Eli Smith (host/producer) is a banjo player, writer, researcher and promoter of folk music living in New York City. He will be performing a set of some of the old-time labor songs by famous old-time musicians, including Woody Guthrie, who were some of the original labor rights leaders in the U.S.. He plays as part of the Roots ‘n’ Ruckus music collective and hosts Down Home Live, every second Saturday of the month at Banjo Jim’s. He has appeared as a guest on terrestrial radio stations such as WBAI and WDST in New York and KPFA, KPFK, and KUCI in California. Eli has presented panels and discussions on folk music at the Left Forum conference at Cooper Union and at the Podcamp podcasting conference in New York City. In 2004, he traveled to Caracas, Venezuela as an American delegate to the Encuentro Mundial de Intelectuales y Artistas “En Defense de la Humanidad” (World Encounter of Intellectuals and Artists “for the Defense of Humanity). Eli also served as music consultant for the Civil War film Racing Daylight (2007). He has performed and recorded with Peter Stampfel, John Cohen and Sam Shepard.