Peoples Music Network (PMN) uses music and culture to bring about social change. PMN is a network of musicians, performers, song-writers, DJs, sound and recording engineers, music lovers, record and concert producers, promoters and archivists, whose artistry is rooted in political and social activism.
The weekend gathering includes a Friday night concert, break-out workshop sessions for activists and musicians, and a round robin go-round where each artist is invited to perform a song. Members come from all over the country to share their love of music. Since 1977, PMN has been holding gatherings in different cities each winter. Summer gatherings are at a camp in the Hudson Valley.
PMN is a welcoming place for new musicians and songwriters as well as seasoned veterans. It is a culturally diverse group of people committed to ending oppression and having fun in the process.
The Winter Gathering will present a dynamic group of musicians at its Friday night concert on January 25. The concert will be held in the Duggan Middle School Auditorium and will begin at 7:30 pm. The evening’s line-up will combine the political poignancy of emma’s revolution, comprised of Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow, PMN’s 2013 Artists-in-Residence; the revolutionary lyrics of David Rovics, the musical version of the radio program Democracy Now!; the passion and power of multilingual singer/songwriter Colleen Kattau; Some Guys; the kamikaze guitar style of Pamela Means; the driving beat of Springfield’s hip hop artists from the “Like It Or Not” collective; and the jazz-infused, hip-hop bred, politicized texts of Lenelle Moise. All the performers have a strong commitment to social, ecological and economic justice.
Breakout Sessions include workshops on songwriting, musicianship, marketing one’s music, diverse musical genres, and singing. Also included are song swaps of funny songs and rounds, as well as songs about labor, gender, war and peace, racial and economic justice, and environmental issues.
There will be a Plenary on Saturday afternoon, focusing on music and the movements working to take back our communities from oppressive institutions. Co-sponsors of the weekend are the community organizations of Jobs with Justice, Arise for Social Justice and the Pioneer Valley Project. Organizations are invited to co-sponsor the PMN weekend. The primary responsibility of co-sponsors is to help publicize the weekend and to encourage members/associates to attend.
Over 100 PMN members will be coming from out of town and will need lodging for the weekend. If you can provide a homestay for the weekend and for more information, contact Diane Crowe, at [email protected] - 413-548-9394.
