Stepping barefoot through the mossy woods, I joined my friends, activist troubadours in a forest glade. They playfully traded original folk songs, guitar licks, and wise-cracks. Casey Neil, Darryl Cherney, and Dana Lyons strummed guitars and I’m pretty sure Jolie Holland put a bow to her fiddle that day.
The Earth First! Rondezvous, a national gathering of direct-action environmentalists, was held in my region that year- sometime in the early ’90s, and that’s where I met Dana Lyons. He’d play “Drop of Water” by the campfire and we’d all sing along, then fall asleep under the stars with dreams of monkey-wrenching the system.
20 years later, Dana is still making music with integrity, brimming with love for Planet Earth. He lives in Bellingham Washington, and has dedicated his new album, The Great Salish Sea, to a Pacific Northwest landmark of beauty and wildlife, now under threat of peril brought by the energy extraction industry.
In Dana’s Words:
What is “The Salish Sea”?
The Salish Sea is the new official name for the inland sea in Washington State and British Columbia, including Puget Sound and the Straight of Georgia. Officially renamed in 2009, the Salish Sea is under threat from the proposed massive export of fossil fuel from North America to Asia. My title track “The Great Salish Sea” is written from the perspective of Granny, the 101-year-old matriarch of the San Juan Island orcas, and her view of the changing boat sounds over the last 100 years.
Personalized Autographed CDs Available for a Limited Time
If you order your CD before April 15, I’ll autograph the CD to anyone you like. (e.g., to Tracy & Casey). I’m hoping this will encourage you to do your holiday and birthday shopping early, to help me pay off the album. Smile When you order your CD, there is an “Order Notes” section under the shipping address section. Indicate who you would like the CD to be autographed to. Order here.
Coming Soon on iTunes
The Great Salish Sea will be available for download in the next few weeks on iTunes, CD Baby, and other download websites.
Touring North America, Australia, New Zealand & Europe (and if I’m lucky some other continents)
I’m currently booking shows across the US and Canada. I anticipate I’ll be touring in North America with the new album from now into 2015. Then I hope to tour in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. I’m currently seeking concerts in British Columbia, Washington State, Oregon and California.
Tribute to Pete Seeger
(This a blog entry I wrote the day Pete Seeger died)
When I was a child growing up near the Hudson River in upstate New York, Pete Seeger and the crew of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organized our entire region to clean up the Hudson. Thousands of classes of elementary school students sailed on the Clearwater and helped. By the time I was in high school you could swim in it. Pete Seeger was one of the great human beings, one of the great generous world citizens. To my knowledge, he answered all his mail, including letters from teenagers like myself. He listened to every cassette tape of music submitted to him, on his walkman while he ice-skated in winter. Pete Seeger changed the world. And he also changed me. Thanks, Pete.
Produced by Casey Neill and recorded at Secret Society Studios in Portland, Oregon by Jordan Leff, The Great Salish Sea includes performances by many notable Portland artists, including Jenny Conlee (keyboardist for The Decemberists), Chet Lyster (lead guitar for Lucinda Williams and the Eels), and Annalisa Tornfelt (singer & fiddler for Black Prairie).
Listen to the album!
Dana Lyons website.
Dana Lyons on Facebook.
and on Twitter.
Whatcom Watch Online published an in-depth interview with Dana Lyons (Profiles of Pacific Northwest Activists series) where you can read about his history, activism, creativity and adventures. Part 1 here. Part 2 here.