BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | After a successful inaugural edition, the Village Trip festival will be returning this fall for a second round.
Suzanne Vega was the headliner for last year’s free concert in Washington Square Park, the festival’s signature event.
This year’s headliner is no lesser talent, another famed singer/songwriter, none other than Steve Earle.
Earle started out penning songs and performing in Nashville at age 19. Over a more than 30-year career, he has gone on to release 16 studio albums and rack up three Grammy Awards. Some of his better-known hits include “Guitar Town,” “Copperhead Road” and “Transcendental Blues.” Blending rock, country and folk, his songs tell compelling stories, and are driven by his supple guitar playing.
The Village-based fest will run from Thurs., Sept. 26, to Sun., Sept. 29, with the park concert on Sat., Sept. 28, starting at 5 p.m.
Two other acts will also be on the bill that evening, including The Tall Pines with special guests. The Village Trip is not ready to announce the guests yet.
The Washington Square concert will be just one of the music events during this year’s festival, which will also feature panel discussions on social justice, a program for kids held at LREI school, book and author events, and classical music.
Venues will include The Bitter End, like last year, plus Joe’s Pub. More details about the events will be forthcoming.
Liz Thomson is the Village Trip’s founder. A Brit with a deep love for everything Greenwich Village, she felt the neighborhood lacked a proper festival to celebrate its special history and abiding famed creative spirit.
“I’m thrilled that Steve Earle is headlining ‘Bringing It All Back Home to Washington Square,’ our free concert in the park that is the focal point of The Village Trip,” Thomson told this paper. “He is a wonderful performer whose songs speak to our times. And of course he has an album titled ‘Washington Square Serenade.’ Our second festival is off to a great start.”
