THIRD ANNUAL JALOPY INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, JUNE 7-9 BANDS FROM AN ARRAY OF NYC’S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES BODOMA GARIFUNA CULTURAL BAND, Cumbiamba eNeYe, BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE, AND MORE!

The Jalopy Theatre is proud to announce the 3rd Annual Jalopy International Music Fest! Three nights of music from June 7th-9th at the Jalopy Theatre in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The evenings will include music representing the traditions of Honduras, Serbia, Colombia, Mali, China, Sardinia and more! The festival celebrates the diverse wellspring of music among NYC's communities.

This festival will bring together players from different musical backgrounds and styles in one space, showcasing what makes NYC such a unique and vibrant musical landscape. The festival is put on by and occurs at the newly non-profit Jalopy Theatre. The festival is also joining forces with Brooklyn Raga Massive, a local collective rooted in and inspired by Indian classical music that holds a weekly residency at the Theatre.

“This Festival is a cross pollination of music and scenes from the world’s most diverse city. The audience will be enthralled by the breadth of talent,” Festival organizer, Feral Foster, said.

"Over Jalopy’s first decade, our music and educational programming has become increasingly rich, and the relationships we have developed with artists, audiences, and students have deepened. And we have seen an opportunity to build a broader community of support for our work, realizing our communal values even more fully." - Geoff and Lynette Wiley

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE: https://shop.jalopytheatre.org/category-s/161.htm
Thursday, June 7th
Brooklyn Raga Massive Weekly
Join us for an evening dedicated to the music of Raga-inspired composer John McLaughlin. The lineup includes original Mahavishnu Orchestra member Premik Russell Tubbs from "Visions of the Emerald Beyond" album on Woodwinds, Rez Abassi - guitar, Vin Scialla (BRM/Snehasish/Mission:on Mars) - Drums, Neel Murgai (BRM) - Sitar, Neil Alexander (Mahavishnu Project) - Keys, Brian Mooney - Bass, and Guests.

Friday, June 8th
8:00pm - The Jalopy Chorus (choral music from The Balkans, Caucuses and beyond)
9:00pm - Tenores de Aterue (Sardinian songs a cappella)
10:00pm - Bodoma Garifuna Cultural Band (Garifuna Dugu, Sambay, Gunchey, Wanaragu, Paranda from Honduras)
11:00pm - Fada (Occitan Music)

Saturday, June 9th
7:00pm - Zong Li Lu (Chinese Monochord)
8:00pm - Yacouba Sissoko (Kora music from Mali)
9:00pm - Rosa (All female Serbian vocal group)
10:00pm - Cumbiamba eNeYe (Traditional Colombia Music and Dance)
11:00pm - Turkish Music with Jenny Luna, Kane Mathis, and Philip Mayer

WORKSHOPS on Saturday, June 9th, 2018
Sardinian and Corsican Polyphony Workshop
3:30-5:30pm

Join the Tenores de Aterúe for an exciting workshop that will explore several styles of vocal polyphony from the island traditions of Sardinia and Corsica. From Sardinia, we will sing sacred music from the cuncordu tradition, and the throat-singing tradition called cantu a tenore will also be introduced. Ornamentation from Corsica will be touched upon as we learn a piece from the beautiful and vast folk repertoire.
Link:  https://shop.jalopytheatre.org/product-p/w3-060918.htm

Maqam Made Easy: Vocal and Instrumental Workshop on the Arabic Melodic System
5:30-6:45
Are you curious about the microtonal scales used in Middle-Eastern music? Do you want to expand your improvisation skills? Sami demystifies maqam by presenting basic melodies in a straightforward call-and-response style, accessible to musicians and aspiring musicians of all levels. This 90 minute workshop will introduce several common maqamat through both songs and improvisation. Vocalists and instrumentalists welcome.
Link: https://shop.jalopytheatre.org/product-p/w2-060918.htm

JALOPY THEATRE AND SCHOOL OF MUSIC GO NON-PROFIT

Statement from Jalopy Theatre's Geoffrey & Lynnette Wiley:

Since we founded Jalopy in 2006, technically, we have been a for-profit business, but that model has never truly reflected our priorities (in fact, many people assume we already are a nonprofit organization because of our commitment to our community of artists and students). Our main concern has always been supporting artists and making folk music accessible to a wide audience, not focusing on the bottom line.

So we are thrilled to share the news that we are joining forces with Living Traditions, a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 with the mission of preserving, promoting and perpetuating traditional folk music. For thirty years, Living Traditions produced the wildly successful KlezKamp, a beloved annual Yiddish folk arts gathering in the Catskills. Living Traditions’ own programming ended in 2014, and we are proud to be taking up their mission as our own while holding on to our own location, staff, programs, and name.

Over Jalopy’s first decade, our music and educational programming has become increasingly rich, and the relationships we have developed with artists, audiences, and students have deepened. And we have seen an opportunity to build a broader community of support for our work, realizing our communal values even more fully.

We’ve always considered Jalopy a place that belongs to the people. Officially offering our activities and programs through a nonprofit (in more than just spirit!) will provide new ways to connect with our community, strengthen our organization, and continue to evolve as we begin our second decade.

Jalopy Records Releases Newly Discovered Live Show by Old Time Country Music Legend Clarence Ashley; Recorded in Greenwich Village in 1963

‘Live and In Person’ Out April 28
 

(Click for high res)

On April 28, 2017, Jalopy Records, the record label of Red Hook's Jalopy Theatre, is releasing Clarence Ashley: Live and In Person, the first all-new album in over 50 years by the legendary singer and banjo player who helped introduce old time country music to audiences throughout the nation. April 28 also marks the kickoff of the Brooklyn Folk Festival.

Clarence Ashley (1895-1967) recorded for Columbia Records in 1929, was featured on Harry Smith's “Anthology of American Folk Music” in 1952, and toured the US in the 1960s. The title was gleaned from Bob Dylan, who told Rolling Stone in 2001, "You could hear the actual people singing those ballads. You could hear Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, Dock Boggs, the Memphis Jug Band, Furry Lewis. You could see those people live and in person." Dylan recorded a number of songs associated with Ashley, including “Corrina, Corrina,” "The House Carpenter," "The Coo Coo Bird" and “Little Sadie.” Dylan also played Ashley’s version of "Little Sadie" on his Theme Time Radio Hour on SIRIUS XM.

Jalopy's vinyl-only release was produced in 2016 by Peter K. Siegel, from tapes he personally recorded in 1963 at the Greenwich Village folk club Gerdes Folk City.

John Cohen, founding member of The New Lost City Ramblers, wrote the liner notes and provided never-before-seen photographs of Ashley in Greenwich Village. A 16-page illustrated booklet includes additional notes by Siegel and Eli Smith.

Ashley, born in Bristol, Virginia in 1895, toured the medicine show circuit and recorded extensively in the 1920s and ‘30s until his career was curtailed by the Great Depression. He was rediscovered during the folk boom of the 1960s, and went on to tour the country and record for Folkways Records. The IBMA Hall of Famer and seven-time GRAMMY Award winner Doc Watson began his career as Ashley's accompanist. Ashley performed at Carnegie Hall, NYC’s Town Hall, and Newport Folk Festival and is featured on Harry Smith’s ‘Anthology of American Folk Music’ (Folkways). He passed away in 1967.

Live and In Person is Clarence Ashley's first and only live album. He is accompanied on the album by guitarist Tex Isley, a member of Charlie Monroe's Kentucky Partners.

Jalopy albums are distributed by Mississippi Records, Portland Oregon.

A celebration of the album's release will be held at the Brooklyn Folk Festival in April 2017. The event will include performances of Ashley's songs by a number of prominent folk and country artists.


Clarence Ashley 'Live And In Person' Track Listing:

SIDE A:

1 Dark Holler Blues
2 The Wreck of the Old 97
3 Omie Wise
4 Bully of the Town
5 Wild Bill Jones
6 Rude and Rambling Man
7 I'm the Man that Rode the Mule Around the World

SIDE B:

1 The Coo Coo Bird
2 I Had But Fifty Cents
3 The House Carpenter
4 Shout Little Lulu
5 May I Sleep in Your Barn Tonight Mister?
6 Ain't No Use to High Hat Me
7 The Little Hillside

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Jalopy 10th anniversary celebration poster

Jalopy 10th anniversary festival photos

 Above: Hubby Jenkins photo by Luke Ratray

 Above: Jerron "Blind Boy" Paxton, photo by Jack Hirschorn

Above: The Whiskey Spitters artwork by Robin Hoffman

“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.

JALOPY RECORDS PARTNERS WITH MISSISSIPPI RECORDS TO RELEASE 'LOST TRAIN BLUES' – COMPILED FOR ALAN LOMAX’S 100TH BIRTHDAY WITH 12 NEVER-BEFORE-ISSUED FIELD RECORDINGS

APRIL 8 RELEASE TO COINCIDE WITH BROOKLYN FOLK FEST

Brooklyn’s Jalopy Records has rebooted its homegrown folk music record label with a brand new release, 'Lost Train Blues: John & Alan Lomax and the Early Folk Music Collections at the Library of Congress.' This collection, curated by Brooklyn Folk Festival producer Eli Smith, was compiled for the centennial of famed folklorist Alan Lomax’s birth. It will be released on vinyl and via digital download on April 8, coinciding with opening night of the Brooklyn Folk Festival. Twelve of the songs are never-before-released.

The record features 22 selections from the vast holdings of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, most of them have never been issued before. The record includes work songs, ballads, blues, political and union songs, guitar, banjo and fiddle music and Native American vocal music.  These recordings were made between 1933 and 1950 and represent the birth of the folk music collections at the Library of Congress, now the largest repository of folk and enthographic holdings in the world. The record demonstrates the groundbreaking work of Alan Lomax and his father John Lomax, but also places them with the context of other important early field workers.

The deluxe record includes liner notes by Alan Lomax archive curator Nathan Salsburg, as well as a 14 page booklet with photographs and original research about each song, artist and folklorist. The cover features an original lithograph by artist Jeff Tocci.  Each selection has been retransferred from original discs and tapes at the Library of Congress and has been carefully remastered by sound engineer Don Fierro for the best possible audio fidelity.

Jalopy Records has partnered with well known Oregon based vinyl label Mississippi Records to manufacture and distribute this and future releases.  Jalopy Records is the record label of the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, a grass roots cultural center for traditional music, located in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Side A:

1. WPA Song by Clyde “Kingfish” Smith. Recorded by Herbert Halpert, NYC, 29 November 1939.

2. Longest Train I Ever Saw by Jesse Wadley, with John Wadley, Will Jones, and Felix Davenport. Recorded by John Lomax with Lead Belly acting as First Assistant (Alan sick with influenza), Bellwood Prison Camp, Atlanta, GA,11-12 December 1934.

3. The Moonshiner by Dawson Henson. Recorded by Alan Lomax and Elizabeth Lyttleton Harold, Botto on Billy’s Branch, KY, 11 October 1937.

4. Stavin’ Chain by Wilson “Stavin’ Chain” Jones, Charles Gobert and Octave Amos. Recorded by John and Alan Lomax, Lafayette, LA, June 1934.

5. Unfortunate Dog or Stony Point by Jess Morris. Recorded by John Lomax, Dallas, TX, May 1942

6. Leather Breeches by Carl Lathrop. Recorded by Alan Lomax, St. Louis, MI, 22 August 1938.

7. Lost Train Blues by Fred Perry and Glenn Carver. Recorded by John and Ruby Lomax, Florida State Farm (Raiford Penitentiary), Raiford, FL, 4 June 1939.

8. The Hard-Working Miner (Only a Miner) by James “Blind Jim” Howard. Recorded by John and Alan Lomax, Harlan County, KY, August 1933.

9. St. James Infirmary by Jesse Wadley. Recorded by John Lomax, Bellwood Prison Camp, Atlanta, GA, 11-12 December 1934.

10. Lamp Lighting Time in the Valley by Ruby and Oliver Hughes. Recorded by Sidney Robertson Cowell, Crossville, TN, 23 November 1936.

11. Cherokee Christian Hymn by Helen, Luella and Juanita Hallmark. Recorded by Willard Rhodes, Eufala Boarding School, Eufala, OK, 1952.

12. My One-Eyed Ford by Boys Chorus of the Santa Fe Indian School. Recorded by Willard Rhodes, Santa Fe Indian School, Santa Fe, NM, 1940.

Side B:

1. Captain Haney Blues by Camp Morris and Group. Recorded by John and Ruby Lomax, Cherokee County, GA near Canton, November 1940.

2. Southern Rag by James Sneed, J.F. Duffey and Alvin Sanders. Recorded by Lewis Wade Jones and Willis James, Fort Valley State College, Fort Valley, GA, 5-7 March 1943

3. Turkey in the Straw by Elmo and Bill Newcomer. Recorded by John and Ruby Lomax, Bandera County, TX near Pipe Creek, 3 May 1939.

4. Rye Whiskey by Elmo Newcomer. Recorded by John and Ruby Lomax, Bandera County, TX near Pipe Creek, 3 May 1939.

5. Desert Blues by Hattie Ellis and (“Cowboy”) Jack Ramsey. Recorded by John and Ruby Lomax, The Goree State Farm for Women, Walker County, TX near Huntsville, 14 May 1939.

6. Hard Times by Rowena Knight, Mary Anne Knight, Thelma Hawthorne and Jerusha Hawthorne (Liberty High School Quartet). Recorded by John and Ruby Lomax, Newtown, TX, 16 May 1939.

7. I Don’t Want Your Millions Mister by Tillman Cadle. Recorded by Alan Lomax and Elizabeth Lyttleton Harold, Middlesboro, KY, 4 September 1937.

8. Battle in the Horseshoe by J.W. Russell. Recorded by Sidney Robertson Cowell, Marion, VA, 14 November 1936.

9. Travelin’ To That New Buryin’ Ground by Hammer Clarence Banks, Bob Bentley, Charlie Blake, Harold Vosburg. Recorded by John Lomax, Alan Lomax and Lead Belly, Reid State Farm, Boykin, SC, 19 December 1934.

10. Roosevelt and Hitler by Buster “Buzz” Ezell. Recorded by Lewis Wade Jones and Willis James, Fort Valley State College, Fort Valley, GA, 1 August 1943

FOLKIES TO HURL BANJOS INTO GOWANUS CANAL AT BROOKLYN FOLK FEST

APRIL 10 COMPETITION MERGES MUSIC, SPORTS, MURKY WATER

When the Brooklyn Folk Festival returns to St. Anne's Church in April, it'll include what's become one of the annual event's most popular traditions: the legendary banjo toss.

"The banjo toss is a world famous epic event, looked forward to by millions desperate for catharsis!," jokes festival founder and producer Eli Smith, who first launched the first Brooklyn Folk Festival in 2009. A longtime banjo player himself, Smith also performs with the Down Hill Strugglers, an old-time string band that will perform at the Brooklyn Folk Festival with special guest John Cohen.

Hailed by The Associated Press for giving "new meaning to the term heavy metal," the banjo toss takes place at the Gowanus Canal, a waterway that once served as a major transportation route for Brooklyn's factories, tanneries and mills. Taking place on Sunday, April 10th — the final afternoon of the three-day festival, most of which takes place at St. Anne's Church on Montague Street — the event brings dozens of competitors to the canal's shoreline in South Brooklyn, with all participants taking turns throwing a banjo into the murky water. The farthest toss wins, with last year's prize-winning throw measuring a whopping 85 feet. Winners take home a free banjo.

Here's a video recap of the 2015 festival that includes footage of the banjo toss.

The banjo toss also brings some needed attention to the Gowanus Canal, whose once-busy waters have become the source of pollution over the past half-century. In the years immediately following World War I, it was America's busiest commercial canal, with more than six million tons of cargo being shipped along its waters every year. With all that activity came a severe level of contamination, though. There isn't much recreation alongside the canal these days, making the banjo toss all the more unique.  Rubber gloves are provided for contestants.

This year's banjo toss will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 10th, with all competitors and onlookers encouraged to meet at the intersection of Smith and 9th Street before parading with a live banjo toss jug band band to the so-called "banjo tossing arena."

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

NYC DRUMMER KRISTIN MUELLER STEPS OUT FROM BEHIND THE KIT FOR STRIKING ALBUM 'DESERTS & LONG TRAILS,' OUT FEB 25

"Mueller's fabulous songs vibe Calexico - with a beautiful voice she invokes intimacy and elegance."- Village Voice

"There is real promise here. The songs take their sweet old time to unfurl under Mueller's steady vocals." - Time Out NY

Drawing comparisons to Beck's 'Sea Change,' Feist, Mirah, Cat Power, and Smog, NYC first call player Kristin Mueller has stepped out from behind the drum kit for her new album 'Deserts & Long Trails,' out February 25. Recorded in NYC, it features Mueller on drums, guitar (played "upside down"), bass, keys, and banjo alongside new and long-time collaborators Karen Waltuch (Viola: Jim O'Rourke, Beth Orton, Wilco), Brian Kantor (Drums: Nina Pierson, the Yellowbirds), Jay Foote (Bass: Lone Bellow, Trixie Whitely), Jay Russo (Guitar: Hopewell, Mercury Rev), and others.

Together with producer Damon Whittemore, Mueller crafted an intricate and beautifully layered collection of spectral songs that is both sensuous and nostalgic, sorrowful and loudly playful, resulting in a diverse, cinematic and meandering journey of dynamic uncovering. The album hinges on Mueller's exploration of the quiet intimate weight of time and its ever passing. It is inspired by this inescapable permanence and by the alternate influences of the many characters and collaborators Mueller has known.

As a drummer, she has toured nationally and internationally, playing with such artists as Lucinda Black Bear, Jeffrey Lewis, and Cynthia Hopkins among many others.

Mueller's song "Finding a Woman" from her first album 'Ports of Call' was featured in the Sundance award-winning film "What Alice Found."

Mueller will perform March 6 at Jalopy in Brooklyn, NY.