Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Anne Feeney performs in Gretchen Regenhardt's backyard in Watsonville in 2006 in one of her many house concerts.
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Anne Feeney, folk singer and political activist with local connections, dies at 69
By SCOTT MERVIS of the Pittburgh Post-Gazzette
Anne Feeney, the legendary Pittsburgh folk singer-songwriter and self-described rabble-rouser, has died of COVID at age 69. Her daughter, Amy Sue Berlin, shared the news in a Facebook post on Wednesday night, writing, in part, “It is with a very heavy heart that we must announce the passing of our courageous, brilliant, beautiful mother, Anne Feeney. We were very lucky that she fought hard enough to open up her eyes, and give us a couple days to be with her before she finally decided it was time to let go.”
Born in Charleroi and raised in Brookline, Pennsylvania, Feeney took early inspiration from her grandfather, William Patrick Feeney, a mine worker's union organizer and a violinist. In 1967, while still in high school, she bought a Martin guitar and did her first public performance, singing Phil Ochs songs, at an anti-war rally in 1969. She was arrested at the Republican National Convention in Miami in 1972 protesting the nomination of President Richard Nixon.
Also in 1972, while at the University of Pittsburgh, she co-founded Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. She graduated from the Pitt School of Law in 1978, worked 12 years as a trial attorney and served as president of the Pittsburgh Musician's Union. She also was president of a NOW chapter and served on the board of the Thomas Merton Center.
During that period, she married labor attorney Ron Berlin, with whom she raised two children, Dan and Amy. (They were divorced in 1995.)
In 1991, she hit the road hard, traveling around the country to perform at folk festivals, labor conventions and rallies, including the WTO demonstrations in Seattle, Solidarity Day in Washington, D.C., and the 2004 March for Women's Lives.
Her business card read: “Performer, Producer, Hellraiser.” In 1992, she delivered her debut album, “Look to the Left.” Her subsequent albums in the ‘90s and ‘00s — mixing original and traditional songs and blending folk, pop, Irish and bluegrass — included “Union Maid," "Have You Been to Jail for Justice?" and “Dump the Bosses Off Your Back.” Her songs were recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary and she shared stages with such legends as Pete Seeger, Billy Bragg and Loretta Lynn. Her song "Have You Been to Jail for Justice?" is featured in such documentaries as “This is What Democracy Looks Like” and “Get Up/Stand Up: The History of Pop and Protest.”
In reviewing one of her albums, The Fort Worth Weekly wrote, “Dissent is an essential element of the American ideal. Feeney has never shied away from expressing opinions that are unpopular with people who have the loudest voices.”
In 2005, she received the Joe Hill Award from the Labor Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.
Feeney’s career was put on hold in 2010 when she was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. Three years later, it was in remission. To help her during the downtime, Berlin, a folk singer herself, curated the benefit tribute album to her mom, “War on the Workers,” which featured Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary), Holly Near, Dan Bern, Anti-Flag, Emma’s Revolution and more doing political/protest songs. Her second husband, Swedish political artist Julie Leonardsson, created the cover art.
Mr. Yarrow stated in the liner notes, “For decades, I’ve held Anne in great esteem: for her determined heart, her passionate commitment to justice and the way she’s lived the messages of the folk tradition (just as Peter, Paul, and Mary did) putting her life and her presence out there to speak about and sing about what needs to be shared.”
“I had seen artists include politics in their show before,” Anti-Flag frontman Justin Sane said upon its release, “but Anne Feeney was the first artist I encountered whose set was unapologetically and ferociously political. That set had a major impact on me as an artist. I remember thinking to myself, ‘This is the kind of musician I want to be. This woman is punk as hell!’ And she still is!”
Rusted Root’s Liz Berlin, who covered Feeney’s “Have You Been to Jail for Justice?” in her Social Justice Disco project with Phat Man Dee, noted last week that Feeney, her musical mentor, “introduced me to the world of folk music and activism.”
“First time I saw her I was 17 at a hospital workers strike in Canonsburg,” Man Dee said. “She was [expletive] fierce, with amp on back and guitar in her arms, her hair bouncing out of her sun visor like a shampoo commercial as the cops were throwing protestors into school busses. I wanted to be just like her.”
Feeney’s friend and bandmate Rick Lacy posted Wednesday night that he met Feeney in 1968 when he was 18 and she was 16. She had placed an ad looking for musicians to play with. They gigged together and he would become her bassist in 1990.
“I had no idea,” he wrote, “she had gotten so well known in the interim. My first job with her was at Penn State in front of close to 1,000 people. I had just learned her songs and was playing a totally unfamiliar instrument but it worked out okay. I will tell you that my knees were shaking though. We had some wonderful tours and I got to play bass on 2 of her albums. Traveling and playing with her rank up with my top memories and there are so many stories to tell.”
Among them, he notes, was a gig in Vegas with Tony Orlando and Dawn.
According to Amy Berlin’s Facebook posts, Feeney was living in a senior care facility, where she suffered a fractured vertebrae that sent her to a nursing facility. She was diagnosed with a Covid-related pneumonia in late January.
In a 2008 interview, Feeney told the Post-Gazette, “I think music is a fantastic way of empowering people and giving them strength and energy. I've spent a good part of my life trying to find and write music that will empower people to resist and stand up for what's right."
In lieu of sending flowers or cash donations, Berlin asks that people consider making a donation to the Thomas Merton Center in her honor.
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
A juvenile red-tailed hawk launches from the cliffs at Seabright State Breach.
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Join the CalCare Campaign Car Caravan - Medicare for All of California
By SARAH RINGLER
Santa Cruz County Berners invites the public to join a covid-concious caravan of cars to call attention to CalCare, a campaign that supports healthcare for all Californians. Sally Gwin-Satterlee of Medicare for All Santa Cruz said that the current best direction to getting healthcare across the country is to start with our State legislators.
The caravan will meet at the Santa Cruz County Building parking lot, 701 Ocean St. Saturday at 12:30pm. Before the cars depart at 1pm, there will be instructions, brief introductions and time to decorate the cars. Most of the time should be spent in cars and all are expected to wear masks and practice socially distance. Cars will be connected by a conference call - 425-436-6366 access code 5495396.
You may make own signs but there will be CalCare campaign placards and flags for each car. Please wait to attach signs to your car until you get to the meeting place. Blue painters' tape works well, is easy to remove and will be available. RSVP here to participate.
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Santa Cruz County Housing Report
Here is the Housing Inventory Snapshot of our county from Raeid Farhat Real Estate Inc. as of Jan. 31.
Single Family homes: The average list price - $1,048,517 (-8.31%, 30-day trend) and average sold price - $1,112,060 (7.58%, 30-day trend).
Luxury Family homes: Average list price - $3,230,597 (-8.40%, 30-day trend) and average sold price -$3,020,905 (-6.54%, 30 day trend)
Condo/Townhomes: Average list price - $464,165(-12.15%, 30-day trend), average sold price - $490,016 (-14.02% 30-day trend)
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"It's time to end welfare as we know it,
Let's get those greedy chiselers off the dole,
It's time to end welfare as we know it
Teach them a little self-control.
For far too long we've allowed these corporate hogs
To belly up to the public trough.
No more welfare as we know it,
No more handouts. Cut them off?"
Anne Feeney
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County Covid-19 Report
By SARAH RINGLER
cases that tested positive. That is an increase of 5% from last Thursday. 155 people have now died, an increase of 8%.
Regional stay-at-home orders were lifted last week by state health officials allowing some businesses to open. We are now under "Limited Stay at Home Orders." For information, go here.
The county's Effective Reproductive Number is continuing to fall below one. See chart below. Numbers above one show the spread of the virus is increasing. Below one means the spread is decreasing.
To get tested without a doctor’s request, call 1-888-634-1123 or go online at https://lhi.care/covidtesting. The testing clinic is at at Ramsay Park in Watsonville. Other testing sites that may have restricted access can be found here.
Vaccines are now supposed to be available in Santa Cruz County. For more information, click here.
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Deaths by ethnicity/155:
White - 59%
Latinx - 31%
Black - 1%
Asian - 9%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - .7%
Deaths by gender/155:
Female - 55%
Male - 45%
Other - 0%
Under Investigation - 1%
Deaths by age/155:
30-39 - 2%
40-49 - 1%
50-59 - 2%
60-69 - 12%
70-79 - 18%
80-89 - 33%
90+ - 32%
Tested positive by region/% of population:
Mid-county - 20/12%
North county - 18%/60%
South county - 60%/29%
Under investigation - 1%
Weekly increases in positive tests:
June 12-19 - 7%
June 19-26 - 23%
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June 26 to July 3 - 22%
July 3-9 - 23%
July 9-16 - 40%
July 16-23 - 20%
July 23-30 - 27%
July 30-Aug. 6 - 13%
Aug. 6-13- 12%
Aug.14-20 - 16%
Aug.20-28 - 10%
Aug. 28-Sept. 3 - 10%
Sept. 3-10 - 6%
Sept. 10-17- 8%
Sept. 17-24 - 7%
Sept. 25- Oct.1 - 5%
Oct. 1 - 9 - 4%
Oct. 9-15 - 4%
Oct. 15-22 - 5%
Oct. 23-29 - 4%
Oct. 30-Nov. 5 - 6%
Nov. 5-12 - 10%
Nov. 12-19 - 11%
Nov. 19-26 - holiday
Nov. 19-Dec. 3 - 29% 2 weeks of data for this week only
Dec. 3-10 - 16%
Dec. 10-17 - 17%
Dec. 17-24 - 14%
Dec. 24-31 - 19%
Jan. 1-7 - 13%
Jan. 7-14 - 14%
Jan. 15-21 - 11%
Jan. 21-28 - 5%
Jan. 28-Feb. 4 - 5%
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Labor History Calendar for February 5:
1830: First daily labor newspaper, N.Y. Daily Sentinel.
1846: Birth of Johann Most, German-American journalist, speaker and anarchist who supported the strategy of "propaganda of the deed."
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Photo by TARMO HANNULA
Tamarind Chutney and Kale and Corn Pakora
By SARAH RINGLER
It was the chutney that attracted me to this recipe. Chutneys are sweet and spicy sauces that are important part of Indian cuisine, and like ketchup and mustard, add a little punch to whatever they are served with.
This chutney combines sweet dates and tangy tamarind. Tamarind pods are easy to find in Mexican markets. Because they have been used since ancient times, their origins are much debated in academic circles. They are thought to be native to tropical Africa or the Indian subcontinent and are not only used as food but also as furniture wood, metal cleaner and medicine. The paste is found in the brown pod after you peel off the shell and remove the seeds and string.
You have a full flavor and texture palette when you add chutney to these crispy, fried, spicy patties. The recipe is from Niven Patel, originally from Surat, India, who operates a farm called Rancho Patel near Homestead, Florida that he uses to supply his restaurant Ghee. His recipe calls for Lacinato kale, usually available around here from Lakeside Organics, but any kale variety will work.
I don’t think you need to precisely follow the spices listed in the recipe. Garam masala itself, is a mixture of ground spices used across the Indian sub-continent. Rather than buying garam masala, you could add any spices like cloves, cinnamon, mace, cardamom, black pepper, chili powder or bay leaves that often are part of the masala.
I served the pakora with dahl, yogurt, chutney and toasted sweetened coconut.
2-3 cups oil for deep fat frying like peanut or avocado oil
1 ½ cup chickpea flour - in all
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons white rice flour
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground garam masala
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder or minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 bunch Lacinato or other kale, washed, dried, stemmed and chopped
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 fresh serrano pepper, unseeded and thinly sliced
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pour about 2 inches of oil into a heavy bottomed sauce pan.
Whisk together 1 cup of chickpea flour, ½ cup of rice flour, salt, coriander, cumin, garam masala, ginger, turmeric, and garlic into a large bowl.
Add kale, corn, bell pepper, onion and chili. Massage vegetables and dry mixture together for 2 minutes to release moisture and until clumps are formed. If needed, add the remaining chickpea flour and the 2 tablespoons of white rice flour and continue mixing.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Set up a wire rack over a baking pan in the oven. Heat the oil in the heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Once you start deep fat frying, never leave the stove.
Working in batches, scoop up ¼ cup of kale mixture and form into little patties. When oil is hot (300 degrees), slide patties into the oil and deep fry for about 4 minutes until brown and crisp. When done, transfer to wire rack in the oven. Continue to fry until done. Serve with tamarind chutney.
Tamarind chutney
1 cup dried seeded dates
1 ½ cups boiling water
2 tablespoons tamarind paste –pulp of 2-3 tamarind pods
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder or substitute chili powder of your choice
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Peel off the brown, crackly cover to the tamarind pod. Remove the seeds and the string. The remaining sticky pulp is the paste.
Place dates in a small heatproof bowl and cover with the boiling water. Let stand at room temperature for about an hour until dates are soft. Put water and dates in a blender, add tamarind paste, lemon juice, salt, chili powder and cumin. Purée until smooth in about 35 seconds. Taste and adjust flavor as desired. Freeze or keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.
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Welcome to Serf City Times. Over time, our county has grown more stratified and divided with many people feeling left out. Housing affordability, racism and low wages are the most obvious factors. However, many groups and individuals in Santa Cruz County work tirelessly to make our county a better place for everyone. These people work on the environment, housing, economic justice, health, criminal justice, disability rights, immigrant rights, racial justice, transportation, workers’ rights, education reform, gender issues, equity issues, electoral politics and more. Often, one group doesn’t know what another is doing. The Serf City Times is dedicated to serving as a clearinghouse for those issues by letting you know what is going on, what actions you can take and how you can support these groups.This is a self-funded enterprise and all work is volunteer.
Copyright © 2021 Sarah Ringler - All rights reserved
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