Long Island Summer Festivals Take Shape

Acoustic artists from near and far will be performing at a number of festivals on Long Island this summer.  These include the 2nd Annual Acoustic Long Island Summer Festival in St. James (June 29), a new Great South Bay Music Festival in Patchogue (July 13-15), Babylon Village Bayfest (July 25), the 2nd Annual Huntington Folk Festival (August 11), and the 5th Annual Long Island Bluegrass Festival in Copiague (August 18). 

The 2^nd Annual Acoustic Long Island Summer Festival, presented by the same folks who bring you the popular weekly Wednesday night Acoustic Long Island coffeehouse and podcast series, is set for Friday night, June 29, on the expansive grounds of Deepwells Farm Historic Park on Route 25A in St. James.

Among the artists slated to appear are Red Molly, the rootsy Americana trio that has been mesmerizing audiences with its beautiful three-part harmonies and solid musicianship; Little Toby Walker, the 2002 International Blues Challenge winner who has been drawing well-deserved buzz on both sides of the Atlantic for his fingerpicking-good blues and ragtime guitar playing; New Yorker Andy Mac and local singer-songwriters Martha Trachtenberg and Tom Griffith.  Preceding them will be a songwriters’ showcase featuring Claudia Jacobs, Charlotte Kendrick, Miles to Dayton’s Jon Preddice, Princess Peapod and Hank Stone.  For more information, visit www.acousticlongisland.com.

Although not strictly acoustic, the new Great South Bay Music Festival — on tap for Friday, July 13 through Sunday, July 15 — at Patchogue’s Shorefront Park, will feature two of the most acclaimed folksinger-songwriters of our time, Richie Havens and Tom Rush, as well as Railroad Earth, the subdudes, and a number of local acoustic artists.  

Billed as an “American rock, jam, folk, blues & brews fest,” the Great South Bay Music Festival will include some 35 musical acts on three stages, as well as a “Kidzone,” a Patriots Area featuring a living Civil War encampment, food and crafts vendors.  Daily admission for adults is $10, while weekend passes are $25; discounts will be available for seniors, college students and Patchogue village residents, while children under 8 will be admitted free.  For more details, visit www.greatsouthbaymusicfestival.com.

If you miss Little Toby Walker and Red Molly during their June 29 gig in St. James or just want to see these gifted artists again this summer, they will be performing at the Babylon Village Bayfest on Wednesday night, July 25, at the Babylon Village pool.  The annual event is presented by the Babylon Village Arts Council.

The 2nd Annual Huntington Folk Festival is slated for Saturday, August 11, 2007, from 5-11 p.m., on the Chapin Rainbow Stage at Heckscher Park in Huntington Village.  Sponsored by the Folk Music Society of Huntington and the Huntington Arts Council, the evening festival is part of the larger Huntington Summer Arts Festival that features a diverse array of entertainment from June 22 through August 19.

The evening’s nationally-known headliner will be announced later in May.  Opening for the headliner is Beaucoup Blue, a Philadelphia-based father-and-son acoustic blues and roots duo that evoked a well-deserved standing ovation following its rousing performance as part of the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s first annual Emerging Artists Showcase in January.

Preceding the evening’s featured concert at 8:30 p.m. will be three on-stage song swaps featuring talented performers from Long Island and throughout the East Coast. 

Long Island singer-songwriters Steve Robinson, Glen Roethel and Denise Romas, along with blues harpist Ken Korb and ragtime fingerstyle guitarist Bruce MacDonald, share the stage and kick things off at 5 p.m. 

Following that, at 6 p.m., Richard Cuccaro, editor & publisher of Acoustic Live in New York City & Beyond, emcees a song swap featuring Meg Braun, a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter whose songs draw listeners in with universally appealing, yet deeply personal, tales of love, loss, transformation and joy; Lara Herscovitch, a Connecticut-based singer-songwriter (in both English and Spanish) and 2006 finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, whose music  blends folk, pop and world styles; Mike Morris, a high-energy, New Hampshire-based guitarist and songwriter who plays acoustic music with a groove and a distinctive percussive style; and Paul Sachs, a Manhattan-based singer-songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist. 

At 7 p.m., Michael Kornfeld, festival co-chair and editor & publisher of AcousticMusicScene.com, emcees a song swap featuring Phil Minissale, “The Long Island Blues Boy” who’s been impressing people locally with his fingerstyle guitar playing; Danielle Miraglia, a soulful and raspy-voiced Boston area singer-songwriter and Delta blues-influenced guitarist (accompanied by Tom Bianchi on bass); and James O’Malley, a gifted and gentle-voiced LI-based singer-songwriter and two-time finalist in the prestigious Plowshares Songwriting Contest.

The 5^th Annual Long Island Bluegrass Festival is set for Saturday, August 18, at Tanner Park in Copiague.  Presented by the Babylon Citizens Council on the Arts (BACCA) and the Town of Babylon, the rain or shine festival will feature music and family fun from noon to 8 p.m. In addition to nationally touring acts to be announced, the festival lineup includes LI’s own Buddy Merriam and Back Roads and West Babylon natives’ Free Grass Union, among others.  An all-day pass for adults is $10, while children under 10 will be admitted for $5.  For more information, call BACCA at 631-587-3696 or visit www.babylonarts.com.