Artist Paul Burch interviews GRAMMY winner Fats Kaplin on how Lomax’s work inspired him to hit the road at the age of 17 with legend Roy Bookbinder.
Part 1 in a 2-part series
Celebrate Alan Lomax and the Library of Congress’ historic recording trips to Michigan during the Great Depression. In the late 1930s, the Library of Congress initiated the Archive of American Folk-Song to capture the sound and stories of America’s diverse population. Led by Alan Lomax, the Archive first documented the populations of Michigan and Wisconsin and recorded hundreds of songs by German, Finnish, French, Polish, Servian, Swedish, and Slovenian immigrants, as well as African Americans who had moved north during the Great Migration. Using a mix of archival material, live performances, and cooking demonstrations, Song to Table looks at how Michigan's food and music traditions have informed one another over generations.
CATFISH & ONION is an education initiative celebrating American culture through food and music. Using music, food, theater, and visual arts, Catfish & Onion teaches students of all ages how our country's rich history of eating and making music together informs our present and illuminates our future.
Over a 20-year career, Paul Burch has collaborated with artists from across generations including Ralph Stanley, Mark Knopfler, and Hip Hop for Public Health, part of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move initiative promoting healthy eating. Burch's new album Light Sensitive was cited by the Nashville Scene as one of the best of 2020, calling it “further proof that he’s one of our finest wordsmiths and interpreters of the world around us." Burch was the inaugural performer for CDL’s first Song Fest in 2017.
The Chelsea District Library is a single branch library serving the City of Chelsea and surrounding townships. The library has 4 small study rooms, one medium meeting room, and the McKune room, our main programming room.