What’s a Hootenanny? Stop by the Greenwich House Music School to find out. The Music School and New York City based Americana band The Amigos have partnered to present a new community series: The Amigos Family Dinner, their version of a Hootenanny.
The monthly series has revived the spirit of the legendary hootenannies held in the Village by Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. The Greenwich House twist has The Amigos performing with local and touring guest artists in intimate collaboration, conversation, and unusual musical experiments with audience participation. Each dinner is part block party, part jam session and part potluck.
Rachel Black, Music School Director says, “Everyone who comes has a terrific time, and hopefully learns a little more about our musical roots along the way.” Black describes the Amigos as “consummate musicians with a deep knowledge of early Americana music, whose approach to each concert is all about community building.”
The Amigos have gained recognition for their foot-stomping, accordion-infused Americana music blending folk-rock, zydeco and hot jazz. Their rockin’ solos, dare-devil harmony singing and wild western-wear earned them an appointment at the U.S. Department of State as one of their 2013 Music Ambassadors.
The Amigos Family Dinner series kicked off in September with Folk Masters. The tribute to four pillars of folk music, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Odetta and Leadbelly, featured performances by the Amigos and legendary classical/folk/jazz musician David Amram. Additional shows had the audience blowing horns and banging on drums, from New Orleans style to Afro Pop.
Amigos’ Justin Poindexter described the series as “more interactive and freewheeling than a formal concert. Greenwich Village is famous for fostering a community that welcomes performers, known and unknown, to share their talents on an open microphone.” Poindexter continued, “We’d like to welcome some of that spirit into the Amigos Family Dinner, and invite anyone from expert musician to music fan to come and get a plate of food and have a good time.”
Catch the final show this year on December 10 with Shake, Rattle, and Roll: A Folk Music Dance Party. Poindexter encourages all to shine up your dancing boots and get ready to shake it. He notes that this show will differ from the others as dancers will accompany the music, performing flamenco, bluegrass, ballet, zydeco, tap and Jazz to American folk songs. A traditional Appalachian folk dance lesson and exuberant Amigos dance party will follow.
The Amigos Family Dinner series is held in Greenwich House Music School’s Renee Weiler Concert Hall (46 Barrow Street) in the heart of the West Village. A $5 donation is suggested and participants are encouraged to bring a food item to share. All ages are welcomed, 7:00-9:00 pm.
