The Man in Black would have been 79 this month, and to celebrate, the Johnny Cash Birthday Bash is back in, well, black.
Here’s what you can expect from this barn-raising Cashstravaganza, which New York Magazine has called both “brilliant" and “lowbrow”: Brooklyn songwriter/obscure-country-gem DJ/founder of the Brooklyn Country Music Festival Alex Battles and his band The Whisky Rebellion will breathe life into the icon’s hits and some rarities, following a set of Battles’ originals penned with Cash very much in mind.
Archivist Clinton McClung will screen a meticulously, obsessively-curated selection of rare Cash television and film performances (including stints on the early Cash appearances on the Grand Ole Opry and Sesame Street.
The event has sold out every year since it was founded in 2005 (there are still some tickets left at this writing, but you’d best get on it). Pomade and belt buckles the size of hubcaps optional, but appreciated.
The Johnny Cash 79th Birthday Bash, February 26, 8PM at The Bell House, 149 7th Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn; 718-643-6510; bellhouseny.com. Tickets $15 advance, $20 at the door via ticketweb.com.
