Pete Seeger (1919-2014) was a legendary musician and activist. He was Woody Guthrie’s friend and he used his music to protest for Civ......More
Pete Seeger (1919-2014) was a legendary musician and activist. He was Woody Guthrie’s friend and he used his music to protest for Civil Rights, for the environment and against the war in Vietnam. For his unflinching efforts, he was blacklisted and forced to testify before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. Over his 90+ years, Pete touched the true heart and soul of America with his songs and his passion for what is right. As an environmental activist, he founded Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to “build a boat to save the river,” creating an intergenerational community of Hudson River advocates through education, sailing, advocacy, and music. This event is a benefit fundraiser for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, featuring Michael J. Miles and Tony Trischka and will be opened by Betty and the Baby Boomers. Miles and Trischka are both world-renowned banjo players who had decades-long relationships with Pete Seeger, and the Baby Boomers consisting of Betty Boomer, Jean McAvoy, Paul Rubeo, Steve Stanne, and Robert Bard came together back in 1987 through their work for Clearwater. In this one-time-only event on Thursday, May 15 at 7pm (doors at 5pm) at the renowned Towne Crier in Beacon, NY, (Pete’s home town) Miles and Trischka will share their music and their stories of personal encounters with Pete Seeger. You can expect some of the best banjo music on planet earth, along with stories about Pete, including some of his testimony before House UnAmerican Activites Committee. The story of Pete Seeger demonstrates over and over his passion for social justice and planet earth. And Pete’s tool of choice for delivering his message was the banjo. We are so grateful to musicians Michael J. Miles, Tony Trischka, and Phil Ciganer, owner of the Towne Crier Cafe, for collaborating to create this celebration of Clearwater’s founder and benefit concert to support our work to protect the Hudson River. Michael Miles (R) and Tony Trischka (L) About the Musicians: MICHAEL J. MILES Imagine the award-winning composer/musician: grows up in Chicago. His Irish family sings with the player-piano, and talks politics and poetry. His inner jukebox spins with 500 years of pop songs. These songs turn into set lists and a dozen musical documentaries for the stage: including his signature, “From Senegal To Seeger,” tracing the wicked story of the banjo’s journey and featuring Pete Seeger’s testimony before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. When Pete heard Michael for the first time, he wrote, “This is one of the most beautiful recordings I’ve ever heard … it is enough to make me want to learn the banjo all over again.” With banjo or guitar, as a singer, actor, poet, composer, storyteller – Miles drew invitations from Marrakesh to Istanbul, Belfast to Beirut, with stops at the Smithsonian Institution, the Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Symphony Center, Ravinia Festival, music festivals and art centers across the U.S. A renowned educator and leader, Miles is past president of International Folk Alliance and former Program Director at the legendary Old Town School of Folk Music, where his work turned a small folk school into the largest community music school in America. Recent releases include “American Bach Revisited,” Miles’ interpretations of J.S.Bach and “Mississippi River Suite,” where, with poetry and composition, Miles uses the great river to portray a divided nation. Coming later this year is the “Great American Jukebox.” Learn more about Michael Miles. TONY TRISCHKA One of the most influential banjo players in the roots music world, Tony Trischka has spent over half a century as a consummate banjo artist. His stylings have inspired generations of bluegrass and acoustic musicians. His seventeen solo albums are part of every banjo-lover’s musical reference. His latest release, “Earl Jam,” a tribute to his “North Star”, Earl Scruggs, has been released to glowing reviews and features Billy Strings, Molly Tuttle, Vince Gill and Del McCoury. It was voted Collaborative Recording of the Year (2024) by the IBMA. It was also a Grammy nominee for Bluegrass Album of the Year (2025). Tony has recorded and performed with Earl Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Steve Martin, Ed Helms, John Denver, William S. Burroughs, The Allman Brothers, Miley Cyrus and many more. He’s a three-time Grammy nominee and produced Steve Martin’s “Rare Bird Alert,” featuring Paul McCartney and the Chicks. He was the musical director of the documentary “The Banjo Project,” which aired on PBS in 2011. Tony has performed multiple times on the Grand Ole Opry, and made appearances at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and Madison Square Garden. In addition to his skills as a composer and performer, Tony is one of the instrument’s top teachers, and has created numerous instructional books, DVDs and CDs. The ground-breaking Tony Trischka School of Banjo, launched in 2009, is the online banjo home for students around the world. Learn more about Tony Trischka. BETTY AND THE BABY BOOMERS Based in the Hudson Valley, Betty and the Baby Boomers (Betty Boomer, Jean McAvoy, Paul Rubeo, Steve Stanne, and Robert Bard) came together back in 1987 through their work for Clearwater. The group has been praised regionally – they “sing and play old-school folk like it was brand spanking new” (Kingston’s Daily Freeman); nationally – “a refreshing reminder of the halcyon days of American folk music” (Sing Out!); and internationally, with many bookings over decades at Clifden Arts Week, a long-running festival in Ireland. The group wraps distinctive four-part harmonies and sparkling guitar and Dobro licks around songs from Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, and others who inspired their generation, plus original and contemporary material in that tradition. Learn more about Betty and the Baby Boomers. Tickets: https://townecrier.com/events/pete-seeger-songs-stories-featuring-michael-j-miles-tony-trischka/.
Towne Crier Cafe @ 379 Main St, Beacon NY 12508
