January 26-27, 2007
Hill Auditorium

Yeah, I went to a folk music festival. Not being a folk music lover of any degree, I didn’t expect to fully entertained. But man, I really had fun. The performers were all very talented musicians. Of all the amazing artists we watched, I have my favorites:

Jeff Daniels – Okay, he was actually the emcee, but he was great! He filled the time between acts with stories of his ironic experiences and lively blues songs (about his funny ironic experiences.) I sometimes wished he’d keep playing and just let the next act wait another five minutes.

Millish – This band was so cool. It was like… Irish… jazz. Check it out on iTunes – Hungry Man #1. Rockin’ song.

Jackie Greene – One heckuva talented blues kid. He’s got a beautiful rocker voice.

Kiyoshi Nagata Ensemble – Taiko (Japanese drum) group. They gave an astounding performance that was as mind-blowing to watch as it was to listen.

Rufus Wainwright – Friday night’s headliner. Charming New Yorker. He performed as though in a daze, even ad-libbing in middle of a song, but he was absolutely captivating. His music was easy to love.

Over the Rhine – The first half of their set had a sultry jazz lounge-y feel that I really enjoyed. Ironically, I overheard some people in the row ahead of us say that they didn’t like their style at all.

All in all, I’m so glad I went. I was exposed to a whole new branch of music that I think I can enjoy.