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Photo by Kris McCue
Hello dear ones,
If it's early April, we must be in St. Louis. For many years now, we've kissed our kids and husbands goodbye and made the trek to the Show-Me state and showed ourselves, our tunes, and increasingly, our workshops, to interested folks at Washington University where our long-time soul sister and dear friend Jill Stratton is Associate Dean of Students. This year, we're doing a presentation at Wash U on Friday April 4, then a house concert at 8:00 p.m. (For more details, e-mail Jill at [email protected]). On Saturday at noon, we'll do a family show at the Stage at KDHX. Send your Missouri pals!
On April 19, we're doing two shows to benefit for the Clover Foundation: a family show in Chestnut Hill, MA and a grown up show in Concord MA. Come see what we're up to and hear our new songs!
And for our VA/DC/MD fans: we'll be at my parents' church, Immanuel Presbyterian, doing a Pete Seeger-inspired Nields show on Wednesday April 23. We are still looking for a school gig on Thursday April 24, so if any of you has a connection, send it to us!
We have found ourselves singing the songs we learned from Pete Seeger and thinking about his history and how it tells the story of our country's history over the course of the last century. How do we thank this great man for all he gave us? What makes sense to us is to sing. Often. Loud. To anyone. With everyone. We want to carry on his work. To that end, we have developed a history lesson/ sing along that we are hoping to bring to as many schools and communities as possible: Wasn't That A Time: the Life and Songs of Pete Seeger, a show which weaves together biography and 20th century American history with folk songs which we lead and teach. If you are interested, write to us at [email protected]. See more here.
Spring, we love you! And Nields Fans, we love you! Thanks for being the best fans in the entire world.
Love, Nerissa and Katryna
PS Sorry for sending this twice: we had the wrong header the first time!
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 We Endorse
Nerissa:
1. 12 Years a Slave. I get to the movies about once a year, these days. I am so glad this was the movie I got to see this year. Go see it. You will want to turn your head, make it stop, but the filmmakers force us to keep looking. It made me amazed at the strength of those who endured, fought and escaped, and grateful for all those abolitionists who fought for justice at a time when they were considered fringe-y lunatics. Makes me wonder what they're going to be shocked at what we are doing now when they look back 100 years. Anyway, the film is gripping, beautifully acted and filmed. I cried for a full third of the length. It's a must see.
2. Catie Curtis's new CD "Flying Dream." Check out this interview we did with her!
 | | Catie Curtis Talks About Her New CD "Flying Dream" |
3. This hilarious piece from the March 24 New Yorker (online only, it seems) on parenting. Read if you are totally sick of hearing about the latest parenting advice.
Katryna:
Ah, the relief of springtime. The maples buckets hanging on the trees, the pile of wood we never got stacked peaking through the snow, the kids spattered with mud droplets after playing basketball in the neighbor's driveway... every endorsement could be about the spring. Instead, I will share with you three of the songs I chose to add to Nields Family HooteNanny- our monthly singalong and jam-along for families that takes place in Northampton. You should join us! But, I digress...
1. "The Mingalay Boat Song": An ode to the southernmost island of the Hebrides. Sailors coming home form long journeys would know they were nearing home when they saw Mingalay. Nerissa and I have the Delaney House sign on I-91 just south of Northampton. Ha. Of course, we have Nields-ified this and we sing it a little faster and a little louder, but I do love this version by the Corries.
 | | The Corries - Mingulay Boat Song |
2. "That Lonesome Valley"- Here are Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie singing it. I think they are even singing it at Wolf Trap- in Virginia just outside of Washington DC where we used to watch them sing every summer. This is totally Pete as I remember him. "You gotta walk that lonesome valley, You gotta walk it by yourself, Ain't nobody here gonna walk it for ya, You gotta walk that lonesome valley by yourself."
 | | Pete Seeger/Arlo Guthrie - You gotta walk that lonesome valley |
3. "Back Home Again" by John Denver. Our Dad used to sing us this song. It is just the perfect singalong song.
 | | Back Home Again John Denver |
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 Polaroid From the Past
Us in about 1973.
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 ....read more at the May Day Cafe blog.
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Wasn't That A Time!
Pete Seeger: A History of the Twentieth Century in Song
Nerissa and Katryna Nields (www.nields.com) sing their way through the twentieth century using the life and songs of Pete Seeger as their guide. In a unique show aimed at school-aged children, the sisters hit on crucial moments in Pete Seeger's life and work to illuminate aspects of US history. Sample Program: The 1930's Dust Bowl: "So Long It's Been Good to Know You," "My Oklahoma Home" 1940's: Labor Movement: "This Land Is Your Land," "Union Maid," "Pay Me My Money Down," "If I Had a Hammer" 1950's HUAC investigation; discussion of Pete's pleading the first amendment instead of the 5th; "Wimoweh", "Irene Goodnight" 1960's Civil Rights: "We Shall Overcome," "If You Miss Me On the Back of the Bus," "Eyes on the Prize," "Oh, Mary." Vietnam War: "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "Turn, Turn, Turn" 1970's Environmental movement: "Sailing Up," "Sailing Down My Golden River," Nerissa and Katryna will speak throughout the presentation about the ways in which the song was mightier than the sword; how Pete was blacklisted and spent the fifties playing in schools and summer camps, teaching a whole generation Folk music, inspiring the 60's folk music revival, changing the world with song. Again and again, he traded opportunities for fame and fortune for influence, education and enlightenment. The Nields will teach the students the songs, teaching parts when appropriate, asking questions and taking questions. The spirit Pete Seeger brought to his audiences was one of generosity and inclusion. We hope to bring these same qualities to your school and engender discussions of fairness and justice. Nerissa and Katryna, along with Mr. Seeger, believe that there is nothing on earth quite as wonderful as a big community joining voices in song. We are looking forward to singing with your school. The show is 45-60 minutes. Priced on a sliding scale based on how far the Nields have to travel. Please contact Nerissa Nields at [email protected] for a quote. |
 Nields Family HooteNanny (NFH) is happening this Sunday March 30, Sunday May 18 and Sunday June 1 from 4-5pm at First Churches! Bring your banjos, guitars, ukes, bongos, congos, violins, cellos, harmonicas, harpsichords, pipe organs, sopranos, tenors, altos, basses, bagpipes and join us! We will raise the roof! You must preregister to attend--the room is only so big! Drop in cost is $30 per family or $10 per person. To sign up, email [email protected]. |
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April 4
St. Louis MO
3-5pm
April 5
The Stage at KDHX
St. Louis, MO
noon
April 19
Two Concerts Benefiting the Clover Foundation
Family Show at Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill MA
3pm
Kerem Shalom in Concord MA
8pm
April 23
Nields Pete Seeger-Inspired Concert at Immanuel
@ Immanuel Presbyterian Church
1125 Savile Lane, McLean VA, 22101
703-356-3042
7pm show
Click here for complete tour schedule.
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 Photo by Sarah Prall |
New Web site coming soon!
| | photo by Sarah Prall |
 | | photo by Sarah Prall |
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| The Nields offer small moments of joy and sorrow that linger in one's memory as a kind of quiet paean to the mystery of who we are and what it is we are about. Consumable.com |
 | | photo by Jake Jacobson |
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| "A review of a Nields concert described their music as "equal parts Beatles, Cranberries and Joni Mitchell." iTunes |
They're cheery, these two, but not Pollyanna. They know that life is hard, and making art while tending to our other obligations, especially as women, is a painful struggle. The Artery
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 | | photo by Kris McCue |
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| There's a profound state of aesthetic arrest that some singers can put an audience into, and singers like that are worth their weight in gold. Not many bands manage to have two of them. Pop Matters |
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