DHARMASOUL SIGN TO CONCERTED EFFORTS AMID ACCLAIM

TWO-PIECE RELEASES  VIDEO TO HARD-GROOVING SONG "TASTE SO SWEET"

Groove-based music two-piece Dharmasoul has signed to booking agency Concerted Efforts, home to Irma Thomas, Josh Ritter, Belly, Booker T., John Doe, Juliana Hatfield, Naomi Shelton, Jolie Holland, and Rhiannon Giddens. Dharmasoul – whose foot-tapping debut album ‘Lightning Kid’ has earned praise as well as 150,000 Spotify plays in only a few weeks – mixes R&B, folk, gospel, funk, soul, blues, and jazz music.

The band just released its psychedelic new video for the funky blues tune "Taste So Sweet": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTOYoGTzx_c

Paste Magazine session: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/05/dharmasoul-full-session.html

Here’s what we’re reading:

“Great.”
-Brian Stollery, Relix, June 6, 2018

“Soulful… The duo mixes a variety of American idioms, starting with New Orleans-style blues, funk and soul and stretching into a variety of dusty, dirty, gritty subgenres that come together under one giant mosaic tent. These influences are woven together seamlessly, handled with an authenticity and ease": ”
- Jedd Beaudoin, Pop Matters, May 30, 2018

“Dharmasoul opens your heart.”
- Elmore Magazine, April 26, 2018

“Compelling.”
- Grateful Web, April 24, 2018

“Auspicious debut… destined for a fabulous future.”
- Richard Ludmerer, Making a Scene, June 28, 2018

“Uplifting.”
- Ryan Spaulding, Ryan’s Smashing Life, December 28, 2017

"Fun"
- Pop Dust, July 7, 2017

Dharmasoul Tour Dates

July 14 – Arden, DE - Shady Grove Festival
July 25 – Cambridge, MA – Toad
July 26 – Hartford, CT – Hog River Brewing
July 27 – Bar Harbor, ME – Lompoc Café
August 11 – Hopewell Theatre – Hopewell, NJ

Concerted Efforts is a music booking agency exclusively representing a diverse roster of critically acclaimed national and international artists. Founded as a booking and management agency for roots music artists in 1979, the Massachusetts-based company has grown and developed into one of the most diverse and successful music agencies in the country. Concerted Efforts is proud to represent an outstanding roster of some of the foremost artists in the world music, folk, country, singer/songwriter, rock, jazz, and blues genres. 

GRAMMY AWARD WINNER DOM FLEMONS, “THE AMERICAN SONGSTER” PERFORMS ON THE GRAND OLE OPRY, MAKING HIS SOLO DEBUT

FLEMONS PLOTS NATIONAL TOUR

‘BLACK COWBOYS’ CHARTS FOR 7 CONSECUTIVE WEEKS ON BILLBOARD BLUEGRASS

PERFORMED AND INTERVIEWED ON WORLD CAFÉ AND NPR’S ‘HERE AND NOW’

NPR’s Ann Powers recently did a performance/chat on “The American Songster” Dom Flemons’ new Smithsonian Folkways album ‘Black Cowboys,’ an exploration of the often prominent role that African-American pioneers played in the westward expansion: https://www.npr.org/sections/world-cafe/2018/04/12/601799377/world-cafe-nashville-dom-flemons

Ann Powers said, “The work Dom Flemons is doing on the West is flat-out revolutionary. Take the time to listen to him talk about 'Black Cowboys.'”

Flemons, who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry on Friday May 11, plans to hit the road this year for a series of tour dates. As a founding member of Carolina Chocolate Drops, they were the first all-black string band to perform at the Opry ten years ago. This time he was the only solo performer on a night that celebrated Carrie Underwood as a 10-year Opry member and also showcased Old Crow Medicine Show, Riders in the Sky and others.

‘Black Cowboys’ has spent seven consecutive weeks on Billboard Bluegrass, charted up to #2 on the Folk radio chart, and has garnered other spotlights in Wide Open Country, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Washington City Paper, American Blues Scene, and American Songwriter.

Dom Flemons Tour Dates:

June 2 – Spirits of Summer Festival – Winston-Salem, NC
June 9 – Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival – Washington, D.C.
June 10 – Sellersville Theater 1894 – Sellersville, PA
June 17 – Birchmere Old Time Banjo Festival – Alexandria, VA
June 23 – Salute! Music and Brew Fest – Greensboro, NC
June 24 – Athfest – Athens, GA
June 29 – OK Theatre – Enterprise, OR
July 6 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO
July 7 – Crystal Bridges Museum – Bentonville, AR
July 15 – 3rd & Lindsley – Nashville, TN
July 19 – Ace Hotel – Pittsburgh, PA
July 26 – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA
July 28 – Harvest House Performing Arts Venue – Boone, NC
August 8 – Hopewell Theater – Hopewell, NJ
August 31 – Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival – Woodstown, NJ
September 1 – Hawks & Reed Performing Arts Center – Greenfield, MA
September 13 – Americana Music Festival – Nashville, TN
September 15 – Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass & Acoustic Music Festival – Flagstaff, AZ
September 22 – The Grand Annex – San Pedro, CA
September 25 – The Side Door @ The Fifth String – Sacramento, CA
September 27 – Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse – Berkeley, CA
February 21 – Oxford American Concert Series – Little Rock, AR

The first album of its kind, 'Black Cowboys' takes the listener on an illuminating journey "from the trails to the rails" of the Old West. The 18-song set traverses a varied soundscape featuring string blues, old-time square dance music, and cowboy poetry. Flemons is joined by a celebrated group of backing musicians throughout the record, such as GRAMMY-winning bluesman Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers), and decorated folklorist and Folkways' director emeritus Dan Sheehy, who co-produced the album.

POKEY LAFARGE JOINS BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL LINEUP FOR APRIL 8 PERFORMANCE

10TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL TO LAUNCH APRIL 6 AT ST. ANN’S CHURCH IN BROOKLYN HEIGHTS

Pokey LaFarge will join the Brooklyn Folk Festival’s 10th annual iteration, performing April 8 at St. Ann’s Church. He joins a lineup that features The East River String Band with R. Crumb, Spirit Family Reunion, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Innov Gnawa, Radio Jarocho, and Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz. A St. Louisian, LaFarge has performed on PBS’ American Epic, TBS’ Conan, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, The Late Show with David Letterman, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion, and RFD’s Marty Stuart Show. Pokey has played with the likes of Jack White, The Raconteurs, Wanda Jackson, and Old Crow Medicine Show. He has performed at Newport Folk Festival, Red Rocks, Radio City Music Hall, Third Man Records, and Stagecoach. He is a Rounder Records recording artist.

Brooklyn Folk Fest '18 poster

10 YEARS OF THE BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL! PRESENTED BY THE JALOPY THEATRE, MOST AMBITIOUS FESTIVAL YET FEATURES 60+ DIFFERENT PERFORMANCES, WORKSHOPS, CONTESTS, JAM SESSIONS, FILM PREMIERS, RECORD RELEASES & EVENTS!

January 10, 2018

LINEUP INCLUDES R. CRUMB, JERRON “BLIND BOY” PAXTON, SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION, WOMEN’S RAGA MASSIVE, BRUCE MOLSKY’S MOUNTAIN DRIFTERS, ELIZABETH MITCHELL AND SUNI PAZ, INNOV GNAWA, AND MORE! 40+ BANDS.

FESTIVAL WHICH HAS SOLD OUT EVERY YEAR INCLUDES BLUES, JUG BAND, OLD TIME, BLUEGRASS, SONGWRITERS, MOROCCAN, PERUVIAN, PUERTO RICAN, IRISH, INDIAN, TURKISH, SPANISH, BALKAN, ITALIAN, MEXICAN, DOMINICAN MUSIC, KIDS MUSIC, AND MORE!

BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL BECOMES NON-PROFIT, ENTERS 2ND DECADE

April 6^th -8^th, 2018

St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church

157 Montague St. Brooklyn, NY

http://www.BrooklynFolkFest.com

Presented by the Jalopy Theatre & School of Music

“Diverse, spontaneous, counter-cultural, and trenchant… One of the most vital and spiritually sound folk-music events in the country.”

- The New Yorker

The 10^th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival will feature festival favorites Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton (Brooklynite and mainstay of the festival), R. Crumb with The East River String Band, NPR Tiny Desk alums Spirit Family Reunion, and folk music legend John Cohen with the Down Hill Strugglers. The festival also includes Indian Classical Music from the Women’s Raga Massive, old time string band music from Bruce Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, a performance for children by Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz, celebrating the release of their new Smithsonian Folkways album, Grammy-nominated Moroccan band Innov Gnawa (who have performed at Coachella and Lincoln Center), and much more!

Photos, poster, more information, Spotify playlist, etc., click here.

This year the festival brings home many favorite performers from its decade long history, along with exciting new underground-grassroots folk and traditional groups from New York City and around the nation. Celebrating folk music from near and far, the Brooklyn Folk Festival will showcase over forty musical acts as well as workshops, film screenings, dances and contests in its most ambitious iteration to date.

In addition to musical performances, the festival will also feature the NYC premiere of the documentary “Linefork,” about living legend Kentucky banjo player Lee Sexton, “How They Got Over” about the golden age of Black gospel quartets and a 50^th anniversary screening of counter-cultural cult classic film “Gold” with rare Q&A with the director. It also marks the release of the new album on the Smithsonian Folkways label from Elizabeth Mitchell and Suni Paz.

Performers at the 10^th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival include:

Jerron Paxton

Spirit Family Reunion

Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz

East River String Band with R. Crumb

Bruce Molsky’s Mountain Drifters

Innov Gnawa

Women’s Raga Massive

Thomas McCarthy

Bulla en el Barrio

Radio Jarocho 

Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues

Clifton Hicks

The Birdman of Rome

Feral Foster

Suzy & Eric Thompson

The Down Hill Strugglers with John Cohen

Mamie Minch & Tamar Korn

Steel City Jug Slammers

Piedmont Bluz

The HickHoppers

The Horse-Eyed Men

Eva Salina & Peter Stan

The Hayrollers

The Crimson Ragdolls

Wyndham Baird

Pat Conte

Little Nora Brown

The 10th annual festival has sold out every year and will remain at its home, St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church, in Brooklyn Heights, where its world-famous stained-glass windows will frame the stage. The Festival is produced by the newly non-profit Jalopy Theatre & School of Music, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The three-day event has grown in attendance and scope each year. The festival’s partnership with St. Ann's allows for a main stage inside the church, room for food, drink and vendors, plus a second stage and additional rooms for workshops and film screenings.

Adding to the festivities, the Festival features the World Famous Banjo Toss, banjo throwing contest (as featured in Associated Press), a family-friendly square dance, a Saturday night Salsa dance, a Sunday kid’s concert with Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz and several open jam sessions. There will also be group singing sessions and workshops in blues guitar, old time banjo playing, fiddle and more, along with jam sessions.

"This 10th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival promises to be a truly special event as we expand the scope of the programming and welcome home favorite performers from the history of the festival," Eli Smith, founder and host of the Festival, said. "This year we expect a powerful array of sounds, with music from a huge diversity of genres including blues, old time music, traditional music from Morocco, Mexico, the Balkans, Ireland, Puerto Rico, India and elsewhere, trad jazz, song writers, jug band music and more!”

St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church is a National Historic Landmark, built in 1844. An important example of Gothic Revival architecture in America, the richly ornamented church is notable for its elaborately vaulted roof and window tracery. Before it was removed in 1906, its spire was the most visible landmark in Brooklyn and was used by ship captains to navigate the harbor. The Festival will take place in the main hall of the church, with workshops, film screenings and the square dance in the side hall and upstairs rooms. Food, drink and retail vendors will be on site.

The performances are separated into day passes, evening shows, and a full-festival three-day pass.

Tickets went on sale this morning at www.brooklynfolkfest.com/tickets

* The venue has seating for everyone.  Seating assignments are on a first come first serve basis.

* These prices do not include service fees.

* All events including workshops and film screenings are included in ticket price.

* St. Ann's Church and Parish Hall are wheelchair accessible.  If you are in a wheelchair and would like to take a workshop please email Lynette Wiley.

Brooklyn Folk Fest 2018 clips

Brooklyn Vegan item (January 10, 2018)

DAVID WAX MUSEUM’S ‘ELECTRIC ARTIFACTS’ TOUR CELEBRATING TEN YEARS OF MUSIC MAKING, AND THEIR 1000TH SHOW

This fall, with their two young children in tow, Mexo-Americana pioneers David Wax Museum will embark on the “Electric Artifacts” tour – celebrating their 10th anniversary as a band, and featuring their 1000th show.

The Electric Artifacts tour spans ten cities and explores the roots of David Wax Museum. Beginning with a series of house shows in Washington, DC that feature duo performances from David Wax & Suz Slezak, the tour explores many of the markets that helped propel the band to the national stage over the past decade. With full band shows, featuring a horn section, the tour winds its way from current hometown Charlottesville, to their previous hometowns of Northampton and Boston, with stops along the way in Baltimore, Thomas WV, Philadelphia, Saratoga Springs, and New York City. The 1000th show of their career will be a secret show on September 22, at a location to be announced.

The roots of David Wax Museum stretch back nearly a decade, and all the way from New England to Mexico. As a student at Harvard, Wax began traveling south of the border to study and immerse himself in the country's traditional music and culture.

Back in Boston, he met fiddler/singer Suz Slezak, whose love of traditional American and Irish folk music fused with Wax's Mexo-Americana into a singular, energetic blend that captivated audiences and critics alike. Their 2010 breakout performance at the Newport Folk Festival made them the most talked-about band of the weekend, with NPR hailing them as "pure, irresistible joy." They released a trio of albums that earned escalating raves everywhere from SPIN and Entertainment Weekly (who described them as sounding "like Andrew Bird with a Mexican folk bent") to the New York Times and The Guardian (which dubbed the music "global crossover at its best"). They earned an invitation to return to Newport, this time on the main stage, as well as dates supporting The Avett Brothers, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Buena Vista Social Club, and more.

It was on the road over these past few years as the band and audiences grew, though, that Wax could feel their exuberant live show evolving beyond its formative roots.

"I felt empowered to start the band because of my time in Mexico studying folk music," Wax explains. "In Boston, the term 'Americana' or 'folk' was just this catchall to describe what everyone was doing. It was helpful to use that to talk about our music at first, but we've found that our hearts feel most shaken, and the band fires on all cylinders, when we're putting on a rock show. What we've tried to retain about our folk origins is the warm sound of people playing acoustic instruments together in a room."

Acoustic Duo Shows:

September 6 – Washington, D.C. – House Concert
September 7 – Washington, D.C. – House Concert
September 8 – Washington, D.C. – House Concert
September 9 – Washington, D.C. – House Concert
September 9 – Alexandra, VA – House Concert
September 11 – Washington, D.C. – House Concert

Full Band With Horns:

September 10 – Baltimore, MD – Creative Alliance
September 14 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
September 15 – Thomas, WV – The Purple Fiddle
September 16 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
September 17 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
September 20 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
September 21 – Boston, MA – Lizard Lounge (moved from City Winery)
September 22 – 1000th Show – Mystery Location TBA
September 23 – Northampton, MA – The Parlor Room

“FASCINATING” (CONSEQUENCE OF SOUND) NEW BOOK I GOT A SONG: A HISTORY OF THE NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL OUT THIS MONTH ON WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PRESS AS FEST FAST APPROACHES

The first full-length history of the Newport Folk Festival, I Got A Song, is earning praise as its author Rick Massimo confirmed a presentation at the Newport fort on July 30. Here’s some of what we’re reading:

 

“In I Got a Song, which is out this week via Wesleyan University Press, Massimo juggles the decades of triumphs, struggles and personalities with aplomb, building a foundation on years of research and first-hand encounters as a longtime festival correspondent for the Providence Journal, and supplementing them with dozens of interviews with performers, fans and organizers.”

- Matthew Oshinsky, Paste Magazine, June 7, 2017

 

“Fascinating… [Massimo] tells a story that’s not just about one festival in the smallest state of the country, but about folk music as a whole.”

- Ben Kaye, Consequence of Sound, May 24, 2017

 

“A treasure trove.”

- Ken Abrams, No Depression, May 14, 2017

 

“Engaging and at times touching.”

- Christopher John Stephens, Pop Matters, April 17, 2017

 

"Filled with interviews."

- Neil Pond, Parade, June 5, 2017

 

“A peek behind the scenes.”

- Relix Magazine, June/July, 2017

 

“Compelling… details evolution, tradition, evolving tradition, and capturing a spirit through storytelling.”

- Fallon Masterson, Vanyaland, June 6, 2017

 

“Yes, this is a fantastic book for us, the music reviewer invested in the Newport Folk Festival. Yes, it will be fantastic for the music aficionado, as well… we came into ‘I Got A Song’ expecting a light beach read, and left with a heady brew of history and excitement in the country’s premier music festival.”

- Matt Keefer, Music Ravings, June 5, 2017

 

July 27 – Books On The Square – Providence, RI

July 30 – Newport Folk Festival – Newport, RI

August 2 - Narrows Center for the Arts - Fall River, MA

Brooklyn Folk Festival Preview Concert and Barn Dance To Benefit St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church

Saturday, March 11, 7:30 pm.

Parish Hall, 157 Montague St., Brooklyn Heights

 

The Brooklyn Folk Festival will preview its ninth year with a Concert and Barn Dance at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church on Saturday, March 11, 7:30 pm.  The event is a fundraiser to benefit St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church by helping to cover some of the costs of ongoing repairs in the historic sanctuary.

 

 

The evening will feature musical performances by folk singer Eli Smith, and renowned Balkan music duo Eva Salina & Peter Stan. Square dancing with caller Dave Harvey and NYC Barn Dance will follow.

 

The Brooklyn Folk Festival will take place in the church Friday through Sunday, April 28-30, 2017.

 

“The Brooklyn Folk Festival wishes to express our gratitude for the continued hospitality of St. Ann’s Church and its people. All the proceeds of this event will go to the church to help them preserve the folk festival’s home for the past three years. We are thankful and delighted that they have been able to complete work in the sanctuary in time for us to continue our tradition there uninterrupted,” said Smith, a Festival organizer with Lynette and Geoff Wiley.

 

St. Ann’s rector, the Rev. John Denaro, said, “The Brooklyn Folk Festival brings joy to so many people, including us at St. Ann’s. We thank the Festival for its generous offer of the Concert and Barn Dance to help restore our building. This model of partnership helps to support the growing use of our unique space for music, arts and community forums.”

 

April marks the 170^th anniversary of the landmark church building. First opened in 1847 in the heart of the growing City of Brooklyn, the structure is an architectural treasure that was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

 

Music, art and civic discourse are at the center of the parish’s community outreach through the The Forum @ St. Ann’s, which was launched in 2013 and has presented numerous timely exhibitions and performances to great acclaim. 

St. Ann’s has commenced a long-needed maintenance and repair program for the sanctuary and church tower. The fundraising goal in 2017 is $350,000 to cover outstanding and continuing costs, which will be followed by a long-term capital program and renewed fundraising beginning next year.

Festival Preview Concert Pricing

$20 - basic admission to the benefit Concert and Barn Dance
$50 - admission to the show + ticket to Sunday of the Brooklyn Folk Festival
$100 - admission to the show + tickets to Saturday and Sunday of the Brooklyn Folk Festival

The Brother Brothers 'Tugboats' embeddable track

9TH ANNUAL BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL GOES ALL OUT WITH BIGGEST ARRAY OF BANDS, WORKSHOPS, CONTESTS, JAM SESSIONS, FILM PREMIERES, RECORD RELEASES, & ART INSTALLATIONS TO DATE

FESTIVAL PLANS AMBITIOUS PROGRAM INCLUDING THE LAST POETS, JERRON “BLIND BOY” PAXTON, WILLIE WATSON, JIM KWESKIN, ANNA & ELIZABETH, REV. BILLY AND THE STOP SHOPPING CHOIR, PETER STAMPFEL, THUNDERBIRD AMERICAN INDIAN DANCERS, ETC.

FESTIVAL, WHICH HAS SOLD OUT EVERY YEAR, INCLUDES PUERTO RICAN, IRISH, INDIAN, FRENCH, TURKISH, BALKAN, NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC, BLUES, JUG BAND, OLD TIME, SONGWRITERS, AND MORE!

SPECIAL EVENTS:
+ 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF PUBLICATION OF “HARD HITTING SONGS FOR HARD HIT PEOPLE” BY WOODY GUTHRIE, ALAN LOMAX & PETE SEEGER W/ PANEL & PERFORMANCE
+ CLARENCE ASHLEY LIVE IN GREENWICH VILLAGE LP RELEASE (JALOPY RECORDS) & ONE ADDITIONAL RELEASE TBA
+ DOCUMENTARY FILM NYC PREMIERE: “SHAKE ‘EM ON DOWN” ABOUT BLUES LEGEND FRED MCDOWELL
+ BALLAD SINGING ART INSTALLATION
+ RETURN OF THE FAMOUS BANJO TOSS CONTEST!

TWO FULL STAGES ALLOWING FOR 40+ DIFFERENT PERFORMANCES

APRIL 28TH -30TH, 2017
@ ST. ANN’S CHURCH
157 MONTAGUE ST. BROOKLYN, NY
http://www.BrooklynFolkFest.com

Performer photos: http://nicklosseaton.blogspot.com/2017/01/2017-brooklyn-folk-fest-performer-photos.html

Spotify playlist of 2017 performers: https://open.spotify.com/user/129284346/playlist/58bK8Cg1qHI5GJkczN9cXa

Celebrating folk music from near and far, the ninth annual Brooklyn Folk Festival showcases over forty musical acts as well as workshops, film screenings, dances, contests, and, for the first time, a performance art installation. Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton (Brooklynite and mainstay of the festival) returns along with NPR Tiny Desk Concert alums Anna & Elizabeth, folk music legends Jim Kweskin (of the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, veteran of the Newport Folk Fest from in 1963-‘68) and Peter Stampfel (of the Holy Modal Rounders and the Fugs), Willie Watson (founding member of Old Crow Medicine Show), and hip hop progenitors The Last Poets.

This year the Brooklyn Folk Festival seeks to highlight the role of culture in social and political activist movements. Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir will deliver an activist sermon and post-religious, anti-consumerist gospel show.  Mat Callahan and Yvonne Moore will discuss and perform selections from the book “Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hit People,” by Woody Guthrie, Alan Lomax and Pete Seeger, celebrating 50 years since its first publication.  The festival will also feature a “Topical Songs” performance with a number of performers addressing social issues. New York’s oldest Native American ensemble, the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, will also perform traditional Mohawk, Hopi and Winnebago songs and dances.

The festival will also feature the NYC premiere of the documentary “Shake ‘Em On Down,” about Blues Hall of Famer Mississippi Fred McDowell. It also marks the release of ‘Live in Greenwich Village’ by Clarence Ashley on Jalopy Records with another release pegged to the festival to be announced.

The festival has sold out every year and will remain at its home, St. Ann's and the Holy Trinity Church, in Brooklyn Heights, where its world-famous stained-glass windows will frame the stage. The Festival is produced by The Jalopy Theatre & School of Music, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  The three-day event has grown in attendance and scope each year, with 2016 marking the largest number of tickets sold to date as well as largest scope of performers. The festival’s partnership with St. Ann's allows for a main stage inside the church, room for food, drink and vendors, a second full stage, and additional rooms for workshops and film screenings.

Adding to the special events, the Festival features the World Famous Banjo Toss Contest (as featured in the Associated Press), a family-friendly square dance, a new Saturday night Salsa dance, a Sunday kid’s concert and several open jam sessions.  There will also be workshops in blues guitar, fiddle, and building instruments from found objects, among others.

Tickets went on sale yesterday while the full schedule is announced today:

Friday April 28th

Main Stage
8pm – Anne Waldman – Acclaimed poet will open the festival.
8:25pm – Ukrainian Village Voices – Rural Ukrainian vocal music
9pm – Jim Kweskin – Jug band, blues and folk songs
9:45pm – Thunderbird American Indian Dancers – Songs and dances from the Mohawk, Hopi, Winnebago and other traditions.
10:20pm – Anna & Elizabeth – Old time songs and ballads
11pm – Feral Foster – Original and folk songs
11:45pm – Tennessee Stiff Legs – Western swing band, from Tennessee! First time in NY!
Parish Hall Stage
8:45pm – Ethan Leinwand – Barrelhouse blues piano from St. Louis, MO
9:30pm – Cole Quest & the City Pickers – Bluegrass songs and tunes
10:15pm – The Freakniks – Original and traditional music, from LA, CA!
11pm – Skalopy – Jalopy’s in-house ska band!
Workshop Room
TBA

Saturday April 29th

Afternoon Concerts

Main Stage
Noon – Jalopy Jr. Recital
12:45pm – Fada – Traditional French music from the Occitan region
1:30pm – Martha Burns – Old time songs and ballads, from the mountains and range!
2:15pm – Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues – Original and traditional jug band music!
3pm – Spitzer Space Telescope – original and traditional old-time fiddle tunes, English/Irish ballads and sea shanties.
3:45pm – Peter Stampfel & the Ether Frolic Mob – “Paleo Hillbilly Rock meets Great American Songbook and does dirty things together”
4:30 – Clarence Ashley: Jalopy Records Album Release & Tribute with Various Artists
5:15pm – Bill & the Belles – Oldtime, early Country and popular songs and tunes!
6pm – Amythyst Kiah – Traditional and original blues and folk songs from Johnson City, TN, first NY appearance!
Parish Hall Stage
Noon – Old Time Slow Jam
1:30pm – Ethan Leinwand – Barrelhouse blues piano from St. Louis, MO
2:15pm – The Hayrollers – Bluegrass songs and tunes!
3pm – Little Nora Brown and Friends (Highlighting the work of The Shlomo Foundation)
3:45 – Poorboy Krill – Blues and folk singer
4:45 – “Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People” with Mat Callahan & Yvonne Moore – Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the publication or Lomax, Seeger and Guthrie influential and classic book!
5:30 – Ethan Leinwand – Barrelhouse blues piano from St. Louis, MO
6pm – Harmonica Contest – Who is the best harp player in NYC!?!? – Trip Henderson – Judge!
Workshop Room
1pm – Book Reading & Discussion: I Got A Song: A History of The Newport Folk Festival – The first-ever history of the Newport Folk Festival, the book documents the trajectory of an American musical cornerstone over its 58 years – with author Rick Massimo.
2pm – DIY Instrument building with Zeke Leonard.  Build your own homemade instruments!  Kid friendly.
3pm –  Book Reading & Discussion: The Explosion of Deferred Dreams: Musical Renaissance and Social Revolution in San Francisco, 1965–1975, a critical re-examination of the interwoven political and musical happenings in the Sixties –  with author Mat Callahan.
4pm – FILM: The Mountain Music Project – Exploring similarities between Southern Appalachians music and that of the Nepali musician caste in the Himalayas, includes Q&A with filmmaker Tara Linhart.
5:30pm – Old time banjo workshop with Hilary Hawke – teaching the banjo music on the seminal album “High Atmosphere.”
6:30pm – Puppet show! with The Boxcutter Collective… presenting: “The Revolt of the Beavers,” a work-in-progress puppet show which received a 2017 Jim Henson Foundation Workshop Grant.

Evening Concerts

Main Stage
7:15pm – The Calamity Janes – Old time string band!
8pm – Jerron “Blindboy” Paxton – Blues, old time and folk songs on guitar, banjo and fiddle
8:45pm – Willie Watson – Folk songs and ballads on guitar and banjo
9:30pm – Rev. Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir – Wild anti-consumerist gospel choir and Earth loving evangelist sermonizing!
10:45pm – The Big Dixie Swingers – Western Swing, all the way from New Orleans! First NYC performance!
11:30 – Jackson Lynch – Blues, old time songs and fiddle music!
Parish Hall Stage
7pm – Main Squeeze Orchestra – All female accordion orchestra!
10:15pm – Salsa Dance with Willie Martinez and the NYC Salsa All Stars

Sunday April 30th

Afternoon Concerts

Main Stage
1:45pm –  The Jalopy Family Sing-A-Long with Emily Eagen and Friends
2:30pm – Deedle Deedle Dees – Fun kids music, with themes from history!!
3:15pm – Preachin’ in the Wilderness – Blues and folk songs
4pm – The Down Hill Strugglers with John Cohen – Old time string band
4:45pm – Meredith Axelrod – Blues and folk songs
5:30pm – Queen Esther – Traditional and original songs
6:15pm – Locust Honey String Band – String band, all the way from Tennessee!
Parish Hall Stage
2pm – Old Time Jam Session with Hilary Hawke
3:15pm – Gotham Jazzmen – Traditional Jazz
4:45pm – The Jalopy Choir – Singing Balkan vocal music!
5:30pm – Square Dance with the 5-Mile String Band – Alex Kramer calling!
6:30pm – TBA
Workshop Room
2pm – “Sing Like the Carter Family” – Learn to sing songs in 3-part harmony the way the original Carter Family did.  Taught by Martha Burns.
3pm – Topical and Protest Songs performance and workshop with Jan Bell
4pm – FILM: Shake ‘Em On Down – Documentary film about legendary blues musician Mississippi Fred McDowell, includes Q&A with filmmaker Scott Baretta.
5:30pm – 10pm – Special art installation and performance with Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Elizabeth LaPrelle and Tim Eriksen.

1PM SPECIAL EVENT: THE BANJO TOSS – Banjo Throwing Contest!

This event is held off-site.
Please assemble at the corner of Smith and 9th Street at 1pm, we will then have a parade to the banjo tossing arena!

Evening Concerts

Main Stage
7:15pm – Jay Gandhi – Indian classical and folk music
8pm – The Last Poets – Radical poetry with music, the roots of rap from NYC
8:45pm – Eva Salina & Peter Stan – Balkan music
9:30pm – Pat Conte – Blues, gospel and old time songs and tunes
10:15pm – Papa Vega’s Dream Shadows Orchestra
Parish Hall Stage
7:15pm – The Cat’s Meow – Irish fiddle and accordion music
8pm – The Horse-Eyed Men – Original and traditional songs
Workshop Room
5:30pm – 10pm – Special art installation and performance with Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Elizabeth LaPrelle and Tim Eriksen.

“SINGULARLY GIFTED” (MOJO) SONGWRITER PETER MULVEY’S 17TH ALBUM PRODUCE BY ANI DIFRANCO IN NEW ORLEANS, LA

‘ARE YOU LISTENING?’ OUT MARCH 24 ON RIGHTEOUS BABE RECORDS, MARKING 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF MULVEY’S CAREER

For his 17th album ‘Are You Listening?’ (Righteous Babe Records / March 24), Peter Mulvey traveled to New Orleans to record with producer and friend Ani DiFranco and her band. ‘Are You Listening?’ marks the 25th anniversary of a rich career of approximately 4,000 concerts and over a million miles traveled. NPR’s Robert Siegel wasn’t kidding when he said, “Peter Mulvey is a 21st century troubadour.”

Lyrically, the songs from “Are You Listening?” range from the emotive, stream-of-consciousness flood of “The Other Morning Over Coffee” to the spare, haunting title track, which uses only seventeen words. The brutal allegory of “Just Before the War” is answered by the upbeat “It Can Get You By”. Working with the keen ear of a songwriter who has been informed by poetry all along, Mulvey sets the ordinary and the profound side by side, especially on the quirky opening track, “D.I.A.” which begins as a drive to the Denver Airport and ends as a call-out to “Wayfaring Stranger.”

Musically, the sure hand of Ani and her touring band, Todd Sickafoose and Terence Higgins, along with newcomer Anna Tivel, shape the songs as they run the gamut from the full-on Americana rocker “The Last Song” to the jazzy dissonance of “The Details.”

The friendship between DiFranco and Mulvey deepened in the summer of 2015. Mulvey was opening a run of shows for her when the shootings at the Emanuel Church in Charleston occurred. In the basement of the Calvin Theater in Northampton, after a long heart-to-heart among the band members, Mulvey went into his dressing room and wrote “Take Down Your Flag”. He sang it twenty minutes later, and as he came offstage, DiFranco asked him to teach her the song. She sang it two days later, and substituted her own verse for one Tywanza Sanders (one of the victims) in place of Mulvey’s verse for Susie Jackson. Within a few days, their versions were posted to YouTube and over the next few weeks, hundreds of songwriters added their own versions, including Anais Mitchell, Keb’ Mo, Paula Cole, and Jeff Daniels.

DiFranco’s help with giving “Take Down Your Flag” a wider audience naturally led to the collaboration on “Are You Listening?” Like DiFranco, Mulvey is an artist with deep roots in community: his early days as a busker in Dublin and Boston are echoed by his marathon online benefit concerts via Concert Window, the latest of which he will play from his Wisconsin home venue the Cafe Carpe on January 15. His long association with the National Youth Science Foundation prompted him to add a yearly warm-weather bicycle tour to his schedule: 2017’s tour will be the 10th anniversary, and the tours have covered thousands of miles.

Twenty-five years in, Mulvey stays true to his roots as a busker in Dublin and Boston: this January15th he will play a marathon Concert Window performance, broadcast online from his hometown Café Carpe in Atkinson, WI, to benefit the ACLU, SPLC, Planned Parenthood, the NRDC, Relief International, and Public Allies.

Mulvey has shared stages with Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, DiFranco, Greg Brown, the Indigo Girls, and many others.

Acoustic Guitar Magazine recently asked him to do a video session recently displaying his mastery of alternate tunings and unexpected chordal voicings: http://acousticguitar.com/lesson-folk-rock-songwriter-peter-mulvey-explains-how-to-create-a-dynamic-solo-sound-with-alternate-tunings/

NPR Music’s Bob Boilen has called his 2006 song “Abilene (The Eisenhower Waltz)” “beautiful…. touching… It’s also got a clever rhyme scheme.”

Rolling Stone.com :”Haunting... A voice lush and hushed that occasionally sinks into a whisper."

The Washington Post: "The subtle power of his voice, a husky, hushed baritone... understated, at once sophisticated and intimate [singing songs] as cover-worthy as Randy Newman, Elvis Costello."

All Music testified, "For sheer musicianship, it is difficult to think of many contemporary guitar playing singer-songwriters who can claim superiority to Peter Mulvey... It's hard to understand why Peter Mulvey isn't better known. His acoustic guitar work is flawless, avoiding folky clichés for a light, jazzy feel that makes his melodies bounce, and his singing is superb, an understated tenor that puts across deep emotion."

Peter Mulvey 2017 Winter Tour Dates

January 15 – Café Carpe (12-hour concert window) - Fort Atkinson, WI
January 19 – Motorco Music Hall – Durham, NC
January 20 – The Evening Muse – Charlotte, NC
January 21 – Isis – Asheville, NC
January 27 – The Parlor Room – Northampton, MA
January 28 - Circle of Friends Coffeehouse - Franklin, MA
January 29 - One Longfellow Square - Portland, ME
February 4 - Cafe Veritas, First Unitarian Church - Rochester, NY
February 10 - Alberta Rose Theater - Portland, OR
February 11 - Ballard Homestead - Seattle, WA
February 16 - Brick 15 - Del Mar, CA
February 18 - Hotel Café - Hollywood, CA
February 19 - Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse - Berkeley, CA
February 25 – Taproot - Anchorage, AK
February 26 - Vagabond Blues - Palmer, AK

March 9 - The Walnut Room - Denver, CO

March 10 - Friends House Concerts - Colorado Springs, CO            

March 11 - Old San Ysidro Church - Corrales, NM

March 12 - Kitchen Sink Studio - Santa Fe, NM

March 17 - The Etude Sessions @ Paradigm - Sheboygan, WI        

April 1 - Beal House - Kingston, MA                   

April 6 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA             

April 7 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA                         

April 8 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA             

June 1 - Hezekiah Stone's Coffeehouse - Leicester, MA

The Brother Brothers photos

Taj Mahal w/ Neal Pattman "Shornin' Bread"

Spirit Family Reunion 2016 photo & bio

Credit: Morten Fog

Spirit Family Reunion began singing together on the street corners of New York City in 2009.
Since that time they have travelled the highways of America delivering raw, high energy, honest music. They have shared the stage with musical heroes such as Pete Seeger and Levon Helm, and have given critically acclaimed performances at noteworthy festivals including Stage Coach, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and the legendary Newport Folk Festival three times. The band has self-produced and self-released two full-length studio albums (2012’s “No Separation” and 2015’s “Hands Together”) along with multiple songbooks and other collections of recordings. They are currently working on a new record.

“ROOTS MUSIC HUB” (NY TIMES) JALOPY TO CELEBRATE 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH SEPTEMBER 15-18 EXTRAVAGANZA CONCERTS WITH CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROP HUBBY JENKINS, BLIND BOY PAXTON, MANY MORE

35+ TOTAL ACTS, FILM SCREENING, ART OPENING, WORKSHOPS, PARTY, FAMILY CONCERT ON TAP AT JALOPY THEATER AND JALOPY TAVERN

Jalopy Theater – the music venue, instrument shop, music teaching space, and art gallery – will host a celebration September 15-18 to mark its 10th anniversary with its next door neighbor bar and grille Jalopy Tavern, featuring a weekend of music, an art opening, workshops, a party, a concert for families, and a film screening. Highlights among the artists performing include Hubby Jenkins of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Brooklyn’s premiere bluesman Blind Boy Paxton, Smithsonian Folkways band Downhill Strugglers, and country crooner Jack Grace.

Since 2006, it’s become a national folk music institution and nurtured a community that includes the next generation of NYC folk musicians. Gothamist has called it one of the “best small music venues in NYC.”

Brooklyn Magazine says, “It’s a rare and somewhat unique combination, one that fosters a back and forth between fans, amateurs, and local virtuosos. Teaching music helps break down the fourth wall–the divide between performer and audience–and recreates the sense of community that spurred the folk movement.”

Over the course of a decade, Jalopy has hosted performances by such acts as Marc Ribot, Sam Shepard, Peter Stampfel (Hold Modal Rounders), Charles Bradley, Spirit Family Reunion, Hurray For The Riff Raff, and Spider John Koerner.

Tickets: $15 per night. $40 for all nights, kids concert $5 for kids over 2, $10 adults, $25 for family of 4.

HERE ARE ALL TENTH ANNIVERSARY EVENTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:

PRE-PARTY AT JALOPY TAVERN:

Jalopy Tavern - Thursday - 8pm - Jack Grace - experimental country art rock that has been compared to everything from Frank Zappa to early Johnny Cash.

Jalopy Tavern - Thursday – 8:45pm - Karen Poliski - Local NYC songwriter with songs that are funny, sentimental, and sometimes downright dirty.

Jalopy Tavern - Thursday – 9:30pm - Lord Youth - Local indie-rock band with a brooding sound honed in Berlin.

Jalopy Tavern - Thursday – 10:15pm - Aaron Frazer - Songwriter and soul singer who masters old spirituals and original songs with a voice that drips with emotion and power.

Jalopy Tavern - Thursday - 11pm - Pocket Tonics - fronted by the up and coming Ali Dineen whose voice delivers extreme strength to jazz standards and spirituals alike.

ART SHOW: A DECADE OF CAPTURING THE JALOPY STAGE

Photographs, Paintings, Film Screenings, Sketches and Wood Burnings Inspired by the Artists at Jalopy
Opening Reception: Friday, September 16, 5 pm - 7:30 pm
Exhibit runs Thursday, September 15th - Sunday, October 14

As art inspires art, the musicians at the Jalopy Theatre have inspired a number of artists, leading them to create their own interpretations of what they see on the stage. This exhibit will feature the photographs of Jack Hirschorn, the paintings of Robin Hoffman, the sketches of Emily New and Ray Ray Mitrano. Jaxtaposed~Creations will feature wood burnings and jewelry inspired by various musicians. "Brooklyn Folk Festival Live," a short film shot at the 2016 Brooklyn Film Festival by Samuel Curtis and Spencer Showalter, will premier at this exhibit.

Beginning in 2008, Jack Hirschorn has photographed hundreds of shows at the Jalopy Theatre. His photographs bring the shows alive again, illustrating moments of collaboration between musicians, connection with the audience, perfecting their art.
Robin Hoffman was a fixture at the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music from 2009-2012. A former professional ballet dancer, fresh out of art school and a new parent to boot, she found an artistic anchor in the exciting music community rapidly building at Jalopy. She took ukulele lessons, attended multiple shows every week; listened and looked and drew and drew. Robin could eventually draw rapidly with very little light. She also had the privilege of witnessing and documenting the development and maturing of a wide range of bands and musicians.

She has shown at Jalopy four times previously and been interviewed by Lucid Culture and reviewed by New York Music Daily. Her approach relies upon musicality and movement analysis from her dance background and her formal illustration training at the School of Visual Arts.
Samuel Curtis and Spencer Showalter spend thousands of hours filming the music, musicians, fans and organizers of various festivals across the country. The pair will debut their short film made at the 2016 Brooklyn Folk Festival.

JALOPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL PERFORMERS:

Jalopy Theater - Friday - 8pm - The Calamity Janes - Fantastic old time band powered by NYC's best female roots power team.

Jalopy Theater - Friday – 8:45pm - The Jalopy Chorus - Jalopy's own vocal group led by the acclaimed Eva Salina.

Jalopy Theater - Friday – 9:30pm - Eva Salina & Peter Stan - Great accordionist Peter Stan and local Balkan music hero Eva Salina performing the songs of Serbian Roma legend Šaban Bajramović

Jalopy Theater - Friday – 10:15pm - Mamie Minch & Tamar Korn - Sultry voiced blues master and guitar wizard Mamie Minch is unsurpassed when matched with NYC's sprite-like jazz hero Tamar Korn.

Jalopy Theater – Friday – 11pm - Brain Cloud - A western swing band, the Brain Cloud celebrate the art of genre-smashing, to create a sound that fuses jazz, blues, bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, cowboys songs, and country music.

Jalopy Theater – Friday – 11:45pm - Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues - Brooklyn-based collective of jug-band, country blues & old-time musicians dedicated to performing Jug Band Music both old & new.

Jalopy Tavern – Friday - 8:00pm - Dubl Handi - Dubl Handi uses percussion, guitar, drums, and banjo to play songs from appalachian region of the Northeast States.

Jalopy Tavern – Friday - 9:00pm - Jackson Lynch - old-time fiddle and blues guitar brilliance from one of the best young players.

Jalopy Tavern – Friday - 10:00pm - The Four o'clock Flowers - musical duo featuring the idyllic voice of Samoa Wilson with the technical guitar expertise of Ernie Vega.

Jalopy Tavern – Friday – 11pm - King Isto's Tropical String Band - songs from the middle of the Pacific led by guitar genius Isto.

Jalopy Tavern – Friday – 12am - Dr. Hop - blues, soul and R&B with Brooklyn's best bar band.

Jalopy Theater – Saturday – 7:30pm - M. Shanghai - A Brooklyn based folk collective with an adventurous take on Americana.

Jalopy Theater – Saturday – 8:15pm - Whistling Wolves - The best whistling-guitar- harmonica-ukulele-jug-bass-jawharp-accordion-banjo- fiddle-harmony singing band you've never heard.

Jalopy Theater – Saturday – 9:00pm - Jan Bell & the Maybelles - Based at the heart of the thriving grassroots folk music community in DUMBO and Red Hook, Jan Bell & the Maybelles breathe new life into old and worn folk tales.

Jalopy Theater – Saturday – 9:45pm - Pat Conte, Joe Bellulovich and Frankie Basile - Three of the most knowledgable and skilled players in American blues and roots music alive today.

Jalopy Theater – Saturday – 10:30pm - Feral Foster - local songwriter and singer who's hosted and curated the successful Roots n Ruckus weekly revue for over a decade.

Jalopy Theater – Saturday – 11:15pm - Alex Battles & The Whisky Rebellion - rollicking bar brawl numbers from the witty and passionate Mr. Battles.

Jalopy Tavern – Saturday – 8:00pm - Rashad Brown - originals, blues and gospel classics from local street performer.

Jalopy Tavern – Saturday – 9:00pm - The Horse-Eyed Men - Brilliant original tunes that sound like Country & Western from another planet.

Jalopy Tavern – Saturday – 10:00pm - Joanna Sternberg - heartbreaking songs with gorgeous melodies from one of the best up and coming songwriters in NYC.

Jalopy Tavern – Saturday – 11:00pm - Willy Gantrim - originals and blues that range from the achingly beautiful to the rowdiest juke joint anthems.

Jalopy Tavern – Saturday – 12:00am - Skalopy - Jalopy's house ska band performing classics from the Carribean.

Jalopy Tavern – Saturday – 1:00am – Papa Vega's Dream Shadows Orchestra - Ernie Vega's mega group to feature a dozen plus local musicians.

FAMILY CONCERT:

Astrograss will perform for families on Sunday at 11 am. Tickets are $5 for kids, $10 for adults and $25 for family of 4. ASTROGRASS gets kids and their parents dancing and singing together, with a unique blend of bluegrass, old time, and folk music. Astrograss concerts feature sing-a-longs, dance contests, and high-energy fiddle hoedowns. Their original songs cover topics like spelling, whether Pluto is a planet, bedtime and the many neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Astrograss features traditional bluegrass instrumentation, consisting of Jordan Shapiro on guitar, Sarah Alden on fiddle, Dennis Lichtman on mandolin, Jonah Bruno on banjo and Tim Kiah on bass. In response to the local Brooklyn parents' search of live musical entertainment for the whole family, Astrograss began playing its family shows in 2004. Astrograss family shows are for parents who want to be as enlivened as they want their children to be. Astrograss specializes in combining rocking bluegrass music with clever, witty educations songs that will make the parents laugh and the children dance. Educational and cultural topics are woven into this family show, leaving you with more knowledge about bluegrass music, and perhaps making you a better speller.

JALOPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL PERFORMERS, CONTINUED:

Jalopy Theater – Sunday – 7:00pm - Audra Rox - Local to Red Hook, this crooning 1950s Swing band reenacts the sweet sounds of Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra.

Jalopy Theater – Sunday – 7:45pm - Matt Munisteri - A freewheeling, virtuosic guitarist, who spans across the jazz and American roots music spectrum.

Jalopy Theater – Sunday – 8:30pm - Hubby Jenkins - Carolina Chocolate Drop & Brooklyn native, commands the banjo and guitar with precise skill and energy.

Jalopy Theater – Sunday – 9:15pm - The Down Hill Strugglers - An old time string band that carries the music of the old rural America forward with verve and creativity.

Jalopy Theater – Sunday – 10:00pm - Jessy Carolina - a songwriter and jazz singer whose voice has a hypnotic power that captivates audiences everywhere.

Jalopy Theater – Sunday – 10:45pm - Blind Boy Paxton - An exuberant storyteller & multi-instrumentalist, Paxton straddles blues, jazz & early American String music with a quick tongue and captivating wit.

Jalopy Tavern – Sunday – 7:00pm - Richard Bennett- New Orleans, jazz, blues and original music by a couple of Brooklyn-based rabble-rousers.

Jalopy Tavern – Sunday – 9:00pm - East River String Band - A New York duo playing a vast spectrum of traditional American Blues, Country and Pop music ranging from the late 19th to the early 20th Century.

Jalopy Tavern – Sunday – 10:00pm - Five Mile String Band - old time string band with a whimsical sound.

8TH ANNUAL BROOKLYN FOLK FESTIVAL GOES ALL OUT WITH BIGGEST DIVERSITY OF BANDS, WORKSHOPS, CONTESTS, JAM SESSIONS TO DATE

FESTIVAL PLANS AMBITIOUS PROGRAM INCLUDING JERRON BLIND BOY PAXTON, MICHAEL HURLEY, SPIRIT FAMILY REUNION, GAIDA, FREEDOM SONGS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT, ED SANDERS AND STEVE TAYLOR (OF THE FUGS) AND MORE

FESTIVAL ADDS 2ND STAGE ALLOWING FOR 40+ DIFFERENT PERFORMANCES

SYRIAN, COLOMBIAN, MEXICAN, ETHIOPAN MUSIC ADDED TO FOLK FESTIVAL, WHICH HAS SOLD OUT EVERY YEAR

Celebrating folk music from near and far, the Brooklyn Folk Festival showcases 30 bands, workshops, film screenings, dances and contests. Syrian vocalist Gaida will bring her band to the festival, country blues and songster multi-instrumentalist Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, folk legend and songwriter Michael Hurley, folk group Spirit Family Reunion and Ed Sanders and Steve Taylor (of the Fugs) are among the performers at this year's Festival, held from April 8th-10th.

Spotify playlist

This year the Brooklyn Folk Festival also seeks to highlight the role of culture in social and political activist movements.  Towards this end there will be several special performances and presentations: Veteran activist Mattie Jones will teach freedom songs of the Civil Rights Movement.  Hailing from Louisville, KY Ms. Jones has been involved in the Civil Rights Movement since the 1950’s when she marched with Martin Luther King Jr., worked to register voters, desegregate schools and public places, worked to free Angela Davis and against apartheid in South Africa, among many other struggles.  She would like to impart the songs and lessons from her life of activism to young people.  Puppeteers will perform a piece regarding climate change and we will also be presenting bands from Syria and Colombia, to highlight the cultures of two countries that have been much on people’s minds as part of the war on terror and the war on drugs.

The 8th annual festival has sold out every year, will remain at it’s new home, St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church, in Brooklyn Heights where its world-famous stained-glass windows will frame the stage. The Festival is a co-production of The Jalopy Theatre and Down Home Radio. The three-day event has grown in attendance and scope each year. The festival’s partnership with St. Ann's allows for a main stage inside the church, room for food, drink and vendors, a second stage and new this year, additional rooms for workshops and film screenings. Adding to the festivities, the Festival features the World Famous Banjo Toss Contest "(as featured in Associated Press last year), a family-friendly square dance, a new Saturday night swing dance, a Sunday kid’s concert and several open jam sessions.  There will also be workshops in shape-note singing, building instruments from found objects and Mississippi fiddle tunes, among others.

Tickets will go on sale today.

“The folk music of any place always has more heart and soul than corporate, mass produced music,” said folk fest performer Jerron “Blindboy” Paxton. “The Brooklyn Folk Festival will make 'the peoples music' [folk music] more accessible to the people of New York.  I enjoy playing the Brooklyn Folk Festival for the good music, good times, good people with whom I get to make music and the good people that I make music for.”

As an international city, New York is home to legendary musicians from around the world.  Abay Mengiste of Ethiopia will play the krar – an ancient lyre related to the biblical King David’s harp.  Syrian vocalist Gaida will bring her band and incredible voice to the festival this year.

"This 8th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival promises to be a truly special event as we expand the scope of the programming," Eli Smith, founder and co-host of the Festival, said. "This year we expect a powerful array of sounds, with music from a huge diversity of genres including gospel, blues, old time music, traditional Syrian, Mexican, Colombian and Ethiopian music, trad jazz, song writers, jug band music and more!

The venue, St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church is a National Historic Landmark, built in 1844. An important example of Gothic Revival architecture in America, the richly ornamented church is notable for its elaborately vaulted roof and window tracery. Before it was removed in 1906, its spire was the most visible landmark in Brooklyn and was used by ship captains to navigate the harbor. The Festival will take place in the main hall of the church, with workshops, film screenings and the square dance in the side hall. Food, drink and retail vendors will be on site.

The performances are separated into daytime and evening shows, day passes and a full-festival three-day pass. All workshops, film screenings, and the square dance are included in the price of admission.

FULL SCHEDULE

Friday
8:00PM Meredith Axelrod - Blues, Ragtime and Country music
8:45PM The Four o’clock Flowers – Blues, Folk, Gospel and early Jazz
9:30PM Michael Hurley - Legendary folk musician, needs no introduction!
10:15PM Special Guest!!
11:00PM Special Guest!!!
11:45pm Clifton Hicks – Old time banjo and ballads from Georgia!

Saturday Afternoon
12:45pm TBA
1:30PM Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues – Jug band music, original and traditional
2:15PM Happy Valley Pals – Oldtime string band from Durham, NC
3:00PM Willy Gantrim – Blues, Folk, Country and original songs
3:45PM Rafe & Clelia Stefanini – Fiddle and banjo music
4:30PM Rayna Gellert (of Uncle Earl) – Old time songs and tunes, original songs
5:15PM Piedmont Bluz – Country Blues guitar, harmonica, washboard
6:00PM Gaida – Syrian vocalist with her band, traditional Arabic maqams and more
6:45PM Mick & Evan Kinney- Amazing old time string band from the great state of Georgia!

Saturday
WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES:
2PM Ukulele workshop
3PM Mississippi Fiddle Tunes workshop
4PM Build Your Own DIY Found Object Instruments with Zeke and Special guest!! Good for kids 6+!
4PM Oldtime Jam Session
5PM Blues guitar workshop
6PM Harmonica Contest!!!
8PM Skalopy – Jalopy’s own Ska band!
10PM Swing Dance!! Featuring music by Jessy Carolina and the Holy Crow Jazz Band!
Saturday Evening
7:45PM Ed Sanders & Steve Taylor (of the Fugs) – Songs and poems with music
8:30PM Feral Foster – Original and Folk songs
9:15PM Spirit Family Reunion – Original and Folk songs
10pm Jerron “Blindboy” Paxton - Blues, Old Time and Ragtime Music
10:45 Roy Williams & The Human Hands – Gypsy jazz, country and more!
11:30PM Radio Jarocho - Son Jarocho from Veracruz, Mexico
Sunday Afternoon
2:00PM Family Concert
3PM Rayna Gellert and Tim Eriksen: Songs for Sonya- Old-Time Ballads in honor of Sonya Cohen Cramer
3:45PM Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights Movement with activist and singer Mattie Jones
4:30PM Dubl Handi – Oldtime banjo and folk songs
5:15PM Down Hill Strugglers with John Cohen (of the New Lost City Ramblers) – Oldtime string band
6PM Bulla En El Barrio – Afro-Columbian percussion and vocal band, exploring new and classic Bailes Cantados of Bullerengue
Sunday Evening
7PM Wyndham Baird – Folk, Blues and Country songs with guitar, piano and harmonica
7:45PM East River String Band – Country Blues and Oldtime music
8:30PM Abay Mengiste - Ethiopian krar (lyre, like King David’s harp from the Bible) music
9:15PM The Whiskey Spitters - Jugband, Ragtime, Oldtime, the Jalopy house band!
9:45PM Special Guest!!

Sunday
WORKSHOPS AND ACTIVITIES:
1PM BANJO TOSS COMPETITION!!!
2PM Shape-note Singing with Tim Eriksen
2:30PM Banjo workshop
3PM Oldtime Jam
4PM Sam Wilson’s puppet show!
4PM Oldtime Jam Session
6PM Square Dance!! With the Happy Valley Pals!

Passes and Tickets are available at www.brooklynfolkfest.com/tickets
3-Day Pass: $85
Saturday All Day Pass: $35
Sunday All Day Pass: $35

Friday Evening, 8pm-12:30am: $25
Saturday Afternoon, 1pm-7:30pm: $25
Saturday Evening, 8pm-12:15am: $25
Sunday Afternoon, 2pm-6:45pm: $25
Sunday Evening, 7pm-10:45pm: $20

* The venue has seating for everyone.  Seating assignments are on a first come first serve basis.
* These prices do not include service fees.
* All events including workshops and film screenings are included in ticket price
* St. Ann's Church and Parish Hall are wheelchair accessible.  If you are in a wheelchair and would like to take a workshop please email Lynette@Jalopy.biz