OntheWilderSide

Beginning on April 21, and continuing on the third Thursday of each month, the Cinema Arts Centre’s Sky Room will be home to the Folk Music Society of Huntington’s Hard Luck Café series. The 8:30 p.m. concerts, usually featuring a split bill with two artists/acts, will be preceded by open mics at 7:30 p.m. Admission will be $7 for Cinema Arts Centre and Folk Music Society of Huntington members; $10 for nonmembers.

April’s featured artists will be singer songwriters Lara Herscovitch and Josh Joffen. Herscovitch was Connecticut’s State Troubadour for 2009-2010, while Joffen is a two-time winner of the prestigious Kerrville New Folk Competition for Songwriters.

Note: Joffen and Robert Bruey, another Long Island-based singer-songwriter, also will perform a few songs during a free reception in the Sky Room in honor of the new partnership on Thursday, March 3, from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

On Wednesday and Thursday, April  6 and 7, the Folk Music Society of Huntington joins the Cinema Arts Centre in co-presenting two screenings of the new documentary “Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune,” along with a discussion of the film featuring the late American troubadour’s sister, Sonny Ochs (on April 6), and filmmaker Kenneth Bowser (on April 7). Folk harmony trio Gathering Time also will perform a few original numbers and songs by Phil Ochs during a reception following the film on April 7. 

Since its inception in 1992, the Hard Luck Café has presented local, regional and up-and-coming touring artists in an atmosphere similar to the coffeehouses of the 1960s and 1970s. The series concludes its run at the Congregational Church of Huntington in Centerport — where The Folk Music Society of Huntington continues to hold its First Saturdays Series of concerts featuring national and international touring artists — on Saturday, March 19, with a song swap featuring members of the Island Songwriters Showcase.

“Our new partnership with the Cinema Arts Centre provides us with an opportunity to enhance our visibility and expand our audience,” says Michael Kornfeld, president of the Folk Music Society of Huntington.  “The setting of the Cinema’s Sky Room resembles that of some of the coffeehouses of yore. And, by switching to Thursday nights, we hope to attract the interest of more touring singer-songwriters and acoustic artists.”

Dylan Skolnick, co-director of the Cinema Arts Centre, along with Charlotte Sky, says: “In these challenging times, it’s essential for arts organizations to work together in helping to broaden the horizons of their respective audiences. We’re delighted to be collaborating with the Folk Music Society of Huntington and look forward to providing a vibrant venue for great folk music on Long Island.”

Established in 1973, the Cinema Arts Centre (423 Park Avenue, Huntington) seeks to bring the best of cinematic artistry to Long Island and use the power of film to expand the awareness and consciousness of our community. LI’s only not-for-profit, viewer-supported, independent cinema presents a wide array of films that are often accompanied by discussions and guest speakers. www.cinemaartscentre.org.

Acknowledged as the musical conscience of society, folk music has preserved – in its variety of forms – the joys, struggles and sorrows of people worldwide. Now in its 42^nd year, the Folk Music Society of Huntington presents two monthly concert series, a monthly folk jam and sing-along, and an annual Huntington Folk Festival in conjunction with the Huntington Arts Council.

www.fmshny.org.

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Filed under: Art, Calendar, events, film, local, long island, Long Island Music, long island music scene, music, new york, News, original music, Press Release, suffolk, suffolk county Tagged: | connecticut, folk music, Josh Joffen, Lara Herscovitch, long island, music, phil ochs, Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune, singer-songwriter, united states