Jalopy Embarks On Its 20th Year With A Grand Gala

April 25, 2025 by David K. Moseder

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, well over one hundred devotees and supporters of Brooklyn’s folk and Americana music scene gathered at St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn Heights for the Jalopy Theatre and Music School’s Annual Gala.

Nora Guthrie at the Gala / photo by David K. Moseder

Hosted by Brooklyn Americana Music Festival mainstay Queen Esther, the proceedings were sprinkled throughout with brief, inspiring talks by Jalopy Records Director Eli Smith, Suzi Shelton, director of Community Through Music and Jalopy’s Executive Director Lynette Wiley Wood. Wood noted that as Jalopy was embarking on its 20^th year, it was expanding its scope beyond its 74-seat theater in Red Hook by staging events at The Met, Kupferberg Center in Queens and Penn Station, among other venues, to help to keep folk music alive throughout New York City.

Among the highlights of the evening was the Jalopy Folk Award presentations to Nora Guthrie and Robert Baron.

Steve Earle In NYC / photo by Danny Clinch

Guthrie, daughter of Woody and brother of Arlo and Joady, has kept her father’s legacy alive through numerous projects. The evening also included performances by Jalopy’s music students and a set by Americana icon Steve Earle.

The event’s fundraising efforts included a Silent Auction that included a near-mint 85-year-old S.S. Stewart Guitar, a 1964 vintage Pete Seeger long-neck Gibson banjo, as well as CD’s and a signed poster, donated by Rosanne Cash and John Levanthal, a guitar and songwriting classes with Annie Keating and a Jalopy Epic All Access VIP Festival Pass.

Artists on our Radar

Ciao Malz: Music With a Storyteller’s Charm

WFUV NY Slice Session- photo by Gus Philippas for FUV

Brooklyn’s indie scene is home to countless rising talents, and one that stands out is Connecticut-born, Brooklyn-based artist Malia DelaCruz better known as Ciao Malz . A self-taught musician and engineer, Malz has a gift for crafting indie pop songs that are both clever and unpolished in the best way. Her latest release, Safe Than Sorry, a four-track EP released in December 2024, showcases her evolving approach to songwriting and collaboration. Growing up surrounded by classic rock, folk and indie music, Malz was drawn to the art of storytelling. “I like songs that feel lived-in, a little rough around the edges but full of heart,” she tells Brooklyn Roads. The DIY nature of indie music was a revelation that made her realize that imperfections could be part of the sound. That perspective shaped her songwriting process, which she describes as intuitive and sometimes surprising, “It’s hard for me to tell where the songs are going at first, but the choruses are catchy.” After attending college in Queens, Brooklyn quickly became her creative home. “There’s always new and different music playing from cars, coffee shops, even the fish supply store,” she says. Playing alongside the borough’s talented musicians has kept her inspired and motivated. Among Brooklyn’s many venues, Union Pool holds a special place for her, for its intimate performance space. First featured on WFUV’s NY Slice in 2021 and once again on March 20, 2025 with her warm, dreamy single, “Always Be My Maybe,” Malz has played venues like Baby’s All Right, Bowery Electric and Pianos NYC. Her latest EP came together in an unexpected but organic way. While working on other artists’ music, she asked a band to stick around after a session to help flesh out some of her songs. “We were able to turn them into full songs pretty quickly,” she recalls. The experience shifted her perspective on collaboration, as she comments, “in the past, I had done everything myself, but after making that EP, I think of it differently.” Ciao Malz is an artist worth watching. For those looking for music that’s deeply personal and full of heart, she’s one to have on your radar.

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