The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Peter Rowan & the Free Mexican Airforce featuring Los Texmaniacs will take the stage at the Sisters Folk Festival on Friday night, September 6.

Rowan will also perform a solo set Saturday and Los Texmaniacs will perform their own sets as well at the Festival. Rowan will be representing Sisters’ own Thompson Guitars, named after Preston Thompson, who made handmade guitars for decades before recently passing away.

Peter Rowan, playing a Thompson “OOO” guitar, was among the first bluegrass legends to play Thompson Guitars. Today, many of the best players in the genre are performing on his instruments.

“Preston Thompson and Thompson Guitars have been longtime supporters of Sisters Folk Festival, and we want to honor Preston’s work and legacy. He was a generous man who built outstanding guitars,” said SFF Creative Director Brad Tisdel.

Additional artists announced recently include the Grammy-nominated bluegrass band Della Mae; Welsh songwriter and veteran of SFF Martyn Joseph; guitarist, singer and songwriter with her band Lindsay Lou; Nordic folk band SVER; cow-punk Southern rockers Vandoliers; bluegrass band Polecat, representing Breedlove Guitar Co .; progressive newgrass trio The Arcadian Wild; singer-songwriter and songwriting coach Susan Gibson, writer of #1 hit Wide-Open Spaces; songwriter and spoken-word artist Thunderstorm Artis; and Arouna Diara & Biko of Rising Appalachia performing their own set during the Festival.

These artists will join a long list of outstanding performers already on the Festival bill for the September 6-8 event, including legendary Canadian songwriter Bruce Cockburn; the Hawaiian native and 2019 encore artist with band, Ron Artis II & the Truth; the dynamic Quebecois band from Montreal Le Vent Du Nord; the all-woman powerhouse mariachi group Flor De Toloache; the gospel, soul and R & B band The Hamiltones; the return of Prince Edward Island trio The East Pointers; the juke joint blues rock of Grammy-nominated Cedric Burnside; the groovy Americana sound of Rising Appalachia; the twin sibling harmony-driven duo The Brother Brothers; songwriter and multi-instrumentalist The Suitcase Junket; the multi-lingual and instrumental Carrie Rodriguez; guitarist and singer-songwriter Alex Cuba; indie songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan; banjo and guitar duo Pharis & Jason Romero; Americana trio Lula Wiles; and more.

Limited spots are still available for Sisters Folk Festival’s 18th annual Americana Song Academy, September 3-6, which has become a retreat and destination for songwriters to learn from professional artists and build community through music. Teaching artists for 2019 include: Ron Artis II & the Truth, Martyn Joseph, Pharis & Jason Romero, Susan Gibson, The Brother Brothers, Lula Wiles, FY5, Alex Cuba, Thunderstorm Artis, Anna Tivel, Ara Lee James, Jeffrey Martin, Beth Wood, and more. The creative energy and collaborations produced at the Academy translate into special musical performances at the Festival.

Festival passes are $170 for adults and $55 for those 18 and under.

For information on tickets, artists, schedules, and becoming an SFF volunteer, please visit http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org. For more information email [email protected]

ival.org or call 541-549-4979.