Soul and Country come to Brooklyn

If you're a traditionalist dismayed by Bjork's incipient move to Brooklyn Heights, have no fear -- the next month is going to be a veritable cornucopia of delights for local roots music enthusiasts. On top of the 3rd annual Coney Island Rockabilly Festival (check the archives for details), the Brooklyn Soul Festival will be touching down at the Bell House on August 28th and 29th. While we can't guarantee that discerning trainspotters will find any records of substance at Saturday's Vinyl Record and Vintage Clothing Festival (this has been the province of paunchy, middle-aged veterans of the British northern soul scene for time eternal), performances by such unheralded legends as the venerable Roscoe Robinson (Friday), "Georgia Grinder" Hermon Hitson (a potential heir to the Otis throne whose promising career was derailed by a 1968 assault case; also Friday), and Maxine Brown (of "We'll Cry Together" fame) will doubtless make up for the deficit.

In mid-September, Southpaw will be hosting the sixth annual Brooklyn Country Music Festival. A melange of new traditionalists and more idiosyncratic groups (ranging from the "whackabilly" of The Defibulators to the M Shanghai String Band), this celebration of the burgeoning local country scene never fails to entertain. If you can only attend one night, don't miss September 17th's triple whammy of The Defibulators, Sean Kershaw & the New Jack Ramblers (featured in a Village Voice piece on the scene last year), and Alana Amram (the daughter of David Amram).