Folk Music CDs Due Out in 2009:
January:The Gourds - Haymaker
Andrew Bird - Noble Beast
February:
Pine Leaf Boys - Homage Au Passe
Ruthie Foster - The Truth According to Ruthie Foster
Ben Kweller - Changing Horses
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit (self-titled)
Eleni Mandell - Artificial Fire
William Elliot Whitmore - Animals in the Dark
Jeffrey Foucault - Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes
Neil Young - Archives
M. Ward - Hold Time
March:
Buddy & Julie Miller - Written in Chalk
Laura Gibson - Beasts of Seasons
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Justin Townes Earle - Midnight at the Movies
Sometimes Why - Your Heart is a Glorious Machine
Richard Shindell - Not Far Now
April:
Ramblin' Jack Elliott - A Stranger Here
Sara Watkins (self-titled)
Eilen Jewell - Sea of Tears
Folk and Bluegrass Artists to Watch in 2008:
Justin Townes Earle made a notable debut in 2008 and, with his follow-up scheduled for early '09, there's no doubt that he'll continue to attract more eyes on him. The Pine Leaf Boys will also make some waves, as will Neko Case with her follow-up to 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. I'd also keep my eye on Neil Young if I were you, and open those office pools that bet on whether Archives actually gets released on its newly scheduled release date.Folk Festivals to Watch in 2009:
Merlefest (Wilkesboro, NC) - Blue Highway, Sam Bush, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dixie Beeliners, the Grascals, Emmylou Harris, and others.Langerado Music Festival (Miami, FL) - Ryan Adams, Umphrey's McGee, Michael Franti & Spearhead, the Pogues, DeVotchKa, and others.
Telluride Bluegrass Festival (Telluride, CO) - past performers include Jerry Douglas, Emmylou Harris, Ani DiFranco, the Frames, Yonder Mountain String Band, and others.
Kerrville Folk Festival (Kerrville, TX) - past performers include Peter, Paul and Mary, John Gorka, Janis Ian, Eliza Gilkyson, and others.
Also...
Wintergrass
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival
Philadelphia Folk Festival
Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF)
