CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA
Tent Talks
POWERED BY WINTRUST
Join us for spirited conversations with musicians, luminaries, authors, & more…
The Chicago Public Media Tent Talks, POWERED BY WINTRUST brings together thought leaders and visionaries to explore songwriting craft and history of folk music and storytelling via panel discussions, speakers, and interviews. This year’s slate includes:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 TENT TALKS PROGRAMMING
PANEL: John Prine’s Chicago
Interview: Y LA BAMBA
Interview: Anjimile
Interview: Brudi Brothers
Interview: Sierra Hull
Interview: Valerie June
Panel: Can I Get A Witness? Faith, Family,& Chicago Gospel Music
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 TENT TALKS PROGRAMMING
Interview: Folk Bitch Trio
Panel: The Roches and their Disciples
Panel: Protest Music
Interview: Indigo Girls
Interview: Josh Ritter
Scroll down for details on each Tent Talk program!
TENT TALKS - SATURDAY
Phoebe Sanders: Family-Friendly Performance and Puppet Workshop - 12:00 PM
Phoebe Sanders is a California-based banjo player. She primarily plays clawhammer style old time music, but she is best known on the internet for her banjo-powered puppets. From traditional wooden jig dolls to paper reindeer to life-sized cardboard creatures, Phoebe is pioneering a new way of bringing music to life.
Playing With Prine: Revisiting John Prine’s Chicago Band with Howard Levy and Angelo Varias moderated by Mark Guarino - 1:00 PM
GRAMMY Award-winning harmonica player and keyboardist Howard Levy and drummer Angelo Varias join journalist Mark Guarino (Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival) in conversation about their tenure backing up John Prine in the 1970s. This is a rare opportunity to hear both Chicago musicians talk about their experience working with Prine, both on the road, and separately on Bruised Orange (1978), Pink Cadillac (1979), Storm Windows (1980), and the live album September 1978, recorded at the Park West.
Interview - Y La Bamba with WBEZ’S Araceli Gómez-Aldana - 2:00 PM
Interview - Anjimile with WBEZ’S Erin Allen- 2:35PM
Interview - The Brudi Brothers with WBEZ’S Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco - 3:15PM
Interview - Sierra Hull with Susie An - 3:55PM
Interview - Valerie June with Mary Dixon - 4:35PM
Interview - Can I Get A Witness! Gospel in Chicago with Pastor Donald Gay, Steven B. Dolins and Elsa Harris accompanied by Cliff Dubose moderated by Aaron Cohen - 5:15 PM
The Gay Sisters were key figures in gospel’s Golden Age, and their youngest brother, Donald, had a front-row seat. Together, they toured and performed on a series of influential gospel recordings from 1948 to 1973, playing the Apollo Theatre and crossing paths with musical luminaries like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sam Cooke, Pops Staples, and Dizzy Gillespie. Now the subject of a new book, Can I Get a Witness!, Pastor Donald Gay discusses his family’s musical legacy with writer Aaron Cohen; founder of The Sirens Records, Steven B. Dolins; and musician Elsa Harris. Keyboardist Cliff Dubose will also join him in performance.
TENT TALKS - SUNDAY
Rosh Hashanah Family-Friendly Sing-Along with Joel Frankel - 12:00 PM
Singer, songwriter and children's entertainer Joel Frankel has been captivating listeners of all ages with his engaging original songs for nearly two decades. By combining his musical talents with his background in education, Joel presents an energized, creative performance that is stimulating for kids and appreciated by adults. For this year’s folk fest, Joel will perform a program of traditional Jewish music and more.
Interview - Folk Bitch Trio with WBEZ’S Cassie Walker Burke - 1:00 PM
Roses For Roches: An Appreciation Hour with Nora O’Connor, Kelly Hogan, Sima Cunningham and Lucy Roche moderated by NPR Music’s Ann Powers - 1:40 PM
The Roches are the undersung heroines of the signer-songwriter era, a sister trio whose glorious harmonies, sharp songwriting and theatrical performances defied categorization. Join Nora O’Connor, Kelly Hogan, Sima Cunningham and Lucy Roche — daughter of original member Suzzy Roche — for a celebration of their songs and their legacy moderated by NPR Music’s Ann Powers.
Exploring Protest Music with Jordan Smart, Margaret Glaspy, and Dave Specter moderated by WBEZ’s Steven Arroyo - 2:30 PM
Moderated by WBEZ's Steven Arroyo, The Protest Panel at Chicago Public Media’s "Tent Talks" within the Evanston Folk Festival will feature Dave Specter, Jordan Smart, and Margaret Glaspy exploring the evolution of protest music and the distinction between being a dedicated protest musician versus writing a protest song.
About the Moderator: Steven Arroyo serves on WBEZ’s community engagement team, where he works to amplify voices and broaden access to reliable information in local under-reached communities.