It has long been said that there’s a lot to like about Lowell.
From the historic mills to memories of writer Jack Kerouac to the famed Folk Festival that takes over the city every July, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution has many attractions that keep people coming back year after year.
This year, the cultural calendar is once again being further enhanced by a weekend of art, music and entertainment known as The Town and the City Festival, which will take over a great part of this great city the weekend of April 24 to 26.
Named for Kerouac’s earliest novel, The Town and the City Festival celebrates the famed author’s creative ethos through a celebration of music and art.
“The festival is meant to celebrate the spirit of the author,” said festival founder Chris Porter (who is also president of the Jack Kerouac Foundation), “as well as to highlight and promote the city of Lowell as an artistic and cultural hub.”
The festival is named after Jack Kerouac’s debut novel “The Town and the City,” published in 1950.
PHOTO: PALUMBO/WIKIMEDIA
Porter likens the event to such famed festivals as Big Ears in Knoxville, Tenn., Iceland Airwaves in Reykjavik and South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, which are all known for involving multiple performance spaces that are close together so fans can wander from one to another while engaging a wide range of performances.
“Lowell is … a very walkable town,” Porter points out, “so venue hopping is very easy to do.”
As a Lowell native and experienced event programmer, Porter has been proud to create a festival that celebrates his hometown’s favorite son and highlights many of the best bands around.
“It’s always been a point of emphasis that the festival showcase New England-based talent alongside national acts,” he said, “and we’re proud that more than half of this year’s artists are homegrown.”
Unlike in past years when the festival began on Friday, this year’s edition will officially kick off Thursday night with a show at Taffeta featuring Lady Lamb, Ezra Furman and Class President.
Festival venues will range from Christ Church United to Zorba Music Hall and will include Friday performances by Boston Music Award-winners The Sheila Divine, singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault and Americana band Twisted Pine.
“We try our best to present bands and performers of different styles…who are musically accessible to many and who work well production-wise in the venues that we have to use,” Porter said.
Over a dozen acts are scheduled to appear Saturday, including indie rockers Paint by Numbers, blues artists Mold and Burp and a more intimate show with singer-songwriter Elsa Kennedy and singer and actor Loudon Wainwright III, who will headline a special show Saturday night at Christ Church United.
“I first heard of the Lowell music scene through a field trip I helped lead with The Burlington Real School of Music,” recalled “musical chameleon” Melo Green, who will also perform Saturday.
When asked why he decided to participate, Green said, “I think that festivals are the best way for our communities to get acquainted with the talent that surrounds them and find new bands and music to fall in love with.”
Among the first-time participants in the festival are punk band goodkarma, who are based in Boston yet hail from as far away as California.
“We are really excited to participate in such a fun festival,” said goodkarma’s Brody Kaura. “From the Lowell bands we’ve gotten to play with, we can see it is such a dedicated and important music scene. This festival elevates the tremendous local acts that exist in and around Lowell.”
Having recently debuted her solo album, Boston-based artist Debo Ray will also bring her soulful sounds to Lowell.
“Lowell is one of those great cities with lots of history,” Ray said, citing how the city has converted many of its historic mills into performance and artist spaces. “I’m really looking forward to playing there.”
Though Porter quotes Kerouac’s observation that, “the only truth is music,” he also notes that there will be attractions for people who enjoy other cultural options as well.
In the spirit of Kerouac, a spoken word and poetry performance will be hosted Saturday night at 6 at lala Books. Arts League of Lowell, Ayers Lofts Gallery, the Brush Gallery and the Whistler House Museum will also be open so that fans of visual art can get their fill. For comedy fans, Saturday night’s schedule will also include a performance by Frank Santorelli and other local laugh-makers.
While Porter’s main focus is helping the participating artists find new fans, he also hopes that area businesses will also benefit.
“We hope the festival brings a wealth of high-quality performances to the downtown area,” he said, “attracts many from outside of Lowell to come to the city, and helps some local businesses obtain more income over the festival weekend than they typically would receive at many other times of the year.”
