Today is an offering of a plethora of entries!
This is an announcement of an important event coming up Sunday, May 18th in honor of an amazing artist and musical influence, an observer of the human condition, and a brilliant human spirit; Mr. Dave Van Ronk!
Stop by Christine Lavin's site for updates, and /or this weblog for news regarding DVR Day 2003! There is also a Dave Van Ronk tribute section for your viewing and reviewing.This is the note that Christine sent out recently:
"Dear Folk DJs: Please join us on Sunday May 18th to celebrate what the New York City Council has officially declared "Dave Van Ronk Day." We want you, the folk dj community, to be involved directly in this event.
Tom Paxton, Patrick Sky, Odetta, Paul Geremia, David Massengill, Danny Kalb, Elijah Wald, Frank Christian, Frank Tedesso, Rosalie Sorrels, Sylvia Tyson, Bill Morrissey,
Chris Lowe, Eve Silber, Jeremy Wallace, Phil Namenworth, Terre Roche, Suzanne Vega, Jack Hardy, Josh Joplin and me, Christine Lavin, will be gathering at The Bottom Line, 15 West 4th Street in New York City for two shows, 3:00 and 8:30 PM -- along with artists Suze Rotolo and Enzo Bartoccioli plus special surprise guests (Suze and Enzo are assembling an intermission slide show of Dave's life; the surprise guests are, well, surprise guests!). Everyone is performing one song -- a song written by Dave, made famous by Dave or inspired by Dave.
Excerpts from the forthcoming book by Elijah Wald, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" will be read throughout the show by Suzanne Vega. The show is called "Dave Van Ronk Day: Celebrating the Spirit And Legacy of the Mayor of MacDougal Street." Tickets are $25, the box office is 212.228.6300 and part of the net proceeds will go toward the editing and mastering of Dave's very last concert (October 2001) which, lucky for us, was preserved on tape.
Those who have heard it call it 'the quintessential Ronk experience".
He knew (although no one else did) that it was his last show. At the time of his death he was not signed to any record label, so the plan is to master this album as best as can be done (we are currently talking to a team of engineers who have years of experience with archival material to do it up right). Although Dave was nominated for a Grammy, he never won one, but he wanted to very much. We are hoping that with this project maybe we can help that dream of his to come true. How can the folk dj community be a part of this? If you are on the air on Sunday, May 18th, devote part of your show to the music of Dave Van Ronk, talk about it being "Dave Van Ronk Day" in New York City -- and let me know that you are doing this (I have set up a special email box vanronkday@aol.com specifically for you, the folkdj list, and nothing else).
If you are NOT on the air that day, but are the week prior, do your tribute to Dave at that time and also let me know. I am personally keeping the list of all the djs who take part -- so I need you to email: your name
your program's name
what time it airs
station call letters
city/state That list will be incorporated into the events of that day, either as part of the slide show, or posted at the entrance of the club, or in a printed program. There won't be time to mention all of you personally from the stage, but I will mention the folkdj list and pertinent information about the organization as part of the speechifying (along with the politicians who are doing the reading of the official proclamation). If we know far enough ahead of time, participation of the folk dj list can also be included in the press release that The Bottom Line will send around approximately 4 weeks prior to the event.
The Bottom Line release can state, "Besides the New York City Council declaring it "Dave Van Ronk Day," folk music radio djs from around the country, all part of the folkdj.org cyberspace community (that wording will be exact) will be featuring Dave's music the week of May 11-18th. No performer is getting paid -- they are all donating their concert fees to the pot to get Dave's last concert out there. Dave Van Ronk influenced hundreds of singer/songwriters for close to 50 years. During his lifetime, while revered by many, even receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from ASCAP, he never quite received the acclaim that he deserved. We are hoping this event will help to put the spotlight on him once more, raise enough money to release his last album, and hey, it's going to be a great party. I hope you can be part of it, even if you can't be in New York (or get here if you can!). If you ever met Dave, or saw him perform, or got to interview him, you know what a brilliant man he was, and how deserving he is of this event. Sincerely,
Christine Lavin"
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