The Folk Revival Festival is bringing the jangle and twang to Long Beach for a third straight year.
Showcasing folk, roots and bluegrass acts, the festival has grown exponentially since 2013, according to event organizer Shea Newkirk. Last year about 3,500 people showed up and this year they’re expecting a crowd of around 5,000.
The downhome hootenanny will bring together an eclectic mix of contemporary musicians who are spreading the gospel of Americana.
Acts range from buzzy, psychobilly-ish The Legendary Shack Shakers, who’ve internalized the rhythm of a chugging train and the high lonesome sound of the hobo harp to the hard-fiddling, hard-picking one-man folk firebrand Possessed by Paul James.
Headlining this year is ruckus Rhode Island folk rock band Dear Tick. Not letting the out-of-towners steal the show, Long Beach’s own indie folk duo Bearcoon will be among the regional acts billed to perform at the jamboree.
Asked which of the lesser known acts he recommended, Newkirk said he was impressed with the vocal harmonies of Yellow Red Sparks, who hail from Orange County.
The festival will also feature a banjo battle and a beard and mustache face-off, as well as a pie eating contest and a square dance tent.
Newkirk said that the power of folk music is that it shrinks generational gaps. In that same spirit, children 12 and under and seniors 75 and older can attend for free. For the rest of you inbetweeners, general admission is $20 in advance and $30 at the door.
The event takes place on Sept. 19 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Rainbow Lagoon Park.