Second Village Trip bigger
& better than first
BY GABE HERMAN
The second-avenue Village Trip
Founder and executive producer Liz Thomson
with David Amram at an opening night event.
PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
“The New School all-l-star jazz concert
conmemories
was a blast, while memories hool
of the
great Izzy Young and the folk revival
were conjured up at The Bitter End in
an emotive hootenanny
he -
es
ory
reets
that brought Blues
Awards-winner Rory
Block back to the streets
where she grew up and honed
her craft.
“And of course glorious
glorious
weather ensured that Bringing It All
Back Home to Washington Square, our
free concert in the Park headlined by
Steve Earle, was a great success. His set
spoke directly to the history of Greenwich
Village – which is exactly what
The Village Trip aims to do.”
Thomson added about the festival’s
second year, “Our thanks to everyone
who took part, and to those who came
Shaina Taub performing at Joe’s
Pub.
PHOTO BY MILO HESS
– and of course to all the sponsors,
partners and donors whose support has
made The Village Trip possible.
“Now we need to evaluate what
works and create a sustainable festival
that is both ofand for the Village community
yet which brings people in from
across New York and far beyond to
spend money downtown and boost the
local economy.”
festival, which ran from Sept.
26-29 across Greenwich Village,
featured an expanded lineup of events
including social justice panels, writing
seminars, poetry readings and concerts
showcasing a variety of musical genres.
After a pre-festival poetry reading
on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at St. Mark’s
in the Bowery, the following night featured
the Village Trip’s Hootenanny at
The Bitter End. It was also a salute to
Izzy Young, who was at the center of
the Village folk scene and died earlier
this year.
There was also an opening night event
on Sept. 26 at NYU’s Bobst Library in
honor of David Amram, the celebrated
composer who is Artist Emeritus of the
Village Trip.
“David is the spirit of the Village,”
said Liz Thomson, founder and executive
producer of the Village Trip. She
presented Amram with a personalized
Village Trip jacket and a portrait of him
by local artist Rita Paul, whose work is
featured throughout the nearby Washington
Square Hotel.
Amram noted that he first came to
Greenwich Village in 1955, and met all
kinds of artists and interesting people.
“All coming to be together in the concrete
jungle and hang out and support
each other,” Amram said.
“I still love the Village,” Amram added,
“I just live somewhere else because
I can’t afford to be here.” But he noted
that the area still has a spiritual feel to
it, and said it’s an amazing place just to
walk through.
Thomson also noted the Village’s
great history in so many fields, including
art, history and social movements.
“These crooked streets speak volumes,”
she said. “I hope we can make it an annual
festival.”
Friday’s lineup included
a social justice panel
at the Jefferson Market
Library called “Censorship
and Erosion of First
Amendment Rights.” The
panel included George
Gibson of Grove Press,
Arthur Eisenberg of the
ACLU and Jeremy Kutner
of Pro Publica. Discussion
topics included
the history of banned and
censored books in America,
President Trump’s efforts
to subvert democracy
by suppressing speech
and the media, and the
current state of local and
investigative journalism.
Weekend events included
another social
justice panel, on LGBTQ
issues, and a classical
music concert of musicians
performing compositions written
by Amram during his years in the Village
that were inspired by the neighborhood.
There was also a concert in Washington
Square Park, featuring Steve
Earle, Mark Ribot and The Tall Pines.
An evening performance at Joe’s Pub
starred singer-songwriter Shaina Taub,
and a jazz concert at the New School
featured performances by faculty and
other guests.
After the festival concluded, Thomson
summed up the weekend to the
Villager: “The Village Trip 2019 was
a broader event than our inaugural
festival last year, including social justice
discussions and a creative writing
masterclass with Adriana Trigiani, who
held her capacity audience spellbound
for three hours.
A social justice panel focused on First Amendment issues. From left:
George Gibson of Grove Press, Jeremy Kutner of Pro Publica and Arthur
Eisenberg of the ACLU.
PHOTO BY GABE HERMAN
18 October 3, 2019 TVG Schneps Media