Category: Concert tour

Categories
Commemorations Concert tour

The Shelby Bottom Duo will reprise their Joe Hill Road Show multimedia program Sunday, March 5, at 1 pm. First Congo Church, 1000 S. Cooper, Memphis TN

 

Categories
Concert tour

Musical History of Joe Hill Tuesday 4/25, Nashville

Shelby Bottom Duo invites you to attend a free performance of their acclaimed show “A Musical History of Joe Hill & the Early Labor Movement,” Tuesday April 25, 11 am at the UAW hall, 6207 Centennial Blvd in west Nashville, Tenn.

No automatic alt text available.
Categories
Commemorations Concert tour

Joe Hill musical history show set for Louisville on April 7

By John Paul Wright 

Nashville-based Shelby Bottom Duo (Michael August and Nell Levin) will perform their entertaining, multimedia educational show, A Musical History of Joe Hill and the Early Labor Movement in Louisville April 7. The show is set for 7 to 10 p.m. at Lettersong, 1501 Story Ave.

Tickets are $10 advance, $12 at the door. Space is limited so advance tickets are recommended. Click here for tickets.

Their companion CD Joe Hill Roadshow will be available at the show. Special guest will be Louisville’s John Paul Wright, Railroad Engineer, Songwriter, Drummer, Poet, Activist. www.railroadmusic.org

Songwriter Joe Hill is the precursor of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. He was immortalized when Joan Baez sang “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night” at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. A Swedish immigrant, Hill was a member of the international labor group, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or Wobblies), active in the decade leading up to World War I. In 1914, Joe Hill was framed for two murders he did not commit. He was executed by a firing squad in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 19,1915. He subsequently became a labor icon.

Our Musical History includes live performances of Joe Hill songs along with a talk and images about Hill’s life, early labor struggles and the influence of the IWW’s innovative organizing strategies on movements today. Our goal is to share this vital slice of labor history with a wide range people so that we can all better understand why the revolutionary creativity exemplified by Joe Hill and the Wobblies is still relevant. In 2015, 100 years after Joe Hill’s execution, 40 concerts were held around the country celebrating his legacy. Shelby Bottom Duo organized and performed at the Nashville concert and performed at the Knoxville concert.

A Musical History has received funding for our performances from Metro Nashville Arts Commission THRIVE and Humanities Tennessee.

“Shelby Bottom Duo: Entertaining, irreverent social commentary, humanity and humor.” Bill Friskics-Warren, correspondent for the New York Times

Categories
Concert tour

Shelby Bottom Duo Joe Hill Roadshow (Tennessee)

“For those who wonder about the lineage of Woody Guthrie’s celebrated songs of social conscience and labor activism, the Shelby Bottom Duo & Friends have provided a compelling answer with the Joe Hill Roadshow—a collection that places top notch musicianship and heartfelt singing at the service of songs as meaningful now as they were when Hill wrote them a century ago.”  —Jon Weisberger, International Bluegrass Music Association Songwriter of the Year and Print Media Person of the Year.  

Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, 4 pm, House Concert by Shelby Bottom Duo and a talk by art historian Gail Levin about the paintings of Edward Hopper.  308 Oxford Street, San Francisco. Limited space.  Please contact bernellalevin@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Tuesday, Feb. 21 2017, IBEW Local 175, Chattanooga, TN

Wednesday, March 15, 2017, Midsouth Peace & Justice Center, Memphis, TN

Tuesday, March 21, 2017, Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, TN

Saturday, April 15, 2017, Louisville, KY Shelby Bottom Duo with John Paul Wright, locomotive engineer, community organizer, union organizer, labor singer, poet and djembe player.

Tuesday, April 25, 2017, UAW Local 737, Nashville, TN

April 2017, AFL-CIO of Knoxville, date pending.

February, March and April 2017 dates pending for Nashville Musical History shows.
For more information, contact bernellalevin@gmail.com.
Categories
Concert tour Joe Hill songs

Two Joe Hill shows in Nashville, Tennessee

14788453_1475036769-0384_funddescriptionTuesday, Oct.  25, 2016. Musical History of Joe Hill & the Early Labor Movement Tour with the Shelby Bottom Duo (Michael August and Nell Levin) United Auto Workers Local 737, 6207 Centennial Blvd, Nashville TN, 2 pm.
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. SPECIAL ALBUM RELEASE SHOW! Musical History of Joe Hill and the Early Labor Movement Tour with Shelby Bottom Duo, Nashville Peace & Justice Center, Friends Meeting House, 530 26th Avenue N., Nashville, 7 pm.
Categories
Commemorations Concert tour Joe Hill songs

Support Joe Hill CD/Tour

Nashville-based Shelby Bottom Duo (Michael August and Nell Levin)  have launched a fundraising campaign with a goal of raising $5,000 to fund their Musical History of Joe Hill and the Early Labor Movement Tour and a companion CD of Joe Hill songs.

The project includes live performances of Joe Hill songs recorded on the CD along with a talk about Hill’s life, early labor struggles and the influence of the IWW’s innovative organizing strategies on movements today. Their goal is to share this vital slice of labor history with a wide range people so that we can all better understand why the revolutionary creativity exemplified by Joe Hill and the Wobblies is still relevant.

To support the project, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/shelbybottomduo

Categories
Concert tour Joe Hill songs

Joe Hill Roadshow in Lansing, Michigan

The Joe Hill Roadshow makes a return appearance in Lansing Friday, Sept. 30, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. at the MSU Community Music School. Tickets are $18, $5 for students.  Performing are Magpie (Greg Artzner and Terry Leonino), Charlie King and George Mann.

If you haven’t heard these songs before, you’ll be surprised how funny and singable they are—and how much the lyrics ring true today.

“The IWW has always seemed to me to be remarkably free of ideological blinders,” King says. “They were clear-eyed about the owning class and the working class, and knew that at times of crisis your worst enemies may be found among the latter. They have been consistently pragmatic in their strategies—and their songs reflect that.”

“Joe Hill created a body of very practical, well-crafted songs that wear very well a century later,” says Charlie King. “The 1% are as tenacious as then, and the 99% need the demystifying reminders found in Wobbly songs. An injury to one is still an injury to all.”

 

Categories
Commemorations Concert tour Media

Joe Hill Centenary enters Final Days

Fellow Workers,

This week marks the final week leading up to the 100th anniversary of the judicial murder of Joe Hill.  The New York Daily News just run an article, as did Capital & Main, and the Salt Lake Tribune continues updating their Joe Hill page.  And you might like to check out Joe Hill’s Living Message…

There are many, many events scheduled for the week, and we keep learning of new ones every day. And we know there will be soapboxing in many locations. Here’s a breakdown of events, organized by state:

Australia: The New South Wales Teachers Federation is hosting a forum on the occasion of the centenary

Bo Widerberg’s film Joe Hill will be shown in a newly restored and digitally remastered version produced by the National Library of Sweden as part of a Joe Hill Centenary event in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Nov. 19. Victorian Trades Hall, Lygon and Victoria Streets,  Carlton, commencing at 5.00 p.m.

Germany: Concert: 100 years later: Tribute Concert for a true rebel that never died. Berlin. Bernd Köhler & Blandine Bonjour, Geigerzähler, The Overall Brigade. Supamolly, Jessner Str. 41, D-10247 Berlin. Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:00 – 12:00 p.m.

California: Tom Morello & Friends Joe Hill Memorial Concert. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 8:00 p.m. Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles. Performers include: Tom Morello, Joan Baez, Ziggy Marley, Van Dyke Parks, Boots Riley, Rich Robinson, The Last Internationale, Tim Armstrong, Wayne Kramer, Jill Sobule, David Rovics, and Built for the Sea. Tickets $20.

Concert: “Don’t Mourn, Organize: The Musical Legacy of Joe Hill,” Chico, California. More than a dozen musicians will share music by Joe Hill and inspired by him. Thursday, Nov. 19, 7:00 p.m., Blue Room Theater, 139 West 1st Street, Chico.

Colorado:  Concert: John McCutcheon, “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Denver, CO. Bread & Roses Cultural Center. Friday, Nov. 20.

Illinois: Commemoration: Joe Hill funeral re-enactment with a casket, brass band and several performers (including Swedish and Italian).  Bucky Halker, Jon Langford, Sally Timms, and more. Sunday, Nov. 22,  The Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago.

Exhibition: Joe Hill 100 Years Part 5. URI-EICHEN Gallery, 2101 S Halsted, Chicago. Posters and other memorabilia from the Industrial Workers of the World Collection, Molly Crabapple,  Illinois Labor History Society, etc. continues through Nov. 26.

Iowa: Concert: John McCutcheon, “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Saturday, Nov. 21, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Legion Arts.

Maryland: Concert: John McCutcheon concludes his Joe Hill’s Last Will tour in Rockville, Monday, Nov. 23

Missouri: Commemoration Concert:  Danny Cox, Dr. Joyce Downing, Tom James, Bill Clause, Kasey Raush & Scott Stanton, Ariana Eakle, Bob & Diana Suckiel and more. Friday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Rd.,Kansas City. $15 donation. Be prepared to sing.

New York: 11/5-28/2015 The Subversive Theatre Collective presents Si Kahn’s play “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Tickets $25, $20 for students, seniors and union members, Thursdays pay what you can. Manny Fried Playhouse, 255 Great Arrow Avenue, Buffalo NY.

Soapboxing:  The Upstate New York Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World will lead a traditional soapboxing demonstration at noon, on Thursday, Nov. 19, at Washington Avenue, downtown Albany, adjacent to West Capitol Park.
Presentation & Concert: That evening, IWW delegate Greg Giorgio will discuss Joe Hill’s Legacy and lead a sing-along of Joe Hill’s songs. 6:30 p.m. at the Altamont Free Library.
11/19/2015 Concert: John McCutcheon, “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Salt Lake City. Thursday, Nov. 19, The State Room.

Don’t Mourn, Organize! Performances in Celebration of Labor Troubadour Joe Hill. New York City. Amy Goodman ofDemocracy Now! will lead a group of musicians and actors in a rousing evening honoring the great labor troubadour Joe Hill: Musicians Allison Moorer, Stephen Said, Son of Nun and Jamie Kilstein, actors Susan Pourfar and Brian Jones, comedian Hari Kondabolu, and writer Walter Mosley. Friday, Nov. 20, 7:00 p.m. New School’s Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, 66 W 12th St., Manhattan. The event celebrates publication of the new edition of The Letters of Joe Hill. Admission free, but tickets required.

Oregon: Concert: Anne Feeney, Honoring the Legacy of Joe Hill. Sponsored by NW Oregon Labor Council. Thursday, Nov. 19, 8 p.m. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., Portland.

Pennsylvania: Former IWW General Secretary-Treasurer Alexis Buss will discuss the life and legacy of Joe Hill, and in particular his writings collected in the new edition of The Letters of Joe Hill (for which she collected extensive new material and updated and expanded the notes). John Braxton will sing Joe Hill’s songs. Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m., Swedish American Historical Museum, Philadelphia. 

An Exhibition on life and legacy of Joe Hill continues at American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia, through Spring.

Tennessee: Joe Hill Roadshow, Jack Herranen & the Little Red Band, Black Atticus, Shelby Bottom Duo, Matt Kinman & Friends. Saturday, Nov. 21, Potluck 5:00 p.m., Show 7:00 p.m. Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Ave., Knoxville. $5 donation.

Utah: Joe Hill Roadshow. Otis Gibbs, Duncan Phillips, Kate Macleod, Walter Parks and many special guests. Friday, Nov.  20, 8:00 p.m. The Stateroom, 638 South State St., Salt Lake City. $15 admission.

11/16/2015 Lecture: William Adler will speak on The Man Who Never Died: The Life and Legacy of Joe Hill After a Century, Monday, Nov. 16, 7 p.m., Dumke Legacy Hall in the Hurst Learning Center at Weber State University, Ogden; free.

11/18/2015  Lecture: William Adler, author of The Man Who Never Died, speaks Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. at Ken Sanders Rare Books, 268 S. 200 East, Salt Lake City; free.

11/19/2015  7:21 a.m. Si Kahn & John McCutcheon will stand vigil on the very spot where Joe Hill was tied to a chair, blindfolded and, with a paper heart pinned to his chest, shot to death by a firing squad.  Anyone in the Salt Lake City area is invited to join.  Vigil to mark centenary of the execution of Joe Hill. Sugar House Park, 1400 East 2100 South, Salt Lake City, 6:00 p.m.

Washington: Linda Allen, George Mann, David Rovics and Rebel Voices (Janet Stecher and Susan Lewis). Sunday, Nov. 15, 7:00 p.m. Unitarian Universalist church, 1207 Ellsworth St., Bellingham. Sponsored by Bellingham GMB, Industrial Workers of the World. $10 – $20, no one turned away for lack of funds.

A host of downloads of the soapbox action guide from the region suggest that one should be looking out for soapboxers around the state.

Concert: “Joe Hill…The Man Who Never Died… 100 Years Ago!” Featuring Gary Kanter, Friends & Fellow Travelers. Friday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m. Couth Buzzard Books, 8310 Greenwood Ave., Seattle.

 

Wisconsin: Concert: Bucky Halker and Lil’ Rev,“Anywhere But Utah – The Songs of Joe Hill.”  Thursday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m., Beulah Briton House, 2590 S Superior St., Bayview. Donation.

Concert: John McCutcheon continues his Joe Hill’s Last Will tour in Madison, Wisconsin. Sunday, Nov. 22.

 

Categories
Commemorations Concert tour

West Coast leg of Roadshow

Joe Hill Roadshow, West Coast leg. Nov. 5 through Nov. 20. Chris Chandler, George Mann and David Rovics, with special guests.

November 5, San Diego: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics, Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:00 p.m. San Diego Education Association hall, 10393 San Diego Mission Rd. $5 – $15 sliding scale. Sponsored by IWW San Diego Organizing Caucus. Co-sponsored by San Diego Education Association (SDEA) & San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council (AFL-CIO); endorsed by Activist San Diego, Coalition for Labor and Community Solidarity, UCSD Union Coalition, Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft, Interfaith Center for Worker Justice, University Technical and Professional Employees Local 9, Groundwork Books Collective.
November 6, Los Angeles/San Pedro: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics, Friday, Nov. 6, 8:00 p.m. (Reception at 7:00) IATSE Local 80 Hall, 2520 W. Olive Ave., Burbank. (Parking onsite) $10 – $20 sliding scale. Sponsored by IATSE, IWW Los Angeles, and Arbeiter Ring/Workmen’s Circle.
November 7, San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco Labor Heritage/Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus will join the Road Show’sChris Chandler, David Rovics and George Mann for this concert. Saturday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. City College of San Francisco, 50 Phelan Ave. $10-$20, no one turned away for lack of funds.
November 8, Nevada City, CA: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics with special guests Bodie Wagner and Duncan Phillips. Sunday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m. (Live broadcast) KVMR Radio Station Community Room, 120 Bridge St., Nevada City. $10 – $15 sliding scale. This show also honors the legacy of IWW singer U. Utah Phillips, who lived in Nevada City for many years.
November 9, Reno, NV: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics with special guests Tim Gorlangton and David Fennimore. Monday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. Studio on 4th, 432 E 4th St. $10 – $15 suggested donation.
November 11, Weed, CA: Patrick Dodd, George Mann, Mark Ross & David Rovics perform from a boxcar stage. Wednesday, Nov. 11, Community Dinner 6:00 p.m., Show 8:00 p.m. Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture, 800 Black Butte Rd. $10.
November 12, Phoenix OR: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics. Thursday,  Nov. 12, 7 p.m. Grass Shack Hawaiian Café, 205 Fern Valley Road, Phoenix, in the Shoppes at Exit 24. 6 p.m. buffet outside, 7 p.m. concert inside. Buffet is $13.95 (Please RSVP for dinner headcount 541-622-9483), Concert is $10 – $20 sliding scale. Nobody will be turned away from the concert for lack of funds. Sponsored by: Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice.
November 13, Eugene, OR: George Mann and David Rovics with Special Guest Mark Ross. Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. First Christian Church of Eugene, 1166 Oak St. Suggested donation $10-$20, no one turned away for lack of funds.
November 14, Portland, OR: George Mann and David Rovics special performance for the Cascade Media Convergence, Liberty Hall, 311 N. Ivy St. Suggested admission $5-$10.
November 15, Bellingham, WA:  Linda Allen, George Mann, David Rovics and Rebel Voices (Janet Stecher and Susan Lewis). Sunday, Nov. 15, 7:00 p.m. Unitarian Universalist church, 1207 Ellsworth St. Sponsored by Bellingham GMB, Industrial Workers of the World. $10 – $20, no one turned away for lack of funds.
November 20, Salt Lake City, UT:  Otis Gibbs, Duncan Phillips, Kate Macleod, Walter Parks and many special guests. Friday, Nov.  20, 8:00 p.m. The Stateroom, 638 South State St. $15 admission
Check out JoeHill100.com for several other events happening around the United States and across the world during November, as we mark the centenary of Joe Hill’s execution, including a vigil in Salt Lake City, a re-enactment of his funeral in Chicago, etc.

 

Categories
Concert tour

Southern leg of Joe Hill Roadshow

The southern leg of the Joe Hill Roadshow kicks off Sunday, Oct. 4 in Atlanta.

10/4/2015 Concert: Joe Hill Roadshow, Atlanta, Georgia, 7:00 p.m. With I Want Whiskey, George Mann, Lee Furey, Jumpin’ Jesus Christers, and Craig Rafuse.  Eyedrum (www.eyedrum.org), 88 Forsyth Street, Atlanta. $10 – $20 sliding scale.

10/9/2015 Joe Hill Roadshow, Louisville, Kentucky. 7:00 p.m. With John Gage, Will Oldham, Sue Massek, John Paul Wright, Walter Thomas Beck (poet), The Joe Hill Players and Special Guest Ira Grupper. Nelligan Hall, 2010 Portland Ave. $10.

10/10/2015 Concert: Shelby Bottom String Band, The Cantrells, Todd Sharp, Jack Herranen & The Little Red Band and others commemorate Joe Hill. Nashville, Saturday Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Douglas Corner, 2106 8th Avenue South, Nashville TN 37204. Tickets $12 advance, $15 at the door. (Checks can be mailed to TAP, PO Box 60338, Nashville TN 37206) Sponsored by Tennessee Alliance for Progress, Nashville Peace and Justice Center.

10/17/2015 Concert: Joe Hill Roadshow in Pittsburgh. Anne Feeney, Mike Stout and the Human Union, and Smokehouse Lightning. Saturday, Oct. 17, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The Pump House (location of the Historic Battle of Homestead), 880 E. Waterfront Dr., Munhall, Pennsylvania.