New Bedford Folk Festival 4th of July Weekend

This weekend WUMB will be at the 20th Annual New Bedford Folk Festival on both Saturday and Sunday! And Dave Palmater will be hosting on The Whaling Museum stage! We will have a booth so come say hi to us!

About the festival: Every first weekend of July seventy or more musicians--both local and national--and ninety plus artists and vendors all convene in downtown New Bedford. Music is from 11 AM to 9 PM across seven stages in the region of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. There is also an Artisans Marketplace and International Bazaar! Food options include restaurants, street carts, and a food court. The New Bedford Folk Festival is hosted by The New Bedford Economic Development Council, The City of New Bedford, the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts, The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, and The New Bedford Whaling Museum.

Performers include: 

• Benoit Bourque
• Catie Curtis
• Vance Gilbert
• Seth Glier
• Kim and Reggie Harris
• Yves Lambert Trio
• Patty Larkin
• Danielle Miraglia
• Peter Mulvey
• The Nields
• Claudia Russell
• David Jacobs-Strain
• New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus
• AND MORE!

-Kendall Stewart

In-Studio Performance: Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan

Husband and wife duo Claudia Russell and Bruce Kaplan celebrated their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary just a few days ago. "This is our Silver Anniversary" Russell joked when they stopped by the station for an in-studio session and interview with Dave on April 10th, performing a set that included "You Are The Light", a song that they had meant to perform at their wedding. The two met when their individual bands booked a gig at the same club and entered into not only a life partnership, but a musical partnership as well. "Most couples argue about money and the house, we argue about song keys," Kaplan laughed.

The first song in their set was "Pirate Girls", coincidentally the opening track on their latest album All Our Luck Is Changing. It describes an intimate friendship between two young girls prior to one moving away--painting a picture of large backyards and summer days spent outside until dark. Both are images from Russell's childhood, though not describing a single friendship of hers but bits and pieces from many, "a conglomeration, like bringing different bits of clay together". Kaplan, who co-wrote the song--stated that though he only wrote two lines, he did have two close friends who moved away in his childhood and that feeling is what the song evokes for him. 

"This song is arguably a jig," Kaplan said as the duo launched into their second tune "Follow Your Tail Lights Home", also from All Our Luck Is Changing. Peter Case, whom Kaplan had known since 1979. Russell had taken two of his songwriting classes as well. Describing the process they said, "Peter is kind of a beatnik... he always gives 110%." 

Russell and Kaplan closed out the set with "I Remember The Wind". They perform at The Linden Tree Coffeehouse in Wakefield tomorrow, April 11th, and Club Passim at 3:30 PM Sunday, April 12th. More information can be found at ClaudiaRussell.com.