WILLIAMSVILLE-On Thursday, July 24, Elena Skye and Boo Reiners of the New Jersey–based Demolition String Band will host "Woody Guthrie: A Song Celebration," a night of music honoring the folk troubadour. This event will benefit the Vermont chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and will take place at Williamsville Hall.
The evening will feature a diverse lineup of singers and musicians performing songs by Woody Guthrie, including special guest Syd Straw (with Don Piper), as well as Demolition String Band, Jon Fried and Deena Shoshkes of The Cucumbers, Bard Owl, Luminous Crush, Patty Carpenter and Melissa Shetler, Mick Hargreaves, Colin Blazej, and Paul Dedell.
A representative from the ACLU Vermont will also speak at the event. The ACLU works to protect the constitutional rights and freedoms as set forth in the constitution and its amendments.
"With the struggles going on in our country these days - and the ones we're sure to face in the coming years - it feels like the right time to revisit Woody Guthrie's music," Skye said in a news release. "Pete Seeger considered Woody his mentor, and Woody's inspiring, empowering songs ring just as true today as they did when he wrote them."
Skye was personally entrusted with previously unpublished Guthrie lyrics by Woody's daughter, Nora Guthrie. One of those lyrics, "Go Coney Island, Roll On The Sand," became a posthumous co-write featured on the 2012 box set My Name Is New York: Ramblin' Around Woody Guthrie's Town.
Skye and Reiners have hosted several Woody Guthrie tribute nights in Hoboken, New Jersey; Brooklyn, New York; and Jamaica, Vermont. "I don't think anyone walks away from a Woody Guthrie night without feeling a little lighter in mind and stronger in spirit," Skye said.
Doors at 6:30 p.m., and the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, contact Skye at [email protected] or 201-745-7807, or visit ElenaandBoo.com.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.