This article is designed to provide you a basic understanding of the folkery that will take place the three day weekend of February 16th to 18th, 2018.
This weekend, local promotion and booking company, Hey Dude After Hours is teaming up with popular venue, Photo City Improv to present us, “Folk City at Photo City: A Benefit For Reach.” The three day event includes many of the region’s favorite folk acts, including headlining performances by Floodwood, Folkfaces, Milkweed, and the Neighbors (Members of Driftwood,) alongside Twenty Thousand Strongmen, PA Line, String Theory, Aaron Lipp, and Seth Faergolzia, with many more musicians ready to tickle your ears. For a quick link for tickets, click here! Rochester Groovecast is here to provide you a day by day synopsis of the folkonomics ahead. But first, let’s explain the absolute main reason you must attend this event.
To begin, I think it’s pivotal to mention the selflessness of this folkauchery. Folk City will be raising money for R.E.A.C.H. “REACH” is an acronym for Rochester Engaging in Action for the Chronically Homeless. Beginning in 2015, REACH has committed to keeping the chronically homeless in Rochester safe and warm. It’s winter, and REACH needs as much help as we can give.
REACH began in 2015 when a team of citizens said “NO” to leaving the chronically homeless out in the cold. REACH has created and staffed temporary residential care facilities for those homeless persons who were unable to find shelter anywhere else. REACH is consistently seeking ways to advocate for the homeless to ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect. They remain convinced that NO person should be without a safe home and preferably offered affordable permanent housing. REACH Advocacy dreams of finding a property near public transportation that will serve as a temporary residential care facility in the coming winter and then be converted into permanent housing for homeless men and women.
ROCHESTER, this is our call to action! This event is an opportunity to have a hell of a lot of fun while simultaneously supporting a necessary organization. Rochester, let’s GET FOLKED UP!
NIGHT ONE- Friday, February 17:
6-6:45pm Jungle Steve
6:45-745pm The Flood (duo)
7:45-8:30pm Tyler Westcott
8:30-9:15pm Twenty Thousand Strongmen
9:15-10pm Anson Stiles
10-11pm Folkfaces
11-11:45pm Collin Jones
11:45-? Floodwood
Rochester Groovecast Spotlight:
Tyler Westcott & Folkfaces
Tyler Westcott was one of Rochester Groovecast’s first podcast guests. Check out Episode 6 for Rochester Groovecast’s interview with Tyler Westcott. In addition, Tyler’s band Folkfaces have been included in countless episodes including Episodes 42, 33, 22, 20, and 12. It goes without saying that these Buffalo natives are a Rochester Groovecast Family favorite. The quartet(often quintet) is undefinable, however, I like to refer to them as a hippy soirée. They fuze Jazz, Folk, Blues, Roots with Contemporary, and shit, it’s a high energy dance party. Many of you guys already know and love Folkfaces, For those who don’t yet, you’ll see. Oh yeah, and Tyler Westcott will aslo be performing in the Banjo Juice Jazz Band on Saturday night. Who’s ready for an ear folking?
Collin Jones
Collin Jones is the founder of Galaxy Diamond Records, a growing record company/conglomerate of musicians influenced by modern electronic technology. Collin often performs under the stage name Stereo Nest, where he creates electronic masterpieces live with a guitar, looper, and a few other fun gadgets. Collin founded Haewa, Rochester NY’s premier space-rock hard-hitting fusion band. Collin is a premier member in Ocular Panther, who melts minds with electro-psych frequencies. Collin’s resume speaks for itself as he is one of the biggest contributors to the local music scene. His solo work is the ultimate icing on the cake. Performing under “Collin Jones,” Collin loops live acoustic guitar and vocals to create his most raw, intimate work. Many of you have seen Collin in many of these projects above, yet, I do urge you so grab his new solo C.D “Specimen and catch him in his rawest form Friday the 16th. Holy Folk the loops will be tasty
Floodwood
Floodwood is a progressive string newgrass band from Central NY featuring the combined talents of Vinnie Amico (moe.), Tony Markellis (Trey Anastasio Band), Jason Barady, Nick Piccininni and Chris Eves. Adding drums to bluegrass instrumentation, Floodwood breaks through the expectations of any single genre and reaches unexpected territories. You’ll hear Dead tunes, old standards, and next thing you know, they’ll break out into shredding that is reminiscent to thrash metal, of course, on string instruments…Really guys, these dudes play whatever they feel like, and really fast. Floodwood is an absolute MUST SEE. They will have you jumping, dancing, jaw dropping, and quite possibly, crying. Holy folk you need to see these guys
NIGHT TWO- Saturday, February 17th:
6-6:45pm Tim Braley
6:45-7:45pm Ruckus Juice Jug Stompers
7:45-8:30pm Jon Itkin & Rita Proctor (of The Crooked North)
8:30-9:15pm Jungle Steve & the Gypsophelias
9:15-10:15pm Mike Brown
10:15-11pm PA Line
11:15pm-11:45pm Banjo Juice Jazz Band w/ The Meraki Dancers
Midnight-? Electric Tie Dye
Rochester Groovecast Spotlight:
PA Line
Rochester Groovecast was honored to have an intimate conversation with head songwriter, Trevor Stribing at the 2017 Great Blue Heron Music Festival. You can kind this conversation on Episode 30 of the Rochester Groovecast Podcast. PA line is dedicated to playing raw, emotional, honest, and unapologetic lyric-driven hits that raise your heart-rate. After the initial burst of emotional excitement, you’ll find yourself singing along to the catchiness of their hummable harmonic tunes. This Buffalo based band has rapidly gained a regional following, opening for acts such at Floodwood, Rusted Root, and the Rumpke Mountain Boys. They are picking up steam and Folk City is a great opportunity to see them as their folking hot.
Electric Tie Dye
Electric Tie Dye is one of the newest groups growing rapidly in Rochester, NY. Formed in late 2017, Electric Tie Dye is a conglomerate of folkstonauts from three highly respected local bands. ETD is Chuck Friez of The Honey Smugglers, Anson Stiles of Fakaui, and Ben Chilbert of Haewa. You can check out some live recordings of The Honey Smugglers here and here. In addition, I had a conversations with Ben Chilbert of Haewa in Episode 3. You can also listen to Haewa live here…but I digress… ETD’s “Plutonium Powered Folk” music comes from electrifying an upright bass, banjo, and washboard. ETD takes traditionally acoustic instruments, adds some pedals, and create a psychedelia like you’ve never heard before. Let’s put these guys at the top of my list for best new Rochester band at Folk City. Folk me!
NOCHES TRES- Sunday, February 18:
4-4:45pm Damdog (solo)
4:45-5:45pm Mighty High & Dry (trio)
5:45-6:30pm Nate Coffey
6:30-7:15pm String Theory
7:15-8pm Seth Faergolzia (homecoming)
8-8:45pm Milkweed
8:45-9:30pm Aaron Lipp
9:30-? The Neighbors (w/ 2 members of Driftwood)
Rochester Groovecast Spotlight:
Seth Faergolzia
Founder of the hugely popular Dufus, nowadays the wildly loved 23 Psaegz, and Multibird, Seth Faergolzia is one of the most respected musicians in the Rochester scene. Folk City is Seth’s homecoming show as he returns from an extensive multinational European tour. As a writer and performer, Seth has a collection of masterpieces that now exceeds 20 albums and appearances in over 20 countries with the likes of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Animal Collective, Dufus alum Regina Spektor, Jeffrey Lewis, The Moldy Peaches, etc. “A seasoned veteran, he remains as boisterous as ever, his booming voice and equilibristic phrasing at the center of a whirring kaleidoscope of sound. In his new live show, Faergolzia draws from new material, electronic samples, loops, improvisations, and choice selections from the Dufus vault—a full and varied cross-section of the peerless oddball muse that has delighted audiences, collaborators, and critics alike for over a decade.” For a lil something to jump into, check out my interview with Seth Faergolzia in Episode 17. Loopy-doop it’ll be a folkin’ good time.
Milkweed
I’m falling apart. Don’t even get me started. At the 2017 Fall Down Music Festival, Milkweed brought me to tears of joy. Milkweed is a band that was born on Main Street in the quiet post industrial city of Binghamton NY. Without committing to one particular genre, Milkweed has pulled from many of the great aspects of American music and created their own brand of American song and story telling. Whether it is bluegrass guitar flat picking, Chicago blues harmonica, Irish ballads or Jersey shore folk songs, Milkweed weaves together the sounds that make up the rich tapestry of American music history. With their lyrics they set themselves apart from the norm, taking the simple stories of everyday people and telling them through the lens of dreams and what it means to be a human. The root of the bands sound is in the use of three part harmony to impart a sense of importance and depth to their lyrics that brings the listener into their songs and feel invested in it. Their stage presence, sound, lyrics, harmonies, energy…it’s absolutely folkin’ miraculous.
The Neighbors
I’m tempted to leave this totally blank and just write, “GO SEE THEM! TRUST ME!” I guess I’ll give you a bite of information. The Neighbors was the 2017 Fall Down Music Festival fan favorite. To my knowledge, this festival was the only opportunity anyone from the Rochester area has had to catch them play. Comprised of Driftwood’s Joey Arcuri and Joe Kollar, teamed up with the talented Calya Pericelli, Pete Ruttle, and Will Sigel, The Neighbors are Folk City’s best kept secret. These guys are folky, soulful, jazzy, and fun. If you love Folk…If you love Driftwood…If you love theatrics…RnB…Soul…GO SEE THEM, TRUST ME! NOW IS YOUR CHANCE.” See you there, or Folk yourself.
Tickets:
Folk City One-day passes cost $15 pre-sale or $20 at the door. Two-day passes come at a pre-sale price of $25, and a full three-day pass is marked at $40 pre-sale and includes a free drink. Tickets can be purchased here!
Festival Sponsors:
eARTh House
Sadie May’s Art and Design
Record Archive