Brooklyn Folk Festival bios

Eli Smith:

Eli Smith is a banjo player, writer, researcher and promoter of folk music living in Brooklyn, NY.  Eli is a Smithsonian Folkways recording artist and produces two folk festivals annually, the Brooklyn Folk Festival in the Spring and Washington Square Park Folk Festival in the Fall.  He has appeared as a guest on terrestrial radio stations such as WBAI, WNYC, WKCR and WDST in New York and KPFA, KPFK and KUCI in California.  Eli has presented panels and discussions on folk music at the Left Forum conference and at the Podcamp podcasting conference in New York City.  In 2004 He traveled to Caracas, Venezuela as an American delegate to the Encuentro Mundial de Intelectuales y Artistas “En Defense de la Humanidad” (World Encounter of Intellectuals and Artists “for the Defense of Humanity).  Eli also served as music consultant for the Civil War film“Racing Daylight” (2007).  He has performed and recorded with his old time string band The Down Hill Strugglers, Peter Stampfel and John Cohen.  The Down Hill Strugglers were recently featured on the soundtrack album to the Coen Brothers’ film “Inside Llewyn Davis,” which was produced by T Bone Burnett.  Eli is currently preparing an "Oral History of Folk Music in New York" book and is working on a new television series for Brooklyn Independent Media called "Down Home TV" which will be a televised extension of his long running "Down Home Radio" podcast.