Bearfoot comes to Seldovia in March

Bearfoot

March 29, 2008 7:30pm

And the Festival is coming…. See below!


Bearfoot originated in September of 1999 when 6 music camp counselors working in Cordova came together to form the band Bearfoot Bluegrass. The teenagers started traveling on donated mileage tickets, their parents booking gigs across Alaska and the Northwest. Their ‘big break’ came quickly when in 2001 they performed at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and won the Best New Band competition, following in the footsteps of the Dixie Chicks and Nickel Creek.

Bearfoot is now a nationally touring band that has played the main stage at Telluride, festivals such as Wintergrass in Washington State, Rockygrass in Colorado, and yes, the Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival (2006). And they continue to teach kids at music camps across this country, Canada and Ireland. Two of the band members are certified elementary school teachers.

The band now numbers 5 and has grown in its abilities with a new name, Bearfoot, that reflects the expansion of their musical tastes and talents beyond bluegrass into the world of acoustic Americana. The change is evident in their most recent CD, Follow Me (2006). This recording features original songs (Annalisa Tornfelt wrote 8 of the 12 tracks) in a style that sounds fresh and new but still shows vintage Americana influences. Annalisa is joined by Angela Oudean (fiddle), Kate Hamre (acoustic bass), Jason Norris (mandolin) and Mike Mickelson (guitar). Only Time Knows, Bearfoot’s first CD, came out in 2001, and their second, Back Home, was produced by Grammy award winner Todd Phillips in 2003. As Todd commented, ‘they make bluegrass music new again, and are putting Alaska on the map as another bluegrass state’.

Bearfoot will do a workshop at 4pm. Everyone is welcome – come and learn some of their tricks. The workshop is free for kids K-12 and for adults who purchase a ticket to the evening concert. Workshop fee for all others is $5. Concert time is 7:30pm. Both events will be at the Susan B. English School, with tickets available at the door. Concert prices are $15/adult, $8/child, or $35/family.



And... The Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival is coming!

The Seldovia Summer Solstice Music Festival will be June 20 and 21. Look for a great time with musician and emcee Joe Craven. This guy can make music out of anything from a bedpan to a martini shaker. The stage set may look like your neighbor’s yard sale, but make no mistake, Joel is an accomplished musician and entertainer who played for almost 17 years with the David Grisman Quintet. James Cohen was a rock guitarist for 25 years, but in 1999 he was exposed to flamenco, and he has never looked back. He has become a master of this complex and subtle style.

Artists wanting to perform in the festival should submit their application by March 1. Email rowing@ptialaska.net for information. We’re looking forward to another great festival!

Thanks to all of the volunteers in Seldovia, the Alaska State Council on the Arts, and WESTAF for helping us put on these great shows!