Folk Singer Peter Siegel Performs at Lawrence University Earth Day Festival

Peter Siegel brings his unique brand of politically tinted folk music to the Lawrence University Wriston Art Center amphitheatre Saturday, April 22 with a 3 p.m. concert as part of the college’s eighth annual Earth Day Festival.

The day-long salute to all things environmental begins at 9 a.m. with a group trash clean-up of the north bank of the Fox River. All interested participants are asked to meet at the Wriston Art Center turnaround.

From 11 a.m. -2 p.m., the Main Hall Green will feature a variety of earth-friendly activity and information booths from student and community environmental organizations. A “Bring Your Own Plate & Cup” picnic lunch also be served with Lawrence student groups providing musical entertainment.

Siegel, whose eclectic performances that mix blues, swing and hip hop on the guitar, banjo and mandolin with traditional fiddle tunes have been dubbed “Space Age Vaudeville,” headlines the day’s celebration. In the event of inclement weather, Siegel will perform in Riverview Lounge inside the Lawrence Memorial Union.

A native of suburban New York City, Siegel credits the likes of Pete Seeger, Miles Davis, Run DMC and TV theme songs as musical influences. He first made a name for himself as a member of the Hudson River Valley’s Harmonious Hogchokers, singing original and traditional songs of political and environmental significance.

Siegel is a former grand prize winner of Massachusett’s WRSI singer-songwriter competition. He has performed at festivals and venues throughout the nation, including the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the New England Folk Festival and the American Festival of Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Wash. During his career, he has opened for Peter Mulvey, Tim O’Brian and Tony Trishka and shared the stage with such performers as Pete Seeger, Tom Chapin and Paul Stookey.