(Long Island, NY) Created just five years ago, the Woodlands Folk Festival, Long Island’s most eclectic celebration of music, has grown to become a summer music highlight. Woodlands 2014 announces that this year’s festival will be held on Saturday, June 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and will include a celebration of early Beatles favorites performed by all-star musicians of the New York Roots Music Association (NYRMA) in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Beatles landing in America, and a special tribute to the late Pete Seeger, “the grandfather of folk festivals.”
It was at a festival like Woodlands that young Pete Seeger’s love of folk music was inspired. Seeger was famous for getting audiences to sing along with him, and Woodlands 2014 will pay homage to him and to the audiences who sang with him for so many years, with a very singable line-up that includes a modern bluegrass band (Tricky Britches), an Irish music group (Bob Morris Irish Band), and a sea shanty group (The Dirty Stay Out Skifflers).
Highlights of this year’s family-friendly festival also include headliner SONiA of disappear fear, a folk singer/songwriter with an international following who has been compared to Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan; Dan Pelletier, an award-winning singer songwriter; Li’l Mo, a chanteuse who brings Americana/Rockabilly/Roots music to life; and local favorites the Claudia Jacobs Band.
Woodlands is also excited to announce that the New York Roots Music Association (NYRMA), led by Tom Ryan with an all star cast of Long Island musicians, will perform early Beatles hits as a tribute to the 50th Anniversary of the arrival of the Beatles in America in 1964.
The festival will also repeat its successful Open Song Competition, to be judged by local music celebrities. Last year’s first Open Song Competition was won by Josh Joffen.
The Woodlands Folk Festival features good food, great local beer and wine, and activities for all ages. Tickets are $15 at the gate, or $12 in advance – $5 children (4-18), $10 for seniors and students (with ID). Fans of live music on Long Island are encouraged to check the Woodlands 2014 website, www.woodlandsfolkfest.org, to sign up for the Open Song Competition and for updates on artists and other news and to buy advance tickets.
The festival is hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship at Stony Brook (380 Nicolls Road, E. Setauket, NY), a non-profit religious organization, whose mission includes support for social and economic justice. All proceeds from the festival will be used to fund UUFSB and its mission. The Fellowship can also be found online at www.uufsb.org.
