I’m going to Brooklyn! May 22-23 the Jalopy Theater’s Brooklyn Folk Festival is going on and it looks pretty good. I’ve been following the Down Home Radio Show’s podcasts for a while now and they always have something interesting going on at the theater. I’m looking forward to this. You should come too!
http://www.downhomeradioshow.com/brooklyn-folk-fest/
Related Posts:
The Pete Seeger documentary, The Power of Song will be shown for free this Sunday Feb 28 at 8pm. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a good chance. This was a very good film and I had to drive all the way to deerfield to see it last time. Check it out.
The Power of Song @ the Empty Bottle. Sunday, Feb 28th 8pm
Tags: Pete Seeger
This is old news, but it’s new to me. Over the weekend I got a chance to watch the Jonathan Demme documentary “Jimmy Carter: Man From Plains”. The Soundtrack features some stuff from Gillian Welch and David Rawlings and Alejandro Escovedo. Aside from the good musice, that I was really engrossed in this film, Jimmy Carter really is an earnest and peaceful man. Check it out.
Tags: david rawlings, films, gillian welch, jimmy carter
Check out this webcast recording of Bruce Springsteen’s acoustic set in Phillidelphia this past weekend (October 6th) at a Vote For Change Obama rally. The video’s tiny but the audio is quite good, and check out that sweet guitar bruce is playing, +3 points for chipped wood. (the audio cuts out for me for a bit at 4 min, but comes back shortly)
Bruce says (around 25min):
I’ve spent 35 years writing about America, it’s people and the American promise. That’s the promise that was handed down to us right here in this city from our founding fathers with one instruction. Thats Do your best to make these things real: Opportunity, Equality, Social and Economic Justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea as a positive influence around the world for a more just and peaceful existence. These are the things that give our lives hope, give our lives shape and give our lives meaning. These are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another. I’ve spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality.
Tags: America, Bruce Springsteen, Justice, Links, the boss, Vote For Change
There’s a lot of great music in Chicago, and a lot of great music to be made in Chicago. Song Circles, Open Stages, Sing-ins, Sing-outs, Rent Parties, Gather-alls, whatever you want to call them, the’re a lot of fun and a great way to share music. In the coming weeks I’d like to highlight a couple of those opportunities for you intrepid folks to get out there and play at.
I know Howard Johnson through the Old Town School of Folk Music. Howard’s a volunteer there and one weekend a long time ago a friend of mine invited me to check out Howard’s jam at the Lincoln Square sandwich shop Costello’s. It was a heckuva good time, Howard’s an excellent player in his own right, but he structures the event in a way that’s equitable to all the players. I’d say the Costello’s Jam has a Bluegrass slant, but you’d not be suprised to here any number of Folk, Gospel, Country or Roots tunes here. In a traditional circle structure each member gets his turn to lead a song, while the other members are free to harmonize or play along. Instrument wise it’s a pretty even split between Guitars, Banjos, Fiddles and Mandolins. It’s great fun, good community and an excellent way to build up your playing. Howard Johnson’s Costello’s Jam happens every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, from about 3:30pm - 6:30pm (but frequently later!). Come on out!
I asked Howard to sit down with me and discuss his thougts on the Jam and Music in General. Click on, after the jump for the transcript.
Tags: Costello's Jam, Howard Johnson, Song Circle
There is open stage every Monday night at the Grafton Pub on Lincoln Ave (4530 N Lincoln Ave) in Chicago, but tonight is the first night I am hosting it! I’d like this to become a folk and roots friendly open mic, but ’All Are Welcome’ (very much so!). Some friends and teachers from the Old Town School have mentioned they will drop by, so if you’re interested in playing or listening come on out and sing along!
Going Forward we’re going to try and do this monthly, so pencil in the first monday of the month at the grafton.
Tags: Ed Holstein, Jeremey Miller, Mark Dvorak, Open Stage, The Pickin' Bubs
If you’re around the Chicago this weekend you may want to check out the 8th Annual County Fair at the Garfield Park Conservatory. My friend who works at the Conservatory helped organize this event and swears it will be great. There are folk music type activities happening all day including a Jugband workshop and concert starting at 11am, a folk jam / workshop at 1:00 pm and Mark Dvorak will be playing at 2pm. Bring you’re instruments and Come on out.
Garfield Park Conservatory’s County Fair is an annual event celebrating both the annual harvest and healthy communities. It’s family-oriented, with programs and activities for all ages. Set in an historic urban setting on Chicago’s West Side, visitors to the fair will discover agricultural traditions, see the best in urban gardening, and enjoy horticultural exhibits and demonstrations. Children’s activities, petting zoo and harvest competitions highlight the connections between plants, food and American heritage. Food and live music make this a unique event for the entire family.
The Conservatory is located at 300 N Central Park Ave and the fair runs from 11 am to 5pm, Saturday September 20th. It’s Free!
Directions to Garfield Park Conservatory
Tags: County Fairs, Funnel Cake, Live Events, Mark Dvorak
I got the opportunity to go out to the Hideout last night to see Chicago musician Rachel Ries Rachel’s has a wonderful voice and writes some great songs. She sings in a wonderfully haunting blusey voice that seems to waver delicately around melodies. Kind of like a Jolie Holland or Laura Gibson (or Madeleine Peyroux if you’re in the Starbucks Set). She has an excellent album called Without a Bird. Everytime I go to the Hideout I wonder why I don’t go there more. Laura was introduced with a story about these nice Chicago days in July when it’s not too hot and there’s a breeze and you get off work early and walk up the lake and the skyscrapers look pretty even the bad one and you ride the train up to the Hideout in the early evening and get a cheap tallboy and stand in a room lit up by christmas lights in the and get to listen to Rachel Ries and you realize this is why you live in chicago. Maybe it is, Maybe it is…go see live music and check out Rachel Ries.
Tags: rachel ries, the hideout