Still Want to Become a Vendor at the 2012 Ferdinand Folk Festival?

Well, you’re in luck.  We’re extending the deadline to Monday, July 23.  Those of you that submitted early (and were accepted) should have been notified already (and you can check our vendor pages to make certain your information is accurate).  We thank you for being prompt.

Those of you that have an interest and are planning on being a vendor at the 2012 Fest, I urge you to get your application in as soon as possible.  When our vendor/market area fills up, we cannot nor will not accept any additional applications.  So, sooner the better!

The vendor application can be found by scrolling over the “Vendor” button at the top of this page of by clicking here.

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Chicago Singer-Songwriter Musikanto to Perform at Ferdinand’s American Legion on Friday, May 11

Mike Musikanto will perform at 8 p.m. at the Ferdinand American Legion. Local favorite, Beau Troesch will open the show at 7 p.m.

Chicago-based folk troubadour Mike Musikanto will perform on Friday, May 11, in the backroom of Ferdinand’s American Legion at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be picked up at the Ferdinand Town Hall or the Ferdinand American Legion. Tickets may also be reserved by contacting Marc Steczyk at 812-367-2282 or msteczyk@ferdinandindiana.org. All net proceeds will benefit the third annual Ferdinand Folk Festival.

Local favorite, Beau Troesch will open the show at 7 p.m.  All times are eastern standard.

Having toured with the likes of James McMurtry, Jesse Malin, AA Bondy, Mason Jennings, Dan Bern,The Handsome Family, Cory Chisel, The Gourds, Jason Isbell,Chuck Prophet, The Gear Daddies, Band Of Heathens, Pieta Brown, and Alejandro Escovedo, MUSIKANTO walks the line between Indie-Blues and Urban Americana, while borrowing elements of Experimental Folk and Broken-down Orchestral music. Growing up listening to his father’s obscure folk & roots records he was taught music through the likes of Fraser and Debolt and Jerry Hahn. With heartbreaking ballads and melodic melodrama, Musikanto’s songs have the grind of a Chicago winter and the soul of a Midwestern bonfire and it’s as sincere as it gets.

With an honest comparison, Musikanto carries the lyrical weight of folks like Leonard Cohen and the back road sense of Leon Russell with the driving tone of Ray Lamontagne or Amos Lee. His narratives reach the core of the human spirit like an outsider who has witnessed something very real.

After years of touring and writing, Musikanto set out to make his best record to date. Making countless drives from Chicago across the Illinois/Wisconsin border during the hours when most people were sleeping or just waking, he recorded in a house in Mequon, WI. These late night and early morning drives helped the songs evolved and become personal and unchangeable. Finding solitude on the drives Musikanto recalls a peaceful and perfect canvas for completing lyrics and piecing together the final arrangements he was hearing in his head as he drove.

Every song on the new record has its own intrinsic ambiance. The vocals are telling a story that really happened, honest and at times seem to be on the verge of collapse. The record is personal and true to life. The new record, “Sky of Dresses” by Musikanto earned positive reviews from the likes of NPR and Paste Magazine for its soulful reflection on traditional Americana—a style the singer-songwriter adopted after studying painting at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

For additional information about Musikanto, including music samples, please visit www.musikantomusic.com.

ANY MEDIA/INTERVIEW REQUESTS CAN BE ADDRESSED TO: Sunny Day Entertainment, Elliot Fox, Elliotfox@sunnydayentertainment.com.

“There’s an influx of bands struggling to imprint themselves on the modern folk movement. Chicago’s Mike Musikanto has figured out the key—sincerity.” Paste Magazine

“As with Musikanto’s debut album, the songs in Sky of Dresses rely heavily on the same elements – strummed acoustic guitar, piano, and Musikanto’s worn and soulful croon. But each song narrates a different story and maintains its own, distinct character. Take for instance, the “oh, my my” nonchalance of “Awful Mind” or the simplicity and sincerity of “Blues for Momma.” The result is an 11-song album that plays like a compilation of short stories about love and loss.” The Chicagoist

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Folk Festival Fundraiser: “WILL READ FOR FOOD” players WILL READ (and sing) FOR FOLK

As one of the many things going on in Town surrounding the Herb & Garden Days weekend, Herald humor columnist Scott Saalman and local musicians “Will Read (and sing) For Food” at The Ferdinand American Legion on Friday, April 20, 7-9 p.m., to raise funds for this fall’s third annual Ferdinand Folk Festival.

The Will Read For Folk (WRFF) players for this show include Kris Lasher, Ed Walston, Paul Michael Ash, and Angie Mayfield.

Saalman, a Jasper resident, will read a few humor essays that span his 20-plus-year writing career, accompanied by the musicians.

“We decided to shake things up a bit for Will Read For Folk. There will be more music than a typical show,” says Saalman, in reference to the Community Food Bank fundraisers for which the show usually performs.

Since October, WRFF has raised $1,775 for the food bank, thanks to the generosity of their audiences.

“There will be some extra solo music from Paul and Kris. Plus, Ed’s band, Timepeace, will play some tunes,” says Saalman, adding, “Angie will read a humor essay or two from her new book, ‘Love, Loss and Lunacy in a Small Town.’ Her stuff is hilarious one moment, heartbreaking the next. She’s the best writer around. One of her pieces about John Denver will include our musicians. You are in for a treat.”

“We are very appreciate of the Will Read For Folk players and this benefit,” said Ferdinand Town Manager Marc Steczyk. “This is a great opportunity to tie multiple pieces of culture and art together to promote the Folk Festival.”

Saalman’s essays appear in the Herald and can be heard on The Trend talk show that airs on Evansville’s public radio station WNIN (88.3). Mayfield’s work can be found in Boomer magazine. Her new book is available at Amazon. She will also sell and sign books at the show.

Admission for the show is a suggested $10 donation which will go to help support the Ferdinand Folk Festival, which continues to be free to the public. For additional information about the Ferdinand Folk Festival, please visit http://www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com/. Town of Ferdinand information can be found at http://www.ferdinandindiana.org/.

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Want to be a vendor at the third annual Ferdinand Folk Festival?

Well, we’re ready for you!! We just updated our vendor information for 2012…there are some massive changes over last year so, please, give the page a thorough review. You can find the updated information and a link to a downloadable PDF application by scrolling over “Vendors” in the header of this page, then click on “2012 Vendor Application”. OR, you could simply click HERE.

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2012 Festival Main Stage Performer Adam Hood up for Multiple Lone Star Music Awards

Adam Hood, who will return to Ferdinand to play the main stage with his band this September, has been nominated in multiple categories for the Lone Star Music Awards.  His nominations include:  Album of the Year, Best Singer-Songwriter/Folk Album, Song of the Year, Best Male Vocal, and Songwriter of the Year.  He’s going up against some pretty strong competition in the likes of Lucinda Williams, Will Hoge, Hayes Carll, and Robert Earl Keen.

Let’s show him our support, vote now (and often) by clicking HERE.  The votes close on February 29.

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Green Room Rockers to Return to the Area for Ferdinand Folk Festival Fundraiser

Forest Park graduate Perry Clark is the band’s drummer

2011 Ferdinand Folk Festival main stage musicians the Green Room Rockers will perform at the Gaslight on Huntingburg’s historic Fourth Street on Saturday, February 25, at 8:30 p.m. Former Forest Park student, Perry Clark, is the band’s drummer.

Their memorable performance at the 2011 Folk Festival was a crowd favorite. The GRR’s music is self-described as being “…soul sonic, blues drenched sounds of reggae and ska”.

The third annual Ferdinand Folk Festival will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2012, in Ferdinand’s beautiful 18th Street Park. The Folk Festival committee recently announced the 2012 music lineup, highlighted by former Men at Work frontman Collin Hay.

“Fundraisers like these are the primary reason that we’ve been able to increase the money that we budget for Main Stage musicians with each passing year,” said Marc Steczyk, Ferdinand Town Manager. “We are very grateful to the Gaslight for opening their doors for a Ferdinand Folk Festival event.”

Normally, Ferdinand Folk Festival fundraiser events are held at Ferdinand’s American Legion, but, due to a scheduling conflict and an unmovable date on the Green Room Rockers behalf, this event will be held at the Gaslight.

All net proceeds from the performance will benefit the 2012 Ferdinand Folk Festival. An opening band, Dirty Rotten Sunshine, will begin at 7:15 p.m. All times are eastern standard.

Seating is limited to 150. Tickets are only $10 and can be purchased at the Ferdinand Town Hall (2065 Main Street, Ferdinand), the Gaslight (328 East 4th Street, Huntingburg), Hometown Music (308 East 4th Street, Huntingburg), and Birdland Music (416 Jackson Street, Jasper).

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Colin Hay to Headline Third Annual Ferdinand Folk Festival

At a fundraising event for the third annual Ferdinand Folk Festival (September 15, 2012) this past weekend, fest organizers announced the lineup of musicians for the 2012 event.

  • ·         Colin Hay, www.colinhay.com:  Perhaps most well-known for his multi-platinum career with the band Men at Work and for their mega-hits “Land Down Under”, “Who Can It Be Now”, and “Overkill”, the Scottish-born and Australian-raised Colin Hay has worked incredibly hard since the late 1980s to forge a strong solo career.  Eleven solo albums later (and several famous stops on the hit television show “Scrubs”) and what he describes as “hand-to-hand combat” to build a new audience, Hay will headline the third annual Ferdinand Folk Festival.  A photo of Mr. Hay can be found at the bottom of this message.

 

  • ·         Adam Hood, www.adamhood.com:  Adam Hood, who performed at the Folk Festival’s announcement party on January 28, will be bringing his full band back to Ferdinand to be a part of the Folk Festival.  Hailing from Opelika, Alabama, Hood’s songs have been recorded by the likes of Lee Ann Womack and the Eli Young Band.  He has toured with country music sensation Miranda Lambert and both of his full-length albums have been produced by Grammy-winning and multi-platinum producer Pete Anderson (of Dwight Yoakam fame).

 

  • ·         Daddy (Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack), www.willkimbrough.com, www.tommywomack.com:  A self-described musical experience layered in juke-joint blues, swampy-groove country, a lot of rock-n-roll, with a couple of stops in gospel and beat-poet territory, Daddy, a duo comprised of Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack, will make their way to Ferdinand via Nashville.  This is a return engagement for Mr. Kimbrough, who was one of the first Folk Festival’s main stage performers in 2010.

 

  • ·         Vandaveer, www.vandaveer.net:  Born in Ohio, raised in Kentucky, and currently camped out in the nation’s capital, Vandaveer offers up melodic Americana that is both haunting and easy, forlorn and welcoming, with stories as universal as the songs they inhabit. Vandaveer shapeshifts from studio to stage and back with a revolving cast of characters (aside from main stay Mark Charles Heidinger), most prominent among them Rose Guerin.

 

  • ·         Andrea Wirth, www.facebook.com/andrea.wirth:  Evansville’s Andrea Wirth played two fifteen minute sets on the Market Stage last year.  During that time, she managed to sell more merchandise than all of the other Market Stage artists combined.  She is an amazing presence with an amazing voice and a very dedicated following in the Evansville region.

 

  • ·         Beau Troesch:  The lone truly local performer, Ferdinand’s Beau Troesch’s performance is a return engagement, as he kicked off the first Ferdinand Folk Festival in 2010.

“We are tremendously proud of this lineup,” said Ferdinand Town Manager Marc Steczyk.  “It is the support of our community through fundraisers, sponsorship opportunities, and volunteerism that has enabled us to afford such a rich and diverse lineup.  It’s, certainly, not every year that we’ll be able to market a headliner that has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide and has graced the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.”

For any and all information about the Ferdinand Folk Festival, please visit www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com.  For additional information about the Town of Ferdinand, please visit www.ferdinandindiana.org.

About the Ferdinand Folk Festival:  Nestled among the hills and fields of southwestern Indiana, the Ferdinand Folk Festival is an earth-friendly and family-friendly event promoting music, the arts, and the environment. This free festival, located in Ferdinand’s 18th Street Park, will feature nationally-acclaimed musicians as well as exceptional local and regional acts. Patrons will experience a rich variety of acoustic music on the stage. In nearby booths, local artists and artisans will display and sell their work, area gardeners and farmers will sell fresh produce, and groups dedicated to creating vibrant communities and a sustainable environment will provide education on a variety of topics. Fun activities for children will also be available in the park.

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Carnival Records Artist Adam Hood to Perform at Ferdinand Folk Festival Concert Lineup Announcement Party and Fundraiser

Hood has toured with Miranda Lambert and had songs recorded by Lee Ann Womack and the Eli Young Band.

The Ferdinand Folk Festival organizers will hold the 2012 lineup announcement party and fundraiser on Saturday, January 28, 2012, at Foxy Hollow (7630 South 600 East, Ferdinand, IN 47532) beginning at 8 p.m. (EST).  The featured performer for the evening will be Carnival Recording artist Adam Hood and tickets are $12.  Foxy Hollow is an intimate venue and seating will be limited.  Seats can be reserved by contacting Marc Steczyk at 812-367-2282 or by email at msteczyk@ferdinandindiana.org.

“We had a very enjoyable and successful announcement party last year when Jason Wilber performed for us,” said Steczyk.  “Adam Hood is an incredibly talented songwriter, musician, and singer.  We’re really looking forward to his performance AND getting to announce the rest of the September 15, 2012, Main Stage Folk Festival lineup.  This is always an exciting time for us.

“We’ve held a similar event at Foxy Hollow before (a Tri-County YMCA fundraiser) with very much success.  Seats are very limited, however, so I encourage you to contact us as soon as you can to make sure you can get a seat,” Steczyk said.

Hailing from Opelika, Alabama, Hood’s songs have been recorded by the likes of Lee Ann Womack and the Eli Young Band.  He is a frequent touring partner of country music sensation Miranda Lambert’s and both of his full length albums have been produced by Grammy-winning and multi-platinum producer Pete Anderson (of Dwight Yoakam fame).

With an Americana, folk, and alt-country sound completely his own, Hood will have another performer with him for rhythm guitar and background vocals.  For more information about Adam Hood and to listen to audio and video clips, visit www.adamhood.com.

The third annual Ferdinand Folk Festival will take place on Saturday, September 15, 2012, in Ferdinand’s beautiful 18th Street Park.  Visit www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com for additional festival information.  Also, for additional information about Ferdinand, Indiana, please visit www.ferdinandindiana.org.

Below is the promo video that we’ve created specifically for this event.  Also, click HERE for youtube clips of Adam.

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Our hourglass is winding down…

It’s almost festival time!  We hope that you all are as excited as we are.  The Town employees have done another amazing job this year at getting the park prepped and ready to go.  We’re almost there!

Don’t forget to check our schedule and our list of activities and things to do over the course of the day.  If you look at our vendor tab at the top of the page, we have all the vendors listed along with what they’ll be selling–check it out!

Of course, the music.  Oh, the music.  We’re looking forward to it and hope you are, too!  Any last minute questions can be sent to msteczyk@ferdinandindiana.org.

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Great Evansville Courier article about the Folk Fest!

You can read it by CLICKING HERE.  What a great article our friends at the Evansville Courier put together.  Thank you so much!

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