Open Mic For Peace

FAYETTEVILLE — A heart felt plea to First Lady Michelle Obama to influence her husband toward peace. A humorous look at the rising floodwaters of the economic recession. A neardeath experience that led to an inescapable truth: “The only thing important was the love.”

The music and poetry at the Dec. 6 Open Mic For Peace covered a wide range of styles and topics. Yet a common thread ran through each of the 18 offerings. In his or her own way, each artist envisioned a world at peace.

The monthly open mic at the Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology in Fayetteville invites area musicians and writers to explore such a world. Suggested themes vary, but they all revolve around the triad of concerns reflected in the center’s name.

The Omni Center is a grassroots group started in April 2001 for the purpose of creating “a culture of peace.” The open mic event began six months later as a response to the war fever that gripped thenation in the aftermath of 9/11.

“Our goal was to do something positive,” said KellyMulhollan, who started the open mic with his wife and musical partner, Donna Stjerna.The two comprise “folkgrass” duo Still On the Hill and children’s performance artists Toucan Jam.

“The open mic was our way of saying, ‘We’re not going to choose revenge.’ As horrific as 9/11 was, (we believed) revenge was counterproductive.”

Area artists responded with an outpouring of songs. The Omni Center collected 20 on its “Peace Songbook and CD,” released in 2003. Several individual artists also recorded peace-themed CDs.

Other areas of concern have included climate change, gay rights, disability rights, poverty, racism, workers’ rights, the economy and health care reform. The songs and poems performed in December reflected a wide range of issues: The war in Afghanistan. AIDS. Sarah Palin. The continuing legacy of Vietnam. The heartbreaking reality of life in a nursing home.

“A songwriter’s job is to reflect their culture,” Mulhollan said. “Especially a folk musician. (Our topics) refl ect the news of the day.”

Folk Music Grows Up

Folk music has always been entwined with political activism and human rights causes. Classics such as “Down by the Riverside” and “We Shall Overcome” grew from the songs and spirituals of African American slaves.

The labor struggles of the early 20th century and the Great Depression were other rich sources of material.Woody Guthrie, granddaddy of topical folk music, emerged from this time period.

In the 1960s, the tumultuous issues of civil rights and the Vietnam confl ict spawned folk music superstars Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. Their music combined political commentary with promise for change.

“It’s no secret that the whole anti-war movement revolved around the musicscene,” Mulhollan said. “Folk music was very important.” Yet that influence faded as boiler plate issues were resolved, and the folk music scene grew into a business.

Folk singers traded the controversial issues of the day for more personal songs about relationships and daily life. Stjerna detailed the transition in “The Little Folk Song.”

“The little folk song wanted to be heard/but no one wouldlisten to his radical words/so the little folk song adapted to the world/and threw away his peace sign./ ... But it broke his spirit and clipped his wings/ to never, ever sing about important things/he could feel himself homogenizing into the pop culture.”

The pendulum swung again after 9/11, as songwriters responded to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gay rights is another topic that grabbed songwriters’ attention, according to folkmusic. about.com. Singer/songwriters (the label often applied to today’s folk musicians) went on the road to tour in coff ee houses, bars, churches and house concerts.

“It’s part of the tradition offolk musicians to be politically active,” Mulhollan said. “The world got more violent. Now folk singers are singing more topical songs.” Culture Of Peace

The recent escalation of the war in Afghanistan has Mulhollan and other area activists feeling stumped.

“We’re back to square one,” he said. “It’s easy to wonder, ‘Is this ever going to work?’”

Yet asked if the monthly open mic makes a diff erence, Mulhollan and several other artists gave an unequivocal “yes.”

“If you really want to aff ect the world, the most important place to start is within yourself,” said Fayetteville resident Jay Ross, whose poetry reflects that theme. “If I walk out of here with peace in my heart, I can share that love with those I meet. That makes the world a better place.”

The friendly and welcoming atmosphere helps artists thrive, said Duane Carr, a songwriter who lives near Elkins.

“This is one place wheresongs are actually shared,” he said. “There’s no competition between performers.” Carr has recorded two CDs of peace music based on the songs he’s written for the open mic.

Trumpet player Stephen Coger said the Omni Center has allowed him to grow as an individual and an activist. The 2008 University of Arkansas graduate started an Omni chapter at UA in 2005. He credits his involvement with earning him a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship for study in Argentina earlier this year.

“I just want to be the most effective agent for change I can be - and help bring about that culture of peace,” Coger said.

Open mic performers know they’re “singing to the choir,” all agreed. Yet they laud the sense of mutual empowerment that provides.

“Going there gives you a boost,” Carr said. “ You feel like you’re not alone. You feel good about going out and possibly getting the message out a little stronger than you would otherwise.”