“Stay warm and take care of each other.” That was the mission statement of Dani O’Brien’s friend and bandmate, the late Jameson Lavo, and she keeps that sentiment alive every year with her annual holiday benefit concert, a tradition born of friendship and community.
Each December O’Brien brings together local bands of different generations to perform their favorite seasonal covers and original songs for good causes.
This year’s lineup includes The Awful Din, Behold! True Believers, The Big Why, Elfhampton, The Fawns, Getty Images (Matt Robidoux), Grey Matter (Eric Gaffney), New Parents and Winterpills, appearing at The Sierra Grille in Northampton tonight at 9:30 p.m. You must be 21 or older to attend.
Concertgoers are asked to bring three or more items for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, or three dollars, which will go to Me Too, the organization founded in 2006 to help survivors of sexual violence — especially young women of color from low-income communities — find pathways to healing.
O’Brien always names the benefit after a different phrase from one of her favorite seasonal songs. This year’s event’s title is “Songs of Joy and Peace,” found in the lyrics of Joni Mitchell’s “River.”
“I love Joni Mitchell. There is a sadness and a hopefulness in her that resonates with me always, but even more so in these times,” O’Brien said in an interview last week.
“The terms joy and peace definitely have a heightened meaning for me these days. Given the racism, sexism, xenophobia and intolerance that have always been part of our society but are certainly heightened in the current political climate, I have been thinking a lot about what is required day in and day out to make peace, joy, love and hope a reality.”
O’Brien chose Me Too as this year’s organization because when the #MeToo hashtag started gaining popularity, she was “reminded of how common sexual assault, violence and harassment are. It is one of those things I know, because of my own experiences and the experiences of my friends and family. Every one of my female-identified friends could have posted #MeToo. If you are a woman, queer, trans, or gender non-conforming, you have probably experienced some sort of assault or harassment.”
The story of Me Too founder Tarana Burke inspired O’Brien as well. “In addition to raising money for a great organization, my intention in choosing Me Too is to raise awareness of the work that Burke and other women of color have been doing for years, and to remind people that we can’t address sexism without also addressing other forms of oppression.”
Justin (JD) Davis Jacobs, frontman of The Awful Din, played some of O’Brien’s earliest holiday benefit shows, back when they were bandmates in Jameson Lavo’s band The Trials and Tribulations.
“I remember the sincere and joyful vibe of the shows, each artist or group giddily calling dibs on their favorite holiday songs or forming one-off collaborations. Sometimes old friends and bandmates would reunite onstage,” Jacobs said. “What I always loved about these shows was that Dani and Jamie would choose a cause that not only mattered to them personally but was relevant to current events. It was a night we were able to add our voice. We all took pride in participating.”
“It doesn’t hurt that I’m a sucker for holiday music either,” he added, mentioning that this year The Awful Din will probably play their “spacedrone/noise rawk” version of Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Jeff Lloyd is a member of Elfhampton (a holiday mutation of his band Beasthampton) and a huge fan of Christmas songs, saying he has more than 1,000 in his record collection.
“Dani has been putting on these benefit shows for years and being a fan of both Dani and Christmas music, well, we finally just couldn’t resist,” he said. “And the fact that the proceeds go towards fantastic causes just makes the merriment that much brighter.”
Elfhampton plans to perform The Handsome Family’s “So Much Wine,” a simple and moving song that takes place on a dark Christmas day. “It always seems to make it on my annual X-mas mixes in one form or another. I think it has been covered by over a hundred bands. It is a great tune,” Lloyd said.
Adam Langellotti’s band New Parents is readying a version of Nancy Stewart’s gentle folk song “The Colors of Winter.” “It’s a bit of a children’s song,” he said. “I am not a religious person so I try to find a song that does not incorporate that type of subject matter.”
Langellotti was inspired to participate in the event because of the benefit aspect. “I truly appreciate the Food Bank. It does great things for people that I and other close friends have benefited from. Me Too is another organization I believe in and want to help as much as I can. Having loved ones that have experienced sexual assault, I believe any organization that helps give a place of safety and actually listens and believes any victim is very important to support.”
Jacobs shared why he feels O’Brien’s yearly holiday benefit is important. “The show means so much to many of us, as a way to gather and remember our friend while continuing to benefit the causes that matter to all of us. Dani does an excellent job of choosing the recipients and putting together a great night of music. I look forward to it each year more than any other show. I feel that it’s gotten harder and harder to find moments of magic in the day-to-day struggle; this show provides a much needed night of magic and hope.”