Music

Hello, Salmonfest: Ninilchik festival has a new name, but hopes to hit the same high notes

Alaska's biggest summer festival may have a new name and be run by a different organization, but those concerned that Salmonstock's musical merits would vanish along with that title have little to worry about, according to festival producer/director Jim Stearns.

"Ninety-nine percent of the operation is intact," Stearns said. "All the exact same people are running the organization except the administration, like ticketing and gates."

The newly minted Salmonfest runs Friday through Sunday at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. Tickets run $65-$75 for single-day passes and $135 for all three festival days.

The change from Salmonstock to Salmonfest was made in part to reflect the change in sponsors -- from the Renewable Resources Coalition and Foundation, which had trademarked the Salmonstock name, to the Homer-based Kachemak Bay Conservation Society.

But Stearns says he has maintained the same recipe for booking the fest since its inception in 2011: start with a heaping helping of Alaska's best bands and artists, then add a dose of surprising up-and-coming national acts and a few big-name headliners.

"We always try to bring in an eclectic mix of music," Stearns said. "My goal has always been to introduce people to music that's right outside of their realm, (stuff) they're not going to know it but they're going to like it. You can't push those envelopes out too far as an introduction (to new bands)."

Headliners Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell will close the festival on Sunday evening. Harris has forged a career that has stretched more than four decades, earning 13 Grammy awards.

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She teamed with country stalwart and longtime collaborator Crowell in 2012 to record "Old Yellow Moon," which was released the following year to nearly universal acclaim. The album won the 2014 Grammy for Best Americana Album as well as Best Album and Best Group/Duo at the Americana Awards.

Luring the duo to Alaska was considered a major victory, according to Stearns. Harris' flawless voice has been in demand from giants of rock, folk and country like Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Mark Knopfler.

"Emmylou is a legend but she's also very contemporary," Stearns said. "It's a perfect set of circumstances."

Karl Denson's Tiny Universe will close Saturday's festival slate on the main Ocean Stage.

Denson, a saxophonist, brings a fusion of funk and jazz. His band has been a regular on the jam festival scene and he's a founding member of the jazz outfit Greyboy Allstars. Denson has also earned notoriety as a touring musician with one of rock's most famed bands.

"Karl Denson just came off tour with the Rolling Stones; that's his 'other band,' " Stearns joked.

Just months after appearing to rave reviews at the Anchorage Folk Festival, the California Honeydrops return to the state. The band, which takes influences from funk, rock and second line, was on Stearns' radar even before their inaugural performance in Alaska.

"This is one of the things, it was anecdotal information," Stearns said. "I had several friends, two to three people I trust impeccably, that said, 'You've got to book these guys.' Then they came to the folk fest. My friends said they were at a show where people who couldn't get in and (the band) came outside the venue to play a couple songs for the people out on the sidewalk. We knew they were our kind of band."

The Honeydrops are scheduled to play two sets over the weekend, including an afternoon performance Saturday on the River Stage.

To Stearns, one of the most anticipated acts is MarchFourth!, an unhinged amalgam of a marching band and a performance art troupe.

"They are going to blow people's minds," Stearns said. "It's 22 people -- acrobats, jugglers, people on stilts. It's really a dynamic thing. It's like a Cirque du Soleil marching band thing."

Stearns said aside from their stage performance, the band will likely have some side gigs, with the possibility of doing flash-mob jams or parades through the festival.

Stearns said it's an example of an act that, while not well-known, will likely get a strong response at Salmonfest.

"You build up a trust with the clientele and they say, 'These guys know what they're doing,' " Stearns said. "That becomes a key component. It's like ordering a special at the restaurant. You know the chef's going to make something incredible."

A number of top Alaska acts will be featured on the Ocean Stage over the course of the festival. Todd Grebe and Cold Country and The Whipsaws perform Friday before festival "house band" Great American Taxi and daily headliner The Motet take the stage.

On Saturday, Seward favorites Blackwater Railroad Company and The Sociables are scheduled. Anna Lynch Band and Super Saturated Sugar Strings play Sunday with a number of other Alaska bands performing the River and Inlet stages over the course of the weekend.

Other Outside bands of note include the Dirty River Ramblers (Nebraska), New Orleans Suspects (Louisiana), Moonalice and Cajun Country Revival (Louisiana/Oregon), which also headlined this year's Anchorage Folk Festival.

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From Portland, Balto will perform Saturday as part of its statewide tour, which includes stops in Fairbanks and Anchorage.

The festival sold tickets to concertgoers from 40 states and seven different countries last year, and Stearns expects a similar amount of interest this year from outside the state.

"It's an extended family and a great, collaborative effort, from volunteers to the people that come see the show," he said.

Salmonfest

When: Friday through Sunday

Where: Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik

Tickets: One-day passes $65 Friday/$75 Saturday or Sunday; three-day pass $135; teen and senior passes $99

Full offering of ticketing options available at salmonfestalaska.org/tickets.

Chris Bieri

Chris Bieri is the sports and entertainment editor at the Anchorage Daily News.

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