Wednesday, January 11 @ 6pm (prior to the 7pm show)
Folk Music Experts

Lou Curtiss first saw Pete Seeger perform with Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly when he was just five years old. Curtiss has been collecting recordings of Seeger’s music for over 50 years and marched with him in the anti-war peace movement. In 1967, he opened Folk Arts Rare Records and mounted his first music festival in San Diego.

Walt Richards is a folklorist with a wealth of information on the history of folk instruments and the evolution of folk music. He is leader of the traditional banjo group, Soft Touch Banjo Ensemble, and teaches banjo, guitar and mandolin at New Expression Music. Richards has been referred to as “a gold mine for those lucky enough to be in his musical sphere.” Don’t miss the privilege of hearing these living legends speak on folk music history!


Thursday, January 12 @ 7pm (prior to the 8pm show)
Talkin’ Theatre with Todd

A brand new piece of theatre about Pete Seeger is being born at the REP. Special guest host, radio and print theatre personality, Pat Launer, will turn the tables and interview REP associate artistic director Todd Salovey about directing and writing A Hammer, A Bell and A Song to Sing. As it always is with Talkin’ Theatre with Todd, you’ll share in a behind the scenes revelation about the making of live theatre at the REP.

 

 

Thursday, January 19 @ 7pm (prior to the 8pm show)
Sam’s Salon: Music, Song, and The Civil Rights Movement

Pete Seeger and his music played a central role in the Civil Rights Movement. Pete inspired thousands to sing with him on his lifelong quest for freedom and justice. Join Artistic Director SAM WOODHOUSE for a fascinating history lesson about the movement. Hear live and recorded music that has inspired Americans to march together for a better world. Sam’s guests are:  Professor Gary Gray, of USD, and Dan Wolf, former Director of the Transborder Institute at USD  and recording artist B.SLADE, the star of the REP’s production of the musical The Who’s Tommy and a former minister of music for a local African American congregation.

Friday, January 20 @ 7pm (prior to the 8pm show)
Woody’s America

Joel Rafael’s lifetime odyssey as a performer has taken him across America on national tours with Rick Danko, Emmy Lou Harris, John Lee Hooker, John Stewart. Rafael is a featured performer at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival every year, and was named in 2007 a member of the Woodyfest Ten Year Club. Join San Diego musician Rafael for his presentation, “Woody’s America,” where he paints a vivid portrait of American folk icon Woody Guthrie. Through the readings of Woody’s prose and live musical performance, Rafael evokes the timelessness of Guthrie’s literary and musical contribution and the relevance of his body of work. www.joelrafael.com

Saturday, January 21 @ 7pm (prior to the 8pm show)
An Evening with Seaholm Mackintosh

Sven-Erik Seaholm is an award-winning record   producer and singer-songwriter. His partner in real life and on the stage is Brooke Mackintosh. Together they make up the musical group Seaholm Mackintosh. Their sound is described by the artists as “modern vintage acoustic soul,” presenting traditional folk songwriting in a variety of honest and simple yet exquisite musical settings. Do not miss this opportunity for an intimate concert by two of San Diego’s finest.

Thursday, January 26 @ 7pm (prior to the 8pm show)
Yale Strom: Folk Music of the World

Musician, composer, filmmaker and author Yale Strom
has travelled the world collecting folk music. His specialties: Jewish, Gypsy, Balkan, and Sephardic music that captures the essence of their people and cultures. Yale will talk about how folk music develops, and how it reflects the cultures, traditions, and lands from which it springs. Joining Yale onstage will be the extraordinary folk vocalist Elizabeth Schwartz.

 

Friday, January 27 @ 7pm (prior to the 8pm show)
Lee Hays: Red, White, & Blacklisted, written by and starring Kent Brisby

Kent Brisby presents an excerpt from Red, White & Blacklisted, his world premiere musical about Pete Seeger collaborator, Lee Hays. Legendary Hays, along with Seeger, founded the Almanac Singers, People’s Artists, and The Weavers before going separate ways. Intertwined with, yet historically overshadowed by Seeger, Hays gets one last encore in Red, White & Blacklisted. Come witness this rare glimpse into Hays’ own music and writings. A gifted, wry, prickly, and important figure in American history emerges, oversized in every sense of the word.


Friday, January 27 (after the 8pm show)
Meet the Artists

Stick around after the performance for a revealing and unpredictable conversation with the artists who brought
A Hammer, A Bell and A Song to Sing to life.

 

Downstairs Gallery: The Politics of Art
Opening Reception Friday, January 13, 6:30–7:30pm (prior to the 8pm show)

Chikle’s work began as a response to a society and system that censors anti-war and anti-establishment propaganda. His socio-political messages exhibit humor and diversity, either unnerving or challenging the viewer to see beyond the myths we are living today. www.elchikle.com

Drawing on his experience on the California street art and graffiti scene, enomeks has been using photography as his most recent medium. Depicting scenes in miniature, this artist tells a story of a bigger picture.

Sandra Wascher’s sculptures examine politics, social issues, linguistics, science and technology. Wascher currently lives in San Diego, where she is a visual artist and an adjunct professor and lecturer of visual arts at CSU San Marcos, Mesa College, Grossmont College and Southwestern College.

Ron Wharton is a self-taught artist who pokes fun and prods at anything that moves, often glorifying America’s sacred ironies. Wharton, a.k.a. “The Art Pimp,” has been involved in art shows in the San Diego area and around the country.  rwharton.illequipped.com

 

Upstairs Gallery: From Baja and El Barrio Curated by Andy Gonzalez
Opening Reception Tuesday, January 10, 6–7pm (prior to the 7pm show)

“Baja to El Barrio” is a changing exhibit in the Upper Lyceum Gallery. Curated by Andy Gonzalez. The series brings together artists working in a variety of styles and media, from Baja Mexico and Southern California. From January 3–30, the exhibit will feature two Mexican-born artists.

Gerado began painting at age 11 and had his first show in New York in 2005. He exhibits throughout Southern California.
 
Vico was born in Central México and studied painting at Instituto de Arte Bribiesca, in México City. His travels to Latin American and Caribbean countries have provided him a rich and varied cultural background that greatly influences his work.