Fresh & seasoned

The Festival at Sandpoint has been entertaining crowds since 1982 – practically yesterday, compared to some of the artists in this year’s lineup.

Etta James has been recording since 1954. Dick Dale invented surf music around 1960. Tanya Tucker has been recording since 1971, when she was only 13.

And Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – that guy was gurgling and cooing entire concertos since practically the day he was born in 1756.

That’s the kind of time-tested musical talent which will be in evidence on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille beginning Thursday at the region’s venerable outdoor music festival.

However, artists of far more recent manufacture will be in evidence as well, including Nickel Creek, David Gray, Jackie Greene, the Wailin’ Jennys and Susan Tedeschi.

Fresh or seasoned, some of the acts in this year’s lineup are bigger and more expensive than in recent years.

“We’re up one notch from where we’ve been,” said executive director Dyno Wahl. “And we’ve already proven we have nothing to fear in trying to bring in some bigger artists.”

How can she tell before the festival even opens?

“Our ticket sales are double where they were last year,” said Wahl.

The fastest-selling shows have turned out to be the most expensive (and riskiest) ones. Leading the pack are the “Super Soul Sister Saturday” evening, with James and Tedeschi, and “Phat Phriday,” featuring Gray and Greene. Nickel Creek is not far behind.

Here’s a quick look at what you’ll find under that big white tent:

“Spokane Symphony, “Hooray for Hollywood,” Thursday – Conductor Gary Sheldon leads the orchestra in music from movie soundtracks, ranging from “Moon River” to “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (with vocalist Joni Dirks) to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 from “The Seven Year Itch” (featuring acclaimed pianist Chu-Fang Huang). Gates open at 6 p.m.; opening act Generations at 6:30; symphony at 7:30. Tickets: $28.80/adults, $10.95/youth.

“Tanya Tucker, Friday – She was a country music prodigy at age 13, when “Delta Dawn” first hit the charts. More than 42 hits and 19 years later, she was named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year.

Her hits include “Lizzie and the Rainman” and “Strong Enough to Bend.”

The Hilary Scott Band, fronted by a Pullman-Moscow native, opens. Gates open at 6 p.m.; show starts at 7:30. Tickets: $35.10.

““Super Surfin’ Saturday” with Dick Dale and Los Straitjackets, Saturday – Dick Dale is the surf-guitar king who virtually invented the genre with “Let’s Go Trippin’ ” in 1962. He was rediscovered in 1994, when “Miserlou” was used as the theme of “Pulp Fiction.” He’ll perform with his son, Jimmy Dale.

Opening act Los Straitjackets have an updated surf sound – performed while wearing Mexican wrestling masks.

Gates open at 4:30 p.m; Los Straitjackets at 6; Dale at 8. Tickets: $37.20.

““Mighty Rivers of the World,” Family Concert, Aug. 6 – The Spokane Youth Orchestra takes families on a tour of “The Beautiful Blue Danube” and “Old Man River,” among others, in this concert conducted by Verne Windham and Gary Sheldon. Afternoon activities include face-painting, clowning and games. Gates open and activities begin at 4:30 p.m. Tickets: $5.75.

“Nickel Creek with the Wailin’ Jennys, Aug. 10 – Nickel Creek is that rare musical phenomenon, a wildly successful bluegrass/pop crossover act. Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile and the brother-sister duo of Sean and Sara Watkins prefer to call themselves a “high-energy chamber band.”

Opening will be Winnipeg’s rootsy vocal trio, the Wailin’ Jennys. This concert doubles as the festival’s annual microbrew tasting event, with free tasting for ticketholders over 21.

Gates open at 6 p.m.; show begins at 6:30. Tickets: $34.05.

““Phat Phriday!” with David Gray and Jackie Greene, Aug. 11 – We’re not entirely sure what’s “phat” about him, but David Gray is one of the United Kingdom’s brightest and most popular singer-songwriters. His appeal proved to be trans-Aatlantic in 2000, with a string of hits including “Babylon,” “Please Forgive Me” and “Silver Lining.”

Opening is Jackie Greene, an alt-roots-folk-blues-country singer-songwriter who has been compared, audaciously, with Bob Dylan and Tom Waits.

Gates open at 6 p.m.; show at 7. Tickets: $52.95.

““Super Soul Sister Saturday,” with Etta James, Ruthie Foster and Susan Tedeschi, Aug. 12 – James, one of America’s rhythm-and-blues pioneers, headlines this high-wattage celebration of soul sisterhood. She has been recording for an astounding 52 years.

Ruthie Foster, out of Texas, is turning heads for her melding of gospel, blues and soul styles.

Susan Tedeschi, from New England, is an outstanding blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. She’s a headliner in her own right.

Gates open at 4:30 p.m.; Foster, 5:30; Tedeschi, 7; James, 9. Tickets: $52.95.

“Spokane Symphony, “Happy Birthday Mozart!” Aug. 13 – The Wolfgang Amadeus celebration continues with Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” and the Concerto for Flute and Harp, with soloists Rhonda Bradetich and Leslie Stratton Norris, and selections from Mozart operas with guest vocalists Amy Craven and William Rhodes. Gary Sheldon conducts. The evening ends with the traditional fireworks finale.

This is also the festival’s annual “Taste of the Stars” wine-tasting evening, with free tasting for ticketholders over 21.

Gates open at 4:30 p.m. for the wine-tasting; concert at 7:30. Tickets: $31.95/adults, $10.95/ youths.