Phoebe Legere's Masterful Art Work on Display at the Bundy Museum, Binghamton, Through August 7

Evanescent Landscapes/Vanishing Women is the name of a beautiful and thoughtful Art Exhibition by The Legendary Phoebe Legere in Binghamton, NY.

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Phoebe Legere (Abenaki/Cajun) is a multidisciplinary artist whose paintings of Binghamton area landscapes and Native American subjects will be on view at the Bundy Museum of Art through August 7.    The Bundy Museum of Art is located at 127-129 Main Street, in Binghamton. Phone: 607- 772-9179. Website: bundymuseum.org   Legere is a versatile painter who works in oils, acrylic, mixed media, resin and egg tempera, creating semi-abstract works inspired by her passion for anatomy and landscape.    “Phoebe Legere is a virtuoso. Legere’s line is meticulous, incisive, sensuous, and vibrant. Her works are politically engaged and inspire conversations about women’s issues, diversity, inclusiveness, cultural equity, Native American issues, respect for the environment, and the volatility of consciousness.” – Linda Nochlin    Legere’s paintings are deeply contemporary; each painting is a comment on the validity of handmade painting in a world where we are increasingly dominated by machines.    “Machine-made, mechanistic art and music have colonized and occupied our minds. The only cure, the only way to restore the health of the Human Soul, is to return to the well spring of all human endeavor: Art and Music,” according to Legere.  Visit phoebelegereart.com to learn more.   Legere’s music has been compared to “Edith Piaf, Jerry Lee Lewis and Maria Callas” (NY Times) and Frank Zappa (Billboard). Studs Terkel, during a radio broadcast profile of Phoebe on National Public Radio said it best: “She is an American Original.” Legere studied music at Juilliard and painting at Vassar College.   Some of Phoebe Legere’s noteworthy milestones include the following:   -Legere is a grant recipient of a New York State Council of the Arts award for her musical about the Native American Holocaust of New England, “Queen of New England”   -Legere received a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her musical epic poem about Water issues,  “The Waterclown”   - She is an Acker Award recipient for her musical “Hello, Madame President” about the first African American female president of the U.S.   -David Bowie chose Phoebe Legere for the support act spot on his National Tour    -Legere has appeared on NBC, CBS, ABC, HBO, NPR, PBS    -The 2022 “Best of Manhattan” Entertainment Award was presented to Legere   -Legere co-starred on Nickelodeon’s “Naked Brothers Band”   -Legere scored and starred in the most popular cult movie of all time- “Toxic Avenger’   -As the Creator, Executive Producer, Featured Performer, Host, Writer, and Set Designer, Legere’s educational children’s TV show, “The Color Wheel” has been viewed by tens of thousands   -Legere can be seen playing & singing in “Ghostbusters 2” and can be seen on the “Golden Anniversary Ghostbusters Collectors” DVD   -Legere has collaborated with friends and colleagues considered to be the most creative people of our time: Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Johnny Depp, Hunter Thompson, Allen Ginsberg and Billy Joel to name a few…   -Legere has written, produced and performed on 17 albums of original songs.  Proceeds from sales of her paintings & music go to fund the Foundation for the New American Art, a nonprofit that brings free art and music to at-risk children of low-income communities. “After the financial crisis of 2008 they eliminated art & music to children in most NYC public schools. I believe free access to art & music is every child’s birthright. That’s why I founded the Let Every Child Sing Chorus, Paintbrushes Not Guns and Music Teachers Without Borders which offers free art & music lessons to underserved children,” says executive director Legere.   Legere’s charity was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Grant for their important work bringing cultural equity to communities and recently received a New York Community Trust grant to carry on the Foundation’s work in arts education.  ­ ­

RAMPD Announces Official Launch with a LIVE Virtual Event at 5pm EST on January 21, 2022

Join the Fun as RAMPD [Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities] Meets the Public Live from the Grammy Museum!

 

The public is invited to a virtual launch event for the new coalition RAMPD [Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities] on Friday, January 21, 2022 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2pm Pacific / 4pm Central / 10pm GMT / 8am Saturday AEST).  This webcast will be hosted in partnership with GRAMMY Museum and will consist of virtual performances, celebrity cameos, live giveaways, and informative testimonials. The RAMPD Launch will highlight the lofty accomplishments RAMPD achieved pre-launch, and celebrate the amazing talent of RAMPD’s current professional membership roster.

TUNE IN ON YOUTUBE ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022 AT 5:00 PM EST:

https://youtu.be/PRb9ArYcBMI

 

Opening and closing remarks for the RAMPD Launch Event will be given from GRAMMY Museum by RAMPD's President and Founder Lachi (award-winning EDM artist, producer, and director). The event will be hosted live by RAMPD Vice President Gaelynn Lea (songwriter, violinist, and winner of NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest) and RAMPD Founding Member Question (rising hip-hop star and disability advocate from Atlanta).

 

This ceremony will include captioning and self-description to promote the beauty of disability-inclusive content.  The virtual event will include performances by several RAMPD Professional Members, celebrity messages of support, trivia questions and giveaways in the live chat, and testimonials about the importance of Disability Culture. Performers include Eliza Hull, Adrian Anatawan, Molly Joyce, and many more professional disabled musicians.

RAMPD has already been in partnerships with Folk Alliance, NIVA, Women In Music, and The WAVY Awards by Blonde Records. The GRAMMY Museum launch is not the first partnership with the Recording Academy, as RAMPD has also collaborated in dialogue, workshops and influenced the Academy’s Inclusivity platform. The group was organized after Lachi facilitated a public online conversation with leaders of the Recording Academy in April 2021.

 

RAMPD is a fast-growing coalition of established recording artists and music professionals with disabilities whose mission is to amplify disability culture, promote inclusion, and advocate for accessibility in the music industry.  RAMPD’s organizational model includes a fiscal sponsorship with the non-profit organization, Accessible Festivals, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to making music and recreation accessible to all abilities.

RAMPD Spotify Playlist open.spotify.com/playlist/55Yv7oTMxoMxD1xaPfyQAM?si=b1bff58ec80e4a83&nd=1

 If you're interested in syncs or covers by any of the RAMPD musicians, it'd be a pleasure to connect you with them.  Reach out to Contact@RAMPD.org

Phoebe Legere's Heart of Love Album

Heart of Love is Phoebe Legere’s 17th collection of original songs; she continues to build on her legendary reputation as an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, storyteller and artist.

Studs Terkel at NPR called Phoebe Legere “an American original” whose “beautiful voice will take your breath away.”

Phoebe Legere, from an Acadian/Cajun and Native American family, has been playing Americana with “La Famille Legere Band” since she was five years old. Her cousin Ray Legere, a Canadian bluegrass/acoustic fiddling and mandolin legend, joins her on this album.

Heart of Love album is a paean to freedom from the outlaw ecstasy of life on the road to the changes in relationships. Legere writes songs that are folk-country tall tales. Legere twists grief into humor and counters existential angst with a whoop of joy. The song “Heart of Love” is about being on the road, and “Men From Boys” is the freedom to choose an inspirational loved one. “Hello Friday,” which features Phoebe’s powerful piano chops, is the freedom we all need to enjoy the weekend.

Legere deals with family, romance, disillusion, birth, homecoming and death, such as “Mama,” “Brother (Love Is Everywhere),” and “NY Nightmare.”

Her French-English “Cajun Moon” begins with Legere singing a chanson about a woman in a hurricane; then she suddenly changes the channel to spin a yarn about riding an alligator while making love and drinking bourbon out of a to-go cup! “OK Cupid” is a song about computer dating with a surprising twist.

Legere’s Native American heritage is the basis for much of her flashing nature imagery: In “Blue Canoe Blues,” we hear her singing in Abenaki, the language of her ancestors.

On “Wrong Honky Tonk,” Legere plays masterful honky tonk piano throughout, and wields her accordion like a spiritual sword.

Phoebe brings it home on Hank Williams’ classic song, “Jambalaya,” adding new lyrics and some French singing to the song.

Known for her singing, and piano and accordion playing, Legere’s down-to-earth Lightnin’ Hopkins-influenced blues guitar playing can be heard on the Heart of Love album. She has surrounded herself with some of the best musicians in the business including Dave Malachowski (Guitar, Savoy Brown Blues Band, Shania Twain), Eric McDonald (Mandolin), Ray Legere (violin), Paul Smitty Smith (Lap Steel Guitar), Rob Mitzner (drums), and Dae Bennett (background vocals).

Legere’s voice goes easily from a “soprano of winsome sweetness” to a “low down blues growl.”

Legere has performed thousands of shows, from Country Fairs to NPR, from Folk Festivals to the Pow Wow circuit, from Songwriter Circles to a CBS Sunday Morning feature about winning First Runner-Up in “America’s Hottest Accordionist Contest” in Branson, MO. Her live performances have included opening for David Bowie’s National Tour, and recently for Activist signer-songwriter John Hall, and blues greats The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Martin Barre (Jethro Tull guitarist).

Phoebe Legere’s previous radio hits have included: “Trust Me,” “Marilyn Monroe,” and “Amazing Love.”

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www.PhoebeLegere.org
www.twitter.com/legere

For more information or tax-deductible donations, please mail:  Foundation for New American Art, 224 East 10th Street, New York, NY 10003.  
Visit:  www.foundationfornewamericanart.org

over the NEW Rainbow, singing together

My friend Lisa Walker is publicizing the new Rainbow, which features Ritchie Blackmore's son, Jurgen "JR" Blackmore on guitar, Joe Lynn Turner on vocals, Tony Carey on keys, Bobby Rondinelli on drums, and Greg Smith on bass. How does the younger Blackmore feel about sharing the stage with musicians he grew up watching perform in concert with his legendary father? "I have not worked with them," says Blackmore, "But, I have admired them since I was young. That makes them like brothers.”
Contact: LisaWalker@ToTheMax1.com

And finally, my radio teacher Dan Berggren turned me on to this amazing story about Brian Eno telling NPR the importance of family singing together, because there are physical and civilizational benefits in singing, dancing, and camping. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97320958

Eno says, " if I were asked to redesign the British educational system, I would start by insisting that group singing become a central part of the daily routine. I believe it builds character and, more than anything else, encourages a taste for co-operation with others. This seems to be about the most important thing a school could do for you."