Rootz: The Green City Music Festival is a folk music

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

 sponsored by Calliope: Pittsburgh Folk Music Society

Calliope: Pittsburgh Folk Music Society

Calliope: Pittsburgh Folk Music Society is an organization that promotes folk music and folk dance in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. The Society started in the late 1960s, when performances were often held in George Balderose's house. As time went on, the Society grew and eventually began...

 in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. The first annual Green City Music Festival was held in Mellon Park

Mellon Park

Mellon Park is a park in the Shadyside and Point Breeze neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the corner of Fifth and Shady Avenues, beside the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts building. The park is home to the Walled Garden, and holds events throughout the year. It is also home to several...

 near Shadyside

Shadyside (Pittsburgh)

Shadyside is a neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has zip codes of both 15232 and 15206, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 8...

 on Saturday, July 12, 2008, and featured performances by Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem

Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem

Rani Arbo and the band Daisy Mayhem, consisting of Andrew Kinsey, Anand Nayak, and Scott Kessel, are an American musical group whose style combines folk, country blues, progressive bluegrass, jazz, and swing...

, Steve Forbert

Steve Forbert

Steve Forbert is an American pop music singer-songwriter. He is best known for his song "Romeo's Tune", which reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1980....

, Ernie Hawkins

Ernie Hawkins

Ernie Hawkins is an American acoustic blues guitar player, singer, recording artist, and educator, who has a Ph.D. in phenomenological psychology....

 and his band, and many other performances by various local and regional musicians.

In 1977, Calliope

Calliope: Pittsburgh Folk Music Society

Calliope: Pittsburgh Folk Music Society is an organization that promotes folk music and folk dance in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area. The Society started in the late 1960s, when performances were often held in George Balderose's house. As time went on, the Society grew and eventually began...

 held its first outdoor music festival, The Smoky City Folk Festival. The SCFF was held for the next 23 years and created the opportunity for local artists to perform in front of thousands of people. The 2008 Green City Music Festival was an updated version of the Smoky City Folk Festival. The name change reflects the city of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...

's efforts to clean itself up over the years and shed its smoky past while still celebrating the people who helped make it what it is today.