The Old Iron Spring Festival

June 7 & 8, 2008 - Saratoga County Fairgrounds, Ballston Spa, NY

Listen to Star 101.3 FM and Moon 1160 AM for a chance to win free tickets to the Festival.

Star 101.3 will be doing a live remote on Saturday Afternoon!

Barnes & Noble of Saratoga will be on hand with a book fair featuring books of interest to kids, music fans, craft enthusiasts, car nuts, and more!

All of our venues are indoors, or under covered pavilions - no need to wonder about the weather!

Featured Performers

Saturday June 7, 2008	Sunday June 8, 2008
Skeeter Creek	Tentacles Heavenward
Skeeter Creek has built a reputation as "THE hardest working, most dedicated musicians to come from the Northeast Country Music scene in years". "It's just what we do. We create music that we love to perform". Over the last few years, Skeeter Creek has been fortunate enough to have played with some of the best musicians and performers around, performing with Artists such as Darryl Worley, Rhett Atkins, Chad Brock, Jeff Bates, Jim and Jeff Hagar (Hee-Haw), Pirates of the Mississippi, Chris Cagle, Emerson Drive, and most recently Mark Wills. Skeeter Creek was nominated for 4 awards at the 2005 Northeast Country Music Association awards: Bluegrass band of the Year, Vocal group of the Year, Instrumental band of the Year, and the Sunrise award. They were the winners of the 2004 Colgate Country Showdown in the Albany, New York region, winners of the 2005 and 2006 Froggy 107.1 Country Shootout, and most recently named at the top of the 2006 Metroland Magazine Readers Poll for Country Band of the Year.	Introspective musicianship defines Tentacles Heavenward (aka Brittny & Zac Kissinger) who stay true to their artistic driven roots by delivering melodic, acoustic driven tunes with metaphoric lyrics, pure poetry of the soul. Tentacles Heavenward captures the complexity of early Rush, the sincerity of Elliot Smith, and the inventive lyrical prowess of Ani DiFranco, yet emerges with sound that is refreshingly stripped-down and unmistakably it's own. Zac's angular guitar approach, coupled with intricate male/female dueling vocal arrangements, anchor this brother/sister team as they contest logic, embrace confusion, and venture far beyond the realms of traditional song structure. . . . . .
Jeremy James	Happy Balky & the Good Livin’
Originally from Arkansas, prolific singer-songwriter Jeremy James has a history as interesting as his music itself: he hails from the same county as legendary bad boy Johnny Cash, and he's a direct genetic descendant of a legendary bad boy of another variety, Jesse James. Now happily living in Upstate New York, James' south-of-the-Mason-Dixon-line roots have nevertheless proven to have had a long-lasting influence on his music-- as he acknowledges in "Home": "You can take the boy out of the country, but you cannot take my country from me". "Home" is the opener for "Landlocked", the fourth album from this young, self-described modern alt/folk artist. It's a catchy (to the point where you'll likely be singing along-- or at least clapping along-- after a few listenings...) intro to the album in which Jeremy recalls some of the more memorable images from his southern, Red State upbringing (the smell of honeysuckle, a picture of Jesus on the wall, a rusty old pickup truck on concrete blocks in the yard, etc.). The song also features some inspired lyrics like, "When look back on my Red State line, I can't help but to romanticize it; watching two worlds collide, and I'm in a Blue State of mind!". The angelic guest female vocals, courtesy of Casey J. Chapman, add an interesting touch.	In the summer of 2005, four strappin' lads, each from different walks of life, found themselves on the same "pickin' porch", in Ballston Spa, New York. They gathered there to breathe life into a musical vision...a mutation beyond bluegrass...a sound that was equal parts "pop" and "hillbilly" ...a show that would provoke foot stompin' knee slappin', and elbow bangin' ...a good ol' time. They struck a chord...Happy Balky and the Good Livin' was born. Happy Balky and the Good Livin' offer a refreshing sense of youth and energetic stage command to a genre where such is not typically found. Their strain of "mountain pop" is melodically pleasant and lyrically outlandish...sounds like Old Crow Medicine Show might if they let Steven Lynch front their band. Some say they hear the influence of early Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, and even They Might Be Giants. Zac's method of storytelling is both comedic and witty...he wants you to hang on every word.
Jules and The Family	Phil Henry
New York City rockers Jules and the Family have been writing and performing music together since September, 2001. The band's sound and style is a smooth composite of the interests and backgrounds of its four members: modern pop, story-based folk, danceable soul, and straight-up rock. Jules and the Family has just completed its sophomore album, Border Radio. Completely and professionally written, recorded, produced, and engineered by the members of the band, John Madden (percussion), Marc Osborn (bass and keyboards), Jonathan Lloyd (guitars) and Julie Corbalis (guitars and vocals), this new record has already begun to generate a buzz in the music industry and among fellow artists and fans. These four talented musicians have pooled their artistic and technical skills to create a very modern sounding album that is tough to categorize but easy to listen to and identify with. The new album also welcomes guest performances by Grammy Award winner, Cherish The Ladies founder, and Irish whistle virtuoso, Joanie Madden, as well as world renowned jazz instrumentalist Rob Schepps. Over the past five years Jules and the Family has cultivated an eclectic and growing fan base in the New York City area, as well as in Belgium and The Netherlands, two countries frontwoman Julie Corbalis toured in April, 2005 and August, 2006. Irish singer/songwriter, Pat Kelly, perpetually on tour in Europe, has said Corbalis is, "One of the finest singer-songwriters to come out of the U.S. in recent times." The band has also achieved much success promoting its music on the internet, racking up over 220,000 hits since May of 2005 on the website www.juliecorbalis.com. With the release of this new album, Jules and the Family plans to continue building its loyal following on this sturdy foundation of friendship, talent and the shared goal of creating the best music possible. They were a lot of fun at last year's Old Iron Spring Festival, and we look forward to their return for the 2008 Festival.	Phil Henry is a singer-songwriter and music educator in southern Vermont. He sings funky, folk-pop acoustic originals which reflect the aspirations and realities of his small-town upbringing. Phil grew up in the Adirondack town of Saranac Lake, NY, where he began writing songs about escaping small-town life. After graduating from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Phil found himself teaching Middle School music students in Ticonderoga, NY, while refining his songs and performing in local pubs and coffeehouses. In 2000, he released his first CD, Board By Board, whose title track chronicled the demolition of an abandoned church. Phil now teaches K-12 music in the Vermont town of West Rutland, and continues to build his catalog of thoughtful and energetic folksongs. In 2005, Phil released his second CD, No Place Like Here, which includes a modern Burlington, VT retelling of The Wizard of Oz. Phil's most recent CD is an EP titled FOLK 2.0, described as "An untraditional look at traditional folk music."
Crossing North	Kevin and Kate McKrell
Uncontrived acoustic music with a spare, sweet sound. When singer-songwriters Bruce Lawson and Jen Carter-Kelly aren't doing their own material, they're busy singing songs made famous by The Everly Brothers, Patsy Cline and Don Gibson. "Passion and Sincerity" www.indiepro.com "Utilizing sparse yet highly effective acoustic guitars, mixed with sweet and tender two-part harmonies, Crossing North offers a fusion of folk, bluegrass, and roots delivered with passion and sincerity." This will be their second appearence at The Old Iron Spring Festival.	Kevin McKrell was the lead singer and principle songwriter in '80s popular Irish folk band Donnybrook Fair and celtic bluegrass band The McKrells. Kevin McKrell's songs have been recorded by celtic and folk artists from around the world: from Ireland, The Furey Brothers; from Australia, Seamus Kennedy; and, from the United States, Pat McKernan, The Kingston Trio and Hair of The Dog, to name a few. Kate McKrell is a high-energy singer-songwriter who first took the stage at 5 years old, singing with her Dad's band and has been performing ever since. Katie's songs are sometimes hard-hitting, sometimes witty, but always thought provoking, and all with her own special view of the world around her. Together Kevin and Kate weave tight vocal harmonies with high-energy performance and their particular, sometimes peculiar, but always-witty view of the world.
Doug Kwartler Band	Alana Sangiacomo
Silver Meteor is Doug Kwartler’s second solo release and sticks close to his alternative country roots. Kwartler paints incredibly vivid pictures of the American landscape, and the imagery created is rich and meaningful. Lyrics on “Come on City Save My Soul (Wilmington)" create a sense of mysterious hope such as when you return home after being away for too long. The songs on Silver Meteor, all written by Kwartler, are country-breathed and as honest as they are haunting. The lyrics are fantastic. “Show me your bullets and I’ll show you my gun,” from I Need Your Darkness is dazzling in its effectiveness. The playing on Silver Meteor is just as evolved as the songwriting. Kwartler, who has been playing guitar since he was 15, does a masterful job escorting the music through the songs and shows a knack for creating drama in the music; a pause here and there to allow the piano or fiddle to come through sets the dramatic tone of the record without weighing it down. (Lance Looper) Doug appeared at last year's Old Iron Spring Festival, and at Saratoga First Night 2008. We are very pleased to have him back!	Alana has sang everything from Broadway show tunes and ballads, to pop and country favorites as a solo artist at numerous community events and venues including last year’s Old Iron Spring Festival, the NYS Fair, Saratoga’s Victorian Stroll, Schenectady’s Strawberry and Harvest Fests, the Desmond Hotel and the Gideon Putnam and Georgian Luxury resorts. She has also been a Saratoga First Night artist every year since 2003. Alana is equally at home on the musical stage and has appeared in numerous area and regional productions. Recent roles include "Pattie" in Smokey Joe’s Café, "Susan Hershey" in The Full Monty, the lead role of "Sandy" in three productions of Grease, "Andrea" in Once On This Island, "Belle" in Beauty & the Beast for Home Depot’s Corporate Holiday Party in Atlanta and "Peggy" in That Old Time Rock ´N Roll Show.

Red Haired Strangers	Aztec Two-Step
The Red Haired Strangers have been playing together for the past 15 years, forging original music that contains hints of country and delta blues influences. Along the way, they've expanded to include not only guitar and harmonica, but also fiddle, drums, dobro and pedal steel guitar. Their music consists of original words set to driving melodies complete with evocative images of wandering, trains, sin and love lost. Their repertoire also includes finger picking, slide and 12 bar blues, fiddle and harmonica breakdowns and country stompers, as well as, covers by Blind Willie Johnson, the Rolling Stones, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. The Red Haired Strangers have performed at numerous venues including Valentines in Albany, Brown.s Brewing Company and Revolution Hall in Troy and Blueseed Studios in Saranac Lake. They have also played a variety of gigs ranging from fundraisers to weddings, benefits and festivals throughout the Northeast. Along the way, we have shared the stage with members of various bands, representing a variety of music styles, including folk (Kate Blain), bluegrass (Dyer Switch), rockabilly (Lustre Kings), jam bands (the Slip, Ominous Seapods), Zydeco (Captain Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers) and blues (No Outlet). They were featured at Saratoga First Night 2008, and we will be welcoming them back for their second year at The Old Iron Spring Festival.	Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman have spent a lifetime making music together as the folk/rock duo Aztec Two-Step. Their first four albums on Elektra and RCA Records were staples of progressive FM and college radio and helped to bring the music of the 1960s into the 70s. Since then, Aztec Two-Step has left an indelible mark on the musical genre. As their recording career continued, so did the critical acclaim. Living in America received the New York Music Award in 1987 for the Best Folk Album and was named in Billboard’s year-end critic’s poll. They have been praised in countless major US newspapers and magazines, including Rolling Stone, and have appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, such as the David Letterman Show, the King Biscuit Flour Hour, and World Café Live. In 1999 they were the subject of the documentary, No Hit Wonder, which was aired on PBS. Aztec Two-Step continues to impress audiences with intelligent songwriting, dazzling acoustic lead guitar, and inspiring harmonies. After 30 plus years of nonstop touring and the release of their new studio album, Days of Horses, they have become one of acoustic music’s most popular and enduring acts.
Flynn 529
Formed in February 2006, Flynn529 evolved from some of the musicians at the legendary Eamonn's Irish Pub and Restaurant in Loudonville , NY . Gaining new fans each time they crank it up, Flynn529 has performed in a variety of venues around the great Northeast from small intimate pub settings to festival stages with the likes of Greenwhich Meantime, Rathkeltair, BarleyJuice and Hair-Of-The-Dog. Their music is a stew--- with healthy proportions of Celtic and American folk tradition, a teaspoon of the blues, and a few dashes of those 60s and 70s AM/FM radio chestnuts you find yourself humming on the way to work. Expect to hear original compositions and covers of anything from the Clancy Brothers to Johnny Cash to John Hiatt.

Saturday Night Sock Hop - 7:00PM - 9:00PM

Featuring The Ponytails Band

In honor of our car show enthusiasts - and anyone else who loves a good time - The Old Iron Spring Festival proudly presents our fully retro, 50's style Sock Hop Dance!

Wear your poodle skirt and saddle shoes, and rock around the clock (or between 7 and 9PM anyway) to the sounds of the fabulous Ponytails Band.

Formed in 1992 as a tribute to the Girl Groups of the 60's & 70's. Complete with costumes and choreography with fun props for audience participation, The Pony Tails have performed with major name groups of the 50's & 60's at several concert arenas; the Garden State Arts Center, Nassau Coliseum and Madison Square Garden. They have also performed in Las Vegas, Florida, Boston and Atlantic City. With this being their busiest year to date, they have been appearing at celebrity, political, and corporate events. The Pony Tails are known as "The Sweet Hearts of Rock & Roll" , the most sought after female group for this genre of music.

You have to stick around for this one, it promises to be a great show, and a rocking good time. Food vendors will remain open for the duration of the show.