WEST BRATTLEBORO-Joe Jencks, an international touring musician and award-winning singer-songwriter, will be performing at All Souls Church, 29 South St., on Friday, May 16, to benefit local refugees and asylum seekers.
Locally, and to the point of the benefit concert, Jencks may be best known for his song "Lady of the Harbor," a reference to the Statue of Liberty and a lament for the plight of those who have left their home countries to come to the United States.
The concert will benefit two local organizations, the Community Asylum Seekers Project (CASP) and the Vermont branch of the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC-VT).
CASP is a nonprofit organization that supports asylum seekers in the Brattleboro area. Their mission is "to cultivate a supportive community for those seeking asylum in the U.S., while providing for basic needs and accompanying asylum seekers on their journey towards building a life in this country."
ECDC-VT is a branch office of the Ethiopian Community Development Council, a national resettlement agency that has been supporting refugees since 1983. As a multicultural organization, many of their team members reflect the refugee populations they serve, bringing insights and shared experiences to their work. With offices in Brattleboro and Bennington, as well as a Multicultural Community Center on the SIT Graduate Institute campus, they help individuals and families rebuild their lives after experiencing war, persecution, and unimaginable hardship.
A frequent performer at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly, Jencks is a 25-year veteran of music festivals, including performances at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. He has played for diverse audiences with a blend of social consciousness and spiritual exploration. Jencks has released 15 CDs in that time.
"Merging conservatory training with his Irish roots and working-class upbringing, he delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove, and grit," organizers said in a news release. Speaking of his playing and songwriting, they said, "Jencks serves it all up with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel."
Jencks's most recent solo CD - The Coming of the Years, released in 2022 - is centered around songs he wrote while on tour in Ireland over a 12-year period. It features Jencks's Irish and Celtic heritage with themes of immigration spanning multiple generations. As a dual U.S./Irish citizen, "Jencks has been swimming in these waters musically and personally for decades," wrote organizers.
Co-founder and a vocal arranger for the harmony trio Brother Sun, Joe is also in demand as an arranger with over 30 appearances as a guest vocalist on various studio recordings. From coffeehouses to Carnegie Hall, organizers said, "Jencks has made a mark on the American music scene, singing and telling stories that educate, illuminate, and uplift."
The concert will start at 7 p.m. Advance tickets may be purchased for $25 at ascvt.org/JoeJencks. No one will be turned away for inability to pay.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.