Alright, music-ers – set aside some time to hit the Philadelphia area in August! (I feel like a Chamber of Commerce guy..)

First, http://www.musikfest.org/

Musikfest this year (Bethlehem, PA ~ 30 mins. North of Philly) goes 8/4-8/13. The Worms are only doing one show (8/5), but the lineup overall is even better than last year, features headliners of all kinds, and the big guy is Ralph Stanley doing a show on Thurday 8/10. Now Ralph has been touring for a while, now, but he probably won’t go on indefinitely. If you’ve never seen him and the band in concert, you really shouldn’t pass this up – he’s as much an American cultural treasure as anybody ever has been, not least because he very likely “invented” Bluegrass music. Check out the schedule and the ticketed acts – there is truly something there for every taste! It’s not exactly cheap, mind you – the four of us went through about $100.00/day there last year, but we were indulging ourselves a lot, too, on goodies, treats, Xmas presents and nifty stuff. You can get by on a whole lot less.
And if that wasn’t enough, http://www.folkfest.org/
The Philadelphia Folk Festival the next weekend (8/18-20) features the Worms all three nights, and oodles (if not scads!) of other great sounds, among which is one of my very favorite trios, the Roches. It’s just outside of Philly, and relatively easy access from the main highways. Camping, too, if you get a reservation in in time.