Fri 6/13 @ 8PM
Amid all the touring performers packed into the nine evenings of the Kent Folk Fest at the Kent Stage, one evening has been carved out to showcase local talent.
Folknet, the local nonprofit devoted to promoting the area’s folk and singer-songwriter scene, is sponsoring the lineup of six performers.
They include Matt Watoba (pictured) who is not only a performer but a folk historian who in his role as a radio host — first with Folks Like Us on WDET-FM in Detroit and then with Folk Alley on Kent State’s WKSU-FM — he’s interviewed mot of the folk greats while maintaining a performing career of his own.
Guitarist-vocalist Jon Mosey is one of the area’s veteran performers, steeping in traditional folk styles like blues, string-band music, and ragtime, while Kerry Keen blends such traditional styles with more contemporary pop and folk. Singer-songwriter Jim Schaffer will perform with a group of friends, comprising some of the area’s best players: bassist Ron Thomas, harmonica player David Krauss, and banj player Gary Pruett.
The bill is rounded out by Alliance quintet Rock, Salt and Nails whose bluegrass-inflected folk is showcased on their new album Run to the River, and singer-songwriter Steve Mehal, who also has a new album, The Innocent Years.
Tickets are $5-$10.
thekentstage.com/folknet-night-kent/