by Eileen Weber
What could be better than a little hometown music mixed in with promoting a sustainable existence? This weekend, make your way to Edgerton Park in New Haven for the CT Folk Festival & Green Expo.
Now in its second decade, the New Haven-based CT Folk is the parent organization for the Connecticut Folk Festival & Green Expo, which is nonprofit and primarily volunteer. CT Folk is dedicated to traditional and contemporary roots music and to caring for the earth.
The festival and expo will have over 75 exhibitors, workshops and activities for both kids and adults, food from local vendors, and live music on their world stage from local musicians. Starting at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, the first ever CT Folk Songwriting Contest will feature the competition’s finalists.
Out of over 75 musicians, only five were selected based on their abilities in songwriting and overall performance. One finalist will be chosen and asked to join the program scheduled for the Main Stage later that evening. That musician will share the stage with such professional peers as Susan Werner, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, and the CT State Troubadour Lara Herscovitch
The finalists are Sam Chase and Walter Rodriguez of Massachusetts, Rebecca Pronsky and Allison Tartalia from New York, and Fairfield native Brian Dolzani.
Now in its second decade, the New Haven-based CT Folk is the parent organization for the Connecticut Folk Festival & Green Expo, which is nonprofit and primarily volunteer. CT Folk is dedicated to traditional and contemporary roots music and to caring for the earth.
The festival and expo will have over 75 exhibitors, workshops and activities for both kids and adults, food from local vendors, and live music on their world stage from local musicians. Starting at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, the first ever CT Folk Songwriting Contest will feature the competition’s finalists.
Out of over 75 musicians, only five were selected based on their abilities in songwriting and overall performance. One finalist will be chosen and asked to join the program scheduled for the Main Stage later that evening. That musician will share the stage with such professional peers as Susan Werner, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, and the CT State Troubadour Lara Herscovitch
The finalists are Sam Chase and Walter Rodriguez of Massachusetts, Rebecca Pronsky and Allison Tartalia from New York, and Fairfield native Brian Dolzani.
"It's impossible to say who is the favorite in this contest," said Anne Killheffer, a member of CT Folk's board, in a recent press release. "Rebecca Pronsky is a finalist in the prestigious National Public Radio NewSong Festival contest. Brian Dolzani was a standout at our Tour des Farms concert in May. Both Allison Tartalia and Walter Rodriguez have placed their songs in TV and movies. And Sam Chase trained at the Berklee College of Music. They're competing for a slot on the Festival Main Stage, so you know they are going to bring their `A' game.”
Dolzani feels this is a great opportunity to residents from the local area that may not be familiar with his work. For those who follow him more regularly, he can be found playing at local “listening rooms” in and around town like the Acoustic Café on Fairfield Avenue in Black Rock. In June, he had a one-man show at the Fairfield Theatre Company to a packed audience of more than 200 people.
Dolzani certainly has his sites set on branching out to a broader national crowd. But, he said the local angle is important to him as well.
“In years past, [Fairfield] wasn't exactly a place to be 'discovered', or even a place to build a strong following. However that's changed a lot in the last five years or so,” he said. “I'm very happy there are now platforms and 'stages' so to speak to be seen in this local community, especially CT Folk supporting local songwriters. It really means a lot to me to be known in the area.”
Around the time Dolzani submitted his work to CT Folk for consideration, he performed at their Tour des Farms this past spring. His music style stood out and it has had a snowball effect ever since.
“Before the Tour event, the CT Folk organization hadn't been too familiar with my music,” he said. “I'm very happy that they are enjoying my music.”
The New York Times has described his music as “wistful” with a sort of romantic “ennui”. The New Haven Advocate said his music is an “excellent blend of feeling and funk…combined [with] the intimacy you expect from a one-man band…”
“I need to write and sing lyrics that grab me right away, and make a strong impression,” Dolzani said of his own work. “And so it has to be personal and revealing. Casual listeners actually make me nervous. The people who really get my music deeply, get me deeply, and that is most rewarding.”
After his appearance this weekend, Dolzani’s upcoming shows include Caffe Vivaldi on Jones Street in New York City on September 14th. On September 24th, he will be playing at the Blue Back Square for an outdoor show in West Hartford. In New Haven, he will play on October 1st at Café Nine on State Street.
While the CT Folk Festival has been around for a couple of decades, this will be the fifth annual Green Expo. Free and open to the public, the event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. featuring 75 exhibitors, demonstrations and workshops to promote a sustainable lifestyle. Tickets are available for the concert on the Main Stage. This year’s theme focuses on local food, local farming, local services, local transportation, and, not surprisingly with Dolzani on board, local musicians.
Other headliners on stage will be Red Molly, The Professors of Bluegrass (featuring Yale Provost Peter Salovey on bass), and New Haven favorite Rob Messore will perform for children.
For more information about the CT Folk Festival & Green Expo, visit their web site at www.ctfolk.com. For more information about upcoming shows or to listen to some of his best tunes, visit Brian Dolzani’s web site at www.briandolzani.com.
Logo courtesy of CT Folk. Photo of Dolzani courtesy of Charlotte B.
Never got tired listening to his music, for Blues is my favorite music.
Posted by: greens plus | August 23, 2011 at 02:43 AM
Oh, this is exciting! Good luck to see your blog of all the applicants, thank you share the information.
Posted by: Supra Shoes | October 07, 2010 at 05:33 AM