SMU Page Series features folk singer Susan Werner
Werner will present work from her “Hayseed” project at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, in SMU’s Page Theatre.
Born in Manchester, Iowa, Werner grew up on her family’s hog farm, but she took to singing rather than farming. She began making a name for herself in the folk scene of the early 1990s in Philadelphia, New York and Boston. She recorded five albums from 1993 to 2001 in the folk genre. Her next recording in 2004, “I Can't Be New,” was a departure encompassing Tin Pan Alley, early torch, and jazz standards. Now based in Chicago, Warner’s most recent music is infused with the rustic roots of American folk, blues and country music. Her 11th recording “Kicking the Beehive” includes guest appearances by Vince Gill, Mo’Keb and Paul Franklin.
Werner’s newest project, “Hayseed,” contains 12 songs on the subject matter of farming, rural America, locavores, food safety, and the comic potential of herbicides. With this work, she returns to the language and characters she knows best.
Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for students and seniors and are available at www.pagetheatre.org or at the SMU Box Office, (507) 457-1715, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
A Page in History event is planned for noon Wednesday, Oct. 9, at the Winona County History Center. Come and celebrate local food and food growers, along with Werner. Folks from the Winona Farmer’s Market, Bluff Country Co-op and local food growers will be attending. Meet your local farmers and hear a preview of Werner’s evening performance. She is supporting three organizations: Practical Farmers of Iowa, Ames; Midwest Organic Sustainability Education Service, Spring Valley, Wis.; and the Land Institute, Salina, Kan.
