Bernstein/Main Stage
2120 South Michigan Ave 12:00 - 1:00
2120 South Michigan Avenue is a 5-piece blues band in the tradition
of the great Chicago bands of the 1950's and '60's. In fact, the
band takes its name from the Chicago address of Chess Records,
the studio where Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter Jacobs
and others recorded the great songs that form the backbone of
our repertoire .
But 2120's song list isn't confined to just Windy City blues .
We play Texas and Memphis blues, too, as well as R&B classics
and bluesy ballads . In the same set you might hear both "Fever"
and "Born in Chicago;" Chuck Berry's "Nadine"
plus the classic "Mystery Train;" Sam Cooke's "Bring
It on Home to Me" followed by the Memphis sound of "Next
Time You See Me" and the Texas T-Birds sound of "Rock
With Me Tonight viagra super force." Our featured vocalist, Sunny Crownover,
thrills audiences with her powerful renditions of songs like Bonnie
Raitt's "Love me Like a Man plavix." And we always get the
crowd shouting with our version of the great Muddy Waters' tune,
"Got My Mojo Workin'."
2120's sound blends straight-ahead Stratocaster electric guitar
and amplified harmonica with an on-the-money rhythm section. Sunny
Crownover and Charlie Sawyer take turns on vocals, sometimes joining
forces on humorous and soulful duets. We also spice up our repertoire
with some three-part harmony.
The main thing is that 2120 South Michigan Avenue swings. You
can dance to our music, or just sit and listen over dinner and
drinks, but you'll enjoy the show whether you've got the blues
or not.
ZilZala 1:30 - 2:15
Led by acclaimed vocalist / arranger Christiane Karam, the ZilZALA
Middle Eastern Ensemble is a Boston-based World Music band that
draws from several musical cultures to re-interpret classical,
traditional and folk Arabic Music. The outcome is a powerful and
uplifting blend of Eastern and Western influences that range from
Lebanese, Egyptian, Turkish, Greek and North African grooves and
melodies, to contemporary Jazz harmonies, that creates a truly
unique musical experience. The ZilZALA Ensemble has been playing
to packed houses in Boston and New York, bringing together music
lovers from the Middle East with a western audience that is eager
to learn about and enjoy the exotic middle eastern rhythms and
melodies.
ZilZALA has headlined at venues such as Ryles Jazz Club, the
Berklee Performance Center, Club Passim, The Zeitgeist Gallery
and Tagine in New York City. They have been featured several times
on WMBR (88.1 FM), Cambridge. The ensemble owes the richness of
its sound and its colorful interpretations of traditional Middle
Eastern music to the diversity of its musicians' musical and cultural
backgrounds.
www.zilzala.com
Rosalie Sorrels 2:45 - 3:30
One critic described Rosalie Sorrels' singing voice as one of
the most wonderful voices in American music, an instrument as
mellow and finely aged as an antique viola. Gamble Rodgers referred
to her as the hillbilly Edith Piaf.
Rosalie has recorded over 20 albums and written three books, including
Way Out in Idaho, published in honor of the Idaho centenary, a
monumental collection of songs, stories, pictures, and recipes
gathered in the course of three years spent traveling around her
home state and listening to its people. Her collection of the
writings of her mother, Nancy Stringfellow, Report from Grimes
Creek, is still in print. Her most recent recording is Learned
by Livin'-Sung by Heart, a compilation of songs that she has recorded
since 1967.
-- Sorrels has decried the music industry's attempt to homogenize
women and ethnicity into something blander. She's living proof
that there are some things the biz just can't whitewash. -- Chicago
Reader
www.rosaliesorrels.com
Grupo Fantasia 4:00 - 5:00
Angel Wagner, musical director of Grupo Fantasia and master percussionist,
plays more than 30 instruments. Angel has studied at the Harbor
Arts Academy in New York and at the Berklee College of Music in
Boston. Currently, Angel is a percussion tutor, director of the
Wagner Multicultural Workshop and percussionist in his band Grupo
Fantasia.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, Angel began his career
playing with a cheese grater and fork! At age eleven, Angel went
on professional tour with a Merengue band, later performing in
Miami and at Madison Square Garden in New York. Angel has performed
with such groups as "Aramis Camilo", Orquestra Cafe",
"Luis Ovalles" and "Manguito".
Angel formed Grupo Fantasia in 1993, with musicians from all around
the world. Over the years, Fantasia has performed at the "Calle
Ocho" festival in Miami, as well as touring extensively throughout
the Northeast. His performances include a multitude of schools,
universities, colleges, fundraisers, private functions and musical
extravaganzas, affording him to team up with the most exclusive
event coordinators and party planners in New England.
Angel Wagner provides traditional island entertainment for all
people and much of the music is performed on original, handmade
indigenous instruments. The extensive repertoire includes original
and cover songs from the Caribbean and Latin America. Also represented
are various Cuban, Dominican Merengue, Puerto Rican Bomba and
Plena, Colombian Cumbia, Mexican Mariachi, Calypso, Reggae and
Salsa music.
www.grupofantasia.com
Welfare Poets 5:30 - 6:30
THE WELFARE POETS have been in existence since the Spring of
1990, when two Cornell students came together to write poetry/rhymes
of protest and upliftment, accompanied by congas (percussions).
A band was created from this union with the purpose of using culture
as a tool of resistance, and in the summer of 2000, the group
released their first independent album "Project Blues."
The group plays Hip Hop with a fusion of various styles from the
Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, Cuba and Jamaica. Over their
15 plus years of existence, the Welfare Poets have been not only
cultural activist, but they have been directly involved in efforts
for social justice, most notably against police brutality, political
prisoners, the colonial status of Puerto Rico and theU.S. Naval
occupation of the island, environmental justice in New York City
and elsewhere and the death penalty. Through teaching residencies
and workshops, through activism around community struggles and
through sharpedged performances of music that incorporates Hip-Hop,
Bomba y Plena, Latin Jazz and other rhythms, the Welfare Poets
bring information and inspiration to those facing oppression and
those fighting for liberation. You can find out more information
about the death penalty compilation by going to www.myspace.com/deathpenaltycd.
www.welfarepoets.com
Camella Teolli Stage
Charo Sofia 12:30 - 1:15
Most musicians can brag of an early childhood draw to music. But
few were using their buckets to bang out rhythms to the Cure's
"Just Like Heaven." Enter Charo Sofia, a 21-year-old
singer/songwriter whose lyrical depth and vocal stylings belie
her youth. Inspired by everyone from her chanteuse grandmother
to the melodies of Jeff Buckley and lyrics of Elliott Smith, Charo
Sofia is at once sentimental and sultry, earning her comparisons
to Tracy Chapman, with a bit more edge. A performer since age
15, Charo Sofia recently debuted her first album, Montreal, a
six-track acoustic release that meanders from raw, rock-influenced
numbers like "Perfect" to melancholic ballads like "Walking
Away," the entire thing suffused with a hint of soul. What
you won't find are any French-Canadian influences. "I've
never been to Montreal!" laughs the singer, in reference
to her title choice.
The Boston-based artist has performed at legendary music venues
like Cambridge's Middle East, and she earned the necessary notch
in any serious folk musician's belt with her appearance at Club
Passim. Charo Sofia has also performed at the NEMO Music Festival,
and at major universities around the state. She is currently at
work on her second album.
www.charosofia.com
Los Sugar Kings 1:30 - 2:15
Los Sugar Kings is a Boston-based quartet known for their energetic
live performances and high level of musicianship. In their world,
respect is paid in spades to the traditions and forefathers of
Afro-Cuban Son, Salsa and Rumba-Flamenca but the sound is very
new, danceable, diverse and infectious. All four core members
are individually highly-accomplished on their respective instruments
but the true magic of Los Sugar Kings is how these individuals
come together to put on a performance worthy of any festival,
party, club or concert hall. Patiño Vazquez (vocals, guitar,
tres), is a dynamic performer and singer who is at once approachable,
intimate and completely mesmerizing. Add in the african-influenced
low-end theory and harmonies by Mikael Mersha (bass, vocals),
the soaring, take-you-for-a-ride solos and accompaniment by Daniel
Abreu (saxophone, piano) and the uncomparable, split-brain whirlwind
that is Benny Benson (drums, percussion) and it's impossible for
a festival to stop from breaking out, wherever they perform.
From time to time, they will also add in additional percussion
and horns, bringing their sound to yet another level thanks to
some of the most sought-after musicians in the Boston area. Los
Sugar Kings are currently performing regularly in the Boston area
and recording their debut CD due to be released April 2008.
www.lossugarkings.com
Billy Novick and Guy Van Duser 2:30 - 3:15
Elegant." "Riveting." "Soulful." "Classic
mastery." These are a few of the terms that have been used
to describe the unique and stunning swing-jazz music of acoustic
guitarist Guy Van Duser and clarinetist Billy Novick.
Novick's ever-inventive and soulful clarinet playing provides
the ideal complement to Guy's guitar. With his vast knowledge
of the classic jazz era, his dazzling improvising skills, and
his entertaining vocals, Novick is able to both add a melodic
and dynamic spark to Guy's guitar . Their music sounds fresh and
original, yet is also deeply rooted in the rich legacy of the
classic jazz age. The duo can play any piece from their huge repertoire-
an obscure Ellington tune, a Gershwin classic, a complex Jelly
Roll Morton arrangement, or perhaps one of the their originals-
and immediately have it sound their own.
And, my, how they swing! The two of them together can create
a pulse as driving as any big band. They have a musical telepathy
and understanding that has been honed by more than twenty-five
years of playing together, a rhythmic drive that doesn't quit
and a thorough mastery of their instruments. Add to all of this
their relaxed and engaging stage manner, and you will be treated
to a joyously entertaining and musically enchanting show that,
indeed, has already stood the test of time.
www.billynovick.com
Raymond St. Klezmer Band 3:30 - 4:15
This year the Bread and Roses Festival welcomes the Raymond Street
Klezmer Band and Klezmer music to the music heritage mix of the
festival. Klezmer music comes from the Jewish villages and ghettos
of Eastern Europe where traveling musicians known as Klezmorin
performed at community celebrations and weddings. Klezmer music
was originally inspired by Jewish religious music, but has many
other influences including jazz.
The Raymond Street Klezmer Band from Nashua, New Hampshire performs
Klezmer and Israeli folk music plus a touch of labor music in
line with the spirit of the Bread and Roses Festival.
The seven member band performed at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
in Washington and is well known in New Hampshire. Members are
Ruth Weiner Harris, accordion, Sandy Dickens, vocalist, Alan Green,
clarinet, sax, vocals, Alan Karlsberg, clarinet and sax, Bruce
Smith, bass, Joe Corcoran, percussion, and Gordon Hegfield, piano.
Their music will make you dance.
Robert Frost/Live Lawrence Stage
Las Batuteras 12:00 - 12:15
Baton Twirlers
Taller Borinqueno 12:20 - 12:40
Puerto Rican Dance
"Millies: Playing With a Movie" by Acting Out 12:45 - 1:00
Lawrence filmmaker Lorre Fritchy and the Acting Out Theater Company
present Millies: Playing with a Movie. This one-act play adaptation
of the MILLIES film script written by Lorre Fritchy debuts at
this year's Bread & Roses Festival with three performances
all introduced by the director. MILLIES is the story of a group
of mill workers who return from the Bread and Roses strike to
convince a modern day mill owner that her future is affecting
their past. This is a great opportunity to experience history
and ask the filmmaker about a film in process.
www.milliesmovie.com
Boys & Girls Club Dance Academy 1:05 - 1:20
Children from the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club perform.
Veronica Robles 1:25 - 1:50
Her goal goal is to create interest in Mexican and Latin-American
Culture and to promote diversity and cultural traditions among
general community. To pass on moral and cultural values to children
and youth.
Veronica says: "Culture empowers youth and makes our communities
stronger" Helping children to understand who they are, and
where they come from by using folk music, dance, and culture may
help to improve their self-esteem, learning skills and will inspire
them to continue growing and achieving their goals and dreams.
www.veronicarobles.com
"Millies: Playing With a Movie" by Acting Out 1:55 - 2:10
See biography above
Henry Lappen 2:15 - 2:55
Some entertainers are skilled at one particular thing: singing,
dancing, acting. They are therefore easy to describe. But Henry
Lappen? Let's see. There's Henry the Juggler, a man capable of
juggling balls, clubs, rings and even torches while on stilts,
or on a tightrope. Then, there's Henry the Bird, performing "Birds
in their Habitat," a funny but also educational look at our
feathered friends. Also, there's Henry as "Lapinsky,"
portraying the life of an Eastern European immigrant juggler.
As for the amazingly talented and creative person who calls himself
Henry Lappen, he's been teaching and performing juggling for 25
years, has performed at theaters, schools, libraries and festivals,
has studied at California's Dell'Arte School and is the producer
of the annual New England Performers' Retreat. As, perhaps, Yogi
Berra might put it: There's only one Henry Lappen, and the Bread
and Roses Labor Day Heritage Festival is indeed lucky to have
all of them.
www.henrylappen.com
O'Shea-Chaplin Irish Dancers 3:00 - 3:30
We are one of the longest established Irish dancing schools in
the country. Founded by Rita O'Shea-Chaplin in Galway Ireland
50 years ago, the school has been located in the greater Boston
area since the early 1960's. Rita and her instructors teach children
and adults of all ages. Our students have won many local, regional
and national championships and their ceili and choreography teams
have captured many North American titles.
www.bostonirishdance.com
"Millies: Playing With a Movie" by Acting Out 3:35 - 3:50
See biography above.
The Mirabal Family Comparsa 3:55 - 4:10
This Lawrence-based family group preserves the culture of the
Dominican Republic, and particularly traditional Carnaval celebrations,
with spectacularly colorful costumes, dance and music. They will
kick the festivities into high gear. Look for them again at the
Main Stage before Grupo Fantasia finishes
Social Aid & Pleasure Society 5 - 5:30
The Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band is
a 15-piece "raucous, stomp-your-foot-and-belt-out-the-choruses"
(Boston Globe) Cambridge-based New Orleans-style street band.
We are regular Joes and Janes with day jobs who combine music
with social action -- slamming out the sounds of the legendary
Crescent City for peace rallies, street festivals, parades and
benefits.
Our motto: ''We aim to please if the cause is true and the time
is right."
www.slsaps.org