FODfest celebrates the life of slain journalist and former Atlanta musician, Daniel Pearl
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
On February 1, 2002 Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was murdered after being kidnapped by terrorists in Karachi, Pakistan, while researching a story on shoe-bomber Richard Reid. Pearl left behind a legacy not only as a bold journalist, but also as a musician. Though it’s a little known fact these days, Pearl was an Atlanta music figure for a time in the early ’90s.
He was known for participating in spontaneous improv and jam sessions with pretty much whoever was around, and played violin with several local bands including the Ottoman Empire, Cosmic Gypsies and the Wild West Picture Show.
Each year Pearl’s October 10th birthday is recognized as Daniel Pearl World Music Day. Over the last few years that has expanded to Daniel Pearl World Music Month, during which time several concerts are held around the globe in his honor.
Now in its fourth year, FODfest is an annual touring concert that follows suit. The tour features performances from musicians who played music with Pearl, meeting up with other musicians who never knew him, but connect with his story. During the shows many of the participating musicians meet for the first time onstage. The concerts are open to the public, and in lieu of an admission charge, donations are collected at each performance to help offset travel and production costs.
“We work side by side with The Foundation,” explains FODfest organizer and guitarist/songwriter Todd Mack from his Off the Beat-N-track recording studio in Sheffield, Mass.
Mack was a close friend of Pearl’s who made his acquaintance in Atlanta when Pearl answered a want ad he had placed in Creative Loafing, looking for a fiddle player. The two met, played music together and eventually teamed up in the band Cosmic Gypsies, later called Saucy Jack.
“Atlanta has a special significance for this tour,” Mack adds. “It’s where we met and it’s where Danny took his first job with Wall Street Journal. We remained friends all the way to the end.”
Since 2004 Mack has spearheaded the touring FODfest. “It gets a little bigger each year,” he says. “It started as a last minute, very much thrown together back yard party and now it travels to both coasts and hits 14 cities in 17 days.”
FODfest 2008 comes to Smith’s Olde Bar on Saturday, Oct. 18th and features performances from Barron Ruth, Beth Heidelberg, Bill Shadle of M80, Blair Lott, Caroline Aiken, David Keehn & Eric Raider, Faron McNeal with Brillo, the Ottoman Empire and Todd Mack. Free. 8 p.m. www.smithsoldebar.com.
Click below for tour dates.
