Not only are there a few handfuls of awesome shows happening around the five boroughs this week, there’s a helluva lot goin’ on this weekend in the way of festivals. Basically, it’s going to be like Mardi Gras … minus the beads … and a lot of other things. First, it’s the 4th Annual Brooklyn Folk Fest that kicks off Friday, with acts like grass clippings fave Michael Daves and the frequently mentioned Brain Cloud. The hoedown continues through Saturday and Sunday with sets by a swarm of grass-loving bands, including M. Shanghai String Band, The Calamity Janes and Blind Boy Paxton. Personally, I was more than impressed by the Janes when I saw them in a tiny Williamsburg bar late last year and can’t wait to see them in this setting (check them out playing Gospel Plow in the vid below). And get all the details on the fest right here, including how to get tickets — it’s $20 per day or $45 for the whole weekend. The full lineup follows at the end of the post.
As if that wasn’t enough, this is also the weekend of the Great GoogaMooga Festival (am I the only one tempted to keep adding more and more -ooga, -mooga, -loogas to the end of that?) in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. According to the fest’s site, we should prepare ourselves for an ‘amusement park of food and drink’ … um, are you there, God? It’s me, ‘Heaven.’ Not only will there be booths hosting the best and most delicious chefs and restaurants in the city (think: Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster, Brian Leth’s Vinegar Hill House, the devil’s own Momofuku Milk Bar and more and more and more), but each day also hosts a lineup of great music. On Saturday, it’s The Roots, Holy Ghost!, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Bear Hands, to name a few. Sunday – Daryl Hall & John Oates (hair crimper and sweatbands ready), Fitz & the Tantrums, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, We Barbarians and the NYC-based Lucius. While the free-ticket lottery sold out weeks ago, there are still ExtraMooga tickets available for $250. Click here for all the deets.
Check out the full Folk Fest lineup below:
FRIDAY MAY 18TH
6:30 PM: Doors
7:30 PM: Woody Guthrie’s 100th B-day Sing-Along
8:30 PM: Elizabeth Butters
9:15 PM: Michael Daves
10:00 PM: Dennis Lichtman’s Brain Cloud
10:45 PM: Peter Stampfel & the Ether Frolic Mob
11:30 PM: The Whiskey Spitters
12:15 AM: Four O’Clock Flowers
SATURDAY MAY 19TH
12:00PM BOOK READING: Scott Alarik “Revival: A Folk Music Novel” and Ray Allen, Folklorist at Brooklyn College “Gone to the Country: The New Lost City Ramblers”
1:30PM Jackson Lynch
2:00PM WORKSHOP: Kentucky Banjo Styles with Brett Ratliff
2:00PM The East River String Band
2:45PM Jessy Carolina and the Hot Mess
3:00PM WORKSHOP: Tennessee Blues Mandolin with Ernie Vega
3:30PM M. Shanghai String Band
4:15PM Harmonica Competition
5:00PM Bodoma
5:45PM The Calamity Janes
6:30PM Willy Gantrim
7:15PM Piedmont Bluz
8:00PM The Feral Foster
9:30PM The Little Brothers
10:15PM Cherven Traktor
11:00PM Blind Boy Paxton
11:45PM Whistling Wolves
12:30AM Veveritse
SUNDAY MAY 20TH
12:00PM – 2:00PM WORKSHOP: Vocal Harmony Duos and Trios Workshop Taught by Emily Eagen and Don Friedman
12:30PM – 2:00PM KIDS: Jarana Beat Family Concert Kids under 14 are free!
2:30PM Alan Friend and Friends
3:15PM Heather Wood, Alice Backer and Bob Malenky
4:00PM SQUAREDANCE 5:00PM Pat Conte
5:45PM Wretched Refuse String Band
6:30PM Lydia Sylvia
7:15PM Brett Ratliff & the Giant Rooster Sideshow
8:00PM Pat Conte & Joe Bellulovich
8:45PM Alice Gerrard & Beverly Smith
9:30PM Brotherhood of the Jug Band Blues
10:15PM Litvakus
11:00PM Stephanie Nilles
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