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On the West Coast… with John Cohen! Feb. 26th-March 12th…

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[The Dust Busters with John Cohen, Fall 2010.]
About to head out on tour with The Dust Busters again!  We are very very pleased to be doing a tour of the West Coast with our friend from New Lost City, John Cohen.  John Cohen is a founder of the legendary old-time string band The New Lost City Ramblers, one of our very favorite bands and big inspirations.  John Cohen is a musician, photographer and film maker who has released more than 16 documentary films.  His latest is entitled “Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy, Kentucky.”  The film follows Roscoe Holcomb, the singer, banjo and guitar player, construction worker and coal miner whom John encountered in 1959 while doing field work in Eastern Kentucky.  John befriended Roscoe and through John, Roscoe Holcomb was able to tour and play shows around the United States and in Europe, becoming known as one of the truly unique and essential voices of American folk music. It’s a beautiful film and a wonderful tribute to Roscoe Holcomb.  We will be touring up the West Coast from Berkeley all the way up to Vancouver, BC, playing shows and screening the film.  See below for all the dates and information.

“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.

Below are the dates for our upcoming tour.  See ya out in the world!

Sat. Feb 26th, 2pm
Instore appearance at Down Home Music Store
10341 San Pablo Ave
El Cerrito, CA – 94530
(510) 525-2129

Sat. Feb 26th, 5pm
Workshops at The Freight & Salvage
2020 Addison Street

Berkeley, CA 94704

Info:
Old Time 5-String Banjo Workshop w/ John Cohen – Saturday, February 26, 5:00-6:00 pm ($25**)
Old-Time Country Fiddle Workshop w/ Craig Judelman – Saturday, February 26, 5:00-6:00 pm ($25**)
Old-Time Guitar Workshop w/ Eli Smith & Walker Shepard – Saturday, February 26, 5:00-6:00 pm ($25**)
Old Time String Band Sounds & Styles w/ John Cohen, Craig Judelman, Eli Smith, & Walker Shepard – Saturday, February 26, 6:15-7:15 pm ($25**)

**There is a discounted fee of $40 if you sign up simultaneously for one of the 5:00 workshops and the 6:15 Old Time String Band Sounds & Styles.

Mon. Feb 28th, 7:30pm
Show at The Freight and Salvage
2020 Addison Street

Berkeley, CA 94704

– The show starts at 7:30pm with a showing of John’s new Roscoe Holcomb film, then at 8pm the great Bay Area bluegrass band Kleptograss and then The Dust Busters with John Cohen.  We will also be joined on this show by our friend Frank Fairfield!

Tuesday March 1st, 9pm

Roscoe Holcomb: From Daisy, Kentucky

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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]

Recent  reviews of the  film “Roscoe Holcomb: from Daisy, Kentucky.”
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Midwestern January “Snow-Season” Tour…

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Hello Everyone,

Well first off, apologies for not having posted more Down Home Radio episodes of late.  There’s great stuff in the archive waiting to come out, but I got real busy with my string band The Dust Busters and couldn’t produce Down Home for a while.  It will come out soon! (Fairly soon…)

Meanwhile, The Dust Busters are taking to the road again for our January 2011 Midwestern “Snow-Season” tour. Its gonna be a great tour, with a number of really cool shows on the schedule! See ya out there in the world…

Wednesday Jan. 19th– Hiram College, Hiram, OH.

Thursday Jan. 20th– House Concert in Cleveland, OH sponsored by Roots of American Music.

Friday Jan. 21st– Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL – Trad Fest with Bruce Molsky and the Foghorn Stringband.

Saturday Jan. 22nd– Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, IL – Trad Fest with Bruce Molsky and the Foghorn Stringband.

Sunday Jan. 23rd– Independent Media Center gig in Urbana, IL with the Foghorn Stringband.

Tuesday Jan. 25th–  Rachel’s Cafe Bloomington, Indiana.

Thursday Jan. 27th– Greenline Cafe, Philadelphia PA with Noggin Hill.

Saturday 29th– Cafe Nola, Frederick, Maryland with Lydia Martin of the Martin Family Band and The Woodshedders.

Sunday Jan. 30th – Windup Space with Stephen Strohmeier and Walker & Jay, Baltimore, MD.

To Hear Your Banjo Play

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Here’s an amazing 1947 film called, “To Hear Your Banjo Play.”  The story and dialogue were written by Alan Lomax.  The film is narrated by Lomax and features a young Pete Seeger guiding viewers through a brief history of the banjo, American Folk Music and its relevance to modern society.  This film features some of the best of the 1940’s New York folk music scene.  It has the only footage of Woody Guthrie performing in his prime, Margot Mayo’s American Square Dance Group is featured, along with Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Butch Hawes and others.  Texas Gladden makes an appearance as well.  This is an incredible film!

Here is some more footage of Woody Guthrie, apparently from the same session as the footage used in “To Hear Your Banjo Play.”  Woody is singing his song, “Ranger’s Command.”  Apparently this footage has only recently come to light.


And don’t forget to check out our good friends at the Old Time Herald Magazine – www.oldtimeherald.org – lots of great articles, reviews and more!

This Weekend!

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Saturday Nov. 20th at The Jalopy Theater!

My string band The Dust Busters will be playing with John Cohen to celebrate the release of a new book about John’s band entitled, “Gone to the Country: The New Lost City Ramblers and the Folk Music Revival.”  The books author, Brooklyn College Folklorist Prof. Ray Allen will make a presentation about the book and the night will be topped off with a performance by John and the Dust Busters with Peter Stampfel of the Holy Modal Rounders.  Should be fun!
Look out for a full interview about the book with Prof. Allen coming up soon on Down Home Radio…

Gone to the Country: The New Lost City Ramblers and the Folk Music Revival by Ray Allen
Saturday, November 20
Show starts at 8:30pm

“Gone to the Country: The New Lost City Ramblers and the Folk Music Revival,” is a new book by Ray Allen that chronicles the life and music of the New Lost City Ramblers, a trio of city-bred musicians who helped pioneer the resurgence of southern roots music during the folk revival of the late 1950s and 1960s. Formed in 1958 by Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tom Paley, the Ramblers introduced the regional styles of southern ballads, blues, string bands, and bluegrass to northerners yearning for a sound and an experience not found in mainstream music. Tonight, Ray Allen will show rare and fantastic photos of the band, while telling the story of the band and it’s impact on music everywhere.

Friday Night at 25CPW Gallery

November 19, 6-9pm We’ll be playing at 8pm with John Cohen as part of this wonderful art opening…

Films-Photographs-Kinetic Sculpture-woodcarvings
Stringband MusicEXHIBITION OPENING AND LIVE PERFORMANCES
On exhibit until November 28th

JOHN COHEN of The New Lost City Ramblers performing with The Dust Busters
BOB POTTS of the Highwoods Stringband
JOHN SPECKER of the Correctone Stringband
with additional photographs and video by Bess Greenberg

25CPW Gallery
25 Central Park West
New York, New York
10023
ph. 212.203.0250

More info below:

Paxton and Fairfield in the NY Times

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[Paxton and Fairfield perform “Poor Little Bennie.”]

Down Home Radio favorites and past guests on the program Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton and Frank Fairfield have recently been featured in the New York Times, following their appearance last Tuesday at the Jalopy Theater.  CLICK HERE to read the NY Times piece by Ben Ratliff.

CLICK HERE for the Down Home Radio interview with Frank Fairfield, and HERE for the interview with Blind Boy Paxton.

Here’s some more footage I shot at the Jalopy show:

The Cards Visit Shanghai

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The Cangelosi Cards, one of Down Home Radio’s favorite bands, have just completed a three month stint playing nightly at a club over in Shanghai, China.  The Cards are a brilliant old-time jazz, blues, country band local to Brooklyn who have been touring the U.S. for several years and are now starting in on the rest of the world!  Filmmaker and “Down Home TV” producer Chris Low happened to be over in Shanghai on another project and was able to catch up with The Cards to film this segment:

An extended interview with The Cangelosi Cards


And don’t forget to check out the Down Home Radio advert in the Old Time Herald Magazine – www.oldtimeherald.org – lots of great articles, reviews and more!

Photos From the Festival

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[Radio Jarocho at The 2010 Brooklyn Folk Festival.  Photo E. Smith]

Well, the 2010 Brooklyn Folk Festival has come and gone, and I can tell you that it was a great success!  It sold out every night, the new outdoor stage was a huge success and people had a great time!  The whole thing was professionally recorded by Don Fierro and we look forward to the release of at least one Brooklyn Folk Festival 2010  CD/LP probably over the winter on the brand new Jalopy Records label.  The music that was played at this festival was to put it plainly AMAZING.  I knew it would be good, but didn’t realize just how good.  As the organizer and MC I was very emotionally moved by the whole proceeding!  Truly.  Already planning for next year… well maybe I’ll take a break.  But I’m already excited!

Below are some photos I took at the festival.  All of my photos from the event can be seen at this link. Look out in the reasonably near future for some films from the festival shot by filmmaker Chris Low.  I’ll be posting up a bunch of those plus audio and some videos I took, etc.


[The Calamity Janes.  Photo E. Smith]


[Feral Foster.  Photo E. Smith]


[Rashad Brown performs at the outdoor stage.  Photo Susan Heske]


[Clifton Hicks (R) The Dough Rollers (L)  Photo E. Smith]


[The Tillers. Photo E. Smith]


[John Cohen.  Photo E. Smith]


[John Cohen screens his new film “Roscoe Holcomb From Daisy Kentucky.” Photo by E. Smith]


[Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues.  Photo E. Smith]

To see all my photos from the 2010 Brooklyn Folk Festival Click Here. And check back for audio and video from the festival coming soon…

The Brooklyn Folk Festival is Here!

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Brooklyn Folk Festival Logo by you.

The Brooklyn Folk Festival has arrived again!
May 21-23rd, 2010 at the Jalopy Theater!

Down Home Radio is proud to announce the 2nd annual Brooklyn Folk Festival.  This festival will feature the best in old-time music, blues, pre-blues, jug band music, New Orleans jazz, folk style songwriting, Greek, African and Mexican folk music and dance with concerts, workshops, and a Sunday afternoon square dance.  Thirty-one musical acts over 3 days! Come down and check it out, its gonna be fun!

–See below for the complete schedule–

*This festival is brought to you by Down Home Radio, and will be MCed by Down Home Radio host Eli Smith.

Pricing:
$15 per day for the main stage evening concerts and workshops or $40 for all three evenings.
$5 per day for Saturday afternoon concerts and Sunday afternoon outdoor stage, square dance included!  What a deal!

Contact The Jalopy Theater to buy advance tickets.

The Jalopy Theater
315 Columbia Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 395-3214
www.Jalopy.biz

Schedule:

Friday May 21st at Jalopy:
7:30pm – Hubby Jenkins – Blues and folk songs
8:15 – George Stavis – Original improvised banjo music
9pm- Salieu Suso – Gambian Kora player
9:30pm- Calamity Janes – Oldtime String band
10:15pm- The Dust Busters – Oldtime string band
11:15pm- Blind Boy Paxton – Blues guitar, stride piano, old time banjo
12am – Ernie Vega – Blues, folk and original songs

Saturday May 22nd at Jalopy:

FolkStreams.net

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Here is a brief excerpt from the film “Homemade American Music” made by Carrie and Yasha Aginsky in 1980, featuring Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard as they pay a visit to Roscoe Holcomb.   This film follows Mike and Alice as they visit Tommy Jarrell, Lily May Ledford, Roscoe Holcomb and Elizabeth Cotten and recount their own history as musicians and students of the music.

The complete 40 minute film is available for viewing at: http://www.folkstreams.net/film,153

This incredible incredible website features literally dozens of amazing folkloric documentary films, mostly on music but also on other folk art forms.  It is worth it to watch everyone of these films- visit www.FolkStreams.net today!