September 29, 2000

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

A celebration of women

Holly Near's new CD is a history of the women's music movement

by Merle Exit

Calico Tracks Records recently released Simply Love: The Women's Music Collection, a wonderful retrospective CD by the renowned artist and activist Holly Near. A comprehensive celebration, this collection of twenty-eight songs honors women's music as a genre.

The collection includes many tracks from Near's 1978 recording Imagine My Surprise, as well as songs written over the next

Holly Near and Cris Williamson

two decades that carried on the journey. Near also includes recently-recorded and never-before-released versions of classics written by other feminist songwriters who helped to define this era.

Near pays tribute to some of the other foremothers of women's music with her renditions of songs such as Alix Dobkin's "The Woman in Your Life is You."

"The woman in your life/She is someone to pursue/She is patience and she's waiting/ And she'll take you home now/ . . . She can wait so easily/She knows everything you do because/The woman in your life is you."

She also includes: "Every Woman" by Bernice Johnson Reagon of Sweet Honey in the Rock, Therese Edellis' "Emma," Margie Adam's "Having Been Touched (Tender Lady)" and "Wonderful," by Linda Tillery.

Available for the first time is her recording of "The Rock Will Wear Away," written in the mid-70s by Near and Meg Christian. "Can we be like drops of water falling on the stone/Splashing, breaking, dispersing in air/Weaker than the stone by far but be aware/That as time goes by the rock will wear away/And the water comes again."

A special bonus is the recording of Near and Rhiannon's duet of Cris Williamson's "Waterfall" recorded at the 10th anniversary of the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival in 1985.

Other songs on the double CD include "You Know All I Am" and "Harbor Me," which came out in 1976. "Put Away," "Nina," "Mountain Song/Kentucky Woman," "You Bet," "Rock Me in Your Arms" and "Something About the Women" appeared in 1978.

In an interview, I asked Near why she wanted to record this women's music collection.

"I wanted to do this to give all of us who were part of it a chance to remember how important it was," Near said, "and at the same time, give women new to feminism a chance to hear some of the songs that really helped us out when we were first discovering feminism."

"That sense of discovery is not a thing of the past. There are still women coming to my concerts who are taking their first step out. These songs can be very helpful during those daring and fragile times."

99

The music from this CD speaks of a time and a movement that was both earth-shaking and almost completely ignored by the

mainstream. Near says it was produced, in part, for the "curious child," if and when she wants to know about that moment in time when everything changed.

"We were not the first. We are not the last. From Sappho to Ma Rainey, from us to the young women whose music we have yet to hear, it has been a great honor to be a link in the chain," Near said.

"We were beautiful warriors with vision and scars, hopeful that hundreds would come out and heal to our music. We were stunned

when thousands came out, moving vibrantly into worldwide visibility. That many thousands more would be 'raised' on our music was inconceivable. Imagine our surprise!"

Imagine my own surprise when I looked at the photos in the CD's accompanying booklet. There were two of Lily Tomlin. I knew that Tomlin was into comedy, but never knew she was part of the "Near" move-

ment.

"We were not the first. We are not the last," Near reiterated. "Dozens of master tapes by lesbian musicians sleep in closets, even though their creators are out. I hope that one day the collections will surface in fully glory."

"The exclusion of woman and lesbian-identified music has been systematic by those who do not feel comfortable with us in the face of equity and diversity," she said.

"Although we may go unnoticed by the 'mainstream' world, the wealth of women now working in the music industry does not go unnoticed by us. We are quietly proud. And we are not done. Most of the women whose music appears in this collection are still writing, singing and defying acceptable girl behavior," Near explained.

Near was the featured performer at the Gay Pride march in San Diego in July. Aside from being asked to perform, Near was happy to participate.

"I like to do at least one Pride event a year if I can," she explained. "I like to be part of that aspect of pride events which is linked to activism and social change."

"There are lots of coalitions that still need to be formed between groups of people who face discrimination. I try to

present my music as a bridge between groups and ideas as well as to entertain," she continued. "There is not sameness or agreement even among gay and lesbian people so I feel there is a place for what I do. I sing songs that celebrate difference and honor the places where we can come together."

"So, Holly," I asked, "How was the concert at the Michigan Womyn's Festival?"

"The 25th anniversary festival was great. My sister, Laurel Near, along with her cofounder of the Wallflower Order Dance Collective, Krissy Keefer, came on stage and did one of their signature pieces called 'If I Were I'," she told me. "They were joined by Nina Fichter, who was an early member of Wallflower, plus two of the dancers from the current Dance Brigade. It was very moving."

"If I Were I" is by deaf poet Dorothy Miles, Near explained.

"Rhiannon also joined me to sing on 'Waterfall' and Adrienne Torf, who was playing the piano for me, did a fabulous solo on ‘Hay Una Mujer Decaparecida.' I thought the piano was going to fly off the stage!" she exclaimed. "It was amazing. We did a medley of songs from the [Simply Love] collection. Lots of women got to hear songs that showed up way before their time."

Is there a new CD in the works for Near? "Yes. I just finished the new recording which is called Edge. It will be released at the end of September," she said. “The experience of making this recording was quite powerful. There were 25 musicians who contributed to this project. Not all at one time, but song by song. I am thrilled with the results. My associate producer, Donna Korones, thinks it is the best work I have done to date. So that feels good."

Near will be on tour both alone and with Cris Williamson. If the album itself isn't nostalgic, can you imagine her performing with Cris? Needless to say I still wanted to know why she chose to perform with her.

"Cris and I have been in each other's lives since the early '70s. We performed together at the Troubadour in Los Angeles before we were strongly identified in the women's music scene," she explained. "Her voice has always undone me. It has been a long time since we have shared a show. I look forward to it. As much as I love the music part, I have to admit that when Cris and I get together, we crack each other up. Laughter is a big part of our time together."

Near's web site, www.hollynear.com has an itinerary of future concert dates. ✓

Merle Exit is a Chronicle contributing writer living in Queens, New York.

Holly Near