Folks on the Island Music Festival: Janis Ian July 5, 2008

Legendary folk-pop singer/songwriter Janis Ian will kick things off at this year’s Folks on the Island: A Folk Music Festival on Governors Island on Saturday, July 5, 2008 at 1:30 PM. A Grammy-award winning performer, Janis Ian hit it big in 1975 with her single “At Seventeen”, a bittersweet commentary on adolescent cruelty and teenage angst. In her 40-year history, this Grammy award-winning performer’s music continues to reflect and transcend the challenges of our times.

Following its inaugural success, Trinity Wall Street & Governor’s Island Alliance decided to expand Folks on the Island to five weeks this year and delve deeper into the American folk music landscape with the inclusion of blues, bluegrass, and country western. Taking place every Saturday from July 5th – August 2nd, the free concert series will feature artists include Janis Ian (July 5), Slaid Cleaves (July 12), Bearfoot (July 19), Eric Bibb (July 26), and Ronny Cox (August 2). The concerts and ferry service to Governors Island are free to the public. (see complete performance schedule below)

The concerts will take place on Governors Island at Colonel’s Row beginning at 1:30 p.m. Free ferries to Governors Island will leave every hour, on the hour, starting at 10 a.m. from the Battery Maritime Building in lower Manhattan, adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry. For travel directions and more information, visit www.folksontheisland.com.

Official Website: http://folksontheisland.com