Great Lakes Folk Festival

What's New?

UPDATE TO MUSIC SCHEDULE
The MSU Museum learned on August 8 that Caribbean musical artists Roots Vibration of Detroit must withdraw from the Great Lakes Folk Festival, Aug. 11-13 in downtown East Lansing, due to a death in the family of band founder Winfred Julien.

GLFF planners are mobilizing quickly to fill in the performance slots, drawing from the extensive talent pool of 16 other musical acts at the event. Here's the plan:

Cajun group Feufollet will add a dance set on Friday, Aug. 11, at 9:30 p.m. on the Albert Avenue Dance Stage,

While the Cajun, Creole and Zydeco artists will take to the stage for "Great Lakes Gumbo" at the Dance Stage on Saturday, Aug. 12, at 2:30 p.m.

(As always, the schedule is subject to change; and festival-goers are reminded to check the stage schedules prior to performance times.)

MSU Museum and Great Lakes Folk Festival officials send heartfelt condolences to Julien and the Roots Vibration family, and hope they can make a return visit to East Lansing at another time.

Meanwhile, festival-goers can expect the same high-caliber of musicianship in the revised performance schedule. We also appreciate the agility and willingness of fellow musicians to step in where needed and round out a really robust musical program.

GLFF MUSIC SCHEDULE SET!
The MSU Museum's 2006 Great Lakes Folk Festival music schedule is now set, including more than 60 music and dance performances throughout the weekend. Cajun group Feufollet opens GLFF at 6 p.m. on the M.A.C. Stage on Friday, Aug. 11. The evening is literally a trip around the world with three stages going, including Klezmer, Zydeco, Slovenian Polka, Caribbean, Tejano, Indian Sarod, Bluegrass and Celtic. Check out the full schedule at: http://greatlakesfolkfest.net/Schedule/ . (Please note the schedule may be subject to change.)

LOUISIANA SOUNDS
A special feature this year is a Louisiana-themed music block that includes Cajun, Creole, Zydeco and Blues together at the event for the first time - inspired by the perseverance of Louisiana's musical heritage after last year's devastating hurricane season. Of note: Lil' Nathan is the son of Nathan Williams of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas who performed at the 2002 GLFF. Feufollet, a high-energy Cajun group and crowd favorite from 2002, makes a return visit to East Lansing. Creole fiddler Cedric Watson is joined by Feufollet-er Chris Stafford (accordion, fiddle, guitar), and Eddie Bo brings his penetrating blues piano sounds straight from New Orleans. A special "Louisiana Sounds" music block is set for Saturday afternoon on the Valley Court stage, featuring all four Louisiana-based bands.

MEET THE ARTIST
A new "Meet the Artist" slot has been added at the Legacy Stage, giving the audience a chance to hear artists tell stories of their musical lives in a setting more intimate than the large performance stages.

SOUND CLIPS ONLINE AND ON THE AIR
Check out the festival web site (http://greatlakesfolkfest.net/Programs%26Activities/Music%26Dance/) for sound clips, bios and background on these artists representing diverse musical traditions and cultural roots from Michigan, the Great Lakes and beyond.

Also listen for GLFF musical tracks featured on the air, including WKAR's Folk Tradition with Bob Blackman, Sunday nights at 6 p.m. on 90.5 FM; WDBM's Progressive Torch and Twang, Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on 88.9 FM; and on WLNZ, 89.7 FM.

MORE SPECTACULAR SIGHTS, STORIES, ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL FEATURES
New for 2006:
-"Games Unplugged" offers traditional hands-on fun: bingo, backgammon, dominoes, cribbage, Rock-Paper-Scissors, mah jong and more.

-"Guilds and Crafts" join the Folk Arts Marketplace -- quilting, weaving, knitting, spinning, basket-making and more hand-made goods; including demonstrations and sales.

-The Children's Folk Activities Area features "Outdoors Unplugged," with rousing fresh-air fun for children and their adult companions -- encouraging physical activity, creativity and inquisitiveness. On tap are: bingo, marbles, yo-yo, hopscotch, jump rope and more.

JOIN US -- VOLUNTEER!
The Michigan State University Museum is seeking volunteers for a variety of positions for the three-day annual community event. More than 400 agile and spirited volunteers help produce the festival, filling three- and four-hour shifts in a variety of areas, including staffing information booths, artist transportation, children's areas, bucket brigades, and site set-up and tear-down. For information on volunteering, contact (517) 432-GLFF or email glffvolunteer@museum.msu.edu.

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Admission to the Great Lakes Folk Festival is free. Festival hours are: Friday, Aug. 11, 6 - 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 12, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 13, 12 noon - 6 p.m.

Parking is available in City of East Lansing ramps, across Grand River Avenue on the MSU campus, and extended CATA bus service from park-and-ride lots at Abbott Center (1400 Abbott Road at Saginaw) and MSU Lot 91 (Hagadorn and Service roads).

MSU Museum's 2006 Great Lakes Folk Festival:
MUSICAL ARTISTS SHOWCASE GLOBAL SOUNDS, STORIES, TRADITIONS

Beyond the Pale- Klezmer Band from Toronto

MSU MUSEUM, EAST LANSING, MICH. - The MSU Museum's fifth annual Great Lakes Folk Festival is hitting all the right notes with this year's music program. Klezmer, juke joint swing, Caribbean, Creole, Ugandan and more spectacular sounds and stories will fill the streets of downtown East Lansing for the three-day event, Aug. 11-13, 2006.

Music and dance stages are sponsored by the City of East Lansing, with more than 50 performances throughout the weekend. Here's a look at the preliminary music line-up:

ο Beyond the Pale, Klezmer -- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
ο The Cottars, Celtic -- Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
ο Nadim Dlaikan Ensemble, Middle Eastern -- Dearborn, Michigan
ο Feufollet, Cajun -- Lafayette, Louisiana
ο Wayne Hancock, Juke Joint Swing -- Austin, Texas
ο Peter Hedlund, Swedish Nyckelharpa-- Vallsta, Sweden
ο Hellenic 5, Greek -- Chicago, Illinois
ο Ron Likovic, Slovenian Polka -- Cleveland, Ohio
ο Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big-Timers, Lafayette, Louisiana
ο Los Texmaniacs, Tejano -- San Antonio, Texas
ο Lovell Sisters, Bluegrass -- Calhoun, Georgia
ο Phava, African-American Gospel -- Chicago, Illinois
ο Roots Vibration, Caribbean -- Detroit, Michigan
ο Samite, Ugandan -- New York, New York
ο Aditya Verma, Indian Sarod -- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
ο Cedric Watson, Creole Fiddle -- Lafayette, Louisiana

For links to most artist web sites click here

Music program notes:
-A Louisiana-themed music block includes Cajun, Creole and Zydeco together at the event for the first time. GLFF truly showcases tradition: Lil Nathan is the son of Nathan Williams of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas who performed at the 2002 event. Feufollet, a high-energy Cajun group and crowd favorite from 2003, makes a return visit to East Lansing.

-Karim Bader, oud (lute) player with the Nadim Dlaikan Ensemble is the recipient of a 2006 Michigan Heritage Award (MHA), the state's highest award for artists who continue traditions with excellence. Bader will receive the MHA at a special program during the festival weekend. (What is an Oud?)

-Roots Vibration returns for more. Due to another out-of-town engagement last year, the group was only able to perform one slot at the 2005 festival and they will bring more Caribbean sounds to the festival weekend this year.

-A new "Meet the Artist" slot has been added at the Legacy Stage, giving the audience a chance to hear artists in a more intimate setting than the bigger stage venues across the half-mile site.

-The Music and Dance page will lead to web sites and background on these artists representing diverse musical traditions and cultural roots from Michigan, the Great Lakes and beyond. Additional musical artists will be booked throughout the spring.

Additional program notes:
-GLFF planners from the MSU Museum are also working with City of East Lansing officials on a couple of modifications to the site. With a construction project at the west end of Valley Court Park, the Children's Folk Activities Area will be relocated nearer to the center of the downtown site.

-The City Hall Stage will be shifted from the city hall parking lot into Abbott Road, allowing for additional seating and overflow area, and anchoring the north end of the site.

-Traditional games and demonstrations are also in development.

This award-winning event is recognized as one of the state's premiere arts programs and a summer-time high point. The festival is a one-of-a-kind fusion of arts fair, music festival, county fair, hands-on activity workshops, living museum exhibitions, and celebration of multi-ethnic heritage.

"At the heart of the festival experience - interwoven through the diverse music, foodways and hand-made arts -- are living traditions," notes Marsha MacDowell, founding director of GLFF and MSU Museum curator of folk arts. "The performances and programs resonate with visitors' own experiences and expand awareness of our global community."

Admission to the Great Lakes Folk Festival is free. Festival hours are:
Friday, Aug. 11, 6 - 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 12, 12 noon - 10:30 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 13, 12 noon - 6 p.m.

Primary financial support for GLFF comes from the City of East Lansing, Michigan State University Office of the Provost and University Outreach and Engagement, and Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Nearly 100 corporations, foundations and organizations also support GLFF annually, as well as individual donors, "Great Friends."

posted April 11th, 2006

Great Lakes Folk Festival: The Best!
The MSU Museum's Great Lakes Folk Festival tops the Lansing State Journal's annual "Best of the Best" poll capturing what we love about Greater Lansing.

The three Quebe sisters wowed the crowds with thier fiddles

GLFF was recognized as the best free event and also rated among the best festivals in the area. Also included in the "Best of the Best" rankings are restaurants, coffee houses, dog parks, first-date locales, and more.

The Quebe Sisters from Burleson, Texas, wow the crowd with their triple Texas Swing fiddles

Photo by Pat Power

Next year's folk festival is set for Aug. 11-13.

Be a Great Friend! Support the Great Lakes Folk Festival and help sustain this one-of-a-kind, award-winning public event celebrating culture, tradition and community. Year-end tax advantages make now a great time: send checks to MSU Museum, West Circle Drive, East Lansing, Michigan 48824. Click here to go to our secure on-line donation page.

posted Oct 27, 2005