Raise your fist, fight the power, Pete Seeger will never die

by Chris Aaland

The late singer-songwriter Pete Seeger.

The man whose music and message inspired generations of poets and artists, protesters and anarchists died Monday night at age 94. Some think of Pete Seeger as a gregarious old man, the last living great grandfather of American folk music, the guy who wrote the pretty little tunes we all sang in elementary school music classes. And they’re right. But I think of Seeger as music’s ultimate badass, a guy whose politics and protests make Rage Against the Machine look like a bunch of Mormon missionaries.

Seeger was a fixture on the radio in the 1940s and recorded a string of hits with the Weavers during the McCarthy Era, one of the darkest times in American history. Fresh off a victory in World War II, the American war machine rolled forward through a series of conflicts over the next several decades and Seeger was always there fighting back. He supported international disarmament, civil rights, labor issues, environmental causes and the counterculture even though he was banned from performing on television for nearly a decade for refusing to answer questions before the House Un-American Activities Committee. He took his freedom and rights seriously, which sounds pretty damned American to me.

When subpoenaed by the HUAC in 1955, he declined to invoke the Fifth Amendment, instead saying, “I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked.” He was cited for contempt of court, ultimately convicted and sentenced to prison in 1961. Some 48 years after his conviction, Seeger performed at the 2009 inauguration for the nation’s first African-American president. Two years later, at age 92 and aided by a pair of canes, he marched in an Occupy Wall Street demonstration. He was a rebel to the end.

Seeger-penned songs like “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Turn, Turn, Turn” – all of which were hits for the likes of the Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul & Mary, the Byrds and Trini Lopez – inspired countless folk revivals in the 1950s and beyond. He turned a 1901 Baptist hymn – “I’ll Overcome Someday” – into “We Shall Overcome,” which was the rallying cry for the 1960s civil rights movement.

His protégés are countless. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello and Steve Earle immediately come to mind. Seeger was a member of the Almanac Singers, the Weavers and was a contemporary of Woody Guthrie and Doc Watson.

I never saw Pete Seeger perform live, but I did catch his younger half-brother, Mike, a couple of times, once with Retrograss, a trio that also included John Hartford and David Grisman; the other with Doc Watson and friends. Both were on the RockyGrass stage in Lyons. But Pete’s messages and words rang true whenever I’ve seen Dylan, Springsteen, Earle and dozens of others.

Raise your fist. Flash the peace sign. Fight the power. May Pete Seeger never die.

On the lighter side, Snowdown gets “Safari So Good“ while turning 36 this year. By the time you read this, you’ll be surrounded by assorted jackasses dressed in animal print outfits and pith helmets while getting absolutely crocked for nearly a week straight.

The official tonic – Ska’s cleverly-titled “Dr. Livingstone, IPA?” – is a damned fine ale brewed with African gesho stems. I’ve had a couple of pints already; in my mind, it’s their finest Snowdown beer yet. “The gesho really came through for us this year,” said Ska co-honcho Bill Graham. “It’s kind of citrusy, kind of fun.” For you fermentation and botanical geeks, gesho is the regional Ethiopian term for the shiny-leaf buckthorn. They boil the stems and the extract mixed with honey to ferment a mead called tej and to brew tella, an Ethiopian beer … hence the connection with the Snowdown theme. Props to Ska’s head brewer Thomas Larson for concocting this. This is Ska’s 19th year brewing a one-off batch of Snowdown suds. Buy bombers at any local liquor store, or search for frosty pints at your favorite pub.

Jeff Solon plays the 20th annual Snowdown Wine & Spirits Tasting & Art Auction to benefit the La Plata Open Space Conservancy from 5:30-8 p.m. tonight (Thurs., Jan. 29) at the Doubletree. Honeyville, Mancos Valley Distillery, Montanya Rum and High Mountain Distillery (of Buena Vista) will offer up their spirits and there will be a silent auction featuring countless goodies including a sweet Trek Transport commuter bike. $50 tickets can be purchased at lposc.org.

Snowdown activities officially began yesterday and run through Sunday. You can pick up a glossy schedule around town or make it easy on yourself and skip to p. 21 when you’re done reading here. Here are a few of my favorites: the Magical Musical Mystery Tour (I was the weak link on last year’s winning team, an all-star cast that includes trivia junkies Bryant Liggett, Ted Holteen and Dan Groth), with the finals slated for 6 p.m. tonight (Thurs., Jan. 29) at the Lost Dog; the wing-eating contest (4 p.m. tonight, Cuckoo’s); beer pong (6 p.m. Thursday, Pongas); the Iron Mixology Contest (Iron Chef-style, 2 p.m. Friday, El Moro); chili cook-off and Bloody Mary contest (both at noon Saturday, Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall & Extension Building); and beer trivia (8 p.m. Saturday, Carver’s). And, of course, the Snowdown Firework (!) and Parade at 6 p.m. Friday on Main Ave. Don’t have Follies tickets or didn’t get entered into the Outlaw Josie Pete’s Golf Tournament? Well good luck then.

Snowdown isn’t the only game in town this week. Jammy guitarist Keller Williams plays the Animas City Theatre at 9 p.m. Wednesday. He’s collaborated with the String Cheese Incident, the Traveling McCourys, the Keels and Martin Sexton and is known for looping various sounds with his Michael Hedges-influenced guitar.

Time magazine published a list of six songs by the late Pete Seeger that most impacted our world, so I borrowed it for this week’s Top Shelf list. Seek them out and become enlightened about the man and his vision.

1. “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”

2. “We Shall Overcome”

3. “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)”

4. “Talking Union”

5. “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy”

6. “Turn! Turn! Turn!”

When will they ever learn? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.