Newport Folk Festival 2022 Hit a Grand Slam!
Every year at the Newport Folk Festival is fabulous, but the 2022 Festival truly hit it out of the park! The joy I – and 10,000 others – felt at seeing Joni Mitchell perform for the first time in many years was incomparable. That should not detract from the rest of the Festival, which I enjoyed as much as always.
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See Gangstagrass Perform at a Benefit on Staten Island
I am so sad to have to miss this event – Gangstagrass is one of my favorite bands – but I am covering a festival at home so this is not in the cards for me. You, however, should go! It’s a worthwhile cause and a chance to have fun with some of my favorite people! You won’t be sorry. What follows is the official press release for the event.
Staten Island, NY – Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden is excited to present a fun-filled day of live music with the Emmy-nominated bluegrass/hip hop fusion band Gangstagrass, previously seen on America’s Got Talent. The event takes place on Saturday, April 29 from 1:00 PM – 5:30 PM on the South Meadow of Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden at 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301. Admission is $40.00 and children under 5 are free. More information, including the schedule of events and tickets, is at https://snug-harbor.org/event/gangstagrass2023/
Irish Musician David Howley Doing Rare Solo US Tour
I did not recognize David Howley‘s name when I first saw it on the schedule at Club Passim (Cambridge, Massachusetts), but as I read I realized I know We Banjo 3. I do not recall where or when I saw them, but I have seen them. I am looking forward to seeing his solo show in a couple of weeks!
Join me at the show I am attending or go see him in a city near you.
Read the rest of this entryThe Town and the City Festival is Fast Approaching
This is a wonderful small festival that has been growing since its inception a few years ago. This year the lineup is fabulous and I know I am going to have some hard choices to make! Join me in Lowell, Massachusetts on April 28 and 29 for a great weekend! Note that it is possible to buy individual tickets to specific shows, but you will get the most value from buying a weekend pass ($58).
Musician Chrissy Metz Embarks on Her First Tour
I am sure most of my readers know Chrissy Metz from her years as Kate on This Is Us but she is also a talented singer-songwriter who began her first tour last night at City Winery in Washington D.C. She graciously spent some time on the phone with me to talk about her tour and her music, which was a thrill for me.
That first show was awesome, Chrissy said. She loved sharing the stories about why she wrote the songs, and is so grateful that people are spending their hard-earned money to go to her shows. “If I touch even one person, it means the world to me.”
The Town and the City Festival Celebrates Kerouac and Lowell
There is a wonderful festival in Lowell, Massachusetts this weekend that celebrates music and Jack Kerouac in the city where he was born and buried. Many local musicians as well as national touring artists are featured. I have some favorites who are appearing – Jon Langford, Damn Tall Buildings, and Will Dailey to name a few – but I am excited to see artists who are new to me! See you there!
The Town and The City Festival announced its venue by venue schedule for the two-day music and arts festival on Friday, April 8th and Saturday, April 9th in downtown Lowell, Massachusetts. Two-Day Passes and Advanced Individual Day Passes are on sale now at www.thetownandthecityfestival.com
Recent additions to The Town And The City Festival lineup include Saturniids, Sinnet, Naomi Westwater, Layzi, ODB Project, and SAVAK. In addition, Gail Greenwood will join Tanya Donnelly and The Parkington Sisters as a special guest. Festival representatives also announced that due to renovation delays at Christ Church United, the church unfortunately won’t be used this year as a venue. Subsequently two new venues have been added to the festival for 2022, Taffeta at the Western Avenue Studios and 5th Floor at Mill No. 5 (both newly developed venues).
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What a Great Way to Celebrate International Women’s Day!
When I chose to see Allison Russell with Kyshona opening at The Sinclair this week, I did not know it was International Women’s Day. How fortuitous, though, to see a show where the musicians are incredibly passionate about women’s rights.
First Week of 2022 Newport Folk Festival Lineup Announcements!
The lineup announcements by the Newport Folk Festival have just started and I am already wowed by them! Of course this is what I have come to expect but that does not lessen the impact of the addition of some favorite artists as well as ones I have never seen but want to see! There are usually around 26-28 artists each day.
George Wein, Festivals Guru, Has Died At 95
| George T. Wein October 3, 1925 – September 13, 2021 “Impresario, promoter, pianist, art collector and philanthropist George T. Wein, co-founder and creator of the Newport Jazz Festival® and the Newport Folk Festival®, who for seven decades, was the most influential presenter of music around the globe, died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, September 13, 2021. He was 95. |
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Reimagining The Band’s Stage Fright at 50!
I know I am dating myself when I say that The Band was one of the bands I followed closely when I was in my teens. While Stage Fright may not be the album that many people choose as their favorite, it was (as the press release below states) a trendsetting album that contains many songs fans think of as quintessentially The Band.
suze reviews the blues 