This announcement was published in The Etowain Online, February 14, 2008
IVAW sponsors concert; local students perform
Aimée M. DiMichele (Staff Writer)
Supporters of an end to the war in Iraq — as well as the local music scene — can join together this Friday in Lancaster as The Old Time Liberation Front hosts a benefit concert for Iraq Veterans Against the War.
The event will be held at the Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster and begins at 7 p.m. This concert is the third event in the efforts of Lancaster Supports Iraq Veterans Against the War.
Lancaster Supports Iraq Veterans Against the War is a local campaign sponsored by organizations such as the Lancaster Interchurch Peace Witness, Lancaster Coalition for Peace and Justice, and Lancaster Studies for a Democratic Society.
The campaign hosts events such as movies, speakers, and concerts in support of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), collecting donations and rallying encouragement for the cause.
IVAW, founded in 2004, organizes dissent among veteran and active-duty soldiers, with the long-term goal of ending the war in Iraq.
The purpose of IVAW is a three-fold objective: immediate removal of all U.S. troops and soldiers from Iraq, reparations to the Iraqis for the destruction we have caused, and full benefits and healthcare for returning soldiers.
The Old Time Liberation Front is comprised of high school students from Hempfield, McCaskey, and Penn Manor High Schools, all from the Lancaster area.
Though its members have been friends for years, the band was only officially founded this past summer at the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in West Virginia, where they won first place in the Neo-Traditional Band Contest.
The currently-unsigned band hopes to release a record by mid-May, as well as tour sometime after the album’s release.
The Front’s members include Peter Reist on guitar, bass, and vocals; Maya de Vitry on violin and vocals; Monica de Vitry on cello and vocals; Jordan Rast on guitar, mandolin, banjo, and vocals; and Becca Rast on viola, violin and vocals, with special guest Laura Dyck on violin and vocals when she’s visiting from Canada.
The group’s influences consist of old-time, bluegrass, folk, and rock music, allowing the Front to offer a self-described “unique acoustic blend.”
“With broad public support, Iraq Veterans Against the War is the organization that can most effectively bring an end to the war in Iraq,” said band member Reist in a recent press release.
For more information about Lancaster Supports Iraq Veterans Against the War, visit http://lancastersupportsivaw.wordpress.com.
To access more about Iraq Veterans Against the War, go to http://www.ivaw.org. Samples of the Old Time Liberation Front’s music can be found at http://www.myspace.com/oldtimeliberationfront.
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