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Amos Perrine

THROUGH THE LENS: The 2024 Philadelphia Folk Festival Returns to Its Roots

THROUGH THE LENS: The 2024 Philadelphia Folk Festival Returns to Its Roots

After a one-year hiatus, the venerable Philadelphia Folk Festival returned home to the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, Pennsylvania, for its 61st edition Aug. 16-18. The one-year “pause” was necessary for the festival to reduce its financial debt, restructure the operations of its parent organization, the Folksong Society,

THROUGH THE LENS: Music Made Amid Nature at Pickin’ in the Backwoods and Clifftop

THROUGH THE LENS: Music Made Amid Nature at Pickin’ in the Backwoods and Clifftop

This week’s column is dedicated to pickin’ in the backwoods, featuring two roots fests that are held in picturesque rural areas of their respective home states of Indiana and West Virginia. The inaugural Pickin’ in the Backwoods Music Festival was held Aug. 16-17 in Nashville, Indiana, near Brown County

THROUGH THE LENS: Quiet Moments Shine at Nelsonville Music Festival 2024

THROUGH THE LENS: Quiet Moments Shine at Nelsonville Music Festival 2024

It was a hot three days at this year’s Nelsonville Music Festival (July 25-28). But with plenty of free water and lots of shade trees and hospitality tents, there were many ways to escape the glaring afternoon sun. This was the fest’s third year at its new home

THROUGH THE LENS: Newport Folk Festival 2024

THROUGH THE LENS: Newport Folk Festival 2024

The 65th edition of the Newport Folk Festival was a humdinger. This year's installment of the venerable fest that keeps renewing itself year after year featured poetry reading, impromptu dancing by fest grande dame Joan Baez and Rhiannon Giddens, Gillian Welch duetting with Sierra Ferrell, two separate performances

THROUGH THE LENS: A Double Dose of the Blues

THROUGH THE LENS: A Double Dose of the Blues

This week’s column features a double dose of the blues: the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon (July 4-7) and the Winthrop Rhythm & Blues Festival in Winthrop, Washington (July 19-21). These two fests have become staples for the column, and our intrepid correspondent Peter Dervin simply cannot get

THROUGH THE LENS: WoodyFest and Briggs Farm Blues Festival

THROUGH THE LENS: WoodyFest and Briggs Farm Blues Festival

This week the column returns to festival coverage by featuring the Briggs Farm Blues Festival, which took place July 11-13 in Briggsville, Pennsylvania, and the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival (WoodyFest), July 10-14 in Guthrie’s hometown, Okemah, Oklahoma. Briggs Farm Blues Festival 2024 Now in its 27th year, the Briggs

THROUGH THE LENS: Seven of the Summer’s Coolest New Country and Blues Releases

THROUGH THE LENS: Seven of the Summer’s Coolest New Country and Blues Releases

We are in the midst of a flood of new roots music releases right now, and invariably some extraordinary ones will slip through the cracks. This week's column seeks to correct that a bit by featuring short takes (and of course, photos!) on two albums, two EPs, two