Touring folk singer Debra Cowan will give two performances at the Olympia Timberland Library on Wednesday, October 3, one for children and one for the grownups.
“Silly Songs and Funny Folk” will be presented for young children at 10 a.m., before the library is open. (Enter by the Adams Street door.) Cowan returns to the library to perform “Women and the Sea” at 7:30 p.m. Both concerts are free of charge.
The emphasis for the children’s show is on laughter and the plain joy of singing. The program will include songs children find hilarious, such as “Safari Up My Sister’s Nose” by Peter Alsop and “My Brother Threw up on my Stuffed Toy Bunny” by Barry Louis Polisar. Cowan uses a variety of funny voices in her interpretation of John Prine’s “Bottomless Lake,” and sings humorous lyrics to classical music melodies of Beethoven and Johann Strauss.
Cowan will teach simple refrains and choruses of traditional and contemporary songs to encourage the children to sing along. Kids will have the opportunity to learn entire songs such as “Wild about Horns on Automobiles” and “The Stars at Night” so that they can take them home and share them with others.
Cowan’s evening show centers on maritime songs and stories that highlight the women’s diverse relationships with the sea. There are the wives, mothers and lovers waiting for the fishermen and sailors. “Polly on the Shore” is a traditional song with many versions, full of lament and regret, but Cowan sings of a sassy and independent Polly in a contemporary song by the UK’s Lester Simpson.
In one traditional ballad the woman is a ghost, the “Dreadful Ghost,” taking her revenge on her false sailorman. Then there are the women who went to sea themselves, often passing as men, and the many twists and turns in their stories.
Cowan’s shows are interactive. She involves the audience in her songs, joking between them and explaining where the music comes from. Her voice is a warm, clear alto that blends Celtic and Appalachian styles. She performs a cappella and with guitar in the tradition of folk singers like Joan Baez and Judy Collins, interpreting contemporary and traditional songs from England, Ireland, Scotland and North America. She tours extensively in North America and the United Kingdom. Cowan has recorded three CDs. Her website is http://debracowan.com.
“Accompanied or unaccompanied, she presents a song with exceptional story-telling skills and a keen understanding of traditional music that is rare among her contemporaries.” ~Folk-Legacy Records
The Olympia Timberland Library is at 313 8th Avenue. For more information, call the library at (360) 352-0595 or go to www.TRL.org.
