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.

photos by David Andrako

Hal Wilner's Freedom Riders show graced Prospect Park on June 16. The Celebrate Brooklyn show saw performances by Lou Reed, Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, Tao Seeger, Todd Rundgren, and many others. The show celebrated the 50th anniversary of civil rights activists known as the Freedom Riders, and began with a pre-performance discussion with the artists. The full performer lineup is listed at the end of the pictures, below...

Continue reading "Hall Willner's Freedom Rides Project @ Prospect Park (in pics)"

Hal Willner & Lou Reed

As previously mentioned, music producer Hal Willner will present a concert in Prospect Park celebrating the 50th anniversary Freedom Riders. PBS recently premiered a film on the same subject...

"FREEDOM RIDERS is the powerful harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives--and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment--for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders met with bitter racism and mob violence along the way, sorely testing their belief in nonviolent activism."

The free Celebrate Brooklyn! concert at the Prospect Park Bandshell on June 16 still hasn't revealed its entire lineup, but some more artists were announced including Lou Reed. If you've never been to a Hal Willner show, it's usually many different artists playing various covers over the course of a long show. The theme this time is music from the civil rights movement, "songs that inspired, illuminated, and sprang from the tumultuous aftermath of the Movement." and announced artists are Lou Reed, Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, Tao Seeger, Geri Allen, and Steven Bernstein. More TBA. The artists will also hold a discussion before they perform. The event is free and begins at 7 PM.

Laurie Anderson is not listed on the lineup, maybe because she'll be on tour in Europe, but you can catch her in an outdoor setting with Bill Laswell at Castle Clinton on June 30th. She also plays Lincoln Center Out of Doors on August 10th.

MEANWHILE, Andrew Bird kicks off Celebrate Brooklyn! tonight at 8 PM (directions HERE). Although thunderstorms were initially in the forecast, as of now it's looking pretty clear. No opener.

Speaking of Lou Reed and Hail Wilner, the May 24th installment of their New York Shuffle Sirius radio show featured songs by Little Scream, Tyler, the Creator, Gang Gang Dance, Middle Brother, tUnE-yaRds, and more. Video of Lou & Hal recording an older show edition of the show, below...

Continue reading "Lou Reed playing Hal Willner 'Freedom Riders' show in Prospect Park (where Andrew Bird plays for free tonight)"

Janelle at Afro-Punk 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

Afro-Punk 2011 will take place in Fort Greene's Commodore Barry Park on August 27 and 28. This year's crazy lineup consists of Cee Lo Green, Janelle Monae (who played the fest in 09), Fishbone, Santigold, Jay Electronica, Toro y Moi, Reggie Watts and more. The festival will also a hold a Skate and BMX competition, and other related events. Admission is free to the general public.

Full lineup below...

Continue reading "Afro-Punk 2011 -- free Fort Greene fest lineup (Cee Lo, Janelle Monae, Toro y Moi, Santigold, Fishbone, Reggie Watts, more)"

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"

The National show in Prospect Park (more by Amanda Hatfield)

We already knew that 'Celebrate Brooklyn' is hosting an impressive lineup of ticketed Prospect Park Bandshell shows this summer: The Decemberists, Animal Collective, Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver & Cut Copy. And we knew that the 33rd annual series of free shows would start with an Andrew Bird show on June 10th, and that BRIC is also hosting three free 'dance parties' in Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer too.

Now the entire 2011 lineup of "24 free performances, including 20 music concerts, two dance performances, two film screenings with live music, and a family concert" is here! You can check it all out (The Feelies, Real Estate, The Books, Junip, Doveman, Justin Townes Earle, Punch Brothers, Raekwon, Oumou Sangaré, Times New Viking, Ra Ra Riot, Delicate Steve, Buke & Gass and Hal Willner included), below...

Continue reading "Celebrate Brooklyn - complete 2011 Prospect Park show lineup"

Kathleen Hanna with Bikini Kill in the 90s

Kathleen Hannah will be celebrated on December 11th at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, as a host of bands she has influenced will team up to perform songs from across her career. The show is a benefit for a forthcoming documentary on the Bikini Kill/Le Tigre member:

Kathleen is currently the subject of a documentary tentatively titled The Kathleen Hanna Project, a.k.a. Who Told You Christmas Wasn't Cool?, directed by Sister Spit alumni, Sini Anderson. ...The documentary explores exactly what makes people react so strongly to Kathleen Hanna's work... her personal motives and perspective on the scene she's been a part of for 20 years, "there's also a lot of context: the history, the musicians, the other people who were part of that movement." The film is also about perseverance in the face of personal attacks, even from those within one's own marginalized community. "Kathleen took an enormous amount of shit. She ate a lot of dirt along the way." And Anderson wants to know, "when people are so busy trying to take you down, how do you keep on creating?" -[The Feminist Guide To Hollywood]

Bands playing include Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon, Kaia Wilson, MEN (aka JD Samson of Le Tigre's new band), Bridget Everett, Care Bears on Fire, Hilly Eye, She Murders (featuring Kim Gordon's daughter Coco), Toshi Reagon, Making Friendz, Christy & Emily, and many many others including video performances by Caroline Polachek (Chairlift) and a dance performance by Emily Wexler. Full lineup is below.

Kathleen Hanna DJed the sold-out Raincoats show at MoMa on 11/20. Some videos below...

Continue reading "Kathleen Hanna documentary benefit @ Knitting Factory "

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 "

Ocote Soul Sounds (Martin from Antibalas, left)

Mondo Mundo Festival, put on by the booking agency of the same name, is happening at Hiro Ballrom Saturday, January 9th. Ocote Soul Sounds, the world jazz/soul-funk group with Adrian Quesada of Grupo Fantasma and Martin Perna of Antibalas (and frequent sideman for TVOTR, Scarlett Johansson, Celebration, Dragons of Zynth and others), headline. The lineup also includes Toshi Reagon & BIGLovely's varied folk-rock, electronica-influenced instrumental jams from Burkina Electric, Lebanese-born singer-songwriter Abaji and DJ Angola. Tickets are on sale. We also have a pair of tickets to give away. More info is below.

Speaking of Antibalas, we just mentioned that Antibalas's Knitting Factory residency would be continuing into 2010, but those shows have been canceled for now (stay tuned for new dates later in 2010).

You can still see Fela! on Broadway though (starring members of Antibalas in the band). In fact, you can see it for free or cheap(er). We're giving away TWO pairs of tickets to see Fela! (in addition to the pair of tickets to the Mondo Mundo Fest), and we have an exclusive discount code that will get you tickets at a reduced rate should you choose to pay for them.

Details on all of that, with a streaming NPR story, a flyer, and more info on Mondo Mundo, below...

Continue reading "Mondo Mundo Festival this weekend, WIN tickets to that and to FELA! (featuring Antibalas whose residency is cancelled)"

photos by Lori Baily

Pitchfork: As the daughter of a diplomat, you must have traveled a lot. How does that experience inform your music?

Rokia Traoré: My father was not able to get all the vinyl he used to listen to with me. He couldn't travel as he did it because of his profession as a diplomatic career. The fact of playing an instrument and singing... that I can try to make my dream of singing and becoming a professional musician come true is linked probably to the fact that I traveled a lot, which gave me an open mind and an ability to push my limits. Probably, traveling so early changed my personality and gave me this ability today to do the music I do and to think in a certain way that everything can be possible. You just have to try before thinking that you can't.

Rokia will next be here in August. On August 7th she plays the Damrosch Park Bandshell as part of the Lincoln Center Out Of Doors festival, and one day earlier she'll play a free lunch-time show at Metrotech in Brooklyn. The 2009 "BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival" lineup also includes Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and "A New Orleans R&B legend, to be announced". Full Metrotech lineup, and more Rokia tour dates and pictures, below...

Continue reading "2009 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival @ MetroTech - lineup includes Rokia Traoré (who played LPR - pics) "