Want to prepare for better, more purposeful conversations on July 4th? Check out Buffalo Gal’s PROTEST, A Revolutionary Rock Opus on June 22 or 23 at the Chanhassen. The music is powerful, inspirational and entertaining and just might give you the nudge you need to talk to that family member about the next election. Also, it’s just a fun show.
Please tell us about Buffalo Gal.
I started Buffalo Gal Productions in 1996 after returning to MN from New York. I had been an actress, choreographer, and director but I wanted to create new shows with prominent women roles. The name, Buffalo Gal, came from my hometown of Buffalo (MN). I began my theater career at age 12 in Wright County Arts Association summer musicals. Fast forward- it was my Buffalo friends, teachers, and family that supported my first professional production…hence Buffalo Gal Productions. Buffalo Gal negotiated the renting of the Loring Playhouse in 1999 adding two other theater companies in the process. In early 2000, Buffalo Gal produced original revues Broadway Legendary Ladies; Monsters, Witches & Freaks; Vixens and Martini’s, Girls & Guns. Broadway’s Legendary Ladies sparked an encore production at The Ordway and a Midwest Tour. As a playwright, Perrin Post (I) got the rights to make Sweet Land (the Film) into a musical. Sweet Land was a ten-year project. It premiered at the History Theatre in St. Paul in 2017 with more productions following in Seattle, a MN Tour (History Theater grant), College, and high school productions.
What inspired PROTEST, A Revolutionary Rock Opus? And was there a specific event or thought that drove it forward?
The inspiration for PROTEST came to fruition in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the upheaval in the Twin Cities that followed. The Covid 19 pandemic left artists with free time, unemployed, and the urge to help in whatever way they could. Several Artists (composers, lyricists, producers) signed on to help create these exciting new songs. PROTEST a Revolutionary Rock Opus was developed to not only give employment to artists, writers, composers, and lyricists in this time of COVID-19 but to give them an outlet to inspire change in our society through their music!
As the songwriters began sending me their finished song(s) one by one, they were all so eclectic and fantastic that I realized we needed to produce an artist album. They all contributed their songs originally for an eventual theatrical production. Making the album could only help PROTEST get the attention it deserves from producers, theater artistic directors, booking agents, etc. I have always been in love with the Rock Musicals (Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, HAIR) . I believe PROTEST has the potential to be a great Rock Opera as well. I incorporated Buffalo Gal Music in 2023 venturing into the music business. I brought on the promoter of Elephants & Flowers Media to help PROTEST venture into the music world. I believe PROTEST, A Revolutionary Rock Opus could bring the music industry and theater audiences together. Theater suffered so greatly after the pandemic trying to get patrons back. The Twin Cities has produced legends such as Prince, Bob Dylan, Soul Asylum, Jayhawks, The Suburbs, The Replacements, Lizzo, and Dessa.
My hope is to entice the Twin Cities community to rally behind the creation of NEW music and theatrical collaborations thinking outside the box.
The variety of genres and sounds is fantastic. Did each songwriter have artistic liberty on topics and sound or were you looking for a specific vibe for each song and matched that with an artist?
My idea of Protest began by featuring powerful moments and the women that led them; i.e. Greta Thunberg’s speech to the UN Climate Action Summit which she shamed them with the words, “How Dare You” when Emma Gonzales stood silent at the March For Our Lives rally for 6 minutes and 28 seconds- the time it took the Parkland shooter to kill her classmates and Kimberly Jones’ emotional Youtube moment during the George Floyd riots when she proclaimed “How Can We Win”! The woman activist connection was easy to match to the moment, the decade, and the music sound (Black Lives Matter, Climate change, Gun violence, Voting rights, Women’s rights, Immigrant rights, and War). I did give music ideas to each writer – for New Deal (AOC) I asked Kat Perkins to give it an Alanis Morrissette meets Green Day sound. For Greta Thunberg I wanted a Billie Eilish feel. For the Women’s March on Washington- March Like A Girl, I wanted Dixie Chicks meets Indigo Girls. Barbara Cohen brought the essence of Radio Head sound to Parkland. Timothy Levy’s song, We Are One, was the only song pre-written and brought to me by Ashley DuBose. We Are One evoked the Civil Rights era to me (yet very today also) . I wanted a tribute song to Diane Nash.
How did you convene such an amazing lineup?
I made a list of songwriters from the Twin Cities (plus Dina Maccabee who composed Sweet Land) that I have known through the years. Barbara Cohen and I went to the University of Minnesota together, Linnea Mohn worked for me years back for my painting company, I know Aaron Gabriel, Kat Perkins, and Nora Montanez through theater, I work at Trader Joe’s with Jimmy Rogers. The writers & composers I just mentioned brought on their existing writing partners (Eric Warner, Miguel Gonzalez, Tim Carrow). I went in search of a songwriter to write for Black Lives Matter, Black Panthers, and Civil Rights, this brought me to Ashley DuBose – who in turn helped bring on Ben Obi and Timothy Levy. I did ask the songwriters which “song/woman activists/moment” they were interested in composing, we were definitely on the same page as far as the choices they made.
Please tell us about the upcoming show.
I wanted to treat the Album release at Chanhassen Concert Series as a celebration of the women activists which includes- Greta Thunberg (Climate), Emma Gonzalez (Parkland Gun Control), Alice Paul (Suffragist), Stacey Abrams (Voting Rights), Malala Yousafzai (Female Education), Kimberly Jones (George Floyd Activist), Dolores Huerta (United Farm Workers), Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez (Green New Deal), Politician), Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors & Opal Tometi (Black Lives Matter Co-Founders), Angela Davis & Elaine Brown (Black Panthers), Diane Nash (Civil Rights), Whoopi Goldberg, America Ferrara, Gloria Steinem (Million Woman March), Jayna Zweiman & Krista Suh (Pussy Hat Project), Marsha P. Johnson (Stonewall & LGBTQ Rights), Michelle Cook, Morning Star Gali, Jaslyn Charger, LaDonna Brave Bull Allard (Standing Rock), and Jane Fonda (Vietnam and more).
The Concert is headlined by Barbara Cohen (Little Lizard), Ashley DuBose (The Voice), Linnea Mohn (Rogue Valley), Kymani Kahlil, and Janely Rodriguez (theatre artists). Musicians include Miguel Gonzalez, Jimmy Rogers, Kevin Werner Hohlstein, and Doug Christianson.
The PROTEST concert also features powerful, past Protest songs from Music Icons such as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, John Fogarty, Joan Baez, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Sam Cooke, Pete Seeger & Patti Smith. Their songs still resonate today and are loved by all ages. All I ask is to open your minds, set aside politics and to celebrate these Minnesota songwriters along with the famous Protest songwriters of the past.
Mostly Minnesota 