Folk festival’s second weekend opens with Brandy Clark headlining Grammy-nominated night

The second weekend of the 54th annual Kerrville Folk Festival opens Friday with a night that moves from intimate folk songwriting through soul and country before landing on one of Nashville’s most decorated writer-performers, and closes with a Canadian duo carrying both a Grammy and grief.

Lucy Wainwright Roche leads off at 7 p.m. with the kind of quiet, carefully crafted folk that rewards close listening. The daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche brings a pedigree rooted in the singer-songwriter tradition and a body of solo work that has earned her a devoted following on the acoustic circuit.

Minneapolis singer-songwriter Chastity Brown follows at 8 p.m. with a sound that pulls from blues, gospel and Americana and a voice that tends to command a room. Brown is known for emotionally direct songwriting and a stage presence that makes her a natural fit for the Quiet Valley Ranch crowd.

Brandy Clark takes the 9 p.m. slot. The Washington state-born, Nashville-based songwriter is as accomplished a writer as performs at this festival — a Grammy-nominated solo artist who co-wrote Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” and whose 2024 Broadway musical “Shucked” earned Tony nominations. Her solo catalog is littered with witty, emotionally layered country songs that reward repeat listens.

Prince Edward Island folk duo The East Pointers close the night at 10 p.m. Tim Chaisson and Jake Charron fuse Celtic fiddle traditions with pop and dance music in a way that earned them a Juno Award and the admiration of Ed Sheeran and Mumford & Sons, both of whom have shared their work. They continue as a duo following the death of founding banjo player Koady Chaisson in 2022, and they bring something heavier than their sound suggests.

7 p.m.

Lucy Wainwright Roche — New York folk singer-songwriter and daughter of Loudon Wainwright III and Suzzy Roche of the Roches; her several solo albums of intimate, carefully crafted folk and pop have earned her a devoted following on the acoustic circuit.

8 p.m.

Chastity Brown — Minneapolis singer-songwriter known for a rich, powerful voice and deeply personal songs that draw from blues, gospel and Americana; praised for emotionally direct songwriting and a warm, commanding stage presence.

9 p.m.

Brandy Clark — Washington state-born Nashville singer-songwriter known for witty, emotionally layered country writing; a Grammy-nominated performer and co-writer of Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow” whose 2024 Broadway musical “Shucked” earned Tony nominations.

10 p.m.

The East Pointers — Juno Award-winning contemporary folk duo from Prince Edward Island, Canada, fusing Celtic fiddle traditions with pop and dance music; Tim Chaisson and Jake Charron continue as a duo following the death of founding banjo player Koady Chaisson in 2022.