73rd National Folk Festival Puts Down Roots at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

 

NASHVILLE – Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean are excited to announce that the 73^rd, 74^th and 75^th National Folk Festival is putting down roots at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park for its free-to-the-public three-day event Labor Day weekend 2011, 2012 and 2013.

 

Located in the shadow of the State Capitol in downtown Nashville, the 19-acre park was built in 1996 and is a lasting monument to the state’s bicentennial celebration.  A living historical feature, the park serves as a tourist destination and education center for all ages.

 

“Just as the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park preserves and highlights the remaining, unobstructed view of Tennessee’s State Capitol, the National Folk Festival preserves and celebrates the roots and variety of American culture we have here in our state,” Gov. Haslam said.

 

The traveling National Folk Festival is the oldest and longest-running celebration of traditional arts in the nation. Created by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) in 1934, it celebrates American culture through traditional music, dance, craft, storytelling and food.

 

Nashville is proud to host the National Folk Festival, which will feature over 250 of the nation’s finest traditional performers and craftspeople, with simultaneous performances on six stages throughout the park. Attendees can dance, engage with master crafts people, shop the festival marketplace and enjoy regional and ethnic food.

 

“Celebrating the arts is a Nashville tradition, and Bicentennial Mall—located in the heart of our city—is a perfect place for a celebration of the traditional arts.  I’m proud that the music industry, the business sector, and the nonprofit community came together to bring the Folk Festival to town, and I look forward to enjoying some great performances this Labor Day Weekend.” Mayor Dean said.

 

The National Folk Festival also announced its second round of performers at today’s event. The first eight performing groups were announced earlier this month. Groups announced today that will perform in Nashville Labor Day weekend include:

Massive Monkees – Breakdance, Seattle, Washington

Rapid-fire headspins, twirling windmills, and breathtaking backspins are the hallmark of breakdance, the exciting, athletic urban dance tradition central to hip hop culture. These young West Coast champions are taking this newer tradition from the American streets to a new level artistry.

Bursting with infectious energy and humor, this young French Canadian trio is dedicated to celebrating the vibrant musical heritage and culture of Québec Province through music and song: fiddles, flutes, guitar, mouth harp, bass, high-energy foot-tapping and beautiful three-part harmony singing.

Two country blues masters join forces in a multi-generational exploration that spans the geographical and musical roots of the genre.  Rev. John Wilkins continues the blues-based gospel guitar tradition of his father, pre-war blues legend Rev. Robert Wilkins, and harmonica wizard Phil Wiggins is rooted in the Piedmont blues tradition. 

Master storyteller Lloyd Arneach is a tradition-bearer of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.  Children of all ages will be enthralled by his traditional stories learned from family and other tribal elders, as well as those he has written himself.

 

The Shams Ensemble with Özden Öztoprak – Kurdish, Iran and California
This acclaimed ensemble is noted for its powerful music rooted in Iranian Kurdish tradition that features the Kurdish lute, the tanbour. At the festival, the group will be joined by one of the finest Kurdish singers in the U.S., originally from Turkey and now calling the Bay Area home.

 

Oyama & Nitta – Tsugaru Shamisen, Aomori and Hokkaido, Japan   

The modern sensibilities of these masterful young performers propel a 500-year-old Japanese instrument, the three-stringed banjo-like shamisen, into the 21^st century, employing flashy finger work, percussive effects and fiery improvisation to create new and startling sounds.

 

The 73^rd, 74^th and 75^th National Folk Festival in Nashville will be produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts and Nashville Folk and Roots, in partnership with the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, the Arts and Business Council of Greater Nashville, the Nashville Downtown Partnership and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, in collaboration with the state of Tennessee and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

Financial and in-kind support make the National Folk Festival possible. Thank you to our sponsors and additional partners: Avenue Bank • Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell and Berkowitz, PC • BMI • Bridgestone Americas, Inc. • Compass Records • Cracker Barrel • Mark Montgomery • Nashville Electric Service • SunTrust • Tennessee Department of Agriculture • Vail Memorial Trust • Veritas Media Group • AEG Live/The Messina Group • Cheekwood • Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum • Design “615” • Emma • Global Education Center • Katy Kirby • Lindsey Bailey • Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools • Music City Roots • Nashville Chamber of Commerce • Nashville Public Library • Robert Hakalsk • Sarratt Art Studios • Sheraton Nashville Downtown • Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition • Tennessee State Department of Tourist Development • Tennessee State Museum • Tennessee State Parks • The Frist Center for the Visual Arts • Tuck Hinton Architects • Two Dog Media • XMI

 

The National Folk Festival is a celebration of traditional music and cultures from all over the United States.  The event is projected to draw 60-80,000 attendees and is estimated to have a $10-$15 million economic impact on Nashville per year.

 

For more information about the National Folk Festival, please visit www.nationalfolkfestival.com or call (615) 891-4944.