Singing out the Old, Ringing in the New

Folkie Fest offers an ongoing concert series with local acoustic artists in the spirit of folk music as envisioned by the late Pete Seeger. We make available a comfortable listening space and provide a home for original acoustic music, supporting live, local, singer/songwriters, both established performers and emerging artists. Powerful original music is performed by established and upcoming artists. Five Long Island artists bring their talent to each show with a set of their original works. The varied styles and genres provide something for everyone.

The theme for our first show of the year offers the opportunity for artists to highlight one of their first compositions and something new. This will highlight the maturation of the artist’s work and show the direction they are heading.

We welcome back a Long Island classic, Bob Westcott. Both timely and timeless, his astonishing guitar playing and universally resonant songwriting have made him a perennial favorite on the Long Island scene and he impresses audiences wherever he goes. His performances are peppered with stories about his personal experiences, his travels and travails. This professional is also a Long Island Music Award nominee, and his album Rollin' Along finds frequent use in many a CD player. His CD Wherever You Go is beautifully crafted, an exploration of instrumental destinations which is "well-grounded and substantial, yet delicate and airy... an appealing choice for any fan of melodic instrumental music. Bob has opened for several nationally-known performers, including John Hammond, Merle Haggard, Richie Havens, Tom Paxton, The Nields, and Richard Shindell.

Join us in welcoming Son Stone (Ben Diamond). He is a songwriter and new-age beat poet. Two-time finalist in American Songwriter Magazine’s national songwriting contest, a published and award-winning poet and humorist, Ben’s songs have the wit of John Prine and the grit of Tom Waits. Ben has written over 200 songs in multiple genres including folk, rock, blues, pop, Hawaiian slack key, and instrumental fingerstyle. He’s often backed by the incredible Son Stone Project, a group of crazy-talented, Nassau County-based performers who should each be independently famous.

Another newcomer to the Folkie Fest stage is Emily I Sing (Eisen). She has been singing her whole life and writing songs. It is in January 2022 when she joined Ben Diamond’s 21 club of songwriters, who get a prompt every two weeks and meet on zoom to share their songs, which she began to sing at open mics, and perform at Cinema Arts Centre’s NOOM, directed by Toby Tobias Richard Parr and Michael Kornfeld and Songwriter’s Showcase directed by Peter Hanson. She is excited to have begun recording her songs at Frank Bello’s studio launching with “Gotta Put Your Line in the Water,” accompanied by the outstanding singer songwriter Suzanne Ernst. She’s honored and grateful to have her musician friends accompany and sing with her at this Folkie Fest: Annie Mark Jennifer Grace & Eric Eaton, Richard Parr & Joe Roccanova

In keeping with the ringing in the new, we welcome Scot Rose. This winter, Scott steps into the spotlight as a solo artist with the release of his debut album, Unconditionally Loving and Lying, showcasing his introspective songwriting and a new depth to his artistry. A veteran turned musician, Scott’s journey has taken him from serving in the military to finding solace and expression through music. His performances at Folkie Fest promise a captivating blend of grit, vulnerability, and undeniable passion.

One more artist, to be confirmed, will be joining us. Stay tuned for the details or subscribe to our mailing list at folkiefest@gmail.com!

Don’t forget, there will be two shows at the Moriches Field Brewing Company over the summer where we celebrate favorite folkies. These are very popular events.

If you want to check out some of the past events and some of the artists we have had on our stage, there are highlights on the Folkie Fest YouTube channel.