Music to Your Ears

All Folked Up

You can only squeeze so many banjos, two-steppers and fiddlers into a single Saturday afternoon. If you don't watch your elbows, you might get a rosined bow where God never intended.

That must be why the Albuquerque Folk Festival has expanded to two days. This year, gates at the Expo New Mexico fairgrounds will be open from 6 to 11 p.m. on Friday, June 19, for main stage performances, talent contests, instrument and vocal workshops, jams, and a barn dance. They'll swing back open at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, for an even more folk-packed day, which won’t wind down until 11 p.m. that night.

Other new Albuquerque Folk Fest attractions include the "musical instrument petting zoo," a corral of more than 50 folk instruments for kids to play with; even more folk-art and food vendors; and "Jam With the Band" sessions, where layplayers can join in with accomplished groups like the Boulder Acoustic Society.

The festival makes a space for folk music from all corners of the country and beyond. I'm most excited to hear Feufollet, a young Cajun-Acadian ensemble that's wild and well-honed at the same time. The group was awarded Best Cajun Band of 2008 in the Big Easy Awards, organized by New Orleans' Gambit Weekly. That's no small feat. Feufollet's double fiddlers Chris Segura and Chris Stafford will teach a Cajun fiddle workshop at 8 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a full Feufollet performance at 10 p.m.

Two-day adult passes are $15 in advance, $20 at the gate. Or pay $10 for Friday only and $15 for Saturday only. Tickets for seniors (60 and up) and youths (11 to 17) are $5 each day. Kids under 11 are free. Bring $4 for parking. For a complete list of activities, performers and places to buy advance tickets, visit abqfolkfest.org.

Free Tickets Freestyle

Three smart, ballsy Alibi readers took up the challenge to rap for free tickets to the Akon Freedom Fest concert on Friday, June 26. Congratulations to Al09, Verokat and FelixZeeKitten!

Before Akon hits the stage, the Journal Pavilion show puts a spotlight on Plies, Fat Joe, Lil' Jon, the Ying Yang Twins, Multi, Jotorious and Albuquerque's L.D. the Mash-Up King.

A two-pack of lawn seats would normally go for more than 90 bucks after LiveNation service fees, but I've got another pair of free tickets to give out by next weekend. And since it’s our Flash Fiction issue, you'll have to compose a tiny masterpiece to get them. Log on to alibi.com and leave me a rhyme (as a comment under this article) about why you need the tickets. If I like what you're saying, they're yours. Better hurry, though.