“In these troubled times, everyone needs a Roosevelt
Dime”
One of the great things about travel is the chance to discover new music and exciting venues in the cities and countries you pass through. I don’t much go for hanging out in bars and clubs, but music venues, yes.
Friday 13, August 2010 turned out to be a lucky day for me.
On that day I was wandering through Greenwich Village’s Washington Square Park
during my New York City stay when my attention was caught by some of the
happiest, liveliest music I had heard in more years than I care to recall. It
seemed to be a mix of jazz, old timey music, folk, and that modern musical
marketing segment known as Americana.
The group turned out to be Roosevelt Dime,
an outfit I had never heard of, but which I immediately fell in love with and
became a big fan of. They were in fact, indulging in some good old fashioned
audience building. That is, they were out where the people were, playing for
them live and for free. They were also promoting that evening’s gig at one of
my favourite New York venues, The Bitter End.
Of course, I had to see catch their show. As it happens, I
already had a ticket to see another one of my favourite American
singer-songwriters, Steve Forbert, who was
performing at Joe’s Pub on Lafayette Avenue that same night. However, as soon
as that show finished I raced around to the Bitter End, and was delighted to
find that Roosevelt Dime had only just taken to the stage.
The band is building its support base, one fan at a time. It
is slow, hard work, but Roosevelt Dime seem to in it for the long haul, and
know that there are no easy fixes on the road to bigger and more appreciative
audiences.
If like me, you like what you hear, buy their music, and
support their gigs – especially if you live in New York City and near abouts.
Their website lists upcoming gigs in the New York area. Foot tapping fun for
everyone is pretty much guaranteed.
"A perpetual crowd-pleaser, Roosevelt Dime often has
commuters soulfully stomping their feet in the subway and passersby
lindy-hopping in the park."
Tze Chun - The New York Times (June 7, 2010)
