'Sing! for Justice' concert set for Newbury Park

"Sing! for Justice," a folk, bluegrass, mountain and Americana concert with songs about peace, freedom, justice and compassion, will be presented at the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Newbury Park on Saturday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m.

The concert will feature storytelling folk songs by Merlin Snider, high-energy bluegrass music from the Honeysuckle Possums Trio and Americana fare from the Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble. The event, a fund-raiser for the Fellowship, was organized by Snider, who will perform with his four-member Pretty Good Acquaintances band.

Snider is bringing together friends in the music community for a night of musical inspiration in solidarity with human rights marches that began on Jan. 21 and have continued around the country since then. The evening will showcase singers and musicians who have gained notice far beyond Southern California.

Snider is a folk singer and songwriter whose just-released third album, "One Light Many Windows," is the No. 2 folk album for April on the Top 70 FOLKDJ-L chart. A contributor to the Wildy's World music blog wrote about Snider: "He makes us look at human comedy and human tragedy. He confronts the elephant in the room." Snider will be accompanied on stage by Deborah Snider on vocals, Mark Indictor on fiddle, Tom Powers on bass and Larry Zack on drums.

The Honeysuckle Possums Trio is an all-female group playing bluegrass, originals and old-time mountain music. They have been together for several years, performing all over California, and they recently released their debut album. The two lead singers, Susan Reeves (guitar, strumstick, and ukulele) and Rebecca Troon (banjo, fiddle, bodhran, and tin whistle) are accomplished songwriters. Sierra Reeves, daughter of Susan, has performed bluegrass with her mother since the age of 10. She released her first solo CD in 2015.

Award-winning vocalist Susie Glaze leads the latest version of the Los Angeles-based Americana group The Susie Glaze New Folk Ensemble. The group blends classic folk music with rough-edged stories of tragedy and fate, with arrangements sounding like chamber music gone folk. Glaze's ensemble includes Steve Rankin on mandolin, Mark Indictor on fiddle and bassist Fred Sanders. The band's latest album, "Not That Kind of Girl," was released in June 2015.

Tickets for the concert are $20 and can be purchased online at https://cvuuf.yapsody.com/event/index/90236/sing-for-justice-merllin-snider-friends. Proceeds will benefit the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, whose mission is "to nurture spiritually courageous people who transform the world through justice and compassion." The Fellowship is located at 3327 Old Conejo Road in the Songbird office park in Newbury Park (enter at Ruth Drive). For information, contact Merlin Snider at merlinksnider@gmail.com or reach him through the church office at (805) 498-9548.