Got nothin’ much today folks. Just a photo of Cambridge Common that I took earlier this evening as I was walking back to my car from Club Passim. The blog should get more interesting soon though. This weekend I’m going on a yarn adventure in Northampton…
Holy sunglasses and UV protection! Cambridge weather turned gorgeous just in time for the River Festival! This year’s Festival grew into one merry throng as the day progressed, but you could still find a grassy spot to park, picnic, and enjoy the ambience along the Charles.
Though I didn’t see as much music as I would have liked, what I did see was great. My favorite musical performance of the day was acoustic soul singer Maya Azucena (Lisa, you should check her out, you would like her).
Four stages kept the River Festival lively. Cambridge native Bobby Tynes was a crowd pleaser at the Shout Stage.
The tented craft-vendor-row showcased an expected array of handmade bags, stained glass, jewelry, and clothing…
along with a few unexpected items…
Including these funky doggie collars at Bowchies.
And then there was the hula hoop frenzy stirred up by this seemingly harmless man from All Star Hula Hoops.
All in all, who doesn’t love a festival in which after an afternoon of eating, listening to music, and tent shopping, one can stretch out on the warm grass and watch a boatload of tourists cruising the Charles, happily relishing the thought that at this moment you are not fighting for a parking space with a single one of them.
As you may recall (if you have been reading on a regular basis), I went to Club Passim on Friday to see Rory Block. I am a little ashamed to say that I had NO idea how famous Club Passim was/is. For those of you as ignorant as I, Club Passim was a mecca for folk music in the 1960s. Both Bob Dylan and Joan Baez played Passim, which at that time was called Club 47, at least until it was shut down in 1968. A year after the doors of Club 47 were closed, the club reopened as Passim. Eric Von Schmidt has written a book about the early days of the club called Baby, Let Me Follow You Down: The Illustrated Story of the Cambridge Folk Years, and you can bet I will be checking it out from the local library. Even now this cozy non-profit club regularly hosts well known folk musicians (for example, later this month Glen Philips — formerly of Toad the Wet Sprocket — and John Prine will be playing) as well as newbies to the music scene.
I can hardly believe that I knew so little about the club, even though I often frequent Veggie Planet, the vegetarian restaurant whose daytime dining room IS Club Passim (and whose food is served in the club during shows).
So in honor of Club Passim, today’s video is of Boston-based fiddler Hanneke Cassel performing at Club Passim.
Henneke Cassel
Garden variety North American Nomad. Born in the Midwest; lived and worked on the West Coast and abroad; studied in the South. Recently spotted putting down roots in New England.
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