The March Hare: Fall '99
Issue 22

by Tony Sirna

You might think that being in a rural area would mean that it'd be hard to see our favorite bands in concert. But with small touring bands you can actually have the music come straight to you.

This summer we've had the pleasure of two amazing house concerts right here at Dancing Rabbit. In September Rebecca Riots came through for its second gig at DR. A three-woman Berkeley-based band, the Riots sing contemporary folk with both a political and introspective bent. They are wonderful people who share our ideals and its great to hear songs about social change, community, and even dumpster diving.

We met the Riots in California when they were playing with an old friend of some of ours, Allette Brooks. Allette just did her first US tour with stops in Kirksville, MO, Columbia, MO and of course Dancing Rabbit (it doesn't hurt that her booking agent is one of our members!). Allette played at DR's Land Day celebration along with other DR members, visitors, and a group sing-a-long. Allette was involved in the early days of DR and some of her songs are a special treat because they were written here or are about our community mates.

Both Allette and the Riots were so happy with playing house concerts at DR that they've played at a number of other communities around the country. It's really a great deal for both the band, who gets an attentive audience of like minded folks, and the community who gets a wonderful performance right at home.

We look forward to these bands coming back and other performers coming through for a show. Maybe someday DR will be famous for its off-grid house concert series.

For more information on the web: House Concerts (a great resource!): http://www.ifolk.org/hc/ Rebecca Riots: http://www.rebeccariots.com Allette Brooks: http://www.geocities.com/allettebrooks/