Fairgoers can expect to swivel and stomp under Payson’s Pavilion, and even catch a performance of Flamenco dancing, entertainment coordinator Scott Ramsey said this week.
“We tried to get as many genres out there as we could,” Ramsey said.
The Motet is expected to provide Saturday night’s crescendo, with its horns and improvisational funk that have become a standard at festivals nationwide for more than a dozen years. “They’re going to throw a dance party,” Ramsey said.
But earlier in the evening, Latin rhythms will be at the fore with performances by David Correa and Cascada, a band that blends Spanish guitar with Afro-Cuban rhythms and a hint of Middle-Eastern influenced melodies. The band is one of the top-ranked world music bands on the West Coast, Ramsey said. “These guys are musicians first,” he said.
NJUZU, a marimba band from Juneau, will open for Correa, and “Flamenco Gringa,” a group of eight local dancers, will perform on Correa’s first song.
Mandy Ramsey said Jacqui Ruggirello has choreographed a dance the women have been rehearsing for two months. They’ll be performing in handmade Flamenco dresses. “We’re trying our best at it, but we won’t be doing much stomping, due to the cement floor,” Mandy said.
The Bellingham, Wash.-based Polecat will play the transition set between the two acts. Playing primarily bluegrass and country, Polecat also steps into rock and reggae sounds with a style that appeals to 20-somethings and makes for good dancing. “Saturday’s show is going to be more toward a dancy style,” Ramsey said.
Friday opens with Gipsy Moon, a five-piece string band with a vibe akin to Elephant Revival, a band that played last year’s fair. Ramsey describes Gipsy Moon as Celtic gypsy meets New York jazz club, but not so eclectic as to lose family appeal. “I think they’ll be well-received.”
The mic next goes to The Larry Keel Experience, named for its acoustic flat-picking guitarist, an award-winning musician who’ll perform with his wife playing bass and a dobro player. Keel’s mastery includes a strong, regional sound steeped in the culture of southwest Virginia. “His Appalachian heritage really comes out,” Ramsey said.
Jon Wayne and the Pain closes up Friday’s show with “reggae-tronic-dub.” The “heavy-jamming” band comes at the recommendation of acclaimed guitarist Keller Williams. An Aspen Daily News reviewer said the band “has carved out a unique niche that blends the sounds of jam bands and electronic dance music with reggae and dub.” Fair entertainment coordinator Ramsey said the Minneapolis trio produces a sound much bigger than its three members.
A little closer to home, The Lacks, a California alternative-Christian band, will make its third fair performance. The traveling band with a wide range of musicianship and skilled vocals chanced on the fair during a Haines visit two years ago and made a hit with its big sound at the Park Stage. “They also contributed and pitched in to help at the fair,” said fair executive director Jessica Edwards. “For some of the people who come to the fair, that’s the band to see.”
The Lost Boys of Sitka may also strike a chord. The eight-piece band with a full horn section plays original and classic blues tunes. “They’re a young, high-energy group,” Ramsey said.
Aerial performers The Sitka Silkies will provide this year’s main kinetic act on the Main Stage with shows starting 6 p.m. Friday and 6:30 p.m. Saturday. “They’re going to have a fire element that they just developed a couple days ago,” Ramsey said.
Thursday night’s performances will include the annual Southeast Alaska’s Got Talent competition, with adult and youth categories, and a performance by Moonalice, a traveling California band that visits Haines on a semi-regular basis and recreates “a San Francisco 60’s sound,” according to its website, playing mostly original material mixed with some covers.
Besides a host of local acts and perennial favorites like the Juneau Jumpers jump rope squad, entertainment will include Wet City Rockers, a reggae band, and Tekla Waterfield, a singer-songwriter, both from Seattle.
A singer-songwriter showcase will be held 2-4 p.m. Saturday at the Klondike Saloon, a cabaret of short acts. Acts will perform at three locations during the fair: Payson’s Pavilion (main stage), Park Stage and Klondike Saloon.