Over Veteran’s Day weekend, more than 500 audience members witnessed a one-of-a-kind event at Twin Cities PBS studios in Lowertown, Saint Paul, MN. As part of the statewide PBS initiative MN Remembers Vietnam, and in partnership with the authors of the book “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” Doug Bradley and Craig Werner, TPT curated an amazing concert experience celebrating the “soundtrack of the Vietnam war.”
Music was a lifeline connecting soldiers to their homes, families and parts of themselves they felt slipping away. It was the glue that bound the communities they formed in their hooches, basecamps, and lonely outposts from the Mekong Delta to the ravines of the demilitarized zone (DMZ)… Music was the key to survival and a path to healing, the center of human story that’s too often been lost in a haze of politics and myth that surrounds Vietnam. -Excerpt from the book “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”
The concert was an opportunity to share, remember, and heal – through both music and spoken word – and featured many notable local musicians. Longtime Minnesota musician Dan Chouinard served as band leader and recruited a diverse group of musicians including Prudence Johnson, Thomasina Petrus, Julius Collins, John Hermanson, Jerry Rau and Mark Lickteig, among many others.
Did you miss the performance? Not to worry, because our crack crew here at Twin Cities PBS recorded both performances! We are hoping our editors and producers can get to that right away so we can share it with all of you without delay. We will share the release date for that as soon as we have it.
If you can’t wait that long, here are some fun clips from past TPT work featuring some of these great musicians:
Thomasina Petrus, who brought down the house last weekend with her rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of my Heart,” was featured on TPT’s digital series Artist Day Jobs, talking about her dual life as an artist and entrepreneur – she makes an amazing cashew brittle. Check out the video here.
MN Original’s Artist Day Jobs
September 16, 2016
John Hermanson performed a beautiful interpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” at the concert. He is part of the acclaimed folk duo Storyhill. They were featured on TPT’s arts series, MN Original.
MN Original
John Hermanson of acclaimed folk duo Storyhill sings “Well of Sorrow”
September 8, 2012
Local singer songwriter Julius Collins, of Greazy Meal and Dr. Mambo’s Combo fame, spent a lot of time at TPT this past weekend, appearing on TPT’s public affairs show Almanac on Friday, in addition to wowing the crowd as lead vocalist on several songs at our Vietnam concert, including “Purple Haze” and “What’s Going On.” Watch his performance on Almanac and hear about the upcoming MN Voices United benefit for hurricane relief.
Almanac
Julius Collins sings “Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix
November 10, 2017
Bandleader Dan Chouinard has also been featured on MN Original, accompanying Maria Jette. Watch here.
Finally, if you can’t get enough of the mix of history and music, tune into TPT MN (the Minnesota Channel) on Wednesday, November 22 to watch Civil War Homecoming, a Minnesota perspective on the Civil War and its aftermath, featuring Dan Chouinard, Prudence Johnson and many other great local musicians to help tell the story.
Thanks again to all of the musicians, readers, and writers who participated in this memorable event. It will not be forgotten.
© Twin Cities Public Television - 2017. All rights reserved.
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