Expect headliner Canadian Fred Eaglesmith and his band, The Flying Squirrels, of course, and add a few area favorites such as Mary Gauthier and Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams. But the weekend this year will kick off with a splashy concert at the Bellows Falls Opera House on the Thursday night featuring what has been termed by many as the world’s best Cajun band, BeauSoleil. They have the awards to prove it.
With over a dozen Grammy nominations thus far, BeauSoleil won this prestigious award in 1997 for best traditional folk album, and again last year in the zydeco/Cajun category. Additionally, Doucet received a heritage award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Effortlessly and with great energy, the band crosses among many genres of music, including Cajun, calypso, French ballad, blues, rock, and folk. BeauSoleil has garnered numerous awards, played around the world, and supplied the soundtrack for many films, and many lives as well.
The rest of the weekend is lining up nicely with few spaces left to be announced. On Friday, a free concert at the Bellows Falls Farmers’ Market will feature The Travelers. Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles will entertain the crowd at the Everyday Inn, as will Joanne Shaw Taylor, warming up the audience for the first appearance of the weekend by Eaglesmith and his band, a Friday night tradition.
On Saturday, the lineup includes a return performance of the popular Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams. The Ginn Sisters, the Roger Marin Band, Audrey Auld, and Vermont’s own Starline Rhythm Boys help fill out the offerings before Eaglesmith’s band takes the stage.
Mary Gauthier will return to the festival once again, joining Eaglesmith in the all-acoustic show at the historic Rockingham Meeting House on Sunday, the event that concludes the musical weekend.
Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased online at vermontfestivalsllc.com or by calling (802) 463-9595.
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