Music, Politics, and the Metal Reed

Lyricist, guitarist and concertina* stylist, "Fiddlers for Peace" organizer, curator of the "Deep Poetry Project", and editor of the Pepper Spray Times. 2004 honoree by the City of Berkeley for homeless advocacy, 2003 honoree for civil liberties activism through music, humor, and art by the Berkeley Commission on the Status of Women, winner of the East Bay Express' readers' poll "Best Solo Performer" for 2002, and selected as one of the San Francisco Bay Guardian's 2001 "Best of the Bay". Featured writer at the Centre for Political Song, Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, etc. Failure to Disperse Acoustic Revolt and Road Show emsemble and solo performances. Published commentator in local and national fora . Performing at Bay Area venues...

Berkeley Partner for Parks Benefit, Sunday September 28, 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm with various string band players. At Halcyon Commons Park, 1/2 block west of Telegraph Avenue and Prince Street.

Solano Stroll! Sunday, September 14, 10am - 6pm with Failure to Disperse featuring Jim Nelson on banjo and various nefarious conspirators on trombone disguised as fiddle, mandolin, bass, concertina or guitar. The nation's oldest, longest street party with music, food, costumes, and a parade. Bring your fiddle, join us, or just enjoy.

Strings, the premier underground club...if you have never been, you have a coveted special invitation from the artists for simply discovering yourself on this web site, visited by very, very few. Wednesday, August 20th, 2008, Carol Denney and Christy McCarthy, two of the most pre-eminent Bay Area songwriters, singers, and players. Strings is at 6320 San Pablo Avenue, (unmarked French doors to the right of the beauty parlor) Emeryville, CA, donations gladly accepted, please do not advertise. Show starts at 8:00 pm. (510) 653-5700 for more information.

Ashkenaz - Don't Mourn Celebrate the Life, Songs, and Stories of U. Utah Phillips, Friday, August 1st, 2008 - in Berkeley at 1317 San Pablo Avenue with The Labor Chorus, Rebecca Riots, Hali Hammer, Darryl Cherney, Carol Denney, plus Utah's music, stories, photos, videos, and everybody's memories. $10 donation to benefit Utah's Hospitality House Homeless Project in Nevada Country. Info: (510) 548-3113, sponsored by IWW, Earth First!, Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarians, and KPFA.

Noe Valley Farmers Markets first Saturday mornings with Kerry Parker and Failure to Disperse....

...or pick up some recordings:, also available at Downhome Music, CDBaby, and Amazon.com.

Click here for the PG&E song,
alternatively titled Write the Check and Shut Up.

September 2008 issue of the Pepper Spray Times; download, distribute, plagiarize wildly.

August 2008 issue of the Pepper Spray Times.

July 2008 issue of the Pepper Spray Times.

Drop the SLAPP-Suit: The Real News About People's Park. The real improvement to People's Park isn't anything physical, and they won't let you talk about it.

Life Is Much Better in Jail
New, Enhanced Rules for People's Park
"Bob's Blankets", A short story in remembrance of Bob Nichols.
"Save the Trains - Stop the Politicians"
"For the Gates, a song for San Quentin"
"Another Puppet Committee, or, The Canary in the Freebox"
The Upside of Getting Shot by the Vice President
How to Riot in French
Don't think for a minute that Berkeley has free speech...1-17-05
"What's going down now in People's Park: donate clothing, get a ticket - how Berkeley can you be?"

Favorite moments in media.
A Simple Music Lesson.
Ten Things I Loved About the Recall
The Deep Poetry Project...The the money spent on Berkeley's most recent "arts district" project brought about the "Deep Poetry Project", poetry about holes, to highlight the disparity between Addison Street's poetry-pocked sidewalks and west and south Berkeley sidewalks, laden with the essence of evocative art, the hole...
Politics is always worth thoughtful contemplation.
10 Myths About the Freebox in People's Park.
Song for Kevin Freeman, killed in jail for no reason.
Myths about political songs.
The short story of micropower radio.
Don't miss our novel feature, the Poetry Corner.
The Simple Ways to Improve the World page.
"Fiddlers for Peace" page.
Homelessness and the 647j campaign in Berkeley.
Paraleiptic Audio Analysis. The seminar which will change your life, make your bed, and do your laundry.
Observations on World News. Commentary for the bewildered.
The SLAPP-Suit. The People's Park free speech anomaly still unresolved.
Your personal Permit to Stop the War. Be sure your friends have one.
The Pepper Spray Times. The newsletter for the very brave.
Bio of sorts.

Click the writing hand for critics' comments.

Click the concertina for information without which you may well perish.

Some people can't get enough gratuitous commentary.

You can email your orthoepic observations to " cdenney (at) igc.org ."

Photos by Mark Nelson, Michele Thomas, and the Cliff House camera booth.
Pepper Spray Times artwork by Roger Dondis, other artwork by C. Denney

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