Concert producer, conference organizer, DJ and emcee Sonny Ochs tells Mariposa Talks how she has kept alive the musical legacy of her brother, protest singer and activist Phil Ochs. In today’s charged political climate, she says, his work is gaining a new political currency with the young.
A poet of confessional songs, pop-folk artist, Dar Williams, has been described in The New Yorker as one of America’s very best singer-songwriters. She writes from personal experience, many of her songs based on people she grew up with, and she keeps her feet to the fire with subject matter that is sometimes risky but always topical. Recurring themes include religion, adolescence, gender, commercialism, loss, humor, mythology, power and other stimulating motifs.
Dar is also an exemplary citizen, as the many groups she has supported – environmental, feminist, and social-justice – would attest.
Joan Baez was an early fan, taking her out on the road and recording several of her songs. Dar is also associated with Nerissa and Katryna Nields (The Nields), Max Cohen, Gideon Freudmann, John Prine, and Cliff Eberhardt, formed the group Cry Cry Cry with Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell, and has toured with many of the biggest names in folk-roots music.
Mariposa Folk Festival is very pleased to welcome Dar Williams to our stage!
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