Grammy award winners Jason Mraz and Ani DiFranco will headline Salmonfest 2019, three days of fish, love and music at the fairgrounds in Ninilchik, on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula Aug. 2-4.
Mraz, a singer and songwriter who became prominent in the San Diego coffee shop scene in 2000, has won two Grammies, and has earned platinum and multi-platinum certifications in over 20 countries for his music, which ranges in genres from pop rock to soul, reggae, alterative hip hop and jazz.
DeFranco, whose music is classified as folk rock and alternative rock, is also an activist who supports many social and political causes by performing benefit concerts and has received the Woman of Courage Award from the National Organization for Women. She has been honored at the Grammy Awards as best female rock vocalist and for best recording package.
Also among the headliners are Wookiefoot, self-described as a circus a philosophy and community of globe trekking bliss junkies and believer, plus perennial Salmonfest favorite California Honeydrops, an American blues and R&B band which once played in the subway stations of Oakland, Calif., and Keller Williams, whose music combines elements of bluegrass, folk, alternative roc, reggae and other genres.
The complete lineup is online at salmonfestalaska.org/2019-lineup.
The three-day music festival began in 2011 as Salmonstock and became a force in promoting and protecting salmon habitat vital to Alaska’s cultural and economic existence, and has gained a reputation nationally, as well as within Alaska, as a dynamic annual cultural and musical event. Each year Salmonfest participants get to hear some 60 bands playing on four stages. The event also offers a family-friendly atmosphere, a variety of food and craft booths, and activities and information related to the health and well-being of Wild Alaska salmon.
Proceeds from the event are distributed each year to various entities engaged in the protection of Alaskan salmon. Long-standing sponsors and beneficiaries include the Kachemak Bay Conservation Society, Cook Inletkeeper, two Homer-based non-profits whose mission it is to educate the public and protect and promote Alaska’s wild seafood.
The annual event continues to educate thousands of young Alaskans about Bristol Bay and the region’s wild salmon runs, said Jim Stearns, festival producer.
Organizers have also expanded on-site camping for cars, tents and RVs on flat forested land just minutes in walking distance from the main stage.
Get tickets online at eventbrite.com/e/salmonfest-alaska-2019-tickets-53483939904.
