Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Preview Tour VIDEO!

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FALCON RIDGE FOLK FESTIVAL MARKS 20TH ANNIVERSARY FEATURING ITS “MOST WANTED ARTISTS” IN BIGGEST PREVIEW TOUR EVER
Anthony da Costa, Lindsay Mac, Joe Crookston and Randall Williams To Preview July 24-27 Festival at 23 Shows in 28 Days

HILLSDALE NY—March 11, 2008—The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, which ranks among America’s largest and most prestigious music festivals, has announced it will inaugurate its 20th anniversary year by sponsoring a 23-show preview tour in May featuring four “emerging artists” who were voted “most wanted to return” by 2007 festival attendees. The tour will showcase performing songwriters Anthony da Costa, Lindsay Mac, Joe Crookston and Randall Williams at renowned venues ranging from legendary coffee houses, such as Caffe Lena and Godfrey Daniels, to acclaimed theaters and house concert series, including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and Fox Run. Anthony da Costa, a 17-year old high school junior, will only perform in seven shows due to school commitments. A full preview tour schedule is available at www.falconridgefolk.com, which will shortly post a roster of performers and ticket information for the 2008 Festival.

The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, honored in February as Folk Festival of the Year at the International Folk Alliance Conference, will be held on July 24-27 at Dodd’s Farm in Hillsdale, New York. It will feature main stage and workshop appearances by last year’s “most wanted artists”, in addition to performances by many leading folk and Americana artists.

“The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Preview Tour will highlight four talented singer/songwriters with four, very distinctive styles,” said Anne Saunders, Falcon Ridge Artistic Director. “Each show will be different, with its own unique dynamic, and many will feature an in-the-round format, which will allow fans to experience the music of Anthony da Costa, Lindsay Mac, Joe Crookston and Randall Williams in a wonderfully intimate way.”

About the Artists

Anthony da Costa

In January alone, Anthony da Costa: released his sixth record, Typical American Tragedy; opened for Livingston Taylor and Susan Werner; was nominated as Folk Alliance Emerging Artist of the Year; and recorded his seventh record, Bad Nights, Better Days, a project with his duo partner, Abbie Gardner of Red Molly, in three days. 2007 wasn’t half-bad either. Anthony was the youngest winner ever of the Kerrville Folk Festival’s New Folk and Falcon Ridge’s Emerging Artist Competitions. He also showcased at the Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival in Nashville and was a Mountain Stage New Song Contest Finalist. Anthony’s writing and performing draw from a deep well of rich musical influences—from Bob Dylan and Dan Bern, to Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, to Ryan Adams and Johnny Cash. A prolific songwriter and self-taught multi-instrumentalist, Anthony’s upcoming performances range from the Tarrytown Music Hall in New York, where he’ll open for Dan Bern, to the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, where he’ll play the main stage, to Tonder, Denmark, where he’ll make his European debut at the Tonder Festival. www.anthonydacosta.com

Lindsay Mac

In February 2006, singer and cellist Lindsay Mac was featured on the cover of Strings magazine, rightfully taking her place as a true original in transforming a traditional instrument and raising it to new heights. Classically trained at the Royal College of Music in London, The San Francisco Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music, Mac is characterized by her combination of plucking the cello and standing while performing. She holds the cello like a guitar and sings original songs in the folk/jazz tradition. In her pioneering ways she succeeds in creating a sound that is groundbreaking and compelling. 2007 saw Mac as a Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist and a subsequent winner of Most Wanted To Return for 2008. In 2007, Mac was also a New Folk Finalist at the Kerrville Folk Festival and performed at NXNE, Folkwest’s Independent Music Festival, Club Passim’s Cutting Edge of the Campfire Festival, the Connecticut Folk Festival and more. She has opened for KD Lang at Boston's Bank of America Pavilion, Catie Curtis, Glen Phillips, and Girlyman among others. Mac is revolutionizing the way we think about the cello while expanding the definition of the folk/singer-songwriter. More on Lindsay Mac can be found at her website: www.lindsaymac.com

Joe Crookston

Now living in Ithaca, NY, Joe Crookston was born in rural Ohio in a family of Hungarians. Polkas, accordions and eastern European food…there’s a little bit of gypsy in this guy... Goodhearted, artful and intense, his music is imaginative, extremely engaging, and draws deeply from his rural roots and his many urban adventures. Joe was recently awarded a year-long songwriting grant from The Rockefeller Foundation to travel throughout New York State, interview local residents, gather stories and write songs based on his experiences. Many of these songs have just been released on his new (2008) CD, “Able Baker Charlie & Dog”. His 2004 release, "Fall Down as the Rain" was chosen by Performing Songwriter Magazine as a "TOP-12-Do-It-Yourself" independent recording, and was featured on National Public Radio's “All Songs Considered.” Rodger Nichols of The Dalles Oregon Chronicle wrote, “This is not just reviewer's hype... ....This guy is flat out good.” For more information about Joe visit: www.joecrookston.com

Randall Williams

Known for his poignant storytelling and captivating guitar work – which can be heard on his January 2008 CD release, Praying For Land – Randall Williams has performed in more than 35 countries and is as much at home in a Senegalese village as he is at the Kennedy Center or an intimate house concert in New Jersey. After graduating from the Royal Conservatory of Mons, Belgium, Williams realized that he yearned to bridge the divide between performer and audience that he often felt in formal stage settings. Armed with his guitar, he has been a traveling troubadour ever since. Randall has been a finalist in the Founder's Title and Mid-Atlantic Song Contests, a regional finalist at Kerrville Folk Festival, a showcase artist at the Northeast and Midwest Folk Alliance, and at the International Folk Alliance in Memphis, and an Audience Favorite at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. As the Partial Capo Guy, Randall has written two books for Hal Leonard, recorded a DVD for Kyser Musical Products and given workshops at some of the biggest music festivals in United States. www.whereisrandall.com

2008 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Preview Tour

Featuring Anthony da Costa*, Lindsay Mac, Joe Crookston, and Randall Williams

Thu, May 01: Bethlehem, PA - Godfrey Daniels

Fri, May 02: Watertown, CT - Watertown House Concert*

Sat, May 03: Huntington, NY - Folk Music Society of Huntington*

Sun, May 04: Katonah, NY - Lake Katonah Clubhouse*

Mon, May 05: Larchmont, NY - Watercolor Cafe

Thu, May 08: Great Barrington, MA - Club Helsinki

Fri, May 09: Easthampton, MA - Performing Arts Center of Easthampton

Sat, May 10: Sudbury, MA - Fox Run House Concert*

Sun, May 11: Cambridge, MA - Club Passim*

Tue, May 13: Ithaca, NY - Lost Dog Cafe

Wed, May 14: Woodstock, NY - Colony Cafe

Thu, May 15: Binghamton, NY - Night Eagle Cafe

Fri, May 16: Rochester, NY - Cafe Veritas

Sat, May 17: Hastings-on-Hudson, NY - Common Ground Coffeehouse

Mon, May 19: Provincetown, MA - WOMR Schoolhouse

Wed, May 21: Saratoga Springs, NY - Caffe Lena*

Thu, May 22: Piermont, NY - Turning Point Cafe

Fri, May 23: Montclair, NJ - Outpost in the Burbs*

Sat, May 24: Ardmore, PA - Milk Boy Coffee

Sun, May 25: Washington, DC - Kennedy Center Millennium Stage

Mon, May 26: Frederick, MD - Brewer's Alley

Tue, May 27: Gambrills, MD - Suzie’s House Concert

Wed, May 28: Rockville, MD - Focus Inn Rockville

*Anthony da Costa will play only these seven shows due to high school commitments.