[Banner by C. Cassano]
Hello everybody, just letting you know about the upcoming Washington Square Park Folk Festival. I got hired by the Parks Department to produce the first ever folk festival in Washington Square Park. Gonna be fun!
The festival is FREE and open to the public!
Its gonna be an excellent two days of music, with 9 of my very favorite groups (including my own) gracing the stage and myself on hand to serve as your MC. Hope to see you there!
Saturday Sept 17th:
2pm The Calamity Janes – old time string band
3pm Feral Foster – original songs and blues
4pm East River String Band – country blues & old time
5pm Whiskey Spitters – country blues & old time
Sunday Sept 18th
2pm Bob Malenky – country blues
2:45pm Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues – jug band music
3:40 Frank Fairfield – Old Time songs and fiddle tunes
4:15pm The Dust Busters with John Cohen – old time string band
5:10pm Willy Gantrim & the Phantoms – original songs, country & blues
6pm Peter Stampfel and the Ether Frolic Mob – make a wish for a potato
Proudly sponsored by:
2011 also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1961 “Washington Square Folk Music Riot” when the City tried to revoke the permit for folk musicians to play and sing on Sundays in the park. They needed to clear undesirable people out so that they could satisfy local real estate interests and I heard possibly enact a crazy plan to extend 5th ave. through the park! Luckily folkies resisted the attempt by the police to kick them out of their public space, resulting in the “riot,” and the planned extension of 5th ave never materialized. There’s been a film made about the “riot” and the film will be screened at the festival and is also posted below for convenient viewing…
Coverage of the so called riot has been offered by The Indypendent and NPR.
http://youtu.be/zHk_YkfOiiM
How was Washington Square Park Folk Festival ?
Eli, it was a truly fine event, and I already look forward to next year’s. You selected a terrific assortment of local old-time, roots, blues, bluegrass and jugband performers. The sound was good, too. I only hope next year doesn’t compete with Madison Square Park’s free music! It broke my heart to miss one or the other! Thanks for all your hard work organizing (and performing!) this for us.!
When will we hear some new shows?