Annie Bartholomew, KTOO

Thursday night eight Juneau vocalists will blend their voices together on the Folk Fest stage. The all-female ensemble made up of Rashah McChesney, Kylyn Machier,  Celia Montalto, Elizabeth Ekins, Alyssa Abrams, Cate Ross, Cameron Brockett and Taylor Vidic are appropriately named Queens.  KTOO Arts intern Jack Sanders has this audio postcard from rehearsal earlier this spring with all eight members, and Abrams’ baby.

Queens performs Thursday night at 8:45 p.m. on the Centennial Hall stage and Friday at the KXLL Showcase beginning at 10 p.m. at the Hangar Ballroom.

Irish folk music duo The Murphy Beds of New York, are this year’s Guest Artist for the 43^rd annual Alaska Folk Festival. Jefferson Hamer and Eamon O’Leary  are known for their close harmonies and dynamic arrangements featuring guitar, bouzouki  and Mandolin. Together they reinvent traditional folk songs with a repertoire from Scotland, England, America, and write original tunes.

The Murphy Beds’ first set is Thursday at 8 p.m. They’ll also be leading workshops throughout the weekend, host a dance at the JACC, and will close the festival at 9 p.m. Sunday.

It’s not hard to find something to do during the Alaska Folk Festival, but this year we tried to make it easy and list your favorite venue schedules all in one place. As these things go, we’ll be updating the schedule daily with changes, new events, and start times as we learn more.

Wednesday

• Tiny Post Office Concert Featuring The Quaintrelles & Nicole Church at 7:00 p.m. at the Kindred Post
• Club Baby Seal at 7:00 & 9:00, Wendy Hladick & Mark Schultz at 8:00 at The Listening Room at the Hangar Ballroom 
• Sam Burrous from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at  Rockwell
• Open Mic with Alex K from 9:00 p.m. at the Rendezvous

Thursday

• Emma Hill and Kat Moore & Amund and the Sweaters at 7:00 p.m. at The Listening Room at the Hangar Ballroom 
• Rumblefish at 9:00 p.m. at the Rendezvous
• Bluegrass Holiday at 9:30 p.m. at the Red Dog Saloon
• Louie’s Residency featuring Annie B. Good and The Quaintrelles in Douglas
• Open Mic at the Alaskan Hotel & Bar

Friday

• KXLL Showcase with Goldwing, The Quaintrelles, QUEENS, Nicole Church & Jacob Pickard at 10:00 p.m. at The Listening Room at the Hangar Ballroom 
•  Ryan Bowers And The Brain Trust, The Lost Lakers, The Cheapest Key & Open Mic at 7:00  at The Listening Room at the Hangar Ballroom 
• North Country Cajun Club at the Alaskan Hotel & Bar
• Hannah Yoter Band & The Norris Bowers Band at 9:30 p.m. at the Red Dog Saloon
• Big Chimney Barn Dance at 10:00 p.m. at the Rendezvous

Saturday

• Pastor Lunchmeat and the Pimentos at 9:30 p.m. at the Red Dog Saloon
• Raisin Holy Hell at 10:00 p.m. at the Rendezvous
• The Great American Bluegrass Band at the Alaskan Hotel & Bar
• Bad Babes & Banjos at 8:00 at Rockwell

Sunday

• Tod Grebe & Cold Country at 9:30 p.m. at the Red Dog Saloon
• The Norris Bowers Band at the Alaskan Hotel & Bar

Alaskan Hotel & Bar

• Thursday – Open Mic
• Friday – North Country Cajun Club
• Saturday – The Great American Bluegrass Band
• Sunday – The Norris Bowers Band

 

Hangar Ballroom

• Wednesday – Club Baby Seal at 7:00 & 9:00, Wendy Hladick & Mark Schultz at 8:00
• Thursday – Emma Hill and Kat Moore & Amund and the Sweaters at 7:00 p.m.
• Friday – KXLL Showcase featuring: Goldwing, The Quaintrelles, QUEENS, Nicole Church & Jacob Pickard at 10:00 p.m.
  • Ryan Bowers And The Brain Trust, The Lost Lakers, The Cheapest Key & Open Mic at 7:00

 

Red Dog Saloon

• Thursday – Bluegrass Holiday at 9:30 p.m.
• Friday –  Hannah Yoter Band & The Norris Bowers Band at 9:30 p.m.
• Saturday – Pastor Lunchmeat and the Pimentos at 9:30 p.m.
• Sunday – Tod Grebe & Cold Country at 9:30 p.m.

 

The Rendezvous

• Wednesday – Open Mic with Alex K from 9:00 p.m.
• Thursday – Rumblefish at 9:00 p.m.
• Friday – Big Chimney Barn Dance at 10:00 p.m.
• Saturday – Raisin Holy Hell at 10:00 p.m.

 

Juneau songwriter George Kuhar plays in the band Playboy Spaceman, but Tuesday he’s playing alone on the Alaska Folk Festival stage. Among the originals and cuts from his band, Kuhar also is performing a song written by friend and late Alaskan filmmaker Lisle Hebert.

Hear an excerpt below, recorded in Peabody’s Monster rehearsal space:

Stream the Alaska Folk Festival online or listen live at KRNN Juneau 102.7 FM.

Ten Alaska teens took the stage at the Poetry Out Loud state finals in Juneau on Tuesday night. Colony High School freshman Isabella Weiss took the title with her performance of “Hope is the Thing with Feathers – (314)” by Emily Dickinson.

Here is her performance of “Hope is the Thing with Feathers – (314):”

Weiss will advance to the national competition held in Washington D.C. in April. Junior Elisa Larson of Petersburg High School was runner up.

Each student prepares three pre-selected poems. They’re judged by physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, accuracy and overall performance.

The annual competition is produced in collaboration with the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the Juneau Arts and Humanities Council.  The program encourages high school students to learn about poetry through memorization, performance and competition. 360 North co-produces the television coverage.

Watch the entire competition here:

 

Today Juneau musician and Alaska Hip Hop and R&B Awards winner Veinglorious dropped a his latest track “Pray for Me.” Despite the title, the song doesn’t dwell on religion. Instead Ryan Carrillo dedicates this mellow jam to the one thing we all have, yet can’t control: time.

“This song goes out to the most beautiful thing that we have, and that’s time. We should hold onto that as long as possible. This is for the beautiful memories that we all have, and remember,” sings Carillo during the opening lines of “Pray For Me.”

Hear Veinglorious freestyling live on the Jackie Moon show earlier this year: