Photos by Tim Dwenger
Ah, the sweet memory of August days spent by a babbling river in Lyons Colorado. I’ve now been to nine Folks Festivals at Planet Bluegrass Ranch and it has become a tradition in my family. While it used to be my wife and I and maybe one or two other friends making the short trek from Denver up to Lyons for a weekend of amazing music and incredible scenery, it’s now become an adventure with our two year old daughter that many of our friends have caught on to. People drive up from Denver for the weekend, or just to join us for a day, and even fly in from out of state just for this event. In many ways it’s the highlight of the summer and this year’s festival again demonstrated why this festival has worked it’s way into the hearts and minds of so many.
Friday August 14th
The festival kicked off on Friday with a the traditional songwriter contest which featured several up and coming performers each playing a couple of songs on the main stage to warm up the crowd and the sound system. After all was said and done, Pittsburgh’s Ben Shannon came away with the honors and will be playing a main stage set at the 2016 Folks Festival.
Following the parade of songwriters, Lyons own Taarka took the stage and really got things going with their heavily Bluegrass influenced set that even featured a fiddle tune. The husband and wife team of David and Enion Pelta-Tiller are at the core of this project and, being Lyons residents themselves, they shared their experience of the 2013 floods when they sadly lost their home. Fortunately, the pair seem to have bounced back and their set at the reclaimed Planet Bluegrass Ranch was case-and-point that Taarka is here to stay.
After a great set from Mary Gauthier that featured two brilliant songs that she had written with soldiers as part of a Songwriting with Soldiers program that Darden Smith started “to use the art of songwriting in the service of our brothers and sisters in arms,” Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul & Mary fame, took the stage. While Yarrow did wax a bit preachy from time-to-time during his set, he served up several of his former trio’s biggest hits including Pete Seeger’s “If I Had A Hammer,” John Denver’s “Jet Plane” and the timeless classic “Puff The Magic Dragon” (which he assured the crowd “is not about pot.”) Before he launched into “Puff” he invited all the kids at the festival to join him on stage and about 50 kids (and a few parents) made the trek to the stage to participate in a grand sing-along with the legend himself. Yarrow closed his set with Bob Dylan’s “Blowing In The Wind” and got the entire crowd to stand, put their arms around each other, and sing right along with him.
As we had to get home to get my daughter to bed, my day ended with the moving poetry of Shane Koyczan & The Short Story Long. Turns out it was a timely moment to leave as the heavens opened up at the end of Koyczan’s set and the epic downpour delayed the rest of the evening by an hour or so. Fortunately Saturday dawned bright and dry . . . and HOT!
Saturday August 15th
Saturday’s festivities opened with a great set from the 2014 Songwriter’s Contest winner, Connor Garvey. Garvey, who’s red hair was like a beacon from the stage, seemed perfectly at home on the big stage as he delivered some stellar songs including “Tattered Shirt,” “The Bird,” and “All These Things” before he yeilded the stage to Session Americana. This rootsy collective blended elements of Folk, Country and Americana to create a beautiful sound that I largely enjoyed from the river next to the stage. It was a great way to enjoy the early afternoon on a baking hot Saturday.
Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell’s Pine Hill Project had some great moments on their original tunes, but when they tackled favorites like U2’s “Sweetest Thing” and the traditional “I Know You Rider,” there was something missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but personally I wish they had stuck to their own material, or maybe lesser known covers that weren’t already so ingrained in popular culture.
The afternoon really got going when Nicki Bluhm and The Grambers took the stage and delivered a monster set of soul-soaked Rock ‘n Roll that got the crowd on their feet and dancing to songs like “Mr. Saturday Night” and a blistering cover of “Somebody To Love.” While Bluhm proved to be in fine voice all afternoon, her take on the Jefferson Airplane classic got everyone’s attention as she seemed to channel Grace Slick. It was pretty amazing and it’s no wonder this band has taken off in the last year or two.
Martin Sexton was one of the first performers I saw at Folks Fest back in 2006 and he hasn’t changed too much. His electrifying one man show was full of energy and great songwriting as he mined the depths of his catalog for gems like “Happy,” “Hallelujah” and even a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” Midway through his set we got a little bit of rain and Sexton worked the accompanying thunder into his show by referencing it several times before the thunder was trumped by a huge rainbow that appeared opposite the stage. It was a magical moment and Sexton’s loose and flowing nature proved the perfect soundtrack to this amazing display of natural beauty.
After a mellow, but inspired set from Shawn Colvin and Mary Chapin Carpenter, the moment I had been waiting all summer for arrived when Jason Isbell took the stage for a headlining set that will go down in the books as one of the best the ranch has ever seen. Backed by his band, The 400 Unit, Isbell tore through a set of material that pulled from all his solo albums as well as his work with Drive-By Truckers. During songs like “If It Takes A Life Time,” “Speed Trap Town,” and “Dress Blues” his brilliant lyrics were at the forefront as the music flirted with Country while “Something More Than Free,” and a brilliant, stipped down version of “Cover Me Up,” showcased the reason Isbell was on the Folks Fest bill. After he encored with the rocker “Super 8” it struck me that his was one of those sets that future headliners will have their work cut out to live up to.
Sunday August 16th
Sunday morning arrived and with it that bittersweet feeling that after this day we are all going to have wait a whole year until the next time we get time we get to relax on the ranch with some of the world’s best Folk music as our soundtrack. The day got started with an eclectic set celebrating the first 25 years of the Folks Festival. There were memories shared and sing-alongs had as performers came and went from the stage. Highlights included “Cajun Moon” in tribute to JJ Cale, and a great version of “Motherless Children” that brought the Blues to Folks Fest.
As morning gave way to afternoon, Heather Maloney took the stage and she elicited a nice chuckle from me when she said “my band calls this portion of the show when I perform solo ‘Heather Aloney'” playing on a rhyme with her last name. Though I spent much of her set in the kids tent with my two year old, I did catch a great version of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” and couldn’t help but think that when the snow flies this winter I’ll be thinking about Lyons and singing “We’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.”
What followed Maloney’s set was one of the biggest surprises of the weekend when The Family Crest exploded onto the scene. Described as an “Orchestral Indie-Rock band” these guys blew the day wide open with an incredible performance that challenged many in attendance while delighting many others. Frontman Liam McCormick poured his heart and soul into the music as a flute, a trombone, a cello, and a violin added brilliant texture to the heavily layered sound. I’d happily go see these guys again anytime. What a treat!
While following The Family Crest was a challenge, The Waifs were up for it and the longtime Folks Fest favorites stepped up and played a great set full of old favorites like “London Still” and “Lighthouse” as well as a smattering of songs from their new record Beautiful You. Sister Donna and Vikki were accompanied, as usual, by Josh Cunningham (and his burly beard) and made many shout outs to the Folks Fest faithful during their 75 minute set. The Waifs first appeared at The Ranch in 2002 and their exuberance at being back for their 4th appearance is a testament to the amazing operation that Planet Bluegrass runs.
My festival ended with a brief foray into the music of The Wood Brothers. While I didn’t get to stay for the whole set due to a tired 2 year old, I was impressed by the Americana-Bluegrass flavor created by the brothers Wood. I’m familiar with Chris’s work in Medeski Martin & Wood and it was great to see him breaking out of that mold a little bit. I’m interested to see them in Denver this winter when they open for The Infamous Stringdusters at The Fillmore.
It’s barely 10 days ago, but I’m already chomping at the bit for another Folks Fest. Who will be on the line-up next year? What amazing new acts will I discover? And who, if anyone, will top Jason Isbell’s headlining set on Saturday night. We’ll just have to wait and see.
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