Dec 3: Peter Mulvey Performs in Tok

I’m so excited! I’m going to be in town for the next concert brought to Tok by Bud Johson and Acoustic Accents, Alaska’s music showcase produced right here in our community!

Singer/songwriter/guitarist Peter Mulvey (www.petermulvey.com) will perform at Fast Eddy’s in Tok on Thursday, December 3rdth at 7:30 pm.  Opening for Peter is singer/songwriter Anais Mitchell (www.anaismitchell.com).

Over the past 20 years, Peter Mulvey has pursued a eclectic path as a writer and musician, performing on the streets of Dublin, the subways of Boston and now relentlessly touring as a headliner.

“I like making records, but my job is the live show: getting on stage and taking people somewhere,” says Mulvey who has shared the stage with luminaries such as Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, Ani DiFranco, Indigo Girls, and Greg Brown, and has attracted an audience that stretches from Anchorage to Amsterdam.

Peter has released 12 CDs receiving nationwide airplay and much critical acclaim.  The Boston Globe said “(Mulvey’s) guitar sounds like it’s on steroids… a superb technician with a fondness for ignoring the rules… a genre-defying traditionalist – a knuckleballer with finger picks”.  Rolling Stone described his vocals as “a voice lush and hushed that occasionally sinks into a whisper…gorgeous’.’  His latest record, Letters from a Flying Machine, was just released this fall on Signature Sounds.

A Vermont native raised on a sheep farm, Anais Mitchell has lived and performed around the world.  Mitchell started writing songs at age 17 and eventually started performing them live during her school days, which were punctuated by a remarkable amount of traveling. In a short period of time, Anaïs made several trips to the Middle East, and also spent time in Europe and Latin America, studying languages and world politics. This stunning, troubadour-like experience seeped into her music, and she became adept at fusing her passion for literature and journalism in her lyrics.  Her most recent record The Brightness was released on the independent powerhouse label Righteous Babe Records.

The concert is presented by Spin Monkey Productions and sponsored by Duct Tape Radio and Humanities Forum (DTRHF). Tickets are $14 in advance and $16 at the door and will be available at A & J Variety.  Additional information can be obtained by phone at 883-3664 or email at info@acousticaccents.net.

Giving Back to Your Community

One thing I find fascinating about some of the comments on my previous post where I talked about things that are great and that suck about small towns is that some people in Tok actually thought I was talking specifically about Tok versus small towns in general – even though I included an intro like this:

Here are my thoughts on the good things about living in small towns and the not so good. I think this can apply to smaller towns and communities anywhere.

Still, some people really took the post personally.

Luckily, I’ve blogged long enough to know that I can’t take things personally when people misinterpret what I’ve blogged about and bring their own issues and baggage into the comments section. But to clarify, I was just thinking about all of the small towns I’ve lived in over the years versus the big cities and making some general comparisons for conversation’s sake. Guess it worked!

But this post you are now reading is about Tok – just to clarify for those folks who are standing at the ready to criticize (apparently some of you just have nothing better to do than read this blog and post little zingers).

Let’s Talk About Giving

‘Tis the season to be thinking about giving. But in my life and my world, giving is built right into everything I do.

For example, my company does pro bono work for good causes as a rule, not an exception. I personally contribute time, consulting services and money to nonprofits, and if you know my schedule, you know I don’t technically have time to give, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

And when I move to a new community, I seek out organizations and causes where I can apply my time, skills and money as well.

That’s why before coming to Tok, I offered to volunteer to bring the Imagination Library to the community to give free books every month to kids 5 and under (a friend in Anchorage had recently been given the job to help bring the program to rural Alaska). Every child in Tok who registers for the program qualifies for free, age-appropriate books from birth until kindergarten.

When I arrived last year, I learned that the librarian at the Tok School was also interested in bringing Imagination Library to the community so I stepped back, handed over all the paperwork I had brought with me to the incredibly efficient Carrie Beeman, and the idea became reality.

My company donated $250 to help get the project off the ground, and I’ve been doing my best to help with PR, fliers, and Web stuff to help spread the word about monthly Imagination Library events, travel permitting. Now thanks to everyone’s hard work (especially Carrie’s), Imagination Library in our region has been given a grant for expansion. More on that soon.

Another organization I learned about in Tok is Duct Tape Radio and Humanities Forum. I am helping to get a Duct Radio blog going for them and set up their Facebook Page (Become a Fan!). I hope to contribute more time getting the word out about their efforts to support humanities and the arts in Tok including the repeater that brings us KUAC. We’re also talking about doing a little Tok radio as a podcast so stay tuned! I’ll be donating my services to help make it happen.

And in another arena, I’ve offered to post information about events and link to Tok business web sites from this blog. For free. As in “no cost.” So far, only Bud Johnson of Acoustic Accents and the Imagination Library have taken me up on that offer. The rest of the things I blog here about community events – and the links I have put up – are just things I’ve done on my own, but the efforts are by no means complete.

This blog is read by hundreds of people every week from all over the world – thousands of people a month. And even though many people like to be naysayers here on the blog, they’re still reading it (my stats track where they are, and yes, many are in Tok).  If you would like some exposure to the community or to the world, just email me through this blog, and I’m happy to post things! The only criteria is the events have to be open to the public. The links to businesses must be for sites or blogs for Tok-based businesses.

Stay tuned for a post this week about the next concert Bud Johnson is bringing to Tok. And also stay tuned for a winter chamber music concert with world class musicians that will be here thanks to Sitka Summer Music Festival and some great Tok resources. And if anyone knows the Karaoke KJ, please have ‘em send me their dates!

How are YOU giving back to YOUR community?

9 Things That Are Great About/Suck About Small Towns

We’ve just returned to Tok after five weeks away. Thank you to everyone who has hung in here and also contacted me about the blog silence. My daughter and I were staying with my folks in Florida while my husband did some traveling on his own. And now we’re back. And it’s cold.

Coming back to a small, rural community like Tok makes me think of a lot of things, both good and bad. I always do try to see the silver lining on things, but I can’t deny that living here is very hard.

Here are my thoughts on the good things about living in small towns and the not so good. I think this can apply to smaller towns and communities anywhere.

Good	Bad
It’s quiet.	It’s lonely.
It’s safe, especially for your kids.	It’s isolated with few resources for kids.
It’s a slower pace.	It can be boring.
No traffic.	No place to go.
You can see thousands of stars in the night’s sky.	Dangerous, pitch dark, icy roads.
No close neighbors.	No close friends.
People are there to help in a pinch.	People make it their business to know your business.
No crowds or long lines.	Nobody shows up for events.
No urban sprawl.	No bookstore, no movie theater, no restaurant variety.

What are your impressions of or experiences with life in a small town?