European Reflections...Part 2

With a head full of new ideas and a heart full of gratitude I am still processing my last month. The travels, the people, the food, the concerts...there’s so much to think about!

I had such an incredible experience, and I loved each place that I had a chance to visit.

My trip started in France on a river cruise with Bryan and his family. We traveled down the Rhone River by boat, stopping in little towns along the way. I drank more wine than I ever have in my life (you can’t get a bad glass!), walked an average of 10 miles a day, and found out that I love speaking French.

I made friends from Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Romania, got to sing with a talented musician named Miro, and enjoyed fresh river air coming through our open window each night.

After ten days, of what could arguably be called my first vacation in 10 years, I traveled to Barcelona.

My friends Montse and Antoni helped me set up concerts there and they were amazing! We met last summer in a sea of thousands of people at Seeger Fest, and I’m so glad that our paths crossed. They were the ones that originally got me thinking about a European tour.

I had five concerts in Barcelona and the surrounding area, and I loved it so much. I plugged into a community of people deeply involved in the Catalonian Independence movement, learned one of the most famous Catalonian folk songs (Rossinyol) and happily adapted to drinking a glass of wine with lunch each day.

Of course, I continued to joyfully walk 10 miles a day… 

Though I don’t speak Catalan, many people also speak Spanish in Barcelona, so I loved being able to communicate. Even more so, I loved being mistaken for a native speaker from Mexico! I was very proud of that, actually.

Introducing my songs and telling stories at each of these shows (you know…it’s part of my deal…) was such a fun challenge. It forced me to really think about what I was saying, and it pushed me to master new phrases in a language that I love!

I sang with two choirs, a trio, and sold out of my new album almost instantly. Also- folks in Barcelona LOVE sing alongs. So, the shows went really well.

Heading to Germany was really exciting. This place to me felt the most ‘new’. I knew very few people, and I had more free time (only three concerts in 10 days) so I had the chance to explore towns and travel.

I took the train throughout the country, and it was so great. First of all - the trains in Germany have wifi. Second, they’re clean. Third, you travel through the countryside! It’s absolutely gorgeous.

Germany in the fall looks a lot like Connecticut in the fall. The colors, the weather, the rivers, the narrow roads. I felt very at home, and I was really grateful for that.

I got to visit Frankfurt, Bollenborn, Heidelberg, Munich, Berlin (I saw the wall!), Hannover and Seelze. All by train and walking. (I maintained my 10 miles a day quite easily.)

I loved exploring so many towns and meeting so many new people…the only problem was that I do NOT understand German, and unfortunately, the language really does not want to stick in my brain. I have some basics down, but I have a lot of work to do before coming back!

My shows here were wonderful, and I sold out of my CDs. Amazing!

Upon arriving, I was told by one of my hosts not to try and get Germans to sing with me (he’s German himself). I was bummed, but decided to risk it anyway. To his surprise, everyone sang along! So much, that I ended up making my set even longer to keep the singing going!

So, Germany proves my theory that you can never doubt the power of a good old-fashioned Pete Seeger sing along.

A few last things that I observed and learned...

You can make friends anywhere.

I love walking, biking and public transportation.

I enjoy history when I can actually walk through it and see it.

I love learning new languages.

It’s always good to try local food and wine. (Turns out I love figs!)

Music connects us. Really. Truly.

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The Rhone River in Tournon, France.

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Overlooking Barcelona.

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Walking around Munich.

Quick reflections...

Just some quick thoughts from my first European tour!

- if all cheese tasted like French cheese, I never would have become a vegan

- Europeans have awesome shoes and beautiful scarves

- you can get a SUPER DELICIOUS glass of wine anywhere in Barcelona for about $2

- pretzels in Frankfurt make pretzels in NYC seem like they taste like cardboard

- it's super frustrating being somewhere and not speaking the language

- smiling at someone and saying thank you in their language can go a really long way

- Europeans don't judge you for drinking at lunch (in fact, they may judge you if you don't have a beer/glass of wine...)

- walking everywhere is really fun, and allows you to see where you really are

- you can make friends everywhere

- The Just Be Nice Party is now international!! (too bad Repubs and Dems can't say the same!)

- fall is still my favorite season...regardless of what country I'm in

The Unity Concert in the Black Hills ~ 2015

Last summer, I played at Lincoln Center as a part of SeegerFest. It was one of the highlights of my career. Playing with Pete Seeger back in 2013 opened so many doors for me.

The folk world is a wonderful and welcoming community, once someone has vouched for you. Just like in any other job, you need time to build relationships and connections before people will truly give you a shot.

Pete Seeger gave me a shot.

So last summer, walking off the stage at Lincoln Center, honoring one of my heroes, I was tapped on the shoulder by a gentleman waiting to tell me that I was ‘spectacular’. 

That gentleman was Peter Yarrow.

Peter and I have since become friends. We’ve shared the stage a half a dozen times over the last year, have exchanged emails and phone calls, and I love spending time with him and learning from him.

This weekend, he invited me to join him at the Unity Concert in the Black Hills, which is a three day music festival organized by his daughter, Bethany.

When he found out that I was still in South Dakota, he invited the children from La Plant’s music camp to join the stage for the grand finale!

So…we got to work.

We figured out some logistics with the bus, practiced day after day, handed out permission slips, assigned chaperones, etc, and ‘Operation Unity Concert’ was launched.

14 kids from the little tiny town of La Plant on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation closed out the Unity Concert in the Black Hills by leading a heart-warming, inspiring and energetic sing-along.

I am so proud of them.

They are so proud of themselves.

And the entire town is abuzz with what these kids just did.

Thank you to Peter, Bethany, and the entire Unity Concert staff for making these kids’ first concert experience one that they will never ever forget.

We are grateful.

Together as one.

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Arriving together on the big red bus.

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Practicing out behind the tipis before taking the stage! 

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The kids sang their hearts out.

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After the show - lots of smiles!

I have been out of touch, but you have not been out of my mind.

So…where to begin.

Years ago, I made my first trip out to the Cheyenne River Reservation in South Dakota. On a whim, during a town-wide dinner, I took out my guitar and sang a few songs.

If I had only known.

Many of you have heard this story, and many of you haven’t.

After I finished my songs and went to put my guitar in its case, dozens of pairs of curious hands reached out to strum the strings, feel the frets and hold my pick. I fielded questions about how to write songs, about how I learned to sing, and if I knew Taylor Swift. (I do not.)

I asked and you responded.

In 2011, I recorded a Christmas CD, asked you to buy it, and used the proceeds to buy guitars for folks in town so that they could learn music. I bought 50 guitars and throughout that first summer, had 56 participants of all ages, and at the end of the season when we performed our final concert, I got to give away guitars to everyone who stuck with the program. It was one of the highlights of my musical career.

Through your generous donations, people giving me guitars, or handing me a generous twenty dollar bill, I’ve been able to sustain music camp, and last night we had our fourth annual, LaPlant Music Camp Concert. 

Thanks to people like you, and thanks to Fender, I was able to give out another round of guitars to our next generation of music makers.

As it’s been every year, it was amazing.

The kids were proud. So proud so show off what they’d learned. So proud to have their friends and town cheering for them. So proud to know that I, and all of our Simply Smiles family are proud of them.

And then - in the final moments of the concert, after the encore finale (which included a group performance of “Smoke on the Water”) I got to make an amazing announcement.

I announced that the brand new, shiny guitars were theirs to keep. And with tears in my eyes, I looked back at their innocent and joyful faces, which held expressions that I only wish I could truly describe.

This may seem like melodrama, but I know that nights like last night can save lives.

These kids live in an environment where suicide is considered an option, and is mentioned often and casually.

All of the kids that participated in last night’s concert have lost a relative, a friend or a classmate…in a completely preventable form of death.

About a month ago, many of these kids lost one of their friends to suicide. Her name was Jessica.

According to all, she was funny, pretty, smart, good at sports, and kind-hearted.

Her death set off a chain reaction in this town. Suicide threats. Attempts. Self-harming behavior.

It has been a rough summer. 

I’ve learned more than I had ever hoped I’d need to know about suicide prevention, about the mental health system, and about how to navigate protecting minors that you care for, but have no legal authority to protect.

It’s enough to break your heart.

So nights where kids sing, ‘This Little Light of Mine’, and ‘Keep Hope Alive’, shouting their own truth with all of the power in their lungs and hearts…these nights save lives.

And these kids are worth saving.

And that’s what I’m doing. And that’s what I will do.

And so this brings me to some news.

I have an opportunity for them.

My friend, Peter Yarrow, the legend of a folk singer, has asked me and my music camp kids to come and sing with him for the grand finale at the Unity Concert in the Black Hills.

Singing on stage with Peter has been one of the highlights of my career, and I’ve had the good fortune of doing it many times.

I want these kids to share that same swell of pride. I want to see their chests puff up, and smiles spread across their cheeks as an audience of thousands cheers for them.

I announced this to the kids yesterday. We started learning ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’ today. These kids are so ready to show the world what they’ve got.

They’re ready to show the world that they will not fall victim to hopelessness.

We will keep hope alive

Thank you for always supporting me.

Thank you for always supporting these kids.

A true folk song

In the wake of the Charleston murders, a friend of mine wrote a song. It’s a beautiful song, and it pleads with the state house of South Carolina to take down the Confederate flag.

The story caught on - people started asking him to write more verses, and instead, he turned this into a true folk song and asked all of us in the community to contribute verses.

There are now over 100 verses to this song, and I wanted to share mine.

You can view it here:

I’ve included the lyrics and chords below (he wrote the song in D, but my chords are in parenthesis - just a half step below), because I’d love for you to add your own verse. If you do - please upload it to youtube and post your link in my video's comments, or send it to me via email. I’d love to hear it.

May we all be kind to one another other.

Have a beautiful day.

Take Down Your Flag (By Peter Mulvey and many others)

D  (Db)                                            Bm  (Bbm)

Every flag over Charleston's at half mast today, except one.                                                               

G  (Gb)                                            A  (Ab)            

Every flag over Charleston's at half mast today, except one.

Bm  (Bbm)            G  (Gb)       Bm  (Bbm)                   A  (Ab)                                                                  

Take down your flag to half mast, take down your flag to half staff.                                                

Bm  (Bbm)                  G  (Gb)                A  (Ab)                                                                                            

Take down your flag, take down your flag.

They call her Emanuel, Mother to all, her door is always open.
They call her Emanuel, Mother to all, her heart is wide open.

Take down your flag to half mast, take down your flag to half staff.
Take down your flag, take down your flag.

It will take all of the love in all of our hearts, it will also take something more.
It will take all of the love in all of our hearts, it will also take something more.

Take down your flat to half mast, take down your flag to half staff.
Take down your flag, take down your flag,

And then take it down for good.