Submitted
As systemic greed, prejudice, and disconnection runs amuck, a non-profit troupe of musicians, presenters and activists are touring the Pacific Northwest in early July to “cultivate relationships, create safe space for expression, and help expand our communion with the natural world.” As U.S. divisions widen, and political disbelief sets in this Fourth of July season, the “Salish Sea Revival Tour” will be circumnavigating the bioregion, weaving what they call a “Web of Interdependence.”
Making waves in 10 cities along the way, this highly-accomplished group of artists, workshop leaders, poets, and changemakers will weave together issues of social justice, environmentalism, and evolving cultural narratives; all while bringing to life the heart of the celebration.
“It’s about nurturing what’s good and whole,” says tour promoter and Orcas Island resident Ben Browner. “As corporate structures tear apart the fabric of our original cultures, we pick up the threads, and weave an even more beautiful tapestry than before.”
Coming to Orcasong Farm on Tuesday, July 4, Lopez’s Sunnyfield Farm on Thursday, July 6, and San Juan Island’s Alchemy Arts Center on Friday, July 7, these evenings will bring together the community in connection, creativity, and cosmology. The evenings start with a 4-6 p.m. with the “Music as Medicine” song workshop, based on author and scholar Joanna Macy’s “Work That ReConnects.” The workshop will be followed by a community potluck with lightly-facilitated dialogue and musical accompaniment from 6-8 p.m.
The evening portion of the show will begin at 8 p.m., with an opening set by Bellingham’s Living Arrows, “a trio of hopeful, curious world citizens who desire to build community, cultivate creativity, and rouse spirit wherever they roam.” At 8:30 p.m., Lydia Violet’s “protest-folk quartet” will bring beautiful four-part female harmonies, stand up bass, violin, banjo, guitar and percussion in an arrangement not to be missed. (Kids are VERY welcome to everything. Please bring a dish and dishware, but no pets, please. Alcohol is welcome, but drunkenness is not.) A $10-40 sliding scale suggested donation will be accepted, but nobody turned away for lack of funds.
For more information on this event, and the Salish Sea Tour at large, visit Revival’s site at www.backtolife.org. There are also individual event pages with much more detail on Facebook.
