It teases you piquantly, hits you hard, and leaves your head spinning -
Reviewer: SingOut! Magazine- Fall 2003 Vol 47 #3
Review by Rich Warren (WFMT, Midnight Special)
Few in the folk community are unaware of the renegade, radical folk poet Chris Chandler. Since he is not a musician himself he traditionally popped up spewing poetry with a variety of musician accompanists or having their performance provide counterpoint. He finally met his match with the powerful, radical singer-songwriter Anne Feeney. Feeney traditionally focused on political music. To accent Chandler's poetry readings on this recording she frequently entwines pop and folk songs with his raves and rants. Together they fuse like sodium and chlorine into salty substance, and the recording goes down like a strong, salt-encrusted Margarita. It teases you piquantly, hits you hard, and leaves your head spinning. Chandler, who coauthored several of the poems with Phil Rockstroh, uses current events, advertising slogans and wonderful twists of pop phrases as the grist for his rhythmic revolution. As a duo, Chandler and Feeney are highly entertaining. If you agree with, or at least can swallow their politics, this CD is a blast. My favorite is "I Dreamed I Saw St Augustine (Florida)/Swimming to the Other Side" in which Feeney interweaves one line quotes from Pat Humphries' inspiring song and others with Chandler's and co-author Lisa Stolarski's poetry. Chandler possesses a remarkably fertile and inventive mind...Feeney's understanding of Chandler's psyche and skills contributes mightily to this recording. Since the entire CD was recorded live at various venues, sometimes it sounds studio-quality and sometimes it's off-mic. Chandler and Feeney provide a deliciously cynical skewed look at our American Empire, circa 2003.
Order Live from the Wholly Stolen Empire
Sunday, September 28, 2003
Saturday, September 27, 2003
Duo offers humor, politics and poetry
By NANCY REDWINE
sentinel staff writer
"I’ve seen Jack Kerouac in the back parking lot of a Stop and Go, pouring Wild Turkey into a Slurpee, sitting on the roof of a Yugo."
— from "The United States of Generica"
That’s a taste of the humor of raving performance artist and poet Chris Chandler, who now teams up with famed labor folk singer Anne Feeney.
Their high-energy antics, pyrotechnic poetry and theatrical musicianship will supercharge Henfling’s Monday night with the political and existential electricity just barely captured on their new CD, "Flying Poetry Circus."
Feeney sings political and labor tunes — new ("Have You Been to Jail for Justice?") and old ("Goin’ Down the Road"). Chandler rant-preaches poetry ("Fast Food Confederacy," "Let There Be Prozac") that he wrote with longtime collaborator Phil Rockstroh. Together, the duo deftly weaves lefty activism and literary surrealism.
Their first tour through the Midwest together followed the events of Sept. 11, and Feeney remembers being more than a little nervous about their strong anti-war stance as they pulled into parking lots filled with American flag-decorated cars.
"One piece we did talked about all the T-shirts celebrating the New York Fire Department being made in Bangladesh sweatshops by Muslim children," Feeney said.
"One or two people would walk out, but the other 398 stayed. I think that’s the demographic, but most people are afraid to say what they think."
Far from being afraid to say what he thinks, Chandler had been traveling around the United States for 14 years, performing his vaudevillian revolution with the likes of Pete Seeger, Ani DiFranco, Dan Bern and Allen Ginsberg.
In the chinks of space between his tightly packed touring schedule (265 days a year), Chandler has recorded such treasures as "Hell Toupee," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Abyss" and "Posthumously Live."
The son of a son of a son of a preacher man, Chandler was born with theatrics and histrionics in the blood.
"I was the guy in high school who wore all black and recited really bad poetry in an even worse English accent," said Chandler, who grew up in Strong Mountain, Ga.
At 16 he met Phil Rockstroh, who had returned to Georgia after writing comedy for television in Los Angeles.
"When I heard he was a writer, I went right out to my car and got the poetry I was writing," Chandler said.
"He was the first person to look at it, and he said it was terrible. He wadded the poems up and threw them on the floor. Then we became good buddies."
After Chandler graduated from the North Carolina School of the Performing Arts — where he wrote his first play, "Your Analysis" — they began collaborating on the high-wire poetic stuff of Chandler’s street, stage and coffee house performances.
While he still performs Rockstroh’s work, he now collaborates with Feeney, the granddaughter of a legendary mine worker union organizer and singer, William Patrick Feeney.
"He really wasn’t much of a singer," Feeney said. "He just learned tunes so that if there was a stool in the room, he could act like he was the evening’s entertainment until it was safe to talk union."
After raising two children and working as a lawyer for 12 years, Feeney recorded her first album in 1987. Her songs have been performed by many politically inclined folkies, including Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul and Mary.
Feeney and Chandler met in 1988, when she was organizing a concert for Pete Seeger and invited Chandler to open for the legendary folk singer.
"I was knocked out by what he did then," she said. "Every time I’d seen him, I’d think he was at his peak — and then the next time he would be beyond that by at least two standard deviations."
In the past two years, the buzz about Feeney and Chandler has filled coffeehouses and festivals with people hungry for a dose of cynical optimism. "The audience changes from act to act," Chandler said. "These days it seems to be gray ponytails and 20-something Ani DeFranco fans. There’s this strange and wonderful alliance between aging hippies and people with a lot of face metal."
Santa Cruz Sentinel
January 16, 2003
By NANCY REDWINE
sentinel staff writer
"I’ve seen Jack Kerouac in the back parking lot of a Stop and Go, pouring Wild Turkey into a Slurpee, sitting on the roof of a Yugo."
— from "The United States of Generica"
That’s a taste of the humor of raving performance artist and poet Chris Chandler, who now teams up with famed labor folk singer Anne Feeney.
Their high-energy antics, pyrotechnic poetry and theatrical musicianship will supercharge Henfling’s Monday night with the political and existential electricity just barely captured on their new CD, "Flying Poetry Circus."
Feeney sings political and labor tunes — new ("Have You Been to Jail for Justice?") and old ("Goin’ Down the Road"). Chandler rant-preaches poetry ("Fast Food Confederacy," "Let There Be Prozac") that he wrote with longtime collaborator Phil Rockstroh. Together, the duo deftly weaves lefty activism and literary surrealism.
Their first tour through the Midwest together followed the events of Sept. 11, and Feeney remembers being more than a little nervous about their strong anti-war stance as they pulled into parking lots filled with American flag-decorated cars.
"One piece we did talked about all the T-shirts celebrating the New York Fire Department being made in Bangladesh sweatshops by Muslim children," Feeney said.
"One or two people would walk out, but the other 398 stayed. I think that’s the demographic, but most people are afraid to say what they think."
Far from being afraid to say what he thinks, Chandler had been traveling around the United States for 14 years, performing his vaudevillian revolution with the likes of Pete Seeger, Ani DiFranco, Dan Bern and Allen Ginsberg.
In the chinks of space between his tightly packed touring schedule (265 days a year), Chandler has recorded such treasures as "Hell Toupee," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Abyss" and "Posthumously Live."
The son of a son of a son of a preacher man, Chandler was born with theatrics and histrionics in the blood.
"I was the guy in high school who wore all black and recited really bad poetry in an even worse English accent," said Chandler, who grew up in Strong Mountain, Ga.
At 16 he met Phil Rockstroh, who had returned to Georgia after writing comedy for television in Los Angeles.
"When I heard he was a writer, I went right out to my car and got the poetry I was writing," Chandler said.
"He was the first person to look at it, and he said it was terrible. He wadded the poems up and threw them on the floor. Then we became good buddies."
After Chandler graduated from the North Carolina School of the Performing Arts — where he wrote his first play, "Your Analysis" — they began collaborating on the high-wire poetic stuff of Chandler’s street, stage and coffee house performances.
While he still performs Rockstroh’s work, he now collaborates with Feeney, the granddaughter of a legendary mine worker union organizer and singer, William Patrick Feeney.
"He really wasn’t much of a singer," Feeney said. "He just learned tunes so that if there was a stool in the room, he could act like he was the evening’s entertainment until it was safe to talk union."
After raising two children and working as a lawyer for 12 years, Feeney recorded her first album in 1987. Her songs have been performed by many politically inclined folkies, including Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul and Mary.
Feeney and Chandler met in 1988, when she was organizing a concert for Pete Seeger and invited Chandler to open for the legendary folk singer.
"I was knocked out by what he did then," she said. "Every time I’d seen him, I’d think he was at his peak — and then the next time he would be beyond that by at least two standard deviations."
In the past two years, the buzz about Feeney and Chandler has filled coffeehouses and festivals with people hungry for a dose of cynical optimism. "The audience changes from act to act," Chandler said. "These days it seems to be gray ponytails and 20-something Ani DeFranco fans. There’s this strange and wonderful alliance between aging hippies and people with a lot of face metal."
Santa Cruz Sentinel
January 16, 2003
Friday, September 26, 2003
Anne Feeney: Union Maid - A Clear Bold Call to the Sleeping Giant
by Gabriel Falsetta
Anne Feeney's deep conviction for the working class comes alive through her voice with a great band backing her up.
She breathes new life into some old standards in her unique way by blending reggae, country and folk into one enjoyable CD. Many of the songs are written by Feeney, who is also the lead vocal on all cuts.
This is a must for anyone who works or has ever worked for a living. Uplifting and driving, "We Just Come to Work Here, We Don't Come to Die," is one song that should be piped into executive offices around the world. Anyone who ever considered crossing a picket line sure would abandon the notion upon here Feeney's rendition of "Scabs."
Who ever thought that issues like eight hours of work and healthcare for all could sound so good?
Order Union Maid
People's Weekly World
June 21, 2003
by Gabriel Falsetta
Anne Feeney's deep conviction for the working class comes alive through her voice with a great band backing her up.
She breathes new life into some old standards in her unique way by blending reggae, country and folk into one enjoyable CD. Many of the songs are written by Feeney, who is also the lead vocal on all cuts.
This is a must for anyone who works or has ever worked for a living. Uplifting and driving, "We Just Come to Work Here, We Don't Come to Die," is one song that should be piped into executive offices around the world. Anyone who ever considered crossing a picket line sure would abandon the notion upon here Feeney's rendition of "Scabs."
Who ever thought that issues like eight hours of work and healthcare for all could sound so good?
Order Union Maid
People's Weekly World
June 21, 2003
Tuesday, September 16, 2003
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
Troublemaking in Troubled Times: Organizing to Win!
Labor Notes Conference September 12-14, Detroit
When we fight for our rights... they call us 'troublemakers.'
Musicians
* Alejandro Alvarez * Ellis Boal * Chris Chandler * Jacob Estrada * Anne Feeney * Dawn Grattino * Tom Juravich * Vance Lelli * Susan Lewis * Julie McCall * Susan Newell * Jesse Ponce * Janet Stecher * Baldemar Velasquez * Rodney Ward * Ted Warmbrand
Labor Notes Conference September 12-14, Detroit
When we fight for our rights... they call us 'troublemakers.'
Musicians
* Alejandro Alvarez * Ellis Boal * Chris Chandler * Jacob Estrada * Anne Feeney * Dawn Grattino * Tom Juravich * Vance Lelli * Susan Lewis * Julie McCall * Susan Newell * Jesse Ponce * Janet Stecher * Baldemar Velasquez * Rodney Ward * Ted Warmbrand
Thursday, September 04, 2003
What follows is the transcript from NOW,the Bill Moyers PBS Show, where the subject is Walmart's exploitation of their work force ... UFCW has called it "Walmart's War on Workers" and to accentuate their point, they're using my song "War on the Workers" as the theme song for their campaign
ANDREA FLEISCHER, NEW YORK TIMES: It's 6 a.m. and the first shift is arriving at the nation's largest company, and largest private employer. Throughout the day nearly one million people will clock in and begin work at three thousand Wal-Marts and Sam's Clubs nationwide.
Part of the vast Wal-Mart network that will ring-up an estimated 220 billion dollars in sales this year. But some employees say profits have been made unfairly, and even illegally at the workers' expense....
ANDREA FLEISCHER, NEW YORK TIMES: It's 6 a.m. and the first shift is arriving at the nation's largest company, and largest private employer. Throughout the day nearly one million people will clock in and begin work at three thousand Wal-Marts and Sam's Clubs nationwide.
Part of the vast Wal-Mart network that will ring-up an estimated 220 billion dollars in sales this year. But some employees say profits have been made unfairly, and even illegally at the workers' expense....
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