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Photo by Roberta Bayley
Mary Weiss and her band will appear on July 18.
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By Lee Ann Westover
Though all of New York City seems to ring with music in the summertime,
Downtown is fast becoming the epicenter of a varied and vibrant outdoor
concert scene.
The gargantuan River to River Festival sits like a matriarch overseeing
its conglomeration of smaller festivals, as well as some programming of
its own. Downtown Alliance began River to River after the events of
September 11, 2001 in hopes of infusing vitality into an emptying Lower
Manhattan, and the fest boasts some of the most inspired performance
spaces in town, from the South Street Seaport’s pier of tall ships to
Castle Clinton National Monument.
The acts on this year’s roster are as varied as the population of the
city itself. Among big-ticket performers like Sonic Youth (July 4),
River to River dedicates much of it’s programming to bringing both
classic and fresh-from-the-edge bands to Manhattan ears.
Chicago Soul legend Otis Clay adds a honeyed note to the lineup on
Wednesday, June 11. His smooth chops first made their appearance on
gospel recordings in the ’60s. Since then, he has toured consistently
around the US and as far away as Japan.
On Wednesday, June 18, Jill Sobule hosts Poetic City at Rockefeller
Park. Amidst readings by Cornelius Eady, Matthea Harvey, Fanny Howe,
Li-Young Lee and Kay Ryan, Sobule will perform a number of her witty
and sensitive original tunes. Though “I Kissed A Girl” remains her
biggest commercial hit to date, the lilting, yearning “Jet Pack” makes
her loyal fans go wild.
On June 25 Orchestra Baobab will radiate heat of its own in Rockefeller
Park. This Senegalese pan-African dance band began playing together in
1970. Thirty-eight years later, they are widely known as one of
Senegal’s greatest musical exports. Singer Balla Sidibe’s rich tone
infuses the already beautiful melodies with energy and fire. Another of
Senegal’s most distinguished voices, Youssou N’dour, produced their
last album, “Specialist in All Styles.”
St. Vincent takes the stage on July 10 at Battery Park’s Castle Clinton
Monument. Alternating between screeching electronics and a gentle jazz
sound, St. Vincent is equal parts Feist, Bjork, and Maude Maggart. She
entered the national scene as a guitarist and vocalist for the
Polyphonic Spree, but her multi-instrumentalist’s chops and inspired
songwriting on her solo debut album “Marry Me” have set her on the road
to larger fame.
The Seaport Music Festival is one of the building blocks comprising
River to River’s conglomerate, but its particular flavor sets it apart
in audience and tone. Founder Steve Dima has an ear for the new, and
through innovative programming, manages to attract the hipster fringe
to Downtown en masse. Though each season touches on popular culture as
it has been, Dima has ways of plucking musicians from the musical edges
to show New York City where music is going.
Hyper young things Abe Vagoda, No Age, and Telepathe will have the
whole Seaport shaking off its hinges on July 11. Abe Vagoda and No Age
borrow heavily from ’80s pop and punk to get the audience off their
feet. Telepathe adds a little experimental girly-ness to the mix, while
losing none of the edge or the fun.
Mary Weiss may have temporarily faded from pop consciousness after the
heyday of her ’60s girl group, The Shangri-las, but she’s showing the
Amy Winehouses of the world who they owe tribute to. With a new album,
she lacks none of the rock ’n’ roll grit that made her famous in the
first place. Weiss will perform with her band on July 18.
The World Financial Center Winter Garden reopened for music just last
summer and returns this year for more. Brooklyn’s Defibulators will
wake up the lunchtime crowd on July 9 with their rollicking western
sound. Daily from July 22 - 25, Ollabelle will showcase their
country-gospel harmonies in homage to Johnny Cash as they build up to
an all-star tribute concert on the 26th. On that day The Big River
Project: The Music of Johnny Cash will feature Ollabelle, songwriter
Marshall Crenshaw, roots princess Laura Cantrell and klezmer-blues
ensemble The Sway Machinery in tribute to the Man in Black.
Farther uptown, the staunchly independent Washington Square Music
Festival will serenade the West Village for five weeks in June and
July. In honor of the festival’s 50th anniversary this year, Manhattan
Borough President Scott Stringer has proclaimed June 1 to be Washington
Square Park Music Festival Day. (Try to say that three times fast.) In
addition to three weeks of classical offerings and the closing concert
by the Charles Mingus Orchestra, the festival will partake in Make
Music New York on June 21. As musicians take to the streets throughout
the city, Washington Square Park will host a number of folk and blues
ensembles including Michael Packer Blues Band, and the pub band Three
Pints Shy.
Lower Manhattan’s farthest festival outpost opened for the summer with
a polo match and picnic on May 31. To add to the fun, Folks On the
Island, NYC’s first and only folk festival, will kick off its second
season on July 5 with a performance by legendary singer-songwriter
Janis Ian. Now in her fifties, Ian recorded her biggest hit in 1964
while she was still in her early teens, though Ian’s poetry, as well as
her wit, have only strengthened since. You’ll doubtless hear her
perform that long-ago success, “At Seventeen,” but hope that she graces
us with her hilarious and sweet musing on gay marriage, “Married in
London,” featured on her MySpace page.
My favorite discovery of this festival season will step out on
Governor’s Island on July 19. The five young members of Bearfoot met as
summer music camp counselors in their native Alaska. In their few years
together, the band has won a loyal following in the US roots and
bluegrass scene. While their roots are indeed deep down in traditional
song, their alternating sweet and soulful harmonies are unmistakably
modern and absolutely electric.
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