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Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Label: WorldWindCD
Management: James Durst & Manny Jerman
Website: www.WorkOTheWeavers.com
Sounds Like: The Weavers
Genre: Folk
Work o' the Weavers celebrates the timeless legacy of America's pioneering folk quartet, the Weavers (Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert & Fred Hellerman), who burst onto the musical stage in 1950 with their 2-sided hit record, Tzena Tzena/Goodnight Irene, changing American popular music forever. They had numerous subsequent hit songs like Kisses Sweeter Than Wine, On Top of Old Smoky, Wimoweh, This Land is Your Land and many more. The foundation they provided would inspire and influence virtually every folk musician who would follow.
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Since 2003 Work o' the Weavers has shared their entertaining and educational tribute program with enthusiastically participatory audiences in 28 states across America, as well as in Canada and Israel. From July 14, 2011, throughout 2012 they've added a component honoring Woody Guthrie (1912-2012) in his centenary year for his inestimable contribution to the Weavers' repertoire as well as to our collective musical consciousness.
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Adhering faithfully to the Weavers' original arrangements, Work o' the Weavers evokes the spirit of their forbears, interweaving an edifying narrative that places the beloved familiar songs in historical context. Additionally, at the behest of none other than Pete Seeger himself, Work o' the Weavers has picked up the standard and, imagining what the Weavers might be singing today, have contemporized the repertoire with a number of newer songs in the spirit of the Weavers that reflect an evolving trajectory. On the whole it's a program that is rousing, relevant and revelatory! More than just a tribute, it's an affectionate homáge.
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2013 is Work o' the Weavers' 10th Anniversary season. It's also 65 years since the Weavers first public performance in 1948. Lots to celebrate! BOOK NOW for 2013 & beyond!
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For much more, please visit www.WorkOTheWeavers.com
"That season grand finale concert you did for our audience in 2013 was by far the most talked about concert of our 29 years."
Ed Brown - uNi Coffeehouse Concert Series. Springfield MA
“If I’m an expert in one thing, it’s in the Weavers’ music. When I heard (Work o’ the Weavers) I got blown away. Great! (They) have it exactly right!
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Alan Chartock - WAMC-FM, Albany NY
“The modern age of folk music did not start in 1958 with The Kingston Trio, but a decade earlier with The Weavers. Unfortunately, their blacklisting and disbanding at the peak of their success in the McCarthy era made them both legendary and mostly unknown musically even to those who grew up during the early '60s folk revival. Although Pete Seeger and Ronnie Gilbert continued with solo careers, the music of the Weavers was left mostly to 'Goodnight Irene' and 'Tzena, Tzena.' Work o' the Weavers: Live in Concert, brings back the sound, style, the feel of a real Weavers' concert, and in narrative, the story behind the group. Nothing replaces the original, but if you want to understand the music, where it came from, and the debt the folk revival of the '60s and the subsequent folk-rock revolution owe them, this is the place to start.”
Yuki Arken - Amazon.com Web Review
“Work o' the Weavers succeeds admirably in covering Weavers' tunes. The vocal harmonies are beautiful, and eerily reminiscent of the originals on nearly every track. The group wisely maintains political relevance by alluding to current issues that the Weavers would have sung about. If you...are a fan of The Weavers, and want to hear chestnuts and new songs that have been recorded beautifully, you will want to add 'We're Still Here' to the CD collection.”
Sing Out! Magazine
“Four wonderful people who’ve…picked up where the Weavers left off. I put on the recording and had to listen to it twice. FANTASTIC!
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Pete Seeger - Weavers Founding Member
“To say your show was great would be an understatement. The music and the commentary were such that anyone closing their eyes would have been, like I was, transported back in time to what was truly folk music’s golden age. As I said that night, thank you so much for keeping it alive.”
Steve Aaronson - Bethlehem MusikFest
“Superb. Their harmonies and musicianship are first-rate, and more important, they have that elusive quality of gentle charisma and idealistic energy that made The Weavers so dynamic. Afterward, I got a flood of delighted comments and emails from audience members, saying ‘This was the best show yet’ and ‘You’ve raised the performance bar.'”
Scott Sheldon - The Sanctuary Concerts
“A Tale of Musical Courage
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Billboard Magazine
“This faithfully arranged and sung tribute…rings with such rousing familiarity…that there are moments when you may find yourself thinking that the group’s original members are all within range of the microphones.
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The Washington Post
