Darlingside

Historically, the most prominent figures in contemporary folk music have — with apologies to occasional exceptions like Odetta, Harry Belafonte and Joan Baez — overwhelmingly been white dudes.

Woody Guthrie. Pete Seeger. Bob Dylan. The Kingston Trio. James Taylor. Paul Simon. John Prine. John Denver. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. Fleet Foxes. Gregory Alan Isakov. Ben Howard.

All great! All white. All dudes.

That has been changing for decades, of course, but someone seems to have stepped on the accelerator in recent years. A new generation of folk singers — led by a wave of women, people of color and LGBTQ+ artists — is pushing the genre into new places, both musically and thematically. And with the nearly endless possibilities of streaming music platforms, we are more easily exposed to and connected with folk music and musicians from around the world than ever before.

Movement in Sisters

You can find evidence of this movement here in Central Oregon by scanning the lineup of the 2023 Sisters Folk Festival, happening this weekend on seven stages scattered across the town of Sisters. In addition to its namesake purview, it includes blues, soul and R&B by African American artists The Sensational Barnes Brothers, Chastity Brown and Shamarr Allen; Cuban singer-songwriter Alex Cuba and Venezuelan cuatro master Jorge Glem; queer populist folk singer Willi Carlisle and queer Latinx pop artist Gina Chavez; self-described social-justice songwriter Crys Matthews; nonbinary TikTok star Olive Klug; and Moroccan-French blues-rock band Bab L’Bluz, just to name a few.

This is striking, but it isn’t necessarily new for Sisters Folk Festival, which long ago decided to ignore the idea of musical boundaries and bring in diverse lineups that not only excel artistically, but also position the event to appeal to a wide swath of people and help to ensure long-term viability.

Q&A time

With all this in mind, I asked the festival’s Communications Director, Erin Pihl, and Creative Director, Brad Tisdel, a few questions, and they provided a few answers. Here is that interview, edited for space and clarity.

Ben Salmon: The roster of artists playing Sisters Folk Festival (SFF) this year is remarkably diverse. Is that intentional on the part of the festival? Is it something you talk about in your planning process?

Brad Tisdel: As creative director booking the festival since 2003, we have always prioritized diversity in the lineup and in the music we present, both culturally and genres represented. I think an expansive definition of folk music is critical, as all cultures and people have music that represents and emanates from their surroundings, environment and upbringing.

Artists share through their music a vast depth and history, and as much as we can present a breadth of rich, cultural experience the better and celebrate the music these artists represent.

Salmon: Why is it important to SFF to book diverse artists for the festival?

Erin Pihl: The stereotypical archetype that has dominated mainstream Americana, country and folk music is not representative of the artists that created and continue to elevate those genres. It’s important for us to book a diverse lineup of artists from all different backgrounds because we want to paint an accurate representation.

As barriers that may have previously impeded multinational artists and artists of color and LGBTQ+ artists from succeeding continue to be broken, we are seeing more and more artists bringing to light topics that have always existed in the dark. The result is a fresh new sound that ultimately helps the folk genre to remain relevant in the music industry as a whole.

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Salmon: How do you believe featuring a lineup of diverse artists helps the festival artistically or in terms of long-term viability? Or both?

Pihl: It’s vital to the success and longevity of the festival that we remain current. Our audience looks to us as musical tastemakers; they come to SFF looking to discover new sounds and new artists. We have a responsibility to them to book acts that represent the direction of the industry and show up-and-coming artists they may not have heard of but that have a big future in music.

Tisdel: I am proud of the artists who have performed at the festival over the past two decades. The most important aspect for me is that they bring exceptional musical talent and originality to the festival regardless of any classification. Artists who are multinational, people of color and LGBTQ+ artists — as well as our track record for booking women — share a common value that we want to represent an authentic and accurate balance of what our world is: diverse, dynamic and expressive in their human experience. We always work toward a dynamic mix of bands, songwriters and music configurations that compel.

I learned a long time ago, if everyone at the festival likes every act we present, I’m not doing my job. That may seem counterintuitive, but with seven stages and all-access passes, we can curate a really dynamic experience for patrons and artists alike.

Salmon: Do you hear from festival attendees on this topic? Are there people out there who are asking for more diverse programming?

Pihl: I think our audience has come to know SFF as a discovery festival. A big part of that is hearing artists that differ from their traditional idea of folk artists. Our audience loves to hear from artists with different backgrounds that can teach them something and introduce them to new instruments, new languages and new ideas.

Tisdel: We’ve also been very intentional about creating a multi-generational experience, and bringing folks together of all ages in Sisters. Through our programming for 23 years, friendships and like-minded people connect in really cool ways and help create the transformative nature of community building that is unique to the event, to Sisters and to the Sister Folk Festival.

What: 2023 Sisters Folk Festival, featuring Seven stages across the town of Sisters

When: 6 p.m. Friday through 4:30 p.m. Sunday

Cost: SOLD OUT

Contact: sistersfolkfestival.org