Get Back To Your Folk & Roots

By Sarah Cobarrubias in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 8, 2011 3:20PM

Teaching and honoring American and international music traditions is a year-round job for the Old Town School of Folk Music, but every summer it takes to the park for two days of play - the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival. The fest returns this weekend for its 14th year, filling Welles Park with the sound of music you’ll probably only hear once in your life.

The fest features a handful of performance spaces across the park, but the main stage is, naturally, the main attraction. As usual, it showcases an eclectic array of music: bluegrass, hip-hop, rockabilly, reggae, Cajun, and an assortment of traditional styles spanning the globe.

Saturday kicks off with the Midwest Invitational Fiddle Contest and goes on to feature notable acts like New Orleans brass band kingpin Glen David Andrews and Cajun music collective the Lost Bayou Ramblers. The night closes with the soulful blues rock of Texan Delbert McClinton.

But Sunday’s the highlight of the fest, featuring a knockout lineup of international acts. It starts out wholesome with Wiggleworms and Special Music By Special People, but takes a turn for the worldly with a set by the Megitza Quartet, the Chicago-based Eastern European folk and gypsy band.

And straight through night are a handful of rare, indigenous acts from around the globe, including Jamaican vocal group The Itals, Congolese hip-hop artist Baloji, and Haitian composer BèlO who fuses reggae, jazz and Vodou rhythms. We’re most excited to see Bombino, a Tuareg guitarist who brings to stage the striking desert blues of Saharan Africa shaped largely by the Tuareg revolution in the ‘90s. Check out the full lineup below.

In addition to the main stage, there’s a kids tent, a dance tent with lessons in various dance styles, and a staff stage where the employees of the Old Town School perform for your listening (dis)pleasure. The Welles Park Gazebo will feature interactive performances where you’re encouraged to sing along or bring along an instrument. As for food and drink, Lincoln Ave will be lined with vendors offering local fare.

Chicago Folk & Roots Festival is Saturday and Sunday, July 9 and 10 at Welles Park, 4400 N Lincoln, noon-10 p.m. both days, $10 suggested donation or $5 for seniors and kids

Main Stage Lineup

Saturday, July 9
9th Annual Midwest Invitational Fiddle Contest - 12:30pm
The Schticklers - 1:40pm
Aloha Lives - 2:10pm
Los Condenados Huastecos - 2:40pm
Mountain Heart - 3:15pm
Glen David Andrews - 4:30pm
Lost Bayou Ramblers - 5:45pm
Rosie Flores & Friends - 7:00pm
Delbert McClinton - 8:30pm

Sunday, July 10
Wiggleworms - 12:00pm
Special Music By Special People - 12:45pm
Megitza Quartet - 1:20pm
Grupo Rebolú - 2:05pm
Bombino - 3:05pm
The Abyssinians - 4:05pm
BélO - 5:05pm
Soul Sonic Sirkus - 6:10pm
Baloji - 7:15pm
Maraca - 8:30pm