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Spring 1999 Newsletter |
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Last Update: April, 1999
Singing For Habitat "No matter who we are "Where is Malawi?" This was Mike Stern's first question when he was invited to join a Habitat for Humanity singing construction crew headed for the small African nation in July of 1998. Mike, a local poet and songwriter recalls "My next question was 'Are we a choir posing as a construction crew, or a construction crew posing as a choir?'" When Mike decided to join the team, he was asked to compose original music for the group to use. He read Millard Fuller's A Simple Decent Place to Live to look for inspiration. "The vision and purpose of Habitat for Humanity was stated so eloquently and yet so simply, it seemed as if lyrics were just waiting to be turned into a song," says Mike. The result was a message in music that many of us heard last fall when Millard Fuller visited Seattle during the Blitz Build at South Park. Mike and the group now known as the Habitat Singers returned from their trip to Malawi in time to perform Every One of Us Deserves a Home, the title song on a cassette album produced by Mike. The album includes other entertaining music, including a song from Malawi, arranged from a traditional African folksong. Mike sings lead vocals and plays banjo, harmonica, and guitar and is joined by internationally known pianist David Lanz, Gary Lanz on bass, Eric Smith on mandolin, and William Limbach singing harmony. The musicians donated their time and talents to make this benefit album for Seattle Habitat. The tape is available for $10 plus $3 mailing fee from Seattle Habitat for Humanity, 306 Westlake Ave. No., Suite 210, Seattle, WA 98109-521 |
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