For Immediate Release

23rd Annual Tucson Folk Festival

May 3 - 4, 2008

The Tucson Kitchen Musicians' Association (TKMA) presents the family-friendly Tucson Folk Festival, one of the largest free festivals in the United States. Over 100 local, regional and national acts will perform on Saturday and Sunday, May 3 - 4, offering continuous live music featuring folk, blues, Celtic, bluegrass, folk-rock, world, gospel, and Cajun rhythms. Each year, more than 10,000 music fans make their way downtown to enjoy a wide variety of music performed on five stages.

The downtown venues are within easy walking distance from the corner of Church and Alameda, allowing for many musical choices. The Plaza Stage is at El Presidio Park; the Courtyard Stage is on the lawn of the Pima County Courthouse. The Museum Stage is at the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA); the Old Town Artisans (OTA) stage is located in the courtyard of the Old Town Artisans complex at 201 North Court Avenue, adjacent to TMA.  The New Artists Stage is located next to the Superior Court Building, just west of Church. 

The 2008 Folk Festival kicks off at noon on Saturday, May 3, with a full day of music on four stages, plus workshops, a ballad tree song circle and the annual Songwriters Competition. The day culminates at El Presidio Park with Saturday’s headliner, Marley’s Ghost on the Plaza Stage at 9:00 p.m.

Sunday's fun begins at 11:00 a.m. with another full day of music on five stages, including an interactive children’s show featuring Billy Jonas making music with all kinds of “found objects.”  The New Artists Stage, located just west of Church and south of the vendor area in El Presidio Park, will also host a full day of music performed by talented young artists under the age of 18.  Workshops continue through Sunday in two locations on the festival grounds; the Gospel Singalong takes place early in the day, as does an Instrument Exchange from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Old Town Artisans. At 8:00 p.m. the Plaza Stage will be the place to hear the phenomenal Ruthie Foster.

TKMA is partnering once again with community radio, KXCI 91.3 FM, which will air the festival on a one-hour tape delay from the Plaza Stage.  Popular local on-air celebrities, Carol Anderson and Mike Landwehr, will again co-host the broadcast. 

TKMA President Susan Liechti notes: "The Tucson Folk Festival has a long history of showcasing some of Tucson's talented local musicians as well as outstanding national headliners. It is important to keep a festival like this free to the public so members of our community can be exposed to musical forms they may not have access to otherwise."

The 2008 Tucson Folk Festival is free and fun for the whole family. A smorgasbord of quality food and craft vendors provide food and drink at both El Presidio Park and the Tucson Museum of Art. The schedule for all events will be available in the program at the festival; visit www.TKMA.org for the latest Tucson Folk Festival updates.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Additional Festival Information:

The Tucson Kitchen Musicians' Association will be posting updates, photos, artist bios, and a full schedule of events on www.TKMA.org as artists are confirmed and schedules are finalized. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the all-volunteer TKMA and generous contributions from sponsors, the Tucson Folk Festival has been free to the public for 23 years.  

Highlights of this year’s Tucson Folk Festival features interactive events for all ages including:

• Pre-Festival Party Kick-off, Friday, May 2, 2008, Old Town Artisans.
• Sunday children’s show with Billy Jonas, who will perform an additional set on Sunday that will appeal to an adult/general audience. 
• A smorgasbord of quality food and craft vendors at El Presidio and the TMA.
• Sunday's New Artists Stage at El Presidio Park features emerging local artists under the age of 18.
• Songwriting Competition, Saturday, 12:00 -2:00 p.m. on the Museum Stage.
• Workshops offered on Saturday and Sunday on the festival grounds in a variety of instrumental, songwriting, and singing techniques. Saturday's Headliner Marley’s Ghost will host a workshop on Sunday afternoon. 
• Sunday Gospel Singalong.   
• Interactive Ballad Tree Song Circle, Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 – 4:00 p.m.
• Tape-delayed broadcast from the Plaza Stage on community radio, KXCI 91.3 FM, with Carol Anderson and Mike Landwehr co-hosting all weekend.

Past years' headliners have included: Richie Havens, Rory Block, Tish Hinojosa, Jimmy LaFave, Odetta, Guy Clark, Al Stewart, Tim O'Brien, Chris Smither, Karla Bonoff, David Wilcox, Laura Love, Hans Olson, Rosie Flores, John Cowan Band, Austin Lounge Lizards, Aztec Two Step, Bill Miller, Terri Hendrix, Joyce Andersen and Harvey Reid. 

2008 Headliner Information:

Saturday, 9:00 -10:00 p.m., Marley's Ghost will perform on the Plaza Stage; they will also offer a Sunday workshop and Sunday performance with time and stage to be announced. Marley's Ghost is well known for their instrumental virtuosity, ultra-tight four-part harmonies and animated live performances. Band members Dan Wheetman, Jon Wilcox, Mike Phelan and Ed Littlefield, Jr. celebrate their twentieth year as a unit in 2008 with their eighth album "Spooked", their first full-fledged national release.  Like the band itself, it’s musically sophisticated, thematically rich, and a frequently hilarious piece of work. (www.marleysghost.com).

Sunday, 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. Ruthie Foster will perform on the Plaza Stage. All across North America and Europe, Ruthie Foster is winning thousands of new fans a night, selling a staggering average of 100 CDs per show. Foster mixes contemporary folk with old-school gospel and blues with dazzling efficiency, showcasing a powerhouse voice that draws favorable comparisons to the likes of Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald. On her newly released 5th album, "The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster", the evocative lyricism of her own tunes is clearly the work of an experienced craftsperson. (http://www.rosebudus.com/) 

Billy Jonas will perform a family/adult show on Saturday and children's show on Sunday (stage and times to be announced). Billy Jonas has been creating his heartwarming music since 1987. At prestigious festivals and venues nationwide, he has shared the stage with the likes of Ani DiFranco, Richard Thompson, and Pete Seeger. Many of Jonas' original pieces are played on fanciful "industrial re-percussion" instruments made from found objects. Expect to be involved, inspired, enlightened and certainly entertained by the explosion of energy as Billy Jonas seeks to honor the creative energy in everyone - kids and adults alike. (www.billyjonas.com)

For more press information or photo requests please contact Elaine Schramm at 520-822-5259.