Duo tells story of the past through music
Published 7:01 am Sunday, January 4, 2015
Something about certain cultural revolutions makes even the young among us pine for the good old days.
From the perpetual resurgence of “The Great Gatsby” to the revival of 80s fashion, sometimes the bygone is just too good to stay that way. Say what you will about 80s fashion, it was a decade of confidence.
That includes us here at the Austin Area Commission for the Arts. With the turn of the new year, we at the Paramount are kicking off the new year in the old school style with “Flappers, Miners, & Moonshiners: A Musical History of 1920s Minnesota.”
The show, which runs at 2 p.m. next Sunday, Jan. 11, follows A Prairie Home Companion’s Prudence Johnson & Dan Chouinard on a journey back to Minnesota in the Jazz Age, with songs, vintage photographs, and stories — of life on the farm and the reservation, of the nightclubs of St. Paul and the mining towns of the Iron Range.
This might sound a little like inviting Boo Radley to leave the house, but folks are welcome to sing along as we make our way through a decade of things worth remembering. Those who prefer to stay in their seats can still participate by sharing a good family or local interest story from the 20s — submit these to prudencejohnson.com/flappers for possible inclusion in the show.
Visit austinareaarts.org for more upcoming events and classes. Until next week, beat on.