Fifth Brooklyn Americana Fest: One Crowd-Pleaser After Another
The fifth annual Brooklyn Americana Music Festival presented 50 free shows on nine stages from Dumbo to Red Hook on Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 19 – 22. Brooklyn Roads was on the scene for several of the shows; here are just a few highlights.
Megan Palmer On Opening Night / Photo by Quincie Hydock
The Opening Night Gala fundraiser, the fest’s only ticketed event, kicked off with founder Jan Bell and her band, The Maybelles. Their set included a healthy sampling of songs from their latest album, Goodbye to the River. Also on the bill were two Brooklyn ex-pats, Nashville’s Megan Palmer and New Orleans’ Dayna Kurtz.
In addition to songs from her current album, What She’s Got to Give, Palmer awed the audience with “Stetson,” an empowering song about her recent battle with cancer. Bookending Kurtz’s set were her global warming-inspired “Dear Rachel Carson” and “What Did Jesus Say,” which the admitted Jewish atheist Kurtz called “a gospel song for our side” as she got the crowd to sing along on the refrain.
The Maybelles On Opening Night /Photo by Quincie Hydock
The evening concluded with a harmony-rich set from North Carolina roots duo Underhill Rose, who, along with Palmer, also entertained the crowd at Pier 6 Liberty View in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday. Among others at Pier 6 that day were two Brooklyn-based singer-songwriters: Ana Egge and Maggie Carson.
Egge’s set included songs from her just-released 12th album, Is It the Kiss, including the anthemic “Rise Above” (“Don’t fall for anyone’s reasons to hate someone”) and the moving “Ballad of the Poor Child.” It was last year’s playful “Dance Around the Room With Me,” however, that was a real favorite with the family-heavy audience.
Carson, banjoist and vocalist with Bushwick’s Spirit Family Reunion, delivered a high-energy set of mostly self-penned originals. While she really rocked out on some numbers such as “What You Want,” showing off her powerful voice, the one cover was a nod to her folk roots: Peggy Seeger’s “The Space Girls’ Song.” Among the other well-received tunes were “Your Ghost,” “Here to Anywhere” and “This Time I Know,” all of which we look forward to hearing on her forthcoming album.
The Haggard Kings At The Archway /Photo by Quincie Hydock
Earlier on Saturday, Brooklyn’s own The Haggard Kings led off the Dumbo Archway show with a set of a dozen-plus country songs driven by Glenn Spivack’s virtuoso pedal steel playing. Most were originals written by Spivak and guitarists Duane Anzalone and Dan B. Green, who all shared vocals with Jennie Bell. Bassist Jack Maiorino and drummer Charlie Shaw provided the bottom and the beat. We’re biased toward songs about our borough, so “Brooklyn Brew” was a highlight for us. “Lovin’ You So Hard,” “Back Roads,” and the wry, biblically inspired “My Name Ain’t Job” were among our other favorites. The band also did right by their namesake country legend with a faithful rendering of Merle Haggard’s “Working Man Blues.”
Among the performers who followed The Haggard Kings on the Archway stage were three other Brooklyn-based artists: Pete Lanctot & The Stray Dogs, who have a monthly residency at 68 Jay Street Bar, one of the many other BAMF host venues; Jack Grace, who has a new album, What a Way to Spend the Night, pending; and alt-bluegrass band The Dang-It Bobbys.