AMERICANA FESTIVAL
Saturday, July 6 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Jonathan Edwards

The word "legend" is often used to describe veteran folk singer Jonathan Edwards, whose 1971 million-selling song Sunshine brought him instant fame. He has acquired an enviable track record, one of skill and grace in the sometimes brutal world of the music business. He started out opening for such acts like the Allman Brothers Band and B.B. King. His career went on to include albums with Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffet, and Christine Lavin, a gig narrating the successful PBS travel series, Cruising America's Waterways, and a lead in the Broadway musical Pumpboys and Dinettes. His latest CD features a photo taken from his most recent memorable performance in Prescott Park.

Slaid Cleaves

It's always nice when Slaid Cleaves returns back to his stomping grounds...

Slaid grew up in Maine. Lives in Texas. Writes songs. Makes records. Travels around. Called "one of the finest songwriters" by the New York Times, Slaid Cleaves has a reputation for sincere and intimate live performances. His song Broke Down won Best Song of the Year at the Austin Music Awards, and now, 20 years after his Southwest migration from Maine to Texas, he's releasing his first live album - a double disc, no less, "Sorrw & Smoke: Live at the Horseshoe Lounge". We're absolutely delighted to welcome this one-of-a-kind songwriter back home whenever his travels bring him back to the Seacoast.

Joy Kills Sorrow

With its bold new brand of acoustic music, Joy Kills Sorrow pushes right through the envelope and out the other side. The Boston-based stringband brings a decidedly modern sensibility to an old-world sound, channeling the prodigious talents of its individual members into elegant arrangements and well-crafted songs. While the group pays due homage to its Bluegrass roots, the band truly excels in its rich and textured treatment of more contemporary material.

Laura Cortese Quartet

There is nothing timid about Laura Cortese. She wields a fiddle like a rocker slings his guitar, and sings with even more swagger. A native San Franciscan, Cortese moved to Boston to study violin at Berklee College of Music and has since immersed herself in the city's vibrant indie music scene. She has made appearances with Band of Horses, Pete Seeger, Patterson Hood and Michael Franti, Laura Cortese is among the most intriguing and versatile musicians on the scene today.