Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) presents Summer Concerts at Sisters Art Works with five outstanding concerts at 204 W Adams Ave. in Sisters. The first show is Thursday, July 7 with MarchFourth, a “kaleidoscope of music and visual energy that inspires dancing and celebration.” Followed by An Evening with Rising Appalachia on Thursday, July 21 and An Evening with Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) on Saturday, July 30. Tim O’Brien & Jan Fabricius will perform Friday, August 5 and the final performance will be with Memphis soul-rockers Southern Avenue joined by Jontavious Willis, presented by Sisters Rhythm & Brews and Sisters Folk Festival on Thursday, August 11. Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, May 18 at 10am at sistersfolkfestival.org.
July 7 — MarchFourth is a joy-inducing force of entertainment. This larger-than-life ensemble of 15 musicians and acrobats tours the country year-round, bringing a spirit of celebration wherever they go. The colorful explosion of brassy funk, rock and jazz from the group delivers a performance full of swagger, fun and a healthy dose of New Orleans magic. Attendees of the July 7 concert can expect to hear captivating grooves from their fourth studio album, Magic Number, released in September 2016. USA Today aptly dubs the group, “Talented band geeks turned rebels.” MarchFourth has been seen on stages from ESPN’s Espy Awards to festivals like Wakarusa, Bumbershoot and High Sierra Music Fest, to world-class venues like The Kennedy Center and The Fillmore. Bend-based band Company Grand will open the show.
July 21 — Rising Appalachia group-members and sisters, Leah and Chloe Smith, grew up absorbing the rich hip-hop culture in Atlanta and simultaneously traveling with their family to fiddle camps all across the Southeast. Years later, the sisters formed a musical partnership and realized that performing could be just one component of a greater overall vision – one that includes advocating for social justice, racial justice, environmental justice and Indigenous rights. The sisters have since toured all over the world amassing a loyal fan base built upon a deep sense of connection, key to understanding Rising Appalachia as a whole. They are self-described folk musicians at their core, but have masterfully merged the sonic textures of folk, world and urban music on their seventh album, Leylines, with features by folk hero Ani DiFranco, soulful songwriter Trevor Hall, jazz trumpeter Maurice Turner and the addition of West African musician Arouna Diarra and Irish musician Duncan Wickel to the group.
July 30 — Formerly known as Mandolin Orange, married duo Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz have undergone a reinvention as a band with a new name, Watchhouse, and a new sound with subtly experimental folk-rock. The new moniker is inspired by Marlin’s place of childhood solace and comes with the realization that their former name never quite fit with the music they made. Since their conception in 2009, the duo became known as the new flag bearers of the contemporary folk world, sweetly singing soft songs about the hardest parts of our lives. Their first release under their new identity serves as an inspired search for personal and political goodness, with tracks offering welcome lessons about what any of us might become when the night begins to break.
“We’re different people than when we started this band,” Marlin says, reflecting on all these shifts. “We’re setting new intentions, taking control of this thing again.”
August 5 — Hailing from Wheeling, West Virginia, two-time Grammy award winner Tim O’Brien has toured the world and delighted audiences since 1975 with his warm vocals, string wizardry and heartfelt original songs. His 2021 album, He Walked On maps a pathway through today’s world partly inspired by our explosive national reckoning with racial prejudice and violence. In duet with his wife, Jan Fabricius, on mandolin and vocals, attendees of the August 5 performance can expect rootsy acoustic instrumentation and sweet harmony singing, interspersed with O’Brien’s trademark self-deprecating humor. Central Oregon artist Pete Kartsounes will open the show.
August 11 — Memphis-based blues and soul band, Southern Avenue, operates from a distinctively international vantage point, producing a wide-ranging collection of music predominantly co-written by Israeli-born guitarist Ori Naftaly and powerhouse lead vocalist Tierinii Jackson. Their latest release, Be the Love You Want, comes on the heels of their Grammy-nominated, Billboard-charting album, Keep On. With their latest project, the group explores bold new ideas of what it means to be a blues band in the modern world. Packed with soul power and jam band liberation, gospel, blues and righteous R&B, they have crafted their own timeless brand of American music. They are joined by the Grammy nominated 24-year old multi-instrumentalist, Jontavious Willis. His latest album, Spectacular Class, features dynamic vocals and impressive fingerpicking, flat-picking and slide prowess earning him the nickname “Wonderboy” from blues-legend, Taj Mahal.
Concerts will be exclusively held at the Sisters Art Works venue at 204 W Adams Ave. Doors open at 6pm with shows starting at 7pm. Additional band and ticket information is on the SFF website (sistersfolkfestival.org). These are general admission, all ages shows. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. Oliver Lemon will have a food pop-up on site and SFF’s bar will be serving beer, cider, wine and non-alcoholic offerings. Chairs are not provided; bring your low-back festival chairs or blankets. Only service animals are permitted in the venue. Be sure to follow @SistersFolkFestival on Instagram and Facebook for updates and additional information.
