Righteous Mothers, choir sing for a cause

Washington Center show benefits children's center

BILL COMPTON, FOR THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Friday, March 1, 2002

Seattle's Total Experience Gospel Choir and the Righteous Mothers, both well-known for their celebratory approaches to life and music, will perform separately and together tonight at the Washington Center.

The Righteous Mothers are both theatrical and zany in their songs and onstage choreography, while also doing some "hanky songs" about sensitive issues, according to manager and lifelong friend Lynn Grotsky.

While the group has been together for 20 years, careers in entertainment have never been the goal. They decided early on that if the singing and writing were no longer fun, they'd stop doing it. But the music provides a creative outlet that allows their other careers to flourish.

Keyboardist Clara Meeker is a published author of children's books, and bassist Lisa Brodoff is a clinical law professor at Seattle University.

Marla Elliot, percussionist for the group, is an adjunct professor at The Evergreen State College and works as an advocate for legal representation for children.

Wendy Crocker plays acoustic guitar and teaches piano. She is working toward her master's degree in teaching certification in secondary education.

The group does about 24 shows a year and have established their presence at major music gatherings such as Vancouver's Folk Festival and the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas.

The Righteous Mothers' onstage performance draws from a broad pastiche of American song styles from vaudeville to Broadway to folk, rock and roll and gospel. Most recognizable for their harmonies, their four voices blend silkily as they ride over original songs, with creative samplings of songs as varied as "Farther Along" and "Downtown." The lyric themes are drawn from their lives as mothers of, in total, seven children ages 1 to 17.

The Total Experience Gospel Choir over the past 30 years has become a Northwest institution of love and celebration in the form of music.

With quiet beginnings as one part of the music program at Seattle's Franklin High School in 1972 under the direction of Patrinell Wright, the choir currently performs 200 shows a year. Their participation in the seasonal production of Langston Hughes' "Black Nativity" with Seattle's Intiman Theatre has become a regional favorite.

For founder/director Wright, it's all about involvement, as she explained to Victory Music Review two years ago: "Music is to the soul what rain is to plants. If you want people interested in doing good things, throw good music at them ... I really want the world to be a better place."

Several core singers give the choir its trademark joyous sound that belies its small number, but Wright welcomes singers of any age to the Tuesday night rehearsals. More than 200 singers have been members of the choir since 1972.

The Monarch Children's Justice and Advocacy Center, a private, nonprofit organization, has partnerships with the Department of Social and Health Services, local police agencies, Providence St. Peter Hospital Sexual Assault Unit and the Prosecutor's Office.

It offers free counseling for victims of sexual assault and group therapy for parents and caregivers of sexually abused children. The center draws from a unique combination of internships and trained personnel. It currently advises 11 support groups and works with more than 70 individuals and families.

Director Lynn Grotsky sees it as a "gem of a program that is able to train professionals for the community while also providing a safe environment and therapy for victims of assault."

For more information on the center's programs, call 360-570 5103.

Bill Compton is a free-lance writer living in Lacey.

The Righteous Mothers and The Total Experience Gospel Choir

- When: 8 p.m. March 1.

- Where: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. S.E., Olympia.

- Tickets: $15 and $20 at the door or at the box office today. For information, call 360-753-8586. Proceeds will benefit the Monarch Children's Justice and Advocacy Center's Therapy Program.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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