Music, Social Justice & Political Engagement: Singing Truth to Power - Leah Song (Rising Appalachia), Drew McManus (Satsang), Big Samir (The Reminders), Amber Lily and Mikey Pauker:
Engage in this discussion and performance with Leah Song (Rising Appalachia), Drew McManus (Satsang), Big Samir (The Reminders), Amber Lily and Mikey Pauker regarding believing deeply in what you sing and raising your voice to have that heard. It may not be popular, it might mean taking a risk, and it wholeheartedly means standing for something.
Biography:
Leah Song (musician. educator. artist.) has been a traveling and performing artist since her childhood-beginning in the rowdy, concrete jungle of Atlanta, Georgia, rooting into the beautiful mountains of Appalachia, into the deep swamps of New Orleans, and spread to the far reaches of the globe. She studied wood fired ceramics, herbal medicine, welding, painting, anthropology, Latin American politics, dance, ballad singing, poetry, travel writing, and horse archery among others. Finding no employment that required such a strange resume, she began a folk music project with her sister instead, thus beginning Rising Appalachia. She has an enormous reverence for the crossroads of art and justice in all of its forms, and has pointed her compass towards that work in everything she does.
Drew McManus is the frontman and songwriter for Satsang. He is also a painter, combat sports athlete, family man and activist
Big Samir, one half of The Reminders is a musician, and he also teaches Financial Literacy in schools across the country.
Musically, his lyrics are all about empowerment.
Since childhood, Amber Lily could be found humming in the garden. Both wildly inspired and heartbroken by the world, her voice is her refuge. Her music is 1 part storytelling, 1 part soul, her voice a salve for personal and social wounds. Amber Lily along with musical partner Tubby Love has played alongside musicians such as Medicine for the People, Rising Appalachia, Ayla Nereo, Mike Love, Dustin Thomas, and others who share a message of hope and inspiration.
Mikey Pauker (pronounced pow-ker) is a folk/world artist from San Rafael California. Mikey’s early experiences at underground shows exposed him to the intense, primal energy of live music, as well as the strong community bonds that form in an authentic and close-knit scene. Inspired by teachers who blend yoga and mystical practices he went to study in Jerusalem, soaking up the hidden teachings of his ancestral lineage. These spiritual dimensions guided his artistic development as he explored ecstatic music festivals and mystical religious traditions.His sound blends elements of folk, reggae, and hip-hop, incorporating English and Hebrew roots into his devotional songwriting. The “RISE Vulnerable Rally” music video swept the world touching the hearts of over 1 million viewers this past year. Pauker has supported Rebelution, Stephen Marley, Matisyahu, Dovavon Frankenreiter, The Polish Ambassador, Mike Love, Ayla Nereo among others.
