~

Songs of Freedom Slate
Songs Of Freedom Television
Songs Of Freedom Television

Here is a plaque for an award the Alliance for Community Media bestowed upon Songs of Freedom Television in 1997. This was for the work done during our first year on TV.

The Alliance for Community Media is a trade group and an organization comprised of public access television professionals. They lobby in Washington DC for your right to create video and have it seen and have it paid for by the commercial corporate entities in your town entering your home and your mind every day. Always an uphill battle. They are also the people who work in access centers. Members also include community access producers like myself. I was honored to receive an award, more so to have the award represent the category of Empowerment, a word that means a lot to me.

I stopped entering the annual competitions a number of years ago, not because I have an attitude about them or because I have “been there and done that.” It is just not where my energy lives now. I seek to do the good work and fight the good fight because it is the right thing to do. I seek to acknowledge others who travel the same road and inspire with creativity and vision. I seek and do that while daring to express myself and have fun along the way.

I am glad you are here to share the journey with me.
Don't forget to laugh as you change the world.

~ Joel ~

 

Songs of Freedom Television

Songs Of Freedom Television
Songs Of Freedom Television

Do you know about the Peoples' Voice Café?
It is New York City's premiere progressive venue.

Proof of vaccination is required for audiences, staff and artists.
Your safety is important to us.

The 2021-2022 season continues on Saturday nights, at

Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall at 239 Thompson Street
in the heart of New York City's historic Greenwich Village.

For details and more information about the Peoples' Voice Café, including the season schedule and how you can become a volunteer, go to:
www.peoplesvoicecafe.org and the PVC Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/peoplesvoicecafe/

Songs Of Freedom Television
Songs Of Freedom Television
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Songs Of Freedom Television
Songs Of Freedom Television
Songs Of Freedom Television
Songs Of Freedom Television
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Songs Of Freedom Television

Songs of Freedom Television “Tune in and don’t tune out!”

MANHATTAN
Saturday at 10:30 PM Channel 34 Spectrum Channel 82 RCN Channel 33 Verizon and at www.mnn.org Community Channel 1

June 10, 17, 24   July 1

QUEENS
Thursday 11:00 am Spectrum Channel 56/1996 RCN 84 Fios 36 and
Thursday 8:00 pm Spectrum Channel 79/1998 RCN 83 Fios 35

June 8, 15, 22, 29

NOTE: QPTV is currently undergoing maintenance to their episode uploading capability.
The episodes you see may not be the ones promoted for this month on other access outlets.

BROOKLYN
Mondays and Wednesdays at 3 am, 9:30 am, and 2:30 pm on Channels 35/68, Spectrum 1998, Optimum 68, RCN 83, Verizon 43, also, Live Streaming at Brooklyn Free Speech Television, Channel 2

Monday and Wednesday:
June / 5 and 7, 12 and 14, 19 and 21, 26 and 28

BRONX
Monday at 7:30 PM on BX OMNI, Optimum: 68 and FIOS: 2134

You can also watch online at www.bronxnet.tv Channel 68/2134, BX OMNI

June 5, 12, 19, 26

“Songs are funny things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells.
I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history.”

~ Pete Seeger ~

Upcoming Episodes

~ July 2022 ~

Songs of Freedom Slate


~ JUNE 2023 ~

 

I T ' S   J U N E !!  
Bring on the Sun!
Bring on the Fun !
Bring on the Music !!

Music festivals, friends, and memories

JUNE 2023

"Summertime and the Music is Breezy . . ."

June is my favorite month. As a teacher you can guess why. School ends in June.

The weather is great in New York City. The promise of summer is upon us – and we haven’t ruined it yet!

AND if you are a musician, music and music festivals are everywhere!

This month Songs of Freedom Television celebrates the coming of summer and festivals that make the month of June so special. Among these festivals are the annual Porch Stomp on New York’s Governors Island and the Make Music New York city-wide extravaganza that takes place on June 21st every year.

First, the Porch Stomp. This annual event takes place all day this year on Saturday, June 17th. Governors Island has an interesting history. It sits off the southern tip of Manhattan in New York Harbor near the spec of land where the Statue of Liberty stands. It is called Governors Island because that is where New York’s governor lived a long time ago. Later it served as a home for retired sailors. Most recently it is a playground for grownups and children far away from the bustle of the city, but is only a ferry ride away. The yearly Porch Stomp brings music of all kinds to the many alfresco performance spaces there on this day. I have been privileged to play and host acoustic sessions there as part of the People’s Voice Café “stage” – which is really a lawn comfortably nestled between shade trees.

The first of two SOF shows this month feature two of the sessions I participated in and recorded from [year]. Featured artists you will see include, Bev Grant, Hudson Valley Sally, Joshua Garcia, and yours truly.

I look forward to June 17th for more fun with my friends as I host the PVC’s 3 pm to 4 pm hour this year. The stage becomes active at noon with a host of talented performers. See this link for more information about Porch Stomp 2023.   Here is a link about the Peoples' Voice Cafe.
And here are the first two episodes of June.

June Show 1, featuring:  Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

June Show 2, featuring:  Joshua Garcia, Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

~

The second two shows in June feature and celebrate Make Music New York, a tradition that has been embraced by my home town where buskers and other musicians take to the streets and all kinds of performance spaces across the city on the day of the Summer Solstice, June 21st. I have been hosting MMNY events at Red Pipes Café (formerly Red Pipe) in Forest Hills for the past few years and am proud to say that I have participated as a host and as a performer in this all day event since it came to my city from France 17 years ago.

We play outside the café on Austin Street, in the heart of Forest Hills, when weather permits. It is always a fun time and a genuine NYC street scene, with generous doses of serendipity and a supporting strolling cast of hundreds – many of whom are amused and surprised to be serenaded as they pass by.

Join us this year on June 21st from 6:30 to 9:30. Click this link for the Facebook Event page and directions to Red Pipes on Austin Street.

As for the episodes, here are two from different years. Both provide New Yawk flayva and a half hour of good music. You got no problem wid dat. Enjoy!

Show 3, Make Music New York at the Red Pipes Cafe in Forest Hills (2018)

Show 4, Make Music New York at the Red Pipes Cafe in Forest Hills (2018)

 

Keep on singing!

~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

 

The Episodes for the Month of June

Show 1, featuring:  Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

Show 2, featuring:  Joshua Garcia, Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

Show 3, Make Music New York at the Red Pipes Cafe in Forest Hills (2018)

Show 4, Make Music New York at the Red Pipes Cafe in Forest Hills (2018)

 

MANHATTAN
Saturday, June / 10, 17, 24,  July 1

QUEENS
Thursday, June / 8, 15, 22, 29

BROOKLYN
Monday and Wednesday:
June / 5 and 7, 12 and 14, 19 an 21, 26 and 28

Monday, June / 5, 12, 19, 26

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MAY 2023   "MAY We Remember"

This month we share the lives and music of four souls who have transcended this worldly plane in their cosmic journey. I was honored to call all of them my friends.

Toby Fagenson, Jessica Feinbloom, Ray Korona, and Eric Levine all appeared on Songs of Freedom TV.

The first of the month's shows features Toby Fagenson. He was an excellent musician and a top notch parody writer. I have fond memories of staying up late into the night at a Pinewoods folk society weekend with him swapping funny songs and laughing a lot. That's what it was like when I spent time with Toby. Clever times and fun. Toby was also able to deliver serious performances of songs addressing weighty human issues. He is missed. You will see a bit of both on the show you will see. It is from 2002 when he visited the Songs of Freedom Television stage.

Jessica Feinbloom is remembered in this month's second show.
The video you will see is from a memorial concert produced by Steve Suffet in 2017, "A Song for Jessica."  The video features stories about Jessica and songs she sang with the evening's guest artists. They include Toby Fagenson, Jane Babits, Frank Werner, Allison Kelly, Anne Price, Gina Tlamsa, Steve Suffet, and Joel Landy. Special memories were also provided by Jessica's brother. Tune in for heartfelt memories and some fine music.

Ray Korona was a lot of things to a lot of people. All of them good. Ray was a recording artist and producer, an effective organizer and activist, and a singer/songwriter. He was all of these things, but I choose to remember Ray as a caring friend and as an individual who promoted the talents, skills and confidence of those he met and worked with. I was one of those people. The show you will see featured this month is of Ray and his band back in 1997. It shows you what Ray was all about. I always enjoyed watching him talk about what is important in the world. Accessible and intelligent conversation intended to empower and unite people. That's who he was. In coming weeks I will create Songs of Freedom TV episodes of the Ray Korona tribute concert that took place at the Peoples' Voice Cafe in New York City in April of this year. Stayed tuned!

Eric Levine was more than a musical colleague and a friend. He was a brother of mine. We lost Eric in 2008. He left a legacy of memories including victories fighting for disability rights, deep friendships, and lots of really good songs . . . and fun times. Eric was as relentless as he was unpretentious. What you saw was what you got. Some of my favorite Songs of Freedom Television moments were of Eric and me, two chairs and two guitars, sitting in a bare Manhattan Neighborhood Network studio, swapping songs in front of a camera. No pretense. Nothing fancy. 100 percent Eric and what he had to say and sing about. Eric called himself the "Folk Doctor" and he was my folk doctor in the early days of Songs of Freedom TV. He was on frequently and helped me shape the direction and content of early shows. The show you will see is from 1996 and one of the first Songs of Freedom Television episodes. I hope you enjoy it.

And I hope you enjoy the month of May !

Bring on the Spring!
Bring on the Music!

And keep on singing!

~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

The Episodes

Show 1   featuring Toby Fagenson and Jane Babits (2002)

Show 2   "A Song for Jessica"  a tribute to Jessica Feinbloom (2017)

Show 3   featuring Ray Korona and the Ray Korona Band (1997)

Show 4  featuring Eric Levine (1996) 

       

MARCH 2023   "Thursday Night Hoots in Kew Gardens"

During the early 1960s The Interlude Cafe in Kew Gardens, Queens, regularly hosted the voices and guitars of Phil Ochs, Dave Van Ronk, Al Kooper, Jose Feliciano, and other noteworthy musicians. On Thursday nights there was a "hootenanny", with local talent and others taking the stage and filling the space with music. The past fifty years brought numerous changes of ownership to that Interlude Café space, although today it remains a coffeehouse. In 2016 the space was Odradeks Coffee House. I was invited to produce Thursday Night HOOTS! once every month in the winter and spring, recalling the folk scene of decades past.

Tonight features performances from May of 2016. The May hoot was a terrific evening. Great players showed up and everyone in attendance had a great time. The music started before the show actually started when arriving musicians were tuning their instruments in different parts of the room. Suddenly a song broke out and the whole building was filled with music and the evening's first jam. One player who was having coffee ran back home and got his fiddle and joined the party. That was the kind of evening it was. It was magical time in this rekindled musical space. I recorded the event and created three Songs of Freedom episodes. I hope you enjoy them.

Thank you to Jake Block and his staff at Odradeks for making us feel so welcome. And thank you to Jake and the other performing artists for the wonderful evening.

The artists were Jake Block, Alan Alter, David Butler, Eli, Jerry Korobow, Joel Landy, Lulu Michaels, Marie Moskowitz, Gina Moffet, and Steve Suffet. Odradeks is gone, just as The Interlude Café is part of the musical legacy of Kew Gardens. But the music remains, and Songs of Freedom Television is proud and happy to bring it to you.

Keep on singing!

~   joel   ~

 

The Episodes

Show 1   featuring Jerry Korobow and Joel Landy

Show 2   featuring Jake Block and Steve Suffet

Show 3   featuring the ensemble:
Jake Block, Alan Alter, David Butler, Eli, Jerry Korobow, Joel Landy, Lulu Michaels, Marie Moskowitz, Gina Moffet, and Steve Suffet

 

 

         Songs Of Freedom Television

February 2023   "Hot Times, Cold Times"

The annual Porch Stomp on Governors Island in New York Harbor takes place every June. It is a celebration of the season and sun, with lots of music of all kinds. It's a terrific event. For the past few years, the Peoples' Voice Cafe has had a stage (a stretch of lawn with trees) featuring an impressive variety of topical artists. Songs of Freedom TV has been there recording the goings on. I have also emceed and performed at this event. Many pleasant memories and memorable performances there.

So, it is the harsh weather reality in NYC that is February.
Let's warm things up with Porch Stomp videos and artistic talent!

Enjoy these four shows. They have also been scheduled to play in NYC at your local community access television stations. They will also be streaming online.
(Check above for the times and dates at the top of this page for that information.)

I joke that the reason that February has only 28 days is because PEOPLE DO NOT LIKE FEBRUARY!

Let's get on to spring already!!!

Until that happens, enjoy your summer Porch Stomp in the winter.

peace and music

~   joel   ~

 

The Episodes

Episodes feature the following artists

Show 1, featuring:  Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

Show 2, featuring:  Joshua Garcia, Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

Show 3, featuring:  Steve Suffet, Judy Gorman, Pat Lamanna, and Sally Campbell.

Show 4, featuring:  Chris Owens and the Chris Owens Brothers Band,
Katie Naplatarski, and Gerry Segel. 

 

Songs Of Freedom Television

 

January 2023   "Looking Back and Moving Forward"

Show One is a 1998 “Best Of” the first two years of Songs of Freedom. It features performances from Pat Humphries, Bev Grant, Howard Kaspin, Joel Landy, and Professor Louie. It also includes a sampler of faces and voices from the first two years of SOF TV. Lots to like in a show of Songs of Freedom memories. I hope you tune in.

Show Two is from 2000 and highlights the talent, music, stories and political attitude of David Liebman and Gil Skillman. Both gentlemen boldly and humorously define and represent the dignity of human struggle in the songs that they sing and the work that they do. Did I mention they are both economics professors? It was fun (and educational) sharing songs with them on the Songs of Freedom TV stage. We had a good time putting this half hour together. I did not know economics professors could be so much fun.

Not all the shows made in 2000 were fun though. Show Three was recorded the day after Election Day in 2000, amidst the chaos and confusion of the vote counting that gave us George W. Bush as President. The show remains a poignant reminder of what happened, my response to it, and videos of comfort girding us for what was about to happen, including another oil war and the abridging of human rights. It is worth watching again today, as similar dangers and signals of their approach are about us once more. Tune in and you will see what I mean.

Finally, Show Four was recorded in 2003 at the late and great 22-Below performance space in Manhattan. I headlined an evening of political cabaret, joined by the talents and music of Gina Tlamsa, Shawn Norton, and Kim Rich. It was election season and the Iraq War was on. Rudy Giuliani wanted to be mayor again and George Bush “had the whole world in his hands.” There was a lot to say and be sung. And so it was. Topical times satirically stated, and pointedly political. Go back in time twenty years and tune in to 2003, raise your banners, and sing along!

The Episodes
from the Songs of Freedom Television Archives

Show 1:  The Best of Songs of Freedom Television, Volume #1
Featuring Pat Humphries, Bev Grant, Howard Kaspin, Joel Landy, and Professor Louie

Show 2:  "For What It's Worth"
Featuring David Laibman and Gil Skillman

Show 3:  The Great Election Day 2000 Hangover
What happened 23 years ago. Lessons learned and warnings for today.

Show 4:  "I Did It Their Way!" / Live from the 22-Below Cabaret in NYC (2003)
An evening of topical entertainment featuring Joel Landy, Gina Tlamsa, Shawn Norton, and Kim Rich

 

 

 

December 2022

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"

It is hard to believe it has been seven years since I organized and produced a show in Queens celebrating the 75th birthday of Phil Ochs. It was a magical evening featuring brilliant performance by artists inspired by Phil's memory and music. I recorded the entire evening for Songs of Freedom Television and made four episodes of what happened that night.

The episodes I recorded and edited will play at public access tv stations in New York City this month. They will also stream online. In addition, I am posting the four episodes here so you can watch them at your convenience.

"In such ugly times, the only true protest is beauty."
~ Phil Ochs ~

I wish you beauty, peace, and happiness.
~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

The Episodes,
Recorded at Odradeks Coffee House in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY
on December 17, 2015

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 1

Featuring Steve Suffet, David Massengill and Joel Landy.

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 2

Featuring Anne Price and Joel Landy.

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 3

Featuring Lydia Adams Davis and Richard Benson.

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 4

Featuring Steve Vitoff, Carol Friedman Russell, Ben Silver, and the ensemble cast of players, including Lydia Adams Davis,
Steve Suffet, Anne Price, Ben Silver, Richard Benson,
David Massengill, and Joel Landy

Songs Of Freedom Television

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

November 2022    This Land Is STILL Your Land!

Greetings, everyone! This month is all about the Woody Guthrie Brooklyn Hoot that took place on October 9th, 2022.

Woody Guthrie tribute concerts have been produced by Steve Suffet in New York City since 2001. Venues have included the old CBGB Gallery and the Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan, and the Old Stone House in Brooklyn. The 2022 Woody Guthrie Hoot took place at Brooklyn’s Jalopy Theatre and Music School in October, and was seen both in person and by those who tuned in online to watch. The talented lineup of artists included Mike Glick, Emma Graves, Robin Greenstein, Joel Landy, Marie Mularczyk O'Connell, and Steve Suffet.

Here are the four November Songs of Freedom TV episodes as they appeared on tv and online.

Here's a short preview and something that Woody would sing loudly today.

"All You Fascists (Bound to Lose)

Yes, they are.   ~ joel landy ~

Songs Of Freedom Television

October 2022   Bring On the Music!

Cueing up for the October 2022 Woody Hoot in Brooklyn 

Here is an episode from a recent Woody Hoot.

bernice 2

The unstoppable Bernice Silver lived 106 years and left a legacy that touched the lives of many people and communities that included puppetry, folk music, and environmental protection.
The Peoples' Voice Cafe in NYC honored Bernice with a musical celebration on October 15th.

Here is a short video of Bernice holding court with her NYC Friends at that river festival.
And here is a complete Songs of Freedom episode highlighting a New York City Friends of Clearwater River Festival. It is the second of our four episodes this month.

 

Episode 3 this month is a recording made at the ongoing THIRD THURSDAY OPEN MIC that I host at Red Pipes Cafe in Forest Hills, NY. The monthly event began in July of this year and continues on October 20 at 6:30 pm. It is lots of fun! Come to express yourself! All music styles are welcome!
Here is information about the THIRD THURSDAY OPEN MIC. See you there!

Here is an episode showcasing a recent THIRD THURSDAY event.

 

The last show this month involves an ongoing series of song swaps featuring talented topical songwriters and performers of the People's Music Network. I have been a member of PMN since 1990. The people I have met and the friends I have made there changed my life. PMN and what it represents to me served as an inspiration for the creation of Songs of Freedom Television in 1996.
Click this link to find out more about the People's Music Network.
You can find out about the song swaps and other events on the upcoming PMN schedule. One thing that is happening in late October is the annual PMN Convergence, a gathering of activists and artists in NYC on Friday, October 21 and 22. Click here for information about it.

Here is Episode 4 for the month, a half hour of an online "Round-Robin" singing event.

And that's October!
The weather may be getting colder around here, but the music is heating up!

Have a great month.
And remember, tune in and don't tune out!

~ joel ~

~

October 2022 Episodes

Episode 1, Woody Hoot: To get you ready, here is an episode from a recent Woody Hoot

Episode 2:  NYC Friends of Clearwater River Festival

Episode 3:  Third Thursday Open Mic at the Red Pipes in Forest Hills

Episode 4: People's Music Network Online Topical Song Swap

Songs Of Freedom Television

September 2022   Celebrate the Heroes!

The tragedy that September 11, 2001 brought us is twenty-one years old.
Much has happened in that time that has changed our world and effected every life in our land.
Regardless of your politics there were heroes on that day, first responders who saved lives
and gave their own for the benefit of us all.
This month Songs of Freedom Television celebrates what they did and who we can choose to be.


Following the disaster in New York City on that fateful day I spoke with artist and activist Lorcan Otway and my friends Shawn Norton and Kim Rich at the 22-Below Cabaret. I wanted to produce a musical event to "Remember the Heroes" whose debt we can never fully repay. Fire company Engine 33, Ladder 9 in southern Manhattan lost one quarter of its workforce and working family on that day when firefighters rushed into collapsing and smoke choked buildings to save lives. The concert produced on October 20th was a benefit for the families of the fallen. It was the least we could do to "Remember the Heroes."

The first two Songs of Freedom TV episodes in September remember the heroes. Performers who gave their time, energy, and caring that evening included Shawn Norton, Kim Rich, Lorcan Otway, Ahmed, Heather Lev, Gina Tlamsa, Mary Shannon, and myself. It was a memorable and heartfelt evening with inspired performances at a time when our city was aching for healing. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the event and the families of Engine 33, Ladder 9.       ~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

Here are those episodes:     

Show 1:  "Remember the Heroes"     Show 2: "Remember the Heroes"

~

The other two episodes this month feature my appearance on October 30 of 2021 at the Peoples' Voice Cafe.

It was the first time for many of us to gather to see and participate with live music events since the Covid lockdown began in March of 2020. It was a Covid-safe live event with timely topical songs and, if I may say so myself, respectable performances. It was fun, too.

Take a look for yourself.

Joel Landy at the Peoples' Voice Cafe, October 30, 2021 / show 1

Joel Landy at the Peoples' Voice Cafe, October 30, 2021 / show 2


September means many things to me. I was born on September 3. School begins in September (sometimes on September 3). Theater, football, automotive, and television seasons traditionally begin in September. The world we know goes back to work in September. I would imagine queueing up for this time can be stressful for everyone. You have to get yourself - and your kids - ready for the new season. I also have that birthday thing on my mind. I am to be a year older. I task myself with thinking about if I am doing my life properly and if this year I will celebrate my birthdate in a fulfilling way. And why does it mean anything to me anyway, because it does!
And -- will I ever be satisfied?  All these questions and tertiary mind games as we gird ourselves what is about to be . . .

Through it all, and despite it all, I wish you the best of new seasons.
May your travels be safe. May you learn and smile a lot.
May your friends and relationships be fulfilling.
And may you love and laugh more than you thought was humanly possible.

That is what I wish for you. And me.

peace, joy, love,

~ joel ~

~

August 2022

The Return of Live Music!  Where Have You Been?  It began for Songs of Freedom Television in June at the legendary Theatre 80 in New York City when Nate Smith brought his Sixth Festival to town for a week of environmental education and entertainment.

Every day brings us news about the dangers of ongoing climate change that is altering the fate of humankind. Some people are actually spending their time and energy to do something about it. One of these people is Nate Smith. Nate has been organizing theater events to bring attention to the dangers we face and organizations people can participate with to give us all a better chance of surviving into the next century and beyond.

On June 8th singers, poets, improvisational dancers, storytellers and others shared space and time to promote education and entertainment about saving Planet Earth.
The truth is Planet Earth will be here. It is we, as a species, that may not be.

This video and Songs of Freedom Television episode is from the June 8th event in NYC and features performances by Nate Smith, Joel Landy, and Louisa Bradshaw.

https://vimeo.com/733830037

For more information about The Sixth Festival and how to get involved with Sixth Festival events go to https://thesixthfest.org/ https://www.facebook.com/thesixthfest.org/

Soon after the Sixth Festival show came the June 21st Solstice Celebration
known as Make Music New York!
This annual event features free music throughout New York City.
Songs of Freedom Television was proud to participate once again,
hosting a free to the public community singing event at Red Pipes Cafe in Forest Hills, Queens.
Family friendly self-expression welcoming all musical styles made for a sweet and special evening.

A person wearing a black shirt holding in front of a microphone on a stand

This episode brings you what happened at Red Pipes Cafe on Solstice Day, June 21st, 2022.

https://vimeo.com/733364664

Thank you to Ofer and the crew at Red Pipes for their generosity making everyone feel welcome at the cafe and providing a space for community and entertainment. Despite the occasional rain spirits were not dampened at all. The sweet vibe of community made the evening fun and special.

For more information about Make Music New York go to www.makemusicny.org

The Make Music New York event went so well at Red Pipes that Songs of Freedom Television
hosted another musical event at the venue one month later, on Thursday evening, July 21st.
Here are two episodes from that evening, another sweet event featuring local talent.

https://vimeo.com/733275050     https://vimeo.com/733273134

July 2022

Celebrating the Life and Music of Woody Guthrie

This month we feature the work and life of America’s original troubadour, Woody Guthrie. Since 2001, Steve Suffet has organized Woody Guthrie tribute shows in New York City, featuring top notch talent singing Woody’s songs before and with live audiences. Exactly one week before the Covid lockdown in NYC, on Sunday, March 8, 2020, Steve and The Good Coffee House hosted the annual Woody Guthrie Hoot at Old Stone House in Brooklyn.

This month we pay tribute to Woody, the artists who performed that day, the audience who showed up to participate and enjoy, the organizations making that day possible, and you . . . survivors of a pandemic determined to sing again with friends, both old and new.

All episodes feature the 2020 Woody Brooklyn Hoot crew:

Steve Suffet, Anne Price, Mike Lee, Pinetree, and Joel Landy

Show 1: The Seventh Annual Woody Guthrie Brooklyn Hoot / Episode 1

Show 2: The Seventh Annual Woody Guthrie Brooklyn Hoot / Episode 2

Show 3: The Seventh Annual Woody Guthrie Brooklyn Hoot / Episode 3

Show 4: The Seventh Annual Woody Guthrie Brooklyn Hoot / Episode 4

More from Songs of Freedom Television

June 2022

Making Music in New York City and Around the World

On June 21st people around the world make music in the streets where they live.
Make Music New York is a city tradition tracing back to Paris, France and
Fête de la Musique,” a national musical holiday inaugurated in 1982. Ever since, the festival has become an international phenomenon, celebrated on the same day in more than 750 cities in 120 countries, including Germany, Italy, Greece, Russia, Lebanon, Ivory Coast, Australia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Canada, and Japan.

Songs of Freedom Television has been part of every MMNY since it was introduced to NYC sixteen years ago. This month SOF TV celebrates our participation through the years with episodes showcasing what has gone on in the streets of Forest Hills in front of The Red Pipe Café, now known as Red Pipes Café. The episodes commemorate and remember the contribution of Rene Alkalay, former own of Red Pipe Café, who passed away in 2021. Here are the episodes you can enjoy recalling 2018 and honoring Rene Alkalay.

~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

Show 1:  2018 Make Music New York celebration at the Red Pipe Cafe, show 1

Show 2:  2018 Make Music New York celebration at the Red Pipe Cafe, show 2

Show 3:  2018 Make Music New York celebration at the Red Pipe Cafe, show 3

Show 4:  2018 Make Music New York celebration at the Red Pipe Cafe, show 4

Songs Of Freedom Television

More from Songs of Freedom Television

Songs Of Freedom Television

2 0 2 2
(continued)

May 2022

MAY  We Remember !

May is a time of rebirth and springtime and colors and beauty of all that is new and comes back again.

This month it is "May, We Remember!"  It is a time to honor those who honored us with their presence and spirit.

There are so many who have inspired and uplifted with their music, art, and humanity. We remember four of those who have left us but have left us with so much.

Songs Of Freedom Television

This month's episodes

Show 1:  "The Pete Seeger 100th Birthday Tribute and Celebration" show 1

Show 2:  Eric Levine (from 1996)   Show 3: Ray Korona (from 1997)   

Show 4:  David McReynolds
(interview from 2000 when he was running for President of the United States)

~

April 2022

featuring
and promoting the
New England Folk Festival

       

The New England Folk Festival was an awesome online event this year. (www.neffa.org) I had the honor and privilege of hosting two interactive sessions. One was the Ultimate Parody Jam and the other was an hour dedicated to Pete Seeger and the Power of Song. I want to thank the amazing and dedicated - and all volunteer - organizers and technical crew of the New England Folk Festival. There were able to take a live event which has been going on for 70 years and make it work in an age of Covid and electronics. Bravo!  You did it. Next year we hope to be live again somewhere in New England.

Stay tuned and keep singing! 

~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

This month's episodes

Here are the episodes promoting the NEFFA event that ran in April.  

The Episodes

Show 1, The NEFFA Funny Song Swap, episode 1 (2016)

Show 2, The NEFFA Funny Song Swap, episode 2 (2018)

Show 3, "Remembering Phil Ochs"  (2017)

Show 4, "Remembering Phil Ochs" (2011)

March 2022

featuring Pat Wictor and Joel Landy at the Peoples' Voice Cafe in NYC, October 30, 2021

The Episodes

Show 1, featuring:  Pat Wictor     Show 2, featuring:  Pat Wictor 

Show 3, featuring:  Joel Landy     Show 4, featuring:  Joel Landy

~

February 2022

featured the June 2021 PORCH STOMP
and musical summer fun!

Songs Of Freedom Television

The 2021 Porch Stomp on Governors Island took place in June and signaled not only the start of summer, but also a return to live events and the annual music festival. Safety was observed during this annual event as numerous musical spaces on the island offered a variety of music and dancing. I helped to host the Peoples' Voice Cafe stage and recorded the event for Songs of Freedom Television. I hope you enjoy the episodes edited from that exciting day. I also hope that you and your family are well and safe.

Songs Of Freedom Television

The Episodes

Episodes feature the following artists

Show 1, featuring:  Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

Show 2, featuring:  Joshua Garcia, Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

Show 3, featuring:  Steve Suffet, Judy Gorman, Pat Lamanna, and Sally Campbell.

Show 4, featuring:  Chris Owens and the Chris Owens Brothers Band,
Katie Naplatarski, and Gerry Segel. 

 

January 2022

"Water Not Weapons"
Event 3, shows 1-4 / December 13, 2009

This month brings you the third Water Not Weapons event hosted by the Yippie Museum Cafe in NYC and Songs of Freedom Television in the name of global peace, humanity, and environmental sanity. It was a memorable evening of empowering entertainment. More than that, it was the promotion and celebration of a simple truth: clean water for all is critical for the survival of our planet and those who live there.
Join us. Tune in and don't tune out!

The Episodes,
"Water Not Weapons" show 1

Featuring Joel Landy, Phil Sauers, Ray Korona, and Spook Handy

"Water Not Weapons" show 2
Featuring Joel Landy, Rachel Stone, James Cannings, and Spook Handy

"Water Not Weapons" show 3
Featuring Ray Korona, Pat Lamanna, Mary Popiins, Steve Suffet, Caitlin O'Heaney, Jay Byrd, Gloria Waslyn and the Parrots of Peace

"Water Not Weapons" show 4
Featuring Jay Byrd, Phil Sauers, Jenny Hurwitz, Talbot Katz, Sami Rose, Spook Handy, and The Water Not Weapons Crew

 

 

2 0 2 1

December 2021

More Than A Small Circle of Friends:
Remembering Phil Ochs

December is Phil Ochs month at Songs of Freedom Television. Each episode this month recalls and celebrates the life and music of Phil Ochs, his songs and the legacy he left to performers and songwriters of every generation. Episodes presented this month are from a live performance featuring talented artists singing Phil songs at a December 2015 concert in honor of his 75th birthday. The show took place at a venue in Queens that Phil performed at 50 years earlier. It was a magical evening filled with many inspired performances.

Phil died tragically at the age of 35 in 1976. His inspiration and music live on. Tune in. Remember. And sing along.

The Episodes,
Recorded at Odradeks Coffee House in Kew Gardens, Queens, NY
on December 17, 2015

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 1

Featuring Steve Suffet, David Massengill and Joel Landy.

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 2

Featuring Anne Price and Joel Landy.

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 3

Featuring Lydia Adams Davis and Richard Benson.

"More Than a Small Circle of Friends"
Remembering Phil Ochs, show 4

Featuring Steve Vitoff, Carol Friedman Russell, Ben Silver, and the ensemble cast of players, including Lydia Adams Davis,
Steve Suffet, Anne Price, Ben Silver, Richard Benson,
David Massengill, and Joel Landy

 

Recently Seen on
Songs of Freedom Television

October and November

Welcome Back to the Peoples' Voice Cafe!

In September of this year the Peoples' Voice Cafe, NYC's premiere progressive entertainment venue, resumed its program of weekly in-person concerts after an 18 month Covid-19 induced hiatus.

A September 18 "Welcome Back!" concert was followed by a season of Saturday night performances that continue until the end of May of next year. One of these shows included an October 30 evening featuring both Joel Landy and Pat Wictor.

Songs of Freedom Television cameras were there to capture that night of song and entertainment as well as the September "Welcome Back!" concert.  Here they are.

The Episodes,
Recorded at at the Judson Memorial Church Assembly Hall,
in New York City

"Joel Landy, LIVE at the Peoples' Voice Cafe"
show 1 / October 30, 2021

"Joel Landy, LIVE at the Peoples' Voice Cafe"
show 2 / October 30, 2021

Joel Landy performing at the Peoples' Voice Cafe

A tribute Marjorie Taylor Greene
and January 6th insurrectionists everywhere
There's Stupid Going On!
https://youtu.be/Eb1YzT2WgEw

-
"The Peoples' Voice Cafe WELCOME BACK Concert"
  show 1 / September 18, 2021
Artists include Marilyn Suffet, Steve Suffet, Thelma Ruffin Thomas, Pamela Jean Agaloos, and Fred Arcoleo.

"The Peoples' Voice Cafe WELCOME BACK Concert"  show 2
Artists include Cleo Carol Knopf, Gerry Segal, and Steve Suffet.

"The Peoples' Voice Cafe WELCOME BACK Concert"  show 3
Artists include Bev Grant, Gary David Allard, Joel Landy, and the ensemble of performing artists.

"The Peoples' Voice Cafe WELCOME BACK Concert"  show 4
Artists include Diane Perry, Joel Landy, and the ensemble of performing artists.

September

"We know about the heartache.
Everyday we feel the pain.

The missing and the loved ones
we may never see again.

With those who grieve we share our hearts.
There is little we can say.
We can walk the troubled road with them.
It is the only way."

~ from The Only Way by Joel Landy ~

Songs Of Freedom Television

Songs of Freedom Television devoted its episodes to the heroes in our lives. The first two episodes were from the October 20, 2001 benefit concert I produced with Lorcan Otway at the 22-Below Cabaret in New York City.

Firefighters are heroes to us all. They remain heroes in our everyday life. Songs of Freedom Television is honored to honor them.

Show 3 celebrated the life and memory of Pete Seeger, who remains a hero to artists and humanitarians around the world.

Show 4 featured and celebrated "American Music's Renaissance Man" and national treasure, David Amram.

Celebrate the heroes in your life. It may not be the only way, but it is the better one.

With love and solidarity,

~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

The Episodes

Show 1:  "Remember the Heroes"  show 1

Show 2:  "Remember the Heroes" show 2

Show 3:   "The Pete Seeger 100th Birthday Tribute and Celebration" show 1

Show 4:   "David Amram at the Peoples' Voice Cafe"  show 1

Songs Of Freedom Television

~

Songs Of Freedom Television

August
The 2021 Porch Stomp on Governors Island took place on June 26 and signaled not only the start of summer, but also a return to live events and the annual music festival. Safety was observed during this annual event as numerous musical spaces on the island offered a variety of music. I helped to host the Peopes' Voice Cafe stage and recorded the event for Songs of Freedom Television. I hope you enjoy the episodes edited from that exciting day. I also hope that you and your family are well and safe.

We will get through these times together.
Music will help us along the way.

Peace, Joy, Love, Music, and Faith

~ joel landy, songs of freedom television ~

Songs Of Freedom Television

The Episodes

Episodes feature the following artists

Show 1, featuring:  Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant.

Show 2, featuring:  Joshua Garcia, Joel Landy, Hudson Valley Sally, and Bev Grant. 

Show 3, featuring:  Steve Suffet, Judy Gorman, Pat Lamanna, and Sally Campbell.

Show 4, featuring:  Chris Owens and the Chris Owens Brothers Band, Katie Naplatarski, and Gerry Segel. 

Songs Of Freedom Television

July
This month marks the 25th birthday of
Songs of Freedom Television!

Technology has changed over the years, but not our commitment to bringing you the dignity of human struggle with its many faces and many voices. This month we celebrate by bringing you episodes from the SOF archives of performances from Woody Guthrie Birthday Bashes gone by. Woody, like Songs of Freedom TV, was born in July. What better way to commemorate these auspicious events than to bring you Woody shows from the past featuring Steve Suffet and his annual Woody Bash productions.

Tune in. Sing along. This land is still your land!

Songs Of Freedom Television

The Episodes feature the 2020 Woody Brooklyn Hoot Crew:
Steve Suffet, Anne Price, Mike Lee, Pinetree, and Joel Landy 

Show 1:  https://vimeo.com/569097912

Show 2:  https://vimeo.com/569095852

Show 3:  https://vimeo.com/569096920

Show 4:  https://vimeo.com/569094811

Songs Of Freedom Television

June
Make Music New York is a musical celebration in the streets of New York City and cities around the world that takes place annually on June 21, the summer solstice. Songs of Freedom Television has participated every year since the first one in my home town more than a dozen years ago. Last year the celebration was virtual and Songs of Freedom was there. This month we celebrate “Fête de la Musique” in the streets of my fair city as it was recorded in 2018 on the streets of Forest Hills, Queens. Songs of Freedom will be hosting an event safely outside again on the streets of Queens on Solstice Day this year. I hope you can join us then. Stay tuned for details. Until then, tune in and sing along and I will see you on the telly!

Songs Of Freedom Television

The Episodes

Show 1:  https://youtu.be/Cm7aqMlrcv8

Show 2: https://youtu.be/yVN6i2Yg8UY

Show 3:  https://youtu.be/mLtBmSNfH2w

Show 4:  https://youtu.be/8xa2cJZOpsQ

Songs Of Freedom Television

May
"Presente!"   Songs of Freedom Television honors those who appeared on the show over the years and have passed on. Their spirit and wisdom remain in their performances. Join us!

Songs Of Freedom Television

The Episodes

Show 1 features: Ray Korona (from 1997)

Show 2 features:  Eric Levine (from 1996)

Show 3 features:  Jessica Feinbloom
(from 2017's  "A Song for Jessica" tribute concert)

Show 4: features:  David McReynolds (interview from 2000 when he was running for President of the United States)

Songs Of Freedom Television