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Oregon Daily Emerald 346-3712
15 MINUTES
“The first time Measure 9 was on the ballot,
I made this sculpture. It was my way to par
ticipate [in] the election, besides voting
against it. It still is.... I dedicated the sculp
ture to the [Oregon Citizens Alliance], as
written on the plate supporting the head. I
thought I could use it again this second time
as my small contribution against it. ”
— Latifah Troncelliti, Italian graduate teaching fellow
Get YOUR 15 minutes of fame by having your own origi
nal work published in Pulse. Submit entries at EMU Suite
300 or mhande@gladstone.uoregon.edu.
Strong messages are Near
■ Two political musicians will
join forces in a concert at
Agate Hall on Saturday
By Monica Hande
Oregon Daily Emerald
After 25 years of existence, Moth
er Kali’s Books is celebrating its sur
vival and its success.
The independent, feminist book
store is hosting an anniversary cele
bration Saturday at Agate Hall at the
University. After a variety of day
time events, singers Irene Farrera
and Holly Near will headline the
celebration, extending their politi
cal activism.
Twenty-five years is a long time
for an independent bookstore to
survive, said Tova, co-manager of
Mother Kali’s, and it’s a special treat
to be able to celebrate it. The an
niversary celebration is in part to
encourage support for businesses
like Mother Kali’s, she said.
“It’s really important to support
independent bookstores so they
don’t get swallowed up by big busi
nesses,” she said. Many small book
stores have recently been put out of
business by larger companies.
Besides support, entertainment is
an important reason for the celebra
tion, Tova said.
Mother Kali’s sees itself not only as
a bookstore, she said, but also as a
community center, which is why
most of the entertainment scheduled
for Saturday involves local artists.
“We wanted to really make sure it
was a community event,” Tova said.
And that goal was achieved by in
cluding local talent not only during
the day but also during the evening
concert.
Farrera will open the concert. Al
though she lives in Eugene, she
rarely performs local concerts.
Much of her time is spent perform
ing shows throughout the country.
“It’s a real treat to do a home per
formance,” she said.
Farrera, originally from
Venezuela, was influenced by mu
sic at a very young age.
"I think it was really something I
was born with, ” she said of her mu
sic talent. “Ever since I was a little
kid, I was fascinated with music. It
was something I had with me since I
was brought into this world.”
Farrera’s music has a rich
Venezuelan influence. Sung in both
English and Spanish, her lyrics
proffer a political message.
“I really like to send out the mes
sage ... for unity of the American
continent,” she said.
Living as a Latin-American, Far
rera recognizes a need for a binding
relationship between both parts of
the continent. Her goal is to help
people realize that they can make
Courtesy photos
Nationally recognized political activists Holly Near (left), from California, and Irene Far
rera, from Eugene, will deliver their messages through their music in Eugene Saturday.
changes in the world through indi
vidual activism.
The purpose of her music is for
“uplifting people,” she said, “mak
ing them aware and inspired.”
Farrera said she is excited to be
performing at a concert with Near,
a nationally recognized musician
and activist.
“I actually think our messages are
very similar,” Farrera said.
Near, who has been performing
nationally since 1972, is also excit
ed about the Eugene performance.
“I’m very happy to be there and
share the evening with Irene Far
rera,” she said.
Near, originally from Ukiah,
Calif., has performed in Eugene
many times and appreciates the
city’s politically aware community.
She is familiar with Mother Kali’s
and is excited to celebrate the an
niversary of a bookstore devoted to
feminist literature.
“You’re celebrating the building
of something that’s still very impor
tant,” she said.
Near’s ties to Eugene begin with
her sister, who opened a dance com
pany at the WOW Hall, where Near
frequently performed.
She grew up in a politically and
socially active family. Her parents
introduced her to a large variety of
music, and considering they did not
own a television set, music became
their communication center, and
that’s where her musical inspiration
began, she said.
“I was born with a voice,” she
said. “[Singing] was a very natural
thing to do.”
Near continued her passion for
singing and theater, which she also
became interested in as she was
growing up. She said it was a per
formance she did in the Broadway
production “Hair” that made her
more aware of the anti-war move
ment and inspired her to deliver a
message with her singing.
“I became interested in how I
could participate,” she said.
And she became successful sim
ply because people liked what she
did, she said.
“I became quite well known as a
singer of political music. ”
However, the music Near per
formed and the messages she deliv
ered were not well-supported by
much of the public, she said. She
was singing about civil rights and
homosexuality, for example, before
they were acceptable.
Her job as a young woman “be
came to unveil the secrets, to say
these words out loud,” she said.
Near said her art was not invited
into the mainstream, so she had to
make a decision about whether to
continue.
“I decided that it. was pretty
damn exciting what I was doing,”
she said, “and I would accept the
consequences.”
Although Near was a strong voice
for the women’s and civil rights
movements, she said it was a com
bined effort of all activists.
“We were these young warriors,”
she said. The “we” referred to the
“women and men who challenge
the status quo through our art and
have a feminist perspective.”
Near is currently touring with
two men, Italian-American pianist
John Bucchino and African-Ameri
can singer Andre dos Santos, who
both contributed to her most recent
album, “Edge.” Doors open for the
Saturday concert at 7 p.m. Farrera
performs at 7:30 p.m., and Near
takes the stage at 8:30 p.m. The Eu
gene-based Deb Cleveland Band
will perform at a dance following
the concert. Concert tickets are
$16.50 and are available at Mother
Kali’s, CD World, the EMU ticket of
fice and at the door. For more infor
mation about the celebration, visit
www.motherkalis.com/25th.html.