12 Must-See Artists You May Not Have Heard Of..

People attend the Houston International Festival for many different reasons. Some come out early to sample the international cuisine and shop in the arts and crafts markets. Some bring the family to hang out in the Kids Zone and check out the dancers and acrobats on The Asia Society Texas Center Stage. Some come because they are curious about the theme or perhaps they take some personal or ancestral pride in the honored nation or region; two years ago it was Ireland, last year it was the Caribbean, this year it is The Silk Road: Journey Across Asia.

Of course, many come for the musical headliners on the Bud Light World Stage and the Green Mountain Energy Louisiana Stage. We think this year’s lineup is the strongest yet: Jonny Lang, Jimmie Vaughan with Lou Ann Barton, Robert Cray, Keb’ Mo’, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, Lucinda Williams and the Joe Ely Reunion Band featuring Bobby Keys… And some come simply to people-watch. No other annual event showcases Houston’s amazing international diversity like iFest does. This is our educational and cultural mission, and we have every intention of continuing to fulfill that mission.

And then there are those hardy souls who come because they want to be exposed to some great new bands and styles of music that otherwise might never make it to Houston. There are not enough of these folks, the hardcore music fans, to support a festival of the size and scope of iFest. But these are the people who come out early and stay late, and who keeps coming back year after year, sometimes for two or three or even all four days of the festival.

If you count yourself among this endangered species, I salute you. This Guide to the 2011 Houston International Festival is written with you in mind. However, it goes without saying that whatever your reason for attending the festival, I recommend these artists. Most likely, you have not heard of most, if any, of them. But all are worth a listen, and some of them are among the best in the world at what they do, and few of them would be performing in Houston were it not for this festival.

• HOMAYUN SAKHI TRIO, Friday April 29, 8 pm, Bud Light World Stage: Saturday April 30, 3:30 pm, H-E-B Cultural Stage; 7 pm, Asia Society Center Stage

• ROOTZ UNDERGROUND, Saturday, April 30, 4 pm, Bud Light World Stage

• AFRICAN ZYDECO REVUE, Saturday, April 30, 6 pm, Green Mountain Energy Louisiana Stage

• ATASH, Saturday, April 30, 4 pm, Fadi’s Caravan Tent; 8:30 pm, H-E-B Cultural Stage; Sunday, May 1, 2:30 pm, Bud Light World Stage; 6 pm, Fadi’s Caravan Tent

• CHRIS BELL BAND, Saturday, May 7, 2 pm Green Mountain Energy Louisiana Stage; 6:30 pm, 29-95 Entertainment Stage

• HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND, Saturday, May 7, 4 pm, Green Mountain Energy Louisiana Stage

• GLEN DAVID ANDREWS, Saturday, May 7, 6 pm, Green Mountain Energy Louisiana Stage

• RED BARAAT, Saturday, May 7, Bud Light World Stage, 4 pm; Asia Society Texas Center Stage, 7 pm; Sunday, May 8, Green Mountain Energy Louisiana Stage, 2:30 pm; Asia Society Texas Center Stage, 6:45 pm

• RAHIM ALHAJ AND THE LITTLE EARTH ORCHESTRA, Saturday, May 7, 3:30 pm, H-E-B Cultural Stage; 8 pm, Fadi’s Caravan Tent: Sunday, May 8, 2:30 pm, Bud Light World Music Stage; 6 pm. Fadi’s Caravan Tent

• GRANDFATHER CHILD, Sunday, May 8, 2:30 pm, 29-95 Entertainment Stage

• LOS GUERREROS DE LA MUSICA, Sunday, May 8, 4:30 pm, RoomStore Latin Stage

• RIYAAZ QAWWALI, Sunday, May 8, 4 pm, Fadi’s Caravan Tent; 6:30 pm, H-E-B Cultural Stage

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