Grammy Award-winning producer Mark Johnson set out across the globe recording and filming street musicians of different faiths, backgrounds and ethnicities with the lofty goal of fostering hope and inspiration through music. The final product aired on PBS and went instantly viral on YouTube, with PFC’s “Stand By Me” video reaching well over 20 million views. This unique concert brings together many of the same street musicians featured in the PBS special. The group’s fervent delivery of blues, gospel, reggae and Afro-pop has moved audiences worldwide and PFC continues their mission to inspire, connect and bring peace through song. A stirring tribute to the universal language of music. Tickets are $35 general, $35 Senior/child, $15 HSU students. Tickets are available at the University Ticket Office at HSU or at centerarts.humboldt.edu.
Playing For Change, the multimedia project and global sensation that has united musicians and touched millions around the world since its 2004 launch, will embark on the ‘Back To Our Roots’ Tour in 2012, an expansive international tour with its most diverse lineup yet. The tour’s goal is not only to bring musicians together of all backgrounds, but to inspire, educate, and empower them through the creation of music and art schools in developing communities.
The 2012 Playing For Change Band lineup will feature renowned and wildly diverse musicians from around the world, making stops in major cities across the USA and Canada including Chicago, New York, Boston, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. The line-up includes:
Grandpa Elliott (vocals/harmonica) – USA
Clarence Milton Bekker (vocals) – The Netherlands
Mermans Mosengo (vocals/guitar/percussion) – Congo
Reggie McBride (bass) – USA
Jason Tamba (vocals/guitar) – Congo
Peter Bunetta (drums) – USA
Titi Tsira (vocals) – South Africa
Tom Canning (keyboards) – USA
Louis Mhlanga (flying guitar) – Zimbabwe
The group’s first single in 2009, an interpretation of the Ben E. Smith classic “Stand By Me,” saw a pastiche of musicians from around the world contributing verses using a mobile recording studio manned by producer Mark Johnson, who co-founded Playing For Change. The video has since accumulated over 38 million views on YouTube, with all Playing for Change “Around the World” videos generating a total of 100 million+ views.
Artists including Bono, Ziggy Marley, Toots Hibbert, Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, and Manu Chao have collaborated on Playing For Change recordings, the most recent being 2011’s Playing For Change 2: Songs Around The World. Clarence Milton Bekker, a prolific and soulful Dutch singer who is featured on the album and tour, will also release his own new album Old Soul in 2012, featuring reinterpretations of R&B classics such as Otis Redding’s “Try a Little Tenderness” and Sam & Dave’s “Hold On, I’m Comin’.”
For more information and credit card orders call CenterArts at 826-3928 or centerarts.humboldt.edu.