads a panel on Busking as a contemporary traditional art from 4-5pm in the Nesholm Family Lecture Hall. (Okay, okay, it's not actually blues but it's certainly going to be of philosophical interest to busking blues musicians!)
EMP's Liquid Lounge has The Phantoms of Soul (Jack Cook's down home blues obscurities you won't want to miss) from 6:20-6:50pm followed by the original acoustic blues of Eric Madis at 7pm.
Henry Weinhard's Northwest Court becomes Mardi Gras when the Northwest's File Gumbo performs their unique blend of Louisiana styles at 9pm. Or how about some Cajun dance music at Fisher Pavillion at 9pm from Agin' Cajuns?
SUNDAY MAY 30
Begin your blue Sunday experience at 11am on the Broad Street Lawn with the Sammamish Sublimation, a ragtime, circus and novelty band or in the Rainier Room with Plaehn & Hino's combination of blues harp and steel guitar.
Port Townsend Country Blues Workshop instructor Mick Knight performs his ragtime blues guitar at 3:40pm on the Exhibition Hall Lawn stage.
The Liquid Lounge at the EMP has Laddie Ray Melvin (singer/songwriter, folk, blues and country) at 5pm and The Deb Seymour Trio (demented wit, haunting blues) at 6:30pm.
In the mood for some Louisiana Dancing? The Exhibition Hall has a great line-up beginning with Mary Lee Lykes Cajun two-step lesson at 7:15pm so you'll be ready to move to Cayenne at 7:45pm, Bayou Cadillac at 8:45pm, a zydeco lesson with Mary Lee Lykes at 9:30pm and finally Seattle's Captain Leroy and the Zydeco Locals at 10pm.
Lilith Fair artist Melissa Reaves delivers her new dimension in acoustic blues on Fisher Green at 8:20pm followed by Reverand Chumleigh's rare 20's and 30's music soundies from 9 to 10pm.
MONDAY MAY 31
Tim Casey and the Bluescats are at the Exhibition hall at 2:30pm so you can swing dance to their rocking, swinging jump blues. You just can't hear these guys without wanting to dance!
Slide Guitar fans will want to be at the Bagley Wright Theatre from 3-6pm for a special educational and inspiring line-up that includes Barb Wire with Kinny Alvers at 3pm, Dr. Slide with Eric Madis on the Musical History of the Hawaiian Steel Guitar at 3:45pm, Dan Tyack and Orville Johnson (of File' Gumbo) at 4:30pm and finishing with Nick Vigarino's lightening slide at 5:15pm.
Tap your toes to some Cajun fiddle dance music at Fisher Pavilion with Joie de Acadien at 6pm.
The Sister Guitar Band keeps it all contemporary with their blues/rock and world beat show on the Fountain Lawn at 7:30pm.
Keep your eyes and ears open all weekend at the Northwest Folklife Festival, all the cool music isn't happening on stage. Tip the street musicians and drink in the atmosphere, Seattle Center is never quite as fun as it is on Memorial weekend!
