Five musical acts join together tomorrow to stretch the limits of folk while staying true to the genre's classic roots at the Ohio Winter Folk Festival.
The performers at the festival include San Francisco-based Vetiver, three Columbus bands: The Black Swans, Super Desserts and Moon High, and Athens-based musician Adam Torres.
Vetiver will be headlining the festival, which will be held at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville.
The music they make is in the vein of psychedelic folk
said Brian Koscho, marketing and promotions coordinator for Stuart's.
The three Columbus bands, although not as widely known as Vetiver, have gained popularity in both Athens and Columbus, according to Koscho.
All three of the bands from Columbus come down to Athens and play a lot he said. They are all bands that are making interesting music; they may be on small labels but they are worth seeing.
Although the festival is all about folk, the bands playing at the show were chosen because they push the limits of the genre.
This particular group of bands is not of the Peter
Paul and Mary traditional folk world; we wanted to go to the outer regions of the genre a little more
Koscho said.
Finding bands that play different variations of the folk genre was not hard considering the fact folk music does not have a solid definition. Most songwriters have their own differing views of what the genre really is, Koscho said.
Vetiver singer/songwriter Andy Cabic said he tries to write folk music that is memorable.
I have fun trying to write catchy memorable songs that stand up against repeated listening
he said. I really enjoy writing something that holds up and fits into people's lives in a way that is memorable and lasting.
To Ryan Wells of Moon High, folk music is about being memorable but also about the connections people make when sharing it.
There is a lot of music out there that is made to just get up on a stage or to get famous or rich
and I think folk music has more to do with people getting together and playing together and singing together. It's about the connections
he said.
The festival will also include a DIY Craft Fair and music swap meet, through which people can buy and sell music and crafts.
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