Happy Valentine's Day
Mike Ladd (demo)
Written by Mike Ladd
Friends of the First
A Musical Benefit for the ACLU
Admission is free, and we'll provide a QR code for a secure webpage where you can make a tax-deductible donation to the ACLU in any amount.
Beer, wine, and snacks are available for purchase at the Grand Hall concession stand.
So…IF you want to get together with like-minded folks who share your support for the Constitution, AND if you enjoy a good party with great music in a beautiful room, THEN join with other "Friends of the First" on Sunday, April 12, 2 – 5 p.m. in the Grand Hall at Workshop13 in Ware.
Participating musicians include: Jim Perry, Bill MacGillivray, Mike Ladd, Brendan Keenan, Paul Provost, David Smith, Tim Bowles, Anthony Houston, Bob Sarkala, Myra MacLeod, and the Petersham Jam House Band (Aaron Kessman, Bill Zinni, Lynne Feldman, Tory Kilcoyne, Doug MacLeod, Annie Huppert, Dave St.Germain) -- and special guest, Mass Poet Laureate Regie Gibson.
Children in Crossfire
with speaker and founder Richard Moore
Let's take care of each other
Friends – I want to announce to you that going forward I will be accepting donations of non-perishable foods and lightly worn clothing at all of my public performances. Donations will go to the St. John’s Food For The Poor program in Worcester. I have been volunteering at St. John’s for more than a decade and I know the good works its provides to our increasingly vulnerable communities, and I see the need for its services only multiplying. If you know you may be stopping in to catch me at one of our great local venues, or at an Irish Seisiún at Fiddlers’ Green or Boland’s, please grab a can of soup, a box of pasta, or a jacket you’ve grown out of, on your way out and drop it with me. If you have more forethought, warm socks, kids’ clothes, gloves, handwarmers, female hygiene products, are all needed. Our city shelters are limited and we do have rough sleepers who will be out in the cold. Let’s work together to take care of each other.
https://www.stjohnsfoodforthepoor.org/
Ladd & Keenan - Fiddlers' Green Pub, Nov. 8, 2024
Without A Net Raises Money for UMASS Cancer Center
A successful and inspiring benefit concert for all involved
Pam and Arny Spielberg's recurring thank you to the cancer care specialists at the University of Massachusetts Cancer Center is Without A Net; a semi-annual event that is never the same but for the overarching premise: that no one rehearses for cancer, each experience is different and relies on the expertise, improvisational skills, and ability to listen from the health care team, and the love and trust of the clients and their loved ones. Distributing a plan of songs to some of the best local musician in Worcester County, October 8 at Halligan's Bar in Auburn, MA was the execution of the plan and whatever the outcome, it happens live, without a net. For me, it is a highlight of the year, seeing and playing with, and even just meeting musicians I admire sharing an experience that tests us, and raises money and support for an important cause. The 2023 Without A Net Benefit Concert:
Featured performers: Brett Brumby, Walter Crockett, Mud Rocheleau-Demers, Lydia Fortune, Jodee Frawley, Mike Gianfriddo, Charles Ketter, Mike Ladd, Yvette Rhault and Arny Spielberg.
Backing musicians: Justin Beauregard, Joe Carcia, Erik Cohen, Rob Coltun, Steve Leclaire, Sten Gustavson, Warren Olsen, Ron Ouimette, and Bob Sarkala.
Featured work
