The first weekend in August hereabouts means one vital and compelling thing. It's time to commune in Hailey at the Northern Rockies Folk Festival.
The 28th annual festival, run by Kit Neraas, Pete Kramer and a steady board of directors, has been serving up a remarkable line up of music each year, while maintaining the small-town nature of the gathering.
Part of this is the music that's booked and part of it is the inclusiveness of the event.
This year's roster is especially folk-worthy. Preceded by the tunings of the Ketchum World Beat Street Band and Micky & the Motorcars, the headliner on Friday night is amazingly ... Jefferson Starship. More on that later.
A percussion band, led by Will and Julie Caldwell, the Ketchum World Beaters jump-start the festival.
Next up is the Austin-based band Micky and the Motorcars, who aptly fill the Braun family spot, led by Gary and Micky Braun, originally from Stanley. The Braun family (Muzzie Braun, Reckless Kelly and the Motorcars) has frequently been a part of the Northern Rockies Folk Festival in some guise or other.
It's quite the set up, because after cranking the audience up, here comes the legendary Jefferson Starship.
Starship is a blast from the past that should be a thrill for those who remember the band in real time as well as for the uninitiated. The band, originally known as Jefferson Airplane, formed in San Francisco in 1966.
Neraas finds the idea of the revived band exciting. "Starship. I think they'll be good. This is their 40th anniversary. It's a big thing. They are in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, after all." The band has been busy touring smaller venues, read—no arena rock, for the past year with a new lineup.
On Saturday, bands from the Wood River Valley play: the blue grassy In Search of a Red Headed Fiddler, the swingy vocals of Miss Loretta and Friends, and the gentle rock rhythms of the Kim Stocking Band.
Continuing into the afternoon, there are two new-to-the festival bands making their Hailey debuts.
Hot Strings, a young bluegrass band out of Pagosa Springs, Colo., is gaining an audience at festivals, where they've won several awards.
Reina Collins and her six-piece band hail from Driggs, in eastern Idaho, and play a nice folk-based rock.
Finishing out the two-day festival is The subdudes. The members of the band are Louisiana-fermented for the most part, which is reflected in their infectious music. But there's also a lot of Colorado influence, as they moved en masse to Fort Collins early on to gel as a band.
Though there was also a break up of this band along the way, in 2002, three of the four original band members got back together, called themselves the Dudes and recruited friends join them. Their 2003 release "Miracle Mule" brought them full circle to subdude-ness.
And here they come. To fully realize the power of these bands some updates have been made for the venue at Hop Porter Park, in Hailey.
"We have a much bigger stage this year and a bigger P.A. system," Neraas said. "We're going to let her rip."
The festival will feature five nonprofit organizations with food booths. Otherwise, picnics, chairs, children and blankets are always welcome. Although biking in the park is not permitted, riding bicycles to the event is highly encouraged.
Northern Rockies Folk Festival Schedule
The 28th annual NRFF takes place Friday and Saturday, Aug. 5 and 6, at Hop Porter Park in Hailey. $18 entry buttons are available in advance at Copy & Print, Big Bad Bills and Read All About It in Hailey and Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum. Otherwise, entry is $20 at the gate. Children 12 and under and seniors are free. No dogs allowed.
Friday, Aug. 5: 5:30 p.m. Ketchum World Beat Street Band, 6:30 p.m. Micky & the Motorcars, 8:30 p.m. Jefferson Starship.
Saturday, Aug. 6: 1:45 p.m. In Search for a Red-Headed Fiddler, 2:45 p.m. Miss Loretta and Friends, 4 p.m. Kim Stocking Band, 5:15 p.m. Hot Strings, 6:30 p.m. Reina Collins, 8:30 p.m. The subdudes.
Steve Amedee, left, Tommy Malone and John Magnie form The subdudes, the festival?s headliners on Saturday. Photo by Clare Schachter
