Hear KIVA Play at the New Deal on Earth Day

The percussive, acoustic, worldbeat ensemble, KIVA, will play at the on Earth Day, Friday, April 22, from 8-11 p.m.

“I think it’s great because we are such an earth-inspired band,” Greenbelter and band member, Diana McFadden said, teeming with enthusiasm over the New Deal Café’s Music Committee selecting them to play on the big day.

If you’re looking for a Greenbelt activity to celebrate the environment, listening to KIVA at the New Deal may be just your style. “We’ve got a lot of relevant material,” McFadden said, explaining that around half of the songs they play will be about nature, either directly or indirectly.

McFadden referenced Sting’s, “Walking in Your Footsteps.” If people listen to the words, she said, “It’s an environmental song.” KIVA will also play originals, like “Pollution,” that fit in with the day’s theme.

“The Battle of Evermore,” by Led Zeppelin, joins the others on KIVA's play list for the night. McFadden said many people believe it’s about Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” Some believe Tolkien himself wrote the book as a metaphor for what he had witnessed industry doing to his environment in England, she explained.

KIVA brings originals, traditionals and covers alive through its blend of vocal harmonies with acoustic and electric instrumentation that includes electric bass, acoustic guitars, flutes, whistles, percussion drums, cello and mandolin. The musicians are inspired by diverse music styles, including Celtic-folk, folk-rock, blues, big band, traditional chants and jazz.

Earth Day began in 1970, at the height of the hippie, flower-child movement. It was a time when protest was preeminent. The day’s founder, U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, sought to transmute the power of the peace-loving war protesters into a force for the environment — a “might for right” quest with Arthurian resonance.

Now, 41 years later, the once-a-decade celebration has become an annual event inspiring green vigilance and environmental awareness — where more than one billion people worldwide participate in the day’s activities, according to Earth Day Network (EDN).

Greenbelt faithful, , aka “piano man,” will also be on hand to open up the night with his jazz and blues piano from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Dorian Winterfeld, New Deal Café’s Music and Events Committee chair, asked that Greenbelters and guests remember to tip musicians and to also patronize the restaurant by buying dinner or wine.

“We’re a tips only place,” he said adding that The New Deal Café rarely requires a cover charge, so he hopes that people will remember to compensate KIVA, Guernsey and other musicians who play at the venue.