Join dozens of local musicians in a Facebook Live Stream tonight at 7:00 p.m. for a celebration of the work of one of America’s most influential songwriters. John Prine, who died on April 7, was known for his eclectic songs about love, life, politics, and self-insight. The event will support charities that Prine favored.
Event organizer Ben Wenk said “the idea for Paradise Waiting was personal for me. It was hard to grieve the passing of Prine without friends. For the most part, I learned Prine’s music from the friends who played the songs for me around a campfire. I really wanted to gather with friends to celebrate his life as a way to grieve his passing. I reached out to many of the musicians I knew who would likely feel the same way.”
“The responses I got were quick and enthusiastic. And the performances are going to be awesome! We’re eager to celebrate the life and music of John and to provide a conduit for our musical community to honor one of our heroes,” said Wenk.
“But in addition to that, we acknowledge that John Prine gave a lot of himself through his art and this event is an opportunity to give back. John’s widow, Fiona Whelan Prine, named three charity organizations at the time of his passing and we hope that folks who tune in will consider contributing to one of these organizations as they’re able. It would mean a lot to the musicians who donated their time to put this together,” said Wenk.
Musicians scheduled to perform include those from local bands Blackhand, Chuck Darwin and the Knuckle-Draggers, Kingfish & Friends, The Clark McLane Band, Secret Bandwagon, Neil and Shannon, Cumberland Honey, and The Flying Matlocks, as well as many other individual performers.
“There is no universal playbook for grieving. Celebrating is a little more predictable, normally. However, the playbook usually calls for group gatherings. And as a result, we grieve and celebrate from our own living rooms.”