Hey everyone!
Because of a couple of last-minute changes and some performer scheduling conflicts, it's taken us a little longer than usual to get the schedule up on the web - the last time we posted it before it was finalized, some major changes happened and people were none too pleased, so we want to make sure you get the information right the first time.
However, to tide you over for just a couple more days, we do have some solid information about some of the out-of-town acts and which days they're playing. I've listed just a few of them here, in order to give you a "feel" for each day, especially if you're thinking about buying a day pass. This is NOT intended to be a complete list in any way - just a little guideline. The full schedule will be in your hands VERY SOON!
THURSDAY:
Lucinda Williams
Eilen Jewell
Hackensaw Boys
Donna the Buffalo
(lots of others)
FRIDAY:
Luminescent Orchestrii
Hackensaw Boys
Allen Boys
Etran Finatawa
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Nation Beat
John Brown's Body
MC Lars
(lots of others)
SATURDAY:
Nation Beat
Allen Boys
Toby Foyeh and Orchestra Africa
The Meditations
Cyro Baptista and Beat the Donkey
Plena Libre
Donna the Buffalo
(lots of others)
SUNDAY:
Big Leg Emma
Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad
Beat the Donkey Workshop
Donna the Buffalo
(lots of others)
Monday, June 16, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
MC Lars Added to the Lineup
MC Lars, everyone's favorite post-punk laptop rapper, has officially been added to the lineup. Here's the thing about MC Lars - generally speaking, I feel as though I'm fairly "with it", as far as music goes. You might even call me a music nerd. I can talk for hours about obscure 1930's delta blues and its influence on all popular music of today. I can ramble on and on about the evolution of old-time music into bluegrass and the further evolution and devolution into country. I can name all of Bob Marley's children and all of the Balfa Brothers. I write one of the most popular websites about world music on the internet. I'm pretty much a hard-core music nerd, and I make it my business to know what's going on in the world and folk music scenes.
However, in a 10-minute phone conversation with MC Lars, he stumped me about 8 times. I asked him how someone was doing, and he said, "Oh, he's doing great, he's working with *Insert Band Name I Can't Remember* - you've heard of them, right?" No. No, MC Lars, I have not heard of them. Top 10 Hit, you say? Huh. As it turns out, I don't know everything. In fact, I know next to nothing about what most people my age are evidently listening to.
Now don't go thinking this makes me feel bad. I LOVE that there are people out there who geek out at the same level I do, but for totally different music. And I super-love that we have those sorts of encyclopedia-brains bringing their viewpoint to our festival. And I super-ultra-love that MC Lars is actually totally into learning about all the different stuff that we've got going on at our festival - last year, though he was only there for an evening, he made a point of seeing Nawal, Vieux Farka Touré, and Los Pochos. Cool, right?
There is a moral to this absurd, rambling story. Cultural crossover doesn't always look like what you expect it to look like. And that's the beauty of something like GrassRoots, where the crowd is as diverse as the musicians, where there are as many viewpoints as there are faces, and where we've all got something to learn from each other.
However, in a 10-minute phone conversation with MC Lars, he stumped me about 8 times. I asked him how someone was doing, and he said, "Oh, he's doing great, he's working with *Insert Band Name I Can't Remember* - you've heard of them, right?" No. No, MC Lars, I have not heard of them. Top 10 Hit, you say? Huh. As it turns out, I don't know everything. In fact, I know next to nothing about what most people my age are evidently listening to.
Now don't go thinking this makes me feel bad. I LOVE that there are people out there who geek out at the same level I do, but for totally different music. And I super-love that we have those sorts of encyclopedia-brains bringing their viewpoint to our festival. And I super-ultra-love that MC Lars is actually totally into learning about all the different stuff that we've got going on at our festival - last year, though he was only there for an evening, he made a point of seeing Nawal, Vieux Farka Touré, and Los Pochos. Cool, right?
There is a moral to this absurd, rambling story. Cultural crossover doesn't always look like what you expect it to look like. And that's the beauty of something like GrassRoots, where the crowd is as diverse as the musicians, where there are as many viewpoints as there are faces, and where we've all got something to learn from each other.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Get Well Soon, Jim Lauderdale!
We received some bad news yesterday: our good friend and faithful festival performer Jim Lauderdale has been having some problems with his vocal cords, and is under doctor's orders for strict vocal rest for the whole summer - including GrassRoots. It's a really scary thing for a musician to have to go through, so keep him in your thoughts. We are confident that he will be back, spangly cowboy suit and all, for GrassRoots '09, and until then, we wish him a speedy recovery and lots of love!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
GrassRoots and State Theatre Announce Season Lineup!
Ithaca's Historic State Theatre is one of our oldest and bestest friends. Seriously. GrassRoots actually started in 1990 as a benefit concert at the State, featuring Donna the Buffalo, The Horse Flies, and Neon Baptist. It was a benefit for AIDSWork, a local charity who provided support and education about HIV/AIDS. They raised around $10,000 that night, and thought a festival might be the next logical step. We stayed friends, and in the late '90s, when the State was condemned and about to be torn down, we made them one of our charitable partners, and put lots of money toward restoring it. We still stayed friends, and did an occasional GrassRoots-presented show here and there.
However, last year, we had the pleasure of co-promoting our first actual concert series with the State. We had a blast, sold enough tickets to keep ourselves encouraged, made lots of new friends, had lots of chatter and backstage beers with old ones - all in all, a rousing success. It was a given that we had to do it again this year, so we're very excited to announce the first three shows of our co-promoted season. They're reeeeally good ones, too.
On September 11, GrassRoots and the State will present the first musical show of the season, Steve Earle. Steve is saucy, political, hard-driving and obscenely talented. We can't wait to hear what he has to say or what he has to play. Joining him on the bill will be his lovely and talented wife, Allison Moorer, who is no slouch either - she's a Grammy nominated singer-songwriter who has an awesome new album called Mockingbird which you should run out and buy this very second.
Next up is Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, who'll be performing on November 1. The Dap-Kings are basically the best band in the world. Basically. Even if you haven't heard the name, you've probably heard their funk/blues stylings - they're the backing band on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, but they're even better when they're out there with Sharon Jones. Sharon has a crazy story. She was turned away by record labels when she was a teenager because she didn't have the right "look". So she went on with her life, working "regular" jobs (if you call being a prison guard at Riker's Island regular), until she received a career break in 1996 and began recording. Her breakthrough record was 2007's 100 Days, 100 Nights, which is receiving major radio airplay throughout the country as we speak. Also, they're playing this summer at Bonnaroo and Aspen Jazz and Roskilde and Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Festival and on the Conan O'Brien Show and... you get the idea. Basically, if you haven't heard this group yet, you're about to and, unless you have no soul, you're gonna love them!
And in the early spring (April 3), The Flatlanders will be rocking the house. The Flatlanders are Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, and they (no joke) invented "alternative country" as we know it. Jimmie Dale has actually played GrassRoots before, but it was awhile ago (1995 - I didn't even have all of my molars yet), but this is the first time he's been back through since then. Also (I wasn't supposed to mention this), he played Smokey, the "fragile" pacifist in The Big Lebowski, so I assure you that I will be insufferably quoting that movie up until the minute that show starts, because it's one of my favorites EVER! "Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey." "Obviously, you're not a golfer." "That rug really tied the room together." "No, Donny, these men are nihilists. There's nothing to be afraid of." I CAN'T STOP! So anyway. These three guys are total legends, and the show is going to be amazing.
We'll also likely add one more show to the series as the season goes on, but we're feeling pretty darn good about this lineup so far! Subscription ticket sales for the State go on sale on June 9, and individual ticket sales start on July 14 (which will be a busy week!), so write it on your calendar, and git yer GrassRoots on all year 'round! And while you're sitting there, just imagining the good times we're gonna have this summer, why not check out the State Theatre Lineup for the season... they'll add more shows as time goes on, but it's already incredible - aside from our shows, they've got Citizen Cope, Andrew Bird, David Crosby and Graham Nash, The Soweto Gospel Choir, and all sorts of other awesome stuff. It's an amazing place, and it's where we spend a great deal of time during the winter months. We're proud to be their friends!
However, last year, we had the pleasure of co-promoting our first actual concert series with the State. We had a blast, sold enough tickets to keep ourselves encouraged, made lots of new friends, had lots of chatter and backstage beers with old ones - all in all, a rousing success. It was a given that we had to do it again this year, so we're very excited to announce the first three shows of our co-promoted season. They're reeeeally good ones, too.
On September 11, GrassRoots and the State will present the first musical show of the season, Steve Earle. Steve is saucy, political, hard-driving and obscenely talented. We can't wait to hear what he has to say or what he has to play. Joining him on the bill will be his lovely and talented wife, Allison Moorer, who is no slouch either - she's a Grammy nominated singer-songwriter who has an awesome new album called Mockingbird which you should run out and buy this very second.
Next up is Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, who'll be performing on November 1. The Dap-Kings are basically the best band in the world. Basically. Even if you haven't heard the name, you've probably heard their funk/blues stylings - they're the backing band on Amy Winehouse's Back to Black, but they're even better when they're out there with Sharon Jones. Sharon has a crazy story. She was turned away by record labels when she was a teenager because she didn't have the right "look". So she went on with her life, working "regular" jobs (if you call being a prison guard at Riker's Island regular), until she received a career break in 1996 and began recording. Her breakthrough record was 2007's 100 Days, 100 Nights, which is receiving major radio airplay throughout the country as we speak. Also, they're playing this summer at Bonnaroo and Aspen Jazz and Roskilde and Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Festival and on the Conan O'Brien Show and... you get the idea. Basically, if you haven't heard this group yet, you're about to and, unless you have no soul, you're gonna love them!
And in the early spring (April 3), The Flatlanders will be rocking the house. The Flatlanders are Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely and Butch Hancock, and they (no joke) invented "alternative country" as we know it. Jimmie Dale has actually played GrassRoots before, but it was awhile ago (1995 - I didn't even have all of my molars yet), but this is the first time he's been back through since then. Also (I wasn't supposed to mention this), he played Smokey, the "fragile" pacifist in The Big Lebowski, so I assure you that I will be insufferably quoting that movie up until the minute that show starts, because it's one of my favorites EVER! "Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey." "Obviously, you're not a golfer." "That rug really tied the room together." "No, Donny, these men are nihilists. There's nothing to be afraid of." I CAN'T STOP! So anyway. These three guys are total legends, and the show is going to be amazing.
We'll also likely add one more show to the series as the season goes on, but we're feeling pretty darn good about this lineup so far! Subscription ticket sales for the State go on sale on June 9, and individual ticket sales start on July 14 (which will be a busy week!), so write it on your calendar, and git yer GrassRoots on all year 'round! And while you're sitting there, just imagining the good times we're gonna have this summer, why not check out the State Theatre Lineup for the season... they'll add more shows as time goes on, but it's already incredible - aside from our shows, they've got Citizen Cope, Andrew Bird, David Crosby and Graham Nash, The Soweto Gospel Choir, and all sorts of other awesome stuff. It's an amazing place, and it's where we spend a great deal of time during the winter months. We're proud to be their friends!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Nation Beat Announces Animation Contest
We're excited to have the Afro-Brazilian-Americana-Tronica band Nation Beat coming to GrassRoots for the first time this year. We think they're very hip, very edgy, and they'll fit in like nobody's business here at our humble little event. They're also releasing an album, Legends of the Preacher, on July 15th, just a couple of days before the festival starts, so they will be on fire, undoubtedly. Also, they share our sense of charitable musical fundraising - 10% of their album proceeds will go to benefit Corpos Percussivos, "an organization dedicated to uplifting the underprivileged children of Recife, Brazil through music, art, education and culture." We LOVE it!!
And it gets cooler. As part of their album release, they've announced an animation contest. All the details are available at Modiba Productions, their record label. Basically, they've got fancy little cartoon characters already drawn up, and downloadable chunks of songs. All you have to do is get creative! So if you're the type who knows what's what when it comes to video animation, why not make up a little something, post it to YouTube, and see if you can't win yourself a tidy $500 (not to mention eternal flame and glory)?
If you're not the animating type, why don't you enjoy this video of the group at Galapagos (a really amazing self-sustaining art space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that you should be sure to check out as well, if you're in them there parts):
Currently Listening: The Nation Beat - Maracatuniversal
And it gets cooler. As part of their album release, they've announced an animation contest. All the details are available at Modiba Productions, their record label. Basically, they've got fancy little cartoon characters already drawn up, and downloadable chunks of songs. All you have to do is get creative! So if you're the type who knows what's what when it comes to video animation, why not make up a little something, post it to YouTube, and see if you can't win yourself a tidy $500 (not to mention eternal flame and glory)?
If you're not the animating type, why don't you enjoy this video of the group at Galapagos (a really amazing self-sustaining art space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that you should be sure to check out as well, if you're in them there parts):
Currently Listening: The Nation Beat - Maracatuniversal
Monday, May 12, 2008
Band Bios Are Posted!
Okay, you've seen the band list, but since everyone on there isn't necessarily a household name, you might (ahem) actually want to know who some of these folks are. Fear not - the band bios are here. Get a sense for who's who, what's what and start drooling over who you can't wait to see. My personal ohmigodicantwaittosee band (if I must pick just one) is Etran Finatawa - who's yours?
Currently Listening: Etran Finatawa - "Desert Crossroads"
Currently Listening: Etran Finatawa - "Desert Crossroads"
Friday, May 9, 2008
Plena Libre Added to Band List
We've added one more headlining artist - the unbelievably talented Plena Libre. Plena Libre is a 13-piece Afro-Latin orchestra from San Juan, Puerto Rico. They rock out on the Afro-Rican genres of bomba and plena, and have been nominated for a heap o' Grammy Awards. Have a look at this great video of them from the amazing Roskilde Festival:
... and read this interview with bandleader Gary Nuñez.
... and read this interview with bandleader Gary Nuñez.
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