Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC)
499 Van Brunt St.
June 10-12, $20 per day, $55 weekend pass
718-596-2506
www.brooklynfolkfest.com
Brooklyn’s vibrant grass-roots music scene is on display this weekend at the third annual Brooklyn Folk Festival, which will feature both old-school performers from the golden age of 1960s folk as well as newer acts, with styles spanning the folk spectrum, from bluegrass and old-time string band to jug band, acoustic blues, and world music from Africa, Mexico, and Eastern Europe. The festival got under way Friday night at atmospheric local hot spot Jalopy with a full lineup that included such legends as Peter Stampfel and Tommy “Uncle Monk” Ramone in addition to the prolific Feral Foster, host of the venue’s weekly free “Roots and Ruckus” series. On Saturday and Sunday the action shifts to the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, a spacious gallery located in a Civil War-era warehouse at the end of Van Brunt St. in Red Hook. The diverse roster of musicians appearing throughout each afternoon and into the evening reads like a veritable who’s who of local talent. Among the many acts performing are Brooklyn’s reunited Roulette Sisters, acclaimed bluesman “Blind Boy” Paxton, the infectious male/female amplified guitar ‘n’ drums duo Boom Chick, and North Carolinian banjo player Clifton Hicks, who specializes in traditional Appalachian mountain music. There will also be screenings of films by John Cohen and from the archives of Alan Lomax (free with day or weekend pass), a Hazel Dickens Singing Workshop, Beginning and Intermediate Old Time Jamming with Alan Friend, Songs of the Sea and Tavern group singing with Heather Wood, and Banjo: Tunings and Styles in Old Time Music with Down Home radio host Eli Smith, each an additional $10.