WoodyFest 2025 – Day 2
The first full day of the 28th annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival got under way Thursday July 10th following the previous evening’s memorable set featuring Hayes Carll and Evan Felker along with Sarah Lee Guthrie that if you missed it, is recapped here: Show Review: Hayes Carll & Evan Felker at Woody Guthrie Folk Festival 2025
The daytime shows at WoodyFest kick off each year on Thursday, and alternate between the Crystal Theater as well as The Hen House. The Crystal is a historic theater built in 1921 that Woody Guthrie would occasionally sneak into to watch silent and cowboy movies in his youth. The venue is intimate, with a capacity of about 700, and the previous evening’s performance notwithstanding, never seems too crowded. The Hen House is located just a few blocks west from the Crystal, and features a full stage theater sized stage located in the rear dining room. You’ll also find live music throughout the day over at Buford Lee’s Rocky Road Tavern with an open mic format hosted again this year by my friend and talented songwriter himself, Josh Polaschek. The daytime shows begin around 11am with a new performance starting every subsequent half hour. Artists perform 45 minute (give or take) sets which means if you’re like me, and trying to see as many performances as you can, you won’t really miss too much while walking back and forth to next venue on the schedule. It’s planned out exceptionally well by the concert committee, and it really works like a well oiled machine.
With the performance the previous evening, the editing of those photos and the commute from the OKC area, Thursday morning came fast. It’s about an hour and a half drive from the OKC area to Okemah, and the first act I was determined to catch on Thursday was Butch Hancock’s 2pm set at the Crystal. I got in a bit early, and was fortunate to see a good portion of Gypsy Twang at The Hen House before making my way over to the Crystal. I’d gotten to chat with Butch before the Hayes & Felker performance the previous night, and as always, Butch’s sets are one’s that I really look forward to. Plus, this year’s fest just happened to coincide with Hancock’s 80th birthday, so Hancock was kind of in the spotlight this year. Butch played his first set of the fest with his son Rory on accompanying guitar as well as Radoslav Lorkovic on keys and accordion. Just like that, Hancock delivered my favorite performance of the festival, a stunning, extended “If I Was a Bluebird.”
The remainder of the afternoon I bounced back and forth between venues catching Nancy Apple at the Hen House, Chris Buhalis at the Crystal, followed by the queen of Oklahoma herself, Carter Sampson before heading back to the Hen house for a beautiful tribute performance to the beloved songwriter Jimmy LaFave that also featured Jaimee Harris, Monica Taylor & Travis Fite, Jared Tyler, the Red Dirt Rangers and more. I also caught Miss Brown To You at the Crystal, Radoslav Lorkovic’s solo set, Joe Baxter & Friends as well as a wonderful second set from Sarah Lee Guthrie which also featured her talented daughter Robin joining in and debuting a song of her own. It feels like there’s a new Guthrie in town and debuting a song every year. It’s awesome to see.
The evening performance are held at the Pastures of Plenty stage, appropriately situated in a large pasture on the east side of town just past the town lake. There’s ample room for lawn chairs or blankets to be spread and there’s vendors and food trucks along the perimeters, with plenty of room for kids to throw frisbee or a ball in between the music. The evening show kicked off at 8:30 with a wonderful set from Kalyn Fay. A gifted songwriter, I only knew of Fay from Carter Sampson covering her song “Tulsa” on her 2018 Horton Records release, Lucky. Sampson had played the song earlier in the day, and it was a real treat to hear Fay perform her own rendition, along with songs from her catalog including her most third and most recent release, Garden. Next up was Georgia’s own, Pony Bradshaw and his potent Appalachia roots blend of Americana and bluegrass. Bradshaw has three release under his belt, with the most recent being Thus Spoke The Fool. Accompanied by his talented band, Bradshaw delivered songs such as “Ginseng Daddy” “Going to Water” “Sawtoothed Jericho” and many more. They’ve got a great sound as a band, one that’s a fascinating blend of genres.
Closing out the first night at the Pastures, was none other than festival favorites The Red Dirt Rangers accompanied by Maestro David Amram and Radoslav Lorkovic. The guys have several new singles out right now with their newest full-length album, Red Dirt Town set for a release in September. In their 35th year and showing no signs of complacency, the Red Dirt Rangers have influenced countless songwriters, helped found the Red Dirt Relief Fund and headlined shows all across the country. There’s few bands that put on such a fun show, and they’re always a perfect choice to close out one the Pasture of Plenty shows each year.
Find more about the festival here: https://www.woodyfest.com
Enjoy our coverage of the previous night of the festival here: Show Review: Hayes Carll & Evan Felker at Woody Guthrie Folk Festival 2025
