Woody Guthrie was born on July 14th, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma. Over the decades, his songs have run around the world like a fast train on a well oiled track. They've become the folk song standards of the nation, known and performed in many languages throughout the world. Pretty Boy Floyd, Pastures of Plenty, Hard Travelin', Deportees, Roll On Columbia, Vigilante Man and This Land Is Your Land are among the hundreds of his songs that have become staples in the canon of American music.

The GRAMMY Museum is partnering with the Guthrie Family / Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. and the Woody Guthrie Archives to create the Centennial celebrations. The year-long celebration will include a host of concerts, programs and events taking place throughout the country and across the pond.

It's a rare thing for an artist to still be making an impact on modern music as he approaches the 100th anniversary of his birth, like Woody Guthrie is. It's fitting then that people have been celebrating Woody's centennial, at multiple events across the country, all year long. A big list of remaining events across the country is below. We'll also highlight a few.

The Guthrie Family ("Arlo Guthrie w/ Abe, Cathy, Annie, Sarah Lee, Johnny Irion...and the Kids") will celebrate with a "Guthrie Family Reunion" tour featuring three generations of Guthries. Arlo Guthrie commented:

"Getting the family together and heading out on the road is the perfect way to celebrate my father's centennial - only once before did we have the whole family on tour, and we did 80 shows. Instead of doing an entire year of touring and taking the kids out of school, we are focusing on shows right around Woody's actual birthday. This time of year marks the climax of the Woody Guthrie centennial celebrations all over the world. I'll also continue my solo touring in honor of my dad through spring 2013."

The Guthries, who will perform Woody's songs as well as new material written by various family members, will spend the day after Woody's birthday at Central Park Summerstage. The free Sunday (7/15), NYC show starts at 7pm. They also play a show in Ocean City, NJ the next day, and Newport Folk Festival later in the month. All tour dates are listed below.

On July 10 (12-1 pm), NYC's 92YTribeca hosts author Ed Cray who will discuss his book "Ramblin' Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie."

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion play Hill Country in NYC on 7/12.

On 7/14 head to Coney Island for a free screening of "Bound for Glory" on the beach along with "live music by Billy Bragg and Steve Earle starting at 8:00pm, and the feature film starting around 8:45pm." Get to Coney Island earlier and see a free screening of "Man In the Sand" at the Coney Island museum. "Following the film, there will be a book signing by Nora Guthrie and CD signing by Billy Bragg, with both items available for purchase."

City Winery in NYC will play host to a trio of events titled "Woodyfest" from July 11-13 Hosted by Steve Earle, the shows will feature an assortment of artists paying tribute to the troubador. July 11 features John Hammond & Tim Robbins, and more TBA (tickets). July 12 has Rachael Yamagata, The Wood Brothers & Allen Toussaint (tickets). July 13th features Billy Bragg, Amy Helm & Joe Purdy (tickets).

Brooklyn College will host a "Woody at 100" celebration on September 22 with a conference, and a tribute concert.

More events, dates, and some videos from the party that took place at the 2012 Clearwater Festival in June, below....

Continue reading "Woody Guthrie turns 100 (and that means lots of events)"

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.

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"

Pete Seeger @ Clearwater Festival 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

City Winery will be hosting a three-night oil spill relief benefit, dubbed Reclaim The Coast, on July 23rd, 25th and 30th. The lineups vary for each...

July 23rd: Pete Seeger, Richard Barone, James Maddock, Elysian Fields, Mike Doughty, Lucy Wainwright Roche, The Roches, Julie Gold, Peter Yarrow (More TBA)

July 25th: Ian Axel, Ed Romanoff, The Madison Square Gardeners, Paula Valstein, The Spring Standards, The Wellspring, Rich Pagano (More TBA)

July 30th: Marshall Crenshaw, Martin Rivas, Christina Courtin, Among the Oak & Ash, Jay Nash (More TBA)

Tickets for all three are on sale.

They'll also have a packed house for "Channeling Chilton - A night of Alex Chilton's Music" on July 28th. The confirmed lineup includes Yo La Tengo, Marshall Crenshaw, Jody Stephens, Jon Auer, Doug Garrison, Rene Coman, Alan Vega, Jon Spencer (of the Blues Explosion), Fran Kowalski, Chris Stamey, Lesa Aldridge (Elizabeth Hoehn), Jay Proctor (of Jay & the Techniques), Bill Cunningham, Gary Talley, Terry Manning, Evan Dando, Jesse Malin, Danny Kroha (of The Gories). In light of the recent passing of founding Big Star bassist Andy Hummel, it should be an emotional night.
Tickets are on sale.

More info on the Gulf Coast relief effort are below...

Continue reading "City Winery hosting a 3-night Pete Seeger Oil Spill relief benefit & Big Star tribute night"

Pete Seeger @ Clearwater Festival 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)

Clearwater Festival, the annual benefit for the Hudson River environmental group of the same name, will be happening this year at Croton-on-Hudson's Croton Point Park on June 19th & 20th. Pete Seeger, the non-profit's founder, plays every year - joining him this year will be Steve Earle, Rhett Miller, Joan Osborne, Buckwheat Zydeco, Felice Bros and more. More of the initial lineup is below. Tickets to the fest are on sale (and currently almost half the door price). Pictures from last year's day one are HERE and day two are HERE.

A bit farther Upstate in Hunter, NY, the three-day Mountain Jam will be happening June 4th-6th. The lineup for that includes Gov't Mule, Levon Helm & Friends, Drive-By Truckers, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Avett Brothers, Dr. Dog, Les Claypool, Jay Farrar (of Son Volt), These United States, Justin Townes Earle (note dad, playing above) and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger Band (the same, except grandpa). The full current lineup is below, and tickets are on sale.

Later this summer (in July), Camp Bisco will be in Mariaville, NY.

Lineups so far for both fests are below...

Continue reading "Mountain Jam (6/4-6) the Clearwater Festival (6/19-20) have announced initial 2010 NY concert lineups & tickets "

photos by Jim Brueckner

Deer Tick / Neko Case

"...And to think it almost didn't happen. When the [Newport Folk] festival's future was in question earlier this year, original executive producer George Wein took back the reins and scrambled to fill two days with an impressive lineup that appealed, in producer Jay Sweet's words, to "the musical omnivore.''...

...And this year the festival had a noticeably youthful presence; 9,200 people (fort capacity: 10,000) attended Saturday, giving the festival its highest single-day ticket sales since Bob Dylan's heralded return in 2002....

...It seemed impossible that Sunday could top this. But it nearly did with strong early sets from singer-songwriter Josh Ritter and the Campbell Brothers, who made it feel like Sunday morning in the front pew with an electric mix of gospel and soul played on steel guitars.

Making her Newport debut, [Neko Case] was in fine form, unleashing her sweeping voice to unfurl over the harbor with songs from her new album.

Mostly, though, [Sunday] was especially heavy on the legends. The Del McCoury Band, the festival's only bluegrass act, sang high-lonesome harmonies in their dapper suits, with McCoury's voice still dulcet and nimble at 70. And Arlo Guthrie was as much of a rascal as ever, remembering the stories behind tunes such as "The Motorcycle Song.''" [The Boston Globe]

Like Fleet Foxes, Neko Case also played All Points West over the weekend. Newport Folk Fest ran August 1st-2nd. APW was three days and started on July 31st.

Pete Seeger has had a busy 90th year. Not only did he headline both nights of Newport, he played both nights of his Clearwater Festival, MSG, Columbia University, Jazz Fest, Beacon High School, and probably something I'm forgetting.

Sunday was the day Deer Tick played Newport Folk. TONIGHT (August 7th) is the night Deer Tick plays a free show in Prospect Park with Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, and Jones Street Station (who were added as first of three on the Brooklyn bill). Deer Tick also has more shows coming up including one on a boat around Manhattan (tix).

Pictures & video from Newport Day One are HERE. The rest of Day Two, below....

Continue reading "Newport Folk Fest 50 - Day 2 pics & video (Deer Tick, Neko Case, Joan Baez, Del McCoury, Elvis Perkins, Arlo G & more)"

photos by Jim Brueckner

"Half a century ago, Pete Seeger helped found the Newport Folk Festival, a weekend notorious for its dichotomies- Rhode Island high society and scrappy folk singers, old time traditions and new sounds, social rebellion and responsible activism. At this year's 50th anniversary, the festival came full circle for Seeger and other Newport regulars.

In addition to appearing and performing for the umpteenth time, Seeger was honored with an all out stage show courtesy of indie rockers the Decemberists. With frontman Colin Meloy narrating and guitarist Chris Funk playing the part of Seeger, plus Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) as Bob Dylan, the crew reenacted an infamous scene from the 1965 festival: the moment when Bob Dylan "went electric." According to Rolling Stone, while Funk was miming a frazzled Seeger attempting to unplug Dylan's raucous reinvention, Meloy quipped, "This was back in the day when the PA system was fueled entirely by burning wood. Pete was back there cutting the wood, and he became so overwhelmed with emotion that his hatchet almost slipped and severed the power cables."

Seeger knew the sketch was all in good fun and soon joined the Decemberists on stage for a sing-a-long. Gillian Welch, Fleet Foxes, and even Seeger's grandson Tao joined in on the jam. The 90-year-old legend even cranked out a solo or two. After all, as festival promoter George Wein said Saturday, "Pete Seeger is the Newport Folk Festival."" [American Songwriter]

While we were busy worrying about the weather and All Points West here in NYC, The Newport Folk Festival was turning 50 up in Newport, Rhode Island (Aug 1-2, 2009). NPR was there and has archived streams of many of the performances. We have more pictures (from the first day for now), and some videos (including one of the Bob Dylan reenactment), below...

Continue reading "Newport Folk Fest 50 - Day 1 pics, video, audio (Pete Seeger, Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Shara Worden as Dylan & more)"

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)"

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)"

The 50th annual Newport Folk Festival will take place at Rhode Island's Fort Adams Park on Saturday, August 1st and Sunday, August 2nd. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, May 6th at 10am

Pete Seeger, who is a cofounder of the Festival and who just celebrated his 90th birthday with a show at MSG, will be playing both nights. On Sunday, he'll be joined by Judy Collins, who is also performing a free Folks on the Island show Sunday, July 26th on NYC's Governors Island.

Saturday acts at the Fest include Billy Bragg and Tom Morello, who just shared a stage with Iggy Pop at NYC's Nokia Theatre, and the Decemberists, who have a big summer tour that's stopping at NYC's Radio City Music Hall on June 10th, Fleet Foxes, who have tour dates including All Points West, and the Avett Brothers, who are on tour and playing NYC's Irving Plaza on June 12th and 13th. Langhorne Slim will be there too (he's also at Lollapalooza this summer). Iron & Wine are playing both this, and ATP NY.

Sunday's show is heavy on big-name folkies with Collins (mentioned above), Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie all performing. Arlo Guthrie is also playing a free show at Castle Clinton in NYC this summer.

Neko Case, playing Sunday, just did two nights at NYC's Nokia Theater and will be at All Points West, among other festivals.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland will be there. Perkins and Co. played the Bowery in March, and their summer tour includes a May 20th show at the Bell House in Brooklyn (tickets), and the Clearwater Festival (another project founded by Seeger) on June 20th and 21st in Croton-on Hudson, NY.

Also on Sunday is Deer Tick, whose big summer includes opening for Jenny Lewis at MHoW on June 9th, headlining the Bowery on July 24th (tickets go on sale Friday, May 8th at noon), and playing a free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on August 7th.

Full Newport Fork Festival info below...

Continue reading "Newport Folk Festival - 2009 lineup & tickets info (Pete Seeger, Neko Case, Iron & Wine, The Decemberists & more)"

Dark Was the Night (finale) (photo by Natasha Ryan)

Last night's Dark Was the Night show was amazing. My only disappointment was that David Byrne didn't come back to sing with Sharon Jones during the finale/encore (he sang with almost everyone else!). He actually watched the encore from the audience. And by the encore I mean, after Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings finished their set, most of the artists (Feist, Bon Iver, The National, Dirty Projectors, My Brightest Diamond, etc...) on the bill came back on stage to do a We-Are-The-World/Kumbaya/folkie/feel-good traditional group, acoustic sing-along of Pete Seeger's Woodie Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land". One of the Dessners introduced the song by saying they thought it would be nice to do it in honor of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday and jokingly thanked everyone for coming to Radio City instead of Madison Square Garden.

You knew something else was going to happen because The Dap Kings, though not part of the sing-along, were still lingering in the background with their instruments. Half-way through the song, Sharon Jones popped on stage and walked right in front of all of them. The crowd went nuts. Sharon grabbed a mic and they all stopped playing. She said something like, "I don't want to burst y'all's bubbles, but we're going to do our version". And they did. It looked something like the picture above. It sounded (and looked) something like the video below.

Many more pictures and a review of both of last night's big shows are coming soon NOW POSTED.

Continue reading "Seeger was the Night "

photos by Graeme Flegenheimer

"From the moment you set foot inside the main gate at the Fair Grounds Race Course, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is like a music and food lover's "Choose Your Own Adventure" novel, with nearly every option inciting pure sonic and culinary bliss. A morning beignet in the Gospel Tent with Arthur Clayton & Purposely Anointed? A lazy afternoon perked up by some Crawfish Monica and the Drive-By Truckers joined by Booker T? How about a stroll to the Gentilly Stage for the sounds of Spoon and the Dirty Dozen horns, stopping for a quick bowl of gumbo along the way? Etta James and a Soft Shell Crab Po-Boy, anyone? All signs point to yes...

...Now in its 40th year, the 2009 edition of Jazz Fest continues to ramp up post-Hurricane Katrina, expanding to its full complement of 12 stages, up from nine last year, and seven days, up from six in recent years. The event's first of two weekends boasted music from nearly 200 acts, including the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Crescent City native Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Joe Cocker, Erykah Badu, James Taylor, Earth Wind and Fire, Pete Seeger, Hugh Masekela, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Etta James and many more." [All About Jazz]

Jazz Fest ran from April 24-26 & April 30-May 3 at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, LA. More pictures from the first weekend of the festival below...

Continue reading "a set of pictures from New Orleans Jazz Fest 2009 "

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"

DOWNLOAD: The National - So Far Around The Bend (MP3)

Dark Was The Night producers (from left) Bryce Dressner, John Carlin, & Aaron Dressner (Photo by Tim Soter)

NPR Music will record the Dark Was the Night Concert and offer performances from it online at www.npr.org/music The show will gather many major indie music acts at New York's Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, May 3 to commemorate the release of the charity compilation of the same name.

Host of NPR Music's All Songs Considered Bob Boilen will attend and report from the show that features several of the artists that contributed to the compilation, including Dirty Projectors, David Byrne, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Dave Sitek (from TV on the Radio), Bon Iver, Feist and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. A week following, songs from the event along with Boilen's commentary and interviews with many of the artists will be available for streaming at www.npr.org/music The concert will also be available for download via the "Live in Concert" podcast.

Tickets for tonight's show are still on sale. It's all going to charity.

"The National's Aaron Dessner explained the format of the show to Pitchfork in a recent news feature, 'We're going to have two halves (of the show). The first half will be songs from Dark Was the Night, and then there will be a short intermission. And then afterwards, there will be mini-sets by different artists and collaborations, both things that relate to Dark Was the Night and some that don't.'" I was told the show will be four hours long.

And according to an official set of Blonde Redhead tour dates someone sent me (a list that includes the show in Brooklyn's Prospect Park), Blonde Redhead will be there tonight. All (three) dates below (thanks Joseph). David Byrne, who will definitely be there, is also playing Prospect Park.

Despite probably-originally-tentatively agreeing to do it, Grizzly Bear won't be playing Radio City because they landed a spot on the Jools Holland show in the UK that had to be taped this weekend. Yeasayer are recording a new album in the woods somewhere. Why Sufjan Stevens won't be there is still a mystery though. Maybe he will? Other NYC-area artists that are part of the CD, but not on the bill include the New Pornographers (AC Newman lives here I think), Yo La Tengo, My Morning Jacket (Jim James lives here I think), and Antony.

According to an interview with the "Dressner" brothers at Vanity Fair, the National will play two new songs at the show. They wouldn't say much else except that we should expect some "exciting collaborations". I know that Thomas "Doveman" Bartlett will be playing piano at the show. Also heads up Europe: they'd "like to do another show in London and/or Paris but it is a huge amount of work and schedule coordination to pull off so I'm not sure. But we're looking at options!"

And in what had to be the worst timing ever for "huge shows with special guests", Pete Seeger's 90th birthday party is also tonight, but at the much larger Madison Square Garden. Maybe Bruce Springsteen will stop over to sing a song at Radio City before his set at MSG. Hey, it doesn't seem completely impossible.

Continue reading "Dark Was The Night today! NPR recording. Blonde Redhead playing? Will anyone else? Who's going? (tix still on sale)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Preservation Hall Jazz Band...

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a rotating group of some of the most esteemed musicians in New Orleans, are all kinds of big easy - the mindset, not the proper noun. They are consummate professionals, but it doesn't lend itself to a stuffy or by the numbers brand of jazz music. It's a style that waltzes, lurches and whistles Dixie. It is dripping with the bourbon flairs that might be transcendent there in the streets and the waters, living there amongst a proud group of people who regularly show their elasticity and that pride in the way New Orleans is pulled off, the way that it's perpetrated and seasoned. [Daytrotter]

The band, formed in 1961 under the direction of the late Allan Jaffe, has worked to promote New Orleans-style jazz through the county and world. Now, under the direction of Jaffe's son, Preservation Hall creative director Ben, the collective and its rotating lineup continue to flourish, with concerts booked through 2010. This week, from March 31st to April 5th, the Preservation Hall Jazz band holds court for six-nights at NYC's Blue Note. Each night has an early show and a late show; table reservations for each set are currently available.

Also this week, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is releasing a live CD titled New Orleans Preservation, Vol. 1. The disc was recorded earlier this year at the group's home venue, New Orleans' Preservation Hall, "located in the French Quarter, just three blocks from the Mississippi River" (says the band's history).

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band will also return to NYC to the perform on the already-huge-and-growing bill of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration at MSG on May 3rd (sold out).

In other New Orleans-to-New York news, we previously reported that NOLA Fest Ponderosa Stomp is presenting a special three-night program of music at Lincoln Center, the first of which takes place on July 17th. A set of pictures from the Ponderosa Stomp event at SXSW was also recently posted.

All tour dates, New Orleans Preservation Vol. 1 track list and art, and clips of Preservation Hall Jazz Band + the Blind Boys of Alabama (PHJB tourmates for part of 2009) below...

Continue reading "Preservation Hall Jazz Band tour dates, NYC this week, MSG "

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

Folk singer Arlo Guthrie has been associated with Thanksgiving since recording "Alice's Restaurant" in 1967. The song, which starts in an old church owned by his friends Alice and Ray and ends in New York's now-demolished US Army Building on Whitehall St, humorously details how a Thanksgiving Day-littering charge helped Guthrie avoid the draft. The church in question is now the Guthrie Center, a non-denominational faith center, out of which Guthrie runs his Rising Son Record label. Guthrie continues to apply his satirical wit to current issues, like this live update of Tom Paxton's "I'm Changing My Name to Chrysler Fannie Mae."

This Saturday, Nov 29, Guthrie carries on his annual Thanksgiving tradition, playing with legend Pete Seeger (who toured with Guthrie's father as part of the Almanac Singers in the early '40s), family and friends at Carnegie Hall's 2,804-seat Stern Auditorium at 8 PM. Tickets are almost gone: from Carnegie Hall, "Currently this event has limited availability. Please call CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 for ticketing information."

Watch & listen to various versions of "Alice's Restaurant" in the videos below (possibly while enjoying some delicious Tofurky)...

Continue reading "Arlo Guthrie & Pete Seeger Annual Thanksgiving Concert -------- a whole bunch of Alice's Restaurant videos"

"Come to Damrosch Park for a Lincoln Center Out of Doors season jam-packed with dynamic, free programs that offer something for absolutely everyone, from tributes to beloved cultural icons to cross-cultural collaborations that blur the lines of genre and geography.

This season is highlighted by a host of vibrant and eclectic musical experiences. Catch the rhythmic fever of a funk-filled African tribute to the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown, when Still Black, Still Proud celebrates the "hardest-working man in show business." Transcend 800 years of minimalism in a sublime triple bill presented in collaboration with Wordless Music.

Explore the power of multi-ethnic oral traditions with the return of the beloved La Casita festival, and celebrate our rich musical heritage from blues to New Orleans funk to bluegrass to punk with the 25th Annual Roots of American Music Festival.

Dance lovers will enjoy performances including the stirring Noche Flamenca, the premiere of Armitage Gone's collaboration with Burkina Electric, Summer of Love; Doug Elkins' witty take on The Sound of Music, Fräulein Maria, and David Dorfman's underground, a provocative look at political protest.

Bring the family outside this August for a lively Out of Doors season that celebrates the performing arts at a price everyone can afford -- absolutely free."

Highlights also include a Hal Wilner and Adam Dorn tribute to Joel Dorn, the WFMU show with the Ex, and the many individual performers playing the two day 25th Annual Roots of American Music Festival. Examples include Pete Seeger, The Knitter, Chalie Haden with family (Petra) and friends, Patti Smith, and many more. Please leave your 'Out of Doors' recommendations in the comments.