Lake Worth Playhouse - Phil Ochs songs concert

A Special Report published in the Online-edition of NEWSDAY(week of Feb 20-26, 2012)

THE SONGS OF PHIL OCHS – LIVE CONCERT AT THE LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE

A Special Report by Dean Papavassiliou

Feb 20, 2012

On the 19th of February, I was privileged to attend a live concert where many talented local singers performed songs written by the protest singer of the 60s &70s Phil Ochs at the historic Lake Worth Playhouse in Lake Worth, Florida. The event was narrated by Phil’s sister, Sonny and the Palm Beach Post entertainment writer, Leslie Gray Streeter.

The Lake Worth Play house, a non-profit community theater in the heart of down-town Lake Worth, presents year-round programming incl. well-known dramas, comedies, musicals, Broadway shows, operas and live concerts. Next door is the Stonzek Theater screening independent and foreign films. Originally, this art deco building, was built by the Oakley brothers in early 1920s - as a movie palace and vaudeville house, served audiences during the difficult depression years until it went bust. The theater changed names and ownerships during the following years.

A group of local theater-lovers got together in 1953 and started an amateur theater group known as the Lake Worth Playhouse. In 1975 they purchased the Oakley Theater, renovated it and since then are presenting, often to large audiences, of variety of needed live entertainment.

The concert that I attended was performed by very talented local singers and musicians, incl: Megan Eversole, Joey George, Scott Goldblatt, Sean Hanley, Rod Macdonald, Kat Mahoney, Mel & Vinnie, Pink Slip, Tracy Sands, Mike Vullo and special guest, Matt Turk.

It was all about the songs of Phil Ochs, who was born in El Paso, Texas in 1940, attended college at Ohio State University where he formed his political beliefs and started putting them into music. It was early 1960s when things were booming in NY’s Greenwich Village and Phil decided to go and live there. I was also attending the City University of New York at the same period and often venture to the local cafes, around Washington Square, to hear the protests songs of the Viet Nam era.

Phil Ochs released his first two albums then including the famous “I Ain’t Marching Anymore”. By 1966 he was able to sell out Carnegie Hall for his solo concert. His songs were mostly political in nature, some humorous and some very serious, on topics of civil rights, Viet Nam war, hungry miners and injustice. Unfortunately Phil was suffering from manic depression plus an affinity for the bottle and he ended his life by hanging himself in April 1976, at the prime age of 35 years old.

Few years later, his sister Sonny, at the suggestion of Ned Traynor, picked up where Phil left and started organizing “Phil Ochs Song Nights” in Greenwich Village and later on in upstate New York. Phil had written over 100 songs and had traveled in many countries performing then. He was one of the most famous and prolific protest singers (and philosophers) of the 60s and 70s.

During the concert I met and talked with talented Mel and Vinnie who have been making music together for the last 25 years, singing, songwriting and guitar playing. All the songs performed by all were very emotional, coming from the hearts of the singers and many of them have lyrics posted on the screen helping the audience to “sing-along”. The audience was mostly baby-boomers, like me, and many of them knew most of the songs. It was a most enjoyable concert.

Dean J. Papavassiliou

Published on the On-line edition of NEWSDAY (the week of 20-26 Feb. 2012)