A Benefit for FOLK New England.
Peter Yarrow. “We all know the music of Peter, Paul and Mary—folk classics that remain the soundtrack for generations. But our patrons were thrilled to experience the relevancy of that music, and how it resonates through today’s headlines, when Peter Yarrow brought his solo show to the Tower Theatre. It was so much more than a nostalgia show. Peter connected with the sold-out audience in ways that went well beyond a normal concert: he encouraged sing-alongs and audience participation; he signed autographs at intermission; he personally greeted each and every one of our VIPs and members; he even auctioned two personalized guitars to raise money for our educational outreach programs. Peter turned our theatre into his living room. He created an inclusive atmosphere, encouraging each of us to change our part of the world. It was a memorable evening rooted in the historic milestones of his past, yet focused on the current issues that continue to call him to activism. We all know how all the songs of Peter, Paul and Mary sound; what a rare treat to hear what Peter thinks of them. “
–Ray Solley, Executive Director, Tower Theatre Foundation, Bend, Oregon
Peter Yarrow’s talents as a creative artist—both with the legendary trio Peter, Paul & Mary and as a solo performer—are frequently directed at using music to convey a message of humanity and caring. His gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs from Peter, Paul & Mary, including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done”, “Light One Candle” and “The Great Mandala.” As a member of the renowned musical trio, Yarrow has earned multiple gold and platinum albums, as well as numerous GRAMMYs.
Over the years, many issues have moved Peter to commit his time and talent: equal rights, peace, the environment, gender equality, homelessness, hospice care, and education. All have utilized his skills as both a performer and an organizer. Peter Yarrow’s life and work – culminating in the founding and leadership of Operation Respect with its “Don’t Laugh At Me” initiative – is based on his passionate belief that music, with its power to build community and catalyze change, can be a particularly powerful organizing tool.
“Yes, it will be nostalgic for many. But on another level, it will bring them a sense of what is still possible. Yes, they will sing ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane,’ and I will give them a sense of the current history of what this music is doing, and why it’s important. So it will be a history lesson, it will be a singalong that inspires, but it will also assert the importance of the continuation of this kind of music in people’s lives today. And where we’re going from here in those terms. It’s not necessarily a big lecture — it’s inherent in the music. They’ll get it. I know it, ’cause that’s what I do.” – Peter Yarrow
Very special guest Michaela Anne will open the show.
Information and Tickets: Click Here
Dar Williams with Special Guest Catie Curtis
A benefit concert for Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Friday, February 5th at 7:30pm
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“Dar Williams is a songwriter of immense talent” – Telegraph UK
Williams growth as an individual over her almost two-decade-long career has gone hand-in-hand with her evolution as an artist. Raised in Chappaqua, N.Y., and educated at Wesleyan University, Williams spent 10 years living in the thriving artistic community of Northampton, Mass., where she began to make the rounds on the coffeehouse circuit. Joan Baez, an early fan of her music, took Williams out on the road and recorded several of her songs.
Every new album from Dar Williams represents her thoughts and feelings about both her own life and larger forces in the world. But her ninth studio record, Emerald, marks a particularly dramatic confluence between her experiences and broader contemporary culture—and what it means to be a songwriter at this moment in history.
“I’m now experiencing the fruits of the alternative culture I was part of in the ‘90s,” she says. “I think I’ve made choices about how I lived my life, outside of the world that was going to fit me among the mainstream norms, and I chose to stay with my friends, to stay with my culture. That turns out to have been the sturdiest structure I could have built for myself. And that’s in my songs, it’s in my teaching. I’m a believer in what can happen when we make music together.” – Dar Williams
Special Guest Catie Curtis
Catie Curtis is a veteran on the singer/songwriter folk scene. She’s performed at the White House, two Presidential Inaugural Balls, with Lilith Fair, and at Carnegie Hall. Winner of several Boston Music Awards, she also took the Grand Prize in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition (out of 15,000 entries). The New Yorker called Catie a “folk-rock goddess.”
Americans United for Separation of Church and State is a nonpartisan organization that lobbies, educates and litigates in order to preserve the constitutional principle of church-state separation as the only way to ensure religious freedom for all Americans.
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