Live Performances

Every Tuesday in February (2/3, 10, 17, 24) 6-9 PM solo at The Taos Inn, Taos NM

Sunday February 8 7PM solo at Mabel Dodge Luhan House, private concert

Sunday February 15 6-9 PM The Serpent Herders at The Taos Inn, Taos NM

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Musings – On Protest and Resistance

I will never forget the first time I heard the song ‘Masters of War’ by Bob Dylan. It was shortly after the US invaded Afghanistan. I was part of a lineup of musicians at Mississippi Pizza, a restaurant and music venue in Portland OR. When it was her turn, a woman named Allie (I’ve forgotten her last name) got up on the stage with her accordion. She played one note to give herself the pitch, and then she sang all 8 verses of the iconic protest song a cappella.

As you might imagine, Mississippi Pizza was not exactly a listening room. But the whole time Allie was singing you could have heard a pin drop. Everybody was silent, riveted. When she was finished it was like everyone was holding their breath. Nobody clapped or said a word for what felt like several minutes, and then the whole crowd erupted. To say it was powerful would be an understatement, and the performance has stuck with me for over 20 years.

I wanted to learn the song too, and add it to my repertoire. But when I looked up the lyrics, the last verse made me too uncomfortable to sing in front of an audience.

I hope that you’ll die, and your death will come soon

I’ll follow your casket in the pale afternoon

And I’ll watch while you’re lowered down to your deathbed

I’ll stand over your grave til I’m sure that you’re dead

Now, so many years later, I’ve learned the song and make a point at singing it at every performance. It still makes me uncomfortable, but I feel like it’s a way I can voice my dissent and protest the policies and tactics of the current administration.

The closest I come to social media these days is Ravelry, a social networking site for fiber artists. One of the features is a running list of the most popular knitting patterns, and since mid-January the most popular has been the Melt the Ice Hat.

The pattern designer, a yarn store owner in Minneapolis, was inspired by traditional hats known as “nisselue” that were worn by Norwegians fighting Nazi occupiers in the 1940’s. Knitters are making the hats to be worn at protests, and pattern proceeds are all going to groups that are assisting immigrant communities in Minneapolis. So far they’ve raised over $250,000.

Of course there are lots of ways to resist and protest. From donating money to making phone calls to boycotting companies that financially support ICE to knitting red hats and singing protest songs, we can all do something.

“Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world…would do this, it would change the earth.”
― William Faulkner

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miscellaney

~ Knitters (and other crafters) are badasses.

~ recent reads (and listens) – The Sirens by Emilia Hart, The Lambing Season by John Connell, I Am Homeless if This is Not My Home by Lorrie Moore, Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy, The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

~ Hot off the needles – Bad Idea Blouse by Lacey Williamson

Thank you for reading! Until next month…