Winter Antifolk Festival, now in its 20th year, is underway at Sidewalk Cafe

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Over the last 20 years the back room at the Sidewalk Cafe on Avenue A and East Sixth Street has been an incubator, laboratory and town square for a dynamic community of performing artists. It helped launch the careers of singer-songwriters like Regina Spektor, Adam Green, Kimya Dawson, and Jeffrey Lewis, and today is one of the few remaining Manhattan venues that welcome and nurture emerging performers.

More than 80 artists who represent a cross-section of standout talent from the scene will appear in the Winter Antifolk Festival 2014, running Feb. 18 through Feb 28. Among the notable performers scheduled are Hamell on Trial, Debe Dalton, Crazy & the Brains, Larkin Grimm, Fayaway, and Jason Trachtenburg. Special guest artists will also appear. Sidewalk Cafe is located at 94 Avenue A at East Sixth Street. There is no cover charge, although there is a one-item food or drink minimum.

The biannual Antifolk Festival was launched in the mid-1980s by a group of young songwriters who created the event as an alternative to the more mainstream New York Folk Festival. The Antifolk scene then coalesced around a regular open mic session, the Antihoot, that was spearheaded by the songwriter Lach and moved from spot to spot before settling in at Sidewalk Cafe in 1993. Lach was Antifolk’s ringleader and impresario until 2008 when he handed the baton of leadership to Ben Krieger. Today the landmark Monday night open stage is still the focal point of the Sidewalk scene, although the club offers shows seven nights per week. Krieger now oversees the Sidewalk stage in partnership with Somer Bingham.

So, what is Antifolk? Many participants have said that it describes a community of artists rather than a particular style. “Antifolk revolves around conviction and passion, and is inclusive of many different types of sounds,” said Krieger. “The best way to learn more about it is to come to Sidewalk Cafe and listen to the artists playing today.”

Check out the full list of performers here.

In other Sidewalk-related news, American Songwriter reported yesterday that Ben Krieger is stepping down as Sidewalk's booker. Somer Bingham, who has been running sound there the past six years, will be taking over. Krieger will still be hosting the Monday Night Open Stage.

The Summer Antifolk Festival starts tonight at Sidewalk Cafe

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The 10-day Summer Antifolk Festival at Sidewalk Cafe will feature performances by more than 90 acts in a jam-packed showcase of music and other performing arts that characterize the ongoing creative scene at the renowned East Village venue. The Fest, which runs August 6 through 16, is the concluding event in the year-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of Antifolk at Sidewalk Cafe. It brings together a large cross-section of performers who have been part of the close-knit Sidewalk community over the last two decades, many of whom are returning to the club for rare appearances.

It also features some of the brightest newcomers in the scene. The Summer Antifolk Festival runs August 6 through 16 at Sidewalk Cafe, 94 Avenue A (at Sixth Street). There is no cover charge for shows, although there is a one-item food or drink minimum.

Check out the Sidewalk website for more details and complete list of performers.

Antifolk Festival starts tonight at Sidewalk

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Antifolk Festival Highlights More than Fifty Performers and Groups, September 19 through 25 at Sidewalk Cafe

After five months in exile, the Antifolk community has returned to its home on Avenue A. The Fall 2011 Antifolk Festival, which takes place September 19 through 25, will feature performances by more than 50 songwriters, groups, and other performers who are part of the extensive network of artists that orbits around Sidewalk Cafe. In addition to showcasing a cross-section of performers from the Sidewalk community, this year’s Festival marks a celebration of the group’s return to its longtime home after the restaurant suddenly closed in March for extensive renovations. Sidewalk Cafe is located at 94 Avenue A at Sixth Street.

Artists
Among those scheduled to play the Festival are Sidewalk veteran and Rough Trade recording artist Jeffrey Lewis; Vincent Cacchione, lead singer of the band Caged Animals; Jason Trachtenburg with his group The Pendulum Swings; and Antifolk pioneer Kirk Kelly. It also marks the return of banjo-player and underground songwriting sensation Debe Dalton after her seven-month recovery from a traumatic hand injury. Dalton is a beloved figure on the scene whose stirring performances have been missed. She will close the Fest on the final candle-lit, all acoustic “Blackout Night,” with a special bill of artists she selected. Among the many dynamically talented performers representing more recent generations of Sidewalk artists are the brilliant songwriter and singer Emily Einhorn, the punk rock and classical xylophone-influenced group Crazy and the Brains; laid back ukelele maestro Morgan Heringer; and the jazz-influenced, piano-based Albert Goold Band.

Fall 2011 Antifolk Festival
Complete Schedule Here
September 19 through 25
Sidewalk Cafe, 94 Avenue A (6th Street)
No cover charge, one drink minimum