Jamming at the Festival

What's a folk festival without the opportunity to play with your fellow folk? At the Albuuqerque Folk Festival, we provide three "formal" jamming venues plus as many informal venues as there are shady benches. It's easy to bring your instrument to the festival; you can check your instrument for free from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, so there's no excuse not to come ready to jam all day.

And this year, the jamming will start Friday night, and continue into Sunday morning at our free dry camping area. Whether you're camping or not, you're welcome to jam into the night on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Jam with the Band

There's a lot of local talent here in Albuquerque and New Mexico, and we're offering Jam with the Band as an avenue where musicians can play or sing along with some of our great local bands. It's ok just to listen too. Come on out and meet some of the great folk and traditional music bands on the local music scene. Don't forget to bring your instruments.

Time	Session	Name	Description
10:30 AM	Variety	Ten Cats Laughing	Americana / Folk / Roots
11:30 AM	Old Time	Virginia Creepers	The Virginia Creepers will be leading a jam, playing popular hits from the 1800's and early 1900's. The Virginia Creepers have been playing Appalachian string band music since the waning years of the last century. As two-time winners of the Old Time Band Contest at the Santa Fe Old Time and Bluegrass festival, the "Creepers" are, arguably, among the best practitioners of the Old-Timey art in New Mexico, an honor equivalent to having the best green chile enchiladas in North Carolina.
12:30 PM	Old Time	Flagpole Salad	"Old time, all the time"
1:30 PM	Variety	Breaking Blue	Breaking Blue is an eclectic old time band with a classical edge. Randy Martin's vintage clawhammerbanjo blended with the classically trained flute styling of Stephanie Hanusa give this old time group a matchless world feel. The mellifluous voice of songwriter Chrystal Anderson delivers a comfortable avenue through the obscure coupling of flute and banjo while saxophonist turned bass player, Shawn Berkompas, provides a jazzy foundation for the group. Rhythm guitar player Cassie Brittain and percussionist Jeremy Dorr complete this 6 piece ensemble. Breaking Blue has been featured artists at the Church of Beethoven in Albuquerque as well as numerous coffee shops, festivals, and open mics. The song writing team of Chrystal Anderson and Randy Martin won the Southwest Pickers Association 2009 songwriting contest for their song, "Crowded Room".
2:30 PM	Bluegrass	Tortilla Junction	Tortilla Junction has been performing at assisted living centers, senior centers, festivals, and other local venues since 2007. They play upbeat music, mostly bluegrass and old-time with some Cajun, blues, and folk mixed in. Their performances include familiar songs as well as original music that keep audiences entertained whenever they play. Tortilla Junction took 2nd place at the 2008 Southwest Pickers bluegrass band competition in Santa Fe and 3rd place in 2010. Art Garcia, a member of Muddy River String Band, leads the trio on mandolin, fiddle, guitar and vocals. Jerry Grayson performs fantastic banjo and dobro solos. Local singer/songwriter Chrystal Anderson, from the award-winning band Breaking Blue, adds amazing vocal leads and harmonies to the group while backing up the guys on bass and mandolin. Tortilla Junction provides an entertaining and energetic show for all!
3:30 PM	Irish Traditional	Finn's Thumb	Albuquerque's own Irish music trio Finn's Thumb performs traditional songs and music of Ireland with respect and passion. Finn's Thumb has been playing music together since June of 2010, performing at playhouses, pubs, weddings, and corporate and public events throughout Albuquerque. The trio includes Jeannie Dyke (guitar, vocals, whistle, flute) Dain Forsythe (flute, whistles, bohdrán, vocals) and Pam Morden (violin, mandolin, bouzouki).
7:30 PM	No Host Open Jam

Hosted Jams

At the hosted jam tent, there's a new host every hour. Hosts are mostly there to encourage musicians to pick a song or start a song and to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to participate. In addition, hosts bring their own unique flare to the jam.

Hosted Jam

Time	Session	Name	Description
10:30 AM	Folk/Popular	Bruce Davis
11:30 AM	Cowboy Swing/60's Folk	Sabinal Sisters	Old rock, folk, country
12:30 PM	Tin Pan Alley	Judy & Michael Muldawer
1:30 PM	Bluegrass	Steve Morgan
2:30 PM	Folk/Country	Carl Allen & Sandra Veith	Mixed folk and country music with vocal harmonies and guitar, dobro and bass.
3:30 PM	Folk Singalong	Dan Matthews
4:30 PM	Old Fashioned Singalong	Jerry Grayson
5:30 PM	Celtic	Tom Tunney
7:30 PM	No Host Open Jam