Grammy winner Patty Griffin and her fellow singer/songwriters Sara Watkins and Anais Mitchell embarked last week on their Use Your Voice tour, a lengthy, nationwide journey that brings them to the Music Center at Strathmore March 1. These personable masters of American folk and bluegrass music are eager to connect with women across the country, their ultimate goal to energize women to vote by focusing on the strength they wield in all walks of life and convincing them of their potential for altering the course of history.
This concert tour and voter engagement drive is a joint project with the League of Women Voters.
“I was astounded to discover that the majority of potential voters are female, but they are not coming out to vote in the numbers they could,” Miss Griffin told The Washington Times. “When you think about all the single mothers out there and the decline of public education in this country, it is not surprising that so many imprisoned young men were raised by single mothers who did not have outside support or the means to help them.”
Driving for more voters to head to the polls parallels the messages in “Servant of Love,” Miss Griffin’s latest album, which probes the heart and mind with powerful lyrics that address the spiritual and mystical forces that determine one’s destiny. As expected, romantic love and unhappy relationships play major roles in her stories, but she gives equal attention to examples of evil, as in “Good and Gone,” inspired by the police shooting of an innocent man.
“In developing this album, I wrote my songs to emphasize the inequalities all around us,” Miss Griffin said.
On the Use Your Voice tour, Miss Griffin, Miss Watkins and Miss Mitchell are determined to not only share their considerable talents and powerful musical messages on stage, but also to reach women who have maybe slipped through the cracks and teach them how to improve their lives and those of their children.
At Strathmore, as at every concert hall along the tour, members of the local League of Women Voters will be on hand to speak to the audience and let them know exactly how they can participate in the election and benefit their families at the same time.
Miss Griffin is confident that this tour will educate and persuade many to enter the voting booth for the first time.
“As Anais says, you can tweet all you want, but you need to vote,” Miss Griffin said. “In my home county in Texas, only 8 percent of eligible voters came out the last time. This is not acceptable.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: Patty Griffin, Sara Watkins and Anais Mitchell celebrate American songwriting and strong female voices in their Use Your Voice tour
WHERE: Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Ln, North Bethesda, Maryland, 20852
WHEN: March 1 at 8 p.m.
INFO: Tickets $38 to $48 by calling 301/581-5100 or visiting Strathmore.org
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