A dazzling lineup of musical friends graces our stage to help celebrate the Freight’s 39th anniversary. Singer-songwriter Phil Marsh will host this evening’s event, joined by various cohorts, including Hank Bradley from the Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band and traditional music luminaries, Eric & Suzy Thompson.

Phil sang and picked his guitar with the Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band at the 1968 opening night of the Freight and Salvage. Phil also performed with the street theater ensemble, the East Bay Sharks, was musical director for the Pickle Family Circus, wrote songs for the San Francisco Mime Troupe, and helped create the infamous Masked Marauders superstar spoof album. Since those days, Phil re-located to New York City where he enjoys success as a club and studio performer. Phil returns to his Berkeley origins tonight as he ranges from folk and country to blues and originals, joined by others from his multi-faceted career as a vital forces in American roots music.

Well-known to old-time music aficionados, Seattle-based Hank Bradley was one of the Skiffle Band’s founding members. The Washington state fiddle champion for 1974, Hank is an eclectic musician with awesome chops on a staggering number of instruments in just as many genres. His Blue Ridge style fiddling can be heard on collections from Vanguard, Folkways, Kicking Mule, and numerous others. He has also played fiddle with the Mountain Ramblers of Galax, VA, driving cafe orchestra music with Cathie Whitesides, Croatian tamburitsa and violin with Ruze Dalmatinke of Seattle, and violin and bouzouki at various Greek community functions.

Two of the most versatile stars in the Bay Area folk music pantheon, Eric and Suzy Thompson are key members of many of the area’s best known folk groups past and present, including the Blue Flame String Band, Graineog Ceilidh Band, the California Cajun Orchestra, the Aux Cajunals, and the Bluegrass Intentions. With equal parts verve and finesse, soulful flatpicking maestro Eric and fiery fiddler Suzy plumb the depths of classic and country blues, as well as French blues from Cajun country and Suzy’s terrific hillbilly ragtime fiddle pieces.

Phil and Hank will close the night with a reunion of Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band members including harmonica master Will Scarlett, bassist Richard Saunders, and guitarist Gary Salzman.