Under the big top

The Festival at Sandpoint, in its 25th season, has acquired a distinct Texas accent.

“I didn’t plan it this way, but we have a lot of Texans this year,” said executive director Dyno Wahl.

With Texans Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen and Los Lonely Boys heading bills on separate nights, Sandpoint will sound like Austin North for the next two weeks.

One significant change this year: The festival will have a new, sophisticated sound system which will allow the stage and its trademark tent to be moved back 40 feet. That means better sight lines and more room to spread out on the lawn.

“We’re staying at a capacity of 3,500,” said Wahl. “We’re concentrating on improving the quality instead of the quantity.”

One other addition: Free shuttle buses will run between the Sandpoint High School parking lot, 410 S. Division, and the festival site at Memorial Field. The buses will start running two hours before the gates open and continue as long as necessary after the concerts.

Here’s what’s on the schedule:

Thursday: “A Musical Reunion,” with the Spokane Symphony conducted by Gary Sheldon – Highlights include the return of the symphony’s former longtime concertmaster, Kelly Farris, who will perform with hometown violin virtuoso Jason Moody in Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins. Spokane pianist Greta Beggs will perform Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.”

Everyone over 21 will get a celebratory glass of champagne as they walk in. The evening will conclude with fireworks.

Tickets are $32.25 for adults, $11.05 for youths 18 and under. Gates open at 6 p.m., concert at 7:30.

Friday: Jonny Lang and Leroy Bell & His Only Friends – This is the first of two “Phat Phriday” shows, meaning that Leroy Bell & His Only Friends, the opening act, will play a full-sized set.

“Phat Phridays are like two full-length concerts,” said Wahl. “We started it last year and people liked the expanded evening.”

Bell is a singer-songwriter who combines alternative rock and R&B influences into a mix that has made him one of Seattle’s hottest acts.

Lang, a young blues guitar phenom who made his first CD at age 15, is playing better than ever at age 26. His latest CD won a Grammy for best rock gospel album.

Tickets are $48.15. Gates open at 6 p.m., concert begins at 7.

Saturday: Lyle Lovett with His Large Band and Bearfoot – Tall-haired Texas singer Lovett played one of the most memorable shows in festival history in 1993.

“He had just married Julia Roberts and people were intrigued,” said Wahl. “But this time, I think everyone will be concentrating on the music.”

Lovett mixes Texas swing with ballads and many other eclectic forms. This show is already approaching sell-out.

Opening act Bearfoot is an Alaskan bluegrass group which has moved into other acoustic, folk-based forms.

Tickets are $58.75. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., concert starts at 6.

Aug. 5, “Family Concert: Musical Stories” with the Spokane Youth Orchestra – Conductors Sheldon and Verne Windham lead the orchestra in a program that concentrates on storytelling, with excerpts from “Porgy and Bess,” “The Grand Canyon Suite” and “Sleeping Beauty.” Speaking of stories, actor Tim Behrens will perform Pat McManus’ comic story “Deer on a Bicycle.”

All tickets are $5.80. Gates open and family activities begin at 4:30 p.m.

Aug. 9, Robert Earl Keen and Reckless Kelly – Keen is a Texas singer-songwriter (and old Lovett pal) with a rabid cult following for his engaging and funny live shows.

“He’s a little bit like a stand-up comedian and his shows are like a good friend telling funny stories and singing songs at a party,” said Wahl. “He’s one of the festival’s most-requested musicians.”

Reckless Kelly is a roots-rock band originally from southern Idaho. They are now a staple of the Austin music scene, as is Keen.

Tickets are $32.25. Gates open at 6 p.m. for the complimentary microbrew tasting (ticketholders over 21 get free samples from eight Northwest breweries). Concert starts at 7:30.

Aug. 10, Los Lonely Boys and Jackie Greene – This is the second Phat Phriday concert, opening with Greene, a cross between Tom Waits and Bob Dylan who was one of the festival’s most popular openers last year.

Los Lonely Boys, a Grammy-winning Texas group, hit the charts with the huge hit “Heaven” in 2005. Their music combines electric blues, Texas roots and Latin beats into a “Texican” style.

Tickets are $53.45. Gates open at 6 p.m., concert starts at 7.

Aug. 11, Josh Ritter and Madeleine Peyroux – Ritter is a singer-songwriter from Moscow, Idaho, who moved to Boston, became a star in Ireland and is now a national act.

Peyroux is a French-American singer with a haunting voice that has been described as a blend of Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline and Edith Piaf.

Tickets are $48.15. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., concert at 6.

Aug. 12, Mark O’Connor with the Spokane Symphony – O’Connor, the acknowledged master of the fiddle, has performed with the Spokane Symphony before, but never at the festival. He will perform his Fiddle Concerto, “Appalachian Waltz” and “Fanfare for the Volunteer.”

The orchestra, under the direction of Sheldon, will also play works by Ives and Copland. Fireworks will accompany the finale.

Tickets are $37.55 for adults, $12.11 for youths 18 and under. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. for the “Taste of the Stars” wine-tasting with 30 wineries, for ticketholders over 21. The concert begins at 7:30.

This year, the festival has added a new, free event: an open-air movie night Aug. 8, showing “Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival,” which was originally a PBS special.

Kettle corn, birthday cake and beverages will be provided as part of the 25th anniversary observation. Gates open at 7:30 p.m.; festivities begin at 8:30, followed by the movie.

“The festival has never been better both artistically and financially,” said Wahl. “This celebration should springboard us into the next 25 years.”