Wabanaki performers coming to Folk Festival

BANGOR – The Wabanaki Dawn Singers and Drummers are among the final group of performers announced by organizers of the American Folk Festival for Aug. 22-24 in Bangor. Also participating will be: Junkyard Band, The Sama Ensemble, Bonga and the Vodou Drums of Haiti, the Maine Country Dance Orchestra Reunion, and Tony DeMarco with Ana Colliton, Donal Clancy and Ivan Goff.

. The Wabanaki Dawn Singers and Drummers will present Eastern Native American drumming, singing and dance. In this special presentation by Maine’s First Peoples, members of the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Maliseet and Micmac tribes – collectively known as the Wabanaki, or “People of the Dawn” – will bring their music and drum traditions.

. The Junkyard Band from Washington, D.C., will present go-go music. Go-go is a heavily syncopated groove mixing Latin rhythms, R&B, jazz and call-and-response chants with a serious dose of funk.

. Tony DeMarco – commodities trader by day, pub session leader by night – is an ebullient Brooklyn-born musician of Irish-Italian descent and one of the finest Sligo-style fiddlers in the world. He will be joined by Ana Colliton, Donal Clancy and Ivan Goff at the Festival.

. Passionate hand drumming and devotional singing will be in the hands of The Sama Ensemble, modern masters of mystical Persian Sufi tradition.

. The Vodou Drums of Haiti is a roots music collective led by master percussionist Gaston “Bonga” Jean-Baptiste, presenting ceremonial drumming, dance and traditional chant from Haiti’s diverse musical traditions.

. Part of a unique musical tradition in Maine community life for generations, the Maine Country Dance Orchestra hosted dances at Bowdoinham Town Hall for 25 years.

These are the last of two dozen groups who will perform on the five stages of the American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront Friday through Sunday, Aug. 22-24.

The festival continues to celebrate the roots, the richness and the variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional crafts, storytelling and food. The entire weekend’s entertainment is presented free to the public thanks to the generous donations of sponsors and individuals.

For more information, visit www.americanfolkfestival.com or call 992-2630 or visit the American Folk Festival office at 40 Harlow St., Bangor.