By David Lindquist

Musicians from around the world perform at the Lotus festival, but few have attained worldwide fame.

The chance to discover exotic and underground talents is a large part of the event's appeal, says executive director and artistic director Lee Williams. "We present emerging artists who are really, really interesting artists," he says.

The 14th edition of Lotus opened Thursday in Bloomington, and the festival continues through Sunday.

Among this year's performers, Williams places vocalist-guitarist Puerto Plata, 84, of the Dominican Republic and the 30-member March Fourth Marching Band on his must-see list.

Here are three additional recommendations from Williams:

17 Hippies 9 p.m. today and Saturday

Known for mixing humor with folk music, the German-based 17 Hippies are touring to promote the album "Heimlich."

Although the band has featured as many as 20 players during its 12-year history, the current lineup is a manageable 13. Williams says 17 Hippies specialize in Eastern European, French Gypsy and Cajun musical styles.