How and why did you and the group come to choose the Weavers as an inspiration?
Growing up in California, I discovered and admired Pete Seeger and the Weavers from afar from their records. When I moved to New York some years ago, I realized I was in the heart of where so much folk music history had taken place, and that three of the original members of the seminal group that had influenced and inspired us were still among us. Rather than wait to memorialize them some day in the future, I thought it a good idea to thank them for their contribution to our musical and social evolution while they’re still here.
I see on your website that Pete Seeger has said nice things about you. Has he seen a show?
After we had developed and rehearsed our program, but before we ever set foot on a stage, we performed it for an audience of one, none other than Pete himself. He was gracious enough to offer constructive comments, as well as confirm or correct aspects of the historical chronology which we interweave among the songs. Since then we have performed together on many occasions. By the way, it was our banjo player, David Bernz, who produced Pete’s two most recent Grammy Award-winning CDs.
Tell me a little about the folks in the band.
Well, in-depth information about each of the band members can be found at our website, www.WorkOTheWeavers.com, but in brief, Martha (alto voice) is a fulltime Middle School music teacher, Mark (bass voice/bassist) divides his time between his carpentry skills and playing with a gazillion groups and individuals, both live and in the studio. David (tenor voice/banjoist) is a semi-lapsed attorney, focusing his attention these days on his family and his producing projects. I (baritone voice/guitarist) try to maintain a balance between the group’s needs and my solo musical career as a globetrotting singer-songwriter (www.JamesDurst.com).
What can the audience expect when they come to see Work o’ the Weavers?
Judging from audiences we’ve enjoyed over the past eight years, they can expect to hear and sing along with the songs that provided the soundtrack to their youth, courtship, early family life — or perhaps were songs they learned in school music class, but the origins of which have faded from memory. Our interwoven narrative and accompanying visuals drawn from the Weavers’ archives will place the songs in historical context and provide an edifying reminder of who it was that first popularized the songs they know and love. On the whole, the program promises to be rousing, refreshing and relevant.
There’s a rumor that you are really in Florida to see spring training baseball games and the shows are just an excuse?
I can neither confirm nor deny these rumors. But tell me, what would be so wrong about that?!
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