Arlo Guthrie, the iconic folk singer-songwriter, will perform his most popular song during his set Friday, Aug. 14 at the 54th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival.
Guthrie is touring in celebration of the 50th anniversary of him littering on Thanksgiving 1965 that set in motion a series of events that ultimately led to him writing the song, performing then starring in the film: “Alice’s Restaurant.”
The epic, walking blues tale was recorded live at 18 minutes and 34 seconds and released on an album by the same name in 1967. Years after, Guthrie shelved the song, vowing to only play it for anniversary tour. Like “Alice’s Restaurant,” Guthrie’s story is seeped in history.
The son of the legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie, Arlo was emersed in political activism and musical influence. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott lived in the Guthrie family home for a couple years while Guthrie was a young boy. He later frequently played with with his father’s longtime musical companion Pete Seeger.
Guthrie was featured in the popular movie about the Woodstock music festival for his then-popular “Coming Into Los Angeles.” That set is less known for him opening with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Walkin’ Down The Line” and closing with “Amazing Grace.”
Since then, in a telling that is far shorter than “Alice’s Restaurant,” he’s been on “The Muppet Show,” bought the church where Alice and Ray Brock lived in Great Barrington, Mass. and transformed it into the Guthrie Center that feeds and supports people with life-threatening illnesses. In his spare time he pitched in to help New Orleans recover after Hurricane Katrina and was an active supporter of Ron Paul’s political campaign in 2008.
I’m looking forward to hearing Guthrie play some of my favorite songs like “The Motorcycle Song,” his version of Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans” and hopefully “This Land Is Your Land.”
I’m most stoked for the cultural phenomena of experiencing thousands singing:
“You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant
“You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant
Walk right in, it’s around the back, just a half-a-mile from the railroad track;
You can get anything you want, at Alice’s Restaurant.”
All you got to do to join is to sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar.
Who are you #folkinstoked to see at the 54th annual Philadelphia Folk Festival – leave your comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram. #TheHighNote
To see the full schedule click here.
Click here for festival ticket information.
