As I was interviewing Holly Near last year, a truck containing a shipment of her new CD Edge (Calico Tracks) pulled up to her front doorstep and was about to unload the contents on her front lawn. Edge was the second Holly Near CD released during 2000 (the first was the double disc compilation Simply Love), which led me to declare it “Near’s year.” Near was at the forefront of the women’s music scene since its inception and continues to be a vocal and visible force.
I spoke very briefly to Holly Near last week, prior to her benefit concert, with John Bucchino accompanying her on piano, for TAMFS—Chicago (That All May Serve Freely) and OPALGA (Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association) Youth Programs Sat., Oct. 20.
As a politically conscious activist and artist, Near has been grappling with how to approach performance in the days and weeks following the Sept. 11 attack on America. She wanted to make sure that people coming to the concert understood that it is an event where a “communal healing” can take place. A “gathering of people in search of higher ground through music.”
Having attended her Chicago concert performance last year, I can tell you that she is true to her words.
Holly Near benefit concert at First United Church of Oak Park, 848 Lake Street, Sat., Oct. 20, 773-755-9373. — Gregg Shapiro