Folk festival stages winter concerts

The Sisters Folk Festival has announced the lineup for its 2008 Winter Concert Series.

The festival will feature The Campbell Brothers on January 27, David Lindley on February 10 and Tracy Grammer on March 2, at FivePine Lodge and Conference Center in Sisters.

On Sunday, January 27, The Campbell Brothers perform Sacred Steel - African-American gospel music with electric steel guitar and vocals. This tradition is just now emerging from the House of God Keith Dominion Church, where for over 60 years it has been an integral part of worship and a vital, if little known, American tradition.

As the music moves from sanctuary to concert hall, secular audiences are now able to appreciate a performance both devoted and rocking.

Pedal steel guitarist Chuck Campbell (2004 National Heritage Fellowship recipient) and his lap steel-playing brother Darick are two of the finest in this tradition. Rounding out the band, which has been playing together for nearly two decades, is a high-energy rhythm section that brings the ensemble to a level of energy and expression that defies description.

On February 10, multi-instrumentalist David Lindley will perform music that redefines the word "eclectic." Lindley, well known for his many years as the featured accompanist with Jackson Browne and leader of his own band El Rayo-X, has long championed the concept of world music.

The David Lindley electro-acoustic performance combines American folk, blues and bluegrass traditions with elements from African, Arabic, Asian, Celtic, Malagasy and Turkish musical sources. Lindley incorporates an incredible array of stringed instruments, including but not limited to Weissenborn Hawaiian lap steel guitar, Turkish saz and chumbus, Middle Eastern oud and Irish bouzouki.

The eye-poppingly clad "Mr. Dave's" uncanny vocal mimicry and demented sense of humor make his onstage banter a highlight of the show.

On March 2, Tracy Grammer will perform in Sisters while touring in support of "Flower of Avalon," her much-anticipated solo debut.

In January 2006, the album showed up on "Best of" lists and listener polls around the country and was the No. 1 most-played album on folk radio across the United States.

Grammer first graced the stages of the Sisters Folk Festival with long-time partner, the late Dave Carter, and demonstrated why Dave and Tracy went on to international acclaim with their beautiful melodies and inquisitively poetic lyrics. Tracy Grammer tours internationally with songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jim Henry.

With acoustic and electric guitars, beautifully matched voices, dobro, mandolin and violin, this duo shares original songs, instrumentals and pays homage to Carter and other stellar writers while charting a brand new course for themselves in the musical landscape.

"I'll keep on singing, and I'll keep on telling my story, however that evolves," Grammer said. "Working with Dave Carter was the first step on what I hope is going to be a long and fruitful road for me: the endless quest for authenticity through music."

The concert series is part of the Sisters Folk Festival's effort to bring top-quality music to Sisters year-round.

"The Sisters Folk Festival is bringing year-round cultural arts opportunities to Sisters to help provide performing arts programming that is educational and engaging, and that exposes people to the beauty and unique quality of life of the Sisters Country," said Brad Tisdel, Artistic Director of the Sisters Folk Festival.

To purchase tickets go to http://www.sistersfolkfestival.org or call the festival office at 549-4979. Tickets are also available at Paulina Springs Books and FivePine Lodge and Conference Center in Sisters, and at the Curiosity Shoppe in Bend. They are $20 adult/$10 children except for the Tracy Grammer show which is $15 Adult/$10 children. Shows start at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m.

FivePine Lodge and Conference Center is located at 1021 Desperado Trail in Sisters and can be contacted at 549-5900 or fivepinelodge.com. Ticket and accommodation packages are available; contact FivePine directly. For information on the 2008 Winter Concert Series or the Sisters Folk Festival, visit sistersfolkfestival.org or call 549-4979.