Real Good for Free: Talkin’ ‘Bout the British Invasion @ Kleinert James Arts Center, 7/2/11

Yes, the Fourth of July weekend is coming up, and most of us will be celebrating American independence. But down in Woodstock, they’ll be celebrating the British Invasion.

That’s right, three noted experts on the British rock scene of the 1960s-’70s – Tony Fletcher, Jonathan Gould and Gordon Thompson – are gathering together on Saturday afternoon for a discussion and celebration of one of rock’s golden eras. The panel discussion will be moderated by Doug Grunther of WDST-FM’s “Woodstock Roundtable.”

TONY FLETCHER has been writing about music since 1977 when, at the age of 13, he started a six-page fanzine, Jamming, at school in London. As well as one novel and an upcoming memoir, he is the author of several acclaimed non-fiction books on popular music, including “Dear Boy: The Life of Keith Moon” and more recently, “All Hopped Up and Ready To Go: Music From the Streets of New York 1927-77.” He is currently at work on a biography of the British band the Smiths, to be published by Random House in late 2012.

JONATHAN GOULD is a writer and a former professional musician who studied with the eminent jazz drummer Alan Dawson and spent many years playing in bands and recording studios. He is the author of “Can’t Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America,” and is currently at work on a dual biography of Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, chronicling their careers as the two preeminent male soul singers for the two principal soul labels of the ’60s, to be published by Crown in 2012.

GORDON THOMPSON is Professor of Music at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, where he has lectured since 1989. He received a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from UCLA in 1987. His research and writing has focused on the music of India and Southeast Asia as well as British pop. He is the author of “Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop, Inside Out” and the creator of the annual Beatlemore/Skidmania show at Skidmore. He is currently at work on “The Beatles In Process.”

The authors will read from their books, share stories, play music samples, answer questions and put it all in historical context, as they discuss the musicians, performances, recordings and producers of the British pop scene of the 1960s.

Presented by Woodstock bookstore the Golden Notebook, the discussion will take place at 3:30pm on Saturday at the Kleinert James Arts Center in Woodstock. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served.

MORE REAL GOOD FOR FREE SHOWS, 2011:

Freedom Park, Scotia (7pm on various days)
Music in the Park @ Schodack Town Park, Schodack (6pm on Tuesdays)
Tuesday Nights in the Park @ Cook Park, Colonie (6:30pm on Tuesdays)
The SCA Summer Concert Series @ the Outdoor Entertainment Center, South Glens Falls (6:30pm on Tuesdays)
Rockin’ On the River @ the Hedley District Riverfront Parking Lot, River St., Troy (5pm on Wednesdays)
Jazz On Jay @ Jay Street, Schenectady (12noon on Thursdays)
Alive at Five @ Corning Preserve’s Riverfront Park, Albany (5pm on Thursdays)
Concerts in the Park @ Wiswall Park, Ballston Spa (6pm on Thursdays)
Guilderland Performing Arts Center @ Tawasentha Park, Guilderland (7:30pm on Thursdays)
UpBeat on the Roof @ Skidmore College’s Tang Museum, Saratoga Springs (7pm on Fridays)
Improv Records’ Free Fridays @ Shepard Park, Lake George (7pm on Fridays)
Music at Sunset @ Greenport Town Park, Hudson (7pm on Fridays)
Concerts in the Park @ Riverfront Part, Athens (7pm on Fridays)
Canal Square Summer Concert Series @ Canal Square, Cohoes (7pm on Fridays)
Summer Sounds of Salem @ the Main Street Gazebo, Salem (11am on Saturdays)
Performing Arts at the Common @ the Clifton Park Common, Clifton Park (7pm on Sundays)
Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute Concert Series @ Skidmore College’s Zankel Music Center, Saratoga Springs (June 28-July 8)
Jazz at the Lake: Lake George Jazz Weekend @ Shepard Park, Lake George (Saturday-Sunday, September 17-18)