Music festivals are a summertime staple, and Islanders will have two of them to choose from this weekend.
Luckily, the events are aimed at different demographics, with performances ranging from folksy to hard-rocking.
Americana music at Camp Burton
Music lovers can stomp their feet and sing along when Vashon Allied Arts presents its annual summer music festival on Saturday at Camp Burton’s rustic outdoor amphitheater.
In past years, this event has been world-music themed, but this year, organizers have booked acts that play music steeped in blues, roots, bluegrass and traditional country.
Headliners will include Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart from Tennessee and Seattle-based Rachel Harrington. The bill will be filled outo by an Island group, The Magpies.
Earle and Stuart are nationally known; they crisscross the country playing more than 150 concerts per year in theaters, coffeehouses, festivals and clubs. This guitar duo is known for lively acoustic music, witty lyrics and note-bending harmonies.
Rachel Harrington, who was recently called an “ancient-sounding country noir” by one critic, serves up a swell combination of twang and swing. She’ll bring her band, the Do Right Boys, to play with her on Vashon.
The Magpies will bring a constellation of well-known Island musicians to the stage, including guitarist Steve Amsden, bassist Dan Brown, fiddler Jean Richstad, mandolinist Paul Colwell, banjo queen Rochelle Munger and multi-instrumentalist Cliff Simpson.
Vashon Island Music Festival
Those who like their music a little louder and wilder might instead enjoy the fourth annual Vashon Island Music Festival, which will take place Friday through Sunday at Paradise Ridge Equestrian Park. Festival organizer Ruben Arnot has lined up more than 20 acts for this year’s fest — and according to the Islander, the festival will be a “real hometown showcase” for the musicians, most of whom have an Island connection.
The event will kick off Friday night, with free admission to listen to the bands Posse Impossable and Stony Beach run through a sound check.
Saturday’s lineup will include the bands Stop, Drop and Rock, The 4 Horsemen, Murgatroyd, Vigilante Justice, Adolph Ketamine and Ensphere.
On Sunday, soloists Kelsey Alina, Chuck V and Glen Rukwid will perform, followed by Pure E’phekt, Ka’dunk, Buzz Brump, Eugene Wendal and the Demon Rind, Subconscious Population and Publish the Quest.
VAA’s Americana Music Festival will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, at Camp Burton. Tickets, $10 to $16, are on sale at the Blue Heron, Heron’s Nest, Books by the Way and www.brownpapertickets.org. A spread of catered food will be sold at the event. Bring your own seating.
The Vashon Island Music Festival will take place Friday through Sunday, Aug. 5 to 7, at Paradise Ridge Equestrian Park, at 118th Avenue S.W. and S.W. 224th Street. The grounds open at 3 p.m. Friday for a 5 p.m. show. On Saturday and Sunday, performances will take place from noon to 10 p.m. Admission is $15 per day, or $10 with a food bank donation. Camping is available.
