October 15, 2011 : For the Love of Pete: Stories and Songs from the Life of Pete Seeger

Ottawa StoryTellers presents:

For the Love of Pete: Stories and Songs from the Life of Pete Seeger
Featuring Gail Anglin, Tom Lips, and Mary Gick

October 15, 2011, 7:30 p.m., Shenkman Arts Centre, OYP Studio,
245 Centrum Boulevard, Orleans. Admission: $15.00 at the door (cash only).

Stories and songs combine as we explore the life and times of a man who was at the forefront of the folk music revival! This program focuses on an extraordinary performer who changed minds and hearts with his musical talent and dedication to building a better world.

We’ll travel through time to touch upon the key events that inspired some of the best known songs of the folk revival. From the early struggles of the trade unions to the Civil Rights Movement, from the House Un-American Activities Committee to the early efforts of environmentalism, Pete Seeger was at the forefront of the events that formed a generation.

Storytellers and musicians Gail Anglin, Mary Gick, and Tom Lips share stories of these pivotal moments in history and show how activism inspired song, and song inspired activism. We’ll raise our voices and feel the passion of the times through songs like "If I Had a Hammer," "We Shall Overcome," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone."

Performers:

Gail Anglin
Gail has been telling all sorts of stories to all sorts of audiences in the U.S. and Canada for many years. She is proud to have been among the vanguard troupe of tellers that has made Ottawa one of the most energetic and exciting centres of storytelling in Canada. A musician as well as a storyteller, Gail often incorporates music into her performances. She was a founding member of the Ottawa StoryTellers organization, currently serves as a Board member, and continues to direct the Spirits of the Times shows that she initiated for OST at the Billings Estate Museum. Gail grew up in New York State, protested against the Viet Nam War and racism in the U.S., sang folk music in the 60s, canoed wild rivers, and told stories to kids. She knows where Pete Seeger is coming from because she’s been there.

Mary Gick

Originally from Montreal, Mary began playing clawhammer banjo in 1976 when she was a psychology graduate student in Ann Arbor, Michigan, hanging around the Ark Coffeehouse and playing string band music with friends. These days, Mary is a psychology professor at Carleton University, still plays banjo and occasionally performs with friends and appears on their recordings. Her banjo playing can be heard on Jennifer Noxon’s 2002 recording “Sweet” (Nothing More, for which she wrote the music); Michael Jerome Browne’s 2004 release, “Michael Jerome Browne and the Twin Rivers String Band”; Chris White’s 2005 CD, “Inner Voice”; Frank Cassidy and James Stephens’ 2006 CD, “Thomas D’Arcy McGee”; Russell Levia’s 2007 country CD “The Wayward Wind” and 2009 children’s recording “Morningtown Ride”; and on the third Thursday of each month, at an American old-time music session held upstairs at The Carleton Tavern. Mary taught clawhammer banjo at the Ottawa Folklore Centre from 2003-2007.

Tom Lips

Tom is a gifted singer and songwriter as well as a creative and dynamic teller of traditional and original stories. Described by Christine Lavin as “a masterful singing storyteller,” Tom writes in an eclectic mix of styles. His songs have been described as “poignant outpourings of emotion”, but his wry sense of humour is never far away. His CDs, “Made of Sky” and “Practical Man” have won many friends. Tom has been an active storyteller for two decades, with numerous performances in the “Stories from the Ages” epic series and the Fourth Stage storytelling series, as well as appearances at Ottawa museums and the storytelling festivals of Ottawa, Toronto, North Bay, and Westport. Visit Tom’s website at www.tomlips.ca.