local musicians gather to bring awareness to climate change

The Stone Church Music Club will host a “callback concert” this Saturday, July 7, featuring some of the artists who have played at the venue’s Tuesday night singer-songwriter showcase events. Organized by host Ernest Whaley of Newmarket, the performance by the Songwriters for a Sustainable Future coincides with the global Live Earth concerts occurring the same day.

Live Earth is a 24-hour concert series occurring in seven continents that will bring together more than 100 musicians and an estimated 2 billion audience members to trigger a global commitment to solve the climate crisis. For those who can’t make it to the official events, including concerts at Giant Stadium in New York and the Steps of the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai, all performances will be broadcasted through radio, television and Internet channels. Even the Stone Church event will be videotaped and made available on public access television in Boston, according to Stone Church owner Paul Nessel.

Singer-songwriter Jon Nolan of Newmarket, who was recruited a few weeks ago to play in the showcase, said he’s excited to participate. “I plan on giving yet another of my stellar solo performances,” Nolan says with his trademark tongue-in-cheek humor. “I think I’ll try out some new material, and it’s always my hope that some sort of impromptu jam will happen. That’s always a great opportunity to be introduced to artists that you wouldn’t otherwise meet. Plus, of course, we all want a sustainable future. I don’t think there are any concerts out there for a doomed future, and if so, I will not be playing them.”
Folk artist Bob McCarthy also looks forward to the gathering of environmentally minded musicians. “I met Ernest Whaley online at Folk Alley, a folk music stream that comes from Kent State University,” McCarthy said. “They have a section where songwriters can upload songs. There’s something like 3,000 songs and Chris (Castle) and myself and Ernest have been on the top of that list for a while now.”

Folk Alley has helped many musicians unite for causes like the upcoming Stone Church show. “We’re a Web only folk music service, following in the public radio model of how things are run,” said Linda Fahey, operator of the Folk Alley Web site. “The service started three years ago, streaming music on the Internet, and then we decided to start up a full Web site with more features, like archives and blogs and our live concert series. About a year ago, we started this open mic feature for artists who are under-exposed, or maybe just more obscure than they want to be, and now anybody can create an account and a profile and post their music to share.” Singer-songwriter Chris Castle has done just that, and the results have led him all the way from Norwalk, Ohio to the Stone Church.

“(Ernest has) definitely got an energy about him. Even before I’d met him, from some of the comments he’d posted on the Web site I could really just tell. I’d heard of the Stone Church before and I’d checked out their Web site and I thought, ‘Wow that’s a cool venue,’ and then Ernest called and said that he’d be doing this songwriter showcase. I just thought ‘Why not?’” Castle is most looking forward to playing in a hospitable environment. “Where I come from, we don’t have much of a scene here, and especially near Cleveland, which is a metal and hip hop town, it’s hard to do anything with folk,” he said. “From what I’ve seen and heard, you can really tell that the Seacoast is open to folk music.” Castle was so intrigued by the prospect of a Stone Church show, in fact, that he agreed to fly in from his hometown just to play. “I’m going to spend money rather than make money, but I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it,” he said.

The show starts at 9 p.m. this Saturday, with $5 tickets. More information is available at www.thestonechurch.com.