http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com reports and reflects on news that affects the traditional / revival / labor / social justice folk, old-time, bluegrass and Celtic music communities in the greater Boston area.
"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive."
~ Jack Hardy
This is what independent college radio is all about, being a part of and serving the community! WUML (UMass Lowell) set up a remote broadcast facility in Boardinghouse Park at the recent Lowell Folk Festival, from which it broadcast live each and every act who performed on the main stage, and interviewed the artists after their sets. Bravo WUML!
Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular and relevant to a local, specific audience but is often overlooked by commercial or mass-media broadcasters. Community radio stations are operated, owned, and influenced by the communities they serve. They are generally nonprofit and provide a mechanism for enabling individuals, groups, and communities to tell their own stories, to share experiences and, in a media-rich world, to become creators and contributors of media. Source: wiki
Community and independent college are types of radio service that offer a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial and public. Community and independent college stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popular to a local/specific audience but which may often be overlooked by commercial/mass-media and so-called "public" broadcasters. If you are curios and wish to learn more, check out these following resources:
Community and Independent College Radio an open group run by and for community and independent college radio producer/hosts and supporters. Our mission is to promote independent, non-commercial radio, share with our peers and the public news of our own and our stations' programming and network with one another. Sister page: https://www.facebook.com/CommunityandIndependentCollegeRadio
Not-for-profit
association dedicated to the democratization of the airwaves through
the proliferation of non-commercial, community based, micropower
stations.
WERS
is EXTREMELY excited and proud to announce that this Thursday, August
1st, Boston radio veteran George Knight will officially be joining the
WERS team, co-hosting our morning show weekdays from 6AM to 10AM!
Make sure to tune in for George's first day on Thursday and tell us in
the comments your favorite memories of listening to George on air!
The job George will be doing, from the Emerson employment website:
Title: On-Air Host
Department:
requisition Number: FY11/120100STFF
Position Summary:
On-Air Host is responsible for hosting the
WERS morning show Monday through Friday, partnering with Emerson student
volunteer hosts on a rotating basis as determined by station
management. The host is responsible for creating, directing and
producing all local content aired during the morning show, not including
music and news. However, host is responsible for airing music
according to parameters prescribed by management. In addition to
creating and airing content, the On-Air Host will assist with the
training and mentoring of WERS students. Host is also expected to
appear in public on behalf of WERS as assigned by management.
If you are interested in applying for this position, you can apply for the position on our employment site at https://emerson.peopleadmin.com.
Thank you,
Human Resources
Emerson College
From http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=238497.0
George Knight (ex-WBOS-WKLB-WMJX
and more recently at WUMB-FM and still hosting "Sunday Morning Over
Easy" on WBOS) is joining WERS as the station's first professional
on-air person. He'll be co-hosting weekday mornings starting August 1,
2013.
At WUMB George proved time after time he is certainly capable of "airing music
according to parameters prescribed by management..." !!!
Might WUMB backfull the night shift with actual students? Don't hold your breath. Its experiment*, which happened in the waning days of Pat Monteith's reign, did not last very long. The student "on-air personalities", trained by Albert O, sounded like voice over automatons reading from prepared scripts describing music selected by WUMB management, certainly not themselves. OOPS, there's that "airing music
according to parameters prescribed by management" again.
What gives, WERS and WUMB students, are these not your college radio stations? Students, show some cajones! Take back YOUR radio stations! College radio should be of/by/for STUDENTS, not the administration!
---
*
Note: Whenever the word "folk" appears in this article it is used in context with the definition set by the National Endowment for the Arts, "Traditional arts are those art forms that are learned as part of the
cultural life of a group of people whose members share a common ethnic
heritage, language, religion, occupation, or culturally united
geographic region. Folk and traditional arts are shaped by the
aesthetics and values of a shared culture and are passed from generation
to generation, most often within family and community through
observation, conversation and practice."
Writing this generated images of Pete Seeger wielding a fire axe, but it
is something that has been bothering me for quite some time and I had
to let it out. The see was planted by something the late Jack Hardy several years ago
said to me walking the grounds of the Falcon Ridge "Folk" Festival -
"(this festival is) a bunch of pop singer-songwriters trying to be rock
starts, and doing a piss-poor job of it."
Is it appropriate to incorporate the word "folk"
into a festival's title when the music presented is not folk? I
understand festivals book certain artists outside the core genre for
their popular appeal in order to draw day patrons, the revenue from
which is gravy, but if over time the music presented shifts from folk to
pop, is it appropriate to retain the word "folk", or better to
re-brand?
Let's put this into another context. The MG brand has been purchased by a Chinese company who are manufacturing and marketing a sedans as "MG". See
Here is a photo of the classicMG, designed and manufactured at the
1954 MGTF
2013 Chinese MG6 sedan
Concept MG SUV
Just as the Chinese usurped the MG brand name, turning a small sports car into sedans and SUV's, certain so-called "folk" festival promoters have usurped the word "folk" and are booking mass-appeal pop artists, their motivation being the bottom line, to draw day patrons. It may be clever marketing, but as long as there are folk artists not booked and displaced by popsters, it certainly is not cricket.
The precedent for renaming festivals that have dropped or reduced folk presence certainly exists. Before it was
terminated, the "Boston Folk Festival" was re-branded as the "Boston
Music Festival." When its focus moved away from bluegrass to
"Americana", the Ossipee Valley Bluegrass Festival became the "Ossipee
Valley Music Festival."
Should one expect a sedan or SUV from the MG company? No!
Should one expect bluegrass at a blues festival? Nae!
Should one expect rock music at a classical concert? Never!
Should one expect pop at a folk concert? Certainly not.
At any festival containing a music genre in its title inevitability there will be some cross-over and some edge-pushing, but pop concerts should be so labeled and marketed. "Folk" is not pop festival marketeers' word to usurp.
1. Non-folk artists appearing at the NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL: "Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer, sometimes known
as Amanda Fucking Palmer, is an American performer who first rose to
prominence as the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the duo
The Dresden Dolls" -Wikipediato is a featured artist. Is she a folk
artist? Apparently the producers of the Newport Folk Festival think she
is, as she and several others popsters, including Feist, Jim James, the
Lumineers, Milk Carton Kids, Shovels and Rope...you know, Boston's NPR music stations' playlist are on the bill.
Amanda MacKinnon Gaiman Palmer, sometimes known as Amanda Fucking Palmer
The Newport "Folk" Festival claims this is folk music.
The Milk Carton Kids: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
Published on Jul 17, 2012
Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale get a lot done with subtle gestures, but there's real sophistication to the three gorgeous, harmony-rich folk-pop songs they recently performed in the NPR Music offices. Set List: "Michigan" "Stealing Romance" "I Still Want A Little More" For more videos and to subscribe to the Tiny Desk Concerts video podcast, visit npr.org/tinydeskconcerts.
The Newport "Folk" Festival claims this is folk music.
Shovels & Rope - Birmingham
Published on Feb 22, 2013
"Birmingham" is the first single from O' Be Joyful, the debut album from Shovels & Rope. Produced by The Moving Picture Boys, this video was shot in the band's home city of Charleston, SC.
2. PHILADELPHIA "FOLK" FESTIVAL: "Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop star, supported by the certified gold solo double LP" -Wikipedia
Is Todd Rundgren a folk artist? Apparently the producers of the Philadelphia Folk Festival think so, as he is billed, in capital letters no less, as their Saturday headliner.
http://www.pfs.org/event/saturday-main-stage-concert-mavericks-todd-rundgren-pocket-black-prairie-more-08-17-2013-1600
Todd Rundgren
See also "BIG news everybody! Joining us at the 2013 Philadelphia Folk Festival: Todd Rundgren..." What the Folk? from 6/6/13.
The Philadelphia "Folk" Festival claims this is folk music.
Marketeers and branders are clever people, they will do apparently do anything (except consult with and respect ethno-musicologists) to usurp a word and fill the corporate coffers, but don't hold your breath expecting these popsters to be booked into Clifftop or Harry Smith Frolic or Lowell or other folk festivals.
A believer in truth in advertising, I would have more respect for the Philadelphia and Newport festivals to re-brand themselves as "Philadelphia Pop Festival" and "Newport Pop Festival."
Or here's a novel idea, Philadelphia and Newport could return to their roots and let Amanda Plamer and her fellow travelers find bookings at Bonnaroo and similar pop festivals.
Thanks for allowing me to vent, I feel much better now and am heading to the Lowell Folk Festival.
FIRST ALERT
NEWS JUST ARRIVED FROM SUGAR HILL RECORDS
Sarah Jarosz
The Sinclair
Church Street
Cambridge, MA
Saturday, September 14, 2013
8pm
“Sarah Jarosz emerged on the scene seven years ago as someone to
watch. Jamming onstage with bluegrass icons David Grisman and Ricky
Skaggs, she played her mandolin with a sure touch and real joy. Now with
a Grammy-nominated debut album, multiple awards, and high-profile
performances under her belt, Sarah is primed to cement a lasting legacy
in the Americana music world. Accompanying herself on mandolin, guitar,
and banjo, Sarah’s live performances feature a mix of new old-timey
ballads and innovative covers.”
July 25, 2013 Northampton, MA – Iron Horse Music Hall
July 26, 2013 Hiram, ME–Ossipee Valley Music Festival
July 27, 2013 Newport, RI — Ft. Adams State Park
July 28, 2013 Ogunquit, ME–Jonathan’s Restaurant
I do not have confirmation but am pretty sure she will be accompanied by Nate Smith and Alex Hargreaves.
Here's a photo of Sarah and Alex as Rushad Eggleston's invited guest at his 5/7/11 notloB concert.
the notloB Music Blog is New England-focused, but once in a while a festival or event comes along that deserves mention. This is certainly one of them!
p.s. Please note this is Berkley, not Berklee.
Burning
CDs to send to local radio folks to help get the word out about the
Berkeley Old Time Music Convention - Sept. 18- 22 this year (plus a
post-BOTMC Cajun dance on Tues. 9/24 with Gros Brouillard - Foghorn plus
Eric & Suzy plus Dirk Powell). I am so excited about our 10th
anniversary lineup - Bruce Molsky, Rafe Stefanini, Mike Compton, Joe Newberry, Alice Gerrard, Beverly Smith, Dirk Powell, Foghorn Stringband (Sammy Lind, Nadine Landry, Caleb Klauder, Reeb Willms), Franklin George, Kim Johnson, Eddie Bond, Meghan Merker, Molly Tenenbaum, Evo Bluestein,Meredith
Axelrod, Craig Ventresco, Grace Forrest, Clelia Stefanini -- listening
to their music is making me feel so happy and I can't wait for
September!!
If you have a radio show in the Bay Area and want a copy to play on your show, let me know.
5 days of old time music! See www.BerkeleyOldTimeMusic.org
for details. Bruce Molsky & Jumpsteady Boys; Dirk Powell &
Foghorn Stringband; Frank George & Kim Johsnon; Alice Gerrard &
Beverly Smith; Eddie Bond & Josh Ellis; Big Hoedown; Thompson,
Thompson, Ventresco & Axelrod; Right To Parlay; Evo Bluestein;
Meghan Merker & Molly Tenenbaum; Evie Ladin; Andy Wilson. Concerts,
square dances, string band contest, workshops, kids stuff, jamming, etc. Ticket price: Many free events, others $5-20
Facebook event - https://www.facebook.com/events/219845921503029/
BLUEGRASS
4th Tuesday Jam
Cantab Lounge
Central Square
notloB has returned from the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. Is there a better way to settle back into the local music scene than to be with what I call the "Boston Bluegrass Mafia" at the Cantab?
Grey Fox educator and one heck of a guitar player Tony Watt has announced a new "4th Tuesday Jam" series at Cantab. The first is tonight with what, from me reading of his invitation, promises to be a star-studded lineup.
Hey Everybody,
For those of you in the greater Boston area, please consider coming out to The Cantab Lounge in Central Sq. in Cambridge tomorrow night (Tuesday, July 23rd) at 8 pm (please note the early start time). Many of you may remember the scene at The Cantab about a dozen years ago when on any given Tuesday you could expect to see members of Crooked Still, The Infamous Stringdusters and many more extremely talented young folks up on stage at The Cantab. Starting tomorrow night I will be helping to put together a monthly 4th Tuesday jam with the current crop of young Boston-based national-level touring musicians.
Although I don't want to say exactly who'll be there (just in case
their bus breaks down or whatever), I will routinely be asking
musicians from the area's top touring bands, including those on
Rounder Records, Signature Sounds, and more. Tomorrow night will be a special, special inaugural 4th Tuesday jam because we will be joined by both Boston-area and Nashville-based musicians... but you'll have to come down to The Cantab to see who'll be joining us!
The 4th Tuesday jam will run from 8 pm until 9:30 (please note we will not be starting at 10 pm as listed on The Cantab's calendar). Our jam will be followed by Jubilee Mule at 10 pm and Steve & Eric's Pickin' Party from 11 until closing. The Cantab Lounge is located at 738 Mass. Ave. in Central Sq. in Cambridge, MA 02139, and you can find more details at http://cantab-lounge.com/public_html/cantab_calendar.html.
If you're in the area, I hope you'll come down and catch the show!
Day three of Boston's free festival bring three bluegrass bands to the Common. Free Outside the Box Festival Boston Common http://outsidetheboxboston.org/
BARNSTAR!
MON, JULY 15, 4:30 PM - 5:15 PM - BOSTON COMMON: THE BEACON
When a band’s line-up includes fiddle, banjo, and double
bass players, you know you’re in for something unique. Barnstar!’s
bluegrass-folk sound (and the occasional fiddle solo) is the perfect
soundtrack for kicking back on the front porch after an long day’s work.
The band only plays a handful of shows each year, since the quintet is
busy juggling acclaimed singer/songwriter careers and side gigs with
artists like Josh Ritter, Lori McKenna, and Jonathan Edwards. Their
Outside the Box performance is a rare chance to catch the band
performing their versions of Neil Young and Paul Simon classics, as well
as their own bluegrass compositions.
MON, JULY 15, 5:30 PM > 6:30 PM - BOSTON COMMON: THE BEACON
A five-time winner of the IBMA Award for Female Vocalist
of the Year (2007-2009, 2011-2012), Dale Ann Bradley was raised in
Pineville, Kentucky, and began performing publicly at the age of 14 at
Pine Mountain State Park. She soon joined her first bluegrass band, Back
Porch Grass, and with help from fellow bandmate Harold McGeorge, put
together a demo, took it to Nashville, and got a gig on “Barndance”. In
1991, she became the lead singer and guitarist with New Coon Creek
Girls, recording four albums for Pinecastle Records. In 1997, the group
disbanded and she became a solo artist.
Since going solo, Dale
Ann has recorded eight albums on several record labels, with several top
10 songs on the bluegrass charts and her album Catch Tomorrow voted
Album of the Year by Bluegrass Now. She’s been hailed by Alison Krauss
and Ricky Skaggs as one of the greatest vocalists in country and
bluegrass music, and Ashland Coffee and Tea says, “Bradley commands a
list of awards as long as Highway 40, yet a few minutes with her tells
you she is something even more than extraordinarily gifed – she’s
extraordinarily human.”
MON, JULY 15, 6:45 PM > 8:00 PM - BOSTON COMMON: THE BEACON
A life full of music - that's the story of country and
bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs. He struck his first chords on a
mandolin over 50 years ago, and this Grammy, CMA, and IBMA Award winner
continues to do his part to lead the recent roots revival in music. With
12 consecutive Grammy-nominated classics behind him, all from his own
Skaggs Family Records label, the diverse and masterful tones made by the
gifted Skaggs come from a life dedicated to playing music that is both
fed by the soul and felt by the heart.
His talent catapulted him
to success in the mainstream of country music, playing with Emmylou
Harris and J.D. Crow & the New South, and he was the youngest member
to be inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1982. His life's path has
taken him to various musical genres, from where it all began in
bluegrass music, to striking out on new musical journeys, while still
leaving his musical roots intact.
Ricky Skaggs has often said
that he is "just trying to make a living" playing the music he loves,
but it’s clear he’s done much more than that. The long-awaited album
Music To My Ears is out now.
Kupferberg’s poems and
lyrics for the Fugs made political capital that mixed caustic wit and
street wisdom. Photograph: Stephen Chernin/AP
Tuli Kupferberg, who has died aged 86 after a long illness, was a
key figure in the US countercultural campaign of the 1960s. As a
publisher, poet, pacifist, singer and songwriter, he used his talents
for writing and humour to attack the perceived repressions of his nation
and its escalating military activities in south-east Asia.
As
part of that anti-war strategy, Kupferberg combined Beat writing
sensibilities, folk whimsy and electric rock'n'roll in the Fugs, the
band that he formed in 1964 with fellow activist Ed Sanders. The group
took their name from the toned-down expletive that Norman Mailer had
been forced to adopt in his 1948 novel The Naked and the Dead to
sidestep the true language of the Pacific front.
Born in New York and later a student at the city's Brooklyn College, Kupferberg got a job as a medical librarian, but submitted poetry
and prose to publications including the Village Voice. He would go on
to create poetry magazines of his own and one of them, Birth, founded in
1958, provided a home to work by numerous Beat writers of reputation –
Diane DiPrima and Allen Ginsberg included. By then, Kupferberg had
already been mythologised as part of the bohemian Greenwich Village
community. He was the celebrated character, mentioned in Ginsberg's long
poem of 1956, Howl, who "jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge this actually
happened and walked away unknown and forgotten".
At a time when
youth appeared to be ascribed a value above any material commodity,
Kupferberg, who was already into his 40s, crept under the demographic
radar to become a part of that frenetic scene which took on the
establishment and its increasingly discredited politics. The Fugs
provided a musical soundtrack to the forces of resistance as activists
such as the Students for a Democratic Society took first to the soapbox,
and then to the barricades, to be joined, in time, by more radical
organisations such as the Yippies and the Black Panthers.
The band
drew on satire and lampoon to ridicule their adversaries, in songs such
as Kill for Peace, Supergirl and Slum Goddess, often using language
that drew controversy and censorship. But the band also paid tribute to
their mystic hero William Blake in Ah, Sunflower, Weary of Time on their
1965 debut LP, The Village Fugs Sing Ballads of Contemporary Protest,
Points of View, and General Dissatisfaction.
Kupferberg remained a
poet, too, and his collaboration with Robert Bashlow, 1001 Ways to Beat
the Draft, became his most famous work. It was a literal, if absurd,
listing of actions that might save you from conscription to the army.
"Say you're crazy", "Marry your mother" and "Get elected the Supreme
Soviet" were among the titbits of advice.
The Fugs were at the
height of their powers in the later 1960s and released several albums,
but faded from view, only to reform in 1985 with Kupferberg and Sanders
still at the helm. Joined by Steven Taylor, Ginsberg's guitarist, among
others, the band continued to make political capital that mixed caustic
wit and street wisdom.
In recent years, Kupferberg's health
faltered and his activity with the band declined, yet he continued to
experiment with words, posting his punning aphorisms – he dubbed them
"perverbs" – online. A stroke in 2009 left him blind; a second, more
recently, accelerated the end.
He is survived by his wife, Sylvia Topp, his sons, Joe and Noah, and a daughter, Samara. • Naphtali "Tuli" Kupferberg, poet and songwriter, born 28 September 1923; died 12 July 2010
A song from the 1920's magazine The Quill updated by Tuli to describe
New York's bohemian quarter, Greenwich Village, as it was at the end of
the 20th century. Performed in 1992 at the Poetry Project, at St. Marks
in the Bowery , New York City. First aired on Revolting News in 1992
( webcast at mnn.org ch. 56 alternate Mondays 10 PM New York time)
After opening remarks by band leader Ed Sanders, the Fugs perform Try to
be Joyful by Tuli Kupferberg from their Final CD, part 1. Thus begins a
memorial to the recently departed band member, the great Tuli
Kupferberg, whose photo beams from behind the other band members Steve
Taylor, Scott Petito, and Coby Batty on drums. Tuli's remains are in the
handsome mahogany coffin displayed in front of the stage. St. Marks
Church on the Bouwerie, July 17, 2010. RIP it up, Tuli! The whole Fugs set can be found on Vimeo with better audio and video quality here: http://vimeo.com/13610312
Pete Seeger speaks with attendees at an event at Dia:Beacon April 11
to celebrate Pete Seeger's release of a new audio book. In the
background is Seeger's spouse, Toshi Seeger, who died Tuesday night. /
Karl Rabe/Journal file
Rest in peace, Toshi.
I learned of her passing a few mintes ago from Suzy Thompson,
who wrote. "Toshi Seeger, R.I.P. She was a huge influence on me, though
she never knew it. Years ago, around 1980, I played at the Clearwater
Festival and noticed Toshi Seeger was
picking up trash. The queen of the whole festival and she's picking up
trash off the ground!!! When we have the BOTMC String Band Contest (a
much much more modest event) I always help pick up the trash at the end,
and I always remember Toshi when I do that. What an inspiration. My
heart goes out to Pete."
I
met Toshi and Pete once at the Beacon town hall, where they had been
summoned to receive a lifetime achievement award from the town
government. After all the "whereas" and "therefors" Pete lead a group of kinds, the council members and the dozen or so in the audience in a few songs. Then it struck me, I am going to meet Pete and Toshi, what am I going to say? In the lobby Pete beat me to it. He
stuck out his hand, shook it firmly and said, "I saw you in the front
row singing loudly, YOU are the yeast that makes the bread rise!" I was flabbergasted. Toshi looked on, with a coy smile on her face. Later
in my bunk aboard the Mystic Whaler I read the introduction to Sing
Out, which concludes, "YOU are the yeast that makes the bread rise!" I'll give that one to Pete. And to Toshi for not giving away Pete's secret. RIP Toshi.
Toshi Seeger,
Clearwater matriarch and wife and partner to Clearwater founder Pete
Seeger for almost seventy years, passed away Tuesday, July 9, at home.
Toshi Seeger's efforts and influence were key to the founding of Hudson
River Sloop Clearwater over 45 years ago, and also to its continued
evolution as an environmental organization serving the Hudson River
Valley today.
Toshi's
contributions to Clearwater over the past four decades are countless and
she will be missed by all. Clearwater extends its deepest condolences
to Pete Seeger and to the Seeger Family. ...Read More
A time to hug, a time to kiss A time to close your eyes and wish.
Toshi-Aline Ohta Seeger co-founded Hudson River Sloop Clearwater with
husband, musician and activist, Pete Seeger in 1966. Toshi was involved
with Clearwater in multiple ways from the organization's beginnings and
helped to steer the various folk concerts and events, including Pumpkin
Sail and the early incarnations of the Clearwater Festival. She was
active in the development of what has been known as the Great Hudson
River Revival for 35 years, a music and environmental festival that
welcomes over 20,000 visitors to Croton Point Park in Westchester
County, NY each year. Read more...
Quote
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![Burning CDs to send to local radio folks to help get the word out about the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention - Sept. 18- 22 this year (plus a post-BOTMC Cajun dance on Tues. 9/24 with Gros Brouillard - Foghorn plus Eric & Suzy plus Dirk Powell). I am so excited about our 10th anniversary lineup - @[638615894:2048:Bruce Molsky], @[1060649836:2048:Rafe Stefanini], @[813117429:2048:Mike Compton], @[574555830:2048:Joe Newberry], @[568987561:2048:Alice Gerrard], @[1262371253:2048:Beverly Smith], Dirk Powell, Foghorn Stringband (Sammy Lind, @[882270461:2048:Nadine Landry], @[1053634172:2048:Caleb Klauder], @[797038008:2048:Reeb Willms]), Franklin George, Kim Johnson, Eddie Bond, Meghan Merker, Molly Tenenbaum, @[100000304023257:2048:Evo Bluestein],Meredith Axelrod, Craig Ventresco, Grace Forrest, Clelia Stefanini -- listening to their music is making me feel so happy and I can't wait for September!!
If you have a radio show in the Bay Area and want a copy to play on your show, let me know.](https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/s403x403/1002469_10201202063909900_1672727454_n.jpg)
Toshi-Aline Ohta Seeger co-founded Hudson River Sloop Clearwater with
husband, musician and activist, Pete Seeger in 1966. Toshi was involved
with Clearwater in multiple ways from the organization's beginnings and
helped to steer the various folk concerts and events, including Pumpkin
Sail and the early incarnations of the Clearwater Festival. She was
active in the development of what has been known as the Great Hudson
River Revival for 35 years, a music and environmental festival that
welcomes over 20,000 visitors to Croton Point Park in Westchester
County, NY each year. 