Wow!

I am still recovering from Sunday afternoon’s amazing concert at the Hurdy Gurdy !!TRADITIONSFEST was an overwhelming success!!!I started at WFDU back in 1975. I have been involved with the Hurdy Gurdy since the early days of the club – first as a “friend”, then a member, and in recent years the booker and President. It has been my honor to be involved in many concerts and festivals over the years, but I do not think that ANY previous event can match the excitment and artistry that was evident in the Fair Lawn Community Center on Sunday afternoon. Producing this event was a real pleasure – and a challenge, but the results were beyond my wildest dreams!

The audience in the sold-out theater was treated to spectacular performances from Anthony da Costa and Abbie Gardner (they represent everything that is “good” in contemporary folk music ), Gathering Time (a relatively new group that showcased brilliant harmonies in a diverse set of songs), Pat Wictor (always a jaw-dropping experience to witness him play), Zoe Lewis (a last minute fill-in who quickly won the hearts of the audience – I lost count of the number of people who came up to me and asked to have her back!), Christine Lavin (Chris was the first performer I ever saw at the Hurdy Gurdy, and over 25 years later she still is as fresh and bubbly as ever!) and Tom Chapin (there are not enough superlatives in my vocabulary to describe Tom. He had the audience on their feet in what was probably the most enthusiastic and love-filled reception I’ve seen in years!). The afternoon flew by, and no one wanted it to end!!

Besides sharing some great music, the afternoon was an important event for WFDU-FM, the station where I host my radio series “Traditions” along with co-host Bill Hahn. We raised some significant funds for WFDU which will go to supporting operations and for upgrading our equipment. Bill and I would like to thank ALL the performers for donating their time and talent, the board members of the Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club for agreeing to host this benefit concert, the Borough of Fair Lawn for all their help in producing and promoting this concert – with special thanks to Robin Schamach for her support, and our brillant sound/light crew – Charles Santoro, Jackie Klein and the incredible Bill Otten. Bill Otten went above and beyond the call of duty all week dealing with unforseen technical issues and getting all the acts on and off the stage with grace and a speed that would make an Indy 500 pit crew envious!! Without their help, this event would not have occured.

By the way – didn’t Bill Hahn look great? He recovered spectacularly from his medical problem in the fall it was so good to have him on the stage with us!

We should have some photos posted on the Hurdy Gurdy blogsite shortly – www.hurdygurdyfolk.blogspot.com.

And of course, our sincere thanks to all the audience members who bought tickets to the event. This was the first time in the history of the Hurdy Gurdy that a concert sold out FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT!! This concert was an important fund-raising event for WFDU and your support is helping to keep folk music on the radio, keep non-commercial radio alive, and you are helping to keep LIVE music alive in Bergen County!! THANK YOU!!!!

Immediately after the concert, we noticed a spike in ticket sales for our upcoming concerts! Tickets are selling very well for RED MOLLY who will be appearing with STEVE KIRKMAN at the Hurdy Gurdy on Saturday April 11th at 8:oopm. The concert will be held at the Fair Lawn Community Center located at 10-10 20th Street in Fair Lawn, NJ. You can order tickets online at www.hurdygurdyfolk.org.

Incidently – be sure to pick up the latest issue of Sing Out! Magazine. I had the honor of writing an article about Red Molly that appears in the new issue!

The Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club at the Fair Lawn Community Center will present THE KENNEDYS with special guest VICKIE RUSSELL on Saturday May 2 and our season closes on Saturday June 6 with CHRIS SMITHER and special guest SALLY SPRING. Don’t miss a moment!! Get your tickets today!

Visit our website www.hurdygurdyfolk.org or our blog – www.hurdygurdyfolk.blogspot.com for more details!

The artists and fans who gathered in Fair Lawn on Sunday shared a wonderful event, and moments like this always remind me of how lucky we are to have such a strong community that gathers together to enjoy these moments. It’s sort of a “Brigadoon” feeling once a month at the Hurdy Gurdy, and weekly for Bill and me on WFDU to share this wonderful music and feeling.

Join in the feeling! Support live music!!!