Belfast Free Range Music Festival

Saturday April 28, 2012

The Belfast Free Range Music Festival is a grassroots, volunteer powered celebration of original music that takes place annually in downtown Belfast, Maine. Participating musicians travel from near and far, representing a wide range of genres and musical backgrounds, everything from rock to bluegrass, a capella vocal groups to hip hop. In its first two years, the festival has hosted 58 local, regional and nationally touring acts (roughly 175 individual musicians) in multiple venues including our local movie theater, Legion hall, arts center, galleries (including Åarhus), and even a church sanctuary. The 2012 festival (the event’s third year) will follow the same model, presenting an all-new lineup of musicians from multiple genres.

http://freerangemusicfestival.com/

David Clarke of Gypsy Caravan

11:45 Gypsy Caravan

Gypsy Caravan performs in the gypsy jazz, manouche style and was formed in 2011 in mid-coast Maine. The group builds upon the traditions of Django Reinhardt’s music while getting inspiration from modern players such as Bireli Lagrene, John Jorgenson, Robin Nolan and Frank Vignola. Featuring David Clarke, lead guitar; Dan Clarke, rhythm guitar; Wayne Delano, saxes; Ezra Rugg, acoustic bass.

 

L-R Will Brown, Kat Logan, Jim Loney

1:45 Meteora

 Meteora, which translates to “suspended in air,” is a collaboration of Kat Logan, Jim Loney, and Will Brown. Their performances are highlighted by tight three part harmonies along with a wide repertoire of originals and traditionals. Kat Logan is a singer-songwriter with a clear, inviting voice and has performed folk, country and blues music throughout New… England for the past 20 years. After performing Delta Blues and R & B for many years, Jim Loney was attracted to Cuban Son. Singing and playing with Meteora, Loney draws upon his diverse musical background and interests. Will Brown has been playing and singing folk music around fine campfires and in concert since 1963. Brown has been recording with Gordon Bok, Cindy Kallet, Grey Larsen, and Anne Dodson over the past 30 years. Both Brown and Logan contributed to the 2009 Grammy Nominated Folk Album: “Singing Through The Hard Times – A Tribute to Utah Phillips.”

 

Crow Suncloud and Diana Ramsdell Newman

3:45 Timbered Lake

“Timbered Lake, an acoustic duo, features a synthesis of spoken word and song composed by poet-singer Crow Suncloud and singer-songwriter Diana Ramsdell Newman. Timbered Lake concerts have been featured at libraries, coffeehouses, performing arts venues, Earth Day festivals, solstice events, water coalitions, climate change conferences, Native American gatherings, ecumenical gatherings, community and social justice concerns, and educational venues. Diana’s guitar joins with Crow’s indigenous hand drums and other percussive instruments, to accompany inspirited, relevant, soaringly harmonic lyrics informed by respect for the earth and for experiential knowledge, reclamation of stewardship values, and promotion of individual and community healing.”

 

L-R Jerry DeCicca, Tyler Evans and Canaan Faulkner.

5:45 Black Swans

Jerry DeCicca and The Black Swans have been winning hearts with their highly unique and beautiful folk sound since the early 2000s. Critically acclaimed by Pitchfork, Dusted, and many others, The Swans are on the road full-time these days — touring over 200 dates a year. They’ve released multiple albums, a split 7″ with Bonnie “Prince” Billy and have toured all over the country. Ladies & Gentlemen, this is folk rock from the existential capital of the world.