Seth and May to premiere new CD and documentary at Wealthy Theatre

Michigan-grown roots music favorites Seth Bernard and May Erlewine revisit the Wealthy Theatre Saturday, November 5th, for a two-tiered event featuring a documentary film and live music.

The duo's seven-year musical run has been intertwined with work in environmental activism and social justice, and their efforts this year have been no exception. January saw them traveling to the coffee-growing regions of Ethiopia with the non-profit group On the Ground (OTG), which promotes sustainable development in farming communities across the globe. OTG's Run Across Ethiopa project sent ten American and six Ethiopian marathon runners across 250 miles of southern Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe area to boost awareness of that zone's educational needs and raise funds to construct shools there. The miles covered and experiences gained were captured in a documentary by James Weston Shaberg, called "When We Run," and will be premiering at Wealthy Theatre at 5:00 p.m. that night. 

Of their involvement in the project, Erlewine says, "Seth and I were along to engage in a cultural exchange. We played in the schools, we learned songs and dance moves from the children, we learned Ethiopian scales and melodies from incredible ethio-jazz masters, we shared our music along the journey, sang for the runners, played for the people and wrote an entire album inspired by the experience."

That album is the latest in their ever-growing repertoire, to be showcased live at 8 p.m. Saturday. Including veteran Bernard/Erlewine accompanists Michael Shimmin on drums and Joshua Davis on keyboards, the performance seeks to articulate in song what their time in Ethiopia felt like on the ground. The performance will include an opening act by special guest Temesgen, Ethiopian traditional/jazz fusion artist.