If you’re reading these words in print, it’s too late to grab a ticket to the We Black Folk Festival at Club Passim. The inaugural edition of the two-day music festival, being held Sunday and Feb. 11, sold out in short order.
Good news! You can still hop on the livestream for both dates.
The festival brings together black artists to celebrate a legacy in folk music that is often underreported by the history books. And your favorite search engine. Google “top folk artists” and see how many black faces pop up. As with rock ’n’ roll and country, the connective thread between the genre “folk” and the creative contributions of the African American community over centuries has been frayed. The festival, organized by the Folk Collective at Passim, aims “to respark the kinship between ‘Black’ and ‘Folk.’”
The lineup for Sunday includes Aisha Burns, Haasan Barclay, Stephanie McKay, Pink Navel, Almira Ara, Melo Green and Cliff Notez.
A few artists to watch:
Haasan Barclay is a multitalented artist with a strong sense of visual style. If you only heard his 2022 album “Dual Shock,” you’d take him for an electro pop artist to the core. But he reinvented himself in 2023 as a full-band concept, to rave reviews, with a genre-spanning sound. Will he bring the full band, or give solo guitar a spin?
Aisha Burns cut her teeth playing violin in a Texas folk-rock band. Fast forward through years of touring, recording and solo hits, she lands in Cambridge as an accomplished vocalist, guitarist and singer-songwriter. Her music weaves inspirations as far flung as Anne Morrow Lindbergh, poets Maya Angelou and Rainer Maria Rilke and country folk into compositions with social consciousness and heart.
Pink Navel is a rapper. But the Boston Music Awards has them pegged as a spoken-word artist. And First Passionate Frisbee Club has them belting out indie rock jams on an acoustic guitar. We all wear many hats in this world. Who knows what they are? We do – they’re on stage Sunday.
Keep an eye on the Feb. 11 date for another stellar lineup at the We Black Folk Festival, featuring Anjimile and more.
And just to prove there’s life outside Club Passim, hit up the following shows:
Saturday: Somerville Songwriter Sessions (Arts at the Armory, Somerville)
The regular music series shines a spotlight on local songwriters in the comfy confines of the Somerville Armory. The upcoming shows feature folk musicians who will make you want to curl up by a roaring fire on a chill winter’s day. We can’t vouch for the roaring fire, but if you bring a comfy sweater, the in-house cafe can supply a hot beverage. Watch for Alex Fam to play a few tracks from her 2023 album “Moving On.” Guitarist Tom Smith could challenge Cat Stevens to a “soft spoken” contest. And host Jack Byrne will master the ceremonies, including a half-hour open mic to open the night.
Sunday: Gossip Collar, Wake in Fright, The Brave Noise, The Stress Balls (Cambridge Community Center, Cambridge)
Jimmy Flynn passed away Dec 25. The local music community remembers him best as a longtime promoter of the Boston hardcore scene. He will be missed by family, friends and a galaxy of artists who benefited from his passionate advocacy. One sign of his influence: Shows that he promoted are still in the pipeline, including Sunday’s show at the community center. A slate of four bands, featuring “current projects of folks from the ’90s Boston punk scene.” Proceeds to benefit Jimmy Flynn’s memorial fund.
Feb. 8: No Vacation, French Cassettes (The Sinclair, Cambridge)
Two indie rock bands that left their heart in San Francisco. Headliner No Vacation have since moved on from Frisco, but wherever the five-piece goes, a dreamy mix of washed-out, shoegazey pop is sure to follow. Doesn’t look like the band has released an album since 2019. Could a tour signal new music is on the horizon? Power poppers French Cassette open.
Nothing warms like a tumbler of Irish whiskey in the backroom of The Burren in January. And with February arriving, the bar and music venue famous for its holiday decorations has gone full Valentine’s Day on your ass. Respect.
Amid the hearts, stuffed bears and Cupid’s arrows, a pair of bands set up shop last Friday: opener Other Brother Daryl and headliner Lonely Leesa and the Lost Cowboys.
Lonely Leesa took the stage with a new posse of Lost Cowboys, walking the five-piece through its paces. The band centers on the rock ’n’ roll vocals of guitarist Leesa Coyne for a jammy mix of alt-rock meets alt-country. Coyne highlighted her recent single “Stayed 2017,” a rollicking ballad written from the point of view of a woman unable to escape an abusive relationship, inspired by the Supreme Court case United States v. Rahimi.
The opener rolled in six deep for an alt-country vibe. Glistening vocal harmonies, a sweet electric organ and melodies for miles on the acoustic and electric guitars. The band has studied the songbooks of Neil Young, Tom Petty, the Grateful Dead.
But all you needed to hear to get inside the head of Other Brother Daryl was the anecdote delivered from stage about “Jeff Tweedy’s second book.” Setting the actual anecdote aside, let’s dig into the presuppositions baked into the banter.
First, you’ve got to know who Jeff Tweedy is. He’s the singer and guitarist of alt-folk/country trailblazers Wilco. That’s a pretty famous band, so it’s not ridiculous to suppose that the audience knows the guy by name.
Second – and here we’re starting to get into more obscure territory – you’ve got to also be familiar with Jeff Tweedy, as singer, guitarist and author.
Third, you’ve got to be so familiar with author Jeff Tweedy that you can follow banter that distinguishes among various entries into his bibliography. You know, the professional arc of Jeff Tweedy, man of letters. Juvenilia, fledgling work, his Blue Period, magnum opus, the twilight years. That’s the kind of music nerd credentials that Other Brother Daryl brings to the table.
Do a little background research first and wash your hands before supper.
Michael Gutierrez is an author, educator, activist and editor-in-chief at Hump Day News
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