On May 25th, Cooldog Concert Series welcomes a return engagement by John
Flynn. He last performed at Cooldog in 2005, and we're thrilled to
welcome him back.

Songwriter and activist John Flynn calls himself a “hopeful pessimist”.
The pessimism comes from a heartbreaking, clear-eyed honesty in
assessing the condition of the world we live in. The hope comes from a
deep-rooted faith in the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. In
an artist of Flynn’s caliber, the tension inherent in these seemingly
contradictory points of view yields the kind of songs that moved Kris
Kristofferson to compare Flynn to the best writers he knows, and
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott to boast “John Flynn is the John Lennon of the
plasma generation!” Of Flynn’s new CD Two Wolves, Chris Spector of
Midwest Record Recap writes “Flynn might well be one of the greatest
hidden treasures the Americana axis has to discover and offer.

The depth and breadth of John's passion and convictions is extremely
impressive. A songwriter by trade, he backs up his words with action -
coordinating an annual benefit for Camp Dreamcatcher which helps
children affected by AIDS, toured with Arlo Guthrie on a train from
Chicago to New Orleans performing benefits for those impacted by
Katrina, regularly goes into the local prison to work with inmates (he
can't bring his guitar, which could be a weapon, but he sings and has
written songs with them), coordinates and performs at rallies that
support peace and oppose the death penalty. And just last month, he
completed the Boston Marathon, crossing the finish line with his
daughter Sarah. Whether or not you agree with his positions, it's almost
impossible not to respect and admire his integrity and conviction.

John's songs have recently been featured in 2 different independent
films - one called "Not Broken", about the struggles of those affected
by Hurricane Katrina. The other film is a documentary called "Tiny
Tears", about the global epidemic of pediatric AIDS, features 4 of
John's songs, and was recently screened at the United Nations.

A lifelong baseball fan, he has sung the National Anthem, "God Bless
America" and "Take Me Out To the Ballgame" at countless Phillies games,
including the last game played at Veteran's Stadium, and the first game
played after 9/11.

If you're not familiar with John's 5 "grown up" CDs, your kids may know
songs from his 2 award winning Children's CDs - "Love takes a whole box
of Crayons", or "A Manatee Sneezed On Me", which are played frequently
on family radio, including WXPN's Kid's Corner.

But many Delaware residents have recently become familiar with John
through his song "Dover", which was put in heavy rotation earlier this
year at WRDX The River 92.9 and WDSD 94.7. The song is a tribute to, and
a reminder of, the lives of the fallen soldiers who are brought back
home via the Dover Air Force Base. John is contacted almost daily by
families of the fallen, who thank him for the song. The fact that these
2 stations are featuring a song by a folkie is just amazing - I've
already sent them several emails thanking them for recognizing a great
song by a great songwriter (hope you will too!).

Which leads us to our upcoming show... It just so happens that John will
be here on Memorial Day weekend, and I couldn't imagine a more
appropriate time to have John performing "Dover" right in the backyard
of the DAFB. But as you can see, John Flynn is an awful lot more than
one song, and you'll be able to find that out for yourself. If you've
seen John perform, you know that his storytelling between songs is
always entertaining and enlightening. To see a video of John from the
Kennedy Center, go here: http://johnflynn.net/pics/r1a0fcmv.ram.ram

Opening the show will be a delightful young and tall lady named ellen
cherry. That's not actually her name, but if you're the first person to
tell her where she got her stage name from, she'll probably give you a
prize. Her real name is Kristin Putchinski, which didn't have enough of
a ring to it, so she went with something totally different (including
the artful lack of capitalization). We saw her at Folk Alliance, a music
conference in Memphis, and were delighted by her presence and her
songwriting. Check out her intro video on her web site - I think it's
brilliant: http://www.ellencherry.com (while you're there listen to some
music too).

We are hopeful that we'll have a good crowd and great weather, and that
we'll be able to do the show outside in the yard. Stay tuned to the
email list and web site for the inside/outside call. The side of the
yard where the show will be held is fairly tree shaded, but a lawn chair
or blanket would be recommended. The RSVP's are coming in nicely, so
you'll want to RSVP early. If the weather doesn't cooperate and we have
to move indoors, those who RSVP first will get first dibs.

So, the details:

Who: John Flynn, with ellen cherry opening
Date: Sunday, May 25th at 3pm
Where: Cooldog Concert Series, near Dover/Smyrna, Delaware
How much: suggested donation $15, $10 for ages 10-18 and active
military. Free for ages 9 and under
Bring: a lawn chair (we hope to be outside in the yard), and a covered
dish to share
We provide: beer, wine, soft drinks
For more information:
http://www.cooldogconcerts.com/upcoming/JohnnFlynn2008.html
To RSVP: http://ectores.luisys.com/make_res.php?event_id=275
Please bring your donation in cash - we don't collect money in advance.

I hope to see you soon!

Beth & Paul
Cooldog Concert Series
http://www.cooldogconcerts.com
5/25 - John Flynn, with ellen cherry opening
7/20 - Slide - Celtic from Ireland
8/10 - Tempest
9/21 - Cara - elegant Celtic from Germany (this is Race Weekend)
10/26 - Garnet Rogers