Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival

The fifth annual Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival will be held at Lake Farm County Park, in Madison on August 1 and 2, 2008. This year’s festival will be featuring blues, gospel, western swing, old-time country, bluegrass, Cajun and gypsy swing music, highlighting the diversity of traditional American music. However, the festival will also show some of the diversity of traditional music in America. Tani Diakite (born in southern Mali and living in Madison) and the Malian Blues band will perform original songs on hand-made West African instruments. Other artists are: North Country Drifters, Swing Gitan, Charlie Parr, Goose Island Ramblers, Adam Tanner Duo, Mike Seeger, Bluegrass Boys, Cajun Strangers, and Deanna Varagona's Gospel Jubilee
It is one of the most unique music events in Wisconsin, encouraging close interaction between artists and attendees with lots of opportunities to learn about traditional music. Workshops enable traditional music fans to learn directly from the artists in a relaxed atmosphere. These workshops include: banjo instruction by one of traditional music’s legendary performers, Mike Seeger. Also, Grammy-award winning mandolin player Mike Compton will conduct a workshop on the mandolin styles of Bill Monroe.

Kids will also enjoy the festival: the stage will feature children’s artists Dave Landau on both Friday and Saturday and the Chickadees on Saturday. Kids 12 and under are admitted free.

Musicians are encouraged to get together and play in the “jam tent.”

Tickets are available online at www.sugarmaplefest.org, and in Madison at Exclusive Company State Street, Whole Foods, Spruce Tree Music, and Willy Street Co-op.

Please join us! More information is available at SugarMapleFest.org

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