This Sunday, June 8, you have two rare and wonderful opportunities at once, or rather, in close succession. Jen Larson, Fran Leadon, and Charles Puckette get together *maybe* twice a year, and sing trio harmonies that will knock your socks off. They're now calling themselves the Bluebirds of Happiness, no doubt in reference to the joyful songs of melancholy, misery and loss (not to speak of the odd double suicide) that they favor. That alone would be a must-see, but they're opening for the Plunk Brothers. That's Bob Jones, Dr. Frets himself, veteran of you don't want to know how many stages, and Boo Reiners, of the Demolition String Band. They're both top-notch guitarists, and they get together (not often enough) and do a set of standards by people like Doc Watson, the Delmore Brothers, and the like. The playing is just unbelievable and the fun they're having is infectious. You need to be at Jalopy on Sunday to see this. Really.
Much more below, or see the calendar for the latest updates.
Otherwise ... tonight, the Sheriff is of course at the not-Baggott, otherwise known as the Grizzly Pear. Jonah Bruno's South Slope String Band plays at Brooklyn Bar BQ for perhaps the last time; he says the bar is being taken over by new management. Hopefully they'll see the value of bluegrass (and its fans, hint hint). He and the SSSB are also playing the brunch at Superfine on Sunday. Also tonight at various spots: Will Scott and Wylie Wirth, Smokey Hormel, the Angel Band jam, Roots & Ruckus, and Franglais's gypsy jazz jam in Park Slope. Details all on the calendar below.
Tomorrow night at Banjo Jim's, Monica Passin kicks off an evening of "chicks with picks," hosted by Brooke Lundy and including Jamie Brooke Lundy hosts THE NEWVILLE SESSIONS: CHICKS WITH PICKS! Featuring: Brooke Lundy, Jamie Lyn, Kelly Greene, Mary Ellen Bernard, Patty Carpenter, Charlene McPherson (of Spanking Charlene), Emily Richards (of Action City Blackout), and followed by the full Brooke Lundy band. Also, it's the first Thursday, so there will be a jam at Freddy's starting around 9.
Friday night is First Friday bluegrass at Jalopy, with Blue Harvest doing two sets, alternating with the A-OKs. Saturday is First Saturday Bluegrass at Banjo Jim's, hosted by Adam Nash. This month he's leaning a bit more old-time, with the Poverty Line Old Time Band, from Massachussetts, playing at 9 and midnight, and John Specker, a fiddle player, at 10. Starting things off at 7 is Jefferson Hamer, followed by the Pine Box Boys, "a wild bluegrass, rockabilly type band from San Francisco," at 8. Also Saturday, Pat Conte's art show closes at Jalopy and he'll be playing that night, if you're up for some good gutsy acoustic blues. You never know which of his friends will show up. Out on Staten Island, Norman Savitt will be performing his original instrumental guitar music.
Monday night is the slow jam at Paddy Reilly's, and the New York Harmonica Ensemble at Banjo Jim's, as well as the weekly country blues jam at Jalopy. Michael Daves is at Rockwood on Tuesday night, and Wednesday we'll have another newsletter.
Please let us know what's going on so we can feature it here. Send your gig notices, myspace bulletins, facebook posts and carrier pigeons to pickin@ponkiesburg.com by Wednesday for inclusion. In addition to this email newsletter, these updates and more are published on our blog, the Ponkiesblog.
