Calliope calls folkies

Local folk artists are uncasing their fiddles and tuning their guitars for a free musical… Local folk artists are uncasing their fiddles and tuning their guitars for a free musical event this summer.

Calliope, Pittsburgh’s Folk Music Society, will host Rootz: The Green City Festival at Mellon Arena July 12 for folk fanatics and other curious summer fest-goers.

The free day-long event will accommodate the whole family with two stages, food, beverages, a children’s area and other activities. Green organizations such as the Sierra Club will be represented along with more information about Calliope, Pittsburgh’s premier folk outlet.

Mike Seeger, an old-time musician – the genre that birthed bluegrass – will kick off the event on Wednesday, July 9, at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside. Besides the fiddle and banjo, his jaw harp, harmonica and yodeling create textured sounds from the hills of Appalachia, music he has shared throughout the United States, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

Tickets can be bought for the Seeger concert online or through Calliope’s ticket office. The rest of the concerts on July 12 are free of charge.

The featured artists on the main stage are Steve Forbert, a local artist with an international reputation who’s been compared to Bob Dylan, Rani Arbo ‘ Daisy Mayhem and the Ernie Hawkins Band. Other bands include the Mon River Ramblers and Lohio, who frequent many Pittsburgh venues throughout the year, and the Lackawanna Longnecks, an old-time string band from Pittsburgh.

Rootz will also feature the culmination of the ARAD songwriting project from two local songwriters to commemorate Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary.

“If you’re interested in an array of artists, if you want to jam or learn, this is a good place to discover what’s going on,” said Donna Isaac, Calliope assistant to the director.

“There seems to be a wave of interest in college and post-college age of playing this kind of music.”

Calliope offers eight-week classes for all ability levels studying the mandolin, bass, guitar, fiddle and banjo in bluegrass and Americana styles.