People’s Music Network Winter Gathering Set for Jan. 29-31 in Albany, NY

There will be lots of singing of socially relevant songs, communal meals, jamming, mentoring, socializing, and an array of workshops during the People’s Music Network’s 2016 Winter Gathering at the Hackett Middle School in Albany, NY, Jan. 29-31. Singer-Songwriter Joe Jencks, known to many as part of the folk harmony trio Brother Sun, is this year’s PMN Artist-in-Residence and will both perform and lead workshops during the event that has taken place annually in various locales since 1977.

“Many of my most cherished musical and activist friends are all people who have had connections to PMN, past or present,” notes Jencks, a full-time touring musician for some 17 years. “The diaspora of PMN are a noteworthy lot that have had a significant impact on my life, art, music, political views, and on my heart.” While acknowledging that “an itinerant musician needs community as much as anyone,” he observes “we often have a hard time finding it because we are always on the move. PMN gave me a foundation and a connection to activist music and musicians that was life giving… I am delighted to have a chance to give back to a community that helped set me on a good path and inspired me personally, musically, and professionally.”

During the conference, Jencks will perform some of his songs in concert, lead workshops entitled “Give Each Song Your Best: More Roses, Please” and “Songwriting for Transformation,” and join Charlie King (a musical storyteller and political satirist, who has been performing for more than 50 years) and Tem Blessed (a hip-hop green energy artist) for another workshop on “Using Confrontational & Unifying Songs.”

Other workshops — many of them of a participatory nature — will explore topics ranging from “The Accordion for Non-Accordionists” to “Differing Perspectives Through Music,” “Musicians’ Roles in the Upcoming Presidential Election” and “Songs & Chants for Today’s Front-Line Struggles.” AcousticMusicScene.com’s Michael Kornfeld, who also is a communications and public relations strategist, presents one entitled “Online and Traditional Promotion: A PRimer,” while singer-songwriter Jesse Palidofsky leads a workshop on “Music & Healing: Body, Mind & Soul.” Borrowing a popular idea from Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) conferences that they both regularly attend, folk DJ Wanda Fischer (host of the long-running “Hudson River Sampler” on the WAMC Radio Network) and singer-songwriter Jay Mankita will provide critical feedback to artists after short snippets of their songs during an 80-minute “On the Griddle” session. Jencks and Sonny Ochs, a veteran folk DJ and organizer-host of “Phil Ochs Song Nights,” will co-moderate an hour-long “Wisdom of the Elders” session featuring Elise Bryant (a director, actor, singer, playwright, teacher and labor activist), Bev Grant (a singer-songwriter and activist), and Charlie King. Song swaps and rounds, as well as a spoken word swap, are also scheduled.

The PMN Winter Gathering opens on Friday night with a light dinner followed by a concert and concludes on Sunday afternoon after lunch and a closing ceremony.

Comprised of performers, songwriters, sound and recording engineers, record and concert producers, promoters, archivists and music lovers of various social, racial, cultural and ethnic backgrounds from across the U.S. and Canada, PMN uses music and culture to promote progressive ideas and values and help bring about social change. The network is committed to working with and supporting grassroots and community organizations and to exploring and presenting culturally diverse music. Besides the Winter Gathering, PMN will host its 40th annual Summer Gathering at Camp Kinderland in Tolland, Massachusetts, June 3-5.

For more information on the People’s Music Network and its winter gathering, including registration fees, visit www.peoplesmusic.org.