Wednesday, November 28, 2012

People's Music Network coming to Springfield!

OK, this is exciting-- the People's Music Network Winter Gathering will take place in Springfield this year!
Lots going on-- and I will keep posting about this-- but right now I want to invite you to a meeting of local musicians, artists and those who believe in the power of music on Tuesday, December 11, 6 pm at Arise, 467 State St.  Let's make sure that the color, composition and creativity of our community is in full force at the PMN Gathering in January.

Here's the PMN press release:

The Peoples Music Network will hold its Winter Gathering at the Duggan Middle School, 1015 Wilbraham Rd., Springfield, MA on the weekend of January 25-27, 2013.  The theme for the weekend will be “Taking Back Our Communities”.

           The Peoples Music Network (PMN) uses music and culture to bring about social change.  PMN is a network of musicians, performers, song-writers, DJs, sound and recording engineers, music lovers, record and concert producers, promoters and archivists, whose artistry is rooted in political and social activism.  In the words of Paul Robeson, “The artist must fight for freedom or slavery.”
      
            Since 1977, PMN has developed a format that includes a Friday night concert, a weekend of workshops, and a round robin. Members come from all over the country to share their love of music. The gatherings are held in different cities each winter. Summer gatherings are at a camp in the Hudson Valley.                                      
           PMN is a place to come to work on issues pertaining to cultural survival. It is a welcoming place for new musicians and songwriters as well as seasoned veterans.  It is a culturally diverse group of people committed to working on issues of oppression, having fun in the process.

             The winter gathering will present a dynamic group of musicians at its Friday night concert on January 25.  The concert will be held in the Duggan Middle School Auditorium and will begin at 7:30 pm.  The evening’s line-up will combine the political poignancy of emma’s revolution, comprised of Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow, PMN’s Artists-in-Residence, the revolutionary lyrics of David Rovics, the musical version of Democracy Now!,  the passion and power of multilingual singer/songwriter Colleen Kattau & Some Guys, the kamikaze guitar style of Pamela Means, the driving beat of Springfield’s hip hop artists from the “Like It Or Not” collective, and the jazz-infused, hip-hop bred, politicized texts of Lenelle Moise. All the performers have a strong commitment to social, ecological and economic justice.

Weekend workshops and song swaps focus on topics such as songwriting, the marketing of musicians, funny songs, choral and improvisational singing, rounds, labor, protest, war and peace songs, environmental, economics, homelessness, and gay/lesbian/bisexual issues.
           
             There will be a Plenary on Saturday afternoon, focusing on music and the movement that is working to take back our communities. Co-sponsors of the weekend are the community organizations of Jobs with Justice, Arise for Social Justice and the Pioneer Valley Project. We invite you or your organization to co-sponsor the PMN weekend. The primary responsibility of co-sponsors is to help publicize the weekend and to encourage your members/associates to attend.
Over 100 PMNers will be coming from out of town and will need lodging for the weekend. If you can provide a homestay for the weekend and for more information, contact Diane Crowe, at diacrowe@yahoo.com  -   413-548-9394.
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