Harvard Square unveils a “Community Gallery Window Project” featuring Vintage Photos, Folk Art, and Harvard Square Folk Music History Ephemera displayed in shop and restaurant windows throughout the month of November!
The month long focus on Folk Music and its Harvard Square roots will include a Walking-Tour Map of visual displays, historic locations
and a calendar of truly “Special Events.”
The Walking Tour Map will be available to pick up or download on www.harvardsquare.com
Please check the website during the month of November as we add “Forever Young” special menus, drinks, and ways to get in the spirit in Harvard Square.
Forever Young is a collaborative endeavor between
the New England Folk Music Archives (NEFMA)
and the Harvard Square Business Association (HSBA) and its members.
Forever Young Community Gallery Window Show:
The visual images and ephemera in the show come from the New England Folk Music Archive collection and from the private collections of photographers and collectors who spent time in Harvard Square. Artists and collectors include Rowland Scherman, Steve Nelson, Don West, Byron Lord Linardos, Melissa Bugg, John Byrne Cooke, Robert Corwin, Eric Von Schmidt and several others.
Legendary musicians captured in photos and artwork include Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Janis Joplin, Ellis Paul, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Peter Wolf, J. Geils, Odetta, Tom Rush, Jackie Washington, Taj Mahal, Patty Larkin, Geoff & Maria Muldaur, Shawn Colvin, and Suzanne Vega among many others.
A collection of early Club 47 calendars, posters, highlights, copies of Boston Broadsides, Programs, Letters, Album Covers and other Harvard Square vintage goodies!
A few Harvard Square windows to look at in the comings weeks for images are: Mint Julep, JP Licks, Vision House, Cardullos Gourmet Shoppe, The Harvard Coop, Eye Q Optical, Leavitt & Peirce, The Tannery and others soon to be revealed!
Special “Forever Young: Folk History Month” Events
in Harvard Square!
11/1/09 – Kick-off Reception at Daedalus (original home of “Club 47” est. 1958).
Time: 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location Daedalus Restaurant, 45 ½ Mount Auburn Street
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cash bar while listening to Brendan Hogan (blues musician and host of WGBH’s Blues Evening Show) and a short introduction to the New England Folk Music Archives…and other special guests and treats!
11/9/09 - The Christmas Revels: John Langstaff's Merry Vision
Time: 7:00 p.m to 9:00 pm
Location: Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub, 96 Winthrop Street
Admission is free. Appetizers and a full pub menu are available.
In 1971, renowned classical singer and educator John Langstaff, along with his daughter Carol, created the Christmas Revels. It has grown from a Cambridge holiday tradition into a global empire, helping people all over the country to keep traditions of music, ritual, and lore in their lives today. Revels artistic director Patrick Swanson, music director George Emlen, and singing star David Coffin discuss Langstaff's life, vision and legacy with Scott Alarik.
The “Forever Young” Conversations at Tommy Doyle’s are a casual, salon-style evening of conversation and music, recorded as part of the New England Folk Music Archives ongoing Oral History Project, to document the important chapters of New England's long and colorful folk music history.
Scott Alarik, Forever Young Salon Moderator, has been a principal folk music writer for the Boston Globe since 1986. He is also a frequent contributor to Sing Out! the Folk Music Magazine, and was folk critic for the public radio program "Here and Now" for seven years. From 1991-97, he was editor and chief writer for the New England Folk Almanac. Pete Seeger calls Alarik one of the best writers in America," and Dar Williams calls him "the finest folk writer in the country." www.scottalarik.com
11/15/09 - Harvard Coop Kids Event (10-12 years) with Janet Feld “It Can Take a Village to Write a Song”
Time: 1-3 pm. (in the Children’s Department!)
Location: The Harvard Coop, 1400 Mass. Ave
Presented by the New England Folk Music Archives.
Please join us for “It Can Take a Village to Write a Song” a collaborative workshop with Janet Feld where the kids will have a chance to create a song from scratch. Age appropriate reading lists about Folk Music and Folk Artists as well as a display of books and photos will be available. Snacks provided and copies of the song will be given to each child.
11/15/09 – BRUNCH with the FOLKS!
Time: Check www.harvardsquare.com for specific times
Location: Food and folk music in Restaurants, Coffee Houses and outdoor spaces throughout Harvard Square!
Join us for a Special Sunday of food, music, and comraderie as we celebrate the rich and vibrant community of folk music heard ‘round Harvard Square! Please check back for specific details on musicians and participating restaurants!
11/19/09 - Irish Music in Boston: Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann & the Celtic Movement
Time: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub, 96 Winthrop Street
Admission is free. Appetizers and a full pub menu are available.
The Irish cultural organization Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann has played a crucial role in preserving and popularizing traditional Irish music. Few Bostonians know that its largest chapter outside Ireland is right here, the Hanafin-Cooley Branch. Local Comhaltas president Larry Reynolds and fiddler Seamus Connolly, a 10-time All-Ireland champion and educator, discuss Boston's historic importance to Irish music, from the Dudley Street ballrooms of the '50s to today's thriving Irish Session scene and Celtic concerts.
The “Forever Young” Conversations at Tommy Doyle’s are a casual, salon-style evening of conversation and music, recorded as part of the New England Folk Music Archives ongoing Oral History Project, to document the important chapters of New England's long and colorful folk music history.
Scott Alarik, Forever Young Salon Moderator, has been a principal folk music writer for the Boston Globe since 1986. He is also a frequent contributor to Sing Out! the Folk Music Magazine, and was folk critic for the public radio program "Here and Now" for seven years. From 1991-97, he was editor and chief writer for the New England Folk Almanac. Pete Seeger calls Alarik one of the best writers in America," and Dar Williams calls him "the finest folk writer in the country." www.scottalarik.com
11/22/09 – A Special Screening of the film “Festival!” directed by Murray Lerner. “Festival” is a documentary featuring rare performances from the Newport Folk Festival between 1963 and 1966. A “Q&A” with the Director and Reception will follow the screening.
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Brattle Theater, 40 Brattle Street.
Folk Music Events in Harvard Square sponsored by members of the Harvard Square Business Association
Friday, November 6th - Suzanne Vega at 8:00 p.m.
Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston at Sanders Theatre
In the 80s, Suzanne Vega created an international sensation with her poetic stories and exquisite melody in her hit songs, Marlene on the Wall, Luka, and Tom’s Diner. She has created new roles for herself since those early successes: host of American Public Radio’s American Mavericks, author, and New York Times blogger. Her unique composition, writing and performance techniques have influenced a generation of musicians. “Inviting and intelligent… [Vega] looks to engage a listener as an attentive storyteller would.” —Daily Variety
Ticket Prices: Regular: $49, $43, $39; limited number of Student Rush Tickets starting 90 minutes prior: $20 cash only (based on availability)
Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge
http://ofa.fas.harvard.edu/cal/details.php?ID=40526
Saturday, November 7th - Open Mic/Live Audition w/host singer-songwriter Terry Kitchen at the Nameless Coffehouse (est. 1966)
Performers will compete for a paid gig in the next season's lineup. Audience will vote for winner. Those auditioning may sign up between 6 & 7 pm at the door –slots are limited and available on first come first serve basis. 2 songs per performer. $8 for audience members; $3 to Audition.
Nameless Coffehouse - at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church
3 Church Street, Harvard Square (across from the Harvard Square Theater)
617-864-1630
http://www.namelesscoffeehouse.org
Friday November 13th - 8:00 p.m - Maria Muldaur Jug Band and John Sebastian
Maria, as Maria D'Amato, and John started their monumental careers together in the early 60's in the legendary Even Dozen Jug Band. The short lived band also featured David Grisman, Stefan Grossman and others. They played NYC's celebrated Carnegie Hall twice. Maria moved on to join the ground-breaking Kweskin Jug Band and John moved on to form The Lovin' Spoonful. The rest, as we say, is history. Both were profound influences on the ultra dynamic music scene of the 60's & 70's.
We are very proud to bring these two back together for this very rare get together in Harvard Square which was home to the historic Club 47 (now Club Passim) where Maria and John and so many others first performed. Maria is releasing her new jug band album, which features her old bandmates, Seabstian and Grisman, in the early fall.
The First Parish Church, 3 Church Street
Friday November 20th 8:00 p.m. - Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks
The Pioneers of the San Francisco Music Scene roll into town with a widely acclaimed new album. Singer-songwriter Dan Hicks is truly an American original. Since the early 1960s, Hicks has deftly blended elements of Swing, Jazz, Folk and Country music to create the appealing sound he sometimes calls "Folk Jazz".
The First Parish Church, 3 Church Street
Folk Music Concerts EVERY NIGHT in November at the Legendary Club Passim.
Why Legendary? For more than 50 years, Club Passim has been known as a premier national venue presenting new and established traditional, folk, and acoustic musical performers. In all its incarnations, from the original Club 47 (1958-1968) to Passim (1969-1994) and finally as its present Club Passim, the club has been a special place for both artist and audience member. Probably more than any other single site, Club 47 can claim to have produced a generation of performers, record producers, festival organizers, and managers who remain a great influence on today\'92s music industry. Club 47 may have been the most influential club of its kind during the 1960s folk boom, even more so than clubs in New York and Berkeley. The venue's role in America's musical and cultural history is still being assessed in books, recordings, television documentaries, articles, and autobiographies
Please visit link for a complete calendar of events this November: www.clubpassim.org
Club Passim, 47 Palmer Street, 617-492-5300
The Cambridge Artists' Cooperative will participate in the month-long celebration of folk music in Harvard Square with a display of a collection of folk instruments made by Catania Folk Instruments, a group of artisans from PA whose wonderful instruments are available at the Cambridge Artists’ Cooperative.
Cambridge Artists Cooperative Gallery, 59a Church Street, (617) 868-4434 www.cambridgeartistscoop.com
For more information about Harvard Square Events www.harvardsquare.com
For more information about the New England Folk Music Archives www.newenglandfolkmusic.org
For more information about the photo tour click here
For more information about Brunch with the FOLKS click here