The Houston International Festival, better known to us locals as iFest, has released the musical line-up for its 2009 edition. Set to take place the weekends of April 18-19 and 25-26, this year's festival will focus on the culture of Ireland while highlighting diverse artists from around the world. The first weekend will feature The Ohio Players headlining on the 18th, with top duties going to Mavis Staples on the 19th. The second weekend will feature Hugh Masekela on the 25th, with Los Lobos closing it all out on the 26th. Several other unique acts will be performing over the four-day, multi-weekend event, including reggae legends The Wailing Souls, Afro-beat prince and his band Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 and New Orleans soul man Marc Broussard. Also of particular note is the "Celtic Conjunto Finale," which will feature Los Lobos, members of Irish band Beoga, fiddler Kevin Burke, Tejano accordionist Joel Guzman, and zydeco player Lil Brian Terry all participating in a jam session that "has never happened before on a Houston stage, and may never happen again."

Check out the full iFest line up after the jump

Houston International Festival 2009

Ohio Players
Los Lobos
Mavis Staples
Hugh Masekela
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Cherish The Ladies
Plena Libre
Marc Broussard
Marcia Ball
Flaco Jimenez
Rootz Underground
The Wailing Souls
Alpha Yaya Diallo
Little Joe Y La Familia
CJ Chenier
Beau Soleil
Keith Frank
Mariachi Los Arrieros
Beoga
Kevin Burke
Julie Fowlis
Step Rideau
Big Sam’s Funky Nation
Soul Rebels
J. Paul Jr.
Danny O’Flaherty
Jody Nix
Joel Guzman
Terri Hendrix
Jones Family Singers
Little Brian Terry
Chic Gamine
Step Rideau
Zulu Connection Mardi Gras Indians
J. Paul Jr.
Lil Brian Terry
Sherman Robertson
Mike Zito
Ezra Charles
Lil Malcolm
Cedric Watson
Feufollet and the Lost Bayou Ramblers
Danny O’Flaherty
Lonestar Stout
Clandestine
Constant Billy
Quebe Sisters Band
Les Amis Creole
Charles Thibodeaux
Gillette Brothers
Blaggards
Killdares
Needfire
James Hand
Original Soul Invaders
Mark Halata & Texavia
Big Red & the Playmakers
Zydeco Dots
Houston’s Championship Irish Dancers
many more...

From IFest.org

HOUSTON -- The 2009 Houston International Festival, honoring Ireland, is proud to announce the music lineup showcasing a host of top artists from around the globe. The 38th annual Festival returns to downtown Houston April 18-19 and 25-26, 2009, featuring continuous music, dance and cultural performances on 12 stages.

Headlining the Bud Light World Music Stage in Lower Sam Houston Park are funk legends the Ohio Players, April 18; soul/gospel queen Mavis Staples, April 19; South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela, April 25; and Chicano roots-rockers Los Lobos, hosting the festival’s “Celtic/Conjunto” finale, April 26. International acts include Nigeria’s Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Puerto Rico’s Plena Libre, Jamaica’s Rootz Underground and the Wailing Souls, Guinea’s Alpha YaYa Diallo and Quebec’s Chic Gamine, joined by Louisiana’s homegrown R&B/soul crooner Marc Broussard. Each year, iFest’s World Stage puts the best of world music next to the finest American roots music to demonstrate how music can communicate across cultural and linguistic barriers. This year’s lineup is one of our greatest yet.

Traditional Celtic music and dance will be showcased on Center Stage, built over the Reflection Pool in front of Houston’s City Hall. Headliners include Ireland’s hottest new band, Beoga, from County Down; Boston’s celebrated Irish-American lasses, Cherish the Ladies; and Scotland’s enchanting Gaelic thrush, Julie Fowlis. These incredible artists will be joined each night by an all-star team of Houston’s champion Irish dancers, drawn from the local troupes McTeggart, O’Maoileidigh and Cass. While guests enjoy the fantastic entertainment lineup on Center Stage, unique eats will be close by in the surrounding food court.

After a five-year absence, the Texas Stage returns to the Library Plaza in 2009, thanks to a generous grant from the Houston Endowment. The programming on this stage recreates the 2008 Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s salute to Texas music, with headliners Marcia Ball, April 18; CJ Chenier, April 19; Little Joe y la Familia, April 25; and Los Tres Reyes de Accordiones with Flaco Jimenez, Joel Guzman and Jaime deAnda, April 26. The carefully curated lineup represents the state’s unique country, blues, gospel, Hispanic and Cajun heritage, including El Paso’s fabulous Mariachi Los Arrieros, Big Spring’s legendary Jody Nix and the Texas Cowboys, Bay City’s spirit-raising Jones Family Singers, Austin singer-songwriter Terri Hendrix, San Antonio’s conjunto accordion kings Los Texmaniacs and Houston’s own ageless blues guitar hero, Texas Johnny Brown. The Houston International Festival is proud to bring the Smithsonian’s hugely successful musical tribute in Washington D.C. back to the Lone Star State.

The Louisiana Stage in Tranquility Park will feature the distinctive Gulf Coast musical gumbo audiences. Dance to the world’s best Cajun and zydeco bands, including BeauSoleil, Keith Frank, Step Rideau, J. Paul Jr., Lil Brian Terry, Lil Malcolm, Cedric Watson, Feufollet and the Lost Bayou Ramblers. Step out to New Orleans second-line funk with Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Soul Rebels and the Zulu Connection Mardi Gras Indians. Groove to the Gulf Coast blues of Sherman Robertson, Mike Zito and Ezra Charles. This stage is one of the most popular Festival destinations.

The Irish Pub Stage, located on the front steps of Houston City Hall, will serve up world-class Irish sessions hosted by the great fiddler from County Cork, Kevin Burke, along with authentic Irish pub grub and brew. Joining Kevin and his trio each day will be top regional Irish and Celtic artists such as Danny O’Flaherty, Lonestar Stout, Clandestine and Constant Billy, as well as acoustic Texas artists the Quebe Sisters Band, Les Amis Creole, Charles Thibodeaux and the Gillette Brothers. Each day, a programming segment will be dedicated to Texas artists meeting Irish artists to demonstrate the Celtic connection to regional country, Cajun and Creole traditions.

The Chron.com Houston Stage, on the patio on the backside of City Hall, is a great place for Festival-goers to camp out for a few hours, enjoy the shade and a cold beverage while listening to a variety of music genres. At this year’s Festival, the stage will present a stylistically diverse mix of the top local and regional bands, including Irish rockers the Blaggards, the Killdares and Needfire; honky-tonker James Hand; gospel shouters the Original Soul Invaders; polka stompers Mark Halata & Texavia; and Zydeco party hounds Big Red & the Playmakers and the Zydeco Dots.

The H-E-B Cultural Stage and the Gaelic Stage, both located in the Living Museum area of Upper Sam Houston Park, represent the cultural heart of this year’s Irish theme. From harps, bagpipes and story-telling bards to Irish step-dance lessons, cooking demonstrations and literary readings, these stages honor the ongoing ancestral connection between Ireland and the Irish in America. Each Festival day will kick-off with a marching bagpipes band parade from the Gaelic Stage to Center Stage.

The Latin Stage, which alternates set times in Library Plaza with the Texas Stage, features a culturally diverse mix of Flamenco, Mariachi, Ballet Folklorico, Conjunto, Salsa, and Spanish Celtic music. African drumming, dancing and Caribbean parades will fill Lower Tranquility Park, where the new African-Caribbean Zone picks up where last year’s festival honoring the theme “Out of Africa” left off.

The Target International Kids Stage in the Target Kids Zone will again present a daily variety of ethnic dance troupes and youth groups showcasing Houston’s abundance of international diversity – from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Americas. Of course, the local Irish dance troupes will be prominently featured each day with their colorful costumes and golden curls. And offering further evidence of Houston’s importance as an international center, the Sister Cities Stage features excellent music and dance programming presented by the local Sister Cities Associations.

The Festival will take place April 18-19 and April 25-26, 2009. Hours are: Saturdays, Noon to 10 p.m.; Sundays, Noon to 9 p.m. The Festival will also host a free lunchtime concert on Friday, April 17 following the official ribbon-cutting and opening day ceremonies at 11 a.m. on Center Stage.

Tickets go on sale March 1 online at www.ifest.org. Beginning April 1, tickets will also be available for purchase at H-E-B stores:

- $7.50 St. Patty’s Special Advance Tickets
Available March 1 – 31, online only

- $10.00 Early-Bird Admission

Available April 1 – 13, online and H-E-B Stores

- $15.00 Regular Admission

Available April 14 through end of Festival and at the Gate

- FREE Target Kids Free (kids 12 and under are FREE)

All proceeds benefit the Festival arts and education programs.

For more information on the 2009 Houston International Festival, call 713-654-8808 or access the Festival’s official website at www.ifest.org.

Start planning your schedule today!

Over the past few years, iFest has proven that Houston actually knows how to throw a party. If you're from around here and have never attended, I highly recommend that you throw down the $7.50 and head to downtown Houston this April.

-Eggs