New Smithsonian Folkways Release: A Tribute to Jack Hardy

Back on November 1, 2008, notloB Music* had the honor and privilige of presenting The Folk Brothers (Jack Hardy & David Massengill), with very special guest Peggy Seeger; Fionnuala O'Donovan and Emma Beaton opened.

We cannot believe it has been FIVE YEARS since his Jack's passing!

Jack was instrumental in Fast Folk "In December 1977, singer/songwriter Carolyne Mas started a songwriter's night at The Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village, New York, after a less formal group started by singer/songwriter/Greenwich Village legendJack Hardy lost its spot at a local tavern called The English Pub..."
continued at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Folk
On the anniversary his passing, Smithsonian Folkways has created a compliation album....

New Release: A Tribute to Jack Hardy

Smithsonian Folkways presents A Tribute to Jack Hardy, a new double-disc album featuring cover versions by friends of the influential singer-songwriter (and two recordings by Hardy himself). Released on the fifth anniversary of his death, the album includes Suzanne Vega, Nanci Griffith, Terre Roche, Jonathan Byrd, and many more.

Read the full release here.
Download/read the liner notes here.

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* If URL does not work, wait a few days, it is in development.
Until then, go here.

Geoff Bartley's Monday Night Open Mic at the Cantab Changing Format

Geoff Bartley's Monday Night Open Mic

at the Cantab Lounge has been in existence for some twenty two years. That is not news. What is news is Geoff is changing its format (see screen capture at end for details of the current format). In a nutshell, Geoff opens at 8pm with a couple of songs, then, using a magic formula only known to him and the observant, some ten are selected for the first half of the evening. A featured performer does a 20-30 minute set, for which the proverbial hat is passed. After the feature's set, those not selected for the early set and latecomers fill the remainder of the night, until last call. Sound duties are very ably handled by P.J. Shapiro.

December 11, 2011

Geoff Bartley and David Massengill

John Gorka and Geoff Bartley

Geoff Bartley and Tom Paxton

Geoff has announced, "The Open Mic is moving into a new phase as I try to make it better serve the singer-songwriter open mic community. Starting in May, the evening will be devoted entirely to open mikers. Your suggestions and comments are welcome."

I can speculate on the reason for the format change but will leave further elaboration (or not) to Geoff.  Whatever the reason, Geoff and the remaining features, who are always top notch, deserve the community's full support.

From the Cantab calendar:
April 8 - Ed White
April 15 -

Special Guest!

April 22 - Paul Geremia
April 29 - Cosy Sheridan

Whether you are a young musician just starting out or a Cantab veteran who has not been back for some time, come down to the open mic to see Geoff and his last remaining features, and continue to give support to the series after the format change.

From the Cantab website, these are the best open mic guidelines I have ever read. I am sure Geoff would not mine others using his model.

Geoff Bartley's Monday Night Open Mic Thank you for your interest in the open mic at the World-Famous Cantab Lounge in Central Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. We cordially invite you to visit, at which time you'll be privileged to view Jimmy's Christmas lights (which are up and on year 'round) with your very own eyes. You must be 21. We hope this page will answer more questions than it raises. Geoff Bartley runs an open mic w/ a feature on Monday nights and bluegrass on Tuesday nights. All the other nights are sewn up until the end of time. Can we talk you into visiting us and playing a couple? If you're a newcomer and arrive by 7:45 any Monday night Geoff will probably be able to give you one of the fiercely-coveted slots before 10:00 as a way of saying thank you for coming. Plan two songs. On subsequent visits, throw your name into our hat and take your chances about when you go on... we pull names out at random. Playing later in the night also has advantages. If you come late... like 11:00 or midnight or later... you'll still get a slot and sometimes we can put you right on. We usually run right up to 12:45 AM closing. This open mic is primarily a place for people to learn stagecraft, try new songs, learn to present a song, learn how to end a song, to develop stage presence, to be inspired, to inspire others, to express themselves, to comment on some aspect of The Modern World. Geoff plays two songs at 8:00 PM to get the thing started. All kinds of music are encouraged... original songs, cover songs, acoustic blues, jazz, pop, soul, unaccompanied singers, instrumentalists... almost anything goes. (Spoken Word poets are encouraged to visit the Cantab downstairs on Wednesday nights when the Boston Poetry Slam meets. ) The only thing that hurts us is overly long set-up and tear-down times. So if you're an electric band, come very stripped down... hand percussion and small amps... or better yet we'll plug your electric instruments into our sound system. This means you don't hafta schlepp the amps! Our soundman PJ Shapiro is an excellent musician and songwriter... he will take care with your house and monitor mixes and will help you sound good. The sound system is pretty good and rarely catches on fire. The feature set runs from 10 to 10:40. Pay for this is via $5 requested pass-the-hat only, no guarantee. The open mic resumes after the feature set. Getting Hired as an Open Mic Feature: The process by which Geoff chooses feature acts is so complicated that even he doesn't understand it, but he listens to everyone and does hire some acts after hearing them and meeting them at the open mic. Your open mic host, Geoff Bartley, is a respected acoustic fingerstyle folk and blues guitar player. He also writes songs, plays the harmonica, and sings. So come on over to the Cantab Lounge (Psychic Vortex of the Great Northeast) and share your music or grab a brew and just listen . . .

Source: http://www.cantab-lounge.com/public_html/cantab_openmic.html

David Massengill New England tour, 8/17-19

David Massengill (notloB 1/8/08, co-feature with Jack Hardy) is enroute from Old England to New England, from David..."Gig Alerts! I return from my UK tour for 3 gigs in new england. 

Wed. Aug 15 sharing bill  with a great songwriter Cosy Sheridan at Johnny D's in Somerville, Ma info www.johnnyds.com starts 8 pm. 

Fri. Aug 17 at Montague Book Mill in Montague, Ma (near Northampton) info www.montaguebookmill.com also appearing Addie Rose Holland and Marko Packard at 8 pm.

Sun. Aug 19 at Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY infowww.caffelena.org also appearing Greg Klyma at 7 pm.

"Looking forward to hearing these other acts. Got some new songs for everyone plus a tall tale or two."

Get thee to see David, he is a most wonderful human being and artist.

David Massengill Home Page

www.davidmassengill.com

Folk legend Peggy Seeger is leaving Boston, but she’s not slowing down

Peggy graced the notloB stage with Jack Hardy and David Massengill in October, 2008. More recently she was my guest on "In the Tradition", WCUW community radio serving central Massachusetts at 91.3fm, streaming at www.wcuw.org, where we chatted about her farewell concert and life as a folk singer and activist.

Safe travels, Ms. Seeger.

Goodbye

Folk legend Peggy Seeger is leaving Boston, but she’s not slowing down

“Essentially what you’re trying to do is wedge these songs into other people’s heads, the way they’re wedged into yours,’’ says Peggy Seeger. (Michele McDonald for The Boston Globe)

By Scott Alarik Globe Correspondent / April 16, 2010

Asked how she would describe her long, rich, and profoundly important career, Peggy Seeger is stumped. “Whoo,’’ she says, and “Oh, my.’’ Then the 74-year-old folk singer answers slowly, intimately.

PEGGY SEEGER FAREWELL BOSTON CONCERT Tomorrow night at 7:30 at International Community Church, 557 Cambridge St., Allston. Katie McD opens. Tickets $20 at 617-265-9200.

“First of all,’’ says Seeger, who is returning to Britain after living in Boston for four years, “I take utter and complete pleasure in singing the songs. One of the nicest things about folk songs is that I can sing them by myself, wherever I am. And the words and music are so completely physically satisfying to me that you just want to share that. Essentially what you’re trying to do is wedge these songs into other people’s heads, the way they’re wedged into yours.’’

Peggy Seeger, song-wedger. It is revealing that she presents herself this simply, and not as the musical revolutionary she is.

Seeger, who gives a farewell concert tomorrow night at International Community Church in Allston, began her career in the early 1950s, when female musicians were still expected to perform in chiffon gowns, singing daintily while the menfolk played the instruments. But she was a multi-instrumentalist, accompanying herself on guitar, banjo, dulcimer, autoharp, piano, and concertina. And her haunting, silk-and-steel voice was anything but dainty.

She played a pivotal role in launching folk revivals in the United States and Britain; helped popularize Appalachian folk music; wrote folk ballads so organic, like “The Ballad of Spring Hill,’’ that many believe they’re traditional, and political songs that are sung on picket lines and at protest rallies. In one of musical history’s sweetest serendipities, she is both the author of the song that helped launch the feminist movement, “Gonna Be an Engineer,’’ and the subject of Ewan MacColl’s adoring love song, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.’’

She was certainly to the folk manner born, raised in the Seeger family with musician brother Mike and famous stepbrother Pete. Her parents were ethnomusicologist Charles Seeger and Ruth Crawford Seeger, an acclaimed modernist composer who wrote brilliantly simple transcriptions for seminal folk songbooks by John and Alan Lomax, B.A. Botkin, Carl Sandburg, and her own children’s books.

“I just osmosed folk music,’’ Seeger says with a laugh. “It was sponged onto me as a child. There were no radios or televisions in our home, but you could always hear music. My mother taught piano, so there was always someone playing in the daytime. And in the evenings, there was lots of piano playing or singing, and people visiting, like Woody [Guthrie] and Lead Belly [Ledbetter].’’

After two years at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Seeger rambled through Europe. Folklorist Alan Lomax was trying to create a British version of the Weavers, Pete Seeger’s hugely successful folk group, and asked her to join. The band bombed, but introduced her to MacColl, the British folk lion.

“I met Ewan on March 15, 1956, at 10:30 in the morning,’’ she says, the love palpable in her voice. They were together until his death in 1989, raising three children, performing as a duo, and collaborating on nearly everything.

“It was a partnership from the beginning,’’ she says. “There were dire predictions, with him being 20 years older, but we worked well together. We were total opposites in so many ways, but maybe that was part of the fascination.’’

In 1970, Seeger wrote “Gonna Be an Engineer’’ for a satirical revue. In it, a woman dreams of a career, meeting resistance at every turn: “No, you only need to learn to be a lady / The duty isn’t yours, for to try to run the world / An engineer could never have a baby / Remember, dear, that you’re a girl.’’

She wrote it in two hours, and says it wasn’t about her. She never wanted to be an engineer, and “nobody ever told me I couldn’t do things.’’

The song spread like wildfire. She was soon being invited to sing for feminist groups, scurrying to fill her repertoire with more feminist songs. Female musicians all over the world had the same experience after hearing that song.

“Sometimes a song puts an idea in the air,’’ says women’s music pioneer Holly Near. “Peggy wrote that before I even knew I was a feminist. She sang about the things that go on in women’s lives at a time when we couldn’t imagine those ‘little things’ were important enough to sing about, because we didn’t think we were important enough. Her song said, yes, you are.’’

Seeger has lived in Jamaica Plain since 2006, but is returning to Britain, where her children and seven grandchildren are. But she has no plans to slow down.

“I am 75 this year,’’ she says, “so I reckon I’ve got about five more years of galloping around — unless somebody wants to advertise me as the only 81-year-old banjo player on the go.’’

She means it as a joke, but the smart money is that Peggy Seeger will soon be cracking open another glass ceiling.

Farewell Boston Concert and Benefit for Eastern Service Workers Association

It is with mixed emotions that I share news that Peggy Seeger is moving away from Boston. I spoke with Ms. Seeger this evening, she said the time is right to move back to England. I cannot use her exact words without permission, but they were humorous and delightful. Let's wish her well, and give her a big send off at the concert detailed below.

Peggy graced the notloB Folk Concerts stage with Jack Hardy and David Massengill back in October, 2008. It will be my pleasure to have her as guest by telephone on "In the Tradition" on Tuesday, March 30, at 7:30pm (WCUW, 91.3fm, www.wcuw.org).

Farewell Boston Concert and Benefit for Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA) at International Community Church, 557 Cambridge St., Allston, MA 02134 on Saturday, April 17. Opening at 7:30pm by Irish singer/guitarist Kate McD. (Doors open at 7:05) Suggested Donation of $20. Call ESWA at 617-265-9200 for tickets or donate at the door.


http://www.peggyseeger.com


Facebook event

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David Massengill returns to notloB Folk Concerts

David Massengill, with Jack Hardy, appeared at a notloB Folk concert on November 1, 2008. He returns for three concerts, Monson, Newton and Grafton, and a radio interview.

Tune in to "American Roots", hosted by Troy Tyree on WCUW Friday, December 11 (9am-noon). David will be on about 10AM.
Worcester community radio WCUW, 91.3fm, http://www.wcuw.org/

Friday, December 11 - @ A Tree Falls Productions house concert in Monson
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=188801486820&ref=ts

Saturday, December 12 - @ Jackson Homestead in Newton
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142299718127

Sunday, December 13 - @ notfarG House Concerts in Grafton
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163474737468&ref=ts

notloB Folk Concerts

presents

DAVID MASSENGILL

at the Historic Jackson Homestead, Newton ~ Saturday, December 12

&

at notfarG House Concerts, Grafton ~ Sunday, December 13

The city of Bristol lies on the border of Virginia and Tennessee, and the state line runs down Main Street. That means that when Bristol holds a parade-if you're lucky-you can march down the street with one foot in each state. When David Massengill was growing up on the Tennessee side, he thought that was about as exciting as things could get. But today, when David looks back, he remembers many other stories, some scary, such as the time he chased a bobcat, and the bobcat chased him back; some funny, such as the time he first heard Aunt Gladys cuss. Other stories he has learned since growing up by listening to friends and reading family letters and newspaper articles. They all add up to a personal history that David shares with his listeners.

"Basically, I tell true stories about friends and family," he says. "Basically true . . . or," he adds after a pause and a smile, "stories I made up about friends and family."

As distinctive a performer as he is a writer, David Massengill accompanies himself mainly on the Appalachian dulcimer, which he slings over his shoulder like an electric guitar. The sound of the dulcimer has an intimate, detailed quality that complements the easy graciousness of Massengill's stage presence. He has achieved a virtuosity on the traditional instrument that enables him to wring from its few strings music of a complexity and richness far beyond anything it was ever meant to produce, drawing the listener in to his lyrical imagery and the close-up focus on human foibles and experience that is the substance of his best songs.

Jesus escapes from a mental hospital, history's greatest villains gather for a dinner party, a New York restaurant kitchen crew saves an illegal alien cook from the immigration man, a young woman and a bandit fall in love as he robs her … these are just some of the vividly imagined scenes and characters with which David Massengill captivates audiences wherever he performs. Massengill's songs are rich with insight and poetic imagery, they're upbeat and engaging but full of subtle complexities; this Appalachian dulcimer player with the soft-edged vocal style and offhand stage presence is acknowledged to be one of America's finest songwriters.

Even when Massengill tackles large-scale social and political themes, he approaches them through stories about people, in the best folk tradition. In "My Name Joe," for instance, Massengill conveys some complex feelings about the plight of illegal immigrants through his empathetic portrait of Joe the Thai cook, a hopeless outsider in an alien culture; at the same time, he paints a picture of the kitchen worker's milieu-and tells a good tale too-with an arresting, brief appearance by an incidental character or two for extra spice.

In the mesmerizing eight-minute-long ballad, "Number One in America," Massengill tells the epic story of the struggle for racial equality through a series of anecdotal first-person vignettes spanning three decades; the central incident is a 1986 march by the Klan in Bristol, Tennessee, Massengill's home town. The story gains dramatic power as, in the refrain and elsewhere, the same words recur in different people's mouths, expressing dramatically different-even opposite-sentiments, a device that imbues the song with powerful irony and a touch of ambiguity that deepens its ultimate impact.

http://www.davidmassengill.com

Friday, December 11, 10AM ~ David Massengill on the Radio

Listen to Troy Tyree's "American Roots" program on WCUW, Worcester's community radio station. 91.3fm, http://www.wcuw.org/

&

Saturday, December 12 ~ Historic Jackson Homestead

527 Washington St., Newton, MA

http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/jackson/

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=142299718127&ref=ts

Suggested minimum donation $15, kids 12 and under $5, $50 immediate family max.

Doors 7:15pm, Concert 7:30pm

&

Sunday, December 13 ~ notfarG House Concerts, Grafton

A private residence in Grafton (address will be given on acceptance of reservation (required)) -

notlobreservations @ comcast.net
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=163474737468&ref=ts

Suggested minimum donation $15

Noon - 1pm - Pot luck lunch, byob

1-3pm - Concert

3-4pm - Pickin' Party

notloB Folk Concerts (Somerville and Newton) are volunteer run and not for profit.
Mailing list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38565709718&ref=ts

notfarG House Concerts (Grafton) ~100% of the donations go to the artists.
Mailing list ~ http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/431454
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147864099159&ref=ts

Folk News and Information
Blog ~ http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com
Yahoo ~ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthEastFolknRoots

Upcoming notloB Folk Concerts

Saturday, January 23: Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers @ UCG Somerville

Friday, January 29: Jim Infantino @ Jackson Homestead

"In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive." ~ Jack Hardy

Claudia Nygaard, Newton & Grafton, 11/21-22

notloB's Fall Newton "kitchen" and norfarG house concerts series continue

CLAUDIA NYGAARD

http://www.claudianygaard.com/

Saturday, November 21, 7:30pm (doors 7:15),

at the historic Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington Street, Newton, MA 02458
$10 Suggested Donation, $5 well-behaved children w/ a $30 immediate family max.

Sunday, November 22, at a private residence in Grafton.

Noon potluck, 1pm concert, 3pm pickin' party.
$10 suggested donation, bring a covered dish or desert, BYOB. Coffee and tea provided.

email notlobreservations@comcast.net for reservations and directions to the house concert.

Claudia Nygaard's long legs hang over both sides of that same fence between country and folk music that Guy Clark and John Prine have straddled. Her sound is acoustic, and while her songs find their roots and rhythms in the Americana storytelling tradition, the melodies are passionate and emotional and the lyrics are vivid and descriptive.

A former staff songwriter for Greenwood Music on Nashville's Music Row, Nygaard found that writing formulaic "radio friendly" love songs for the country music industry was not for her. Instead she chose to buy back her contract and songs, and write what was in her heart. She writes about real people and real life. "J.C.," the song that won Claudia the 2004 Kerrville Music Festival "New Folk" songwriting competition, explores racisim through the eyes of a child. In "Edna" the listener feels a protective tenderness for the mentally challenged woman with "hugs that don't let go". The steamy lyric of "What Her Girlfriends Say" paints a picture of the sensual desire a young woman feels for a working class man her girlfriends don't approve of. The title cut of her CD, "Somewhere Else To Go", pulls the listener into that aching loneliness created by a love gone bad. Her music is also rampant with irreverent humor. In "I Don't Need A Man (I Just Want One)" and "Dumped By A Dweeb", Claudia delightfully pokes fun at the gender gap. She crafts songs that range from heartfelt to humorous, and she does so with a quick wit, and an articulate point of view.

"The real strength of the material lies in the lyrics. Each song is a distinct and individual story..." Paul Moser, Music Connection Magazine, Los Angeles, CA

"There is a womanly warmth in her tone that suggests some sentiments are based on experience... what comes over is a refreshing individuality..." Richard Kirk, Country Music Round-Up, UK

Thank you for supporting live music.

Website ~ http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com

notloB Folk Concerts are volunteer run and not for profit.
Mailing list ~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38565709718&ref=ts

notfarG House Concerts ~ 100% of the donations go to the artists.
Mailing list ~ http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/431454
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147864099159&ref=ts

Folk News and Information
Blog ~ http://notlobmusic.blogspot.com
Yahoo ~ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NorthEastFolknRoots

Concerts ~ see website for more information
Friday, December 04: National Award-Winning Performer of Scottish, Irish, Jazz, & American Music ~ Jeremy Kittel Band (featuring Tristan Clarridge, Simon Chrisman & Bodek Janke) @ UCG
Saturday, December 12: David Massengill @ Jackson Homestead
Sunday, December 13: David Massengill @ notfarG House Concerts

Dave Van Ronk, 6/30/1936 - 2/10/2002

Today marks the passing of folk artist extrordinair Dave Van Ronk.

I'd like to share part of a recent message from David Massengill . Back in the day, Dave took a young Massengill under his wing as his driver/road buddy.

"Thanks for remembering Dave. I think of him so often. He always had time for me. Roy Bookbinder admired many things about Dave, one being his ease at being a gracious celebrity. I thinks the world of his artistry but also personally his brotherly concern for his many, many friends and admirers. I will pass on your remembrance to Dave's wife Andrea Vucollo. Last year the People's Voice Cafe in NYC had a Dave Van Ronk night that I hosted and we are repeating it this year .... I'll send more info later....."

Dave Van Ronk was a catylist in the creation of Jack Hardy's "Fast Folk ". Jack tells the story of some trickery used for the first meeting. Jack told all other artists that Dave was aboard, and all the others that Dave was aboard. When Dave heard so many others were aboard, he said "sure" (I'd love to have the exact wording, sure it was much more colorful).

The rest is history.

Turn your radio on!

Fall 2008 concerts, workshops and radio interviews:

* October 30, 7:30pm ~ radio ~ Peggy Seeger on WICN w/ Nick Nobel (90.5fm, streaming @ wicn.org)

* October 30, 8pm ~ radio ~ David Massengill on WICN w/ Nick Nobel (90.5fm, streaming @ wicn.org)

* October 30, 8:30pm ~ radio ~ Jack Hardy on WICN w/ Nick Nobel (90.5fm, streaming @ wicn.org)

* November 1, 1pm ~ radio ~ The Folk Brothers on WMFO w/ Morgan Huke (91.5fm, streaming @ wmfo.org)

* November 1, 4pm ~ radio ~ The Folk Brothers on WGBH w/ Brad Paul (89.7fm, streaming @ wgbh.org)

* November 1, 8pm ~ concert ~ The Folk Brothers w/ very special guest, hosted by Naomi Arenberg ~ Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, Somerville

* November 2, 3pm ~ radio ~ Geoff Bartley on WATD’s The Eclectic Picnic w/Brian Edwards (95.9fm, streaming @ www.959watd.com)

* November 11, 12-2pm (tbd) ~ radio ~ Mary McCaslin on WMBR w/ Eli Polonsky (88.1fm, streaming @ wmbr.org)

* November 14, 9am ~ radio ~ Mary McCaslin on WCUW w/ Troy Tyree (91.3fm, streaming @ wcuw.org)

* November 14, 4pm ~ radio ~ Geoff Bartley on WUMB w/ Dave Palmater (91.9fm, streaming at wumb.org)

* November 15, 4pm ~ radio ~ Mary McCaslin on WGBH w/ Brad Paul (89.7fm, streaming @ wgbh.org)

* November 15, 5pm ~ guitar workshop ~ Geoff Bartley ~ Nave Gallery, Somerville

* November 15, 8pm ~ concert ~ Mary McCaslin & Geoff Bartley, hosted by Dave Palmater ~ Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church, Somerville

Is Sufjan Stevens the newest member of "Fast Folk"?

If you are unfamiliar with "Fast Folk", courtesy of wiki

"In December of 1977, singer/songwriter Carolyne Mas started a songwriter's night at The Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village, New York, after a less formal group started by singer/songwriter/Greenwich Village legend Jack Hardy lost it's spot at a local tavern called The English Pub. The group, which included artists like Jack Hardy, Carolyne Mas, David Massengill, Tom Intondi, Cliff Eberhardt, Michael Fracasso, Jeff Gold, and Rod MacDonald, gave writers a chance to perform for their peers, work on songs in front of an audience, and receive feedback from fellow songwriters. This group, sans some members, and with some new members added, eventually became known as the Songwriter's Exchange, recording an album on Stash Records which was released in 1980. The album was made possible due to the efforts of Robin Hirsch, one of the owners of The Cornelia Street Cafe, who single-handedly had turned the increasingly popular cafe into a hotbed of artists, musicians, poets, and writers. The Greenwich Village music scene was also booming at the time, receiving lots of media attention from major newspapers like The New York Times, which also helped fuel the popularity of the New York singer/songwriter scene in general. The Songwriter's Exchange eventually evolved, and under the guidance of Jack Hardy, the group formed a cooperative and took over the booking of Greenwich Village's SpeakEasy in 1981. The Co-oP, which was launched in February of 1982 , was later renamed Fast Folk, and gained status as a non-profit organization...."

Joan Anderman, pop music critic for the Boston Globe, in a recent article tipped me off about hipsterrunoff.com.

THE 1 BLOG ABOUT ALT-CULTURE (NOT)
Hipster Runoff is a side-splitting blog that spoofs alt-attitude, alt-fashion, and alt-lifestyle. Among the site's spot-on sendups: alt-syntax and alt-spelling, the obsession with crafting, and nonstop commentary about Justice and Girl Talk. Go to www.hipsterrunoff.com and you may even get the answer to this pressing question: "Are stepdad jeans the future?" - JOAN ANDERMAN

When I checked it out I spied this photo....



...imagine my surprise, it's remarkably similar to this one held by two "partners in crime."



Is Sufjan Stevens the newest member of "Fast Folk"?