Pete Seeger at Clearwater 2009 (more by )

The 2011 edition of the Clearwater Festival boasts some big names over its two days, June 18th and 19th, in Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Founder Pete Seeger will be joined by Drive-By Truckers, Martin Sexton, Indigo Girls, Josh Ritter, Arlo Guthrie, Suzanne Vega, Billy Bragg (who plays NYCx3 a month later), and man other artists who are listed elow. Tickets are still available.

In related news, Martin Sexton will play four NYC shows before that Clearwater appearance, as part of a residency at City Winery. Tickets are sold-out for Martin Sexton on June 2nd, 3rd, & 4th at the venue but he just added a fourth late show on 6/4, and tickets are still available.

All Martin Sexton tour dates and the full Clearwater lineup is below.

Continue reading "Clearwater Fest 2011 lineup & other Martin Sexton dates"

Bettye Lavette at Highline Ballroom (more by Jacob Blickenstaff )

A quick reminder that one of the greatest songwriters of all-time, Neil Young, will be celebrated at Carnegie Hall in two days (2/10) as part of a benefit for music & arts programs of underpriviledged youth. The bill is beyond diverse, featuring The Roots, Nada Surf, Glen Hansard, DeVotchka, J Mascis and Bettye Lavette just to name a few of the twenty+ that are on board. "100% of the net proceeds from this event" will benefit charities like Fixing Instruments for Kids in Schools, Church Street School for Music & Art, The Pinwheel Project, Music Unites, The American Symphony Orchestra and Young Audiences New York, so pick up your tickets with a clear conscious!

Meanwhile, quite a few of the Neil Young-tribute artists have recently been or will be very active. Glen Hansard recently played City Winery and the Doveman show at LPR. Patti Smith & Jesse Smith are scheduled to play the Tibet benefit at Carnegie Hall in March. When Questlove of The Roots isnt going to see Prince or spinning at Brooklyn Bowl, he can be found on Jimmy Fallon. Nada Surf recently played Mercury Lounge and Rock Shop. DeVotchKa will play Highline in March with El Mariachi Bronx. Juliana Hatfield & Evan Dando were just at Maxwell's and the Bell House. J Mascis has his upcoming tour with shows at Mercury Lounge and MHoW.

Ben Ottewell of Gomez plays the Neil Young event and an early solo show at Mercury Lounge the next day.

And last, but certainly not least, Bettye Lavette, besides paying tribute to the great rock'n roll patriarch from the North, also has quite a NYC residency in the spring when she'll set up shop at Cafe Carlyle from 5/24 - 6/3 (no shows on 5/29, 5/30). Ticketing info is forthcoming, but all tour dates, the full Neil Young Tribute lineup and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Neil Young tribute show coming, Bettye Lavette playing shows at Cafe Carlyle & elsewhere, Ben Ottewell will be at Merc"

Joseph Arthur still has something to say, and I hope I'm going to have a chance to hear him say it again, live. Joseph interacts with his audience and drew the Leeds crowd to their reluctant feet by will power, a lone hippy dancer and Bob Longworth's ability to be a gig yob at the first opportunity. By the time he sang "Faith" he had everyone like putty in his hands. The band of Greg (G Wiz) Wieczorek, Kraig Jarret Johnson and the rather too delightful Sybil Buck supported Joseph with humour (when things didn't go quite as planned) and some fine talent. Other highlights were "In the Sun," which has been covered by Peter Gabriel, and Michael Stipe of REM, and a new song crying out against the suppression of the tentative moves for freedom in Iran. [Quims]

That's a review of Joseph Arthur's July 20th show in Leeds, which was part of his most recent string of dates with backing band the Lonely Astronauts. The Akron-based singer-songwriter will drop the band for a trio of special collaborative gigs at NYC's City Wintery

Joseph Arthur & Joe Purdy (August 28) (tickets)
Joseph Arthur & Emily Wells (September 4) (tickets)
Joseph Arthur & Rene Lopez (September 25) (tickets)

Those date will be Arthur's last before heading out on a solo European tour in the fall. A note from the venue about each collaborator, with all Joseph Arthur tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Joseph Arthur - 3 special shows @ City Winery, other dates"