NEW YORK, April 29, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- You don't have to give up jug bands, honky-tonk, rockabilly, or western swing when your travel plans take you to The Big Apple, says the host travel expert of "Travel WITH Stephanie Abrams!" on the Business TalkRadio(tm) Network, "Just hustle over to Brooklyn where you'll find audiences lovin' what they're seein' and hearin' -live country-western music!"
Between the Manhattan skyline and rows of brownstones, a burgeoning country music scene is attracting a new generation of fans from all over the world who are musically sophisticated, aware of the genre's deep history, and attracted to all the human emotion that 'roots music' keeps close to its heart. You'll find New Yorker's and visitors to the Big Apple making their way to hear bands like The Crevulators, "Which lean towards the edgy side," Abrams explains. "Their debut EP (available on their web site, www.crevulators.com) reveals an outlaw sound, with tight 3-part harmony, upbeat swing rhythms, and almost as much of the Rolling Stones as Johnny Cash. But, remarkably, it's bands like this one that are bringing NYC visitors to Brooklyn!"
Asked what makes "the Brooklyn scene" unique, Ross Jacobs, a founding member of The Crevulators, a fixture in the Brooklyn 'Country Circuit', explains, "It's different here from the places down South and out West, because the people here aren't really influenced by what's going on with Top 40 Country Charts or the idea of 'making it big in Nashville.' The bands that play in Brooklyn and the people we play for are truly all about the music. So much of it is about authenticity. And when the music strays, it goes to more of an edgy feel rather than a pop feel."
Venues in Brooklyn and neighboring Manhattan foster the community with prime spots for great country-western sounds in Brooklyn's Freddy's Backroom on Dean Street, Hank's Saloon on Atlantic Avenue, and Manhattan's famous Rodeo Bar. In July, the Backroom will host the second annual Brooklyn Country Music Festival, an eight-day extravaganza featuring NYC's best. Alex Battles, the organizer of the event and lead singer/banjo player of Brooklyn-based band, The Whisky Rebellion, sums up the enthusiasm of the community: "You wanna know how important traditional country music is to Brooklyn? We're having an eight day country music festival in a city that doesn't even have a country music radio station!"
The 2nd Annual Brooklyn Country Music Festival will take place July 21st-31st at Freddy's Backroom, 485 Dean St., Brooklyn. For more information, visit http://www.brooklyncountry.com.
"Leave it to Brooklyn to come out with something as extraordinary as on-going country-western performances and a Country Music Festival! You have to hear it to believe it," Abrams concludes.
Travel WITH Stephanie Abrams, syndicated nationally, is heard Sundays in the 7pm -- 9pm ET timeslot and simulcast on the Internet. Visit Abrams' award-winning website at www.sabrams.com.