Besides doing the good work of helping the people of Ukraine during the current crisis there, the Stissing Center in Pine Plains has scored a plum performer for the Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser event that will take place there on June 5: none other than Talking Heads front man David Byrne.
Billed as “an inspirational event combining music, food, speeches, and generosity into a tremendous show of support for Ukraine and [Boston-based aid organization] Sunflower of Peace,” the afternoon will feature Byrne as well as Estonian politician, diplomat, and entrepreneur Eerik-Niiles Kross and the Ukrainian folk band Korinya.
Born in 1952, singer-songwriter and guitarist Byrne cofounded Talking Heads in 1974 with his fellow Rhode Island School of Design classmate Chris Frantz on drums and Frantz’s future wife Tina Weymouth on bass; ex-Modern Lovers keyboardist Jerry Harrison would join the band in 1977. Talking Heads became a staple act on the early punk rock scene at CBGB and other New York clubs and, after signing to Sire Records, became legendarily influential hitmakers. Recently, Byrne, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the recipient of Academy, Grammy, Tony, and Golden Globe awards, has enjoyed resounding success with his Broadway musical “American Utopia.”
Byrne is famously fixated on the folk music of many cultures—African music had a pivotal effect on the Talking Heads albums Fear of Music (1979) and Remain in Light (1980), and his Luaka Bop record label has focused significantly on world music—so the bill with Korinya should be a nice fit.
The Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser will take place at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on June 5 at 4pm. Tickets are $400.
This article appears in May 2022.
