BELLOWS FALLS — A group of local musicians will be blending their harmonies to benefit the new Greater Falls Warming Shelter in a concert on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m., at the Immanuel Episcopal Church (the Stone Church) in Bellows Falls.
The suggested donation is $10.
The Greater Falls Warming Shelter is a valuable resource in Bellows Falls. In its first year, the shelter served 44 individuals for 371 bed nights during the 93 nights it was open. More than 75 volunteers stayed overnight at the shelter, or provided some kind of support such as laundering, cleaning, donating furniture, or providing supplies.
The benefit concert is the brainchild of Julie Waters, a local artist and musician who believes that part of the mission of arts is to support and give back to the community that allows it to thrive.
“So many artists deal with trying times and fall from the common graces of society at various points on their paths,” she said. “For some of us, the craft or artistry is what separates us from going off the edge. To me, it's the other side of the coin. We can't live as artists without having a respect for those whose lives do not easily fall into the box of a comfortable home and a warm place to live.”
She said the response from the other musicians was practically instantaneous when she asked them to participate. In addition to Waters, Jesse Peters and Ali Chambliss will be headlining the show.
Waters (www.juliewaters.com) describes herself as a folk artist in the truest tradition, weaving stories, motion and rhythm, creating lyrical poetry through the strings of her guitar. With more than simply a creative approach to music, she says, her performances turn on a dime, first evoking ancient modal melodies, and then suddenly sliding into a rock and roll beat that morphs straight into the 21st century.
Peters (www.jessepeters.com) says he blends all his formative experiences into a musical approach that includes many different styles. He describes himself as flexible enough to play instrumental dinner music one day and jazz-rock with his trio the next. He says his writing style is similarly broad, with modern groove numbers interspersed with more traditional finger-picked tunes and a few rockers thrown in for good measure. “Mixing it up like that keeps it interesting for both him and his audience,” he says in his biography.
Chambliss is one woman, with a guitar, an array of songs and a tremendous voice. Her original songs are crafted from a well of emotion deep and challenging as it is beautiful and poignant, Waters says.
In November, the Greater Falls Warming Shelter opened at 83 Westminster St. (behind Athens Pizza) in Bellows Falls, to provide a temporary spot for an overnight stay. It will remain open until April and is staffed seven nights a week by volunteers who serve in two shifts from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., and 1 to 7 a.m.
New volunteers are urged to contact the shelter at [email protected], or leave a message at 802-463-2567, to learn about the shelter and the on-going training provided. Members of the shelter steering committee will also be at the concert to provide information.
If you can't make it to the show, monetary contributions to the shelter may be sent to the shelter's fiscal agent, Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), at 91 Buck Dr., Westminster, VT 05158.