Additional musicians, dancers added to Montana Folk Festival lineup

The second wave of performers coming to the Montana Folk Festival on July 10-12 in Butte include master musicians and dancers.

Festival Director George Everett said attendees can expect to find plenty that's familiar but also be amazed at the variety and diversity of the event.

More than 65 performances on six stages will converge in Uptown Butte, including previously mentioned artists, including Pine Leaf Boys, Amanda Cook Band, Keith Johnson, Afro Dominicano, Tamburaški Sastav Ponoć, The Legendary Ingramettes and Cécilia. The new batch of performers are listed below.

—The Mexican American band La Santa Cecilia exemplifies the modern-day creative hybrid of Latin culture, rock and world music. The group draws inspiration from all over the world, utilizing Pan-American rhythms including cumbia, bossa-nova, rumba, bolero, tango, jazz and klezmer music. Their unique sounds and the experience of their colorful, passionate performances continue to captivate both loyal fans and new listeners.

The Grammy-winning band, based in Los Angeles, is the voice of a new bicultural generation with unique sounds and colorful, passionate performances that captivate audiences.

—A serious reggae revolutionary who keeps persevering as a defender of the faith, Prezident Brown, who grew up in the small town of Oracabessa in the Parish of St. Mary, Jamaica, launched his musical career at the age of 14, when he began dee-jaying for the Sound King Stereo Mix at the Bamboo Lounge. Initially known as Junior Ranking, Prezident Brown was dubbed, “Slim Brown”, by dee-jay Nicodemus. When he recorded his debut single in 1988, Prezident Brown was named, “Dancehall Doctor." The late Jack Ruby, producer of Burning Spear’s albums “Marcus Garvey” and “Man in The Hills," bestowed the title “Prezident" upon him.

In Jamaica the X-Rated label took off as a massive roots revival swept across the country, paving the way for Prezident Brown’s conscious style of reggae dee-jaying. In 1999, the Jamaican record label Kariang released the timeless “To Jah Only” album. In 2002, Jahmani Productions released a 2 CD disc called, “Showcase Volume 1”. Prezident Brown has toured across the United States and Europe.

—Washington D.C. is the birthplace of Be’la Dona, an exciting and diverse all-female band founded in September 2007. The high-energy concert-style presentation and dynamic musicianship exuded on stage are incomparable. Their unique style of funk, jazz, R&B and rock has been said to command audiences and the meshing of the raw talents possessed by these seasoned musicians captivates all who see them perform.

The band members are mothers, wives, civic leaders and activists, business women, educators, and mentors who take their responsibility to serve as role models to girls and women as seriously off the stage as they do while performing. Musicianship, showmanship, leadership, high-energy stage performances, beauty, and integrity, are the foundation of their drawing power.

—Saraswathi Ranganathan, who has been performing and teaching for over three decades, is a virtuoso of the Veena, an ancient Indian instrument. The artist is the first Indian woman and Veena artiste to win a Chicago Music Award in its 35-year history. She attributes her path-carving success to the inclusive energy in her music and in her life and constantly endeavors for sounds of the Veena to reach a cross-cultural global audience.

The veena and its variants play an important role in Hindustani classical music and carnatic classical music, from North and South India respectively. The instrument has four main melody strings and three drone strings located on the side of the neck that aid rhythm, all made from wound metal. The strings are plucked, causing vibrations in the resonators to produce sound.

—An award-winning, hard-working country music musician and producer, Dale Watson has been creating music and performing live for over 40 years. He has shared the stage with such icons as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, and has appeared on such late night shows as David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel, and PBS’ Austin City Limits.

Most known for his classic anthem-like hit "I Lie When I Drink,” Watson’s music ranges from swing to honky tonk and rockabilly and even scored and starred in the 2019 film "Yellow Rose." According to his website, his lifelong respect and love of original country music are the foundation for all his music

—Based in San Francisco, Parangal’s mission is to give tribute to Philippine heritage by preserving and promoting ethnic attire, music and dance through research, workshops, and performances. The troupe aims to serve as a bridge, inspiring and connecting Filipinos in diaspora to their roots to give them a sense of pride and identity, while educating diverse communities to foster awareness and appreciation of Philippine culture.

The specific objectives of Parangal include providing workshops in ethnic attire, music, and dance inspired from the cultures of the Philippines and to directly engage in and to provide support for others to engage in the promotion of the arts.

—Appalachian songs, stories and ballads will be provided by Nest of Singing Birds of Weaverville, North Carolina.  A “nest of singing birds” was the name English folklorist Cecil Sharp gave to Madison County, North Carolina, when he visited the area in 1916 to collect the ancient ballads that had survived there. During his visit, Sharp collected over 25 ballads from a woman named Mary Sands.

The moniker has now been adopted by some singers in the region that are keeping this art form alive. Centering around Sheila Kay Adams, the matriarch of the traditional music community in western North Carolina, the group is led by her second cousin, Donna Ray Norton, one of the eighth generation of their family to keep these songs of love and loss and the stories that surround them alive.

Festival admission is free, although organizers urge attendees to contribute $25 per day or $35 per family. Supporters who want to donate now, send contributions to Montana Folk Festival, P.O. Box 696, Butte, MT 59703 or contribute online at paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/1876197.

For updates on the Montana Folk Festival, visit www.montanafolkfestival.com or on Facebook at mtfolkfest.