Godfrey Daniels’ summer preview
Diverse lineup ranges from legendary guitarists to up-and-coming folk stars
From a rare appearance by a legendary rock guitarist to the “next Woody Guthrie” Bethlehem’s Godfrey Daniels has a diverse lineup of performances in store as we head into the warmer months.
The venue announced its late spring/summer lineup this week. Here’s what you need to know and some highlights from the new schedule.
The basics
COVID safety: Since the reopening of the club in September 2021 after the COVID shutdown, Godfrey’s has reduced its capacity to 60 seats, (down from 90), requires proof of vaccination, and masks are required in the venue.
Overview of the season: According to Ramona LaBarre, Godfrey’s managing director, the season offers a great deal of the diversity that has marked the club’s 46-year-history. From bluegrass and folk, to country, jazz and Celtic, there will be concerts encompassing many musical genres.
Highlights
An Evening with Lenny Kaye,
7 p.m. May 1 9
Legendary guitarist and author Lenny Kaye will be back on Godfrey’s stage for a night of music and to talk about his new book “Lightning Striking: Ten Transformative Moments in Rock & Roll.”
Kaye has worked with an array of artists and bands. He was the guitarist for poet/ rocker Patti Smith from her band’s inception in 1974. He also co-authored “Waylon, The Life Story of Waylon Jennings.”
Kaye also worked in the studio with such artists as: R.E.M., James, Suzanne Vega, Jim Carroll, Soul Asylum, Kristin Hersh, and Allen Ginsberg. His seminal anthology of 1960s garagerock, “Nuggets,” is widely regarded as defining the genre. “You Call It Madness: The Sensuous Song of the Croon,” an impressionistic study of the romantic singers of the 1930s, was published by Villard/Random House in 2004.
Tickets and info: $30 and will include a copy of the book, which Kaye will sign.
Crys Matthews, 7 p.m. June
19A new voice in folk/ anthem music, Matthews has been called the “next Woody Guthrie.” Matthews is a powerful lyricist whose songs of dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls ‘the poster-child for intersectionality.”
Tickets: $18.50 in advance; $23.50 day of the show.
More from the schedule
Classic folk icons: Ellis Paul will return to the stage on May 22, Tom Paxton & the Don Juans are coming back on June 9; and Christin Lavin, June 18.
Other new acts booked for the season include Ward Hayden & the Outliers, May 20, (rescheduled from Feb.
4); Ward & Hall, May 21;
Free Reeds, May 27; Jesse Ruben, May 28; the Blue Valley Bluegrass Band, June 3; Jesse Terry & Michael Braunfeld, June 4; and EG Kight, June 10.
And more performances: “Front Porch Visit” with Tom & Betty Druckenmiller & Norm Williams, June 11; a triple bill of Godfrey’s folk favorites Reggie Harris, Carolann Solebello, and
Pat Wictor, June 16; Mark Hummel & The Blues Survivors, June 17; Grant Peeples & Jeremy Joyce, June
24; Jack Murray & Blue Tarp Wranglers, June 25, (rescheduled from April 9), and Compton & Newberry, July 16.
To find out more
For the full schedule, ticket info and more: www. godfreydaniels.org.