The Fortified Winter Anti-Folk Fest @ the Sidewalk Café

The Fortified Winter AntiFolk Fest officially kicks off this Friday night at Manhattan’s famed Sidewalk Café. The event runs 9 days and promises exceptional live music every night. This Saturday night features several Pop Headwound local favorites ready to lay down some antifolk tunes. Check this out:

7:30 PM - Tim Lauben
8:00 PM - Olivia Mojica
9:00 PM - Chelsea Labate
10:00 PM - Chris Maher
11:00 PM - Wakey!Wakey!
11:55 PM - Here Lies Pa

Chris Maher has been around the anti-folk scene for a few years and is set to release his debut album, Epigram On The Death Of Feeling, in late winter/early spring of this year. I emailed him after being impressed by the songs up on his myspace and we’ve made some tentative plans for an upcoming exclusive interview. He’s a really talented singer-songwriter and I’m anxious to hear more from him.

Pop Headwound was there for the Here Lies Pa debut performance last month at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn, and the band has continued to make a name for themselves with several shows since then. Lead singer/songwriter Paul Basile and the band have a charming rawness about them, but they’re getting tighter by the day. They’ll be bringing the rock Saturday night.

I’m only familiar with Wakey! Wakey! and Chelsea Lynn Labate’s music through random encounters at open-mic nights here and there, but both were quite memorable. Labate has released 1 album and apparently has one more set to go. Her voice is reminiscent of a feminine Devendra Banhart, and her songs are often cleverly disguised stories. Wakey! Wakey! has got himself some pipes. The guy can flat out bring the whisper-to-a-roar vocals. On his myspace page is a video of a song called “War Sweater” that has to be heard to be believed.