Laurelyn Dossett and Friends: Vote Against Amendment One VIDEO from Laurelyn Dossett on Vimeo.

Typically I avoid overt political statements in my music, but the upcoming vote to amend the North Carolina constitution has compelled me to speak out against Amendment One.

So I got together with 10 other Piedmont musicians, filmmaker Harvey Robinson of Monkeywhale, and a group of Triad leaders to record a song and make a video.

We hope it will raise awareness about the consequences of Amendment One and send people to the polls to vote against it. We hope it will inspire others to raise their voices. And we hope to hear the song sung from the Mountains to the Coast of North Carolina from now until May 8, 2012.

Watch on Youtube
Watch on Vimeo (higher definition)
Listen on Soundcloud (free download)

Feel free to share, post, tweet, blog, email, forward, or just stand on your front porch and sing it to the heavens.

“When the 8th of May is come, let’s vote against amendment one.”

On May 8, 2012, this is what North Carolina voters will see on the ballot:

[] For [X] Against
Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized by this State.

The arguments against this amendment are myriad, no matter how you feel about gay marriage. For more information I suggest:

• www.protectncfamilies.org
• www.facebook.com/greensboroagainstamendmentone
• or any other source of information that you find credible

I know we will not all agree.

As always, I thank you for listening and supporting live local music. Laurelyn

raiseyourvoiceagainstamendone.tumblr.com

Levon Helm’s “Ramble at the Ryman” took home the 2011 Grammy for the “Best Americana Album.”

Levon, you did it again. Thank you for making my “Anna Lee” your own on a record that shook the Ryman – benches to rafters – with the best of Americana music.

String of Pearls, with Rhiannon Giddens and Laurelyn Dossett from Laurelyn Dossett on Vimeo.

We filmed this in my backyard on one of those warmer fall nights in North Carolina. You can still hear the cicadas in the background.

Special thanks to Harvey Robinson and Carolyn deBerry who came over for some gumbo that night, and brought their cameras and talent (psst … save the monkeywhale).

And please, join us for the last show of 2011 in New York City. Gather your friends and family.

Saturday, December 17 in New York, NY
Roots/Americana Holiday Concert at the Winery with Laurelyn, Rhiannon, Joe, Mike and Jason for one night only.
New York, NY
citywinery.com
Order tickets and reserve your seat

Album reviews are in for “The Gathering” recording of the string band featuring myself, Rhiannon, Joe, Mike, and Jason.

And they’ve all got me seeing stars.

“It’s a fresh approach to wintry music, with mountain-music instrumentation and crystalline harmonies.”
4 1/2 stars
Andrew Dansby and Joey Guerra, San Antonio Express News

“Collections of Appalachian holiday tunes have come along before, but one of the finest is now ‘The Gathering,’ ”
4 1/2 stars
Thomas Conner, Chicago Sun-Times

“The Gathering: A Winter’s Tale in Six Songs” premiers with the North Carolina Symphony on November 25 and 26 with conductor Grant Llewellyn. Tickets available now.

The string band will perform select dates over the holidays.

Sunday, December 4 in Aberdeen, NC
Holiday Concert at The Rooster’s Wife
“The Gathering” string band plays the song cycle featuring Laurelyn, Mike Compton, Joe Newberry, and Martha Bassett, who will be featuring songs from her new holiday CD, “Magnificat.”
www.theroosterswife.org
Order tickets

Tuesday, December 6 in Greensboro, NC
“The Gathering” string band plays the song cycle and selected tunes from the record, as well as songs from Laurelyn’s holiday collaboration with Triad Stage, “Beautiful Star.”
triadstage.org
Tickets

Friday, December 16
Private house concert in Philadelphia, PA

Saturday, December 17 in New York, NY
Roots/Americana Holiday Concert at the Winery with Laurelyn, Rhiannon, Joe, Mike and Jason for one night only.
New York, NY
citywinery.com
Order tickets and reserve your seat

The Gathering string band

It wasn’t too long ago that Rhiannon and first I worked together at Triad Stage. She was one of the holiday singers in “Beautiful Star,” one of the first Appalachian music-with-play projects I co-wrote with Preston Lane. For me, her take on “O, Holy Night” changed that song forever.

We’ll share the stage together again when “The Gathering” string band performs there Tuesday, December 6 at 8 pm. This special show is a string-band only performance by “The Gathering” band featuring Rhiannon, Mike Compton, Joe Newberry, Jason Sypher and myself.

We’ll play some songs from “The Gathering” record, which includes a special version of Rhiannon singing “O, Holy Night,” and I think we can reprise a version at Triad Stage … for old times sake.

Tickets are available now. And thank you sweetly, in advance. Just remember to unwrap that hard candy before you head into the theater.

A Winter Concert at Triad Stage
8 pm December 6 at Triad Stage, Greensboro NC
Buy Tickets

The Gathering record
Available now on CD Baby
Buy now

World premier of “The Gathering: A Winter’s Tale in Six Songs”
November 25 and 26
Buy Tickets

Buy the record

Also available on: Amazon | CD Baby | iTunes

From my front porch, I can almost see the downtown pharmacy where William Sydney Porter (pen name, O. Henry) worked at his Uncle’s drug store.

The writer is among the most read authors in the world, after Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe. Among his quotes:

“There is one day that is ours. Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.”

This month the new arts magazine in the Piedmont – named after the Greensboro-born writer – featured a story on my new project, “The Gathering: A Winter’s Tale in Six Songs.”

If you see the free magazine around town, please pick up a copy. It’s put together by a talented group of writers, designers, and photographers in the Piedmont. It’s also a perfect sized-magazine; stays steady on your lap with a cup of coffee.

Read the article online, or pick up a copy around O. Henry’s hometown.

It’s probably the only time it’s okay to bring food to Meymandi Concert Hall in downtown Raleigh. And no matter how you say it, here’s a little verbal reminder – and tutorial – to bring food donations to the symphony performance for “The Gathering: A Winter’s Tale in Six Songs” on November 26 and 26.

Food donations

In partnership with Interfaith Food Shuttle BackPack Buddies Program, the Symphony is collecting donated food items at all three “Carolina Christmas” concerts. The BackPack Buddies Program provides children from food-insecure homes with weekend meals during the school year. For complete information on what to bring, visit www.foodshuttle.org/backpack-buddies.