Songs of protest and the sea in Shoreline

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, October 14, 2004

Two very different acts, both sponsored by the Seattle Folklore Society, perform in Shoreline this weekend.

Emma’s Revolution follows the tradition of Woody Guthrie tonight; Gordon Bok delivers songs of the sea on Saturday.

Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow are Emma’s Revolution. Humphries, who worked solo before partnering with Opatow, has been called the “true spirit-child of Woody Guthrie” because of her songs for social justice.

The duo is part of a tradition that includes Guthrie, Bernice Reagon (Sweet Honey in the Rock), Joan Baez, Holly Near, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, Tom Paxton, Janis Ian, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

“People have been going through hard times and celebrating good times for a long time, and there have always been people there to record it,” she said. “Those recordings have not always made it to the larger portion of the community’s ears.

“Certainly Woody Guthrie was able to see the political in the personal and the personal in the political, and he touched a lot of universal places in people and helped folks to put some of their suffering and celebration into a larger context.”

Emma’s Revolution has chosen a social-justice path rather than commercially acceptable pop hooks, a path that has its own rewards.

Humphries and Opatow perform at many events that are organized around issues (peace, poverty, abuse of women, gay rights and sweatshops).

“We go to a demonstration (and) come up with songs relating to what people are working on,” Opatow said. “We are serving this function, supporting people who do the work, which is our work.”

One song that has made the rounds is “If I Give Your Name,” which won the grand prize in the folk category at the 2003 John Lennon Songwriting Contest. It was inspired by the plight of undocumented workers killed in the World Trade Center attack.

It was their first co-written song.

Not surprisingly, their current album is called “one x 1,000,000 = change.”

Gordon Bok grew up in a musical Maine family. His songs spring from what he knows best, the maritime environment and those who face a sometimes-threatening sea.

“I think you can hear, in some of my music, some of the wave motion and rhythm associated with it. There’s something very elemental about it that draws people,” Bok said.

On one tour, he gave many interviews to Winnipeg (Canada) radio stations before a gig.

“I finally started interviewing them about why sea songs fascinated people way out there,” he said. “It was the terrain. You can feel the wind, see the wide open country, all the sky you could want, see the wind move on the grass. To them, it was quite like being on the sea.”

And the prairie people had an appreciation of being subject to laws that aren’t their own.

“I still go out (to sea),” he said. “It’s good to be back where the Earth is running the show and you have to negotiate your way around basic laws and not something we’ve made up and then cheat on.”

Bok’s playground was the shipyard where his father worked. The workers became his role models, and he worked on fishing boats. Unhappy with the way many songs portrayed a life he loved, Bok started writing his own songs.

He has been active in preserving and sharing maritime songs. His music has been used in films and published in folk-music anthologies.

Even in the 21st century, folks are still attracted to the sea.

“It’s a good way of life. It’s like farming. You may be right or you may be wrong but you have only yourself and the weather to blame.”

When Bok sings, there is no blame.

Irene Young photo

Emma’s Revolution: Pat Humphries (left) and Sandy Opatow.

Mike Weymouth photo

Gordon Bok

Seattle Folklore Society

Emma’s Revolution: 8 tonight; $14, $12.

Gordon Bok: 8 p.m. Saturday; $18, $9 age 18 and younger.

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church, 14724 First Ave. NE, Shoreline.

Tickets: 206-528-8523.

Seattle Folklore Society

Emma’s Revolution: 8 tonight; $14, $12.

Gordon Bok: 8 p.m. Saturday; $18, $9 age 18 and younger.

Where: Unitarian Universalist Church, 14724 First Ave. NE, Shoreline.

Tickets: 206-528-8523.