This weekend (July 11-12), roll up your sleeves for some hootin’, hollerin’ barn-burnin’ revelry - and you don’t even have to leave the city. The Great American Roots Stomp is back: a two-night Brooklyn festival showcasing eight acclaimed local bands audaciously bringing Americana roots back into the spotlight. Don't miss it this Friday and Saturday at Park Slope's eclectic watering hole Union Hall (while there, pick up a copy of our Ten Year Anniversary OIssue!.

Friday night features a range of high-energy performances, from bluegrass to country to jazz. Jumbo Brown (pictured and streaming) is a group of wild southern boys bringing the sounds of a back porch jam, gold rush piano parlor, and a Mardi Gras parade to the big city. Bobtown's compelling blend of voices and instruments move gracefully between elegy and celebration. The Melody Allegra Band's virtuosic instrumentals include Melody's own fiddling, which has been featured on an episode of House of Cards. Seth Kessel & the Two Cent Band moves effortlessly from Prohibition-era swing to gypsy jazz to 1950s rock ’n’ roll without skipping a beat.

Saturday night features strong songwriting and colorful voices. Union Street Preservation Society, an irresistibly lively string band with a Cash-Carter dynamic, weaves new songs from the fabric of bluegrass, old-time and early jazz. Jan Bell & The Maybelles' lilting harmonies combine sounds from backroads America with a UK coal mining background; they are winner of the 2008 Independent Music Awards' Alt. Country Album of the year. The Alex Mallett Band offers genre-jumping, banjo-driven sing-a-long songs with a strong beat and an uncanny wit. Opening the night, Sara Bouchard & the Salt Parade's signature salty-sweet vocals will stop you in your tracks while smart, colorful lyrics - taken from history books and other unlikely sources - will hold you hypnotized.  

There's quite a bit more to NYC folk music than the uninitiated might think. Musician, show organizer, and ex Deli distro van driver extraordinaire Alex Borsody has managed to bring a bunch of divergent folk sub-sub-genres together for Psychedelix Americana for a two night show at the Bell House on April 11/12 . From Gangstagrass' hip-hop flavored folk jams, to Andy Statman's legendary flame-throwing mandolin playing, to honky-tonk cover ladies Your Ex-Girlfriends, and West Coast alt-country guests New Riders of the Purple Sage, this show features it all. Even Alex will be joining in, with his own unique take on Folk with his band, Union Street Preservation Society. Other bands on the bill include, Scott Metzger, DEJ Superjam, Melody Allegra Band, Bennett Sullivan, Astrograss Plays John Hartford, King Stork, Chris Q Murphey, Seth Kessell and The Alex Mallett Band.  The show is sponsored by Relix Magazine and yours truly The Deli Rag.

Get on over to the Bell House Fri-Sat, April 11-12, and find out how much there is to NYC's myriad roots and Americana scene - ticket pre sale here. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

If you're like me, Halloween is just too awesome to celebrate one day a year. Lucky for you, the folkies at The 1st Annual Rotten Apple Roots & Bluegrass Halloween Party feel the same way. It's a once a year celebration where you'll get to wear your costume for a second time, and listen to some of the finest folk NYC has to offer. Headlined by Charlottesville's The Hackensaw Boys and Hillbilly Brooklyn punk troubadour Morgan O'Kane, these acoustic virtuosos would be worth the price of admission alone. Joining them will be talented NYC fiddler Melody Allegra Berger, jamgrass impresarios Union Street Preservation Society sharing the stage with Diamond Eye Jack Superjam and bushels more of folk bands. So check out all the details here. See you on Fri, Nov. 1st at The Bell House, and remember to dress as silly as you can for the occasion. - Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)

They say good things come to those who wait... and for Union Street Preservation Society, the Brooklyn-based folk-bluegrass revival group that has been touring across New England over the past several months, their homecoming is cause for celebration. If not only for the fact that they're playing with acclaimed bluegrass mandolinist and klezmer clarinetist Andy Statman, then just as much because singer/guitarist Dave Lieberman has finally recovered from his recent biking accident. Their debut full-length, "Spring to Rust," will be in full effect (I'm hoping to hear my fave 'Meet Me in Spring'), and from what I understand.. the band will be showing off some new pieces as well. Should be a real barnburner. See them perform April 29 with Andy Statman at The Living Room, and if you find yourself in Cambridge, MA on Friday April 27th, see them play with This Way, their roots-rock pals from Portland, ME.

It’s not often you see the words “Brooklyn” and “Americana string band” used in the same sentence, but Union Street Preservation Society brings the two together seamlessly. Comprised of five members from all parts of the country, the jazz-infused string quintet introduces upbeat rhythms, perfect instrument pairings, and musicality that sings without words. Their EP Spring to Rust, brings back the American roots tradition, full of life and bluegrass bounce that can lift you up and mellow you out all in one album.  The band includes, Sara Bouchard (vox/mando), Jason Bertone (vox/bass),  Harrison Hollingsworth (vox/fiddle), David Lieberman (vox/rhythm guitar) and Alex Borsody (lead guitar). Union Street Preservation Society is the ultimate hybrid of solid musicians, genuine roots feel, and that old country sound that brings you back to the lazy days of summer in the heart of America. - See them live at Spike Hill tonight with This Way and Frankenpine (01.06) and read Christina Morelli's interview with the band here.