for Songs of Struggle and Freedom
SAVE THE DATE!
PMN Summer Gathering, June 6-8, 2014 at Camp Epworth in High Falls, NY.
Featuring PMN Artists-in-Residence Terry Leonino
and Greg Artzner of Magpie. We’ll share music to inspire
activism, remember Pete Seeger’s legacy, and network with like-minded
musicians and activists.
More info coming soon!
Tue, March 4 2014 » Uncategorized » No Comments
UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY
PMN WINTER GATHERING – 2014 New York City
The People’s Music Network will hold its Winter Gathering in New York City on the weekend of January 24-26, 2014. A Friday night get-together/potluck/sing-along will take place at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 83 Christopher St., Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Friday’s event is free and open to the public. Bring a dish to share.
Saturday and Sunday events will be at the Renaissance Charter School (an unaffiliated, unionized, not-for-profit school), 35-59 81st St., Jackson Heights, Queens. The theme for the weekend will be “Unity through Diversity”. For information, contact Diane Crowe, at diacrowe@yahoo.com - 413-548-9394.
Peoples Music Network (PMN) uses music and culture to bring about social change. It is a network of musicians, performers, song-writers, DJs, sound and recording engineers, music lovers, activist cultural workers, record and concert producers, promoters and archivists, whose artistry is rooted in political and social activism. PMN is a welcoming place for new musicians and songwriters as well as seasoned veterans. It is a culturally diverse group of people committed to building community, promoting social justice, ending oppression and having fun in the process. PMN has been holding gatherings in different cities each winter since 1977.
The Winter Gathering will begin on Friday night, January 24. Registration opens at 6:00 pm followed by a potluck at 6:30 pm and music starting at 7:30 pm. A sing-along will be led by PMN’s 2014 Artists-in-Residence, Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner, aka Magpie, as well as other members of PMN. Bring your favorite songs that reflect our commitment to social, ecological and economic justice.
Breakout Sessions include workshops on Saturday and Sunday on songwriting, musicianship, marketing one’s music, diverse musical genres, local activism and singing. Also included are song swaps of funny songs and rounds, as well as songs about labor, gender, war and peace, racial and economic justice, and environmental issues. (http://peoplesmusic.org/program-schedule-and-descriptions) (On Saturday there will also be a plenary offered by Magpie. (http://peoplesmusic.org/plenary) Sunday morning will begin with Songs of the Spirit in which the entire gathering participates and continue with another workshop session and a Children’s Concert, open to the public.
New this year are the three mini-concerts that will take place on Saturday. Each mini-concert will have three acts, featuring members of the New York music scene, from the Occupy movement to the hip-hop/jazz of Spiritchild Mental Notes. (See below)
Over 100 PMN members will be coming from out of town and will need lodging for the weekend. If you can provide a homestay for the weekend or need hospitality, email Ellen Davidson at ellen.davidson@verizon.net.
MINI CONCERTS – SATURDAY – JANUARY 25
9:15 – 10:30 am:
Alexandra Bradbury, Jorge Lugo, Caroline Doctorow
10:45am – 12:00 pm:
Jeremiah Birnbaum, Lords of Liechtenstein, Sonia de los Santos
2:30 – 3:45 pm:
Spiritchild Mental Notes, Art Start, The Peace Poets
About the Performers:
Alexandra Bradbury
Al is a singer/songwriter from Brooklyn. She is a staff writer for Labor Notes, Putting the Movement Back in the Labor Movement. Al worked with hospital workers as a researcher and organizer for Service Employees Local 49 in Oregon and now covers SEIU, health care, postal workers, higher ed, and LGBTQ workers.
Jorge Lugo
Jorge Lugo, a singer/songwriter originally from Houston, can be found singing at gatherings of Occupy New York wherever they might occur.
Caroline Doctorow
Folk, roots, blues singer/songwriter, Caroline Doctorow has recently released several retrospective albums interpreting the songs of earlier American Folk Songwriters. AnotherCountry…The Songs of Richard and Mimi Farinã received critical acclaim and was called by critic Steve Maddeo “an album that enters the folk canon as one of the best collections of the recording of specific artists”. Her western-themed release “I Carry All I Own…The Songs of Mary McCaslin” appeared on both the Americana, and Folk Radio airplay charts reaching #12 on Folk Radio.
Ms. Doctorow is a regular returning guest on the famed Blue Plate Special , the live radio broadcast produced and aired on WDVX. Knoxville. In 2012 and 2013 she was voted “Best Female Musician” Gold category by the readers of Dans Papers. www.carolinedoctorow.com
Jeremiah Birnbaum
Based in New York, Jeremiah Birnbaum is an award-winning performing and touring songwriter, with a particular focus on self-reliance, and building community through arts advocacy. Miah’s most recent album, ‘Lucky’, reached #31 on the Roots Music/Cashbox charts on 2013 and led to appearances on esteemed folk radio stations nationwide. Miah is a multi-instrumentalist, playing mandolin, banjo and guitar for many artists and on tv/film soundtracks, and has opened for many legendary artists, including the late Levon Helm. www.jeremiahbirnbaum.com
Lords of Liechtenstein
New York City-based acoustic duo The Lords of Liechtenstein first met in a hospital in July of 1994. “Hey, let’s start a band!” said Dan Rauchwerk to his new little brother, Noah. “Waaah!” said Noah as he had just been born and wasn’t quite able to speak yet, much less sing or play the ukulele. The brothers mutually agreed to wait a few years, until Noah was at least potty trained, before pursuing a musical career. With Noah on ukulele/vocals and Dan on acoustic guitar/banjo/vocals, they have released three CDs in the last three years, including a concept album on African foodcrises – “Economics of an Empty Stomach” (2011) – and most recently, a quirky, multi-faceted LP entitled “Siberia” (2012). www.thelordsofliechtenstein.com
Sonia de los Santos
Sonia will present songs from her new CD ”From Nuevo Leon to the New York islands” (Taller Music) with bilingual versions of Latin American classics and songs by Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie and a world premiere of Pat Humphries Swimming to the Other Side” in Spanish
Sonia De Los Santos was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2000, she joined the rock band Esphera. As an actress, Sonia has She was the lead singer in the rock n roll tap dancing show Revolution.
Sonia has been touring with the Grammy Award winning group Dan Zanes And Friends since 2007. Sonia studied musical theater at Circle in the Square Theater School in New York City and holds a BS in Communications from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. www.soniadelossantos.com
Spiritchild and Mental Notes
Armed with their unique signature sound, New York City’s original hip-hop ensemble Mental Notes has been attracting diverse audiences with our sound and vibrations since 1999. Their eclectic fusion of old school hip-hop, funk, electronica, jazz and acid rock continues to break the boundaries of the New York live music scene. Mental Notes features Spiritchild as the lead vocalist/emcee, bassist and songwriter David Dovo, Guitarist Fro and Drummer Eran Asias. http://xspiritmental.com
Art Start
Over the past twenty years, Art Start has become an award-winning, nationally recognized model for using the creative arts to transform young, at-risk lives. Art Start kids live in city shelters, on the streets, are involved in court cases, or surviving with parents in crisis. Through Art Start’s daily creative arts workshops taking place inside some of the city’s loneliest places, at-risk youth collaborate with local teaching artists and educators who donate their time and guidance to nurture the youth’s creativity and talents. http://art-start.org
The Peace Poets
The Peace Poets are Abraham Velazquez, Frank Lopez, Enmanuel Candelario, Frantz Jerome and Luke Nephew. They are young artist educators committed to teaching with a focus on collective liberation. They create safe spaces that allow the deconstruction of race, class and gender as a community. Their workshops focus on Hip Hop, youth empowerment, conflict resolution, community healing and cultural identity through spoken work poetry, music and theater. http://abetheprofit.wix.com/the-peace-poets-new
Mon, September 30 2013 » Uncategorized » Comments Off
