Join us Sunday, October 3rd as some of the Twin Cities finest musicians and singers come together to support VEAP, the largest food shelf in Minnesota. It’s an exciting musical event you won’t want to miss!

Included in the line-up are Members of Minnesota’s First Family of Jazz; Patty Peterson and the Peterson Family, R&B singer Mick Sterling, jazz singer Arne Fogel, Larry Long, pianist Mary Beth Carlson, Maud Hixson & Rick Carlson from the Wolverines, vocalist Julie Esterley, 40’s jazz group “First Things First”, and the “Emmaus Praise Band” along with other celebrity musicians from the Twin Cities area.

Tickets are: $20.00 First Tier and $15.00 2nd Tier. Purchase tickets on-line at: www.veapvolunteers.org / Special Events or at the door.

VEAP (Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People) is a non-profit agency serving low-income families, individuals, elderly and disabled persons in the communities of Bloomington, Edina, Richfield, and South Minneapolis. VEAP offers emergency food to over 7,500 low-income monthly, over half of which are children. VEAP also provides transportation to the elderly and disabled, along with back-to-school & holiday toys to thousands of low-income children in the metro area. Visit their website at www.veapvolunteers.org.

Download the flyer >

Jerry asked us to thank everyone who shared their kind words, songs and money in support of his life work last Tuesday evening at Coffee Grounds. Jerry requested that folks reach out directly to him through writing to:

Jerry Rau
PO Box 13014
Minneapolis, MN 55414

We are now closing down PayPal! With gratitude to everyone who pitched in.

As many of you also know by now, Jerry was admitted into the VA yesterday, but today he’s feeling great and hopes to be out of the hospital very shortly. So the evening with the Jerry Rau Band is still on for Oct. 2nd, 7:30 – Armatage School, 6625 Penn Avenue South in Minneapolis 612-861-3308.

One a last note it’s Jerry’s 72nd birthday this September 28th. Happy Birthday Jerry.

Monarch Butterfly in ReposeWe had a blast at Lake Nokomis on Saturday celebrating the monarch and enjoying great food, music and company. We had a great turnout with hundreds of people coming out to enjoy the day and learn more about the monarch.

And the festivities lasted well into the night over at Merlins Rest, where Larry and friends had the after-party.

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the festival and thanks to Merlin’s Rest for hosting the after-party.

Jerry Rau Benefit

Join Larry, Fiddlin’ Pete, and special guests Lonnie Knight, Doug Lohman and Joe Savage next Tuesday at The Coffee Grounds in Falcon Heights. They’ll be playing a benefit concert for Jerry Rau, a Vietnam veteran whose health issues recently left him unable to perform around town.

This benefit is our small way of raising money to support Jerry through the coming winter and to give something back to a man who continues to serve his country and community through song.

Download the flyer >

Larry will be opening for brothers Billy and Ricky Peterson, who’ll be performing with the Steve Miller Band Tribute (current and former Steve Miller Band members). Proceeds for this event will go to The Salvation Army – Harbor Light Center, who provide transitional housing with supportive services to formerly homeless veterans.

Download Poster

Can’t make it to the show? You can still contribute to the Harbor Light Center to help them continue with their mission. Our vets need our support now more than ever. Visit their website to donate.

Harbor Light’s Website >

Join Larry and others at the American Legion in Austin, MN, this Saturday. The afternoon will be spent sharing memories with old friends, enjoying music, and looking to our future by honoring our past. Speakers will include Jim Guyette, Ray Rogers, Pete Rachleff and Pete Winkles. Music will be provided by Larry Long and others."

Where: The American Legion (809 12th Street Southwest, Austin MN)
When: 2pm through the afternoon (Dinner will be served at 6pm)
Cost: There will be a small fee to cover dinner.

Download the flyer >

MPR’s three-part series, "Austin at a Crossroads: 25 Years After the Hormel Strike," begins Monday on All Things Considered. Two songs, "Proud to March with P-9" by Dennis Jones and "Which Side Are You On" with new words and vocals by Larry Long & Carrie Gerendasy are featured in the series.

Larry produced and released the album Boycott Hormel: Live From Austin to raise funds for the Adopt-a-Family program to assist striking workers, raising over $5,000.

You can find photos, interviews and additional reporting for this project on the MPR website at http://www.mprnewsq.org

Larry’s going to be performing with Kevin Kling next Tuesday at the Open Door Theatre for the series Two Chairs Telling:

“The Twin Cities’ most eclectic storytelling series Two Chairs Telling is returning to intimate Open Eye Theatre for 2010 with five months of pairings mixing and matching storytellers, musicians, poets, and spoken words artists who lean towards the lyrical narrative and the narrative lyric.”

If you’ve never seen either of these two live, you won’t want to miss this one. The two will sit down for the evening to swap stories, songs and friendship bracelets.

Well, probably not the bracelets. Although that would be sort of awesome.

Performance starts at 7:30pm. Tickets are $10 (and the low low price of $5 for an additional ticket). More details here and here.

Download MP3 of Tibet (rough mix) by Larry Long

Larry Long wrote the song Tibet with 5th grade students in honor of Mr. Gyatsho Tshering.  Mr. Tshering worked directly with the Dalai Lama in India for over 30 years after Tibet was invaded and hundred of thousands of Tibetans were thrown into exile.  The lyrics (which are posted below) speak for themselves. The English translation for the chorus to Tibet is “Peace, Loving-Kindness, Compassion”.  The video podcast will be up soon and is of Larry and the kids singing “Tibet” for Mr. Gyatsho Tshering at an Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song celebration in March of  2008.    
 
Larry Long is working on a new CD collection of original works, tentatively entitled “Old Ways”. The song Tibet will be featured on this collection.  This recording of Tibet is a “work in progress. The chorus and additional instrumentation is yet to be added”. Larry is featured on vocals and 12-string guitar.  Featured on percussion is Marc Anderson and on electric bass is Enrique Toussaint. 
 

 

Tibet
Peace, Loving-Kindness, Compassion
(Honoring Gyatsho Tshering)
I was born in a beautiful country,
In the mountains of Tibet,
In the land of the Dalai Lama,
In the land of Consciousness.
 
Growing up along the border
Beneath a ripe orange tree,
Sitting with my grandfather,
Words of kindness, he taught me.
Peace, Loving-Kindness, Compassion  

Through 14 Dalai Lamas,
We were taught to do one thing,
At a time with 5 senses,
A diplomat, I chose to be.
 
Then from across the border,
Like a colony of ants,
We could smell dead bodies burning,
For days and days after that.
 
Peace, Loving-Kindness, Compassion

Burning books by the millions,
They took everything they could steal,
Destroyed 6,000 monasteries 
Beneath clothing we concealed.
 
The sacred text of our people
Held tightly against our chest,
As we fled across the border,
To India from Tibet.
 
Peace, Loving-Kindness, Compassion

 
Without land, without a country,
One hundred thousand refugees,
One million killed, so many orphaned,
The Dalai Lama called for me. 
 
Will you be there to help the children,
To build schools, clinics, libraries,
Will you be there to help the people,
Serving others, I agreed. 

Peace, Loving-Kindness, Compassion

What can we do but to be mindful,
Where can we go but to be kind,
Compassionate, 
to soothe those who suffer,
To keep hope alive.
 
For Tibet, for the children,
For those in whom, yet to arise,
May love grow, May love prosper,
 May Tibet never die. 
 
Peace, Loving-Kindness, Compassion

Words & music by Larry Long 
with Children of Minnesota

© Larry Long 2008 / BMI

Podcast: Play in new window | Download