Thanks for checking out the Folks Like Us blog. We’ll be using this space to post news from the folk music world, special announcements of local interest, CD recommendations, etc. Please visit often, and if you have information you would like added to the blog, please e-mail it to judydyki@cs.com. Thanks!
From the Clearwater Website:
(Note — if you order the DVD directly from Clearwater, the organization receives 100% of the profits. If you order through Amazon.com, Amazon receives a 15% cut)
“The much anticipated 2-DVD set chronicling The Clearwater Concert, an all-star celebration of Pete Seeger’s 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden in New York City last May, is now available for retail purchase online at http://www.seeger90dvd.myshopify.com/. Over 40 renowned musical artists performed at the concert, including Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen and Dave Matthews, putting their own spin on songs written or inspired by the legendary folk icon and making this once-in-a-lifetime gathering of multi-generational stars truly a remarkable birthday party.
The Clearwater Concert benefited and helped raised awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a non-profit enviromental advocacy and education organization founded by Pete Seeger and others over forty years ago that is dedicated to protecting the Hudson River and creating new environmental leaders. Similarly, all proceeds of this remarkable DVD package will go directly to Clearwater to help further its mission to inspire, educate and activate the next generation toward a green future.
‘This special DVD set is filled with hope and a message, echoed by all of the musicians and audience members present at the concert, that a better world is within our grasp,’ said Jeff Rumpf, executive director of Clearwater.
Brimming with over three hours of music and choice interviews, The Clearwater Concert lets viewers relive the concert experience, or join in the sing-a-longs for the first time—it’s an inspiring, joyful reminder of how music brings together people who want to make a difference.
Best of all, The Clearwater Concert DVD is packed with incredible musical moments, many of them ensemble renditions of musical treasures inspired by Pete Seeger. Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Kris Kristofferson, John Mellencamp, Emmylou Harris, Ani DiFranco, Bruce Cockburn, Toshi Reagon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tom Paxton, Billy Bragg, Taj Mahal, Michael Franti, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Bela Fleck, Tommy Sands, Tony Trischka, Dar Williams, Steve Earle, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Ben Harper, Tom Morello, Oscar the Grouch and more all perform on the DVD. And so does Seeger, who leads the audience in a magisterial rendition of ‘Amazing Grace.’
Pete Seeger said: ‘I never expected to see 18,000 people in Madison Square Garden for a birthday party, much less one of my own. Bless you all and bless all the great musicians on stage! This is one of the greatest singing audiences I ever heard in all my life.’”
The Clearwater Concert DVD set sells for $35.
The Ann Arbor Folk Festival, a major fundraiser for The Ark, will celebrate its 33rd year at Hill Auditorium on Friday, January 29, and Saturday, January 30, beginning at 6:30 p.m. each night.
2010 Festival Line Up:
Friday, January 29
Iron and Wine
Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard
Band of Heathens
Hoots & Hellmouth
Po’ Girl
Jer Coons
Nervous But Excited
Patty Larkin, MC
Saturday, January 30
Rosanne Cash
Richie Havens
Doc Watson
Raul Malo
Hot Club of Cowtown
Enter The Haggis
Patty Larkin, MC
Tickets are available by phone at (734) 763-TKTS or in person at the Michigan Union Ticket Office, Herb David Guitar Studio, the Ark box office, or any TicketMaster outlet. More information may be found at http://theark.org/ann_arbor_folk_festival.html.
As the year draws to a close, we fondly remember some folk musicians who passed away in 2009:
John Martyn (Scottish singer-songwriter, January 29)
John Cephas (Blues guitarist and singer, March 4)
Jackie Washington (Canadian folk legend, June 27)
Sandy Paton (folksong collector/singer, co-founder of Folk-Legacy Records, July 26)
Mike Seeger (Folk and old-time music pioneer, August 7)
Sam Hinton (American folk legend, September 10)
Mary Travers (member of Peter, Paul and Mary, September 16)
Liam Clancy (Irish folk singer, member of the Clancy Brothers, December 4)
Craig Johnson (Old-Time musician/songwriter, member of Double Decker Stringband, December 5)
Tim Hart (member of Steeleye Span, December 24)
Thanks for so many years of great music, and for helping to keep the tradition alive!
Congratulations to all of the 2010 Grammy nominees in the American Roots categories: Folk, Bluegrass, Blues, Hawaiian, Native American, and Zydeco/Cajun. The 52nd Grammy Awards will be broadcast on Sunday, January 31, 2010, on CBS at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Best Americana Album
Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
Levon Helm - Electric Dirt
Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel - Willie And The Wheel
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)
Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
Best Bluegrass Album
Jim Lauderdale - Could We Get Any Closer?
Steve Martin - The Crow: New Songs For The Five-String Banjo
Michael Martin Murphey - Buckaroo Blue Grass
Bryan Sutton - Almost Live
Rhonda Vincent - Destination Life
Best Traditional Blues Album
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott – A Stranger Here
The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band featuring Rick Vito / Blue Again
John Hammond – Rough & Tough
Duke Robilliard – Stomp! The Blues Tonight
Various Artists – Chicago Blues: A Living History
Best Contemporary Blues Album
The Robert Cray Band – This Time
Ruthie Foster – The Truth According to Ruthie Foster
Mavis Staples – Live: Hope at the Hideout
Susan Tedeschi – Back to the River
The Derek Trucks Band – Already Free
Best Traditional Folk Album
David Holt & Josh Goforth - Cutting Loose
Maura O’Connell - Naked With Friends
Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra - Polka Cola: Music That Refreshes
Various Artists - Singing Through The Hard Times: A Tribute To Utah Phillips
Loudon Wainwright III - High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project
Best Contemporary Folk Album
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Tracy Chapman - Our Bright Future
Shawn Colvin - Live
Elvis Costello - Secret, Profane & Sugarcane
Steve Earle - Townes
Best Hawaiian Music Album
Tia Carrere & Daniel Ho – He Nani
Amy Hanaiali’i – Friends & Family of Hawai’i
Ho’okena – Nani Mau Loa: Everlasting Beauty
Various Artists – Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar, Volume 2
Best Native American Music Album
Michael Brant DeMaria – Siyotanka
Bill Miller – Spirit Wind North
Northern Cree – True Blue
John Two-Hawks – Wind Songs: Native American Flute Solos
Johnny Whitehorse – Riders of the Healing Road
Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album
Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet – Alligator Purse
Buckwheat Zydeco – Lay Your Burden Down
The Magnolia Sisters – Stripped Down
Pine Leaf Boys – Live at 2009 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Cedric Watson et Bijou Créole – L’Ésprit Créole
Jeff Daniels will be wrapping up his holiday “Onstage & Unplugged” performances at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea this weekend with three more shows: Saturday, January 2, at 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, January 3, at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 734-433-7673 or visiting http://www.purplerosetheatre.org.
The Off-the-Wall Coffeehouse in Walled Lake has been going strong for 20 years. Run by Jim Bertin and George Garcia, with concerts held at St. William Parish, the coffeehouse has presented an amazing line-up of local and national musicians in an intimate setting. Open mics have also provided opportunities for beginning performers to hone their skills.
Jim and George have announced that the 2009-2010 season will be the last season, so come out to enjoy the final concerts in this gem of a venue:
January 16 - Joel Mabus
February 13 - Rev. Robert Jones
March 6 - Matt Watroba
April 24 - Harvey Reid
May 1 - Ron Coden
For more information, visit the Website at http://www.off-the-wall.org.
“Pete Seeger is asking us to join together to help a folk music institution! Since 1950, Sing Out! Magazine has been one of the most effective and respected ways for musicians to share and learn. As Sing Out! heads towards its 60th anniversary next spring, its non-profit parent — which also produces Rise Up Singing, Sing Out! Radio Magazine, and Pete’s newly revised autobiography Where Have All the Flowers Gone — is fighting for survival. Throughout its existence, Sing Out! has always operated close to the bone financially, but recent economic conditions, along with the current state of the print trade and periodicals, have come together to put the very existence of the magazine and organization in real danger.
If you care about folk music, and want one of its community’s strongest voices and allies to survive, please check out Pete’s message at: http://www.singout.org/donate.html.
To purchase our books … perfect after-holiday gifts (even for yourself!): http://www.singout.org/sopubs.html
Renew, start or extend a membership with or subscription to Sing Out!: https://www.singout.org/memborder.html ”
From the Borealis Website:
“Silence at the Heart of Things is a beautiful new documentary about Oliver Schroer, Canadian fiddler and composer extraordinaire. In a career cut short by illness, Oliver recorded and produced more than 100 albums, composed some 1,000 pieces of music and inspired a generation of young musicians.
The film follows Oliver in the last months of his life as he collaborates with several musicians who have travelled from far and wide to work with him. Through his own words, the documentary explores Oliver’s music and the unique voice he brings to his instrument - a voice that challenges traditional views of the fiddle. With several excerpts from Oliver’s last sold-out concert, Silence at the Heart of Things is a joyful celebration of his life’s work.”
The DVD is available for $24.00 from Borealis Records: http://borealisrecords.com/web/.
Congratulations to The Ark in Ann Arbor for bringing great music to the area for 45 years! The 45th anniversary celebration kicks off on Friday, January 8, with a fundraising concert by the super-powered bluegrass band Mountain Heart. Show time is 8:00 p.m. For more information, contact The Ark at 734-761-1800 or http://www.theark.org.