Evento

SPOOK HANDY

"The passion, purpose and spirit of American Folk Music are alive and well with Spook Handy..."
--Gary Wien - Editor in Chief, New Jersey Stage

"Spook Handy really understands how to write a good song that says something important."
--Pete Seeger

ON Saturday, October 6, Spook Handy will make his first ever trip to Redding to present a concert featuring the music of Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and several compositions of his own. Oaksong Music Society President, Pete Angwin first met Spook at the 2017 Far West Folk Alliance conference, and was immediately enthralled by his knowledge, appreciation, and respect for the two legendary icons of American folk music. "Night Club" seating will be used for this intimate performance, in which the audience will be in close around a centrally-located state.

In 2003, Pete Seeger invited Spook to perform with him at the Pumpkin Festival in Beacon, New York. The two hit it off. What happened that day profoundly changed the direction of Spook's life. Over the next 10 years, Spook performed alongside Seeger more than 50 times during the last 10 years of Pete's live, learning a lot of his songs and the stories behind them. He also learned a lot about who Pete Seeger was and what he stood for.

Pete Seeger was widely known for leading a renaissance of folk music in the United States. For more than 7 years, he performed across the country sharing songs that became well-known favorites including songs he wrote such as "If I had a Hammer *The Hammer Song)", "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", and "Turn! Turn! Turn". Spook says "The audience ill get to hear plenty of stories, and whether or not you followed his career, everyone will learn something new about one of America's most important and influential musicians of the past 100 years. One of my goals is keep alive the tradition I learned from Pete of using songs as a tool to build and nurture community. The :right songs" will reflect and promote values that guild things up, instead of tearing things down."

Spook incorporates his own original works as well as those of Woody Guthrie into his concerts. Guthrie, who was known as the "Dust Bowl Balladeer" and was Pete Seeger's most notable mentor, wrote hundreds, if not thousands, of fun and sing-along songs that document the history, culture, and concerns of the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's America.

About Spook's record "Pete, Woody, & Me, Volume I - Keep the Flame Alive", John Weingart, host of Music you Cant' Hear on the Radio" (WPRB, Princeton, NJ) says, "Spook Handy has created a record that certainly rests on the shoulders of the past but is unmistakably steeped in the present and what's more, the musical arrangements and playing as well as the lyrics are rich and delightful." The title says it all and this collection represents Spook's original work along with that of his major influences, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.

Spook hopes the concert will demonstrate that the tradition of singing songs with social value is alive and well. "While the concert will have a nostalgic quality to it, it will also present a look at the world we live in today and the world we can create for tomorrow." It's obvious that Spook learned a lot from Pete. Audiences can't help but participate in Spook's concerts. They laugh at his stories, sing along with his songs and can't wait to chat with him after the show.

http://spookhandy.com/wp/