George Wein & Pete Seeger

Clearwater, founded by Pete Seeger, honors George Wein (founder of the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals) with the first annual "Power of Song Award." Performers include Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Suzanne Vega, Joan Osborne, Guy Davis, David Amram, Toshi Reagon, Lucy Kaplansky, George Wein and others to be announced soon. Proceeds benefit Clearwater's educational programs. For more on Clearwater visit www.clearwater.org.

The show is Friday, October 21 at Symphony Space in NYC and tickets are on sale.

photos by Chris La Putt

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

"CROTON-ON-HUDSON, NY - The Great Hudson River Revival, Clearwater's annual two-day music and environmental festival at Croton Point Park, came to a rousing close here on Sunday evening as a rain-drenched crowd of several thousand people cheered for headliner Arlo Guthrie and a number of onstage guests, including Taj Mahal and Pete Seeger.

Exact attendance figures are not available, but Festival Director Jon Dindas said that advance ticket sales surpassed last year's totals, and that the overall number of festivalgoers for 2009 peaked near seven thousand on Sunday-a remarkable accomplishment considering the rainy weather throughout the weekend.

"The true Clearwater spirit shined forth at this year's Revival, as both audience members and nearly eight hundred festival volunteers were able to withstand the challenges of the weather and yet still celebrate music, environmental education and the willingness to work for change and to make a difference in the world," said Dindas...

...The musical offerings on Sunday were filled with highlights. A succession of acts at the Circle of Song that included Rik Palieri, Work o' the Weavers and a Hudson River Sloop Singers Reunion drew a crowd of festival veterans while the Persuasions, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Cornmeal kept folks smiling. And then there was the inevitable full-stage hootenanny during Arlo Guthrie's festival closing set, which culminated in a rendition of "Let it Shine" with a backing band and chorus that featured Pete, Taj, Rainbow Stage performers Elvis Perkins in Dearland plus the aforementioned Jay and Molly, Tao and Mike and Ruthy.

Monday, Clearwater festival workers and volunteers are busy at Croton Point Park packing away equipment and mending the grounds. It is a Clearwater tradition to leave the park in better shape than it was before the Revival sets sail each year, and 2009 will be no different in this regard." [Clearwater]

The pictures from Saturday are HERE. More pictures from Sunday, below...

Continue reading "2009 Clearwater Festival - day 2 in pics (Grace Potter, rain, Elvis Perkins, soy power, Taj Majal, Arlo Guthrie & more)"

photos by Chris La Putt

"Although the [Clearwater] festival was geared towards an older crowd, it did have a pretty stellar lineup. Artists worth noting [that played the first day] were the now 90 years old Pete Seeger (of course), the man who opened Woodstock 1969, one Richie Havens, Susan Tedeschi (wife of guitar prodigy Derek Trucks), Tao Seeger, Old Crow Medecine Show and one of my new favourite bands, Dr. Dog. I was at the festival to work, as Relix had a booth set up for the purpose of selling subscriptions. I did get to drop in on Seeger briefly, he played with the kids from room 12, an assortment of children no older then 9 years old. The man really sparks to life when he is on stage and is simply a musical institution. After meeting and greeting Richie Havens (he was signing autographs and taking pictures at a booth directly across from Relix) I was able to pop in on his short set and catch a powerful rendition of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower". Mr. Havens stuck closely to the original version but with the addition of a lead acoustic guitarist accompanying him. I also managed to drop by Old Crow Medecine Show's set and catch some of their highly upbeat bluegrass and country music. People were really diggin Old Crow, taking advantage of an excuse to hoe-dance and get down in the mud." [Back in 15 Minutes]

The Old Crow Medicine Show will be back in August, that time as part of a tour of venues where there is guaranteed to be no mud to dance in.

The Clearwater Festival took place on 6 outdoor stages & tents at Croton Point Park in Croton-on Hudson, NY over this past rainy weekend. Alejandro Escovedo, Jennie Arnau, and Allison Moorer were also among those who played on Saturday (6/20). More pictures from that day below...

Continue reading "The 2009 Clearwater Festival - day 1 in pics (Dr. Dog, rain, Pete Seeger, kids, Old Crow Medicine Show, mud & more)"

photos by Chris La Putt

The 2009 Clearwater Festival has come to the end. One of Saturday's performers was New Pornographer front-man AC Newman, who is playing a free NYC show this Thursday (6/25). More pictures from Clearwater, and some west coast New Porn tour dates, below...

Continue reading "AC Newman played Clearwater (pics), playing free NYC show "

MSG photos & words by Jacob Blickenstaff, Columbia photos by Jens Schott Knudsen

Pete Seeger @ Columbia in April...

"Clearwater conducts innovative environmental programs, advocacy and celebrations in order to inspire and energize the next generation of environmental leaders.

Clearwater was founded in 1969 by music legend and environmental activist Pete Seeger." [Clearwater]

Pete Seeger's been busy lately, especially for someone who just celebrated his 90th birthday. The event for that occasion took place at Madison Square Garden on May 3rd, and is reviewed in full below, with pictures. A few weeks before that, on Earth Day (April 18th), Pete played a show at Columbia's Teachers College. Photos from that show are below too. Right after that he headed to New Orleans to perform at Jazz Fest. Prior to those, Seeger played the Clearwater benefit with Jeff Tweedy at Beacon High School on March 28th. We also recently noticed his name as the special guest on a show at Joe's Pub.

This summer Pete Seeger is scheduled to play the Newport Folk Festival (August 1st and 2nd), and will perform at his own Clearwater Festival, taking place in Croton-on-the-Hudson, NY this weekend (June 20th and 21st). The Clearwater Fest lineup includes Dr. Dog, A.C. Newman, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Richie Havens, Old Crow Medicine Show, Alejandro Escovedo, Arlo Guthrie and others. Its full schedule is below. Tickets are still sale at the gate.

UPDATE: we can confirm that Pete played his scheduled Saturday morning Clearwater Fest performance "with kids" for those who braved the rain. Pete will perform again at the festival on Sunday afternoon with his grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger.

A review of Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Celebration at MSG, and all above-mentioned photos, with the full Clearwater Festival lineup & schedule, below...

Continue reading "Clearwater Festival this weekend - full schedule ++ Pete Seeger pics (from his 90th birthday & Columbia University)"

photos by Eric Townsend

"Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's sold out "Spring Splash" benefit concert on Saturday night [March 28] at Beacon High School, Beacon, NY, was a big success, raising tens of thousands of dollars for the organization's education and environmental action programs. The concert, which featured Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy in a rare solo acoustic setting, also included a special encore with Clearwater founder Pete Seeger and his grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger.

Pete Seeger opened the show with Dan Einbender, Clearwater's Tideline Discovery Program Director, and together they led a chorus of fourth graders from Beacon's J. V. Forrestal Elementary School known as "The Kids From Room 12" in a rousing set of songs about protecting the Hudson River and other cause-related issues.

Tweedy performed for more than an hour and a half, delighting the capacity crowd of a thousand people, many of them ardent fans, with his music and storytelling. Several of Tweedy's songs led to impromptu sing-a-longs, and he finished his show by singing two songs at the lip of the stage without any amplification, a salute to another environmental cause, Earth Hour, which was taking place nationally on Saturday night.

"This great night for Clearwater exemplifies what we do best: raise awareness and inspire people to take action," said Jeff Rumpf, executive director of Clearwater. "We're presently working on our 'Next Generation Legacy Project' to create new green leaders and achieve the sustainable future we need, and the proceeds from this concert will go toward this effort."

This is a banner year for Clearwater, as the organization celebrates the 40th anniversary of the sloop Clearwater, the 90th birthday of Seeger and the Quadricentennial of Henry Hudson's historic voyage up the river that bears his name. Also, on May 3 [today] there will be a star-studded tribute concert honoring Seeger at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and Clearwater will host its annual Great Hudson River Revival music and environmental festival on June 20 and 21 at Croton Point Park, Croton-on-Hudson, NY with headliners Susan Tedeschi, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens and "newgrass" sensations Old Crow Medicine Show"
[Clearwater Press Release]

Believe it or not, I never posted this beautiful photo set from the Tweedy/Seager show that happened on March 28th, so what better day to finally do it, than on Pete's 90th birthday. Happy birthday Pete. Wish I could be at MSG tonight. More pictures from the Beacon show, and Jeff's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Jeff Tweedy & Pete Seeger @ Beacon High School - pics"

by Andrew Frisicano

Elvis Perkins in Dearland outside Bowery Ballroom (jamayaphoto)

Elvis Perkins in Dearland played the Bowery Ballroom in NYC Wednesday night (3/25, review below). The show was not long after he got back from SXSW, and he will next visit Europe before touring North America in April & May. That tour ends with a May 20th show at Brooklyn's Bell House. Tickets are still on sale.

Perkins and band are also on the just-announced bill for the annual Clearwater Festival, June 20th and 21st at Croton Point Park in Croton-on Hudson, NY. Other performers include Arlo Guthrie, Old Crow Medicine Show, Susan Tedeschi, Alejandro Escovedo, Pete Seeger, AC Newman, and Dr. Dog. Tickets are on sale now - they cost (until May 20th when prices go up) $50 for a single day, $75 for a weekend pass, and $115 for the weekend with camping included. Full lineup below.

The Festival is a fundraiser for the Hudson Valley environmental group Clearwater, who is also hosting Pete Seeger's 90th birthday concert happening at MSG on May 3rd (where I'm told, Pete will play a one-song set that "everybody knows the words to"). Tickets for that event are on AmEx presale, and go on sale to the general public on Monday, March 30th at 9am.

To get back to Elvis Perkins, the Bowery Ballroom show began with avant-street-band Himalayas descending from the venue's balcony and ended with Perkins and friends emerging from the soapy depths of the Bowery JMZ station. It all started with...

Continue reading "ELVIS PERKINS played Bowery Ballroom, playing the CLEARWATER Festival (initial line-up)"

The Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders, a star-studded, one night only concert event celebrating Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday, will be held on Sunday, May 3, at 7PM, at Madison Square Garden. This once-in-a-lifetime concert event will benefit and raise awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, founded by Pete Seeger, which strives to preserve and protect the Hudson River. Seeger, a legendary folk singer, political activist and avid environmentalist, has long inspired social change through his extraordinary life and music. The Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders will feature over 40 artists representing a wide variety of musical genres and generations, including Joan Baez, Ben Harper, Ani DiFranco, Dave Matthews, Michael Franti, Emmylou Harris, Juanes, John Mellencamp, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Taj Mahal, Eddie Vedder, and Keller Williams. The evening, hosted by Clearwater, will focus on ensemble renditions of musical treasures inspired by Pete Seeger.

American Express pre-sale tickets will be available starting Monday, March 23 at 9AM. Public on-sale will begin Monday, March 30 at 9AM. Tickets are available via ticketmaster.com and range from $19.19-$250, with a majority priced at $90 to honor Pete's birthday. Special Clearwater Legacy Tickets will also be available. For more information, please visit www.Seeger90.com.

Full confirmed artist lineup below...

Continue reading "Pete Seeger's 90th birthday concert happening at MSG - Bruce Springsteen & many more on the bill"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Shampoo (MP3)

Elvis Perkins In Dearland has added a Wednesday, May 20th Brooklyn show at the Bell House. Tickets are on sale.. The band's extensive US tour also includes the previously reported, and much sooner, March 25th Bowery Ballroom show (tickets still on sale), and two official SXSW shows. All dates below.

Elvis Perkins In Dearland's new self-titled second album (pictured above) (twice) is out on XL this week, and is still on sale at Amie Street as an $8 digital download (with $2 of that going to Clearwater, a Hudson River-conservation nonprofit founded by folk singer Pete Seeger). Speaking of Clearwater, they're hosting a Jeff Tweedy solo show on March 28 in Beacon, NY as part of its annual Spring Splash fund-raiser (tix).

Perkins recently visited The Gold Room Sessions to cut videos for two of the new record's best tracks - the free-associative slow-roller "Shampoo" and celebratory dirge "Doomsday". Both of those videos, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Elvis Perkins In Dearland - updated Tour Dates (now with a Brooklyn show), new album & videos "