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Music | U.S.A. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BAFA © 2010. All material here is copyrighted. See conditions above. |
Bev and Mike Rogers
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The Salt River Trio, Lee Hosack, Bev and Mike Rogers,
performing in Kennebunk, Maine, 2000. |
Mike: I started playing harmonica at age fifteen. During the late 50’s and 60’s. I was an avid fan of the American folk music scene. I learned to play the blues by studying the techniques of the legendary Sonny Terry. Other influences were John Mayall, Charlie McCoy, and Jonathan Edwards. |
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I began playing professionally in 1970 with New Hampshire poet/songwriter John Perrault. John and I recorded five albums from 1976 to 1999 and we are still a happy duo today. We opened for Emmy Lou Harris, The Eagles, Mountain, Tom Rush and Jonathan Edwards. My music genre has always been acoustic folk, blues and gospel, along with jug (skiffle) band music of the 20’s and 30’s. I began writing my own material and playing
guitar when I became a Bahá'í in the early 80’s.
I wooed Bev with my harmonica rendition of Moon River when we met in college and we were married in 1963.
I taught in the public school system in Maine until 1978, when I lost my sight due to retinitis pigmentosa. This was a blessing in disguise as I was able to turn my attention to being a full-time musician. We left Maine to pioneer in the Bahamas in 1984 and Bev began singing with me at that time. We were after all, alone on a tropical island. We sang in all the small churches on San Salvador Island, often joined by fellow pioneer, Sadie Somers. It is from Sadie that we gleaned our love and appreciation of African American gospel music. We also formed a children’s’ harmonica band there (kazoos for the little ones). In 1987 we released our first cassette album Steppin’ To A Brand New Beat. The song Ballard of Fred Mortensen about the man who "rode the rails" to see ‘Abdul-Bahá at Green Acre, Eliot, Maine was released as part of Her Name is Green Acre compilation CD released in 1998... ...We moved to Georgia (in the southern part of the US) in 1988 as homefront pioneers. During our ten years there we worked in public schools giving harmonica workshops and concerts. During the 1992 Bahá'í World Congress, Bev and I had the honour and privilege of doing a hotel performance. We released our second album Variety in 1993... ...Bev worked as the sound technician for various groups over the years as well as in the recording studio for our recordings. She has an excellent ear for the process of recording and mixing. Bev started singing with me in 1984 and she added an excellent alto harmony. Her years as a children’s storyteller provides animation and enthusiasm to our performances. Bev and I have worked with VSA arts (Very Special Arts, International ) in schools and institutions since 1989. This agency brings artists with disabilities into schools, etc. and exposes students with disabilities to the arts. This experience takes us into special needs settings as well as mainstream classrooms and hospitals and is a most enriching experience. We were honored to represent the state of Maine at the 1999 VSA arts International Conference in Los Angeles, CA. We performed at the conference and did a harmonica workshop at an inner city elementary school. Presently, Bev and I live in Eliot, Maine (near the Green Acre Bahá´í School) and I have pursued by interest in writing poetry. And to my amazement I received an award from the New England Writers Association which was published in their 2000 Anthology. Excerpts from Arts Dialogue, February 2001, Pages 6 - 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Salt River Trio, Lee Hosack, Bev and Mike Rogers. |
This one hour CD features original songs including three cuts appropriate for use at Bahá'í Feasts: O Son Of Spirit, The Remover of Difficulties and the Healing Prayer. It contains strong vocal harmonies woven throughout with acoustic guitars and harmonica...
...The trio's style has been described as "folk music in the purest sense" by Face Magazine, Portland, Maine, USA. This style is evident in the title song "Salt River", a song written by all three members on a chilly March afternoon. The lyrics portray the four seasons on the shores of the Piscataqua River (third fastest tidal river in the world, and it divides Maine and New Hampshire). The song My God's Door was written with the influence of the deep south (US) and it's gospel roots. The author sees himself as the sinner, thus reflected in the surprise ending... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
...O Son of Spirit is the first of the Arabic Hidden Words revealed by Bahá'u'lláh and is set to a baroque-style melody in a meditative and somber tone. The track entitled Sandcastle reminds us that we should bring ourselves to account each day, as life is as fragile as a sandcastle...
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Nobody knew where Otto lived...
his family, his job, his dreams.
Frightened child in a man's body,
his gaze never strayed from the space
just above the handlebars of his bicycle.
Feet encased in brown scuffed wingtips,
perpetually pedaled.
Sometimes, prone in tall grass
at the side of the road,
he would stare across the gully.
Green pants, green shirt, the Texaco man
camouflaged in the weeds, riding point
for some invisible platoon.
Two eyes, widened by life's surprises,
watched, unblinking, from the middle
of a wrinkled infant face,
a tableau known to him alone.
Otto rides down every street,
ancient bike clattering over bumps and potholes,
he sits on deserted bus-stop benches...
peeks through sun-dried blades
in vacant lots and roadside fields.
Everyone has seen him..
seen right through him...
looked away.
Mike Rogers
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 Arts Dialogue, Dintel 20, NL 7333 MC, Apeldoorn, The Netherlands email: bafa@bahai-library.com |