New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
CT Folk — and The State House — emerge for ‘Homegrown Folk’ livestream
NEW HAVEN — CT Folk will kick of its 2021 season — and The State House live music venue, mostly shuttered during the pandemic, will return to the public realm — Saturday with “Homegrown Folk,” a livestreamed concert featuring an all-Connecticut lineup of roots and folk acts.
The show will run from 4 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available at www.ctfolk.org or directly at http://bit.ly/3q jmlbZ. Suggested donation is $20.
It will feature Southern CT-raised singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg — with special guest Eric Donnelly of The Alternate Routes — along with the gypsy jazz-inspired music of Bridgeport-based Caravan of Thieves; New Haven’s The Moon Shells playing music influenced by the traditional music of Appalachia, Louisiana and West Africa, among other locales, and Ro Godwynn, a New Havenbased musician and activist who also has sung with local band Phat A$tronaut.
Musician and radio host Frank Critelli will act as master of ceremonies.
“This event was kind of born out of the inspiration to really highlight and embrace where our nonprofit roots came from, and that’s New Haven,” said CT Folk Event Director Nicole Heriot-Mikula. “We wanted to provide a diverse lineup that would entice all,” and “this was the safest way that we could do it.”
“The State House really seemed to be a partnership that we hadn’t really forged before,” Heriot-Mikula said.
State House co-owner Carlos Wells said the venue’s future is by no means assured. But in the meantime, while it seeks grants and takes other measures to try to make it through the pandemic and stay alive,
“we’ve been doing some occasional livestreams.
“For the past year, we’ve been waiting, doing a lot of grantwriting and seeing if we can make it to the end of this,” Wells said. “It’s still kind of iffy . ... I guess the best I can say is we hope to be back.”
On Saturday, there will be limited backline, limited changeovers and “we’ll be making sure that our staff and our talent is safe,” said Heriot-Mikula. There will be no in-person audience other than four guests whom she approved, she said.
The event will be livestreamed by MKDevo, “who is really one of the best in the business. He specializes in multi-camera HD streaming,” she said.
“Our goal is to expand our reach, expand our audience while we still have this livestreaming capability,” Heriot-Mikula said. “I’m psyched. It’s suggested donation only, but we welcome people” whatever they’re able to pay, she said. “It really is going to be a magical evening.”
As an event producer and “a super livemusic fan, I’m certainly hopeful for the opening of live venues,” Heriot-Mikula said.
For the upcoming CT Folk Festival & Green Expo — which Heriot-Mikula said is expected to take place this year, “We’re considering maybe providing several smaller outdoor events with partner venues or partner community organizations, or we might reconfigure what our festival looks like . ... But I am confident ... that it is going to become a reality.”
Heriot-Mikula said in a release, “This concert is a perfect opportunity to support our independent music venues, our hardworking Connecticut-based musicians and to shine a light on the city where our nonprofit roots remain strong. We invite people to stay in touch and learn about our upcoming events, by visiting our social media pages and website, and of course to continue supporting their local musicians and venues.
“While CT Folk misses the artistic beauty and camaraderie that live music experiences provide, we have been gratified with the high quality and eclectic mix of musicians that have graced our virtual stage this past year, and in a manner that has allowed us to grow our viewing audience,” said Lisa Kaston, CT Folk board president.
“While we are still unsure how our full calendar will unfold this year, we look forward to producing live concerts and events, as soon as it is safe to do so,” Kaston said.
“In the midst of the challenges of this past year, we have taken the opportunity to strengthen our existing partnerships, and explore ways in which new alliances can help to further engage and celebrate our diverse community,” she said.