Balfa Toujours is a brilliant young band that has been making a name for itself not only in the Cajun music scene of Southwestern Louisiana, but also in the larger realm of all traditional music. The Balfa name conjures up memories of the famous Balfa Brothers, who took their soulful, impassioned music from the prairies of Mamou to the far corners of the earth. Now, Balfa Toujours (meaning "Balfa still and always") is making sure the name will maintain its place for generations afterwards. 

Led by Christine Balfa, the daughter of fiddler Dewey Balfa, the group has taken the inspiration given them and made it their own, creating a sound that is distinctive yet filled with the essence of the tradition. The hot, syncopated melodies of the accordion intertwine with the passionate cries of the fiddle. The sweet sounds of the ancient Cajun language let you drift away, while the driving beat of the triangle brings you back. The warm, ringing chords of the guitar lift the vocals straight into your soul. A life-loving quality, emotional yet transcendent, is the essence of Cajun music, and the pulse of the Balfa rhythm is at the heart of it. 

Balfa Toujours has been recognized as one of the most important groups in Louisiana, a fact that is clear in the words of Barry Ancelet, who has called the band, "the future of Cajun music." This type of recognition at home has grown into a strong national and inter national reputation as well. Balfa Toujours has been very well received across the States and in Europe, where they have played some of the most important festivals (see enclosed list of selected performances.) 

The increasing popularity of Cajun music, so largely due to the work of Dewey Balfa, has lead to a need for diversity in performance styles, and Balfa Toujours is right at home with this development. They keep everyone on the floor at the festive four hour dances that were once the only outlet for Cajun musicians, but they have also developed programs that empha size the history and culture of Arcadian Louisiana, the roots of which go all the way back to Celtic France. They have been included in numerous workshops, offering instruction not only in music, but also in Cajun French and dance. They are equally at home in front of small groups, where the culture can be directly shared, and in front of thousands on the festival stage, where they inspire audiences with their infectious, celebratory spirit. Their goal, how ever, is not simply to bring Cajun culture to the world, but also to inspire audiences to seek out and strengthen their own cultures. 

Balfa Toujours is a band at the center of the Cajun tradition. The group feels no need to modernize the music, yet they feel no need to preserve it, as Dewey said, "under glass in a museum." Balfa Toujours plays it straight from the heart, as it has been played in their family for hundreds of years. They are proud to continue in the footsteps laid out for them and take the music they cherish to audiences around the world. 

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Nickel Creek has delighted audiences with their award winning blend of bluegrass and acoustic music since 1990. Jaw-dropping musicianship, originality of material and arrangements, and a charismatic stage presence are hallmarks of Nickel Creek's performances. In 1994 the band won the Southwest Regional division of the Pizza Hut International Bluegrass Band Showdown. More recently this "ensemble of stand-outs" appeared on TNN's Statler Brothers Show and recorded a new CD, 
"Here to There". 

SARA WATKINS is the reigning 1996 Arizona State Fiddle Champion and has a shelf-ful of other trophies as well. Sara's a rhythmic powerhouse whose fiery fiddling drives many of Nickel Creek's instrumental numbers. Sara's been singing since she was a toddler and wins and wows fans with her humble yet vivacious stage presence and zesty, emotive lead singing. 

SEAN WATKINS placed in the finals of both the Mandolin Championship and the National Guitar Championship in Winfield KS in l 993 and has won many regional guitar championships. Nickel Creek's distinctive sound owes much to Sean's creative flatpicking, driving rhythm and original tunesmithing. He is lightning-fingered yet tasteful, making him a sought-after sideman for such musicians as John Moore and Dennis Caplinger. Sean has met the challenge of fitting all this music around a college schedule! 

CHRIS THILE is a mandolin virtuoso of outstanding expressiveness and originality. His first Sugar Hill recording included a single that climbed the "Bluegrass Unlimited" radio survey for 5 months. His new album, Stealing Second, is climbing radio and sales charts. Chris won the Mandolin Championship in Winfield in 1993. His work on Sugar Hill's tribute to Bill Monroe, "True Life Blues" was nominated for a Grammy in 1997. He has appeared on Prairie Home Companion, TNN's PrimeTime Country and Music City Tonight. 

SCOTT THILE rounds out the band sound on upright bass. Attentive listeners will recognize Scott's background in jazz and classical music. In real life, Scott's the piano and instrument technician at Murray State University. 

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Gordy Pratt entertains groups of all ages with high quality comedy and music reflecting every day life. An extraordinary guitarist, songwriter and parody lyricist, Pratt has emceed the Deadwood Jam for the past three years performing with such notable entertainers as John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. He also performed on the line-up of Michael Martin Murphy's WestFest and Charlie Utter Days featuring Glen Campbell. He recently toured South Dakota as a featured performer in the "Acoustic Christmas" concerts. He has performed in a variety of venues including legitimate theaters, banquet halls, school gymnasiums, the Alligator Pit at Reptile Gardens, Rapid City, South Dakota and the opening of the 1997 South Dakota State Legislature. 

Pratt is currently touring two shows, "Gordy Pratt: The original Fabulous ONE GUY" and "Seth Bullock, the Spirit of the West," both one man shows. "The ONE GUY" demonstrates Pratt's versatility as he portrays a variety of hilarious characters from the western cowpoke to the Norwegian Sven Norskypoop. The fast-paced show is filled with familiar tunes and original parody lyrics as well as original songs guaranteed to amuse. 

"Seth Bullock: the Spirit of the West" is a one man show with music that depicts the settling of the Black Hills of South Dakota through the eyes of Deadwood's first sheriff. Seth brings alive famous and infamous characters of the West such as Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok and his good friend Theodore Roosevelt. 

The Bullock Hotel in downtown Deadwood, SD, produces two original shows written by Pratt each summer. "The Desperate Damsels of Deadwood," a melodrama and its companion piece, "The Ghosts of Deadwood Live" entertain thousands of visitors with their antics and original music. His "Deadwood Follies Christmas Show" has been performed for the past six years in Deadwood and throughout the Black Hills. The show is now available for production on a fee/royalty basis. This four person revue takes a humorous look at the holiday season through parodies, original songs and sketches. 

Pratt grew up in Colorado, Aberdeen and Faith, South Dakota and Morgantown, West Virginia. A versatile musician, he studied classical guitar at Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York; the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco and the Royal Academy of Music, London, England. He began his music and theater career at age 12 at the Black Hills Playhouse, Custer State Park, South Dakota. Prior to returning to South Dakota in 1985, Pratt toured with the New York Shakespeare Festival's national tour of"Pirates of Penzance" starring James Belushi and Peter Noone and the world tour of "Ain't Misbehavin"'. 

Pratt lives in Deadwood with his wife, Janet Brown, Executive Director of South Dakotans for the Arts and their two children, Jason and Miranda. 

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Shawn Craver was born and raised in the central Appalachian Mountains among the folk music of many generations before him. In the mountains of western Maryland, Shawn learned the songs and styles that formed the basis of the music of Sweet Briar. It was in the hills of West Virginia and Maryland that Shawn learned to play guitar and sing from friends and relatives. His guitar style is completely his own with little technical or musical training. The music calls upon gospel, blues, and old time mountain music, but is clearly bluegrass. Mr. Craver is also an excellent singer and songwriter and has performed at festivals and concerts nationwide. He has performed on national public television, radio, and has shared the stage with such renowned acts as the Grammy award winning Nashville Bluegrass Band. 

Matt Pederson is a native of the state of South Dakota and provides to the sound of Sweet Briar a traditional yet innovative style of mandolin playing. At the age of thirteen, Matt won fist place in the lowa State Mandolin Championships. Matt is also a self taught player and has achieved the status of being one of the top mandolin players in the upper Midwest He has performed since the age of nine with various regional bands, and has opened shows for major bluegrass bands such as Stoney Lonesome. At the age of nineteen, Matt has become a favorite and veteran of acoustic festivals and concerts in South Dakota. 
 

John Clark is the bass player for Sweet Briar. John has been playing the upright bass for the past few years with popular acoustic, jazz, and rock bands throughout the Midwest and Northwest A native of Minnesota, John is regarded by many musicians throughout the region as the top in his field. His bass lines ft perfectly within the bluesy and energetic music of Sweet Briar. He brings new life to traditional bluegrass while maintaining a solid steady beat that helps create the progressive and driving sound that is essential to today's new bluegrass. 
 
 

Singer Barb Eytchison will be a welcome addition to this years main stage, after her well received appearance at last years children's stage. Playing guitar, bones, cello, Barb performs on a regular basis at the Children's Home Society in Sioux Falls SD. 

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