Ellen McIlwaine @ the Roots of Woodstock concert

“An Air of Magic—Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival: The Backstory to “Woodstock,” an article by David Bouton that appears in the winter 2009 issue of Kaatskill Life, offers a great review of the Roots book and concert. Bouton begins with, “[The festival] happened here in the Catskill Mountains. It did not take place at Berkeley, or in the Golden Gate Park near San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. The historic, famous, somewhat spontaneous Woodstock peace, music and arts festival of 1969 in the Catskills was not a fluke either in its nature or its location. Yes, the event eventually was held in Bethel, NY, 70 miles away, but the festival is and forever will be called “Woodstock,” reflecting its origins, its geographical location, its nature, and inherent outlook and attitude: that of the community of Woodstock, NY.”

In writing about Roots of Woodstock Live Concert, Bouton continues, “The performers energized our minds, upped our heartbeats, and had people dancing not only in the aisles but among photos of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix in the theater’s lounge. In true Woodstock style, some from the stage wondered among the crowd and visited with us. Although the concert began at 8 p.m. and the town of Woodstock drifted off to sleep on that wispy foggy evening, the concert in the Bearsville Theater had no time limits and went on through the night.”

David Bouton sums up, “If you missed the concert with its enhanced emotional understandings as to where ‘Woodstock’ came from, you can still find answers to the larger picture of ‘how come?’ with the words of the original townspeople and the library of historic photographs in the Blelocks’ book.”

Also appearing were a local local gospel-infused jam band called Children of God, the 2009 version of the Blues Magoos (!), and the folk-blues singer/guitarist Ellen McIlwaine. (So far as I know, this Children of God has no connection to the notorious mind-control/child-bride cult of the same name. That organization’s founder/ruler, the demonic Tony Alamo, is now incarcerated — for life, I hope — although that hasn’t stopped his zombie believers from scuttling through the streets of the East Village in the pre-dawn hours, inserting their poisonous “literature” under the windshield wipers of parked cars. But I digress…)

Ellen McIlwaine released two Polydor albums, Honky Tonk Angel (1972) and We The People (1973), that were among my wife’s turntable favorites as an Oberlin College undergrad.  I dimly recalled seeing this artist live, probably in Minneapolis circa 1973-74, when I may have dismissed her as a Bonnie Raitt wannabe. I’d barely played Ellen’s two-CD retrospective, Up From The Skies: The Polydor Years (Universal Music, now stupidly out of print) , that had been taking up precious shelf space since its release in 1998. So I had no particular expectations of this gig except that it might come as a pleasant surprise to Leslie, who’d never seen her live back in that day.

Jerry Moore's Children of God

We’d like to express our appreciation to the many individuals and organizations that so graciously gave their time, enthusiasm and resources, helping to make the August 15 concert and Zero-Carbon fundraiser a resounding success. Heartfelt thanks go to the in-kind sponsors—Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Sun Mountain Solar (Larry Brown, on-site solar tech!), Naomi Graphics and Hurley Ridge Market; and the Eco-Raffle sponsors—Cameron Design, H. Houst & Son, Oriole9 Restaurant, Overlook Mountain Bikes, Paul Alexander Construction Co., Pondicherry Yoga Arts, River Rock Health Spa, Rondout Savings Bank, Sunflower Natural Foods Market, Susun Weed, SweetHeart Gallery, Village Green Bed & Breakfast, Woodstock Music Shop and Woodstock Chimes®. A great debt of gratitude is owed to Steve Walter and to the musicians—the Blues Magoos, Hubert Sumlin and band, Ellen McIlwaine, Marc Black and band, Jerry Moore and the Children of God, and the Robbie Turner Band. Thanks go also to the Bearsville Theater—Peter Cantine, Lisa Hantes, Robert Frazza, and other members of the staff. Rick Schneider of WKZE was a knowledgeable and adroit emcee; we thank him and the whole of WKZE for their support. Chuck Ballantine and Chris Andersen, we thank you for your audio assistance.

Further, we’re grateful to Barry Samuels and Ellen Shapiro of The Golden Notebook and Jody Bryan of H. Houst & Son for lending us sidewalk space to sell the Eco Raffle tickets . . . and to the Eco Raffle ticket buyers for supporting Woodstock’s Zero-Carbon Initiative with their purchases. Thanks go also to Steve Burnham for delivering the solar trailer and to Mannajo Greene of Clearwater for her help in securing the trailer. We very much appreciate assistance received from the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Arts in publicizing the Roots events. We thank the Woodstock Environmental Commission and Jeff Moran for helping us establish the best use of the Eco Raffle funds. Last but certainly not least, we thank Representative Maurice Hinchey, Senator John Bonacic and Assemblymember Kevin Cahill for their letters of support.

Weston Blelock and Julia Blelock

“WOODSTOCK, N.Y. Before Woodstock, from 1967 to 1969 there were small-scale, noncommercial musical festivals in the woods called Sound Outs that helped the promoter Michael Lang come up with the idea of the Woodstock Festival. The main observances of the anniversary are in Bethel, but Woodstock’s version of Woodstock at 40 is a concert on Saturday billed as a celebration of the Sound Outs. Performers will include Mr. [Michael] Esposito and the reunited Blues Magoos.” To read the entire article click here.

The Woodstock Festivals and Sound-Outs: Then

Then: “The Sound-Outs were a series of impromptu concerts held on a farm between Saugerties and Woodstock. The first one, on Labor Day weekend 1967, included performers Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Junior Wells, Billy Batson, and Major Wiley. ‘I can’t remember who told me about them,’ says [producer and publisher Weston] Blelock, who was a teenager at the time. ‘But when you are at a certain age you just absorb these things. Then people like [radio personality] Bob Fass started to bring in bigger acts. There were a lot of people who didn’t appear in the paper, but would just spontaneously come; it was very casual. A lot of the bands didn’t even get paid, they weren’t concerned about money. But people kept coming — they came under the fence, over the fence, any way they could get in.’”

Now: “If no concert since the iconic fest in ’69 has been able to satisfy your soul, don’t despair. On August 15, in honor of Woodstock’s 40th anniversary, two Hudson Valley venues serve up a healthy dose of epic rock. Join [the Blue Magoos], iconic blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin, and former Fear Itself frontwoman Ellen McIlwaine at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock for the Roots of Woodstock Live Concert. Hosted by Woodstock Arts, the fund-raiser benefits Zero-Carbon Woodstock, a community carbon-neutrality initiative. For up-to-date lineup and ticket information, visit www.rootsofwoodstock.com.”

To read the entire article click here.

Clearwater Solar Trailer

The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater solar trailer will be arriving at the Bearsville Theater on Friday, August 14 . . . just in time to power the soundstage and light show at Roots of Woodstock Live Concert on Saturday, August 15. Larry Brown of Sun Mountain Solar has graciously agreed to act as the on-site solar tech for the event. The Roots concert is a 40^th anniversary Woodstock festival celebration and zero-carbon fundraiser.

Roots of Woodstock Live Concert  

Sound-Out Era Celebrated on August 15

Woodstock, NY—August 6, 2009—Roots of Woodstock Live Concert, a fortieth anniversary celebration in Woodstock, represents a return to WOODSTOCK’s Sound-Out roots. The Sound-Out mini festivals of 1967 through 1969 drew musicians such as John Herald, Tim Hardin, Kenny Rankin, Richie Havens, Paul Butterfield and Van Morrison. They came together to jam in an open field on the outskirts of Woodstock. As Michael Lang acknowledged in the newly published Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, “The Sound-Outs were kind of the spark for the Woodstock Festival.”

On Saturday, August 15, at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, the Blues Magoos, Hubert Sumlin and band, Ellen McIlwaine, Marc Black, the Robbie Turner Band, and Jerry Moore, with The Children of God, will play straight sets and jam sets in the old Sound-Out tradition. Doors will open at 7 p.m.; the music will begin at 8 p.m. and go all night. For the Blues Magoos, Ellen McIlwaine and Jerry Moore, the concert will be something of a reunion, as all are Sound-Out veterans. Blues hall of famer Hubert Sumlin and band will perform in a nod to Sound-Out alumni Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry. Woodstock troubadour Marc Black was strongly influenced by the music of Sound-Out performer Tim Hardin. Robbie Turner, who attended the original Sound-Outs, will participate this time from the stage.

Part of the night’s proceeds will support Woodstock’s Zero-Carbon Initiative, passed in 2007. The Clearwater solar trailer will power the soundstage and a sixties light show. Steve Walter, formerly of The Cutting Room in New York City, has been instrumental in booking the music acts. According to Walter, “The Bearsville Theater is a wonderful performance space and has great acoustics. Given its indoor setting, this will be an intimate WOODSTOCK. Expect a great party and surprise guests.” 

As WBAI radio host Bob Fass says of the sixties Sound-Outs in his foreword to Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival, “They were to be a party, a happening . . . The blues guitar and the honky-tonk piano met the electron. And with the light shows and the confluence of various liberating potions, there was a feeling that a new cultural mix was taking place  . . . The Chicago police rioters and the anti-warriors, the Rosebud Nation, Steam Punks and multimedia macrobiotic artists all came to the party in Pan Copeland’s field. She danced to the pipes of Pan and all came to the party call Sound-Out.”

For more on the concert and the Sound-Outs, see www.rootsofwoodstock.com. To purchase 8/15 concert tickets visit www.bearsvilletheater.com or call 845-679-4406.

 About Roots of Woodstock LLC

 The concert’s producers are Weston Blelock and Julia Blelock of Roots of Woodstock LLC. The Blelocks are also publishers of a related WoodstockArts book, released in July: Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival: The Backstory to “Woodstock.”

 About Steve Walter

 Concert booker Steve Walter was a managing partner of The Cutting Room from 1999 until earlier this year. Acts associated with the club include Sting, Donovan, Melanie and many others.

About the Blues Magoos

 The Blues Magoos opened nationally for the Who in 1967 and charted at #5 on Billboard with “(We Ain’t Got) Nothin’ Yet.” Their album Psychedelic Lollipop was released in the late sixties. In 1968 they appeared at the Woodstock Sound-Outs, and these days they continue to perform in the New York area. In a recent show they played at The Fillmore in New York City with The Zombies.

 About Hubert Sumlin

 Born in 1936, Hubert Sumlin is one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time. He started his climb to fame in 1955 when he became a guitarist for Howlin’ Wolf’s band, and is best known for his work in the sixties on such songs as “Built for Fortune,” “Shake for Me,” Goin’ Down Slow,” Killing Floor,” and Wang Dang Doodle.” Rolling Stone has him on their list of 100 greatest guitarists, and Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Robbie Robertson and Jimi Hendrix have all cited his playing as a source of inspiration. In May 2009 he was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

 About Ellen McIlwaine

 Ellen McIlwaine plays a hot propulsive slide guitar and has a big voice to match. In the early sixties she opened for Odetta, Richie Havens and Jimi Hendrix in Greenwich Village. In 1968 she arrived in Woodstock, New York, with her psychedelic band, Fear Itself. Here she played at several of the Sound-Outs. In the 1970s she recorded a string of albums for Polydor that won her a cult following. In 1987 she became a resident of Canada and is an active participant on the Canadian blues and festival circuit.

 About Marc Black

 Marc Black has been in the Woodstock area since 1969. He was “Folk Artist of the Year” on ABC Radio’s Fame Games, and a Kerrville Festival “New Folk” winner. Over the years Black has collaborated with such musicians as Warren Bernhardt, Steve Gadd, Art Garfunkel, John Sebastian, Garth Hudson and Richie Havens. He is now a Woodstock poet and troubadour with his own group, the Marc Black Band. In this show he will perform as a solo act.

Peppy and Ralph at The Fillmore

The Magoos will headline at the Roots of Woodstock Live Concert on August 15, and are scheduled to hit the stage at 11:15 pm. It will be something of a reunion as Ellen McIlwaine and Jerry Moore (with The Children of God), fellow Sound-Out vets, are also scheduled to play that night.

The Blues Magoos are recording new material for Wicked Cool Records, Little Steven’s label. The latter is a big fan. The group is scheduled to appear at a Spanish music festival in the fall.

Jerry Moore's LIFE IS A CONSTANT JOURNEY HOME

We heard from Jerry Moore, who’s thinking about re-forming the Jerry Moore Work Band and/or Children of God. These acts were staples on the Woodstock music scene in the late sixties and seventies.

Jerry’s brother, Don Moore, was a member of Children of God for a time and he says the group took their name from an Odetta song. The lyric went something like “We are all children of God.” Don says they obtained Odetta’s permission to use the phrase as the name of their band. They were like the Chambers Brothers and their music had a great get-up-and-go vibe. It got people dancing. They had a guitar line plus a trumpet and saxophone players. In 1969 they played the Woodstock Sound-Outs at Pan Copeland’s farm. After the Woodstock festival at Bethel, Michael Lang bought out their management contract.

Jerry Moore plans to debut his re-formed band at Roots of Woodstock Live Concert on 8/15/09.