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BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet

Founded in 1975, BeauSoleil is led and fronted by its outstanding fiddle player and singer, Michael Doucet. More than 35 years 20 albums after the release of their first album in 1977, they have become one of the most beloved and well-known bands performing traditional and original music rooted in the folk tunes of the Creole and Cajun people of Louisiana. And oh yeah, they are a fabulous dance band too! TKMA is excited to have their band as our Saturday night headliner. Winners of almost as many awards as they have albums, BeauSoleil has also pushed past constraints of purely traditional instrumentation, rhythm, and lyrics of Louisiana folk music, incorporating elements of rock-and-roll, jazz, blues, calypso, and other genres in original compositions and reworkings of traditional tunes. Their presentation is also an example of diversity and multi-culturism at it’s best with lyrics being sung in English or Cajun French (and sometimes both in one song).

Although Michael Doucet did not originally intend to pursue performing Cajun music, a turning point came when he was awarded a Folk Arts Apprenticeship by the National Endowment for the Arts. “I had planned to go to graduate school in New Mexico to study the Romantic poets,” he recalls on the Vanguard Records web site. “Instead I traded William Blake for Dewey Balfa.” While it’s hard to imagine Doucet doing anything else when he’s on stage, he also uses the performance to educate and offer some insight into traditional Cajun culture. On stage, Doucet is joined by his brother David on guitar, Jimmy Breaux on accordion, Billy Ware and Tommy Alesi on percussion, and Mitchell Reed on bass and fiddle. A frequent performer on Garrison Keilor’s A Prairie Home Companion, BeauSoleil is also no stranger to the big and small screen, having appeared in various movie soundtracks (The Big Easy, Belizaire the Cajun, Passion Fish) as well as being featured on Austin City Limits and Late Night with Conan Obrien.

Several years ago when she was just beginning to play her own songs in front of people, Sabra Faulk played to about 50 scattered individuals, mostly family and friends, in the heat of the noon-day sun as the Tucson Folk Festival's third or fourth act of the day. In a word, she killed, thrilling those in attendance with a performance for the ages. Last year, playing just before Tony Furtado (Saturday's headliner) she completely captivated two or three thousand with a performance that earned her and her all-star band top billing at this year's fest.

At 42 years of age, you could say she's a bit of a late bloomer, but ah, what a bloom! After years of toiling in country bars and honky tonks as a go-to bass player, she eventually began to be drawn more to blues and funk which has also begun to define her original material. Her recent release, Acoustic Angel, is an exceptional follow-up to her debut effort, 28 Churches, Five Bars. But don't expect this performance to be limited to those tunes as her festival set promises to be laced with an array of brand new songs as well, as she seems to just be hitting her stride as a songwriter.

TKMA Is Pleased To Welcome Back Two Headliners From Past Years To Play Encore Sets At This Year's Festival

Following up his performance as last year's headliner, award-winning Americana singer-songwriter Kevin Pakulis returns to the Plaza Stage with Amy Langley Saturday night at 8:00. Kevin is a shining light in the Tucson music scene. His tight, edgy, guitar-driven compositions, delivered with plenty of raw energy, received national and international attention with the release of his debut album Yeah Yeah Yeah in 2004. No Depression magazine put it most succinctly in their review: “His music represents the best of a genre.” Kevin's songwriting ranges from introspective and reflective to satirical and political, from rocking blues anthems to quiet acoustic pieces. Whatever the message or the sound, the constant is the soulful honesty of the art. Anyone who has ever been to Tucson in the summer cannot help but sing along when they hear the lines from the chorus of the title track to Yeah Yeah Yeah: “It's hot here, hot as hell here, swamp cooler and a cold beer,” a bluesy haiku on the Southwestern summer. Amy Langley's rich and versatile vocals add a new shade to Kevin's already colorful songs. With a deep connection to the songs of the American West, when she and Kevin hooked up around the blazing glory of a ranch campfire, they knew they had created a magical synergy.

25th Anniversary headliner John Coinman is an award winning singer/songwriter who was born and raised on the Northeastern plains of New Mexico. He's released 5 solo CDs, had numerous songs in films, and collaborated with many artists and writers including John Densmore of The Doors, James Intveld, Amy Rigby, Tony Gilkyson, Michael Blake, Teddy Morgan, and Kevin Costner. He was the Music Supervisor of Dances With Wolves. John is signed with Corazong Records headquartered in Amsterdam and Nashville. He is currently recording and touring with Kevin Costner and Modern West. He lives in the desert outside of Tucson, Arizona with his wife Jo, his son Will and their faithful dog Ranger. John returns to the Plaza Stage Sunday night at 7:30.

We Are Also Proud To Welcome These Special Guests

Ernest Troost is an Emmy-award-winning film and television composer and a recipient of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk award for his songwriting. He also composed and produced two award-winning albums of songs for Judy Collins using the words of Emily Dickinson, Robert Browning, Gertrude Stein, and others.

Ernest’s stunning new album, Ernest Troost Live at McCabe’s, recorded at the legendary California folk venue in 2011, captures an evening of Ernest’s songs that builds from solo performance to full band. His evocative style combines folk and Piedmont-blues-style guitar picking with timeless stories and colorful character portrayals drawn from the American past and present. His three albums have been a hit with critics and Americana music fans alike. Ernest is a classic triple threat excelling as a songwriter, guitarist and singer. He made his Tucson Folk Fest debut in 2010 and TKMA is delighted he has accepted our invitation to perform as a special guest in this year’s festival.

In addition to presenting the Children’s Show, Northern Arizona folk icon Tony Norris will perform an all-ages set on the Plaza Stage at 5:30 pm on Saturday night.

No western entertainer does it all with the warmth and wit of Tony Norris. Based in Flagstaff, he is a regular at storytelling festivals, cowboy poetry gatherings, schools, campfires, and corporate conferences. Young and old alike are captivated by his homespun charm and rich tenor voice. With the accompaniment of his big Martin guitar and healthy doses of humor, he invites the adventurous spirit in each of us to leave the everyday world behind and journey into the old West. His concerts are for those who want to hear the old songs, learn about the West, relax and have a good time.