Q&A With Folsom Americana Fest Founder

Find out more about the inspiration for the Folsom Americana Fest through a Q&A with founder Sunny Mitchell.

How did the Folsom Americana Fest come to be?

I am a devoted fan of our city and consistently look for ways to help develop the arts as well as find ways to drive tourism into our community. A family-friendly weekend festival to celebrate all of the regional and national artists for a broad music genre like Americana, which is so popular in this area, seemed like a winning combination. Come check it out. You won’t be disappointed!

 What sort of feedback have you received so far?

Folks who have attended have raved about the quality of the performers and the quality of the overall production. We have wonderful local professional musicians in this town who get their turn on a big stage, and we are also bringing in high-level artists from across the country who have not played in Folsom before. We are assembling artists in a unique and exciting way. You'll never see the same concert again.

 Tell us a little about the performers for the upcoming September and October shows.

Our September 17 and 18 concerts feature California country and the Bakersfield sound. Friday the 17th features headliner Chad Bushnell, the Inspirational Country Music Association's New Artist of the Year. We also have great openers Friday with Geoffrey Miller Band—a local honky man, awesome guitar player, and singer/songwriter—and Highways Band, our awesome local house band. Saturday the 18th features headliner Strangers & Sidemen, who have 150 years combined experience in the music industry and have crisscrossed the world playing with big-time country legends. And I’m excited that my group, the Wildwood Roses, will open for them Saturday. We are a female vocal trio that pays homage to The Carter Sisters.

 October will highlight Buck Ford, a California-raised artist who took some time off the road to be with family, and is now hitting the ground running. The First Family of Country Music will also be highlighted in our October series. Third generation member, Lorrie Carter Bennett and long-time Carter family guitarist Ronnie Williams will play, supported by the Dear Country house band. More to be announced!

 What are your goals for the Folsom Americana Fest?

 I hope that it becomes a Folsom staple, bringing local quality musicians to the stage and enticing popular national, and someday international, artists to play, while providing opportunities for many local vendors and artisans to showcase their works.