Man In Black To Be Honored In LIC
By KAITLYN KILMETIS
A literature teacher once said that subtlety is for children. A questionable premise, but one that certainly applies to the aesthetics of the tango. This ever-more-popular dance adapts itself to a myriad of musical styles and time signatures, relying on the dynamism of the dancers to pull it along.
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| Johnny Cash will be honored Saturday in LIC. |
The Johnny Cash Festival, which will take place at LIC’s The Secret Theatre, will be a multi-faceted Cash commemoration complete with a documentary viewing, live bands, a barbeque, guitar giveaway, book signing and art exhibition.
The event will begin at 5 p.m. with a live reading by author Antonino D’Ambrosio from his new book about Cash, with live musical accompaniment. The reading will be followed by a book signing.
From 7-8 p.m., there will be a Johnny Cash Suppertime with burgers, ribs, corn on the cob and potato salad.
Next, there will be a “Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison” screening from 8-9:30 p.m. Lastly, from 9:30-11:30 p.m., there will be a recreation of the entire Folsom Pri
son Album by a collection of musicians and vocalists.
The Secret Theatre’s Artistic Director and Owner Richard Mazda said Cash was chosen since he served as such a powerful force in the musical world.
“Johnny Cash is hugely popular and it’s surprising because he’s not an artist you would have thought that the younger generation would be into, but they are,” Mazda said. “He’s such an icon.
Mazda said the event is not only intended for diehard Cash fans but the festival is a fine way for curious attendees to get a full education about the country crooner. He also added that he thinks all music lovers can find something of value in Cash’s tunes.
“We are very much reaching out to people who wouldn’t just consider themselves country fans because Johnny Cash is pretty different from George Jones or Sugarland,” he said. “I think he’s got a far wider appeal.”
Mazda said be believes the festival will provide an enjoyable experience to a wide range of attendees.
“I think the event – where we’re holding it and how we’re doing it – has a lot of appeal,” he said. “Even though it’s still not quite spring yet, we’ll even have the barbeque going outside. We’ll have a gallery in the front of the theater with an exhibition of Johnny Cash album covers and we’re giving away two Gibson electric guitars. Its going to be an all-in, fun event, which I think anybody who likes popular music should enjoy.”
This is the second musical festival the Secret Theatre has held. The first, held in January, was centered around Bill Withers.
Mazda said the festivals endeavor to appeal to all the senses through many forms of expression including music, film and art.
“I’m not very interested in just having a straight music venue,” he said. “We want to do something that incorporates a little performance, some art, maybe talk. So every time we do something like this they’ll be a lot more to it.”
Mazda said in the future The Secret Theater hopes to do hold musical celebrations every six weeks. The next two festivals will center on Marvin Gaye and The Clash.
For more information, visit secrettheatre.com or call (718) 392-0722.
Reach Reporter Kaitlyn Kilmetis at kkilmetis@queenstribune.com, or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128.