Saoirse packing for tour: "Uh oh, I think I might be over the carry-on limit!"THIS MONTH'S CONTENTS:
1) Back from two Tours and Saoirse's First May Day! (in photos)
2) NEW VIDEOS! Back to the Roots Tour w/ spiritchild
3) Ciclovida Bicycle Tour Pedaling NOW!
4) PayPal it is, please DONATE now or pre-order the new CD!
5) May 13 Benefit Concert for Anne Feeney in NYC
6) Upcoming Shows and Tours
How to find me on the internet:
Contact: evangreer@gmail.com
Website: www.evangreer.org
Collective: www.riotfolk.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/evan.greer2
Myspace: www.myspace.com/evangreer
Buy CDs: www.evangreer.org/products.html
CD Baby: www.cdbaby.com/evangreer
SUPPORT RADICAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC!
IMMEDIATE DESTINATIONS
(scroll to the bottom for full show details, or visit www.evangreer.org/calendar.html for a constantly updated list of dates. don't see a date in your area? get in touch NOW and we can brainstorm about booking something there! you can always e-mail me: evangreer@gmail.com)
MAY 1: PROVIDENCE, RI
MAY 2: BOSTON, MA
MAY 3: FRAMINGHAM, MA
MAY 4: WORCESTER, MA
MAY 5: HOLYOKE, MA
MAY 10: COLRAIN, MA
MAY 11: FITCHBURG, MA
MAY 12: LOWELL, MA
MAY 13: NEW YORK, NY (with PETE SEEGER & PETER YARROW)
JUN 12: BOSTON, MA
JUN 17-19: WASHINGTON, DC
AUG 5-7: WASHINGTON, DC
AUG 27: CONWAY, NH
1) Back from Two Tours! and Saoirse's First May Day!
Hello my friends! Happy (belated) May Day, International Workers Day, the true labor day! Some of you may be wondering whatever happened to the April newsletter? I'd like to say it was an elaborate April Fools joke but honestly I just got mad busy! April was full of touring, seeing old friends, meeting new ones, being constantly amazed by my baby and enjoying the outdoors in some of the most beautiful places on this continent, like Ohio. ;-)
No for real though, we had a ton of fun touring the Midwest with feminist punk rockers Born In A Cent. These are some of the loveliest people you'll ever meet and their music is so damn catchy that i honestly ca
n't recommend touring with them because their songs will get stuck in your head for the next several years, which is cool at first but eventually makes you feel a little loopy. Definitely check out their awesome album, "Who Called This Beautiful" for download or donation at http://borninacent.bandcamp.com and be on the look out for their forthcoming acoustic EP!Tour has begun, Saoirse with the NYC skyline behind as we head West!
After we dropped the band off in NYC, we picked up Brooklyn-based rEvolutionary hip-hop artist spiritchild and headed to Swarthmore, PA for a BACK TO THE ROOTS TOUR performance at the school I dropped out of to become a folksinger: Swarthmore College. It was a bizarre experience being back there years later after having traveled so many miles and had so many more experiences. I think that spiritchild and I were both blown away by the organic chemistry that we had performing together, and it solidified our desire to make BACK TO THE ROOTS a serious project for the future. We're planning to book a bunch of dates in the Fall so get in touch now if you want to bring us to your area!
We flew out of Philly and it was off to the Pacific Northwest, i'm not proud to say that our flight into SEA was the 12th plane that Saoirse's been on since he's been born. We scooted up to beautiful Vancouver for a gig at the Railway Club with BC's outlaw folksinger Joey Only. Then it was back across the imaginary line into the U.$.A to rendezvous with our new pal and a legendary songwriter Dana Lyons for a few thoroughly enjoyable gigs around Washington State.
Saoirse helps me and Dana with our soundcheck at the Blue Mouse Theater in Tacoma
Besides enjoying the gorgeous Puget Sound, meeting up for a hot second with Mark Gunnery, and eating some of the most amazing vegan food on the planet, our trip coincided with a few great events in Portland including the Portland Rising Rally organized by Jobs With Justice.
It was Saoirse's first time on stage at a big protest, with over 2,000 in attendance demanding good jobs for all!
We unfortunately had to postpone the Tiny Fists Tour California dates with Bonfire Madigan because we just didn't get enough solid gigs booked in time, but never fear, this tour will be happening and bigger and better than ever sometime in the next year! Meanwhile, the extra free time gave us a chance to get down to the Redwoods in Northern California and enjoy one of the most beautiful places on earth.
It's kind of impossible to capture in a photo how huge and majestic these ancient trees are. Taking Saoirse here was one of my dreams before he was even born. We took an amazing 4 mile hike down to the Pacific and got to see some incredible old growth, cliffs, a beautiful creek, and spend some really lovely time just hanging out as a family instead of rushing off to the next gig. We can't wait to get back to the West Coast for more music and more down time. Much love to everyone out there who helped with the tour!We made it home just in time for a jam packed May Day weekend! We were so excited for Saoirse's first May Day and I was really glad most of the events were during the day and the weather was lovely so he was able to attend all of them. spiritchild came down from Brooklyn and we made it a weekend Back to the Roots Tour!
Saoirse became the 3rd member of the Back to the Roots Tour when we rocked a crowd of hundreds at Providence, Rhode Island's May Day Rally with him strapped to my back!
Back to the Roots freestyle at Worcester May Day Rally featuring spiritchild of mental notes and Jarabe Del Sol of ReadNex Poetry Squad. (Saoirse still on my back.)
Almost nap time in Worcester, but Jarabe on the mic kept Saoirse ready to party.
Crowd of hundreds yelling "!YA BASTA!", back to the roots version of this song is crazy!
Relaxing in the sun with mommy and spiritchild after a long day protesting the racist system.
2) NEW VIDEOS! Back to the Roots Tour w/ spiritchild
So remember when I was in an entrenched battle with my dear friend Anne Feeney competing for the Union Privilege Songwriting Contest 1st Prize? Well in the end she beat the heck out of me, as well she should have, being the best labor singer in North America. BUT, i did still win the preliminary prize, an iPhone. Now i never would have bought one of these things, but I must say it's pretty sweet and I'm glad that my cell provider is now a Union company. It also takes surprisingly decent videos and Erin managed to capture a few good ones from me and spiritchild's BACK TO THE ROOTS performance at Worcester's May Day Rally. Note that Saoirse is strapped to my back throughout this whole event!
Please share these videos around and re-post! We want to spread the word of what Back to the Roots is all about.
"!Ya Basta!" Back to the Roots Style with spirit rapping over the verses and the crowd chanting along. Saoirse is just chillin in the back pouch.
spiritchild rocks "900" with some guitar backing. the cute kids in the front are what makes this video priceless.
Keep your eyes out on my facebook for a bunch more HIGHER QUALITY videos coming soon! I'll really need your help spreading these videos around. For a long time the only videos of me online have been pretty low quality, and also from a long time ago. I'm hoping to improve my YouTube presence by getting videos out there that are more representative of my current music, politics, and gender presentation. ;-)
3) Ciclovida Bicycle Tour Pedaling NOW!
A bunch of the aforementioned videos will be from my performances during the Ciclovida Tour, which is truly one of the most inspiring and beautiful tours I've ever been part of. I feel incredibly honored to be able to join them on the Northeast leg of their Spring tour.
Ciclovida, which means "lifecycle" is a collaborative project between landless farmers in Brazil who rode their bikes 6,000 miles around South America collecting and distributing heirloom organic seeds as an act of survival and resistance against giant agribusiness corporations like Cargill and Monsanto.
Two of these farmers / landless movement activists are here in the Northeast and along with a crew of organizers and musicians they are traveling around mostly by bicycle screening their award winning documentary, Ciclovida. As if live music, speakers from important struggles in the Global South, and a documentary weren't enough, they are powering the sound system and projector with a bicycle-powered generating system that they're towing with them! Amazing.
Check out the trailer for the film below, and try to make it to one of their remaining dates before they head back to Brazil. Full tour schedule is available at www.ciclovida.org
4) PayPal it is, please DONATE now or pre-order the new CD!
After searching far and wide and asking many many radical people, groups, and artists for suggestions. I finally caved in and decided to get a PayPal account as my primary method of accepting donations for downloads and physical CDs. I really did not want to use PayPal, first because they are such a large company, and secondly because they have made very shady political decisions and targeted groups like the Leonard Pelletier Defense Committee and wiki-leaks whistle blower Bradley Manning's support group.
I'm still open to alternatives and want to find a better way to receive donations online, but right now the reality is that my music is barely sustainable and I have been without a reliable way
to receive online donations for quite some time. So at least for now I will be using PayPal and I hope to find a better alternative in the future!
Meanwhile, PLEASE DONATE! This project is only possible with your support. Times are pretty tough right now. People don't really buy CDs anymore, and donations at shows are way down. Even colleges budgets seem to be slumping. This is a 100% grassroots effort. If everyone chips in what they can, we can continue touring as a family increasing queer visibility, offering workshops that concretely support local organizing, and singing songs to keep the movement alive.
You can ALWAYS download all my music for free at www.evangreer.org and www.riotfolk.org
PLEASE go download some songs and make a donation using the PayPal link below!
You can also PRE-ORDER my new CD, which I'll be working on this summer. Simply make a PayPal donation of $20 or more and you will receive 2 copies of the CD (one for you and one to pass on to a friend) BEFORE it is released to the public on the internet. You'll also receive a super special secret bonus track, some patches, and other fun stuff.
The new CD is gonna be pretty out of control and feature amazing artists like members of Born In A Cent, Holly Niss from HUMANWINE, spiritchild of mental notes, Jarabe Del Sol of ReadNex Poetry Squad, Majesty, members of Broadcast Live, Anne Feeney, Bev Grant, and many more. You're definitely gonna want one, so why not order it now to make this project possible!!!
Use the PayPal link below and put a note that you're pre-ordering the CD, you'll receive a confirmation that you've been add to the list of people getting the pre-order!
5) May 13 Benefit Concert for Anne Feeney in NYC
I'm honored to have the opportunity to be a part of this historic concert that will benefit one of the most important people in my life and one of my dearest friends, Anne Feeney. As many of you know, Anne has been battling cancer and has been unable to continue the whirlwind touring schedule that has kept her financially sustainable for years. This show is one of many benefits that the movement has thrown for her to support someone who has been an integral asset to movements for justice for many years.Anne Feeney is one of my best friends and has helped me achieve my goals as a musician more than any other single person. She is an incredible mentor and a brilliant performer, and her heart is full of love for the struggle and for her friends, family, and comrades. I will be opening this show with a song and then joining Anne, as well as Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, and Mary) and many other amazing performers on stage for a fantastic finale.
There may still be some tickets left, but you have to buy them NOW at www.annefeeney.com
If you are unable to attend, please consider making a donation to Anne or purchasing one of her wonderful CDs. You can do it all at www.annefeeney.com
6) Upcoming Shows and Tours
All the details I currently have for my upcoming dates are below. Please check www.evangreer.org for a more updated list, though! PLEASE get in touch if you're interested in helping book or promote a show in your area. I am 100% DIY and literally ALL of my shows are booked by people like you who enjoy this type of music and want to see it get out there into the world. Even if you haven't the slightest idea of how to put on a show, get in touch and we can talk about it and I may be able to guide you through the process!
All booking requests come to my personal e-mail: evangreer@gmail.com
Okay! Now here's the dates:
MAY 10: COLRAIN, MA
Ciclovida Tour!
7pm @ the Green Emporium on the Common,
4 Main Road, Colrain.
Contact: loren -at- ciclovida.org
With: Jarabe Del Sol of ReadNex Poetry Squad
MAY 11: FITCHBURG, MA
Ciclovida Tour!
7pm @ The Rabbit Hole Bookstore
805 Main Street, Fitchburg
Contact: Joana at info@cleghorncenter.org, 978-342-2069
With: Jarabe Del Sol of ReadNex Poetry Squad
MAY 12: LOWELL, MA
Ciclovida Tour!
5:30pm @ Life Alive
194 Middle Street, Lowell
With: Jarabe Del Sol of ReadNex Poetry Squad
MAY 13: NEW YORK, NY
Benefit Tribute for Anne Feeney
with PETE SEEGER & PETER YARROW
BEV GRANT, BROOKLYN WOMEN'S CHORUS
NYC LABOR CHORUS, DAVE LIPMAN, ELISE BRYANT
and more!!!
7:30pm @ Local 1199's Auditorium
310 W. 3rd Street, Manhattan
$25 minimum suggested donation.
Buy tickets at www.annefeeney.com
JUNE 12: BOSTON, MA
6pm @ TBA
With: Imperial Can (members of Ghost Mice), Famashu (UK), ONSIND (UK)
Details TBA!
JUNE 17 - 19: WASHINGTON, DC
@ Great Labor Arts Exchange
www.laborheritage.org
AUGUST 5 - 7: WASHINGTON, DC
@ Jobs With Justice National Conference
www.jobswithjustice.org
