Arts & Entertainment

Protest Music and Folky Originals at The New Deal Tuesday

The Bachelor & The Bad Actress and Takoma Hollow will take the stage in Greenbelt, MD.

The disparity of wealth in the Unites States concerns Joe Harris, singer and songwriter with Bachelor & the Bad Actress, which will perform Tuesday in the New Deal Café.

Harris is also troubled by his belief that the music industry is not addressing the disparity—or writing many protest songs in general.

In an interview Tuesday, Harris reflected back to the '60s when musicians challenged the war and the establishment. He doesn't see that going on in the mainstream music scene today, he said.

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"The mainstream are too much enjoying their wealth and popularity to actually challenge the people who are largely responsible for that life they're enjoying," Harris said.

He thinks that is a part of the problem, another is that protest songs are hard to write. They can come across as preachy or maudlin, Harris said.

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People are talking about a folk revival happening, and that may be because folk is more meaningful to people's everyday life, he said.

Tuesday's performances are trying to reconnect with the protest genre, according to Harris. For his part, he's been focusing on protest songs for the last couple of years.

To hear a sample of the group's music, check out its My Space page. The group goes by the Nice Trys when it plays with a full band.

Harris and singer-harmonica player, Hillary Gottemoeller, will perform as a duet on Tuesday, thus going by The Bachelor & The Bad Actress. A banjo player, Anders Fahey, who interns at Smithsonian Folkways will also join the two.

Takoma Hollow will take the stage first at 7 p.m., playing folky originals, funky Beatles and Dead covers, soulful female vocals and live looping bluegrass.

Afterward, at 8 p.m., the Bachelor & the Bad Actress will perform.

There is no cover charge for the event, though, and Bar Manager Amethyst Dwyer encouraged patrons to tip, saying, "That's the only money the bands make."

The café is in the historic Roosevelt Center in the heart of Old Greenbelt, MD. While enjoying the music, customers can check out some of the café's Lebanese favorites from its lunch and dinner menu. Customers can also sample the café's gourmet wine selection or beer on tap.


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