Northern Music

Feb. 8, 2006

TRIBAL STOMP
Dance for Democracy unites activists & good times
They say that the revolution will not be televised, but it will perhaps be danced in 4-4 time at the Dance for Democracy this Saturday, Feb. 11 from 5-11 p.m. at the City Opera House in TC.
The second annual Tribal Stomp - Activist Fair & Rally intends to tell it like it is on issues including racism, corporate control, the Bush administration and other hot button topics which have inspired progressive wrath in recent years.
Speaking will be TC’s own Pun Plamondon, a Native American activist and author who co-founded the White Panther Party in the late ‘60s and went underground as a fugitive leftist revolutionary. Plamondon’s case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which handed him the equivalent of a get-out-of-jail-free card as a result of being the subject of illegal wiretaps. He now lives on a farm near Grand Rapids and is active in promoting his memoir, “Lost from the Ottawa, The Story of the Journey Back.”
Also speaking is Sunsara Taylor, co-founder of an organization called The World Can’t Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime. A writer for Revolution Magazine, Taylor has appeared on both right and left-wing radio and TV, in the New York Times, and many other media outlets. A favorite topic is the threat to American freedoms posed by religious fundamentalists.
The event culminates in a dance featuring the 10-piece Afrobeat band, NoMo, who incorporates strings, horns, multiple keyboards and guitars with African drums.
“Think of what would happen if Tower of Power (or even Chicago) took on John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders as members and then did a three-year residency in Lagos, and you’ve got an idea of what NoMo sounds like,” the group states in their press kit.
The event will also include food and info on progressive causes. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door, with kids under 16 free with an adult. Tickets are available at Oryana, Higher Self, Vinyl D Records, Kejara’s Bridge and Another Cuppa Joe.


Ducks in a Row
Gopherwood presents spring concert lineup
Presenting Michigan-based bands with an acoustic vibe has always been a priority for the folks at Gopherwood Concerts in Cadillac. That goal will be realized this weekend when the series presents two close-to-home bands, Duck Soup and Lake Effect, this Saturday, February 11 at the Cadillac Elks Club.
Duck Soup is a bluegrass band with hometown roots. Band members have a broad musical background from which to draw, including folk, bluegrass, Irish, country, and a little rock n’ roll. The group consists of Jack Boyd on bass, Barry Lempe on rhythm guitar, Tom Schwarz on banjo and fingerstyle guitar, and Steve Loring on mandolin, harmonica, fiddle, banjo and autoharp.
Lake Effect performs anything from old-timey string band music to original ballads, with some rocking renditions of old pop songs.
The band features Zak Bunce on upright bass (also known to pick up a guitar and croon one of his tunes in his clear high tenor). David Bunce plays banjo, guitar, and mandolin and sings lead and harmony. Barry Lempe plays guitar and kazoo and throws his vocal hat into the fray as well. Tiyi Schippers plays lap dulcimer, and all manner of percussion in addition to singing.
Other upcoming shows:
• March 11 will feature singer-songwriter Ember Swift on jazz vocals and acoustic guitar. The Toronto-based singer and her band combine folk, jazz, funk, punk, world music, pop, classical and reggae. Their songs shed light on issues such as globalization, consumer awareness, food politics, capitalist greed, feminism, queer politics, racism and environmentalism. All seven of their independently released albums weave politics and poetics.
• April 29 brings the return of the folk music legend Richie Havens, who performed hits such as “Here Comes the Sun” and “Freedom” to a sold-out crowd at his show here last year.
• Dick Siegel rounds out the season on May 20. The Detroit-based roots-rocker has taken a political turn with his new CD, “Fighting for King George,” a poke at the current regime in the White House.

Tickets for the Duck Soup and Lake Effect show are $10 for adults and $5 for children, in advance, and $12 & $6 at the door. Showtime is 8 p.m. The Elks Club is located at 122 S. Mitchell St. in downtown Cadillac. Call 231-775-2813 for more information.