A whole world of folk

Riverdance your way over to the Equinox Festival this weekend, and treat your ears to topnotch folk sounds from across the globe.

The music starts with a heap of Irish folk music. Mick Maloney couldn’t have asked for a better name, and he brings a wealth of experience to the stage, having produced, picked and strummed on more than 40 albums. The Mulcahy Family brought lutes and flutes straight from Limerick, and “A Gaelic Gathering” will encourage the audience to join in as they fiddle and stomp their rhythmic jigs.

Other acts include Italian folk from Musicantica, Zimbabwean dance with Masanga Marimba Ensemble, and Son Jarocho stylings from Cesar Castro and Cambalache. Of course, the United States has its own rich folk tradition, and will be represented by Old Sledge and Ginny Hawker from Appalachia, bluesy Brother Yusef, fiddlers Dan Gellert and Lissa Schneckenburger, and others. A full schedule of acts is available on the event’s website.

There will also be plenty of food, crafts, storytelling, workshops and impromptu jam sessions (bring your own dulcimer.) And, of course, there will be dancing–lots of it. This is a “teaching festival,” so learn from the pros how to square dance, buck dance and jig.

The Equinox Festival is presented by the California Traditional Music Society and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. It takes place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Rancho Cordillera del Norte in Northridge. Evening concerts follow the festival in Pasadena and Lincoln Heights. Get directions and other info on the website.

Posted 9/8/11