PREPARE FOR ZORTHIAN RANCH what to bring/what not to bring

SWIMMING & SUNNING There’s a pool for swimming and open areas for sun-basking. Bring a towel, blanket, lawnchair.  A few other water-related activities will take place around the ranch for recreational cooling off. The Echo Country Outpost is hosting a water slide. All-day passes for the water slide can be purchased for a two dollar donation.

SAFETY: LEAVE HIGH HEELS & HOOCH AT HOME  Guests are responsible for their own safety at all times while in attendance at Zorthian Ranch and en route to and from.  Some areas of the ranch are paved but be prepared to walk on dirt, grass, and uneven steps.  High heels are not a good idea.  No outside alcohol is permitted.  Do not bring weapons or fireworks.  Do not drink and drive.

BRING A FLASHLIGHT: The city lights and a few stars twinkle in the distance but the immediate area around you gets dark at night.

CAMPING Want to spend the night beneath the stars? You can’t stay at Zorthian Ranch but there are many campgrounds in the surrounding Angeles National Forest. Note that some places are first-come first-serve and an Adventure Pass may be required to park in the woods out there.

CHILDREN of all ages are welcome but parents/guardians must take total responsibility for their child’s safety and whereabouts at all times. Children will LOVE Zorthian Ranch and have a great time but the following rules are strictly enforced: No child 12 years old or younger is allowed in the pool area without a parent or guardian. No child 12 years old or younger is permitted on the water slide without parent/guardian supervision. No child should be left unattended at any time. Sharp, heavy, rusty, loose objects are on exhibit everywhere. You and your child will be asked to leave without a refund if the child is found playing with or on any exhibited objects, or if you fail to comply with all child safety rules. Parents will receive a copy of child safety rules upon arrival.

ADULTS This is a downhome affair. Be respectful as if it were your home. Be careful. Don’t drink and drive. Don’t fall down the hill. The New Los Angeles Folk Fest and its sponsors, donors, volunteers, workers and founders are not liable for anything that happens to you while you are on the property of Zorthian Ranch or en route to and from.  Sharp, heavy, rusty, loose objects are on exhibit everywhere at Zorthian Ranch.  Treat everything with respect.  You will be asked to leave without a refund if you are found playing with or on any exhibited objects, or if you fail to comply with any posted rules.

Any questions, write to lafolkfest@gmail.com

TIME Doors open at 1pm / Music from 2pm – midnight

LOCATION Zorthian Ranch, 3990 Fair Oaks Avenue, Altadena, CA 91001
Ranch contact: (626) 797-3359

PARKING All cars must check in at the Zorthian Ranch parking lot, which is located at the foot of the mountain. Upon arrival, follow signs and instructions from the parking crew. The parking lot opens at 12pm and closes at 2am. Do not park in the residential area. Parking is permitted only in Folk Fest marked areas. Cooperation with parking procedures is essential.
PARK & WALK OR RIDE The Ranch is a 10 minute walk up the hill from the parking area. Guests can walk up or ride the Folk Fest shuttle car.

CARPOOL REWARD It’s cool to carpool, good for the environment and better parking. Cars with three or more passengers receive a cool carpool reward at the Parking Lot entrance.

PREPARE FOR ZORTHIAN RANCH what to bring/what not to bring

SWIMMING & SUNNING There’s a pool for swimming and open areas for sun-basking. Bring a towel, blanket, or lawnchair.  A few other water-related activities will take place around the ranch for recreational cooling off. The Echo Country Outpost is hosting a water slide.

LEAVE HIGH HEELS & HOOCH AT HOME Guests are responsible for their own safety. Some areas are paved but prepare to walk on dirt, grass, and uneven steps. High heels are not a good idea. No outside alcohol is permitted. Do not bring weapons or fireworks.

CAMPING Want to spend the night beneath the stars? You can’t stay at Zorthian Ranch but there are many campgrounds in the surrounding Angeles National Forest. Note that some places are first-come first-serve and an Adventure Pass may be required to park in the woods out there.

CHILDREN of all ages are welcome but parents/guardians must take total responsibility for the child’s safety and whereabouts. Children will LOVE Zorthian Ranch and have a great time but the following rules are strictly enforced: No child 10 years old or younger is allowed in the pool without a parent or guardian. No child 10 years old or younger is permitted on the water slide without parent/guardian supervision. No child should be left unattended. Sharp, heavy, rusty, loose objects are on exhibit everywhere. You and your child will be asked to leave without a refund if the child is found playing with or on any exhibited objects, or if you fail to comply with all child safety rules. Parents will receive a copy of child safety rules upon arrival.

Any questions, write to lafolkfest@gmail.com

THE BANDS from A to Z

Amanda Jo Williams (11:05-11:40pm), Ana Caravelle (10:15-10:50pm), Cowboy And Indian (8:10-8:45pm), The Djin Aquarian Band (11:15-11:50pm), Dustbowl Revival (2-2:35pm), Emily Lacy (6-6:35pm), Fabiano Do Nascimento Trio (7:35-8:10pm), Ferraby Lionheart (3:30-4:05pm), Frank Fairfield (7-7:40pm), Ghiant (2:35-3:10pm), Julia Holter (8:45-9:20pm), Jenny Luna And The Moondogs (4:05-4:40pm), Matt Taylor And His Laurels (2:15-2:50pm), Nasambu And The Mystic Nomads (6:55-7:30pm), Radical Face (5:50-6:25pm), Ramona Gonzalez (9:20-9:55pm), RT N’ The 44′s (10:30-11:05pm), Ruthann Friedman (5-5:35pm), Space Comes Soft (7:50-8:25pm), Spindrift (11:40-12:15pm), Stone Darling (4:40-5:15pm), The Stevenson Ranch Davidians (10:25-10:55pm), Tommy Santee Klaws (9:55-10:30pm), Triple Chicken Foot (9-10pm), Very Be Careful (2:55-3:30pm), Yellow Red Sparks (5:15-5:50pm)

AMANDA JO WILLIAMS
audio: “Up The Mountain Going”

video: “Sick & Dying”

“Listening to Amanda Jo Williams’ rough-shod country-folk is like eating a squirrel stew supper before falling into bed, where you then lie awake and hear the haunted scrabbles of raccoons, coyotes and bears and wonder if you staggered out there, would you be eaten alive or inducted into some ritualistic animal society. Her primal music is an open maw to the mysteries and fears of the world. With a twang- heavy voice that sometimes breaks into manic gibberish or other cartoonish effects, she sounds like an unruly, sometimes lonely little girl left to her own devices.” — L.A. Times

ANA CARAVELLE
audio: “Where Have You Been?”

video:

Enter Ana Caravelle (real name, Anahita Navab), a 23 year-old composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and lifetime Los Angeles resident. With her refreshingly genuine musical outlook, Ana takes the influence of her city environments and turns them into something completely different – lush, organic and melodic gardens for listeners to plant their ears into. Basic Climb, Ana’s debut album and the second full length release for Non Projects is a culmination of her first five years of classical harp training and sees her take musical flight with comprehensive and adroit songwriting and arranging skills. Produced by her beau Ryan York (also known as Asura) and recorded at Alpha Pup label head Daddy Kev’s studio The Echo Chamber, Basic Climb showcases Ana’s soulful harp playing and luxuriant voice matched with her rich instrumental arrangements for voice, strings, winds and percussion. Ana’s musical journey began with the piano at age 5, which inevitably led to more instrumental undertakings -harmonium, guitar, musical saw, glockenspiel, and most importantly harp and her own voice have since become standard partners in her musical ways. Alongside discovering new timbres and colors to work with in all off these varied tools, Ana cites influence in such assorted musical stalwarts as Nina Simone, Björk, Sigur Rós, Beirut, múm and lastly Joanna Newsom, with the latter strongly pushing Ana to go forth with her harp playing and arranging.
“…young woman who roots an experimental, ambitious album around the harp and an idiosyncratic voice…Caravelle’s music isn’t idyllic or sylvan -– it’s spooky and percussive;  it’s a little deadpan; and it only occasionally lets the clouds part for a rich flurry of harmony.” —LA Times

COWBOY & INDIAN
audio: Ledbellies (Hurt My Pride)

video: “(Ledbellies) Hurt My Pride”

Cowboy and Indian is an Austin based folk rock group whose members consist of a dynamic and versatile talent. Equal part songwriter and musician, each member brings a kinship and unique voice that is an undeniable shining virtue, add salt of the earth folk tradition and rock/soul influence that harkens back to 70s Woodstock era and you get the reason why this band has become the most talked about new band in Austin, TX.
“Cowboy and Indian are a fresh-smellin’ folky foursome out of Austin who sound like the The Carter Family channeled through Buddy Holly’s Crickets, one helluva combination, especially if your revival meeting is in dire need of revivin’.” — My Old Kentucky Blog

DJIN AQUARIAN
of Ya Ho Wa 13
audio: Top Of The Mountain
video: “Psychedelic Jam with The Lottery”

I left Chicago in 68 to go to LA seeking my fortune in songwriting because I thought my music fit in better there where there was more open mindedness toward my peace and love music. I landed a job writing “bubble gum” songs for a company owned by Don Williams, Andy Williams brother, for $100 a week. I moved up to San Francisco and started a band with an old Chicago buddy Frank Biner,r.i.p., and played the bay area for a while….I also busked on the streets where in 1971 I had certain profound spiritual experiences while dancing to the music of Ravi Shankar and George Harrison’s Bangla Desh concert and within several months had moved back to LA and joined the spiritual mystery school Essene commune called “The Brotherhood of the Source”/ “Source Family”, where I became the guitar accompanist of Father Yod/Yahowha and main guitarist for the family band, Yahowha13, playing on all of the now highly collectible and valuable spontaneous psych/wisdom-music we recorded there in our garage in the Hollywood Hills. 37 years after this music was recorded and distributed out of our Health food restaurant on Sunset Strip, the band has been brought back together because of the underground popularity of young and old audiences worldwide who see us as pioneers of that genre. During the times in the Source Family I met brother Sunlight Sky Saxon Aquarian, r.i.p. “Father of Flower Power”, former lead singer of “The Seeds”, and formed a lifelong friendship that produced some great music which people have collected and enjoyed….”Fire Water Air’s” “Masters of Psychedelia”, “Happy Hour Band’s” “Happy Now” and “King Arthur’s Court” are among them. After the dispersal of the Source Family in 77 I landed another songwriting gig with a company in Honolulu called Trim Records which led to the lead singer for Country Comfort, Billy Kaui, doing my song “Workin On the Railroad” (not the traditional). Its still available on his greatest hits album. Due to public demand YaHoWha 13 has reformed, without Father Yod-Yahowha of course who passed over in 75, and we have released several new recordings…However, as of 2010, there is also a Djin Aquarian Band that is touring on demand and playing the songs on this lp and other compositions aimed at helping resurrect the vibrations of the love/wisdom spirit humanity is yearning for more of. The Age of Aquarius is upon us and the consciousness is being renewed within many people young and old, some who were here at the early beginnings and some who wish they were and want to participate in it now. To this consciousness’ awakening I “liv-icate” “Destiny of Aquarius” and hope it moves us closer to our planetary dream of Peace Love and Truth….

DUSTBOWL REVIVAL
audio: “That Old Dustbowl”

video: “Riverboat Queen”

The Dustbowl Revival is a Venice, California-based roots collective that merges old school gypsy rhythms with bluegrass, jug-band, jump blues and the hot swing of the 1930’s to form a spicy roots cocktail. Known for their wild, lose-your-troubles live sets, the Dustbowl Revival often features up to ten instruments ranging from fiddle, banjo and mandolin to accordion, tuba, trombone and cornet and plenty of kazoo and washboard for good luck: think Dylan & The Band meets Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes meets Louis Armstrong’s Hot Seven in New Orleans. With upcoming shows reaching from San Francisco to Chicago and Alaska the band has just finished a new EP + Vinyl that was recorded on analog with Raymond Richards (Local Natives, Parson Redheads, Dengue Fever). The record is set to be released in July of 2011.
“With their affinity for new depression blues, dusty ballads about cats, and hillbilly-jazz…they are known to rock a rowdy show. Similar to the new New Orleans scene of young DYI street-folk jazz bands, Dustbowl makes a joyful noise blending all the traditions into one loose celebration of American song.” — Greg Vandy, KEXP 90.3 FM Seattle

EMILY LACY
audio: “Man On The Mountain”
video: “Physics Of Night”

Emily Lacy is a folk and electronic sound artist generating works in music, film, and other media. She has performed in exhibitions at PS1 MOMA, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Hammer Museum, the Walker Art Center and LACMA, in addition to various DIY spaces all throughout America. She works very closely with Machine Project.
“The way Lacy approaches her career makes her a natural fit for the art world—she’s unconcerned with publicity, indifferent to moving product, and prefers reinventing herself between projects to establishing an easily packaged identity. Like many visual artists, she goes through periods of intense focus on a particular technique or motif; to get a sense for the whole of her, you have to take a long view”. — Jessica Hopper for the Chicago Reader, 2011

FABIANO DO NASCIMENTO TRIO
Fabiano, Mia Doi Todd, and Andres Renteria playing Brazilian songs
audio: “Pacha Mama”
video:
Mia Doi Todd & Andres Renteria

Fabiano Do Nascimento

Fabiano do Nascimento is a guitarist and composer from Rio de Janeiro. Born into a musical family, Fabiano began playing guitar at a very young age, mastering the rhythms and melodies of Brazilian folk, choro, bossa nova, samba and jazz.  He moved to Los Angeles in 1999, and has recently joined forced with Los Angeles’ own folk strongholds Mia Doi Todd and Andres Renteria to perform Brazilian spiritual music.

FERRABY LIONHEART
audio: “Pocketknife”
video: “My Name”

After touring his critically acclaimed debut, Catch the Brass Ring (2007), scoring a film and writing songs for Rainn Wilson’s The Rocker, Ferraby moved to Sweden in earch of inspiration for his new album. But when he found no songs in the faraway land, he decided to retreat back to his hometown Nashville, TN and hang around the train tracks where he grew up. “I ordered some microphones from Germany and wrote songs about antique shops and horse races. A friend of mine has a truck and some land out by the Cumberland River. We swim there and sink our feet into the deep mud of the river bed. I also sit in my front yard looking at the chipmunks and crows that hang around. Once a squirrel fell from a power line and lay on the street getting a little flatter each day, until the rain washed him away. And so that’s what the album is about, I suppose. It’s an intricate and emotional meditation on being alive.”

FRANK FAIRFIELD
audio: “Poor Old Lance”

video:

Los Angeles based, folk-traditionalist Frank Fairfield has come a long way in the past few years. Since being discovered playing the city’s sidewalks and signing to New York Folk label Tompkins Square, he has toured the country numerous times. Supporting Fleet Foxes on their 2008 tour, he moved on to play with such acts as Charlie Louvin, Pokey Lafarge, Charlie Parr and Blind Boy Paxton, becoming a popular act at the annual Pickathon festival and appearing on NPR’s Morning Edition. After touring the UK and Europe in the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011, Frank is now back in LA promoting his second album on Tompkins Square Records called “Out on the Open West”. He’s also compiling his next collection of 78 recordings to see release in the fall of 2011 on his recently established Tompkins Square imprint label Pawn Records.
“Fairfield sings with the sort of human moan that you can hear in Doc Watson’s blues or any number of Harry Smith or Alan Lomax’s field recordings. These troubles have never seemed more like Fairfield’s own. Fairfield is worthy of your consideration, even if you’ve never heard or considered the old-time music. He plays with a rare integrity, offering up his life in a way that does exactly what folk music must do—it relates the world as the singer sees it, mixing sadness with sweetness, excitement with low-down and miserable depression. This has nothing to do with genre; hip-hop, jazz and rock all feel this way, too. Like the best of it all, Fairfield’s music seems inexorably real and entirely necessary.”

GHIANT
audio: “A Simple Anthem”
video:

GHIANT is a Los Angeles, CA based folk/indie/experimental music entity, founded by Don Black (of UMIAK) as a solo lo-fi recording project and whose sound is sometimes loud and sometimes quiet but all times tuneful.  GHIANT combines elements of folk music with experimental sounds (via vocal loops and alternative percussion) to make the “band’s” unique sound. Don combined forces with Eric McCann (of The New Amsterdams) on upright bass to provide the live soundtrack to the San Francisco Exquisite Corpse Super 8 film project (LA screening) in 2010 and they enjoyed each others’ company so much that they are continuing to play the GHIANT songbook live together.

JENNY LUNA AND THE MOONDOGS
audio: “Old Countryy”

Born and raised in lovely Pasadena, Jenny Luna is a unique songbird inspired by jazz greats like Billie Holiday and Chet Baker. Accompanied by her Moondogs, this quintet will take you back in time with while they bring old jazz standards back to life.
“”Jenny Luna’s distinct voice is unmistakable, while she draws inspiration from the great elegant soulful vocalists of classic jazz her ability to embrace and caress a melody is truly rare.” — Cafe 322

JULIA HOLTER
audio: “Try To Make Yourself A Work Of Art”
video: “Live At Human Resources Gallery”

MATT TAYLOR & HIS LAURELS

audio: “Just A Dream”
video: “John Prine cover at Bordello”

Matt Taylor is a songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, scrapper and part-time mechanic living on the outskirts of Los Angeles.  Olentangy John Atzberger is an actor, playwright, singer, songwriter, and skilled operator of anything with strings.  Elizabeth Ross Eggert is a welder, metal worker, fabricator, draftswoman, carpenter, farmer, sculptor, cat enthusiast, singer and, most recently, percussionist.  Somehow, in the winter of 2011, they found the time to play some songs together.  It went well.  Now a group in earnest, they make music that’s at once fresh and familiar, moving easily between traditions and time periods but never straying from their essential vision; no matter its trajectory at any particular time, it’s music which remains, patently and unerringly, American.  Their first record, “That Low, Lonesome Sound,” (produced and recorded by head 44 R.T. Valine), was released in June.
“I was entranced by their potent blend of country twang and traditional folk sensibility. Matt Taylor’s rich vocal work intertwines with well-crafted instrumentation, forming a mellow but rousing tribute to artists as various as John Prine and Sam Cooke.” — SynergyZine

NASAMBU & THE MYSTIC NOMADS
audio: “Pesa Mpya”

video: “Aziz”

Nasambu and the Mystic Nomads based in Los Angeles, CA take World Soul Music to a fresh new realm, infusing African music with jazz, reggae, latin and funk grooves that bring crowds to the dance floor while the soul stirring lyrics and melodies depict the realities of today’s mystic nomads. While embracing the rich musical traditions of Kenya, the band artistically showcases the diverse backgrounds of the Mystic Nomad members, coming through the streets of Jamaica and the Congo, dancing into the bustling Zocalos of Mexico and the villages of Kenya to create a stunning new global fusion in Southern California. Widely acclaimed for her dynamic live performances, Nasambu is a Kenyan Soul singer, songwriter, and dancer who has captivated audiences around the world with her passion for grassroots community development and sustainable living with the earth.
“With the distinct styles featured throughout the show, the vibe of the night definitely illustrated the cultural diversity of Los Angeles as a whole.” Elias Kamal Jabbe, African Rhythms Take Over Los Angeles.

RADICAL FACE
audio: “Doorways”

video: “Welcome Home”

Don’t be fooled by Ben Cooper’s understated voice and the simple beginnings. Each song builds in layers much like the depth of its characters. Based on a fictitious, sometimes otherworldly family in the 1800’s, Ben limited the songwriting [for his new album] to instruments that would have been accessible in that era – piano, acoustic guitar, a floor tom, and voices – only bringing in additional instruments during tracking when needed. Concepts and stories come naturally to Ben, whom before turning to music wrote fiction. He switched to music after a hard drive crash where he lost his two nearly completed novels. Three albums dissecting a family and its descendants from the 19th and 20th centuries might seem outlandish to most, but for an artist whose history involves giving away complete records exclusively in exchange for mailing him “anything but money”, we can expect no less. One half of the band Electric President and with side projects like Clone, Mothers Basement and Patients, [Radical Face has the most Youtube hits for one video than anyone that’s ever played a folk fest event, aside from John C. Reilly]. The Radical Face track “Welcome Home” has garnered over 5 million youtube views. It appeared as the soundtrack for the I AM NIKON campaign and in such movies as Humboldt County, The Vicious Kind and the Reel Rock Documentary. Current TV who nationally aired a documentary piece on Radical Face in 2008. Most recently Ben has also lent his music to support the “It Gets Better” Google Chrome Campaign and the “Ride 4 Water” charity raising funds for clean drinking water in Africa. Typically shying from traditional live performances, Radical Face is teaming up with choirs and charities around the US for a series of interesting shows surrounding the release of “The Family Tree: The Roots”, due out this fall.
“The wordless chorus to Radical Face’s “Welcome Home” is maybe the most joyful piece of music you’ll hear all year, as effortlessly buoyant as Grizzly Bear, as ecstatically non-linear as Animal Collective.” —PopMatters

RAMONA GONZALEZ
AKA Nite Jewel, performing solo
audio: “Falling Far”

video: “We Want Our Things”

California native Ramona Gonzalez first began her transcendent minimalist dance-pop escapades in the privacy of her own home in Los Angeles. With the aid of her multitrack cassette recorder and whatever keyboards, drum machines, and other instruments that were available to her, she very quickly developed her own unique sound and began performing live in the L.A. area under the moniker Nite Jewel. Later teaming up with Cole M. Greif-Neill (formerly of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti), the Nite Jewel act became four piece live act, touring alongside the likes of Little Dragon, DaM FunK, and James Blake. The Nite Jewel sound has been likened to that of a warped, lo-fi version of Late-80’s Freestyle Electro sensation Debbie Deb and has also found appeal among not just the ‘indie rock’ & ‘experimental’ crowd but also among avid listeners of hip hop, funk, disco, & soul [and folk!]. While very fond of these aforementioned genres and artists, Nite Jewel gathers much of her inspiration from the likes of L.A. Free Music Society’s experimentalist Tom Recchion, obscure UK new age electro-acoustic duo Woo, and the sublime ambient electronic music of groups like Germany’s Cluster and Italy’s Sensations Fix. Nite Jewel never hesitates, however, to cite 90’s R&B pop groups such as TLC & SWV as influences who left an indelible mark on her music sensibilities as a teenager. In 2009, Nite Jewel self-released her debut album Good Evening, recorded with the assistance of longtime collaborator Cole M. Greif-Neill. Good Evening was met with critical acclaim and was taste-making record store Other Music’s fourth top-seller of 2009. In summer of 2010, Nite Jewel received critical acclaim for a remix of Caribou’s “Odessa” and of “Die Slow” by noise rock band HEALTH. In August 2010, Nite Jewel released a six song EP in August 2010 entitled Am I Real?, in collaboration with Cole M. Greif-Neill and Daniel and Andrew Aged from Teen Inc.. Nite Jewel signed to Secretly Canadian in June 2011. Nite Jewel is currently collaborating with DaM-FunK, among others, and working on her second album set for release in the winter of 2012.

RT N’ THE 44′s
audio: “The Last Goodbye”
video: “Lost My Way”

RUTHANN FRIEDMAN
audio: “Chinatown”
video: “Chinatown”

Ruthann Friedman is an enduring gem, a jewel in the headband of 60s culture. She radiates a particular color in the rainbow arc and, with a serious clutch of songs, defines an exact space and time. As a determined musician – her smooth and undulating vocal line is combined with polished stone-washed lyrical poetry. Her legend starts with Windy.  The Association took it on and pushed it to the top of the charts in 1967. For Ruthann, Windy was a guy. For The Association, it was Ruthann. Lots of guys really got it about Ruthann. Some really got it about guys with stormy eyes.

SPACE COMES SOFT
psychedelic country by Anna Oxygen and Tamala Poljak
audio: “Sorry I Went To Your Room”

Space Comes Soft is a collaboration between Anna Oxygen and Tamala Poljak.
Tamala is a native Angelino who’s roots began in the underground punk and experimental noise community. In 1991, she was a founding member of the seminal punk/noise band, Oiler, and later fronted LA’s queer-core band, Longstocking. Additional collaborations/projects include Exene Cervenka, Phranc and collaborations with numerous Kill Rock Stars and K records bands including Team Dresch and The Need.  In addition to Space Comes Soft she currently has another band called ‘Other’ with her partner Paloma Parfrey,  and is working on a solo record of songs and sounds  under the name NAPS.
Anna is a musician and performance artist who has released several  albums, most recently “This is an Exercise” on Kill Rock Stars. She has toured nationally and internationally with her solo work and is a founding member of Performance group Cloud Eye Control.  She has performed at PS1 MOMA, The Seattle Art Museum, EXIT Festival in PARIS, the REDCAT in LA and the Design Museum in Gothenburg Sweden among many others.  She often infuses quirky and fantastical narrative into her performances and in her free time likes to make psychedelic aerobics videos and rudimentary  cartoon drawings.

SPINDRIFT
audio: “When I Was Free”

video: “When I Was Free”

Spindrift, California’s psychedelic spaghetti western pioneers, have built their career on American mythology and cinematic drama.  Appropriating the legacy of Ennio Morricone, The Sons of The Pioneers, and Johnny Western, they make it their own with flavors of The Doors, Joe Meek, and Lee Hazlewood & Nancy Sinatra. The band’s defining moment was singer Kirpatrick Thomas’s 2001 cross-country odyssey as he transplanted from Newark, Delaware to Los Angeles: exploring the west in a furious, music-filled rocket blast, like Lewis and Clark led by Hunter S. Thompson, fueled by the blaring soundtrack to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.  When he finally touched down in his new home, he drew from the talent that he found in LA’s psychedelic rock scene to form a new incarnation of the band that would share his vision of a new style of western music. Over the next few years, the band began touring relentlessly with modern psychedelic luminaries like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Dandy Warhols, The Black Angels, and Dead Meadow. The band makes use of an array of instruments, including guitar, organ, drums, bass, pedal steel, baritone guitar, flute, autoharp, sitar, tablas, and the versatile voices of Thomas and keyboardist Sasha Vallely.

STONE DARLING
audio: “Long Black Veil”

video: “We’re Through”

“The combination of sweet, dreamy vocals and fuzzy guitar can be a home run if the balance is just right and these ladies seem to have nailed it.” -KCRW

THE STEVENSON RANCH DAVIDIANS
audio: “Getting By”

video: “Nature Boy”

This four member band is fronted by Dwayne (lead singer, rhythm guitarist and lyricist) and accompanied by Jessica (bassist/organist), Matt (lead guitars) and Bryan (drums). The SRD’s manufacture catchy and sometimes dark tunes and have built upon the foundations of seasoned blues artists and the bands of the psychedelic eras, both past and present, to carve a niche unique to themselves and their generation—“When you’re in between everything, what does anything mean?” Existential concepts and thought is riddled throughout the entirety of their music. It is a sermon that previous generations may find cold and dark as our fathers scratch their heads pacing the floors of their suburban homes pondering its significance, but truly, the message echoes the voice of a generation that is transfixed on realism and aware of the cruxes of life rather than a hope for a long-shot miracle. Rooted deeply in their music, is a clear appreciation of life’s peaks and lulls. Having licensed their debut album to the German label “Beyond Your Mind Records”, the Davidians celebrated the release of “Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs” in May of 2007 in 16 E.U. nations.
“Their music’s psychedelic to the core, but rather than inciting apocalyptic visions it spins dreamy fantasies of better days.”
— Pasadena Weekly

TOMMY SANTEE KLAWS
audio: “Late Bloomer”

video: “Through These Woods”

“[Tommy Santee Klaws’] folk music is at once raw yet sophisticated, arranged with acoustic guitar, mandolin, upright bass, violin, percussion and an array of musical accents provided by Donna Jo. Like Felix the cat with his magical bag of tricks, she pulls out a seemingly endless variety of accompaniments – a tiny toy drum kit, toy piano, a baby xylophone, slide whistle and things I can’t even assign a name to. While, this, at first glance looks like more of a quirky stage affectation, it certainly is not. Each sound further enhances the evocative music they are creating. At the center of all of this is Tommy and apart from the fact that the songwriting is superb, his voice is central to what is happening here. His vocal style has a patina of sadness and yearning. Like Scott Hutchinson of Frightened Rabbit or Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Tommy’s voice with one plaintive wail can embrace your heart.” — American Pancake

TRIPLE CHICKEN FOOT
leading a Square Dance!
audio: “Citaco”

video: “Sounds Of The Reunion”

Triple Chicken Foot is an Old Time trio playing early American fiddle and banjo tunes and songs.  With Ben Guzmán on fiddle/mandolin, Mike Heinle on banjo and Kelly Marie Martin on guitar and all three singing, they have found their voice with foot stomping dance tunes, beautiful duets and intense three part harmony acapella ballads.  This music’s tradition is a social one, so in addition to performing, they host monthly old time jams in Silverlake and Historic Filipinotown and have been throwing square dances in all kinds of nooks and crannies around LA with callers Susan Michaels and Cory Marie Podielski.  They also produce the yearly festival, The Los Angeles Old Time Social. Bust down, it’s a Squarevolution!
“…A fantastic trio that impressed equally with superb vocal harmonies and virtuoso musicianship. The old-time string band’s fast-paced set allowed Ben Guzman (fiddle, mandolin), Mike Heinle (banjo) and Kelly Marie Martin (guitar) to solo across a wide range of Americana and roots music.” —Orange County Register

VERY BE CAREFUL
audio: “Sebastiani”
video: “Live At Sunset Junction ft I&I Soundsystem”

YELLOW RED SPARKS
audio: “My Machine Gun”

video: “Live At Sol Art Radio”

Yellow Red Sparks started off as the solo acoustic moniker for singer-songwriter Joshua Hanson a few years back in the small village of Green Tree, California. In 2009, Joshua self released an EP on iTunes entitled, “Simply Put ME In YOUR Place”. The vocals and guitars for the EP were recorded live and the entire approach for the record was simple and with minimal production. Since then, YRS has evolved into a 3 piece indie folk band and has created a sound of their own. The band consists of Joshua (vocals and acoustic guitar), Goldy (drums and vocals) and SJ (upright bass, piano, vocals and banjo). They are currently finishing up their full length record, tentatively titled, “Four Steps In Corsets”. Yellow Red Sparks creates music with a timeless feel, a strong emphasis on lyrical content and also provides the listener with an open and honest perspective to raw universal emotions that come with the everyday trials of life.
“They contradict every aspect of shallow monotony that so many of us have grown numb to. YRS’s music matches their attitudes: kind, subtle, and thought provoking… accompanied by Josh Hanson’s melodic voice projecting his dark and riveting lyrics.” — Tonality Magazine

SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES COMING SOON…

August 6, 2011 — Doors at 1pm / Music at 2pm — Zorthian Ranch, 3990 Fair Oaks Ave, Altadena, 91001

***VISIT THE LINEUP***

***BUY TICKETS***

The 2nd New Los Angeles Folk Festival is a fun filled day of music and entertainment at Zorthian Ranch, a surreal hideaway at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, just 15 miles from downtown Los Angeles.

Guests will follow a map across 45 acres of junkyard treasures to experience live music by almost thirty bands performed on natural stages provided by the property itself. Spend the day roaming the grounds with llamas and turkeys, visit art installations embedded in Zorthian’s junk & old car sculpture garden, splash in the pool overlooking miles of trees, then picnic beside a giant blue head before hitting up a square dance in the horse ring. Echo Country Outpost is contributing a 50 foot waterslide. There will be complimentary O.N.E. coconut water for all guests.