Roots

Canada's oldest folk festival remains one of North America's best all-around roots music festivals, judging by the just released 2010 lineup.

Some of the notable international stars on the bill include John Hiatt & The Combo, The Levon Helm Band, The Avett Brothers, Emmylou Harris and Hot Tuna. But the festival is known for its eclectic mix of singer-songwriter, world, blues, indie, string-band, Celtic, and other styles.

Other acts to look forward to include Andrew Bird, The Cat Empire, The Swell Season, Sarah Harmer, Greg Brown, Sonny Landreth, Geoff Muldaur, Alvin Youngblood Hart, The Wilders and Works Progress Administration. Hip-hop stars Arrested Development will make a much anticipated debut.

Winnipeg maintains its connection with the early days of the folk genre by presenting third-generation representatives of folk legends Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger with Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion and Tao Rodriguez Seeger. Also, nonagenarian Oscar Brand, a native of Winnipeg who played the very first festival in 1974 will get a honored appearance.

Earthdance Northern California announced its 2010 festival running Sept. 17-19 will be its last year at Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville CA, after which it will move to a larger venue. Early bird ticketing opened for an allocation of 500 tickets at the discount price of $140. The festival plans a "grand farewell" to the grounds that have hosted the event for eight seasons.

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Ravinia Festival, the Chicago area concert series that claims to be America's longest running music festival, announced its popular music schedule, supplementing the previously released Chicago Symphony Orchestra repertory season schedule.

The most in-demand tickets could be for two performances by Sting backed by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra as well as shows by Crosby, Stills & Nash, Sheryl Crow, and Carrie Underwood.

But there are a huge number of major stars in every popular music genre, including Backstreet Boys, Big Head Todd And The Monsters, Bobby McFerrin, Buddy Guy, Cheap Trick, Colbie Caillat, Dave Brubeck Quartet, Earth, Wind & Fire, Garrison Keillor, George Benson, Jethro Tull, John Hiatt & The Combo, Nancy Wilson, Nelly Furtado, Peter and Paul, Poi Dog Pondering, Procol Harum, Sheryl Crow, Soulive, Squeeze, Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, The B-52s, The Beach Boys, The Bodeans, The Cat Empire, The Four Tops, The Levon Helm Band, The Moody Blues, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, The Swell Season, The Temptations, Train, and Vince Gill.

Additions: .moe, The Infamous Stringdusters, Crooked Still, Jessica Kilroy and Benny Galloway, Pete Kartsounes, Crunchy Western Boys

Comment: Joining compatriots and host band Yonder Mountain String Band, .moe gives the Pacific North jamgrass festival another marquee jam name that will draw fans from near and far. Plus, The Infamous Stringdusters and Crooked Still give the festival two of the top progressive bluegrass acts going, three counting Darol Anger's Republic of Strings, a standby at the festival. Another previously announced standby is Danny Barnes, who leads the festival's traditional Super Jam, which will be a hoot as usual with all the above acts plus more artists to be named. Of course, Yonder closes all three nights as usual.

Last year may have been the big one for festival founder Pete Seeger (he was celebrating his 90th birthday), but Clearwater 2010 has an equally strong lineup of folk music, singer-songwriter, Americana and jam band talent.

The bill is headed up by Steve Earle, Shawn Colvin and David Bromberg Quartet. Then, in addition to the irrepressible Seeger, other notable names include Joan Osborne, Buckwheat Zydeco, the subdudes, Keller Williams (in a loopless acoustic set), Railroad Earth, Donna the Buffalo, Felice Brothers, Steve Forbert, Toshi Reagan, Jonatha Brooke, Dan Bern, Lucy Kaplansky, Sara Watkins, Dala, The Lee Boys and lots more.

As always, the two-day festival is as much about environmental awareness and action as it is about the music, but for pure folk music entertainment there are few events anywhere that can match it. And that's only appropriate, considering Seeger's role as an elder statesman of both American folk music and of the environmental and social justice movements.

Visit our Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival page for interactive artist links, or the festival website for tickets and complete details.

Headliners: Donna the Buffalo, Marcia Ball, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys

Notables: CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band, Danny Barnes Trio, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Women, Geoff Muldaur and the Texas Sheiks, Little Freddie King, Preston Frank, Red Stick Ramblers, Uncle Earl

Comment: The closest you can get to New Orleans without leaving New England, R&R typically supplements its regular cast of Cajun and zydeco stars with purveyors of other roots styles. It's a treat that Uncle Earl is back on the circuit after two years of absence. Geoff Muldaur's reprise of the old Jim Kweskin songbook is not to be missed. The Kind of California doesn't come East a lot, so grab this chance to see Dave Alvin with his Guilty Women. Expect a few more enticing names before the lineup is done.

The hitmakers keep on coming for the CMA Music Festival. Tim McGraw is returning to the festival for the first time in a decade, while Alan Jackson, Billy Currington and Kellie Picker all add luster to the event. The additions bring the number of announced acts to 14, with dozens more yet to come.

The biggest name acts play during the four nights of the festival (June 10-13) at LP Field in Nashville, with more than 30 other performers play daytime sets at Riverfront Park.

Visit FP's CMA Music Festival page for links to interactive artist pages. Go to the festival website for complete information.