TheBurg

07.18 | theburgnews.com | 45 Q: Is that part of the workshops you mentioned? sPeAL: Yes, and Rory Block is giving a slide guitar workshop before her Saturday evening set. Unfortunately for me, I'll be performing with my band on another stage at that time. I should see if they can move my stage time so I can learn to play like her [laughs]. Q: What are your personal picks for this fest? sPeAL: Oh wow, let me see. ere's going to be an emerging artist competition on Saturday. I've played shows with many of the acts in there such as e Wild Hymns and Indian Summer Jars. All top notch. Don't miss Olds & the Absolution in that one. Olds Sleeper is Q: What other shows will you go to? sPeAL: e Quebe Sisters will be there both days, so I'll probably catch at least one of their shows. ey do that classic country swing music where they sing rich harmonies around one microphone. ey're fantastic fiddlers, too. I'm a big Hank Williams, Sr., fan, and their version of "Cold Cold Heart" gives me chills. Q: Country swing at a folk festival? sPeAL: And swing dance lessons, too! ey're bringing in a dance instructor from Victrola Swing Dance Club in York to teach people how to swing dance. Q: Will you be dancing? sPeAL: Oh, god, no. I once took swing dance lessons, but I failed miserably. You don't want to see Shane Speal dance. Trust me. Hold on. Let me look at the schedule on my phone because I know I'm missing a bunch of acts. ere's so much good acoustic music here. e Irish band, Trian features Daithi Sproule on guitar. He was one of the original innovators of Celtic DADGAD guitar. I think he's doing a workshop, too. David Holt and Josh Goforth are an incredible duo that do a lot with old- time instruments and even hambone knee-slapping. Q: Any other recommendations? sPeAL: ere's so much. ere's a few jam sessions happening throughout the weekend, so I'll probably stick my head in there for at least one. ere's gonna be bluegrass, blues and other styles, but I'd like to sit in with the Irish session because I love that music and never get to play it. Q: People can bring their own guitars and instruments? sPeAL: Hell, they're encouraged to bring them. e Ski Roundtop people will have a secure instrument check-in area, too. at way, you can walk around without lugging your guitar the entire time. Quite honestly, some of the greatest magic will probably happen on the hillside as musicians start their own jam sessions. Q: What about your concert at the festival? What can we expect? sPeAL: Just imagine Motorhead as a jug band [laughs]. Expect our wild show of cigar box guitars, washtub bass, homemade drums and more, but we're also pulling out some of our storytelling folky stuff. The Susquehanna Folk Festival will be held July 28 to 29 at Roundtop Mountain Resort, Lewisberry. For tickets and information visit www.susquehannafolkfestival.org. one of my favorite songwriters out there. He writes like John Prine and plays a mean guitar. ere's going to be a jug band workshop by Slim Harrison and the Sunnyland Band on Saturday. I think that one's for kids, but I'll probably attend it anyway because I play in a jug band and maybe I can steal some ideas. Q: So, there are things for kids to do? sPeAL: Yeah, they thought of everything with this fest. Kids stuff, concerts, crafts. It's like a two-day cultural explosion [laughs]. Photographs clockwise: Olds and the Absolution, David Bromberg, and the Quebe Sisters

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