Folk fest blows in like a mighty wind

Time to break out the real ale and sandals, it's the Auckland Folk Festival again. This weekend Kumeu Showgrounds will be packed with musicians and morris dancers, and the music will range through blues and bluegrass to French and Irish tunes and into gospel and jazz.

As always, there will be workshops - you can learn a 17th-century dance if you like - and there is an international contingent alongside the many local practitioners.

Among the overseas artists is David LaMotte, from North Carolina, whose humour and storytelling are his hallmarks. A high energy singer-songwriter with a huge catalogue of original songs, he has been described as "a folk poet of elegant simplicity" (Dirty Linen magazine) and "a thoughtful songwriter whose lyrics shine with clear images and well- chosen words" (Victory Review).

From Australia comes Colcannon, a five-piece from Adelaide with a slightly Celtic flavour to their authentic Australian folk. The frequent flier outfit has taken its music around Britain and Canada, and has six CDs behind it. The Scotsman described them as "simply stunning", and Britain's Folk West said "miss them at your peril" when they toured there two years ago.

England's Peter Grassby started on piano and organ at school, fronted the band Silver Myter, then led a ceilidh band. He plays keyboards, hammer dulcimer and concertina, and is also a highly regarded caller of morris dances.

So with dozens of local performers, a camping ground, wineries and pubs nearby and catering on-site, it's the perfect weekend for those of the folk persuasion. And we would be remiss if we didn't notice the strange coincidence that the festival arrives the same week as the DVD release of A Mighty Wind, the hilarious Christopher Guest parody of the folk scene.

Wonder if the folkies are witty enough to include Never Did No Wanderin' (the Folksmen version, not the New Main Street Singers version) in their acts?