About the June 27th Benefit Concert, and The Past Four Months
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
About the Concert in New Paltz, New York on June 27th:
I'm very excited about this one because of what it is and where it is. The concert I'm doing is a benefit for Habitat for Artists and Ecoartspace, and there are three ways to attend, in my opinion:
- Come for the concert. Nick Panasevich is opening. Some people in our town worked on his album, and they've created a well-deserved buzz for him around here! Also, the concert's in a very nice theater on the SUNY New Paltz campus.
- Come for concert and cause. Habitat for Artists and EcoArtSpace both put art in the middle of the sustainability movement. There is a confluence of art and sustainable community in the Hudson Valley (it sounds boring, but it's actually groundbreaking and cool), very much present in the corridor from New Paltz to Kingston. Local artists have designed packaging for the seed-sharing collective. Simon Draper has a deal to set up artist "Habitats" (small free-standing buildings made from aesthetically rendered reclaimed materials) in the middle of Stonykill Farm. Artists are digging into centuries of history and agrarian pride with a 21st century sense of place, but they are also connecting their work to the actual towns, growers, and artisans, which strengthens this land-and-neighbor-based movement. About 10 yards from the theater is the Samuel Dorsky Museum with the exhibit Ecotones and Transitional Zones. Hudson Valley artists take the growing concept further in this great exhibit.
- Come for concert, cause, and city. New Paltz has an awesome state school, my favorite farmer's market (Tagliaferro…though on Thursdays), rocks and rock climbers (many of them single, for those who are looking…), and my favorite farm, Veritas. There are bushels of pick-your-own everything, good shopping, and a former mayor who decided to officiate gay marriages years before it was/will be legal in New York and got in loads of trouble for it.
The Past Four Months in Bullet Points, Or, Shall I Say, Emphasis Daisies.
Looking back a bit…
* The R.E.M. tribute in March was wonderful. In the green room of Carnegie Hall we CHEERED when Patti Smith forgot her lyrics and was so charmingly embarrassed about it. WE were all so relieved we'd (mostly) remembered our lyrics, only to see how classy it was to forget them.
There was a very beautiful moment at the City Winery aftershow party when Glen Hansard was performing "The One I Love", saying he used to sing it on the streets, and Mike Mills joined him on the stage, singing "Fi-yaaaah--- fi-yaaaah". So we had a dreamlike evening, only to miss the train and truly piss off our pregnant (!!) babysitter when we got home at 2:30.
* The Pete Seeger birthday concert at Madison Square Garden… I'll say this: if the stage was a campfire of blazing talent, including Pete himself, the audience was the glorious campfire choir. I was on the stage, I was backstage, and I was in the audience. Backstage there was wonderful cameraderie -- I think I speak for others when I say my greatest starf**ker moment was wanting to hug Oscar the Grouch -- but there was also bustle and bodyguards. Eighteen thousand people singing was the STAR of the evening. As Pete and the new testament say, there are seeds that fall on good soil. Pete's birthday was the overwhelming power of the seeds that grew in good soil and raised healthy children and grandchildren in the same soil. I think we all needed this night.
* Between R.E.M. and MSG, I toured in California with Melissa Ferrick, and I love her. Every once in a while, you have excellent company on the road (or The Road, if you will). Think of how great it was to commune over the dirty socks in the middle of one dressing room, or the insane comment of our friendly promoter at another venue, or, conversely, how much we loved Katrina at the Mystic Theater in Petaluma, or how awesome Myrna, of Cambridge, Massachusetts and Michigan Womyn's Music Festival but visiting her girlfriend in the Bay Area and therefore doing our sound at the Great American in San Francisco, is??? I was also completely invigorated and inspired by Melissa's music, and that's good for me on every Road.
* After the tour with Melissa in California and before Pete's birthday was the celebration of 100 years of the Progressive at Madison, Wisconsin's Orpheum Theater which was the highlight of my year. After my set, I described my time on stage to Melissa as "pure joy." It was one of the most meaningful, fun nights of my performing career. Much love and thanks to the Indigo Girls, Catie Curtis, Ani DiFranco, Melissa, Matthew Rothschild, Hamill on Trial, Peter Mulvey, Animal, Sheila, and all our handlers. There was a lot of power in the Orpheum, and, again, so much of that radiated from the audience. It was like surfing on a giant wave of progress.
As I say to my five year old son…
May The Force Be With You,
Dar
PS: I'll try to track down some pictures!
