Down Home Radio Show

Hello everybody,

Just wanted to let you know that I have put together a concert to benefit the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Its gonna be a great show! The show is set to take place at Brooklyn’s own Jalopy Theater on Sunday Nov. 13th.  The show starts at 7pm and will feature a number of great bands and performers! (Including my own band The Dust Busters…) The complete list of performers and schedule plus all other relevant info is below.

All proceeds from this concert will benefit the Occupy Wall St. movement.

Hope to see you there!  All the best,

Eli

Venue: The Jalopy Theater, 315 Columbia St. in Brooklyn in Carroll Gardens/Redhook area.  Their website is .  F train to the Caroll St. stop.

Date and Time: 7pm till whenever on Sunday Nov. 13th

Check out the event page on:

Schedule of Bands:

7pm Gregory Nissen – pianist, composer and part of the OWS Arts & Culture Working Group.

7:20 Eric Koniger- Blues guitarist and volunteer at the OWS medical tent.

7:30 Brotherhood of the Jugband Blues – Great jug band music and original songs!

8:10 Veveritse Brass Band – Balkan brass band!

8:45: Kristen Andreassen – Old Time, Country and original songs.

9:10pm The Dust Busters – playing old time American string band music, including some good old American protest and topical songs.

9:50pm The Whiskey Spitters – Old Time, Blues, Jugband Music and more!

10:30pm Peter Stampfel & The Ether Frolic Mob – Wish for a potato!  Incredible banjo twang!

11:10pm Feral Foster – Blues, Folk and original songs

11:45pm Tik Tok – original songs from Berlin and New York – guitar and banjo, ” sounds like tin pans and chicken bones.”

Tickets are available at the door or by calling the Jalopy Theater at (718) 395-3214. Ticket price is $10, all proceeds go towards the Occupy Wall St. movement.  The Jalopy Theater serves beer, wine, tea and coffee.

[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

Hello everybody, my old time string band The Dust Busters is on the road again, this time in Ireland and England.  Here’s the dates!  Come say hi if you’re in the area!

Dates:

Jun 20
Kenny’s Pub
Lahinch, Co Clare, IRELAND

Jun 21
The Old Oak
Cork, Co Cork, IRELAND

Jun 22
Cleere’s Pub, Kilkenny
Kilkenny, IRELAND (more…)

I was lucky enough recently to be interviewed by Jon Gerberg for the program “Caught in the Act” on Brooklyn Independent Television, and here is the result!  Thanks Jon!

I talk about what I do here in Brooklyn with my old time string band The Dust Busters, with Down Home Radio and with the upcoming Brooklyn Folk Festival, scheduled to take place June 10th – 12th of this year.  Its right around the corner!

Here’s a bit more about the “Caught in the Act” program.

“Brooklyn’s art scene is one of the most vibrant and diverse in the world. Each month, Caught in the Act: Art in Brooklyn profiles a cross-section of key Brooklyn professionals in fine art, dance, music, theatre—and new forms of expression combining all of the above. From established institutions of international stature, to the emerging artists and companies that have long made our borough’s arts scene so exciting, Caught in the Act catches them in the act of creating, displaying, interpreting—and enriching—the cultural life of Brooklyn.”

Spring is in the air and The Dust Busters are taking to the road.  Look out!

Fri. April 29th – New York, NY. We’re very happy to be doing a New York show with our friend Andy Cohen.  Andy’s an amazing blues and ragtime guitarist and the one and only dolceola player you will ever see anywhere.  Check it out!  No Cover!
9pm Andy Cohen
10pm The Dust Busters
@ Banjo Jim’s located at 9th St. and Ave. C in Manhattan

Sat. April 30th - Washington D.C.

Presented by The Folklore Society of Greater Washington
Show time: 8 pm

Washington Ethical Society Auditorium
7750 16th St., NW
Washington, DC 20012.

The Polka Dots will open the show.

Just a word to let everyone know that John Cohen’s new film, “Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy, Kentucky” is out now!  It has been released by Shanachie Video and is available for purchase by CLICKING HERE.

The film has been packaged by Shanachie as “The Legacy of Roscoe Holcomb.”  The DVD includes John’s new film about Roscoe as well as his classic 1962 film about Holcomb, “The High Lonesome Sound.” You get both!

“Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy, Kentucky” recently premiered at the Margaret Meade Film Festival at the American Museum of Natural History together with a retrospective of John’s work and also just won the award for Best Documentary Short at the Woodstock Film Festival.

Also, a very nice piece about John Cohen and the new film just aired on NPR’s Weekend Edition: CHECK IT OUT

Here’s a synopsis that I wrote for the program guide of the Woodstock Film Festival:

“John Cohen explores the life, philosophy and music of Eastern Kentucky banjo player, coal miner and construction worker Roscoe Holcomb. Holcomb has been injured on the job and forced into early retirement. He discusses his life and music and plays a number of traditional songs from his region. Using intimate footage of Holcomb at home as well as footage of his family, community and region, Cohen presents a remarkable and visually beautiful portrait of Roscoe Holcomb, a man who despite economic hardship and changing times has maintained a powerful and authentic personal music and philosophy.”

John used old footage from the early 60′s that he couldn’t use for “The High Lonesome Sound” because the technology didn’t exist at that time to put the film footage and audio into sync.  But now that is possible and was accomplished in expert fashion.  For this new film John also used really awesome color footage that he took of Holcomb and his family in the 197o’s.  It’s a beautiful film and a wonderful tribute to Roscoe Holcomb.

[Roscoe Holcomb with John Cohen, 1964]