The Rural We: Doug Mishkin
Dough Mishkin of Egremont has written a modern folk "standard" and will give a concert on April 15.
Like so many other Berkshire residents, folk singer Doug Mishkin was introduced to the area when he attended camp in Great Barrington. He remembers thinking, “This area, the Berkshires, seems like the greatest place on earth. I’m coming back when there are no counselors and no curfew.” After a career as an attorney in Washington, D.C., he and his wife have moved to Egremont. Throughout his life, he has been involved with folk music — writing, singing, performing. He will be in concert on April 15 at Hevreh in Great Barrington, with proceeds going to benefit The Religious Action Center of Massachusetts and Construct, Inc. Here he tells us about his involvement in the folk music world.
I grew up in Monroe, New York, and when I was 14 my parents sent me to Eisner Camp. It was the greatest thing they could have done. Out of 500 kids, it seemed like there were 250 guitars. The songleader took out a guitar and sang songs at the campfire by Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs, and I thought those songs speak to me, and they still do.
The first timeI ever saw anything resembling folk music, there was a guy and his guitar, singing songs about capital punishment. It seemed really romantic, the image of Woody Guthrie. Then when I heard Pete Seeger in concert, everything began with that. Hearing and seeing him getting people to sing along made me realize it was music that I’d like to be a part of. As years went on, I grew to appreciate the craft of it. Tom Paxton teaches us about songwriting with every song. At 85 years old, he’s still writing some of the best stuff ever.
When I was in college, I wrote a song, “We Are All Woody’s Children.” There was a WQRX radio show called “Woody’s Children,” and I'd heard Pete Seeger say that all folksingers who came after Woody Guthrie were Woody's children. I recorded the song and sent it to Robert Sherman, host of the radio show, and he started playing it on the program. Eventually I did an album, and in 2012, for Woody’s 100th birthday, I wanted to re-record the song. I asked Tom Chapin if he would like to do it with me, and we got others to join us, including Paxton, Christine Lavin, Peter Yarrow, Aztec Two-Step, Buskin & Batteau, Catie Curtis, Guy David and the actor Jeff Daniels. We made a video of it.
I’m associated now with a small law firm here that represents low-income tenants in housing court, and serve on the Town of Egremont housing committee. But I’ve always had the opportunity to sing. I’ve performed for many activities in the Reform Jewish community — concerts, protests, rallies, and services. Since we moved here full time, I spend more time songwriting and I’m getting ready to put out more recordings of my music. At the Hevreh concert, I’ll be singing my own songs and a handful of songs by others.
My father used to say that folksingers in the 60s were the conscience of this country. What we call folk songs is very much alive and well, and as important as ever.
