Greetings fellow music lovers. The 17th annual Gamble Rogers Folk Festival is fast approaching and the preparations are moving at a fever pace. To say that I am losing sleep and a bit panicked is the usual state of affairs this time of year. But things are moving right along and looking very good for our favorite festival. So here are the vital facts for the festival.
The Festival will kick off on Friday May 4th at 5 PM at the Marina Stage in downtown St. Augustine. This is located right on the waterfront at the south side of the foot of the Bridge of Lions (could not possibly be more picturesque. Our event will dovetail with the monthly First Friday Art Walk in downtown St. Augustine. Many of the art galleries in the downtown area open their doors and stay open late with inducements such as wine/beverage and snack food. So our event in conjunction with First Friday will add up to a full-blown party downtown. The musical line up for Friday night is definitely in keeping with a party!! The show will kick off with The Ancient City Slickers (more fun than a barrel of…???). Then we go to Lonesome Bert and Skinny Lizards, Willie Green, The Wobbly Toms. The final act and headliner for the evening is the Nouveaux Honkies! We have some performer youtube links on our “Performers” page so check them out. This show will definitely get us rolling for the festival with energy to spare. We will also be vending some food and beverages at the Marina so you can meander around town for consumables or stay put if you like. Tickets for Friday night alone will be $10 (see ticket details for whole weekend below). CAMPING CHAIRS OR FOLDING CHAIRS ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED.
Saturday, the festival moves back to its original home at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre (hence our theme this year “Return To Oklawaha County”). The show begins at noon on four performance stages including the traditional “Pickers Stage” in the tree-covered gully in front of the Amphitheatre grounds. We will be again combining with another traditional event in St. Augustine which is the weekly Old City Farmer’s Market held in the parking lot of the Amphitheatre. So come early and enjoy the goodies available at the farmers market in preparation for the festival. We will have live music and storytelling on the 4 stages all day with a headliner show on the Amphitheatre stage at 6-7 PM (details of schedule still in the rumination stage). The headliner show in the evening will start off with one of the most incredible young performance trios in the State of Florida, the Aaron O’Rourke Trio. They will be followed by our very own regional superstars the Gatorbone Band. The festival will then climax with performance from one of Nashville’s top threesome’s of singer-songwriters The Waymores. The credentials of The Waymores are stellar to say the least and we are very fortunate to have booked them for our Festival. If you doubt any of my high praise for our performers, check them out on line and see for yourself!
Tickets will go on sale on April 10th and will come in three flavors: Friday night alone, $10; All-day Saturday, $35; The best deal is a weekend pass for $40. Children 12 years old and under, accompanied by a paid adult, get in free in keeping with our perpetual focus on a family experience. Advance ticket sales will be locally at Music Matters (196 State Road 312) and Simple Gestures (4 White Street) and through our web page via PayPal or by sending a check made out to The Gamble Rogers Folk Festival to Paul Linser at 6713 Hidden Creek Blvd. St. Augustine FL 32086 or by credit card by calling Paul at 904 794 4163.
The full schedule of the festival is still being ironed out but I can tell you that there will be over 40 acts which will include the evening shows that I described above and…The Morse Family Band, Sam Pacetti, Grant Peeples, Jubal's Kin, Moors and McCumber, Passerine, The Ashley Gang, Red and Chris Henry's All Star Band, Jamie DeFrates and Susan Brown, Doug Spears, Paradox , The New 76ers, Miss Laney Jones, Maja Gitana, Charlie Robertson, Darryl Wise, Rachael Carrick, Larry Mangum, The Roadside Revue, Bob Patterson, Katherine Archer , Kris Castle, Clyde Walker, Jim Carrick, Charley Simmons , Joe Mark, Gunga Din….So, please make your plans to attend now and help us keep our blend of live music going in our part of the world!! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact Paul at plinser074@gmail.com or phone me up at 904 794 4163.
Warmest regards,
Paul Linser
Gamble Rogers balanced a love of balladry and folk songs with a passion for the oral tradition and storytelling. The son and grandson of influential architects, Rogers was described as both a "modern troubadour" and the "resurrection of Will Rogers and Mark Twain". Rogers was a master performer--enchanting an audience with Travis-style guitar finger picking and relating downright rib-tickling tales about the inhabitants of the fictitious Oklawaha County.
The Atlanta Constitution called Rogers, "an American treasure worthy of inclusion in the Smithsonian". Rogers was just hitting his peak when he died, on October 10, 1991, trying to save a man from drowning. The recreational area in Flagler County, where the accident occurred, was later renamed, "The Gamble Rogers Memorial Park".
In the liner notes of his album, Fruitcakes, Jimmy Buffett dedicated the recording to Rogers' memory and wrote that Rogers, "taught me how to move an audience with dialogue and delivery as much as with music". In 1993, Rogers was posthumously awarded a Folk Heritage award.
~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide
It is nice to find a place of your own where you can relax and enjoy great music in historic downtown St. Augustine. The purpose of the Gamble Rogers Folk Festival is to continue the tradition of folk and other music and expose children to the power of this art form. Families can enjoy this event together and experience original music in a natural setting. Furthermore, the tented stages with plenty of seating, are arranged in a manner where you can stroll from one stage to another and enjoy a variety of musical styles and performances.
In addition to the music, artists like Joe Mark have added to the cultural consciousness of this musical event. Since the early days of the Gamble Rogers Festival, Joe Mark has been painting Gamble’s stories and setting the mood with his unique, vibrant watercolors.
