In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Swallow Hill is pleased to announce the artist lineup for the Third Annual RootsFest Denver (formerly known as the Denver Folk & Roots Music Festival) on Saturday, March 28, 2009, in the unique setting of one of the finest acoustic concert halls in America, the Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. RootsFest Denver 2009 will feature headliners Hot Rize, Rickie Lee Jones and Leo Kottke, who will be joined by some of the hottest young acts in roots music today, including Tallest Man on Earth, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, Joe Pug, and Boulder Acoustic Society.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. sharp with a series of four showcases featuring some of the most buzz-worthy up-and-coming roots artists in the nation.

Kicking off the night is Colorado's own Boulder Acoustic Society (BAS), who have been performing and teaching at Swallow Hill throughout their rising career. Old school but never old, they represent the new wave of American roots music, dubbed by Darol Anger as "...the future of String Band Music on a silver platter."

Joe Pug, who is receiving widespread critical acclaim as one of the most respected songwriters of this generation, will make his Denver debut at RootsFest. Pug has been on tour with the Bo Deans and is making his debut at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival later this month.

Delivering music that can "heal what ails ya," Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams will take the stage to create an enchanting atmosphere, using traditional folk instruments, tasty electric guitar, and the distinctive singing and songwriting of Joziah Longo. Their latest CD, The Great Unravel, was hailed by the UK's Maverick Magazine as "mightily impressive and hugely original... 'tis truly an epic soundtrack."

Swedish singer/songwriter Tallest Man On Earth, aka Kristian Matsson, will also be making his Denver debut fresh off his tour with Bon Iver, one of the most talked-about of 2008. A mysterious figure, he has been drawing comparisons as "the next Dylan." Pitchfork Media couldn't resist declaring the cliché as well. In a recent review of his album, Shallow Grave, Amanda Petrusich writes "...(he) manages to embody Dylan's effortlessness so well...infusing his songs with a detachment that, miraculously, is neither cold nor alienating. Like Dylan, Matsson is so natural a songwriter that these tracks feel predetermined, tumbling out of his mouth with an ease and grace that's increasingly uncommon."

Innovative acoustic guitar virtuoso Leo Kottke's fingerpicking is sure to sound amazing in the Opera House's finely crafted sound qualities. Having survived a series of personal obstacles including partial hearing loss and tendon damage to his hand, Kottke has emerged to become one of the most masterful of modern guitar players. His performances are captivating, coupling his playing with monologues that range from strange to humorous. Unconventional in style and composition, he pushes boundaries and inspires with his art, which ranges from blues to jazz to folk and beyond.

Rickie Lee Jones broke into the music scene in 1979 with her self-titled debut that captured the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Instantly hailed by critics as a "highly touted new pop-jazz-singer-songwriter" and another critic as "one of the best--if not the best--artists of her generation." Since that time she has garnered more Grammy nominations, winning another in 1989 for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for "Makin' Whoopee!" Other accolades include being ranked #30 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll list and receiving Italy's prestigious Tenco Prize in 2001, honoring her musical career. A profoundly original trailblazing artist, Jones has connections with fellow headliner, Leo Kottke. She collaborated with him on her 1993 release, Traffic from Paradise, and produced his Peculiaroso (1994).

NOTE: Due to an unforeseen family emergency, Shawn Colvin will be unable to perform at this year's RootsFest as previously announced.

Hot Rize's high-energy and unique sound is legendary and appealing to fans both young and old, featuring Grammy Award winners Tim O'Brien and Bryan Sutton, plus Pete "Dr. Banjo" Wernick and eTown's Nick Forster. This event also marks Hot Rize's 30th year in the bluegrass history book. The celebration is especially serendipitous as the original members of the band got their start by being part of the Swallow Hill community. Swallow Hill's recording studio, Sawtelle Studio, is named in honor of original Hot Rize member, Charles Sawtelle, who passed in 1999.

The emcees for the evening will be Swallow Hill founding father and Denver Folklore Center proprietor, Harry Tuft, and musician couple Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore. Tuft established the Denver Folklore Center in 1962 and promoted some of the biggest folk boom shows in the Denver area, including Joan Baez's first Red Rocks show in July 1964. O'Brien has been called one of root’s music's best interpreters and singers, her songs crossing genre boundaries from jazz to southern mountain traditional, to R&B and blues. O'Brien & Moore's CD, 900 Baseline, sold out at last year's Festival.

RAFFLE

This year we are going to be conducting a special raffle with with the following prizes:

- A Taylor Leo Kottke 12 string guitar SIGNED BY LEO KOTTKE (valued at $3400)
- A Baby Taylor Guitar
- A $100 gift certificate to the Denver Folklore Center

The raffle tickets are $5 a piece or six for $25. The drawing will take place at RootsFest at 10 p.m. You can buy tickets at Swallow Hill (71 East Yale Ave., Denver), at the Denver Folklore Center (1893 South Pearl St., Denver), or the night of RootsFest at the Swallow Hill Membership table in the lobby. You need not be present to win. Thanks to the Denver Folklore Center for their donation of the certificate and the 12 string Taylor guitar!