Community Corner
The Valentine Songologues-A Benefit for The Center for Domestic Peace
stories and songs by women, for everyone-A Benefit for The Center for Domestic Peace
The Valentine Songologues were inspired by
V-Day, which was begun by Eve Ensler, creator of the Vagina Monologues. V-Day
is a global movement to end violence against girls and women and is celebrated
in February around Valentine’s Day. This evening of music brings together
California-based female singers and songwriters to perform in celebration of
women's health, safety and empowerment. Proceeds from the evening benefit The
Center for Domestic Peace (http://www.maws.org/),
an organization based in Marin County that is committed to ending domestic
violence.
The concert is the brainchild of participating artist, Amanda West, and will be
the fourth one in a series of such events she has organized over the last few
years. West came into her musical identity as a teenager in the late 1990’s,
greatly inspired by Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair. A few years later during her
cultural anthropology and feminist studies in college, Eve Enseler’s “Vagina
Monologues” took off. West has always been drawn to the idea of bringing women
together through music and it was a natural progression to put the pieces
together. “I see music less as entertainment,” says West, “ and more as an
incredibly powerful salve for healing emotional wounds, dissolving loneliness
and fear, and creating a more whole and beautiful world.” Performers of the
Valentine Songologues will be telling personal stories, alongside their
fine-caliber songwriting, and authentic, heartfelt musicianship.
Amanda West ~ www.amandawestmusic.com
~ Amanda West lives in the magical woods of the
Santa Cruz mountains. A performing, recording and touring artist for more than
half her lifetime, West sings to heal the world and remind us all of our
beautiful interconnectedness. This summer she released her fourth studio album,
“Life Happens”, inspired in part by the birth of her first child a year and
half ago. With an inquisitive mind, open heart and old soul, West's all
original songs explore topics from humanity’s impact on the planet, to musings
on women’s role in society, intimate stories of love and family, and recipes
for self empowerment and cultural evolution ~
Leah Ray Mendez/ Silver
Mendez ~www.silvermendez.com
~ With bluesy roots, reggae rhythms, indie
sensibilities, and a touch of Radiohead, Leah and her band, Silver Mendez are a
modern folk experience all their own. When lead singer/songwriter Leah Ray
Mendez and bassist Mauricio lost everything in a Santa Barbara wildfire, the
only possessions they truly mourned were their instruments. Nearly four years
later, their music is filled with droning harmonium, celtic harp, plucked
guitar, earthy bass, syncopated drums, and Leah’s ever-present soaring
vocals, straight from the heart chakra. Joined by electronic specialist
& percussionist Beau Silver, Silver Mendez sounds like an antique
tapestry woven with the dusty and bright colors of the California coast. The
product is an earthy mix between Gillian Welch and Robert Plant. It is equally
bitter and sweet with rich natural imagery, uplifting nostalgia, and deep
beauty, “a creative folk masterpiece.” -IAE Magazine, 2012
Mindy Dillard~ www.mindydillard.com
Multi-instrumentalist Mindy Dillard wrestles
hard-won truths from the jaws of difficult situations and presents them with
electric energy and a crystal-clear voice. Mindy started her performance
journey as an actor in Salt Lake City, UT, before becoming a musician and
singer-songwriter in Portland, OR. She now resides in Berkeley, CA. Recent
projects include a solo show about her own struggle with body image, “How to
Survive a Poison Apple,” written as part of her M.F.A. thesis work at Goddard
College. Mindy accompanies her songs with banjo or her often alternately-tuned
guitar, weaving together the ordinary and the magical.
Gail Dreifus ~ http://www.gaillynnemusic.com/ and Kathy Gosney
~ Gail Dreifus bought her first guitar in a thrift
shop at the age of 14 and has been songwriting ever since. Beginning with songs
of love and protest, Gail also writes about nature and history. Inspired by
living in Yosemite National Park, she developed a program of original songs
about the park which has been performed for over 25 years. Her songs are
catchy, appealing and incredibly informative. Gail has produced seven
CDs for National Parks across the United States, as well as several others with
her other bands, “Recycled String Band”, and “Colorado Road”. She has performed at the Strawberry Music Festival, Millpond
Music festival and National Parks across the U.S. Kathy Gosney, Dreifus’s musical
partner of 30 years, will accompany on intricate cello and exquisite harmonies.
