"Work O' The Weavers' kicks off 24th uNi Coffeehouse series

On Sept. 13 at 8 p.m., the uNi Coffeehouse Concert Series presents "Work o' The Weavers" a tribute to the sound, spirit, and story of the famous folk group, The Weavers. The concert will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Society Meetinghouse, 245 Porter Lake Dr., Springfield. For information/reservations call 562-3990; Web site uNiCoffeehouse.org. Admission is $15 at the door. Recreating "the sound" Work o' The Weavers is the tribute quartet that recreates not just the sound, but also the spirit and story behind the group that helped spark the folk revival. James Durst, David Bernz, Mark Murphy, and Martha Sandefer capture the personas of original Weavers Pete Seeger, Fred Hellerman, Lee Hays, and Ronnie Gilbert who together first popularized such now well known and well loved folk songs as If I Had A Hammer, Midnight Special, The Sloop John B, Goodnight Irene, This Land Is Your Land, Tzena Tzena, Wimoweh, and Michael Row The Boat Ashore. It has been over 50 years since the original "Weavers" sang in the face of the Blacklist, reuniting in 1955 at Carnegie Hall for a triumphant sold-out concert which, along with the release of the Vanguard LP of that milestone event, gave heart to a generation beset with the Cold War and McCarthyism; and provided a foundation upon which virtually every subsequent folksinger would build. It's for this reason, as well as for the music we all know and love, that this group continues to celebrate the work of The Weavers. In addition to the old, expect a few new songs that the original Weavers might sing today. Original "Weaver" Hellerman said, upon hearing "Work o' The Weavers" in concert, ". I always felt a little cheated because I never had the chance to sit out front and listen to 'The Weavers'. But that changed tonight." Seeger says they ".picked up where 'The Weavers' left off. Fantastic!" Gilbert says, "you really do sound like 'The Weavers'!" Billboard Magazine called their program, "A Tale of Musical Courage."