Thursday, October 1, 2026
The first annual Folk-2-Funk Festival, which kicked off on Feb. 11 and ran through Sunday, was music to the ears of residents who came out to watch performances from local bands this past weekend.
The festival opened at Lola’s with an evening of blues, folk, and funk performed by the Polly-O Band. The event continued on Saturday at the Long Beach Public Library, where local musician Benoir and the Dreamer Cult, along with New York City’s Brad Vickers and his Vestapolitans performed.
The festival was created by Johanna Mathieson-Ellmer, director of Artists in Partnership Inc. and the producer of the Barrier Beach Blues and Arts Festival, and George Trepp, the director of the Long Beach Public Library, and is aimed at becoming an annual event to promote music and local musicians in the city.
The music continued on Saturday at 8 p.m., where Bethany Yarrow and Rufus Cappadocia, fresh off their recent PBS special with Bethany’s dad, Peter Yarrow from Peter Paul and Mary, performed.
Benjamin “Benoir” Metzger, guitarist and harmonica player, said that he and his band mates found the crowd to be engaging and friendly.
“Long Beach is such a great town,” he said, noting that the group opened with “Blownin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, followed by Benoir’s own folk material. “It was very fun and enjoyable.”
Benoir estimated between 150 to 200 people came out for his performance. He estimated that more than 500 came out for the entire festival over the weekend.
“Spirits were high,” he said, noting that music lovers clapped during songs and attempted to sing along with him. “People really liked it.”
The music continued on Sunday with the duo of local blues legends Howie Haber and Lou Carollo of Breakaway, followed by singer and songwriter Christine Solimeno. Edlene Hart and the F&G Band took the stage afterward, with a set of original blues tunes. Following the events at the public library, The Mike Barnett Blues Band performed at Lola’s.
Mathieson-Ellmer said she was delighted with the eclectic mix of musical genres and talents, and with the warm and enthusiastic audience response.
“Music speaks to us at so many levels and touches our humanity,” she said. “It connects us to the lives and stories that came before us and has the capacity to both humble and empower.”
An upcoming Cabaret Festival, a continuation of the “Roots” project, and this year’s 3rd Annual Barrier Beach “Memphis” Blues and Arts Festival, are scheduled for June 30-July 3. For information about AIP please visit www.aip-arts.org.
Comments about this story? Cengelhardt@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 213.
