Folk festivals often conjure the same image - a person on an acoustic guitar singing about politics, environmental issues and various things blowin' in the wind.
The annual Great Lakes Folk Festival aims to change that perception, said Lora Helou, information officer for the MSU Museum. The festival is scheduled to start Friday and continue through Sunday in downtown East Lansing.
"People can expect cultural music and community," Helou said. "They can expect to be surprised with music not normally seen in the area.
"It's almost a world-music feel because of all the variety. It kind of defies categorization. Calling it a folk fest is very broad."
The three-day event, formerly known as the National Folk Festival, will feature five music and dance stages showcasing more than 20 international artists from legendary bluesmen to Celtic and bluegrass performers. Many performers are scheduled for multiple performances, which Helou said will allow people to take in all aspects of the festival experience.
Even though music is the centerpiece of the event, Helou said the festival is aiming to delve deeper into local and international cultural heritage. Craftsmen such as Polish eggmakers, basket weavers, bag-pipers and other artisans will be on hand to teach and vend goods. An international array of foods, from locally owned Middle-Eastern specialists Woody's Oasis to Thai, Ethiopian and Indian cuisine from all over the area looks to make sure no hunger goes unsatisfied.
"Music is a big part of it, but it's also about culture," Helou said. "Art and expression come in many forms. Our museum is head of the Michigan Traditional Arts program, which identifies, documents and shares art from major craftsmen all over the state. It tries to perpetuate all kinds of passed-down arts."
Stretching from M.A.C. Avenue and Ann Street to Valley Court Park, the folk festival also will feature instructional dance workshops at which attendees of all ages can learn a variety of traditional dances from polka to barn dancing. There also will be children's areas, where children can build forts and learn more about crafts and music.
"It's appealing because it's an open invitation to try something new in an appealing way," Helou said. "There's the surprise of something new for people to experience."
The main draw for most people is the music, Helou said. The Great Lakes Folk Festival sets out to promise a wide array of stylization to delight fans and expose those unfamiliar with some traditional music to the roots of popular American music. Other musical styles represented during the festival include Scandinavian, Klezmer, Conjunto and Cajun.
"There will be a great deal of diversity," Helou said. "We have a broad representation of music and cultural heritage."
Johnnie Bassett, a veteran of Detroit blues and to some a living legend whose career spans over a half of a century, is scheduled to perform Saturday. Bassett said he is looking forward to bringing his music to a new audience.
"I haven't done anything like this in a while. I've been playing a lot of clubs so it's kind of weird," Bassett said. "It's a little bit of jazz, a little bit of blues, a little rock.
"A lot of people can relate to various blues tunes because they identify with it. You get the older crowd into it because they relate to it. I try to do a little bit of everything. They call my music the jazzy side of blues and the bluesy side of jazz."
R.J. Spangler, drummer in Bassett's band and manager of performers Bassett and fellow blues masters Alberta Adams and Joe Weaver, says he promises the blues performances to be top-notch.
"These guys are the forefront of Detroit blues," he said. "Johnnie is easily the finest blues guitarist in Detroit."
