Folk festival line-up now complete

BANGOR – Organizers of the American Folk Festival on the Waterfront announced that the final round of artists have been selected to perform. The annual event will take place Aug. 24-26, drawing thousands of people to revel in the diverse sounds and rhythms reflecting the heart and soul of the many cultures that comprise America and beyond.

Nadia Dieudonne and Feet of Rhythm, Raz de Maree, Masaji Candyman, Men in Black, Nadeem Dlaikan and a program of musicians and storytellers from up and down the Atlantic coast will join the lineup.

Dieudonne and the Hatian-American group Feet of Rhythm perform traditional Haitian “rara” music. They will lead the Carnival-style parades – with a playful twist.

Raz de Maree plays Quebecois and Acadian jigs, reels and waltzes for contradances throughout North America. The group, composed of musicians from Quebec and New England, plays exclusively French Canadian music.

Masaji Terasawa adds something sweet to the festival with the ancient Japanese art of amezaiku, a method of sculpting hot, taffy-like candy into shapes of animals and other creatures.

Men in Black were named International Collegiate Barbershop Quartet Champions in 2005, and since then their traditional barbershop style has continued to win accolades.

Nadeem Dlaikan, a native of Lebanon who now lives in Michigan, plays the nye, a traditional Lebanese flute. In 2002, Dlaikan won a National Heritage Fellowship for his commitment to his music and its continuance.

In addition, performers representing traditions from Newfoundland to the Chesapeake Bay will share songs and stories of the Atlantic coast.

These performers will join previously announced acts, which include Morgan Heritage reggae band; Maine accordion master Gary Szredzienski; Dominican accordionist Francisco Ulloa and his group Tipico; Elizabeth LaPrelle, Sandy LaPrelle and Jim Lloyd, who perform traditional Appalachian ballads; Frank London’s Klezmer Brass All-Stars; piano master Jeff Little with Steve Lewis and Josh Scott; the Quebe Sisters, a fiddle trio from Texas; acoustic bluesman Larry Johnson; electric bluesman Bernard Allison; and Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band.

There also will be funk music by Big Chief Monk Boudreauz and the Golden Eagles, gospel music by the Dixie Hummingbirds, and Buddhist ritual music by 11 Tibetan lamas.

Nakariik, a group of Inuit women, will perform throat singing. Wilho Saari will play Finnish folk songs on a Finnish lap harp, and Eddie Pennington will play the thumb-picked guitar.

The lineup for the American Folk Festival is complete. For information on the event, which is free and open to the public, visit www.americanfolkfestival.com, or call 992-2630.