FOLK FESTIVAL

STEVE EARLE

With a brand new Grammy Award (his third consecutive), Steve Earle is a master storyteller in his own right, with his songs being recorded by Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Joan Baez, and countless others. His stellar career has gone through many incarnations from rockabilly artist, young gun in the neo-traditional country movement, outlaw rocker, and political activist. There are none other like him, and it's an honor to have him take stage at Prescott Park.

APRIL VERCH

As a world-class fiddler and dancer, an April Verch concert is equal parts invigorating, surprising, heartwarming, thrilling, foot-stomping, and smile inducing - all in all, utterly unforgettable. Her fiddling crosses genres easily from bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folksong to a poignant contemporary ballad. Join April Verch and her high- energy band for a wonderful concert experience.

C.J. CHENIER & the RED HOT LOUISIANA BAND

When zydeco superstar C.J. Chenier stepped onto the main stage at the 2001 Chicago Blues Festival and looked over the crowd of 60,000 eager fans, he had one thing in mind: get them on their feet and make them dance. Almost immediately after launching into their first song, C.J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band had people young and old shaking their hips and cheering in unison. The Boston Globe says it best: "C.J. Chenier attacks the accordion with the tension and drive of James Brown....creating contemporary, turbo-charged dance music." Get ready to dance.

JOY KILLS SORROW

Curious to hear the newest hot act on the scene? With its bold new brand of acoustic music, Joy Kills Sorrow pushes right through the envelope and out the other side. The Boston-based stringband brings a decidely modern sensibility to an old-world sound, channeling the prodigious talents of its individual members into elegant arrangements and well-crafed songs.

ELSA CROSS

Elsa's deep and devoted relationship with music has been a lifelong obsession. Before the age of five, she remembers being enraptured by the voices of the gospel choir in her hometown's Methodist church. She began dabbling with musical instruments when she was eight years old, finally settling with her true companion, the guitar. 1950's rock and roll led her to its roots in old country, where she found the songs of Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and young Elvis Presley. She then began writing and performing her own songs, pulling from the honesty and the simplicity of her influences. Elsa captivates audiences throughout the Seacoast with her powerful solo shows. Her music is her passion, and her crowds will attest that the honesty and the heartache in her songs is the real deal.