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The Freight & Salvage facts for kids
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| Address | 2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704 |
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| Location | Berkeley, California |
| Coordinates | 37°52′15″N 122°16′11″W / 37.87083°N 122.26972°W |
| Type | Coffeehouse, non-profit |
| Opened | 1968 |
| Website | |
| http://www.thefreight.org | |
The Freight & Salvage, often called "The Freight," is a special place in Berkeley, California. It is a nonprofit music venue, which means it's not just about making money. Instead, it focuses on sharing music and art with everyone. The Freight is famous for hosting Americana music and world music shows.
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History of The Freight
The Freight & Salvage first opened its doors in 1968. It was started by Nancy Owens. The venue got its unique name from a used furniture store that used to be in the same spot on San Pablo Avenue.
Early Days of Music
In its early years, The Freight was a very popular spot for bluegrass music fans. But it also offered a wide variety of other performances. You could hear folk music, acoustic sets, Scottish and Irish tunes, and even see jugbands and mimes. They also had spoken word events and open mic nights.
Moving to a New Home
In 1983, the club officially became the Berkeley Society for the Preservation of Traditional Music. This showed their dedication to keeping traditional music alive. In 1988, The Freight moved to a new space on Addison Street that could seat 220 people.
On August 27, 2009, The Freight opened an even bigger venue. This new building is in Berkeley's Downtown Arts District. It can hold 490 people! This big project cost $12 million. The building was designed to be very eco-friendly, following LEED standards. It even has a green roof. Inside, you can see reclaimed wood from the original building that was on the site. The new venue also has classrooms. These classrooms help The Freight teach people about music.
Musicians at The Freight
Many talented musicians have performed at The Freight over the years. Some artists who played there often in the early days still perform there today. These include Eric Thompson, Laurie Lewis, Peter Rowan, Jody Stecher, and Linda Tillery.
Famous Performers
Other well-known musicians from The Freight's first ten years include Elizabeth Cotten, Lightnin' Hopkins, Malvina Reynolds, Alice Stuart, Hazel and Alice, Kate Wolf, Sue Draheim, and Vern and Ray.
In more recent years, many other famous artists have graced The Freight's stage. Some of these include Dave Alvin, Greg Brown, Judy Collins, Ry Cooder, Tommy Emmanuel, David Grisman, Dan Hicks, Tom Paxton, Ricky Skaggs, Marty Stuart, Richard Thompson, and Odetta.
Live Recordings
Several bands and artists have even recorded their live shows at The Freight. These recordings let fans enjoy the special atmosphere of The Freight from anywhere. Some groups that have released live albums from The Freight include Nickel Creek, Hot Buttered Rum, Graham Parker, and John Wesley Harding.
New Artistic Vision
In 2016, Peter Williams became the Artistic Director. Under his guidance, The Freight started to feature an even wider range of performers. They now host more jazz, Latin, Americana, and world music artists. Some of these diverse performers include John Santos, DakhaBrakha, Eddie Palmieri, Bill Frisell, Fatoumata Diawara, Kenny Garrett, Bobby McFerrin, and Kurt Elling.
Community Events
The Freight also used to host a free street festival called Freight Fest every year. This festival had two outdoor stages and music playing all day inside the venue.
The Freight's open mic night is very popular. It is the longest-running open stage in the San Francisco Bay Area. Famous people like Shawn Colvin, Dana Carvey, and Alvin Youngblood Hart have performed there.