Musicians to perform concert to benefit effort against MTR

By Bryan Stevens

Dana and Susan Robinson, with special guest Andrew McKnight, will perform in a concert to benefit the “Not One More Mountain” campaign at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28.

The concert will be held at First Presbyterian Church at 119 W. F St., Elizabethton. The concert is a fund-raiser to fund the efforts of the Peace Committee at the church to combat and prevent mountaintop removal mining in Tennessee.

“Not One More Mountain” is a campaign launched in 2011 to bring awareness to the issue of mountaintop removal mining, which threatens the scenic vistas of Tennessee’s Cumberland Gap. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.fpcelizabethton. org.

This marks the second consecutive year that the Robinsons have performed at the Elizabethton church to support the campaign against mountaintop removal mining. They are pleased to return to Elizabethton to continue to fight against MTR.

“I’ve known about MTR for a few years now — mostly heard about it from other songwriters whose lives are more directly affected by it, songwriters from West Virginia and Virginia,” explained Dana Robinson. “I had always admired how the simple act of singing a song can not only educate, but also emotionally touch other people and ultimately call them to action.”

Robinson said he met Jennie Young and her husband, Stan, at a concert in Marshall, N.C.

He noted that the Youngs are members of First Presbyterian Church, and are very committed to the fight against MTR.

“We visited afterwards, and Jennie mentioned doing a concert some day at her church,” Robinson said. “This was, I think, three or four years ago. When I finally contacted her about doing something in Elizabethton, Jennie suggested doing a benefit for LEAF.”

LEAF, or the Lindquist Environmental Appalachian Fellowship, is a Christian fellowship of Tennesseans whose faith leads them to take action for Tennessee’s environment. The organization believes that people of faith can look beyond distinctions such as political leanings and do the Lord’s work together. LEAF has also been in the forefront of opposition to MTR.

“I thought it was a great idea, so our first concert happened last year at the end of January,” Robinson said. “It was a great success. We raised some money for LEAF and began getting the word out about Mountaintop Removal Mining and all its implications. When Jennie suggested that we do a benefit last year, it became my own way to become involved.”

Robinson also spoke about his first meeting with his wife.

“Sue and I met at a house concert in the Bay Area in California in March of 2002, so it’s almost 10 years since we met,” Robinson said. “I was on tour as a solo singer-songwriter, which I had been doing in that capacity for the previous eight years.”

Robinson said that at the time, his wife was living and working in Monterey as a consultant and grant writer for a couple of environmental non-profit agencies.

“Sue, at that time played piano and Scottish fiddle, and was just then getting interested in old-time music and was always a folk music fan, but never even considered performing,” he said. “We hit it off and began a long distance relationship. Sue moved out to Asheville the following year and began traveling with me. She first picked up the guitar, then began playing banjo, so our duo kind of unintentionally evolved over the course of 2003. We realized we were a duo when some MC at a concert introduced us as Dana and Susan Robinson.” The couple currently resides in Marshall, N.C.

“We’ve got a house a couple miles up a hollow from the French Broad River,” Robinson said. “We’ve been here about seven years.”

He had moved to Asheville from New England in 2001 to be near his son as he was growing up, his ex having moved there before him.

“I’m happy they came here,” he said. “I love the mountains here, and I must say, though I do not know my father, I am told that he was born and raised in Elizabethton — sometime in the 1940s — so I think it’s quite a coincidence that I moved down here. I’m kind of like a homing pigeon. I believe my grandmother’s name was Margaret Louise Robinson. I never met her, but if any of your readers out there knew her I’d love to know!”

Robinson said he grew up in the 1960s and 1970s on a diet of the Beatles and Bob Dylan, and noted there was always a lot of music playing in the house.

“I knew I always wanted to write songs and play music for a living,” he said. “Sue grew up in an actively musical household. Her dad played trumpet in big jazz bands all through the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. Her sisters had garage bands in high school.”

Robinson described himself as a singer-songwriter who also loves and plays old-time traditional mountain music and ballads.

“I like it all,” he said. “Some people have issues with the term ‘folk music,’ but I don’t care. To me folk music is all-inclusive and describes ‘music that folks make.’”

This will be their second visit to Elizabethton since the duo also played for last year’s MTR benefit exactly a year ago.

The couple stayed on the road a lot in 2011.

“Last year we were on the road most of the year — 135 gigs in all,” Robinson said. “It was a busy year.”

He doesn’t really like being away from home so much. “I like growing a garden and building things, but I won’t complain,” Robinson said. “We love what we do and have some amazing experiences. It is really a privilege to work and travel like we do because basically we can go anywhere we want to.”

For instance, their music has taken them to Europe.

“We love playing in Great Britain and go there at least once a year for four to six weeks at a time,” Robinson said. “Wales, Scotland, England are all fantastic.”

In addition, they have a regular tour of the western United States.

“We also have what we call our Western States Tour every year, and make a point of hitting all our favorite hot springs in New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho and California,” Robinson said. “We love it all.”

Since 2004, the Robinsons have recorded three CDs together.

“I made four additional earlier CDs as a solo performer,” he added. “The material spans from my own contemporary songwriting to a more traditional and old-timey stringband sound.”

He said that a good way to find their recordings is to go to their website at www.robinsongs.com.

“You can also find our music on iTunes and Amazon,” he said. “The very best way for folks to find our music is to come to the show.”

The Robinsons are definitely looking forward to their local performance.

“Folks can expect a lively evening of songs and stories and dance tunes,” he said. “We’ve got our guitars, banjos, fiddles and mandolins, and we just get up on the stage and have fun, and it’s all for a good cause.”

They will also have some company on stage this year.

“Last year we did the show ourselves, but this year we are really excited to be able to share our good friend Andrew McKnight from Virginia,” Robinson said. “Andrew has been immersed in the issue of MTR for many years and is an eloquent speaker and terrific songwriter. Andrew will be doing his own set of music, and we might back him up for a song or two.”

For more information on McKnight, visit his website at www.andrewmcknight.net.

Admission to the concert is a suggested donation of $10. For more information, call the church at 543-7737.