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Dar Williams Graces Haldane Stage for Children’s Funds
Highlands Holiday Concert delivers thrills
by Maria Theodore Leiter
It was anything but the “Bad Mother Blues” last Friday evening for audience members in the Haldane School Auditorium. Instead, moms and dads and other lucky souls were treated to an evening of great music, laughter and even a little yodeling at the Hudson Highlands Holiday Concert to benefit the children of Garrison and Cold Spring.
Performances by renowned Folk artist Dar Williams, local legends Motherlode Trio, and Cold Spring’s newest quirky sensations, Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, pre-ordained a fun evening. But, more than just a concert, this had that homey jam sessionin our-living room feel.
“It was a very magical night,” said Joziah Longo, lead singer of the Circus in an interview the next day. Explaining the genesis of the word, “Slambovia,” which he coined, Longo said that what was once a made-up adjective took on the expression of a state of mind. “It’s like a utopia; a place where we all can be together and have a great time. That happened last night.” Longo and his family moved to Cold Spring a little over three years ago.
Williams, an important voice on the American Folk music scene, fit the benefit into a very busy touring schedule. She likened the event to a gathering of the herd in order to do important work.
“I was so thrilled to see the mural,” Williams said after the performance as she held her young son in her arms.
The mural consisted of a quilt made up of self-portraits painted by Haldane second grade students. It was a fitting backdrop for a concert that raised funds for the Haldane School Foundation and the Garrison Children’s Education Fund, both of which support Arts and Science enrichment in our schools.
The idea for the benefit was Motherlode Trio’s Patty Pelican, who was inspired to do a musical benefit after attending the 2005 Haldane benefit for Tsunami victims.
“I had the idea that this community will really come out for music,” she said. In addition to supporting the arts, she saw it as an opportunity to bring the communities of Garrison and Cold Spring together, a goal that was important to her and her band members; she being a Cold Spring mom, while Stacy Labriola and Terry Platz are Garrison moms. When she learned that Gandalf Murphy and Dar Williams moved nearby, she knew she had her “A-list” of performers. The artists did not hesitate to say yes, she said. However, it was a miracle to get a date that they could both do that would fit into the Haldane school calendar, she added.
In addition to the artists, many volunteers worked to make it a success. Everyone involved in the production and promotion of the show donated their time. The PTA’s of both schools ran the concessions. Many residents donated baked goods and many students stood out in the freezing cold assisting with parking. The evening brought in over $10,000 for the foundations. This will be used to fund arts and science enrichment programs such as field trips, assemblies, author visits and workshops to train teachers to incorporate the Hudson River into their curriculum.
Seamus Carroll, president of the Haldane School Foundation, commented, “The evening was a huge success. Not only did we raise a lot of money to improve the education of our children - we brought the Haldane and Garrison communities a little closer together.”
And, of course, there was the music. Kacey Morabito of WHUD’s Mike & Kacey in the Morning, who also lives in Cold Spring, introduced the bands. Motherlode Trio began the show with their beautiful harmonies. Their anthem “Bad Mother Blues,” found an empathetic and enthusiastic audience.
Dar Williams sang several favorites, including a sweet and witty tribute to her young son’s babysitter, titled “The Babysitter’s Here.” She also sang her beautiful tribute to the Hudson River, a song that is certain to weave its way into the fabric of this community.
Following Dar, the Circus performed, rousing the crowd with their off-beat rock-meets-hillbilly/polka sound and even teaching the audience to yodel.
Then, Williams came back and joined the Circus on stage for an unusual joint session, playing both her own music and theirs. Each musician clearly enjoyed the stretch into the other’s territory. Among the highlights was a performance of the Pink-Floyd song, “Comfortably Numb,” which Williams had covered on a previous album in which she stripped the song of its masculine rock riffs and brought out the poignancy of the lyrics with the simplicity of her voice. But, on this evening, she agreed to put back the “God guitars.”
Watching the performance was a bit like witnessing “The Christians and the Pagans at the table;” another of William’s songs.
Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams will be performing at the Town Crier on December 23. Their music can be found online at www.cdbaby.com or www.slambovia.com. Information on Motherlode Trio can be found online at www.motherlodetrio.com.
Dar William’s new album, “My Better Self,” is out on Razor & Tie records and is available at major retailers and online at Amazon.com. Her tour dates can be found online at www.darwilliams.com.
Donations for the Haldane School Foundation can be sent to P.O. Box 364, Cold Spring, NY 10516. For the Garrison Children’s Education Fund, donations may be forwarded to P.O. Box 262, Garrison, NY 10524.
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