Sunday, July 15, 2012, 7:00 PM
SummerStage
Central Park, New York, NY
FREE!
For this special show, famed folk singer Arlo Guthrie and his family will come together to offer a rare and special tribute to his dad, Woody Guthrie, in celebration of Woody’s 100th birthday.
Folk music icon Arlo Guthrie is a legendary artist who shares timeless stories and unforgettable classic songs as he carries on the Guthrie Family legacy. With his singular voice as both a singer-songwriter and social commentator, he has maintained a dedicated fan base that spans the globe. A celebrated figure in American music, Arlo connects with communities far and wide leaving a lasting impression of hope and inspiration. His artistic ventures help bridge an often-divided world through his powerful spirit of song and his inimitable musical ingenuity forges to new creative heights as he perseveres through the times.
If you’ve been to an Arlo Guthrie concert in the past 20 years, it’s likely you’ve seen his son, Abe Guthrie’s great smile, and heard his adept and tasteful keyboard accompaniment along with his powerful supporting vocals. Abe started performing professionally with his father in the early ’80s, when he founded the band, Xavier. A multi-faceted artist, Abe Guthrie has demonstrated his versatility by having a hand in many music projects worldwide. His varied roles have ranged from performance and studio musician, engineer, producer, graphic artist and of course, Arlo’s right hand man on-stage and off.
Cathy Guthrie always knew she’d be in the music business but never thought she’d be a musician. Overseeing the Los Angeles office for the Guthrie family recording label, Rising Son Records, in 2000 she decided to pair up with Amy Nelson (daughter of Willie Nelson) to form the duo, Folk Uke. With Amy on guitar and Cathy on ukulele they began writing songs and in 2005, they released their self-titled debut CD, which has earned them a cult following. Their vocal harmonies and melodies are sweet and contagious, and their lyrics are explicit.
Annie Guthrie is a prolific songwriter and versatile musician, playing acoustic guitar, bass, and autoharp. Her songs are a pure reflection of her life and she has taken that to heart writing songs that tell it like it is. Annie has been singing ever since she can remember, even appearing at the age of four on Arlo’s album Someday, and later on Woody’s 20 Grow Big Songs, and More Together Again. Previously she has performed with her siblings as The G Babes, with Folk Uke, and with The Guthrie Family Rides Again Tour. In June 2011 she released her single “Lullaby.”
A lot can happen in five years, and for the husband-and-wife duo Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, the time between Exploration, their first album together in 2005, and 2011’s Bright Examples, has been one nonstop whirlwind of activity. Not only has the couple toured extensively both as a duo and as part of the “Guthrie Family Rides Again” tour , they’ve also released the children’s album Go Waggaloo, a live DVD entitled Folk Song and a solo album by Johnny. Bright Examples finds Guthrie and Irion taking their patented country-rock sound and tilting it in a direction Guthrie describes as “more atmospheric or psychedelic, sort of dreamy but colorful.” (SS)